Guarding the Prison for 100 Years, I Emerge to Overwhelm the Demon Venerable

’Wang E Temple of the Underworld?’

’Why add a name before Yin Temple?’

A thought stirred in Cui Yanliang’s mind, his interest piqued.

Jin Yunfeng, too, sensed the distant Power of Incense and fell into thought.

’This You Province is an extremely dangerous place, teeming with countless Demon Ghosts and Evil Cultivators. And yet, some Daoist has established a Yin Temple here? Is he in league with the Demon Ghosts, or does he actually have the power to protect himself?’

With a thought, he spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Increase speed. Get to shore as fast as you can!"

"Aye!"

The group of burly sailors on the ship roared their assent.

The massive ship then surged forward, parting the waves. It shot across the great river like an arrow, speeding toward the place wreathed in the Power of Incense.

There’s an old saying: if you live by a mountain, you live off the mountain; if you live by the water, you live off the water.

Yet, those who live by mountains and rivers don’t necessarily have better lives than those on the plains and hills.

Still, they wouldn’t pass up the game in the mountains or the fish in the water, and would typically hunt and fish on a large scale.

But here in You Province, things were different.

Along their journey, Jin Yunfeng and his party had rarely seen any sign of human life near the mountains and rivers, let alone people fishing or hunting.

They hadn’t seen a single merchant ship, either.

But as they drew closer to the Wang E Temple of the Underworld, the area grew more populated.

By the riverbanks, there were plenty of small boats out fishing.

Along the banks were also irrigation channels, where many farmers were drawing water for their fields.

Many women were also washing clothes by the river’s edge, and one could see small villages dotted about, all centered around the Yin Temple.

’It seems... this Daoist hasn’t been colluding with them. He’s actually a benevolent Daoist?’

Cui Yanliang stroked his beard, watching this scene, lost in thought.

SPLASH!

The giant ship barreled forward like a mountain, throwing up waves to either side that were dozens of yards high. The sight was absolutely ferocious.

Just the distant sight of it sent the many small boats on the river scattering in a panic. The people on them cried out, staring in horror at the approaching behemoth.

They had lived by the river for a long time, relying on fishing for their livelihood, but they had never seen such a huge vessel.

WHOOSH!

Cui Yanliang reached out and pressed down with his hand. The massive ship’s speed immediately dropped, and it gradually steadied.

"This place..."

Watching the shocked and uncertain stares from the shore, the expressions on the faces of the well-traveled crew accompanying Cui Yanliang and Jin Yunfeng turned rather peculiar.

From a distance, you could see the Demon Qi roiling within You Province; it was incredibly dense.

They never expected to find such a hidden paradise here.

It was truly incredible.

Before long, the giant ship docked. Two men dressed as sailors, wearing blue headscarves and shouldering iron anchors weighing tens of thousands of pounds, leaped onto the shore and secured the massive vessel to the riverbank.

Only then did everyone slowly disembark.

Cui Yanliang stepped off the giant ship. He looked up and saw the faces of many villagers were still filled with fear and apprehension. The fishermen, holding spears and knives, quickly surrounded them.

"You... who are you people?"

A tall, dark-skinned, middle-aged man swallowed and asked loudly.

His voice was high-pitched and carried a thick, regional accent that was so difficult to understand that many in the group couldn’t make out his words.

But of course, Cui Yanliang understood him perfectly.

In the past five years, he had learned at least a hundred different dialects. By drawing parallels, he was able to understand and even speak it almost instantly.

"We come from the Da Yu Capital City. We are here in You Province to subjugate demons and establish laws."

He said with a smile, cupping his hands:

"And who might you be?"

The Dayu Immortal Dynasty’s territory was vast. Several of its Great Provinces were originally independent kingdoms that were later forcibly integrated.

Forget accents—even the written script wasn’t fully standardized.

This time, as they promoted the new laws, they also promoted unified systems of measurement, script, language, and elementary textbooks.

"Da Yu Capital City?"

The villagers and fishermen all looked at each other in confusion.

Their world consisted only of this great river. Not everyone even knew the name You Province.

Let alone the Da Yu Capital City.

"My lord, allow me."

From the crowd that had disembarked, an old man with a goatee slowly stepped forward. He bowed slightly, and after receiving Cui Yanliang’s permission, he walked toward the villagers.

This old man was a Loose Cultivator named You Yun, whom Cui Yanliang had recruited along the way.

Although his Cultivation was only at the Divine Platform Realm, he was quite a smooth-talker and excelled at social interactions. He had handled all the negotiations with people along their journey.

Sure enough, after a short while, though the villagers were still suspicious and uncertain, they nonetheless made way.

Of course, they also paid a small price—some local specialties they had brought from other State Mansions.

"My lord."

You Yun followed behind Cui Yanliang and began his report:

"This great river is called the Evil Dragon River. The nearby villagers all depend on it for their livelihood. Because a Daoist granted them Shelter, they have lived in peace for many years, though they are not wealthy."

"After the Old Mansion Master of the Yin Temple died of old age, a Black Dragon began to plague this river, and the people’s lives became miserable."

"Later, a young man with the surname Wang went into the water to fight and kill the Black Dragon, ridding the villagers of this scourge..."

"So, you’re saying this Yin Temple was built with funds raised by the villagers after that Wang E died?" someone asked curiously.

They had followed Cui Yanliang for decades and knew a great deal about these Daoists who held a Divine Position.

They knew that the position of Mansion Master was not set in stone; whenever an Old Mansion Master was about to pass away, he would find a successor.