Ch. 580 - The Strange Daoist Temple

Xu Zimo looked at Cai Yue, then finally decided to walk inside.

Though their group was large and eye-catching, they didn’t encounter a single person as they passed through the temple. The place was just too remote.

“Our temple has eleven people in total, including Master,” the young boy explained. “I have nine senior brothers. Since I can remember, we’ve always lived here and never left the mountain.”

Xu Zimo nodded. Along the way, he noticed the temple grounds were planted with crops and vegetables, it really did feel like an ordinary mortal village.

The boy led them to an old courtyard that was sealed off. There were spider webs at the door, showing it hadn’t been used in a long time. A crooked sign hung above the entrance with the faded words: Hall of Far Guests.

“To have friends visit from afar, is that not a joy?” Xu Zimo murmured softly.

“My senior brothers said this place used to host visiting cultivators. But ever since I can remember, it’s been closed,” the boy said. “Oh right, you can call me Mr. Deepfeather, that’s the Daoist name Master gave me.”

“Mr. Deepfeather is too formal. Calling you ‘Little Mister’ feels more natural. Are you asking us to clean this place up for you?” Cai Yue joked.

“No, the inside is clean. I sweep it regularly,” Deepfeather quickly explained. “I just don’t dare clean the outside because I’m afraid Master would notice. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

“It’s fine,” Xu Zimo waved it off. “By the way, what’s your master’s Daoist title?”

“His title is Universe, you can call him Master Universe,” Deepfeather answered. “But you probably won’t see him. Can you tell me stories about the outside world later tonight?”

Xu Zimo didn’t refuse and nodded, then walked into a side room in the courtyard.

Unlike the gloomy exterior, the inside was quite well-kept. There was a wooden bed, a table, a mirror, and other traditional Daoist items.

“You all get settled. I’ll head out now,” Deepfeather said.

After he left, Cai Yue asked, confused, “Why did you insist on coming here?”

“Curiosity,” Xu Zimo replied.

“What’s there to be curious about in this place?” she asked.

“I’m not sure yet. But this temple definitely isn’t normal,” Xu Zimo said.

“Let’s just stay one night. We’ll head to the city tomorrow,” Cai Yue said.

Xu Zimo nodded, tidied up the room a bit, and sat down to cultivate.

His training in the art of strength was only halfway. He sat cross-legged, relaxed his body, and began calmly sensing the natural force within him.

He stayed in this state until evening. When Deepfeather brought over dinner, Xu Zimo finally snapped out of his focus.

…

The meal was simple: a bowl of rice, some vegetables, and a bowl of thick soup.

“You may not be used to it, but please bear with it,” Deepfeather said with a smile.

“Have you ever trained in cultivation?” Xu Zimo asked.

“I wanted to. But everyone in our temple was born with blocked meridians. We can’t open our meridian gates,” Deepfeather explained with a smile. “But after so many years, we’ve gotten used to it. Living as a normal person isn’t so bad.”

“Mind if I take a look?” Xu Zimo asked with a smile.

“Sure,” Deepfeather nodded.

Xu Zimo gently placed his hand on Deepfeather’s right wrist, the location of the first meridian gate, Springwheel. He closed his eyes to examine Deepfeather’s inner condition.

After a while, Xu Zimo opened his eyes and gave Deepfeather a strange look.

“Who told you your meridians were blocked?” he asked.

“My master,” Deepfeather replied. “Is that not the case?”

Xu Zimo just smiled and nodded without saying more.

Deepfeather’s meridians weren’t blocked, they were sealed.

And inside his body, Xu Zimo sensed a powerful energy.

But that energy, along with his meridians, was sealed, leaving him unable to absorb any spiritforce, making him live as a mortal.

After dinner, Deepfeather stayed to hear some stories. He seemed fascinated by the outside world.

Xu Zimo let Cai Yue do the storytelling while he went back to cultivating.

Deepfeather was amazed by the simplest stories, clearly unaware of the outside world.

Late that night, three chimes rang out from the temple bell. Deepfeather yawned repeatedly and said to Cai Yue, “Sister Yue, it’s bedtime. I need to go to sleep.”

“Go on,” Cai Yue nodded.

After a short farewell, Deepfeather left.

Right when the bell finished ringing, Xu Zimo sensed an intense surge of spiritforce, as if all the spirit power from the mountain was gathering like a storm around them.

Xu Zimo was stunned. He looked out the window and saw the sky glowing brilliantly.

Two lights, one black and one white, twisted through the air. The entire temple was now covered by a black-and-white barrier.

“What’s going on?” Xu Zimo muttered, puzzled.

Before he could think more, a sudden knock came at the door.

Cai Yue got up and opened it.

“Little Mister, you came back already?” she said with a smile.

Suddenly a low growl rang out, followed by Cai Yue’s startled scream.

Xu Zimo rushed out of his room and saw Deepfeather in the courtyard, lifting Cai Yue off the ground, trying to kill her. Powerful spiritforce surged around him, likely at the Paragon Meridian Realm.

Xu Zimo immediately released the pressure of his own God Meridian Realm, pinning Deepfeather in place.

He rescued Cai Yue, who was trembling and unable to speak, pointing at Deepfeather in shock.

Xu Zimo looked over. Deepfeather’s eyes were now blood-red, and the seal inside him had somehow been undone.

He seemed to have lost his mind, like a walking corpse struggling blindly.

“How did he become like this?” Cai Yue asked, terrified.

“I don’t know,” Xu Zimo said. He subdued Deepfeather, tied him up with the Immortal-Suppression Chain, and locked him in the room.

He turned to Cai Yue, saying, “Find somewhere to hide and keep an eye on him. I’m going to check the rest of the temple.”

“Be careful,” she said quickly.

When Xu Zimo stepped out of the room, he saw the once quiet temple now filled with strange low growls.

He looked around and saw several others in Daoist robes, also mindless like Deepfeather, running toward the temple entrance.

They tried to escape, but were all blocked by the barrier around the temple.

The barrier had some strange effect, like sunlight melting snow in early spring.

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