GBP Chapter 383 Sister
Chapter 383 Sister
In the tranquil and peaceful village, an ancient and solemn temple stands. The villagers regard this temple as a sacred place, where, according to legend, a celestial being resides.
That morning, sunlight streamed onto the stone path in front of the temple. A haggard-looking man in tattered clothes hurried along. He clutched a worn-out cloth bag tightly in his hand, containing all his family's savings—a few meager copper coins.
The man arrived at the temple gate, knelt down, and pleaded in a trembling voice, "Immortal, this is all the savings my family has. Please, Immortal, have mercy and save my wife. I beg you..." However, his pleas went unanswered.
Upon seeing this, the burly men guarding the temple gate sneered, "Hmph, you dare to beg the Immortal for mercy with just a few worthless copper coins? You can't even afford a tael of silver, yet you dare to dream of saving someone? Get out of here! Don't embarrass yourself!" As they spoke, they shoved the man forcefully, as if he were nothing more than a despicable ant.
But the man did not give up. He continued to kowtow, his forehead striking the hard ground with a series of loud thuds. Blood seeped from his forehead, staining the stone slabs beneath his feet, but he seemed oblivious to the pain, repeatedly chanting, "Immortal Lord, have mercy! Immortal Lord, have mercy!"
The burly men before him remained unmoved, merely shaking their heads indifferently, their faces showing clear disgust and aversion. No one paid any attention to this penniless, pitiful man. The surrounding people surged forward, eagerly handing over their incense money to the burly man and prostrating themselves in devout worship, making their wishes to the deity. Only those who offered enough silver were qualified to plead for the mercy of the dignified deity seated in the center of the temple.
In the distance, two figures could be vaguely seen approaching slowly. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be two children, neither of them particularly tall, their figures rather petite. They wore only very ordinary, simple coarse linen clothes, clearly from a poor family. Despite their simple and plain attire, the clothes were spotless and exuded a faint scent of soap.
Looking at their faces, they were quite strikingly beautiful. Especially their bright eyes, which shone like stars in the night sky. Even in a bustling crowd, they easily drew attention. Such outstanding looks naturally evoked a sense of goodwill.
One of them spoke up, asking, "Is that Dao essence truly here, Senior Brother?" The speaker's tone held a hint of doubt and anticipation. The other nodded slightly, replying, "Yes, it should be nearby. However, my current range of perception is at its limit, and I cannot pinpoint its exact location. But one thing is certain: it is definitely within this village." It turned out that the two conversing were Xu Nian and Wu Qinghuan, who had traveled from Yangcheng. Due to the influence of some force, Xu Nian's appearance had become identical to Wu Qinghuan's, also becoming petite and delicate. At this moment, the two looked exactly like an innocent young boy and girl, as naive and innocent as children next door.
They endured countless hardships and trekked a long way to this place, all in search of the legendary Ninefold Dao Essence. One of the most precious Dao Essences is said to be hidden here. Once found and collected, they could move on to the next goal. However, things are not as simple as they seem.
"In reality, the so-called search for the Dao essence is more accurately described as finding someone who 'resonates' with that Dao essence. Because this special Dao essence is very likely already attached to someone chosen by Heaven. Therefore, what we really need to do is not simply search for the Dao essence, but find a way to extract the Dao essence from that person." At this point, everyone fell silent, because they all knew that this sounded rather cruel and heartless.
Nevertheless, reality is cruel, allowing no mercy or hesitation. Just as everyone was pondering this, someone suddenly noticed something amiss. "I say, something seems off about this place." Immediately afterward, someone else chimed in, "Yeah, I feel the same way."
At this moment, Xu Nian narrowed his eyes slightly, his brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on a distance not far ahead. The boy who had just been kneeling and kowtowing, his face streaked with tears, remained standing there, while the surrounding people were continuously entering the temple, devoutly offering their incense money. A faint, almost imperceptible fluctuation of spiritual energy permeated the air, a peculiar aura that instilled a strange sense of oppression and unease.
"Isn't this just blatant money-grabbing?" the crowd murmured. On the surface, they spoke in a high-sounding manner, claiming to help people realize their deepest desires, but anyone with eyes could see that it was just a facade! In reality, who could possess such extraordinary abilities?
Although cultivators are all exceptionally strong and possess powerful magical abilities, their expertise lies primarily in combat. When faced with complex and ever-changing situations, they cannot act as they please like the legendary immortals. Even relatively simple tasks like healing the sick and saving lives might not be too difficult for cultivators. However, when it comes to extravagant desires such as praying for children, immortality, or even eternal life, it's utterly delusional! Even accomplished cultivators have a limited lifespan! Take Xu Nian, for example; although he is a rare powerhouse, he ultimately could not escape the cycle of birth and death and is not immortal. So, what makes ordinary people with no cultivation foundation think they can achieve such unrealistic wishes?
What's even more surprising is that the so-called "celestial being" in that temple, and the immortal master that the people talk about, actually didn't have any profound cultivation at all. Although one could occasionally detect some faint fluctuations of spiritual energy, that level of power was really insignificant and far from being powerful.
In fact, without calming down and carefully sensing it, one wouldn't even be able to detect its existence. "The guy hiding in there isn't much of a cultivator, at most he's only at the Qi Refining stage, but the aura he exudes is quite strange, it always feels like something's not quite right." Xu Nian said as he walked forward. Wu Qinghuan followed closely beside him, and the two of them simultaneously sensed a faint, peculiar aura. Strangely enough, they didn't feel unfamiliar with this aura at all; on the contrary, they felt incredibly familiar with it.
As for why Xu Nian said he felt familiar with it, it was because he had engaged in a protracted and fierce struggle against this peculiar aura in his previous life. Wu Qinghuan also claimed to feel familiar with it because she herself was a holy son of the evil sect. Indeed, that peculiar aura was inextricably linked to demonic cultivation. Even a slight sensory observation was enough to clearly perceive the extremely strong evil intent contained within it.
Just then, a sharp, slightly annoyed voice suddenly rang out: "Hey! Look at these kids! How can they be so unruly! Get to the back and line up properly! You..."
Xu Nian walked unhurriedly towards the bustling crowd, his steps steady, and soon he arrived at the center of the crowd. Not far ahead was the solemn and majestic temple, its vermilion gates tightly closed, as if waiting for a destined person to open them.
The burly men guarding the entrance frowned at the sight. They glared at Xu Nian, thinking to themselves: How dare this guy be so unruly, trying to cut in line to enter the temple! The people who had been kneeling and waiting in devout prayer now showed signs of anger. Someone couldn't help but shout, "Why should we all be patiently waiting in line, and you think you can just walk in like that? Is there no justice?! Everyone's kneeling and waiting, and you dare to cut in line! What are you trying to do?"
Faced with the accusations and questions from the crowd, Xu Nian didn't waste any words explaining. He simply closed his eyes slightly, and with a thought, a powerful divine sense surged from his body and rapidly spread outwards. In an instant, the noise in the entire arena ceased, and everyone became completely silent, as if frozen in place.
In truth, this wasn't some terrifying, lethal technique, but rather a wondrous method specifically designed to soothe the soul and stabilize the body's energy. Xu Nian used this method simply to temporarily calm these agitated individuals.
However, just after Xu Nian finished using this seemingly simple move, he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart and sensed something amiss. It turned out that although his divine sense had successfully suppressed the crowd outside, a mysterious force was faintly emanating from within the temple, resisting his divine sense. This feeling was very subtle, almost imperceptible, yet undeniably real.
Yes, it was that evil aura that had always been there! Despite its best efforts, it had only barely managed to withstand the attack it had just unleashed. "Interesting..." I murmured softly, slowly stepping into the ancient temple.
Upon entering the courtyard, the scene before them was horrifying—a large number of people lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious. An eerie atmosphere permeated the entire courtyard.
Amidst the chaos, one figure stood out. It was a young boy, sitting quietly in the center. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that this boy was about the same age as Xu Nian. Indeed, if compared to the now-miniature Xu Nian, the two did appear to be roughly the same age.
The boy's face was ashen, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness, utterly devoid of color. He wore a simple, unadorned red robe, yet it inexplicably exuded an eerie aura on him. What drew everyone's attention most was the enormous porcelain doll he clutched tightly in his arms. This doll was astonishingly large, almost taking up half of the boy's body. Even more chilling was the fact that the doll's normally delicate and adorable face now displayed an extremely distorted expression, as if it were suffering unspeakable pain or torment.
"Huh? This thing is actually a spiritual artifact!" Wu Qinghuan exclaimed in surprise. However, to be more precise, this thing was actually a demonic artifact. Judging from its grade alone, although this item had begun to show sentience, it was still far from the level of a treasure artifact. At most, it was just a spiritual artifact. However, because it was a magical treasure crafted by a demonic cultivator, it could not be called a spiritual artifact and could only be given the name of a demonic artifact.
"It has sentience?" Wu Qinghuan's eyes lit up, her interest piqued, her gaze fixed intently on the demonic artifact. Just as she was about to reach for it, the porcelain doll tightly clutched in the young man's arms suddenly began to expand rapidly, as if it could sense Xu Nian and Wu Qinghuan's approach. In the blink of an eye, the porcelain doll had become enormous and was still expanding, seemingly about to explode.
However, Xu Nian had already anticipated this situation. With a slight thought, a mysterious and unpredictable power suddenly surged forth, like an invisible net, swiftly enveloping the entire temple. In an instant, the space seemed to be under a powerful restriction, and everything froze.
What was about to happen seemed to have been paused, coming to an abrupt halt. Time itself seemed to stand still, and all movement, sound, and breath were frozen in place.
Xu Nian walked forward unhurriedly, his gaze lowered to the exquisite, porcelain-doll-like object on the ground. He reached out and easily grabbed it, then flicked it away, storing it in the storage bag hanging at his waist. After doing this, Xu Nian slowly raised his head, his hands forming a hand seal, chanting incantations. As his incantation was completed, the spatial seal he had previously placed was lifted.
In that instant, the expanding energy that had been accumulating within the temple suddenly lost its restraint and spread outwards like a tidal wave. These energies collided and surged together, producing booming sounds, but quickly vanished without a trace.
At this moment, the boy who had been sitting upright on the futon finally came to his senses. His eyes widened, his face full of surprise and astonishment, and his mouth was agape, unable to close for a long time.
"Who...who are you?! Where is my Immortal Venerable?!" the boy asked in a trembling voice, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.
Hearing the boy's question, Xu Nian couldn't help but find it amusing. He slightly raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a faint smile, and said, "You actually call that thing an Immortal Venerable? That's utterly ridiculous!" As he spoke, Xu Nian looked the boy up and down.