Cultivators Are So Weak in This World

Chapter 526 - 495 Probing 1

Just as the puppet turned its eyes.

Inside a small temple near the two children, a clay figure of a Buddha trembled slightly.

Immediately after, as if affected by contagion, in the more distant temples, the eyes of Arhats, Bodhisattvas, and Buddha statues, which were slightly closed, all flashed a faint, imperceptible silver light.

They were originally in the temples, receiving offerings from people, unmoving and silent, but at this moment, it seemed as if they all felt something.

Great Capital, Western Sect, True Buddha Temple, Great Sun Buddha Hall.

During Yuan Shi’s daily rituals of kneeling, praying, and reciting scriptures, his expression was devout, and his rotund body seemed less comical, more solemn.

However, unlike usual, in the incense burner placed before him, the incense sticks were originally emitting smoke straight upward.

But now, without any breeze, all the smoke suddenly curled towards a particular direction, like fingers pointing towards it.

"Hmm?" Yuan Shi seemed to sense something and opened his eyes to look at the smoke.

After pondering for a moment, he shouted sharply.

"Someone come!"

Soon, a novice monk guarding the door entered and humbly kneeled.

"What does the abbot command?"

"Summon the Jade Spirit." Yuan Shi stood up and looked at the smoke again, which had returned to being straight.

"Yes!"

The novice monk left, and soon after, a woman with a graceful figure, simply dressed in white gauze, entered.

The woman carried a tray, on which lay an irregularly shaped black jade tablet.

Yuan Shi picked up the jade tablet, closed his eyes, and immediately, a large mass of white mist spread around, enveloping the entire hall.

Once all the mist had completely obscured the surroundings.

He exhaled gently and opened his eyes again.

The previously empty surface of the jade tablet now unexpectedly had lines of text.

Yuan Shi quickly read the text, and his gaze became increasingly solemn.

He waved his hand, and the surrounding mist dispersed and disappeared.

"Where is the newly appointed Yuan Feng? Send him here."

"Yes."

The woman responded softly and withdrew.

After several tens of breaths passed.

The ground began to tremble slightly, and heavy footsteps approached continuously, as if some heavy-bodied individual was drawing near.

Soon, a giant, over three meters tall, wearing only white gauze to cover vital areas, arrived at the front of the hall door and entered.

The giant’s face was full of coarse muscle, eyes like copper bells, and he wore a string of blood-red Buddhist beads around his neck, with remnants of women’s scented powder lip marks on his arms.

"Yuan Feng greets the abbot." The giant respectfully bowed to Yuan Shi in a Buddhist salute.

"The Buddha’s decree, in the direction of Mountain Province, a forbidden presence has reappeared. Though it appears faintly, take people to handle it." Yuan Shi instructed.

"Forbidden presence? Where in Mountain Province?"

"It should be within Wushan Prefecture, the precise location is only vaguely sensed. Take items to locate it."

"Wushan Prefecture..." The giant hesitated, "That place is where the Great Dao Teaching has explicitly declared it should not be disturbed, so, for a monk like me to go... isn’t that inappropriate?"

Although he looked fierce, his temperament was gentle and polite in conduct, not acting rashly in situations.

"Sect Leader Yue of the Great Dao Teaching sustaining how long is still a question." Yuan Shi sneered, "Besides, it concerns a forbidden presence, even if he opposes, what’s the use? Just go, if anything happens, I’ll back you up."

Yuan Feng still hesitated, standing where he was. In the Western Sect, promises were never reliable.

Plenty awaited below for opportunities to replace and worship, with many showing respect outwardly but secretly wishing for him to die soon.

Seeing this, Yuan Shi’s tone became gentle.

"Yue Dewen himself is now struggling, and aside from him, the main body of the Great Dao Teaching, the Jade Void Palace, also returned to the main body, what is there to be afraid of?"

"I am not afraid, just unwilling to make a pointless trip." Yuan Feng explained, "Since the abbot has spoken, then a monk will make the journey."

"Hmm, over there a Human Immortal Temple has appeared, likely related to it. If there’s time, after doing your task, bring some Daoists from that Human Immortal Temple here for me to see."

"Yes."

Yuan Feng replied solemnly and withdrew.

Watching his departing figure, Yuan Shi furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

Currently, there are not many Grandmasters in the True Buddha Temple, most of those with the name Yuan are Grandmasters, but in the entire temple, there are only ten Yuan-named individuals who can take action, the rest are high-ranking but ordinary Grandmasters awaiting appointments.

Even several died in the previous confrontations among sects, and now they haven’t fully recovered their vitality.

And now suddenly, a forbidden presence emerged.

Thinking of the loss of a Grandmaster of worship in the investigation team before, he felt vaguely uneasy.

With one group dying off, the new ones growing increasingly weaker, the overall strength declining.

After thinking for a while, he clapped his hands again, summoning another novice monk.

"Is Sect Leader Sang Lan of the Yu Xin Sect still here?"

"Still here, currently a guest at the Hundred Fragrance Banquet in the temple, watching the Celestial Demon Dance." The novice monk replied.

"Invite him here."

"Yes." The novice monk withdrew.

Yuan Shi exhaled, now in the True Buddha Temple there are only him and Yuan Hong as Spirit Generals, unable to move.

But their immobility doesn’t mean others cannot.

Over the years, the True Buddha Temple has spent great amounts to maintain the presence of Sect Leader Sang Lan.

Since his sect was destroyed, he survived only by Western Sect’s protection until now.

This Residual God Spirit General, naturally wouldn’t dare to confront the forces of other major sects. His backing is too weak.

But dealing with those without a major sect as a backing, remains easy.

*

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While the Western Sect dispatched an investigative team, a large Spirit army returning to Great Capital from the border also received the news.

This Spirit army totaled over three hundred thousand, and when marching it resembled a long serpent, stretching dozens of miles, divided into front, middle, and rear military segments.

With such divisions, they could split into separate corps during attacks, command individually, and respond to enemy strikes.

The position of the Marshal was located within the middle corps.

At this moment, within the military formation, a tall man with fair skin and a handsome little mustache, blue-eyed and clad in a Confucian robe, held a book in his hand and was reading it intently.

This man, despite having the features of Spirit People, had fair skin. Despite being the chief military commander, he held a book from the disdained Confucian sect and read it carefully.

Despite being a military general, he did not wear armor, but dressed in everyday attire, swaying slightly on horseback, the speed of flipping pages unaffected.

This was rather unusual no matter where it was.

However, here, within this military formation named Weaving Elephant Army, the surrounding generals were already accustomed to it.

With a swish, the man suddenly stopped his gaze upon the book, seemingly sensing something in the void.

"It’s actually a divine prophecy." Surprise appeared in the man’s eyes.

"Commander? Is it a matter of the Great Capital?" asked a female officer beside him in a deep voice.

"No," the man chuckled, "It’s the reappearance of a taboo. But we should not be the first to discover it."

"Should we send people to investigate?" the female officer asked.

"With nothing much to do, take a team and have a look. Make a thorough sweep. Otherwise, the Divine Lords might be displeased," the man said casually.

"Understood."

The female officer turned, mounted her horse, and began rallying and organizing a detachment.

The man continued to sway and ride forward, entirely dissimilar to the brewing storm outside.

Leisurely, relaxed.

He had the right to be at ease.

As one of the four renowned Divine Spirit Generals in the world, he had long been above, watching the ups and downs of the world, untouchable by anyone.

No matter how the outside changed, the eventual victor would inevitably stand before him, bowing in respect.

"Baiyin Tibu!!"

Suddenly, a thunderous sound came from afar.

A huge black shadow wielding enormous bronze hammers charged straight toward the man, knocking down any obstructing cavalry along the way.

"You should address him as Divine Spirit General. Directly calling someone by name is rude," the man lowered the book, showing displeasure.

"Destroy my sect, kill my disciples! Today I have also reached the highest realm, coming to claim your damned life!"

The black shadow approached rapidly, revealing a burly, yellow-haired giant armored with spirit lines woven into arms.

"You still haven’t figured it out."

The man casually placed the book onto his back waist belt.

"There is a difference between a human and a dog."

He opened his squinted eyes with a slight smile, his blue pupils reflecting the quickly approaching figure.

"And I am human."

"You, however, are just a dog."

Swoosh!!

In an instant, a thin black line shot out from the shadow beneath him, piercing through the giant’s chest like a tentacle.

The giant attempted to block it.

But the twin hammers in his hands couldn’t stop it; in just that moment, they were pierced. The powerful spirit line armor on his body crumbled like tofu upon contact.

One second.

Poof!!

His whole body was suddenly penetrated from inside by countless black spikes.

As if a black line erupted instantly within him.

Black spikes pierced through his skin, bones, transforming him into a ball of black spikes in the blink of an eye.

Boom!!!

In an instant, the giant exploded into countless black dust, slowly dispersing.

The black line contracted, returning to the shadow beneath the man.

"Dogs that bark will be eaten..."

He spoke with meaningful depth, continuing to take out the book and starting to read again.

The surrounding people were long accustomed to this, without surprise, continuing onward.

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*

The life in Wushan Prefecture was exceedingly comfortable, Zhang Rongfang had not experienced such days for a long time.

Every day, there was no need to worry about anything, just focus on cultivating, reading, having tea in the afternoon, cultivating the Cultivation of Literature, exercising and practicing martial arts at night.

Before sleep, he would perform alchemy to replenish the necessary pills.

His sister and brother-in-law were by his side, and the Human Immortal Temple was now under the protection of Wish Girl Gorge, absolutely safe.

Everything was on track, it was the life he wanted before.

Only one point.

Returning to Wish Girl Gorge, in his newly-built cave study.

Zhang Rongfang sighed deeply, putting away the newly arrived information about Great Dao Teaching.

"From Jade Void Palace, Grandmaster Uncle took people back to Qingchuan Prefecture. It seems there was a falling out with Yue Shi from the Great Capital."

The stronger he grew, the more he understood the chaos outside.

The more stable it was around him, the more he had to remain vigilant, prepare for any eventual situation.

Particularly now as the Human Immortal Temple has emerged, showing an ability to suppress the worship of gods, it will undoubtedly attract the vigilance of god and Buddha forces.

Therefore, the suppression from god and Buddha forces is the inevitable reality he has to face.

Putting aside this intelligence, Zhang Rongfang picked up the second document.

This sheet of paper was very thin, but it recorded an even more troublesome matter than the previous ones.

Zhang Rongfang glanced down at it, his face instantly turned serious.

’The Western Sect sent a detachment for investigation, Weaving Elephant Army also dispatched a troop here, and various other sects sent people over, all under the guise of investigating the Red Turban Army... Ha, the Red Turban rebels were just suppressed by the army of King Mu Li, and the environment barely stabilized... These people couldn’t wait....’

He carefully calculated in his mind, speculating on the actual capabilities of the first batch arriving.

Suddenly, white mist slowly appeared around the study. A mysterious sensation flooded into his mind.

As if something, some power was pulling him into a stupor.

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