The next few days passed relatively smoothly. Though they inevitably encountered several attacks by desert demon beasts along the way, as well as highwaymen attempting to rob them, the journey proved to be more alarming than dangerous, causing no significant delays.
Each night, when they halted their trek to rest in temples large or small, Shi Yu spent an hour or two during her spare time fulfilling her earlier promise to Su Guanying, refining pills to soothe Earth-element spiritual Qi.
Such pills were exceptionally practical and precious for a caravan that frequently traveled the ancient desert and relied heavily on Sand Camels. Su Guanying did not hold back with the payment, offering a massive quantity of spirit stones, rare spiritual plants, and materials in exchange, partly out of a desire to repay Shi Yu for saving her life earlier.
Adhering to the principle of taking only what was fair for her work, Shi Yu tried to decline, but Su Guanying was resolute. If Shi Yu refused the payment, she insisted she would rather go without the pills. With the rest of the caravan joining in to persuade her as well, Shi Yu had no choice but to accept, compensating by refining as many extra pills as she could.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Su Guanying informed Shi Yu's group, “Not far ahead lies Ming'an Temple, which ranks among the top three in size among the Temple of Eighteen Golden Statues. It is the closest temple to the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts. Young Master Shi, you and your companions can settle in there first to rest and regroup before deciding on your next move.”
Shi Yu agreed. That evening, she arrived before Ming'an Temple alongside the caravan.
Upon getting a clear view of the temple before her, she could not help but feel astonished.
Although it was called a temple, its size was no smaller than a market town.
In front of the temple's main gate stood a stone tablet over ten feet high, inscribed with several profound and esoteric Buddhist scriptures.
Looking past the stone tablets into the interior of the temple, Shi Yu saw countless shops and stalls displaying a dazzling array of goods. The air was filled with an endless clamor of vendors shouting to attract customers, unexpectedly lively and bustling with activity.
Ji Yu gasped twice, looking left and right as he exclaimed in wonder, “What a huge temple!”
Su Guanying chuckled and patted his head. “There are plenty of eateries and shops inside for people to rest and trade.”
Shifting her gaze upward, Shi Yu spotted a golden Buddha statue standing thirty feet tall in the central square several hundred meters away. It emitted a dim golden glow, protecting this pure land. She thought to herself, This must be the senior Buddhist cultivator who turned his body into a golden statue a thousand years ago.
As the group walked inside, she examined the surrounding structures. Noticing that the architectural styles and materials varied from the outer perimeter to the interior, she gradually understood that this "temple" had not been so large to begin with.
Originally, it had indeed been just a temple built around the golden Buddha statue to offer travelers a place to rest at night. Over the next thousand years, future generations had continuously expanded the temple within the area covered by the golden light, gradually forming its present state as the original temple transformed into a small town.
This was also thanks to the profound Buddhist cultivation of that senior master, as the reach of the golden light from his statue far surpassed that of the smaller temples the group had stayed in before.
They found an inn. Prices in the ancient desert were exceedingly high, and the food mostly relied on local ingredients—plump fried grubs, sand scorpions, and myriapods—which were lacking in both appearance and taste. Thus, everyone merely ate a quick meal before retiring to their respective rooms to rest.
Inside her room, Shi Yu discussed her upcoming plans with Qingzhou and the others.
There were ultimately two goals for this trip: first, to borrow the sinister Yin energy to convert her internal spiritual Qi, and second, to find the Jade-Blood Cold Gold required to craft the Flying Star Dragon-Wandering Talisman. Originally, the area around the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts was deserted, making both tasks straightforward. However, due to the sudden emergence of the immortal secret treasure, a large throng of cultivators had gathered here. With so many eyes around, complications could easily arise.
“According to what Miss Su and the others said earlier, the ghost Qi in the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts has surged, and empty spirits are active even during the day. Once we arrive, remember that we must not separate. The clay Buddha statues will keep us safe.”
“Additionally, stay away from places where cultivators gather as much as possible. Our goal this time is not that elusive immortal secret treasure. Something feels fishy about it, so do not let it distract you too much.”
Although Shi Yu was somewhat curious about the immortal secret treasure, she harbored a faint sense of discomfort and unease. Rather than ignoring this baseless intuition, it put her on high alert.
Hearing her words, the three of them agreed.
Darkness fell early in the ancient desert. In just the time it took to speak, the sky turned pitch-black. Swarms of empty spirits and ghost fires emerged, spreading a chorus of roaring and howling across the land.
Having spent several days in the ancient desert, the four of them had grown accustomed to the noise and continued discussing their plans for the next day.
Outside the window, a bright moon hung high in the sky. Though not yet full, it was rapidly approaching completeness.
...
After the night passed, Shi Yu and her companions bade farewell to Su Guanying early the next morning, preparing to head to the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts.
Knowing that their minds were made up, Su Guanying refrained from further persuasion, though she said reluctantly, “It was truly our caravan's good fortune to meet you and your companions, Young Master Shi. I hope we will have the chance to meet again in the future.”
With that, she handed a teal jade token engraved with the character "Su" to Shi Yu. “If you encounter members of the Su Clan in the future, presenting this jade token will grant you their assistance.”
Shi Yu knew in her heart that after this parting, she likely would not return to the Wangliang Ancient Desert anytime soon, and the chance of seeing the Su Clan again was virtually zero. Nevertheless, touched by Su Guanying's warmth and earnest gaze, she accepted the token.
Under the watchful eyes of the caravan, Shi Yu and her three companions waved goodbye and set off toward the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts.
Although movement techniques were restricted in the ancient desert, making it difficult to use escape lights or drive flying artifacts, the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts was only thirty miles from Ming'an Temple. Shi Yu and her group arrived without taking much time.
When they reached the outer perimeter of the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts, the sun was blazing overhead, yet fierce, terrifying empty spirits surged up from the sand from time to time.
“Miss Su was right. Empty spirits really do appear here during the day.”
Even though their forms sizzled and emitted plumes of black smoke under the scorching sun, these scattered empty spirits seemed oblivious, greedily pouncing forward the moment they sensed the aura of living beings.
It was easy to imagine what a carnival of empty spirits it would become once night fell.
Fortunately, suppressed by the sunlight, the daytime empty spirits were significantly weakened and easy to deal with. Shi Yu held up her clay Buddha statue and channeled spiritual Qi into it. The moment the pouncing empty spirits were bathed in the golden light, they vanished instantly.
Seeing how weak the empty spirits were, Shi Yu stowed the statue away and flicked out several embers of spiritual fire, which dispatched them just as effortlessly.
Qingzhou and Mo Tong condensed water swords. While taking down empty spirits with water was not as convenient or efficient as Shi Yu's intensely Yang flame, a few strikes were still enough to slay them.
Even Ji Yu, whose cultivation was far inferior to the other three, managed to stay completely unharmed thanks to his exceedingly slick movement techniques, occasionally slaying a few himself.
After fighting for a while, Shi Yu saw a continuous stream of empty spirits and ghost fires crawling out from under the sand dunes and said decisively, “These empty spirits are endless. Let us not waste spiritual power tangling with them—let us head further inside.”
“Alright.”
Fending off the pouncing empty spirits as they advanced closer to the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts, they saw an increasing number of cultivators coming and going. Moving further ahead, figures flickered everywhere, and the crowd grew dense.
Scanning her surroundings, Shi Yu noticed that the area near the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts was draped in thick Yin energy as chilly winds howled. Not far ahead, a broad expanse of water lay dark as ink, its surface littered with ghastly white bones and severed limbs—a spine-chilling sight.
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