Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

This temple, located in the wilderness, was built many years ago; its exterior walls and roof were covered in layers of withered branches and green vines, yet miraculously had not collapsed.

It still retained its essentially intact frame.

When Wang Chen pushed open the half-closed main door, the faint ghostly lights floating inside instantly vanished.

A rustling sound reached his ears.

Wang Chen didn’t care about it and took out a Luminous Stone lamp from his Storage Bag.

He poured a trace of mana into it, and the White Glowing Stone inlaid in the lamp head instantly bloomed with bright, soft light.

It dispelled the darkness around him.

With the illumination from the Luminous Stone lamp, Wang Chen took out a pile of firewood.

He set up a campfire.

In a short while, the blazing flames made the interior of the hall even brighter.

And a bit warmer.

He calmly continued to take out a rack, cooking utensils, and spring water, and began to prepare dinner.

The sky is vast, the earth is vast, but a meal is the greatest of all.

Even a condemned prisoner has a last meal before the execution.

It’s just unknown, whose precious head will be severed here tonight!

When the boiling water with Spirit Rice in the pot began to churn, Wang Chen put down the spoon in his hand.

He stood up and walked in front of the deity statue.

He had discovered this Taoist temple not today but during a previous exploration of the Outer Domain.

He had also investigated it.

The inside of the main hall was empty, but the ground was relatively free of dust, probably cleaned by some Loose Cultivators from the Outer Domain using the Cleansing Technique during their rest.

Eight large wooden pillars supported the high dome, and the compassionate and dignified female deity atop the altar appeared to be silently praying for the wellbeing of all beings between heaven and earth.

This was a statue of the Empire Land Empress!

The three ancient saints, Emperor Heaven, Empire Land, and Ancient Wilderness.

Legend has it that these three saints together established the eternal Taoist order, allowing countless human tribes to escape primitive savagery and possess the formidable power to combat demons and evil wraiths.

In the mundane world, the three saints were also revered as righteous gods!

However, the situation was different in the Immortal Cultivation world.

People from the Taoist Sect revered the three saints but didn’t build temples to worship them.

But the Taoist Sect wouldn’t destroy Taoist temples built by Loose Cultivators dedicated to the three saints, choosing instead to turn a blind eye.

The Battle Cultivators from the sects would go to mountains and temples to subdue Evil Gods and licentious shrines.

Therefore, the location of this Empire Land Empress temple was not very far from the Cloud Sun Sect’s Outer Mountain Gate.

And it had managed to exist all this time.

However, it had long lost its incense offerings, and the deity’s Golden Body was entirely peeled off, leaving only patches of rust.

It looked somewhat desolate.

The incense burner that was supposed to be placed on the altar was nowhere to be found!

Wang Chen lit three sticks of sandalwood.

He lightly touched the altar with his hand, and a flicker of Spiritual Light passed over his fingertip, instantly softening the hard stone.

His Grandmaster-level achievement allowed Wang Chen to master the Mudstone Technique to an intricate degree.

He inserted the incense sticks, then bowed three times toward the Empire Land Empress.

According to mortal sayings,

Emperor Heaven controlled fate, Empire Land governed life and death, and was the destination of all the deceased.

Thus, “the lost souls return to the thick earth” is a phrase in the Rebirth Mantra.

Thick earth refers to Empire Land, altered for some reason.

And the stand-in for Emperor Heaven is Yellow Heaven.

Yellow Heaven above!

As for Ancient Wilderness, revered as the Taoist Ancestor, its presence pales in comparison to Emperor Heaven and Empire Land.

Wang Chen often performed rites for the deceased, hence he had an almost instinctive closeness to the Empire Land Empress.

He will surely need to trouble Her Grace for help in the future.

Offering the three sticks of incense was only proper.

May the Empress bless!

After offering the incense, Wang Chen returned to the campfire.

He stirred the Spirit Rice porridge in the pot with a spoon to prevent it from sticking, and then he took out a piece of Monster Beast lean meat, skewering it with an iron rod and roasting it over the fire.

A rich aroma of roasted meat soon permeated the great hall.

Wang Chen kept brushing the beast meat with his own blend of sauces, making the aroma even richer and more complex.

It was enough to make anyone salivate!

Just as the congee in the pot had thickened and the meat on the fire was cooked, Wang Chen was about to dig in when—

The temple door he had shut earlier creaked open.

A gust of wind carrying fine rain rushed in!

But there was no one in front of the door.

Wang Chen paused for a moment, then called out loudly, “Is that Uncle?”

The next moment, a figure flashed into the hall.

The temple door then slammed shut behind him!

Clothed in an azure Taoist robe, Lv Defang put away his oiled paper umbrella and revealed a refined and gentle smile to Wang Chen, “Nephew, you’re having a meal, I see. I haven’t come too late, have I?”

Wang Chen sighed, reluctantly setting down the roast meat in his hand.

He stood up and replied, “Uncle, you haven’t come too late, in fact, you’ve come quite promptly…”

Before entering the temple, Wang Chen had sent a Crane Message to Lv Defang.

Informing him voluntarily of his whereabouts.

As a result, Lv Defang appeared much sooner than Wang Chen had anticipated.

He hadn’t even had his dinner yet!

From a distance of twenty or thirty steps, Wang Chen stared sharply at his nominal uncle, his gaze sharp as needles, “In such a rush to send your nephew on his way?”

Lv Defang was taken aback for a moment, then he chuckled.

But this time, his smile was filled with malice, and he made no attempt to conceal it.

This cultivator at Complete Qi Cultivation had completely dropped his facade.

Revealing his true face!

Lv Defang sighed, “If brother Shaoyuan were still alive, seeing what you have become today, he would certainly be pleased!”

“Previously, when Old Sun sent me a Crane Message saying you had come to your senses, I didn’t quite believe it.”

“I didn’t expect I truly misjudged, how embarrassing!”

Old Sun was indeed Lv Defang’s man!

Wang Chen was crystal clear in his mind.

He had been wary of this old neighbor’s various odd behaviors but, as he hadn’t been in this world for long, he had doubts and hadn’t taken it too seriously.

It was only after seeing the letter Old Sun left behind before he fled that Wang Chen fully understood.

This uncle had always been monitoring the original host for Lv Defang!

As for the reasons, even Old Sun himself was not clear.

It was purely a moment of conscience that led him to divulge the truth to Wang Chen while fleeing.

Wang Chen fell silent for a moment, then said, “I have many questions.”

“Ask them,” Lv Defang replied.

His attitude was extremely amicable, showing no hurry to dispatch Wang Chen to his end.

He said genially, “The night is long, and we, uncle and nephew, can chat at leisure.”

Very well!

Wang Chen nodded, then asked, “Why?”

The point that baffled Wang Chen the most in this matter was—

Why did Lv Defang, a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Qi Cultivation and moreover, a friend of Wang Shaoyuan, insist on putting him, or rather the original host, to death?

The grudges of the older generation?

Otherwise, it made no sense!

“Why?”

Lv Defang laughed, “Good question. Well now, that’s a long story.”

Wang Chen said, “I’d like to hear it.”

“So be it,” Lv Defang, having put the oiled paper umbrella into the Storage Bag, paced back and forth with his hands behind his back and said, “In honor of brother Shaoyuan, who once saved my life, I will allow you to pass on with full understanding.”

But Wang Chen felt that this was not the real reason.

Instead, this cultivator who had reached Great Perfection had too much to say in his heart.

Things he could only confide to a person about to die!

He discreetly glanced at the campfire on the ground ahead.

There, a crane-shaped pot lay silently.

———

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