"Second Uncle-Master, these are guests received by the Sect Master," the disciple leading Xu Zimo and the others to the meditation room quickly responded.
"Sect Master?" The monk sized up Xu Zimo and the others, then said suspiciously, "Senior Brother Qianjun, don’t you know what time of year it is?"
"I'm just following the Sect Master's instructions," the disciple shook his head and said.
The monk snorted coldly and looked at Xu Zimo. "What are you doing at Martial Magnificence Temple?"
"That's not something I need to explain to you," Xu Zimo said calmly. "We have the Sect Master's permission. What does it have to do with you?"
"Bold!" the monk shouted angrily.
He raised his hand, and the aura of the Empyrean Meridian Realm gathered around him.
He said, "Then I'll take you down first and ask the Sect Master about it later."
As he spoke, the blue-robed monk’s palm was already coming down.
The space around them trembled, and the pressure was terrifying.
Death God Qin beside him snorted coldly and slapped back.
With a "boom," a wave of energy exploded in all directions, and the blue-robed monk was directly flung away.
"Uncle-Master!" the nearby monk exclaimed in shock.
The blue-robed monk stood up from the ground, looking at Death God Qin with a grave expression.
God Meridian? Or Immortal Path?
He couldn't feel it earlier, but that one strike had left him with no power to resist.
Finally, the blue-robed monk took a deep breath and turned to leave without another word.
"If you ask me, why are you being so polite with them?" Death God Qin said with a frown. "With our strength, we could easily deal with Martial Magnificence Temple."
"Making a big scene would only attract attention," Xu Zimo shook his head. "It's not the right time to reveal our strength. Don't forget why we're here."
Death God Qin nodded and said no more.
The group followed the young monk into a meditation room.
The room was very simply furnished, just a bed, a table, and a small cabinet.
The air carried a faint aroma of incense.
"If you find everything acceptable, I'll take my leave," the young monk said.
Xu Zimo smiled and asked, "That Second Uncle-Master earlier, is there some kind of conflict between him and the Sect Master?"
The young monk was startled, then quickly shook his head. "You've misunderstood, sir. It's just that Second Uncle-Master has a straightforward personality and tends to offend people."
After the monk left, Death God Qin looked at Xu Zimo and asked, "So what do we do next?"
"Wait," Xu Zimo replied calmly while cleaning his weapon, Shadow Tyrant.
"Wait?" Death God Qin was stunned, seemingly confused.
"Do you know why I chose this time to come to Martial Magnificence Temple?" Xu Zimo asked. "How much do you know about the Buddha Burial Temple?"
Hearing this, Death God Qin fell silent.
He knew Xu Zimo must have his reasons and didn’t ask further.
But that item was of vital importance to their Dark Primordial Race, there could be no mistakes.
The next few days, Martial Magnificence Temple was unusually quiet.
The monks in the temple often moved hurriedly, as if a storm was brewing.
Xu Zimo, on the other hand, seemed quite at ease, taking Death God Qin around Martial Magnificence Temple for sightseeing.
Except for a few restricted areas, most places were open.
But something strange caught Xu Zimo’s attention, the statues worshipped in the various halls of Martial Magnificence Temple.
These weren’t the usual Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or Arhats known to the public.
Instead, they were figures Xu Zimo had never seen before.
The entire temple felt eerie, sending chills down the spine.
On the fifth day at Martial Magnificence Temple, the temple suddenly became lively.
More and more people came from outside to visit the temple.
All of them were arranged in meditation rooms near Xu Zimo.
It seemed this area was specially designated for receiving guests.
Outside, the sky was gloomy.
Maybe it was the transition from autumn to winter, the steady autumn rain made the weather increasingly cold.
But cultivators didn’t fear the chill.
By afternoon, the light rain began to fall from the gathering clouds.
Xu Zimo stood by the window, gazing into the distance.
"What are you looking at?" Death God Qin walked in and asked curiously.
"That’s the thirteenth group," Xu Zimo said with a smile.
In just one day, thirteen groups of people from various backgrounds had arrived at Martial Magnificence Temple.
As they were speaking, Wu Qianjun appeared again, leading another group of people.
"They're from Immortal Mortal Sacred Ground," Death God Qin said with a frown.
Besides Wu Qianjun, the others were three members of the Immortal Mortal Sacred Ground, a senior elder, the Holy Son, and the Saintess.
"Most people’s attention should be on the Myriad Pill Gathering right now," Xu Zimo smiled. "But who would have thought that beneath this grand event, a hidden battle is unfolding?"
"Should we just take them all out?" Death God Qin asked in a low voice.
"If they stand in our way of retrieving the item, just kill them," Xu Zimo replied flatly.
Death God Qin nodded quickly.
That afternoon, Xu Zimo and Death God Qin went to the temple’s dining hall.
When they arrived, they found most of the seats were already taken.
"It’s getting livelier," Xu Zimo smiled.
The people inside were observing Xu Zimo and his group, or rather, they were all sizing each other up.
As the two sat down, a man in a red robe from the next table walked over.
"I’m Liu Zongfang. May I ask your names?" the red-robed man asked warmly, holding a folding fan.
"Liu Zongfang?" Xu Zimo paused and asked, "The founder of the Liu Blade Technique?"
"Just a name, nothing more," Liu Zongfang quickly waved his hand and said, "It’s just that people give me too much credit. It’s said to be self-created, but in truth, I borrowed a lot from those before me."
Speaking of Liu Zongfang, he was quite famous in the Eastern Continent.
Though a rogue cultivator, his strength was formidable.
Many top-tier forces had invited him to serve as an honorary elder, but he had refused them all.
And his Liu Blade Technique was known for its power across the Eastern Continent.
He had carved out a path of his own.
"I’m Xu Zimo, and this is my friend Qin," Xu Zimo introduced.
"You two came here for that place too, right?" Liu Zongfang asked with a smile.
"Who here didn’t?" Xu Zimo countered.
"Then, have you truly understood what kind of place it is?"
"Of course," Xu Zimo nodded.
"Are you confident?" Liu Zongfang asked again.
"I never do anything I’m not confident in," Xu Zimo replied. "But what about you, Liu? Do you really understand what kind of place it is? Your strength isn’t weak, but in a place like that, whether you come back or not is another story."