After inquiring in various places, Lu Yu and the others finally arrived at their destination: Xuantian Temple.
However, what appeared before their eyes was a decrepit Taoist temple, mottled walls, and an old gate whose paint had long since peeled away, coupled with a glaring dog hole in the wall corner, made them feel as though they had co to the wrong place.
"Since we're here, we should at least ask around to know if it's the Xuantian Temple that person spoke of," Lu Yu said, sensing the confusion of the He siblings and encouraged them.
He Yingchao tapped on the door carefully, fearing that a careless knock might cause the rickety old gate to fall apart.
With a creaking sound, the dilapidated gate slowly opened, and a slovenly Old Taoist appeared before them!
The Old Taoist was wearing a gray Taoist robe, perhaps due to not being washed for a long ti, it was covered in grease stains, and if one did not look closely, the original color was indiscernible.
The wrinkled face was adorned with grizzled beard, and the reddened eyes were sowhat swollen.
"Who are you youngsters, disturbing this old Taoist for no reason? Off with you!" Having said that, he burped, instantly filling the air with a strong sll of alcohol, causing Lu Yu and his companions to frown involuntarily.
"May I ask if you are Taoist Priest Tiantong? We have been entrusted by a person to deliver a ssage," He Yingchao said, prepared to fulfill the last request of the dying man, despite the significant difference between this Old Taoist and the one he had envisioned.
"Oh! Indeed, I go by the Taoist na Tiantong, but what ssage do you have for ?"
He Yingchao looked at the Old Taoist hesitantly, then raised his head to look at the plaque above, triple-checking before saying, "We encountered a dying Taoist priest on the road, and he entrusted this letter to us before he passed, asking us to ensure it was delivered to Taoist Priest Tiantong of Xuantian Temple." He then took out the letter from his bosom.
The unkempt Taoist extended his withered hands and solemnly received the crumpled letter that had once been dampened by blood, reading it over carefully several tis. A rare expression of sorrow appeared on his usually indifferent face.
"Foolish child! Why did you have to descend the mountain and plunge into this turmoil?" he sighed deeply after speaking.
The deanor of the Taoist changed after that, respectfully inviting the group into the temple with a solemn expression.
"You all were willing to risk your lives to deliver a ssage for my nephew. I thank you for that. You may rest well in my temple for the next few days, and after a few days, I will send you away from this place of strife," the Old Taoist said indifferently to Lu Yu and the others, as if he had sothing weighing on his mind.
In the following days, the three guests stayed at Xuantian Temple. Despite its dilapidated state, upon closer observation over the days, they realized that it was indeed an extraordinary place, with a unique aura circulating around it.
The Old Taoist had also changed his previously untidy manner, suddenly donning a new Taoist robe. His hair, previously in disarray, was now combed impeccably. He looked as though he had shed decades.
However, Lu Yu keenly noticed a peculiar radiance in the Old Taoist's eyes, as if soone had laid down a heavy burden, transforming entirely, reminding Lu Yu involuntarily of a phrase from his past life: "Long confined in a cage, one yearns to return to nature."
anwhile, in the underground chamber of Prince Huai's Mansion, a middle-aged man in a python robe was speaking anxiously to a red-haired person: "The secret letter has already arrived at Xuantian Temple, didn't you say it was foolproof?"
The middle-aged man's eyes suppressed a fury to the extre, wanting to erupt yet feeling sowhat afraid.
"Has the prince gotten impatient? I too had not expected two youngsters newly entered into the world of martial heroes to actually escape the pursuit of the Blood Guards. It seems to have a lot to do with that scholar nad Lu Yu," the red-haired man said unhurriedly.
"It's too late to say anything now, the secret letter has already fallen into the hands of the Taoist from Tiantong. I estimate it won't be long before my royal father gets the ssage, and by then, neither you nor I can escape!" Thinking of his father, a man of high cunning and strategy, a wave of fear welled up inside him.
"What's there to fear? The arrow is already nocked on the bowstring, this can be used as a pretext to raise troops and cleanse the monarch's side!" The red-haired man spoke, as if his words echoed with the sound of tal, and his eyes were actually brimming with a murderous intent.
"This..." The middle-aged man still hesitated, sensing that things were not so simple.
"Does the prince want to entrust his life and death to that indifferent father of yours, or do you hope your brothers will treat you kindly in the future?" There was a hint of sarcasm in his words.
"Hmph! Expecting them to be kind and gentle is simply a joke. Have you prepared what you promised?" The middle-aged man had made up his mind, gambling for a future.
"Rest assured, the three thousand Blood Guards fear neither life nor death, know no pain, undying and indestructible. With but a single command from the Great King, the world could change its master."
"In that case, good. I hope the Blood Guards are truly as you say, otherwise if I fail, you're not going to fare much better, the things you've done are enough for you to die many tis over!" He finished his speech, flinging his sleeves, and left the Underground Chamber.
Not long after Prince Huai left, a door suddenly appeared on the wall of the Underground Chamber, and an old man in a red robe ca out, saluting the red-haired man, "Sect Hierarch, it may be premature to let Prince Huai stir up trouble now; it might not lead to great success."
"I never intended it to be a great success!" The red-haired man smiled and said.
Looking at the surprised expression on the elder's face, he continued, "Do you think the Fortune and Destiny of The Dynasty is easy to provoke? Now is not yet the ti. I am rely using this fool to refine my Great Law. My Cultivation Technique has reached a critical juncture; I just need a massacre to succeed in forging the Divine Blood Body and create the River of Blood. Then, how many in this world could kill ?"
"Sect Hierarch is ingenious and farsighted, your subordinate wishes for the Sect Hierarch's divine power to be fully realized and to rule the world." The old man flattered his own Sect Hierarch obsequiously.
"Go down now, prepare the Array well. After the success, I will grant you eternal life alongside !"
The elder went down joyously, and in the mont that door closed, one could seemingly see the flowing blood and the mountainous piles of White Skeletons inside, and a faint stench wafted from within.
That day, the Old Taoist was getting ready to escort Lu Yu and the others out of the city, but as he opened the main gate, he felt an unease, as if a great disaster was imminent. He quickly urged Lu Yu and the others to follow him into the Taoist Temple, shutting the main gate tightly.
"Taoist Priest, I'm not sure what's happened for you to be so nervous," Lu Yu asked.
"The mont I opened the gate just now, my Soul was unsettled, and I felt an imminent disaster. It seed as if there was a Sea of Blood before . Us cultivators attach great importance to sudden premonitions, as they are always closely related to oneself. So I conjecture that so change may have occurred. This temple is protected by a Formation I have set up; if any mishap occurs, it can be considered the safest place in the city!" The Old Taoist explained with lingering fear.
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