The next day.
Kaisar Temple.
Ye Qiu stood before the temple, looking up to see an ancient, majestic structure come into view.
The temple was grand and imposing.
Solemn and dignified.
Like a colossal palace.
On either side of the temple’s gate stood seventy-two massive stone pillars, with two giant cobras carved above the entrance.
Ye Qiu stepped forward, reaching the temple’s doorway, ready to smash the gate open with a punch, when suddenly, the gate swung open.
A monk emerged from within.
The monk, in his early twenties, wore a red robe and a large silver ring in his right ear.
Seeing Ye Qiu, the monk paused, then muttered a few incomprehensible words.
Ye Qiu understood nothing and asked directly in Chinese, “Where is Kasyapa Dragon Tree?”
The monk looked at Ye Qiu in surprise and said, “May I ask why you seek the Venerable?”
He spoke fluent Chinese.
“Where is Kasyapa Dragon Tree?” Ye Qiu repeated.
“You wish to see the Venerable?” the monk countered.
Ye Qiu said, “I came here to find Kasyapa Dragon Tree. If you know where he is, take me to him.”
“Where is the holy maiden, sir?” the monk asked.
Ye Qiu frowned, “Holy maiden? What holy maiden?”
The monk said, “Since you’re here to see the Venerable, don’t you know his rules?”
“No matter who it is, to meet the Venerable, one must offer a young holy maiden.”
“Otherwise, you cannot see him.”
Ye Qiu suddenly recalled an ancient Indian tradition: girls from poor families, upon reaching puberty, were forced to sell themselves to temples to serve the elders.
This was the origin of the holy maidens.
They were also called temple prostitutes.
These holy maidens were pitiable, forbidden to marry or have emotions, serving the temple elders their entire lives until they grew old and faded, dying alone.
In essence, they were slaves.
Ye Qiu hadn’t expected such a rule to meet Kasyapa Dragon Tree.
“Since you haven’t brought a holy maiden, please leave!” the monk said, turning to go.
“Wait.”
Ye Qiu pointed at the temple and asked, “Is Kasyapa Dragon Tree inside?”
He asked to ensure he wasn’t wasting his trip.
As long as Kasyapa Dragon Tree was confirmed to be inside, he wouldn’t need to be so polite.
“I told you, to see the Venerable, you must offer a young holy maiden. Otherwise, you won’t see him. Leave!” the monk said impatiently, waving his hand.
Ye Qiu said, “I have urgent business with Kasyapa Dragon Tree. If I miss this, you won’t bear the consequences. I’ll ask one last time: is Kasyapa Dragon Tree inside?”
The monk replied, “The Venerable is naturally in the temple. What exactly do you want with him?”
“To kill him,” Ye Qiu’s tone turned cold, and he pointed a finger.
Swish!
A sword qi pierced the monk’s forehead, and with a “thud,” the young monk collapsed, eyes wide open, dead but unseeing.
Ye Qiu ignored the body and strode through the gate.
Inside, a vast plaza appeared before him, where a group of monks were sweeping the ground.
Ye Qiu’s arrival caught the attention of the sweeping monks.
A middle-aged monk approached, his face stern, jabbering incessantly.
Ye Qiu couldn’t understand the Indian language, but from the monk’s expression and tone, he guessed he was being told to get out.
“Boom!”
Without a word, Ye Qiu obliterated the monk with a single punch.
The other monks were stunned by Ye Qiu’s actions, frozen in place, unable to process what had happened.
Clearly, they hadn’t expected anyone to dare kill in the temple.
Seizing the moment, Ye Qiu charged forward, throwing lightning-fast punches that obliterated several monks.
He then strode deeper into the temple.
Along the way, Ye Qiu encountered dozens more monks, all of whom he killed without exception.
He pressed on toward the temple’s depths.
Suddenly, a middle-aged monk with a kindly face blocked his path.
The monk, about forty-five, had a round face and broad ears, clad in a red robe, holding a vajra pestle.
Ye Qiu noticed the monk’s robe was sewn with gold thread, exuding authority.
He realised this monk likely held a high position in the temple.
“Where is Kasyapa Dragon Tree?” Ye Qiu asked, making no effort to conceal his killing intent.
The middle-aged monk said, “Sir, you have fallen into the demonic path. If you don’t turn back, you’ll regret…”
Clang!
Before the monk could finish, Ye Qiu unleashed a sword qi from his fingertip, slashing forward.
The monk reacted quickly, using his vajra pestle to block the sword qi.
“Clang!”
A loud crash.
The vajra pestle shattered instantly.
The monk was forced back a dozen steps before stabilising, a trickle of blood spilling from his mouth, his expression turning grave.
Buzz!
The monk spread his arms, and nine streams of true qi manifested behind him, his aura surging.
Then, clenching his fists, a faint golden light erupted from them.
The monk’s kindly demeanour vanished, replaced by a face full of killing intent.
“No matter who you are, daring to cause trouble in the temple, your death won’t be enough.”
“I advise you to take your own life in atonement.”
“Otherwise…”
Ye Qiu interrupted, “Otherwise, what?”
“Otherwise, I’ll send you to hell.”
With that, the monk moved like lightning, his fist aimed at Ye Qiu’s heart.
As his fist shot out, it roared with the sound of wind and thunder, immensely powerful.
After all, this monk, with nine streams of true qi, would rank among the top three on the divine leaderboard.
But Ye Qiu was fearless.
He had defeated a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator; how could he fear a master with nine streams of true qi?
Ye Qiu stood still, waiting until the monk’s fist was half a metre away before acting.
He spread the fingers of his right hand, swiftly grabbing the monk’s fist and crushing it.
“Crack!”
The monk’s fist exploded into a mist of blood.
“Ah…”
The monk screamed.
At that moment, Ye Qiu’s left hand formed a palm blade, like an unmatched divine weapon, radiating sharp energy, and swiftly cleaved into the monk’s body.
Pfft!
The monk’s body was sliced in half at the waist.
In an instant, blood sprayed, splattering the ground in a gruesome scene.
Ye Qiu felt no pity.
If not for these people, how could the warriors of the Underworld Palace have died?
Those warriors were the nation’s sharp blades, with countless merits, always at the forefront of defending the country, only to be brutally slaughtered.
Thinking of their tragic deaths, Ye Qiu’s heart burned with killing intent.
Thud!
Ye Qiu stepped over the monk’s corpse and continued forward.
