Leaping up and falling again, Wang Chen swept across the closely packed houses and tile-roofed dwellings, arriving in front of a temple that seemed to be inhabited.
Although the use of flying spells and magic artifacts were forbidden inside the Nine Dragons Land Palace, Wang Chen had grown accustomed to the unique environment over time and had devised a method for rapid traversal.
The city was deserted and silent, with dusty streets and mostly intact buildings.
Wang Chen did not encounter any traces of evil wraiths or monsters.
Because there were no luminous stones that emitted light on their own nor the commonly seen illuminating mushrooms, the lighting was extremely dim, making the firelight casting from the temple hall stand out all the more.
Wang Chen lifted his head and saw the signboard hanging above the temple door, recognizing the three True Seal characters.
The two grand doors of the City God Temple, made of some unknown material, had withstood the test of time without decay or damage, one of them half-open.
From a distance of ten zhang, Wang Chen waved his hand and struck out. Discover exclusive tales on empire
With a muffled sound, the other grand door opened inwards with a boom.
The scenery inside the hall immediately came into Wang Chen's view.
The City God Temple was empty, with four thick stone pillars supporting the high dome, and a gigantic god statue stood erect opposite the main entrance.
The statue, towering over seven tiers, was bulky and muscular, adorned in armor and holding a giant mace, with its lion-like eyes and broad nose exuding a majestic demeanor.
Although the worshippers were no longer present, it was still guarding the city!
Wang Chen noticed that in front of the statue, there was a pile of burning bonfire.
The firelight he had seen earlier apparently came from this bonfire.
Scattered next to the bonfire were some bundles and weapons.
It seemed a group of travelers had been resting here when they suddenly met with some misfortune, leaving the fire still burning.
Wang Chen did not immediately enter the hall but extended his Divine Sense to carefully inspect the whole hall.
He did not find anything unusual.
He summoned the Glowing Light Sword to protect his body and stepped into the City God Temple, one step at a time.
Inside the hall was very quiet, the only sound being the crackling of the burning wood. The ashes suggested that it had been burning for quite some time, and it would last for perhaps one or two more moments before extinguishing.
That raised the question.
Who had made the bonfire here, and what caused them to suddenly disappear?
Wang Chen furrowed his brows, a strange feeling welling up in his heart.
After some thought, Wang Chen sat down beside the bonfire.
He took some kindling from his Storage Bag and added it to the bonfire.
Having finally encountered traces of other people, Wang Chen decided to wait here for a while to see if anyone else would come.
And to take a good rest as well.
Perhaps it was due to recent fatigue, but as he sat by the warm and bright bonfire, a deep sleepiness stealthily overcame him, causing his eyelids to start fighting each other.
Wang Chen's consciousness gradually blurred, and before long, he fell into a deep sleep.
About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense later, three figures flickered into the hall like ghosts.
It was indeed three cultivators, two men and one woman!
The robes they wore were tattered and ragged, looking as if they hadn't been cleaned or mended for a long time; each one's face was dirty and unkempt, but their eyes shone brightly as they stared at Wang Chen.
Like hungry fierce beasts that had spotted delicious prey!
One of the male cultivators with a scarred face danced around, letting out a hoarse and unpleasant laugh, "What a big fat sheep!"
The female cultivator next to him licked her cracked lips, "Gan, I haven't eaten meat in a long time."
"Enough with the nonsense!"
The other male cultivator, who had only one arm, said impatiently, "Hurry up and kill him, others might come!"
The female cultivator took the initiative to volunteer, hastily waving her hand to release a silver hairpin!
The moment the silver hairpin left her hand, it transformed into a streak of sharp light and shot towards Wang Chen's head.
The three were quite cautious, not daring to approach him even though Wang Chen had been hit.
Just as the silver hairpin magic artifact was about to hit Wang Chen, it suddenly got flicked away by a raised finger.
Its course altered, the hairpin pierced through the roof of the great hall and disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile, Wang Chen, who had appeared to be asleep, opened his eyes and sat upright, revealing a smile that was not quite a smile to the newcomers.
All three cultivators were immensely shocked.
The man with the scarred face yelled in disbelief, "How did the Enchanting Fairy Incense lose its effect?"
"So, it was Enchanting Fairy Incense."
Wang Chen sniffed his nose and chuckled, "No wonder it didn't have any smell."
Enchanting Fairy Incense is a special kind of narcotics that can be mixed in with incense wood and burnt, releasing an odorless and colorless smoke that is difficult to defend against.
For Qi Cultivation cultivators, this narcotic has a considerable effect, capable of casting one into sleep invisibly.
If a Purple Mansion cultivator were to be afflicted inadvertently, they would suffer from weakness in their muscles and bones as a side effect, affecting their ability to perform at full strength.
The moment Wang Chen set foot in the great hall, he sensed something was off.
However, he did not show any change in expression and pretended to be completely unaware as he sat down next to the campfire.
Luring the snake from its hole!
In fact, this kind of intoxicating incense was quite effective against ordinary cultivators and its power was even more potent in the special environment of the Nine Dragons Land Palace. However, Wang Chen's Heavenly Dragon Vajra Method had been cultivated to the sixth tier, condensing a body of Vajra Invulnerability.
Let alone the mere Enchanting Fairy Incense, even a stronger Drunken Divine Smoke would not have much effect on him!
Vajra Invulnerability, invincible to all poison!
The one-armed man was extremely brave. Seeing their scheme exposed, he did not show any signs of retreat. Instead, he roared and charged at Wang Chen.
Swinging his remaining right arm, he threw a punch at Wang Chen.
The one-armed man's movement technique was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, he reached Wang Chen. The iron fist he clenched silently tore through the air, with a skin that bulged at the knuckles, shimmering with a metallic luster.
The momentum of the punch was so great that it caused ripples to appear in the surrounding space.
Simultaneously, the man with the scarred face flicked out a talisman.
A burst of spiritual light exploded suddenly!
The female cultivator by his side sharply turned her head, and dozens of cold gleams shot out from her hair, targeting Wang Chen's lower body!
The trio's coordination was quite seamless, evidently accustomed to this way of joint attack.
Confronted with the surprise attack, Wang Chen made no attempt to dodge. He swung his right palm to meet the iron fist that was hurtling towards him.
This one-armed man was clearly very skilled in hand-to-hand combat. His boxing technique was at a very high level, a hundred percent entry through martial prowess into the realm of Qi Cultivation at the ninth tier.
That punch, even a mid-to-low tier Qi Cultivation cultivator with a protective magical shield would be unable to withstand!
Their fist met the palm, producing a crisp sound.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and the one-armed man's advance came to an abrupt halt.
The fiendish frenzy in his eyes instantly turned into boundless horror!
The next moment, the one-armed man was sent flying backward.
His fist burst into a mist of blood, and his only arm twisted into a grotesque shape, with stark white bones piercing through the skin!
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