Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 523: Chapter 281: Temple and Divine Statue

"Sir, it’s done."

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye as Cheng Zongyang and Luo Dingran chatted about various matters.

When Luo Daoist interrupted their conversation, Cheng Zongyang turned to see him holding a booklet, excitedly tracing something on it.

Before he could speak, Luo Daoist added, "Sir, this subordinate will take his leave. I must return at once to record these findings for better understanding."

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "Alright, you can go back first."

So, Luo Daoist went to the shed and teleported back to the marketplace cottage.

Next, Cheng Zongyang dismissed the Soul Slaves, then said to Luo Dingran, "After I break the Array, if anything unexpected happens to me, send me back to the marketplace cottage immediately."

Ever since the incident with Huangfu Ren, he had become wary of such situations.

He couldn’t believe that a temple so revered by the villagers—and protected by a Third Grade Array, no less—could be anything ordinary.

Therefore, he had to make proper arrangements. As long as he could get back to the cottage, he would have the absolute upper hand.

"Alright!" Luo Dingran took a few steps back, preparing himself as well.

Cheng Zongyang looked at the Golden Talisman in his hand, took a slow breath, and then suddenly slapped it onto the Array’s barrier of light.

The moment the Talisman made contact with the Array, Cheng Zongyang immediately retreated to ensure his own safety.

Meanwhile, the instant the Third Grade Array-Breaking Talisman was placed on the Array, a strange, multicolored light flowed from the Talisman, finally transforming into an earthen-yellow glow that began to spread rapidly, covering the entire Array.

As the light grew brighter, Cheng Zongyang was deeply shaken, even though he didn’t understand the principles behind it.

Gradually, even though he wasn’t a Cultivator, he could feel the Energy within the Array growing more and more turbulent.

’So, the principle behind breaking this Array... is to let its Energy accumulate until it’s overfed and bursts?’ Cheng Zongyang seemed to grasp some of the logic.

That was the impression the situation gave him.

And the result confirmed his suspicion. The Array-Breaking Talisman seemed to be accelerating the Array’s absorption of Earth Vein Power. Gradually, the Array drew more and more Earth Vein Power, shattering the balance it had maintained for centuries.

Finally, before the eyes of Cheng Zongyang and the others, the Array violently exploded, and a terrifying shockwave swept outward.

"AHH!!"

"What the hell!"

"What was that!"

...

The weaker Soul Slaves were instantly swept away by the ferocious, explosive shockwave from the Array. Even the surrounding trees shook violently, their branches and leaves snapping and raining down.

Thick trunks were bent and deformed by the immense Power, their bark splitting with startling CRACKING sounds. The birds and beasts of the mountain fled in terror, their panicked cries echoing through the valley and adding to the chaos.

At the same time, dust billowed up from the ground, forming a yellow fog that blotted out the sky and plunged the entire area into what seemed like chaos.

Cheng Zongyang and Luo Dingran quickly used their True Qi to steady themselves.

’Hm? This aura... Such dense Spiritual Qi!’

The air was thick with dust, reducing visibility to less than two meters. But Cheng Zongyang had felt the Spiritual Qi! He immediately circulated his True Qi, gathering it in his palm moments later before striking out at the empty air in front of him.

With a sharp CRACK, the True Qi shot from his body, dispersing most of the dust around him.

After a dozen more palm strikes, eighty to ninety percent of the dust around the temple had dissipated. However, the surrounding forest was still shrouded in a yellow, dusty fog.

But for Cheng Zongyang, this was enough.

He had just felt a dense wave of Spiritual Qi, like sniffing the aroma from a Spirit Liquid Bottle.

It was also far denser than the Spiritual Qi in the Wilderness World.

’It seems the Array’s protection also trapped the Spiritual Qi inside. But is the reason nothing grows in there because it was buried so deep underground?’ A hundred thoughts raced through Cheng Zongyang’s mind.

"I’m going in to take a look."

Cheng Zongyang and Luo Dingran exchanged a look, and the latter nodded slightly. But a moment later, he took out a Talisman and handed it to Cheng Zongyang, saying, "This is a Town Recall Talisman. When I went back to find Luo Daoist just now, this subordinate thought it best to bring one out, just in case."

"That was thoughtful of you." Cheng Zongyang chuckled, tucking the Talisman into his robes before turning to walk forward. At the same time, his Protective Gang Qi emerged to shield him.

He had used a Town Recall Talisman once before, leaving him with two. Standing still for three seconds was all it took to return to the cottage. Having this Town Recall Talisman would save him a lot of trouble.

Luo Dingran followed behind. If something truly unexpected were to happen, he could block some of the danger, buying Cheng Zongyang the time needed for the Town Recall Talisman to activate.

Luo Dingran didn’t allow the other Soul Slaves to approach as the two of them gradually neared the temple.

"Three Lords Temple?"

Cheng Zongyang recognized the characters. During his time in the Ice and Fire Cultivation Immortality Realm, he had learned something: although the spoken languages were similar, there were two different writing systems.

Most Cultivators used ancient characters from the Ancient Era, the same script Cheng Zongyang had seen on the stone slate he’d found.

Mortals and those in the Martial Arts Realm used a different script. He had a theory that since the Cultivation Systems used in the Ice and Fire Cultivation Immortality Realm all originated from the Ancient Era, these ancient characters had remained unchanged.

However, many Cultivation Techniques were transcribed into the common script, which made it much more convenient for later generations to practice their Cultivation.

The name "Three Lords Temple" was written in these ancient characters.

The interior was sparsely furnished. In the center stood three clay statues, arranged like the Three Pure Ones. To the left and right were just a few scattered and overturned tables and stools, likely used for placing offerings during sacrificial rites before being toppled by an earthquake.