Chapter 1298: A Daoist Temple
The three Blood Saints had fled, and they could summon even more powerful Undying Blood Clan experts at any moment. Given Zhang Ruochen's current physical condition, he naturally could not continue meddling in other people's affairs and had to leave immediately.
After a moment's thought, Zhang Ruochen still said, "You shouldn't be begging me. You should seek help from the military experts at Zhilin Pass. Once the imperial army arrives, what enemy can't be swept away?"
Saint Liuli shook her head. "Once we enter Xianji Mountain, we can't send any messages to the outside world. A mysterious force shrouds the mountain, and message light talismans can't fly out."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Zhang Ruochen was somewhat surprised. With his current level of spiritual power, he hadn't noticed any change after entering Xianji Mountain.
So, he took out a message light talisman and shot it in one direction.
The talisman had only flown a few dozen miles before it automatically fell to the ground, as if an invisible force prevented it from leaving Xianji Mountain.
"This Xianji Mountain is indeed quite strange," Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
Saint Liuli continued, "Four tribes of the Undying Blood Clan have gathered a large number of Saint-level experts and entered Xianji Mountain. Some Blood Saints are certainly guarding the mountain's entrance. Both Yuan Su and I are severely injured and can't possibly fight our way out. Now, we can only beg you, young master, to lend us a hand. If you can help us escape Xianji Mountain, we can send word out and have Zhilin Pass dispatch troops to rescue Lord Wu Sheng and besiege the Undying Blood Clan saints."
If a large force from the Ministry of War really arrived, not only would the Undying Blood Clan be surrounded, but Zhang Ruochen himself would also be besieged.
Zhang Ruochen said, "I entered Xianji Mountain for a very important matter. I can't just turn back now."
Qing Mo also understood Zhang Ruochen's awkward position. It was already quite difficult for him to have saved them, and he couldn't keep helping.
Helping further would only harm himself.
Qing Mo bit her lip and whispered, "Young master, those three Blood Saints could return at any moment. Given their injuries, they definitely can't handle it. How about we take them along? Once their injuries heal, we'll wash our hands of this matter entirely?"
"Fine," Zhang Ruochen said.
Qing Mo was somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting Zhang Ruochen to agree so readily.
Zhang Ruochen smiled. "It's a good thing that you want to help others. If I kept opposing you, wouldn't I be the villain?"
Saint Liuli and Saint Yuan Su also understood that they were indeed being a bit unreasonable, so they didn't say anything more. For now, they could only focus on healing their injuries before making other plans.
Xianji Mountain was vast and boundless. In some places, ancient pine trees hundreds of feet tall grew, while in others, verdant bamboo groves stretched out. There were steep cliffs, waterfalls, and lakes.
Many spiritual herbs grew in the mountain, emitting faint glows. Of course, there were also many killing formations left over from the Middle Ages. One wrong step could leave one's bones scattered.
Zhang Ruochen and the others had all stepped into the Saint Realm, so they naturally looked down on ordinary spiritual herbs and wouldn't risk their lives to pick them.
Saint Liuli and Saint Yuan Su were female officials of the Zweiwei Palace and came from major aristocratic families, so they naturally didn't lack healing pills. After taking them, their injuries temporarily stabilized and didn't worsen.
Zhang Ruochen moved forward while examining the traces on the ground and simultaneously using his spiritual power to probe the surrounding area. As a result, his pace wasn't fast, and they could keep up.
"Xianji Mountain is full of danger. Even if Old Man Gu Songzi lives in seclusion here, he should be in the outer region. But even the outer region of Xianji Mountain is extremely vast. Finding one person is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Zhang Ruochen analyzed silently in his heart. He sighed lightly and looked up to see the mist ahead disperse, revealing an incredibly majestic mountain.
The mountain was shaped like a stone elephant, probably over ten thousand meters tall, with an imposing aura. At the top of the mountain were large stretches of ancient buildings emitting sacred rays of light.
"That should be a sacred site in Xianji Mountain. I can sense the aura of a sacred medicine coming from the mountain," Qing Mo said.
At the foot of the mountain, Zhang Ruochen found traces left by living beings, but he couldn't confirm whether they were left by humans.
"Let's go up to the top and take a look. Even if we don't find Old Man Gu Songzi, we might gain something else."
The four of them began to ascend the mountain. It was extremely quiet, and they encountered no danger along the way.
However, a powerful "force" emanated from the mountain. The closer they got to the top, the stronger this "force" became, suppressing the cultivators' five senses, strength, spiritual power, and all bodily functions.
When they finally reached a place near the top, a Daoist temple appeared before them.
The temple was already in ruins, with collapsed walls overgrown with weeds. Even the incense cauldron had tipped over, covered in rust.
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Saint Liuli and Saint Yuan Su. Their fair cheeks were covered in sweat, and they were panting heavily. Severely injured and bearing the mountain's "force," they had clearly reached their limit.
"Once night falls, no one knows if Xianji Mountain will remain as peaceful as it is now. Tonight, we won't travel any further. We'll rest in this Daoist temple for now."
Having said this, Zhang Ruochen took the first step and crossed the threshold of the temple.
The moment he stepped inside, all sorts of strange sounds filled his ears—piercing screams, the roars of savage beasts, the crying of women, and the clash of weapons in battle. It was as if he had stepped into another world.
Zhang Ruochen's expression changed, and he quickly withdrew his foot.
The sounds vanished instantly.
What was going on?
Zhang Ruochen had to re-examine the dilapidated old temple. After a moment, he stepped inside again. Once more, the sounds entered his ears.
This time, Zhang Ruochen opened his Heavenly Eye to observe the temple. He saw countless black shadows darting about inside. The depths of the temple were completely shrouded in a mass of black Qi, so thick that even his Heavenly Eye couldn't see through it.
The strange sounds came from the depths of the temple.
Zhang Ruochen had even been to the Underworld, so there was nothing he hadn't seen. Fearless but cautious, he carefully entered the temple.
Qing Mo, Saint Liuli, and Saint Yuan Su followed behind him. However, they appeared calm, as if they saw and heard nothing unusual.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Qing Mo, do you hear any strange sounds?"
"No, young master. What's wrong? Don't scare me."
Qing Mo's pretty face turned pale. She moved closer to Zhang Ruochen, her slender body almost pressing against his.
Saint Liuli and Saint Yuan Su also looked surprised. Having spent most of their time in the palace, they had never even seen ghost soldiers or evil spirits, so they were naturally afraid of encountering something unclean.
"Nothing. I was just joking."
Seeing that the temple was relatively calm and that the black shadows seemed afraid of humans, all retreating to the depths, Zhang Ruochen decided not to tell them what he had seen and heard.
Perhaps only spiritual power saints could see and hear these things. Although their cultivation was high, their spiritual power was far inferior to Zhang Ruochen's.
"Stay here. I'll go outside to set up some defenses. Remember, don't go deep into the temple."
After giving this instruction, Zhang Ruochen walked to the temple's perimeter, took out the Space-Time Secret Scripture, and prepared to use spatial distortion to set up a spatial maze formation.
If the Undying Blood Clan experts found this place, at least they would have some means of dealing with them.
Qing Mo and the two female saints, however, felt uneasy. Their eyes kept glancing toward the depths of the temple, feeling that Zhang Ruochen was implying something. Could there really be some unknown creature inside?
Zhang Ruochen had never set up a spatial maze formation before, so he had to study and set it up at the same time.
A spatial maze formation was created by repeatedly using spatial distortion to form a chaotic spatial zone. Moreover, each spatial distortion had to follow a certain pattern, connecting and complementing each other. Once an enemy entered, it would be very difficult for them to escape.
Setting up a spatial maze formation for the first time, Zhang Ruochen exhausted himself, making many mistakes. It wasn't until sunset that he barely managed to complete it.
After finishing, Zhang Ruochen felt a sense of accomplishment. He smiled and said, "With this spatial maze formation, even if a Heavenly Blood General-level figure comes here, they'll have to pay a price."
Zhang Ruochen returned to the temple to find that Saint Liuli and Saint Yuan Su had already taken off their armor. They were wearing silk palace robes embroidered with phoenix feathers, with a moon-white undershirt beneath. A large expanse of snow-white skin was exposed at their chests, revealing a deep, alluring cleavage.
They sat cross-legged on the ground, circulating their techniques. Thirty-six layers of saintly Qi halos enveloped their bodies, making them appear extremely sacred, like two exquisite jade statues of celestial maidens.
Female officials working in the Zweiwei Palace were often called "fairies" by human cultivators in the outside world. This was because the Zweiwei Palace represented the highest power center of the Kunlun Realm, a convergence point of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, human destiny, and the rules of the Heavenly Dao. It was like a world above the nine heavens, inaccessible to ordinary people.
Saint Liuli and Saint Yuan Su were indeed quite beautiful, with elegant temperaments and a sacred, pure appearance. To cultivators below the Saint Realm, they were undoubtedly heavenly beauties.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen looked quite tired, Qing Mo quickly got up and helped him sit down to rest.
"Young master, would you like me to roast a dragon claw for you to eat?"
Qing Mo was very confident in her cooking skills and was eager to try. Besides, she was a foodie herself and had been wanting to make something to eat.
Zhang Ruochen glanced toward the depths of the temple, feeling somewhat uneasy. He had no appetite at all, so he shook his head. "I'm going to cultivate first and try to raise my spiritual power to the fifty-third rank. If you want to eat, roast something for yourself. Just remember, don't let the smell spread, or it might attract some terrifying creatures."