In the evening, the three of them had already passed through the area of Mount Thousand Buddha, and were prepared to turn back the way they came, and make another trip into the territory of Mount Thousand Buddha.
They hoped that they could lure the ghost cultivator out while it was still dark.
However, the heavens did not grant them their wish, and the color of the sky suddenly changed.
Dark clouds pushed in from the distant sky, and a gale swept up the dust on the ground, causing it to fly up into the air. The wind shook the mountain forest.
The three of them reined in their horses on the official road, and looked around at the surrounding wilderness and the color of the sky.
Zhang Shucheng frowned, "Judging by the color of the sky, it's going to rain heavily. We're in the middle of nowhere, looks like we're going to have a little trouble."
Mo Shengtu waved his horsewhip and pointed ahead, "When we were coming over, I remember that there was a grassy path that forked off from the official road, leading into the mountains. There seemed to be traces of carriage tracks on the road. Under normal circumstances, why would carriages enter the mountains? I'm sure there must be a place to stay or rest. Why don't we go take a look? "
Zhang Shucheng looked at Miao Yi and smiled, "What do you think, Brother Miao?"
Miao Yi nodded, "That's fine too!"
The three of them came to a consensus, and immediately galloped forward.
When they reached a valley, they slowed down their speed and looked left and right. Sure enough, they found a small, unfrequented path on the right. Even though it was already buried by weeds, they could still easily make out the traces of carriage tracks.
Seeing that the sky was already dark and cloudy, the three of them no longer hesitated. They turned their horses around and sped up, running along the small path.
Not long after, the three of them saw a house and a courtyard in the foothills ahead. It seemed to be a temple …
When they neared the foot of the mountain, the three of them were already in a stone plaza that occupied an area of more than ten mu.
The plaza was tidy and tidy, and there were stone railings around it. Traces of collapsed houses could be faintly seen on both sides.
A huge old cauldron, covered in rust, stood in the middle of the plaza. It was the incense burner.
Even though weeds grew between the cracks of the flagstones beneath their feet, making it look desolate, it could be seen that incense was once flourishing here.
Suddenly being in such a flat plaza in the middle of this barren mountain made the three of them feel an inexplicable sense of insignificance. The temple built against the mountain in front also gave the three of them a sense of oppression.
The sky was filled with dark clouds. Suddenly, a thunderclap resounded. The mounts of the three men started neighing in fear, but the reins of the mounts were firmly held by the three men, preventing them from moving.
Muffled rumbles of thunder rolled over their heads, and a few bolts of lightning flashed above the temple in front of them. The sky was already very dark, and the lightning and thunder made the temple suddenly look abnormally dazzling.
On the old trees within the high walls of the temple, a flock of old crows were also startled by the sudden thunder. They flew up and circled in the air while cawing.
Everything proved that it was indeed a deserted temple that no one lived in.
Zhang Shucheng glanced at the two of them and said, "It's going to rain soon. Let's go to the temple to take shelter!"
There was a small stream separating the plaza and the temple built against the mountain, with three stone arched bridges connecting them side by side. Zhang Shucheng took the lead and ran over, with Miao Yi and Mo Shengtu, who was leading the packhorse, following closely behind. The crisp sound of the horse's hooves clattered against the stone slabs, and there was actually a faint echo reverberating.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Zhang Shucheng didn't dismount his horse. He immediately urged his horse to run up the stairs, and the two men behind him followed suit.
The ancient pagoda trees surrounding the temple were estimated to be thousands of years old. Under the illumination of the lightning from the dark clouds in the sky, they were like fierce Vajras staring at them.
The three men stood side by side, looking at the three words' Mystic Arts Temple 'above the temple's high doors. They were so mottled that they were almost illegible. As for the courtyard door, they didn't know where it had gone. Perhaps it had long since decayed after being exposed to the wind and sun.
The surrounding courtyard walls were also extremely old. Perhaps it was because the ancient pagoda trees had blocked the sunlight, but there were actually no vines or weeds on the courtyard walls.
Zhang Shucheng dismounted his horse and led it inside the temple. The two men behind him did the same.
As soon as they entered the temple, the three of them stopped again. There were also a few ancient pagoda trees inside the temple. They were so old that even if three people were to hold hands, they wouldn't be able to wrap their arms around one of them. The old branches were ferocious and angry, and there was a pond about a mu in size on each side. In the middle of each pond stood a stone Arhat statue. The head of the stone statue on the left had disappeared.
As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they could feel a gust of cold air assaulting their faces, making them feel a little apprehensive. The horses of the three men were also a little uneasy.
Looking at the dilapidated temple with its wide open doors in front of them, Mo Shengtu took a deep breath and said, "There's such heavy Yin energy here."
"Ancient pagoda trees and old mansions have always made it easy to accumulate Yin energy," Zhang Shucheng casually said.
Even though he said that, the three of them still secretly invoked their arts, using their transcendence vision to scan their surroundings.
Under normal circumstances, if there really were any Yin spirits or ghosts here, they wouldn't be able to see them with the naked eye of an ordinary person. However, to cultivators who possessed transcendence vision, it couldn't be hidden from them.
In reality, it was proven that they had worried too much. Their transcendence vision swept across the surroundings, and they didn't see any evil spirits.
'Bang!' The sudden clap of thunder in the sky exploded once again. Under the illumination of the lightning, it added a sense of eeriness and terror to the desolate temple.
At the same time, large droplets of rain began to fall, hitting the ground with a loud 'pa pa' sound. The ponds on the left and right sides splashed with circular ripples.
Zhang Shucheng smiled faintly and said, "There really isn't any place to go right now. Let's just make do with it!" He took the lead, leading his horse towards the grand hall.
Mo Shengtu and Miao Yi looked at each other, and had no choice but to follow. Three people? Stepping on the weeds in the cracks of the floor tiles, the dead leaves rustled.
After pulling the horse directly to the stone pillar under the corridor of the grand hall and tying it properly, Zhang Shucheng walked to the old pagoda tree in the courtyard. He dragged a large withered branch, probably snapped by the strong winds, into the temple.
Outside, it was already raining cats and dogs. The sky had completely darkened, and the fire inside the grand hall had also been lit.
With the help of the fire's light, it could be seen that there were traces of human activity on the ground, and not just one. Mo Shengtu smiled and said, "Looks like this really is a place for travelers to rest their feet."
Miao Yi stood still with his silver spear in hand. With the help of the fire's light, he looked at the lofty and majestic Buddha statue in the center of the temple.
The Buddha statue's golden body had almost completely fallen off, making it look even more ferocious instead of the great mercy and mercy of all living beings.
Mo Shengtu, who was surrounding the fire, suddenly nudged Zhang Shucheng slightly. The two of them looked at Miao Yi, then exchanged glances with each other, and secretly nodded their heads.
At this moment, the three of them seemed to have heard something, and turned their heads to look outside the door.
All of a sudden, a loud shout could be heard coming from outside the temple. "Quick, take shelter from the rain. Quick, take shelter from the rain …"
They could only see a person holding a large iron pot over his head to block the rain, and carrying a large pile of things on his back. He hurriedly rushed into the temple, and ran inside in one breath.
The person's body was filled with clanking sounds, as if there were pots, bowls, ladles, and the like. After entering, he only glanced at the three of them indifferently, then stared outside and shouted, "It's nothing, come in!"
The three of them followed his gaze, and saw a middle-aged scholar carrying a basket on his back also running inside. He was already drenched in the rain, and his long robe was completely drenched.
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