Are You Afraid of Getting Hungry

Outside Yunmeng Marsh.

Chen Baiqing did not choose to enter the village. After all, the group could not speak the local dialect clearly, and their appearance did not look like people from Beiju Luzhou.

Although illusions could solve these problems, it would seem a bit too ostentatious. If someone were to detect the fluctuations of their spiritual power, it would more or less be like delivering themselves right to the enemy's doorstep.

Inside a somewhat dilapidated Mountain God Temple near the mountains of Anze Village.

As Cui Hao reached out to warm his hands by the fire, he was also earnestly reading the Encyclopedia of Cultivation that Chen Baiqing had given him.

Wang Chuan and Li Zhuhua had also returned to the team. In a corner, they were drawing a map, making marks, and noting down key points.

Chen Baiqing stood before the idol, carefully examining the statue whose face resembled a fierce tiger.

The people of Beiju Luzhou were devout in their reverence for gods. Although the Mountain God Temple was old, it was not ruined; at the very least, there were no holes in the roof, and it did not let in drafts.

The idol looked well-maintained. The incense burner in front of it held a few half-burnt incense sticks, suggesting that someone had recently come to offer incense.

Lu Lingyi walked in from outside:

"Leader, the formation has been set up. Mortals without cultivation will instinctively avoid this place. However, since prioritizing the concealment of the formation's fluctuations was the main goal, its grade isn't high. It will be ineffective against humans or beasts possessing cultivation."

Chen Baiqing withdrew his gaze. After hearing the report, he replied:

"That's enough. As long as mortals don't come to disturb this place, it will be fine."

Li Zhuhua's eyes swept over the map he had drawn. A red dot represented a temple of considerable scale. However, at this moment, the red dots on the map before him were so numerous that someone with trypophobia wouldn't be able to bear looking at it.

He then spoke softly:

"There are numerous temples near Yunmeng Marsh, and the incense offerings are incredibly flourishing. I really wonder what the intelligence meant by 'gods granting authority to humans' in Yunmeng Marsh."

"It's no wonder that the Buddhist sects had to stop their expansion when they reached Beiju Luzhou; they couldn't even build a single Buddhist temple."

Hearing this, Cui Hao looked up. Thinking of something, he chuckled:

"Then wouldn't those who detest the Buddhist sects feel like they've reached paradise if they came here?"

Wang Lin held a brush in his hand. Hearing Cui Hao's words, he shook his head gently and said:

"Having moderation in worshiping the gods is seeking peace where the heart is unsettled. But if the worship is excessive, it becomes a silent graveyard that kills without a sound."

"Whenever anything goes past its limit, it becomes a disaster. I've heard that certain small villages even sacrifice virgin boys and girls to the Mountain God in exchange for a bountiful harvest the following year."

Hearing this, Lu Lingyi sighed softly:

"How ignorant..."

Li Zhuhua looked up at Lu Lingyi, his tone turning chillingly cold:

"What if it isn't ignorance, but a transaction?"

Chen Baiqing turned his gaze to Li Zhuhua upon hearing this. Catching the underlying meaning in his words, he asked:

"You have news?"

"I do." Li Zhuhua put down the brush in his hand and continued, "Leader, you can see the clues just by looking at the idol here today."

"The idols near Yunmeng Marsh are actually modeled after wild beasts that have cultivated into demons."

"Leaving aside other parts of Beiju Luzhou for now, just concerning Yunmeng Marsh alone, it's a well-known fact among all factions that demons run rampant here. There are even several great demons at the Soul Formation stage, and rumors speak of a colossal demon at the Body Integration stage."

"Furthermore, they act tyrannically without restraint, and conflicts break out frequently."

"This information is known to all sects, yet no one intervenes. Aside from the fact that this place is under the direct jurisdiction of the Yunmeng Pavilion, the biggest reason is that the demons here, in name at least, do not injure, kill, or harm humans."

Chen Baiqing uttered four words in response:

"The Divine Path of Incense."

Li Zhuhua looked at Chen Baiqing with a hint of surprise, then nodded slightly:

"Yes. The Yunmeng Pavilion's actions essentially shelter this group of great demons. But similarly, this leads to the region's somewhat barren spiritual energy and a lack of cultivation resources."

"After all, the Yunmeng Pavilion wouldn't let foreign cultivators swagger into Yunmeng Marsh with resources to do business."

"And once outside Yunmeng Marsh, the cultivators of the outside world wouldn't acknowledge the demons of Yunmeng Marsh."

"The Divine Path of Incense is a heterodox path taken by demons who have awakened their intelligence but greedily seek a rapid advancement in their cultivation."

"The demons are responsible for favorable weather and abundant harvests, while humans are responsible for contributing incense."

Chen Baiqing sighed softly upon hearing this, and Cui Hao's expression also dimmed slightly.

Wang Chuan, however, looked at Li Zhuhua with a somewhat puzzled expression.

Seeing this, Li Zhuhua continued with a rather helpless look:

"How could demons tainted by the Divine Path of Incense have any real abilities? How could they guarantee favorable weather or ensure safety?"

"All those vile beasts can do is cause disasters. If you don't offer incense, even with favorable weather, they will conjure monstrous floods; even with abundant food and clothing, they will bring about sickness and calamity."

"Offering incense is not a choice, but a necessity."

"And it's not enough for just one household to burn incense; every household must do it."

"Among them, the great demons can even secretly manipulate the sacrifices. The virgin boys and girls I mentioned earlier are a prime example."

Wang Chuan frowned:

"The Yunmeng Pavilion should be aware of all this. Why... don't they care?"

Lu Lingyi spoke calmly:

"Over time, it has become the rule. I'm afraid the Yunmeng Pavilion also thinks that less trouble is better than more trouble. Furthermore, who knows the real reason why the Yunmeng Pavilion places such importance on Yunmeng Marsh."

Chen Baiqing slightly raised his hand, shifting the topic back to their mission:

"Since the evil cultivators can come and go freely within Yunmeng Marsh, they must have some of these connections serving as a shield. The evil cultivators provide extra blood food or cultivation resources in exchange for the protection of the great demons, allowing them to evade pursuit or investigation."

Cui Hao frowned and said in a serious tone:

"If that's the case, if we continue to investigate directly like this, I'm afraid we won't just be investigating the evil cultivators, but challenging the unspoken rules accepted by the entire Yunmeng Marsh."

Chen Baiqing turned his head to look at the idol in the temple again and said:

"We haven't entered Yunmeng Marsh yet, so there is still room for maneuver. With our cultivation and status, we cannot change the current situation here anyway."

"As for our mission, challenging the entirety of Yunmeng Marsh isn't our only option. We could support a demon to infiltrate their ranks, gather intelligence, and locate the evil cultivators."

"We just need to seize the opportunity to strike with a single, decisive blow."

Hearing this, Li Zhuhua nodded in agreement:

"What the leader said is what we can do at present. For our next step, we can first capture a demon. If time permits, it would be even safer to transfer one from our sect."

"That's inappropriate. The ones in our sect haven't cultivated the Divine Path of Incense," Lu Lingyi interjected. "I'm afraid we have to capture a local demon who cultivates incense, knows the rules, and understands the local jargon."

Cui Hao looked out the temple doors. Seeing only the long, dark night without a sliver of moonlight, he sighed softly:

"That won't be easy to come across, will it?"

A smile hung on the corners of Chen Baiqing's lips. "Wild temples are everywhere. Why would it be hard to come across one?"

Lu Lingyi and the other two seemed to sense something, and their gazes also turned toward the outside of the temple.

Seeing this, Cui Hao put the book back into his spatial ring, quickly walked to his senior sister's side, and asked in a low voice:

"Who's here?"

Chen Baiqing's tone was calm:

"It should be the true master of this temple."

Just as the words fell.

A gust of demonic wind blew in with a tremor, violently forcing the temple doors open.

Chen Baiqing slightly raised his hand, and the Azure Sky Treasure Ring worn on his wrist suddenly flared with light.

The next moment, a fierce-looking tiger walking upright stepped inside, its gaze quickly sweeping over the people in the temple.

With a ferocious tiger face, it bared its fangs in a grin. As its eyes swept across the five people in the temple, its deep, thick voice echoed:

"Five little brats, why are you still staying in your grandpa's temple this late at night?"

"Are you afraid that your grandpa..."

"...is hungry?"