A Top Scholar in Everything

Chapter 1267: Chapter 1253: Daoist Temple

Baiyu continued moving deeper into the mountains.

After an unknown passage of time, he suddenly discovered a run-down Daoist temple within the mountains.

The pursuit by the cultivators behind him had weakened, as venturing further into the mountains made them hesitant; they didn’t dare to pursue too deeply for fear of encountering danger.

After Baiyu had killed several cultivators.

Those chasing cultivators began feeling somewhat fearful; after all, cultivation is hard-earned, and to lose one’s life in vain would leave one’s soul tormented even in death.

At this moment.

Baiyu glanced at the Daoist temple deep in the mountains.

He hesitated for a moment.

Then he dashed inside.

...

"Thirteen have been injured, and four have died. That celestial evil is still at large, fleeing without a trace! Young Master Mingzhu, should we continue the pursuit or not?"

In the dense forest.

A group of cultivators stood in front of a young gentleman with a face like exquisite jade.

The one asking the question was an old man, with deep wrinkles on his face, showing his age.

The handsome man in white, with a red mark between his brows and peach blossom eyes, smiled and said, "You all go back first, remain on guard. I’ve received news from Taiyi Sword Sect that some celestial evils might be arriving soon. Stay alert."

Hearing the words of the handsome man in white.

The crowd’s expressions shook.

The old man who had questioned earlier furrowed his brows, his voice heavy, "Are the celestial evils invading again?"

The Profound Origin Realm is not a peaceful place.

Since ancient times.

There has been a history of celestial evil invasions in the Profound Origin Realm, but each time, the celestial evils came and went quickly, soon defeated by the cultivators within the Profound Origin Realm. Facing celestial evils, whether righteous cultivators or demonic cultivators, all united to oppose them.

The number of celestial evils in each invasion is usually not large.

Over a period of time.

Finding more than ten celestial evils is considered a large-scale invasion.

These celestial evils come and go swiftly, almost disappearing without a trace after a while.

However, there have been several invasions.

That have brought tremendous destruction to the Profound Origin Realm, and according to the joint predictions of the Supreme Elders of the three major righteous sects, the loss of Spiritual Qi in the Profound Origin Realm is not unrelated to these celestial evils’ invasions, making each invasion a disaster for the Profound Origin Realm.

"Yes, there’s a significant possibility that the invasion of celestial evils is imminent."

The handsome man in white solemnly shook his head, then said to everyone, "You should head back first. In this vast mountain, finding a celestial evil is no longer a matter of manpower. I will continue to investigate to see where the evil has escaped to."

All the cultivators received the order and did not linger further.

The large-scale invasion of celestial evils is about to begin.

They have no time to delay here. It’s better to return now and make more preparations. Otherwise, if a drastic change occurs and they are unprepared, they might not even qualify as cannon fodder.

After everyone had left.

The smile on the handsome man in white didn’t change, but looking in the direction Baiyu fled, his gaze flickered with two degrees of seriousness: "I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for many years..."

...

The Daoist temple in the depths of the mountains was quite dilapidated.

The ground was piled with dead leaves, the walls overgrown with ivy, concealing the cracks formed over time.

Dust had accumulated on the steps.

Forming a thick layer, leaving a clear footprint when stepped on.

This was a temple broken beyond repair.

Baiyu looked up at the plaque, with three elegant characters inscribed, "Carefree Temple."

In those characters.

A sense of extraordinary and unrestrained freedom was revealed.

Entering the temple.

In the main hall, there was a statue that Zhou Yi had never seen before, a headless statue of indistinguishable gender, standing and holding something like a fruit, seemingly offering it to the sun in the sky.

The posture and the implication of the statue were very peculiar.

Completely different from the Daoism Baiyu had encountered.

He furrowed his brows, only now realizing there was an old man in a gray and tattered Daoist robe beneath the massive stone statue.

His back was to Baiyu, sitting on a mat.

Facing the enormous statue, chanting an awkward, strange incantation, it sounded extremely uncomfortable, even inciting a self-harming urge.

Baiyu steadied his mind, his vigilance significantly heightened.

He approached the old Taoist.

The man appeared emaciated, yet indeed alive, with eyes full of spirit, not a trace of the decrepitude expected of an elderly appearance.

"You have come to Carefree Temple, in my temple, outsiders are rare."

At this moment.

The old Taoist’s voice was hoarse as he stood up, glancing at Baiyu without revealing friendly or hostile intentions.

Baiyu did not hide, truthfully informing, "Chased by enemies, I fled here out of necessity, but rest assured, Daoist, I will leave soon and not implicate you."

This place is indeed quite unusual.

Best to leave as soon as possible.

At this moment, the Taoist shook his head and said, "You need not be so, since you’re being pursued, you’re in crisis, how could I drive you out? Though this temple is declining, it is usually people-less and remote, you can feel at ease staying here.

This place is very safe.

However, you must not wander around the temple, some areas might harbor dangers that threaten your life.

You may make yourself at home.

I need to cultivate further, so I won’t be entertaining you, in the kitchen ahead there’s a water vat with drinkable water, beside it a vegetable garden to stave off hunger."

The old Taoist spoke calmly.

Baiyu heard him say this, unsure for a moment whether this Taoist was righteous or evil, or if he had seen through his identity as a celestial evil.

Logically speaking.

His identity as a celestial evil should easily be discernible, and once exposed, both the righteous and the evil would pursue him.

He would be an arch-enemy of the Immortal Cultivation Realm.

However.

The old Taoist gave Baiyu no opportunity to inquire further.

He began closing his eyes, chanting the same peculiar text toward the towering headless statue.

Following the old Taoist’s guidance.

Baiyu went to the kitchen, drank some water, and then found a guest room.

Although Carefree Pass appeared quite dilapidated from the outside.

Inside the rooms, it was very tidy, the bed linens were old but well washed.

Baiyu took a deep breath.

Though he didn’t know what kind of place this temple was, it indeed seemed he could stay here for a while.

Considering his situation.

He needed only to last seven days, regardless of where he stayed, seven days would make no difference.