1874 Heading To The Temple

Throughout the exchange that was happening between the unknown voice and the top experts, Lin Mu didn't utter a word.

He had trust in the Saintess and knew that it was her doing this. The reactions of the experts had given Lin Mu enough clues to understand that they were being 'instructed' about certain things.

Lin Mu knew better than to speak now and knew that the effect would be better if he just kept silent and went along with the plan.

Internally though he couldn't help but find it a bit funny.

'All these immortals… even Transcendants and they still can't do anything against the Saintess.' Lin Mu thought to himself.

And sure enough, a few minutes later the Emperor of the Dao Wind Empire simply asked for him to be given his reward.

Lin Mu went along High Elder Juxue while accompanied by the Crown Prince.

'Interesting…' Lin Mu didn't know what Saintess had told the emperors but it seemed like no one was going to be questioning him for it. 'It makes things simple for me anyways.' He thought.

~shua~

A small opening appeared in the wind barrier for them to pass through and they quickly exited it. As for what were to happen inside, Lin Mu didn't have to care much about it.

Though he still contacted his companions using the communication Jade Slip.

"Are you guys fine?" Lin Mu questioned Lu Xu and the others.

"We're fine. We've already left the seating area when they were checking on the Third Prince." Lu Xu answered.

"Hmm, that's good." Lin Mu was relieved as he hadn't seen them when he was leaving after all. 

"How about you? What happened there?" Lu Xu asked.

"A lot happened, but you don't need to worry about it. It's handled." Lin Mu assured them.

"I see… oh and Luo Liqin has also gone to the betting Pavilion. I believe they'll be doing the final tally for the winnings soon." Lu Xu informed.

"That works." Lin Mu replied. "You all should return to the Crown Prince's mansion for now. I'll meet you there later after getting the reward from the Temple." He instructed.

"Very well. Good luck!" Lu Xu said before putting away the jade slip.

The trio left the tournament grounds and went towards a specific direction. Lin Mu saw that it wasn't where the Victor's Pavilion was located.

"Are we not going to the Victor's Pavilion?" Lin Mu questioned.

"Normally we would have, but you have bigger reward to take. As such, we'll be heading to the Temple of the Four Guardian beasts directly." High Elder Juxue answered.

"I see…" Lin Mu replied. 

He could notice the Crown Prince glancing at him from time to time, but never attempting to speak. No one knew what was going through the Crown Prince's mind right now.

Getting to the Temple was not easy and the path was a bit long as such the High Elder did something that Lin Mu hadn't expected.

"We'll fly from here." High Elder Juxue spoke. "With me you have the permission to do so." He said before pointing at Lin Mu.

~SHUA~

A crest formed from Qi appeared in front of his finger and touched Lin Mu's body. It disappeared after that, but Lin Mu could feel its effects instantly.

It was as a restraint was lifted off his body and he could fly again.

~WHOOSH~

"Keep up," High Elder Juxue said flying up.

"Yes," Lin Mu said before flying up too.

Crown Prince Feng Shun followed along too as he already had the permission to fly in the Capital City anyways. Since they were no longer restricted to walking on the ground, the three covered a large distance in just a few minutes.

Soon enough, Lin Mu could see the gigantic Temple in the distance.

It looked like it was made out of several materials such as Solid rock, Tempered Steel, Tough wood, and more. It had several sides to it and was composed of multiple buildings as well.

The most eye catching thing though were the statues of the Four Guardian beasts that stood on the top of the building.

They were all made from solid rock and were carved into a lifelike figure. 

Looking at them, Lin Mu could feel a certain pressure too.

'It's almost as if they are looking at me too.' Lin Mu thought as he checked out the formations of the temple.

They were all complex and had hundred of arrays layering on top of each other. Lin Mu could tell that these were several times more complex than the Spatial Planes arrays from earlier.

The security here was very high, and if one didn't have permission they would have been eliminated long before they even stepped an inch into the temple.

Not just that, but Lin Mu could also tell that the concentration of both Spirit Qi and Immortal Qi was high here.

'Even Dao Traces can be easily felt… at least for the four elements that the Guardians belong to.' Lin Mu observed it all.

While he was observing everything High Elder Juxue spoke.

"We're here," High Elder Juxue descended in front of the Central building.

This was the most regal looking building and also had the four statues on top of it.

There were several members of the temple walking around and carrying out their duties. Most of them tough were acting as guards and were rather powerful too.

Though Lin Mu could also see a few temple members simply sitting around cultivating in silence or pondering on the smaller status and murals that were present everywhere. 

Some were even lying down on the ground directly, as if they were sleeping. But if one looked closer they would realize that they were in a state of comprehension too.

~shua~

Lin Mu did a light assessment of everyone's cultivation base and found out that most of the Temple members were at the Third Tribulation Stage of the Immortal Realm at the minimum and Fifth Tribulation Stage of the Immortal realm at the highest.

'There should be stronger ones too, but they're probably hidden.' Lin Mu thought as High Elder Juxue was one of the stronger ones already.

The ones with a greater cultivation base should be in better positions of authority after all.

"Greetings High Elder," The two temple guards cupped their hands and bowed to the old man.

"I've brought in the Winner of the Tournament for the reward." High Elder Juxue stated.

"You may go in." The guards said before the large gate behind them opened automatically.

The gate was about ten meters tall and when it opened, it looked impressive. Lin Mu could sense the faint movement of runes on them as well as the Qi that was being channeled by the main array.

'Its all interconnected at a better level than I've ever seen.' Lin Mu was impressed. 'It wouldn't be bad to just stay here and observe the arrays for a while either.' He thought to himself.

It was a reward he could ask for, but he had other priorities. 

Not anyone would be allowed to stay in the Temple due to the rules. After all, it was a great land for cultivation and would allow one to progress at a very fast rate due to the high concentration of Qi here.

"Come," High Elder Juxue spoke. "Feel free to look around, the Temple has a long history and can allow one to gain a lot just by observing." It was as if the old man had understood Lin Mu's thoughts.

"I can see that. Just the arrays themselves are impeccable and could be studied for years on end I say." Lin Mu replied.

"That's not all." High Elder Juxue shook his head. "Do you see the murals all around the temple?" he asked.

"Of course. They are hard to miss with how many there are." Lin Mu replied.

"The murals are not simple either. There are certain murals that contain hidden techniques and skills within them. Some even help one improve the understanding of Dao and can bring one to the state of enlightenment.

"Hmmm, the benefits of being in the Temple are certainly impressive." Lin Mu spoke, showing a bit of interest.

"If you wish, you can have them too." The Old man tempted. "And it'll be on top of your reward. The Temple of the Four Guardians won't mind adding someone as talented as you to our ranks." He offered.

"I'll have to think about it." Lin Mu didn't answer right away.

"Very well, you do have quite a lot of time." High Elder Juxue said before looking at the Crown Prince. "And if you have any questions, you can always ask the Crown Prince. He has spent some time cultivating here too." He added.

"I'll do my best to guide you." Crown Prince Feng Shun replied right away.

"You two can wait here." The High Elder said coming to a stop in front of a long corridor.