"Temple?" Lin Tian stood in the rain, observing the temple houses in front of him. The light he had seen earlier came from the candles within this very temple. "Why don't I recall the map indicating a temple in this mountain forest..." Lin Tian pondered. "Forget it, let's seek shelter from the rain."

At this moment, Lin Tian was still deep within the Canglong Mountain forest. He estimated that the scenic mountain road was still quite a distance away. To be precise, this place was nearly deserted.

However, the reality before him left Lin Tian no choice but to accept it. Bang bang bang~! With this thought in mind, Lin Tian knocked on the wooden door of the temple courtyard.

Before long, the fire flickered, and Lin Tian spotted a figure emerging from the house. "Hello, I'm here on an adventure and got separated from my team. Could I seek shelter from the rain here?" Lin Tian called out to the figure.

"Of course, donor, please come in!" Just as Lin Tian spoke, a hoarse voice carried through the rain, reaching his ears.

Shortly after, the courtyard door swung open, revealing a man who seemed to be around fifty years old, wearing a tattered cassock and holding an umbrella. "Donor, the mountains can be quite cold. Hurry inside to escape the rain," the man said, wiping his wet hair.

"Thank you!" Lin Tian expressed his gratitude and stepped in, feeling a bit surprised by the sight of the man's wet hair and umbrella. "Holding an umbrella? Hair still wet?"

"Um?" Lin Tian, who had just entered the yard, couldn't help but make a sound of surprise. In his line of sight, numerous water tanks were neatly arranged in the yard. The raindrops made a crisp and crackling sound as they hit the walls of the water tanks.

Puff~! The dragon on his wrist tilted its head, releasing a string of bubbles. The bubbles burst and vanished into the rain.

"Master, are you the only one here in this temple?"

Lin Tian looked around and noticed that, apart from one room illuminated by candlelight, the other two adjacent rooms remained in darkness. The candlelit room faced the courtyard gate and served as the main hall of the temple. Peering from the entrance, Lin Tian could vaguely discern the silhouette of a Buddha statue and the drifting incense.

"Yes, I live here alone," the cassock-clad man responded, meeting Lin Tian's gaze. "However, I am not the master; I can only be considered a temple visitor. This temple is secluded, and few visitors come by. The master passed away a long time ago."

Acknowledging this information with a nod, Lin Tian cast a quick glance over the man's attire and then followed him closely into the main hall—the only room with candlelight.

"Donor, please have a seat. I'll fetch you some hot water. The mountains can be quite cold, especially on rainy days like today," the man said, pointing to a worn futon nearby. He brushed off the water stains on his cassock and continued, "The cold is harsher outside."

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Expressing gratitude, Lin Tian thanked the man and fixed his gaze on the Buddha statue at the center of the room, illuminated by the nearby candlelight.

While Lin Tian remained captivated by the statue, the man in cassock sat beside him, subtly observing Lin Tian's wrist, where a glimpse of Long Yi's features was exposed. The man's gaze then shifted to the mountaineering bag that Lin Tian had placed aside.

"It's getting dark, and the path is slippery due to heavy rain. I believe it would be prudent for the donor to spend the night here. When the rain subsides tomorrow morning, you can proceed safely," the man suggested, tightening his cassock as the rain continued to patter against the roof tiles.

Lin Tian, holding a bowl of warm water in his hands, appreciated the man's concern. He was protected from the cold by a spiritual power film, feeling a comforting warmth throughout his body. If he hadn't been imitating Long Yi, allowing raindrops to fall and hasten the recovery of his spiritual power, he wouldn't have even dampened his clothes.

However, after his long journey through the mountains, Lin Tian was undoubtedly fatigued. Fortunately, Long Yi's spiritual power recovered rapidly in the rain, sparing Lin Tian from excessive fatigue. Just earlier, to appear more ordinary, Lin Tian had deliberately used mud and water to mask his true state.

Otherwise, if a person suddenly appears in the deep mountains and old forests where it is raining heavily, and their body is clean, it would startle people to no end...

...

"By the way, Uncle Long, what are the water tanks in the yard used for?" After several conversations, the rain gradually subsided, and Lin Tian became somewhat familiar with the temple keeper.

This man's surname was Long. He arrived here by chance more than ten years ago and has never left since.

"In these water tanks, I ferment wild vegetables and pickle them. As you know, I live here alone and have nothing much to do. When I have some spare time, I pickle a few jars. I can also go to the village at the foot of the mountain to sell them and earn a little money."

"Not long ago, a boss specially sent me these water tanks. He wanted me to help him pickle pickles and gave me some fees. That's why I have so many water tanks in the yard," Uncle Long explained.

"I see!" Hearing Uncle Long's words, Lin Tian nodded.

However, Lin Tian felt more cautious in his heart.

The water tanks that were just delivered not long ago?

Judging from Lin Tian’s previous observations when he entered the temple, the water tanks seemed to have not been moved for several years. They were so low that they were almost integrated with the ground.

"Who is this person? Why is he lying?" Lin Tian was suspicious, and at the same time, he sent a subtle thread of spiritual power from the sea of consciousness to inspect the main hall of the temple.

However, just when Lin Tian used his mind to control the spiritual power thread and began to investigate, a gust of dark wind suddenly swirled around him.

Huhhuh!

After the gloomy wind passed, the previously steady and flickering candlelight suddenly fluttered violently.

The emergence of such a situation caused the two figures originally reflected by the candlelight to begin distorting.

At this moment, Lin Tian suddenly discovered that Uncle Long's form was changing strangely.

Faintly, Lin Tian spotted a tail-like shadow on Uncle Long's figure.

"Huh? What is this...?"

While he was amazed at Uncle Long's changing form, Lin Tian noticed a spiked rattan behind the Buddha statue while in a state of spiritual observation!

That's right, it was a spiked rattan, with a style and aura exactly the same as those thrown by the giant ants in the black cloud!

At the same time, the Buddha statue, originally as motionless as a bell, began to twist. Streams of black liquid gradually infected the body of the Buddha statue. This black liquid was exactly the same black substance that Lin Tian had discovered before, devouring the fruits of the sand fruit tree.

"Who are you!" Seeing this, Lin Tian suddenly jumped up, and his entire body was instantly enveloped in a layer of spiritual power.

Just as Lin Tian reacted, a sinister smile crept across Uncle Long's face.