902. Inside a Temple (II)

After flying for a while and many more twists and turns, the trio arrived before a small, non-descript cloud. It floated about lazily, slowly bouncing between the neighboring clouds like a lazy cat.

“We’re here,” Zhang Qing said.

The cloud in question was the size of a fishing boat. If there was nobody to guide him, Chen Wentian would have never found it amidst the endless clouds.

“That? How do you enter the temple?” Chen Wentian asked.

“There is an invisible spatial portal in the middle. The cloud is also solid so we can land there.”

Zhang Qing led the way and the three men landed on the small cloud. The surface was both soft and hard at the same time, as if someone had dumped piles of cotton and wool on the ground.

“How do you hide this place from others?” Chen Wentian asked.

Zhang Qing shrugged, “There is no reliable way. If anybody followed us here, I can’t do anything about it. There is no way to block off the entrance. And unless there is a restriction on cultivation, anybody can enter. As for protecting the temples, the larger and more precious temples are closely guarded by immortals from the major powers. Some have even built entire fortresses atop the clouds. But people won’t bother with such precautions for a small temple like this. You’ll see why once we enter.”

“Well… lead the way.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Zhang Qing went in first. He stepped toward the center of the cloud and disappeared in the blink of an eye. There was a slight fluctuation of spatial energy and he was gone. Yu Yanwu followed, leaving Chen Wentian as the last person. He looked around to make sure that nobody had followed them and then stepped into the void.

Chen Wentian reappeared a moment later in a completely different environment. He experienced no discomfort or disorientation. He looked around and instead of a sea of clouds, he found himself in a pristine forest. The tree trunks were thick and ancient. Their leaves were plentiful and a vibrant green. He took a deep breath, noticing the fresh smell as well as the richness of earth and nature.

More importantly, there was so much spiritual energy all around him. It was abundant and clean, unadulterated by any impurities. It was as if he had entered a specially prepared cultivation chamber. In the outside world, one could only recreate such an environment through complex inscription arrays and a fortune in spiritual crystals.

He looked up. There was light but there was no sun. The sky was a dull white like it was perpetually covered by a layer of clouds. But unlike a cloudy day, it was quite bright and warm.

Chen Wentian looked back at Zhang Qing who had been waiting for his reaction.

“My lord, welcome to my temple. You should feel its unique aura.”

“Mmm.” Chen Wentian nodded.

“Every temple’s aura is slightly different and it will leak into the outside world in minuscule amounts. Now that you have come in here, you should be able to sense it from the outside, as long as you get to within a hundred meters or so.”

“I see,” Chen Wentian pointed to the sky, “Is there a sun?”

Zhang Qing shook his head, “No sun, the light comes from the clouds. There is also a day and night cycle that matches the outside world. All temples are like this but nobody understands why. Everyone, if you will follow me.”

Zhang Qing led the way through an overgrown path in the forest. Chen Wentian glanced back as they left, noting the location of the exit portal. There was nothing visible but he could sense it faintly.

The three immortals walked a short way and came to a clearing. The ground had been tilled and plants were growing in neat rows. At a glance, none of the plants were ordinary. All of them were expensive spiritual herbs.

“So… this is your farm?” Chen Wentian asked.

Zhang Qing smiled with a bit of embarrassment, “This temple of the clouds is not very large. There is nothing here besides trees and meadows. There aren’t any beasts or any dangers for that matter.”

Seeing Chen Wentian’s expression, Zhang Qing quickly added, “Not all temples are like this. I just happened to get unlucky.”

Yu Yanwu laughed, “And here I thought you had gotten your hands on a treasure. It’s just an herb farm! Haha! You unlucky bastard!”

Zhang Qing glared at the older immortal, “Old fart, what do you know? You can’t even recognize gold when it smacks you in the face!”

Chen Wentian ignored their brewing argument. Those two didn’t get along in the past, they weren’t about to suddenly change their ways. He spread his spiritual sense through the clearing and the ground beneath. He liked what he found.

This place was indeed a perfect place for growing plants and herbs. He was reminded of Ten Thousand Flower Valley’s original sect industry which was also farming. He could use this place, even if it was a little boring.

“Zhang Qing, why don’t you use it for your own cultivation?” He asked, “The spiritual energy around us is quite good.”

Zhang Qing stopped arguing with Yu Yanwu and replied, “My lord, I did try that when I first found this place. However, as a Spirit Lord, I consumed the available spiritual energy too quickly. I could feel a change in the temple’s environment after only a few days. It was not sustainable. However, farming herbs do not seem to affect it at all so I decided on that instead.”

Chen Wentian nodded and strolled around the farm. After completing one lap, he noticed something wrong. His steps were heavy. His body felt sluggish. It was as if he had suddenly become much weaker after entering this temple.

“This spiritual suppression… it is far greater than the outside,” He said.

“Yes, that is the case,” Zhang Qing replied, “Although this place is small, it is capable of suppressing Spirit Lords. My lord, why don’t you try to fly.”

Chen Wentian nodded and gathered his spiritual energy. He jumped into the air but only made it about one meter before falling back down. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. This was something he had not experienced in many years. It was as if he had become a mortal once more.

“Let me try.” Yu Yanwu also tried to fly but failed. He even fell down in the process.

Zhang Qing laughed, “Be careful, old fart. Don’t break a bone.”

“Curse your granny!” Yu Yanwu retorted as he patted his butt.

Chen Wentian smiled lightly as he looked around, “Interesting. Very interesting. I wonder…”

Spiritual energy surged around him. Instead of his sharp sword aura, it was replaced by something far more powerful.

“What?”

“What!”

Both Zhang Qing and Yu Yanwu felt the change. They were so shocked that they could not come up with words.

Chen Wentian jumped once again. This time, supported by the might of his Spirit King Realm cultivation, he stayed afloat with ease.

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