Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Underground Temple of the City God, Secret Plot

This ominous energy value of over twenty points would still be somewhat heavy for ordinary people. The air was thick with yin energy, making one feel inexplicably cold. But for Lin Yi, it no longer posed any problem at all.

Perhaps the reason so many terrifying and sinister events had occurred in the Talented Scholars Court was precisely because of this abundance of ominous energy. Whether it was the flying jiangshi drought demon, or the deadly ghost from Huang Dezhen’s matchmaking ad devouring people, all these incidents seemed inevitably connected to it. Even the Painted-Skin Ghost might have been drawn here because of this energy. Hadn’t that old fiend and heretic mentioned there were many treasures in the City God’s Temple? Perhaps these monsters and ghosts had come for exactly that reason.

Lin Yi was indeed checking his phone; its surveillance screens were cycling rapidly. Fortunately, his phone’s performance was exceptional—otherwise, it couldn’t withstand this kind of strain. He decided to keep waiting for the prey to come to him. The villa complex was vast, and if he kept the coffins of the deceased clustered around the artificial lake, the Painted-Skin Ghost would never appear. Only by spreading them out could he lure it into revealing itself. If the Painted-Skin Ghost wasn’t dealt with, it would sooner or later become a serious threat.

As for whether he should take the rusted command token in hand and head to the City God’s Temple, Lin Yi thought he’d need to study it further and consider his options. He suspected that unexpected windfalls always hid a deeper plot—he couldn’t afford to be hasty. He’d go down there tomorrow, in daylight.

If the City God was truly present in the temple, descending into that place would surely bring danger. After all, if this City God could be friends with the old fiend and heretic, how could he be easy to deal with? If he’d been weaker, the old heretic would already have devoured this so-called friend, leaving not even a bone behind. Since the City God hadn’t been bullied, it meant he, too, was not to be trifled with—Lin Yi must prepare carefully.

Tomorrow, he’d try to reap some more benefits from the “Demon-Slaying Scripture” and see if he could obtain something useful before proceeding. As for whether he’d seek out the Turtle Demon, the so-called grandson mentioned by the River God Ling Tianhe, to ask about the scrap-metal bead, Lin Yi had no intention of acting so soon. Finish everything in one day—then what reward would there be? Worse, once he spoke to that old heretic, the River God might immediately turn hostile.

In any case, there was no need to rush. “Alright, swallow a Body-Tempering Pill…enhance my strength a bit! Tomorrow’s two tasks: slay demons in the Demon Prison, reap gains from the Demon-Slaying Scripture, listen to the Mermaid Demon sing in the Demon Prison, and see if I can achieve spirit separation or soul projection. Then, head to the City God’s Temple.”

“Today’s task is simple: see if I can catch the Painted-Skin Ghost, and take the Body-Tempering Pill to see if my strength can make stable progress!”

He produced a Body-Tempering Pill—energy seemed to ripple from his body in shimmering waves. Although the surveillance cameras were installed, whenever Lin Yi released his energy, the monitors only showed static and strange shimmering air, never capturing Lin Yi himself.

In the surveillance room, a young man nearly cried out in alarm, but upon reflection, he realized that such phenomena were normal for a master like Lin Yi and calmed himself. The incident with the ghostly soldiers passing through had already thrown the Talented Scholars Court into an uproar; everyone was mobilized, anxiously hoping Lin Yi could catch the ghost tormenting them.

Thus, many in the surveillance room no longer kept their eyes on Lin Yi but instead watched the villa area for any unusual disturbances elsewhere. Yet, even in the warm surveillance room, fear gripped everyone. No one dared to leave, and even to use the restroom, they’d call a companion to go along.

Lin Yi swallowed the Body-Tempering Pill. The "Demon-Slaying Scripture" had never revealed his true strength, and Lin Yi couldn't be bothered to judge it himself. Now, with an energy meter, things were much simpler. He had just measured his strength and could take the pill with peace of mind.

After swallowing the Body-Tempering Pill, Lin Yi glanced at the energy meter, then calmed his thoughts and continued cultivating the “Great Cavern Sutra.” Channeling his inner energy, he felt it surge like a vast ocean, thunderous as a stampede, ceaseless as rolling rivers. Listening to the roar of his own blood, Lin Yi felt a little intoxicated.

The Body-Tempering Pill still carried a fragrant aroma, but Lin Yi worried that after taking it, he’d have to expel another round of toxins and sludge. There was no helping it; time was tight. If that happened, he’d simply take a bath in the artificial lake.

A cool night breeze drifted by, tinged with a chill due to the over twenty points of ominous energy. Half an hour later, Lin Yi detected a foul odor emanating from himself.

Artificial lake.

Beneath the artificial lake’s waters lay a drainage outlet that seemed to connect to the sewer. In reality, near the sewer entrance was a crack. If one had a small probe, the full picture would become clear: a deep fissure.

As the crack dropped further, water dripped down into a vast, cavernous space below, reminiscent of an abandoned factory. Deeper still, beneath this abandoned factory, a massive mountain of rock was pressed down by the structures above.

At the heart of this mountain lay a City God’s Temple, constructed entirely of stone. Its plaque was already broken in two. The stones exuded an ancient aura, shrouded in thick dust. Aside from the stones, there were decaying tables and chairs, wooden memorial tablets, and the like.

Down here, the subterranean chill was biting, saturated with ominous energy so intense it seemed that every speck of dust was tainted with an indescribable eeriness—contact with it would cling like poison ivy, hard to shake off.

The City God’s Temple was built high in the mountain’s core, hundreds of meters above the abandoned shelter-factory. Directly across from it rose a mountain slope, at the base of which gaped a dark, yawning cave.

From the cave came gusts of wind, the clatter of armored figures, the cries of beasts and birds, and the wails of vengeful ghosts. The cave faced the right side of the City God’s Temple, from which an unceasing, spectral wind blew. Yet none of this wind seemed to affect the temple itself.

Following the wind’s path, the shrill cries of ghosts and the howling wind threatened to shatter one’s eardrums. The cave mouth was inky black, impossible to fathom, and waves of ominous energy surged out.

Now and then, crimson eyes glimmered in the darkness like eerie jewels.

At the dilapidated temple gate stood two figures. They quickly shifted positions, moving toward the cave. In the blink of an eye, they stood upright, gazing at the pitch-black cave.

“Hmm. Old friend City God, the plan is underway. That Lin Yi is exceedingly greedy and quite unruly, his methods are unimaginable, and his strength is indeed impressive—he’s truly at the level of an A-grade martial artist, though not yet a grandmaster… But this boy is a real thorn. He actually dared to destroy my water avatar twice. I must take revenge on him.”

One of the old men appeared emaciated and looked exactly like the water avatar of the River God Ling Tianhe who had appeared before Lin Yi. At first glance, he seemed a normal elder, but a closer look revealed his body was covered in dense scales. These scales were uneven, and a putrid, corpse-like stench emanated from him, unbearable in its rankness.

On closer inspection, the scales were nearly identical to those of certain fish, and some appeared to be stitched together. In truth, his skin was formed of overlapping fish scales, sewn together from decaying flesh—a body that was clearly another avatar.

This old man was indeed Ling Tianhe, the River God.

At this moment, conversing with this heretical old spirit was another figure—a middle-aged man with a jade-like face, broad forehead, and determined features. Though his expression was calm, his face was sallow and thin. He was tall and wore ancient official robes. In his hand, he held a jade scepter, as aged and weathered as the temple itself, carved from stone and radiating an ancient charm.

This middle-aged man appeared perfectly normal, but his hands were distinctly different: both were lizard-like claws with only three fingers. His right hand gripped the jade scepter, which he held before him.

Now, his eyes glimmered with disdain as he looked at the River God, and he said, “Since when did the River God become so easily angered? We’ve waited so many years—what difference does a little longer make? We must be cautious; the matter of the Demon King Pearl is of great importance. After so many difficulties, we finally have a clue to the seventh Demon King Pearl. You mustn’t ruin this!”

“You really are regressing with age, to be toyed with by a mere junior. An A-grade martial artist? What rubbish. Still, as long as we get the Demon King Pearl tomorrow, you can do whatever you like.”

“However, I hear Lin Yi is quite favored. It’s best to make him our puppet rather than kill him outright. If he’s as greedy as we suspect and comes here tomorrow seeking treasure, I’ll make sure he never returns. Hah, have you forgotten what I, the City God, do best? The Lizard Puppet Divine Pill!”

In a flash, the middle-aged man struck the scepter with his claw. With a crisp snap, a bead at the end of the scepter dropped off, revealing a pill as translucent and lustrous as a pearl. The pill gave off a rich fragrance, which quickly spread through the air.

But suddenly, the center of the pill began to writhe. In an instant, a lizard the size of an ant crawled out, wriggled around, and then burrowed back inside the pill.