Chapter 22: Yellow Crane Temple, Public-Spirited and Righteous Fellow Daoist Meng

Xuanzhen Peak, the location of the largest Spiritual Eye.

Five Cultivators clad in grayish-yellow Daoist Robes surrounded a Spirit Gathering Array. They cast Techniques continuously, tossing in materials in an orderly sequence to repair the worn-out sections of the Array.

The group consisted of three men and two women, all appearing to be in their thirties or forties. Their auras were deep and steady as they cast their spells, and rich yellow halos flowed in their palms.

A rather alluring female Cultivator glanced at the man beside her while casting her Technique, speaking in a coquettish voice.

"Yang, once we finish maintaining this Array, can we hold off on going back and just have some fun on Xuanzhen Peak?

"The Spirit Vein here on Xuanzhen Peak is far superior to our Yellow Crane Peak. It truly is picturesque. After we fix this Array, how about we take a stroll and enjoy the scenery?"

The man addressed as Yang appeared to be the oldest of the five, well past forty. He scolded the alluring female Cultivator in a deep voice.

"Junior Sister Mei, this is Xuanzhen Peak, not our own Yellow Crane Peak where you can do whatever you please! Hurry up and work, and once we're done, we head back immediately!"

"Oh, Liu~" she said, unfazed by Yang's scolding, her voice growing even sweeter. "Xuanzhen Temple is down to just a washed-up cripple and a Junior Cultivator. Are you afraid of being discovered? They haven't patrolled the mountain in over a decade, have they?"

"Junior Sister Mei is right," a sinister-looking male Cultivator chimed in. "Xuanzhen Peak is probably safer than the vegetarian dining hall in the Sect.

"Not to mention the fact that we won't run into anyone from Xuanzhen Temple. Even if we do, so what? He's just a greenhorn who has been cultivating for barely over a decade. Isn't he completely at our mercy?"

The other two also chimed in.

"Exactly!" one of them agreed. "There's no need to take Xuanzhen Temple seriously at all. The Temple Master only ordered us to build the Spirit Gathering Array in secret to save face. Otherwise, if we just seized the Spiritual Eye directly, would Xuanzhen Temple dare to object?

"If the higher-ups were truly even slightly wary of Xuanzhen Temple, would they let us come here wearing our own Daoist Robes to maintain the Array? At the very least, they'd ask us to change clothes first, right?"

"Hmph... If you ask me," the last Cultivator added, "the fact that we've only been secretly extracting some Spirit Charm from Xuanzhen Peak all these years is already incredibly merciful!

"If they don't know what's good for them, it would be a breeze for us to simply seize their Daoist Temple outright!"

"Junior Brother, Junior Sister, watch your words!" Yang scolded sharply. "Don't forget how strict the rules of the Zhengyang Dharma Vein are! Stealing Spirit Charm is a matter that can be brushed off or blown up. Since Xuanzhen Temple has fallen into decline, there isn't much risk.

"But if we forcefully occupy Xuanzhen Temple... once the Dharma Vein finds out, the punishment will be far beyond what Yellow Crane Temple can bear!"

The sinister-looking male Cultivator looked defiant and opened his mouth to argue.

A cold voice, booming like rolling thunder, descended from the sky.

"How rare. So everyone from Yellow Crane Temple actually knows how strict the rules of the Zhengyang Dharma Vein are?

"Seeing you all chatting and laughing here, treating my Xuanzhen Peak's Spiritual Eye as your own well spring, I thought your Yellow Crane Temple didn't even know the Zhengyang Dharma Vein had rules!"

When the voice first echoed, the five of them were briefly stunned. They immediately backed away from the Array and shifted their positions, vaguely forming a defensive formation.

They weren't true Array Masters, but since they were capable of maintaining the Array, they naturally understood some principles of formations.

A Cyan Jade Chessboard, about ten feet square, slowly descended, carrying four people.

Seeing the chessboard, a flash of surprise crossed the eyes of the five Cultivators before they abruptly tensed up.

When Li Yinsheng looked at an Upper Grade Magical Artifact, it only evoked his envy.

But in the eyes of these five, it was a massive threat.

The five of them were merely True Inheritance or Direct Lineage disciples in Yellow Crane Temple. Only Yang possessed an Upper Grade Magical Artifact. How could they not be afraid when seeing someone descend from the sky on one?

More importantly, three of the people on this Upper Grade Magical Artifact were wearing the Daoist Robes of Jade Altar Temple!

Jade Altar Temple ranked near the top of the Zhengyang Dharma Vein, whereas their Yellow Crane Temple was the exact opposite, perpetually stuck at the bottom.

It was said that Jade Altar Temple had such a profound foundation of Daoists that one of them would hold a public lecture every three or four years.

Yellow Crane Temple, on the other hand, only had a single Daoist, who had been in secluded meditation for nearly twenty years.

Although they were all disciples of Daoist Temples, the disciples of Jade Altar Temple and Yellow Crane Temple were clearly not on the same level.

The chessboard landed, and Li Yinsheng, Meng Yu, and her junior martial siblings stepped off.

Yang, the leader of the group, immediately recognized Li Yinsheng. Besides surprise, his eyes were filled with deep confusion.

Yellow Crane Temple's mountain peak was not far from Xuanzhen Temple; it was the closest Daoist Temple to them.

Furthermore, since they had been stealing quite a bit of Spirit Charm over the years, they had naturally done thorough research on Xuanzhen Temple in advance and knew quite a bit about Li Yinsheng.

Yet, seeing Li Yinsheng now, Yang only felt incredibly bewildered.

When did this reclusive, utterly unremarkable Deputy Temple Master of Xuanzhen Temple hitch a ride on the massive ship that was Jade Altar Temple?

He looked at Meng Yu, his heart growing even more anxious.

A female Cultivator capable of controlling an Upper Grade Magical Artifact, and one so young at that, was absolutely no ordinary figure within Jade Altar Temple!

"Junior Li of Xuanzhen Temple?" Yang held a defensive Technique with one hand, ready to draw a Magical Artifact from his Qiankun Bag at a moment's notice. "You seem to have some sort of misunderstanding about us."

"A misunderstanding?" Li Yinsheng glanced at the Array. "A misunderstanding about Yellow Crane Temple using a Spirit Gathering Array to steal the Spirit Charm of Xuanzhen Peak?"

"Brat, your Xuanzhen Temple couldn't possibly use up this much Spirit Charm anyway. Rather than letting it all go to waste, why not sponsor your next-door neighbors?" the sinister-looking male Cultivator sneered.

Before Li Yinsheng could answer, Meng Yu, standing beside him, turned cold. She took a step forward and scolded mercilessly, "Shameless!"

The sinister-looking male Cultivator's expression sharpened. He wanted to retort but held his tongue.

He dared to provoke Li Yinsheng because he was absolutely certain Li Yinsheng couldn't defeat any of them.

However, the female Cultivator from Jade Altar Temple standing before him, armed with an Upper Grade Magical Artifact, was clearly someone he couldn't afford to offend.

"This Fellow Daoist must be an expert from Jade Altar Temple, yes?" Yang took a step forward and cupped his hands toward Meng Yu. "This matter is a conflict between Yellow Crane Temple and Xuanzhen Temple. It has absolutely nothing to do with Jade Altar Temple.

"Jade Altar Temple has long enjoyed a great reputation. If word gets out that its disciples forcibly interfered in the private affairs of other Daoist Temples, I'm afraid it might tarnish Jade Altar Temple's good name, wouldn't it?"

His tone remained somewhat polite, but the threat in his words was entirely unconcealed.

While he didn't dare to openly fall out with the people from Jade Altar Temple, using the Temple's reputation as leverage would at least make them hesitate out of caution and refrain from attacking recklessly.

But Meng Yu didn't fall for it at all. She simply retorted coolly, "How could it possibly tarnish it?"

"So, Your Excellency is determined to meddle in this business?"

Yang's face darkened. With a backhand motion, he drew a Magic Sword from his Qiankun Bag. Its blade glowed with a crystalline blue light, radiating a piercing sharpness just from the sight of it.

The blades of grass around him were merely bathed in the glowing blue Sword Light, yet they instantly disintegrated into countless fragments the size of rice grains.

"Would Your Excellency like to test just how sharp my Magic Sword is?!"

Meng Yu gently raised a hand. The Cyan Jade Chessboard stood upright in the air, radiating a brilliant light that clashed evenly against the glowing blue Sword Light, not losing any ground.

Yang felt his scalp tingle with dread.

He cursed inwardly, "Damn it! I knew I shouldn't have spoken such harsh words!"

Not only did this female Cultivator possess an Upper Grade Magical Artifact, but her Cultivation wasn't weak either.

Truth be told, he believed his own Cultivation was still slightly superior, but given how young his opponent was, she definitely had an extraordinary background in Jade Altar Temple.

If they actually fought and he accidentally injured her, Jade Altar Temple would come knocking on Yellow Crane Temple's door for trouble, and Yellow Crane Temple might not be willing to protect him.

Seeing their leader make a move, the other four from Yellow Crane Temple drew their own Magical Artifacts one after another, staring at Li Yinsheng's group with hostile expressions.

The male Cultivator from Jade Altar Temple turned slightly pale. He whispered to the junior sister beside him, "Junior Sister, I see that their Cultivation isn't weak.

"The leader is relying on his longer years of practice; his Cultivation should be slightly stronger than Senior Sister's. The remaining four... should be about on par with us, but they have the advantage in numbers.

"Do you think it's worth it for Senior Sister to stick her neck out for a client like this?"

The female Cultivator addressed as Junior Sister glared at him, completely too lazy to lower her voice.

"Senior Brother, don't embarrass us! They're just a bunch of thieves stealing Spirit Charm. What do you think they'd dare do to us from Jade Altar Temple? If they want a fight, let's fight! It's the perfect chance to show them the power of Jade Altar Temple's Arrays!"

Standing before the group from Yellow Crane Temple, Yang's face grew even uglier.

She was right. Although they had the upper hand in numbers and Cultivation, they truly didn't dare to harm anyone from Jade Altar Temple.

Furthermore, he had never anticipated that there would come a day when he'd have to cross swords with people from Jade Altar Temple!

The sudden appearance of the usually reclusive Li Yinsheng during their routine maintenance of the Spirit Gathering Array was already beyond his expectations.

The fact that Li Yinsheng had shown up with people from Jade Altar Temple was beyond his imagination.

And the notion that the people from Jade Altar Temple were actually willing to fight them for Li Yinsheng and Xuanzhen Temple completely defied his comprehension!

The most agonizing part was that he couldn't even leave.

If he left and this Array was subsequently dismantled by Li Yinsheng and the Jade Altar Temple group, he would have no way to explain it to his Temple Master.

This Spirit Gathering Array wasn't some ordinary Array. Just the material cost for its construction was close to a hundred thousand talismanic coins! And that wasn't even counting the annual maintenance expenses!

But Yang wasn't the only one who hadn't expected the situation to escalate like this; Li Yinsheng hadn't either.

It turned out that Meng was completely a cold-faced but warm-hearted, fiercely just, and righteous person!

Just now, at a single provocation from the Yellow Crane Temple group, before he even had time to speak, Meng had fired right back.

Then, following a brief exchange of mere words, the situation had evolved into Jade Altar Temple and Yellow Crane Temple being at each other's throats!

He hadn't even had a chance to interject during the entire process.

But no matter what, he couldn't actually let the people from Jade Altar Temple fight his battles for him. He wasn't that thick-skinned.

Moreover, even if he were thick-skinned enough, having the three Fellow Daoists from Jade Altar Temple make a move would only waste more time.

"Meng, I appreciate your kindness." Li Yinsheng, standing beside Meng Yu, gently patted her shoulder. "Please, put your Magical Artifact away."

Meng Yu paused at the pat on her shoulder. She looked at Li Yinsheng, her eyes seemingly asking, "Are you sure?"

Li Yinsheng nodded. "This matter is indeed a conflict between Yellow Crane Temple and Xuanzhen Temple, and it should be handled by me personally. There is no need to trouble you, Meng, or your junior martial siblings."

Meng Yu hesitated for a moment before lowering the Cyan Jade Chessboard. However, she didn't stow it away; she merely let it hover by her side.

Li Yinsheng took a few steps forward, standing in front of the Yellow Crane Temple group.

Yang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, this guy from Xuanzhen Temple knew the bigger picture and understood when to yield. Otherwise, they really would have been painted into a corner today.

Since this person knew what was good for him, Yang didn't mind offering him a way out to defuse the tension first.

"Junior Li of Xuanzhen Temple," Yang began with a chuckle. "You see, there must be some sort of misunderstanding between us..."

Li Yinsheng interrupted him mercilessly. After the baffling turn of events just now, he had run out of patience. His voice immediately turned icy.

"The fact that you all stole the Spirit Charm of Xuanzhen Peak is backed by irrefutable evidence. There is no need for sophistry, nor is there any need to waste breath.

"If you do not wish to suffer unnecessary physical pain, please consciously hand over your Qiankun Bags, seal your Cultivation, bind your hands, and follow me back to Xuanzhen Temple.

"Of course, one of you may return to Yellow Crane Temple and tell your elders to bring compensation for the Spirit Charm stolen over these past years. They can come to my Xuanzhen Temple to apologize and redeem you."

Yang froze. He exchanged a glance with the four people behind him, all of them looking at each other in utter dismay.

This young junior from Xuanzhen Temple was clearly perfectly normal just a moment ago. How did he suddenly go completely insane?