Cultivators Are So Weak in This World

Chapter 606: 566 Void 2

In the northern part of Wushan, nestled within a vast mountain range stretching for thousands of miles, lies a long-abandoned special temple.

The temple is square-shaped, surrounded by many white columns, with small snakes coiled around them.

The outer walls are adorned with murals of priests with snake heads and human bodies, using magic staffs to bless the believers.

Inside the dilapidated main hall of the temple.

A tall man with a black robe and black hair casually draped over his shoulders is meticulously examining the temple’s murals.

The man’s face is plain, neither handsome nor unattractive, but his skin has an indescribable pallor and delicacy.

It’s a kind of pallor that even a woman kept indoors for years, never seeing sunlight, could not achieve.

Just as the man was carefully inspecting the murals, a few people suddenly approached quickly from the forest outside the temple.

"Quick, quick! It’s going to rain. There’s a deserted temple here. I came here before to take shelter!"

A man with a thick Mountain Province accent shouted loudly.

"This godforsaken place is truly terrible! We’ve run so far without a village or a shop in sight, not even a place to rest." Another man complained irritably.

"Alright, alright, none of us sisters complained, so why are you grumbling?" Another woman’s voice sounded, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

"Aren’t we just worried about being late and missing something? The academy is about to enroll for this year. If we’re late, we’ll be scolded and punished by the teacher." A male voice said.

Soon, a group of six people, three men and three women, ran into the temple quickly. As soon as they entered, the leading burly man immediately saw the man in the black robe inside.

He promptly clasped his fists in greeting.

"Brother, we’re taking shelter from the rain on the way. Sorry to disturb you."

"Please, go ahead. This is not my exclusive place," the man in the black robe replied, his voice calm and carrying a deep tranquility.

He turned around and glanced at the newcomers.

As he turned, the six people who had come in saw his face too.

"Eh?" Among them, one woman suddenly exclaimed, and her eyes carefully observed the man in the black robe, as if trying to recognize something.

"Are you... Brother Zhang!?" The woman suddenly cried out, recalling past times.

The man in the black robe heard her voice and carefully looked at the woman.

The woman was dressed in a white outfit, with a brown mink fur collar wrapped around her neck, her black hair tied up in a high ponytail commonly seen among women who roam the martial world. She carried a thick-back broadsword with a matte gray-black scabbard on her back.

Her attire, her scabbard, the purse she wore on her waist, and the finely decorated gold thread on her snakeskin belt all signaled her considerable wealth.

But what seemed most familiar to the man was her face...

"You are... six hundred..." The man’s voice suddenly stopped, his eyes slightly dazed as he recognized her identity.

"It’s really you!!? Brother Zhang!?" The woman was the same one who used to be the super fatty in Tan Yang City!

Wanyan Lu!

The man in the black robe was Zhang Rongfang, who had been collecting information about gods and deities everywhere these past months.

After not seeing each other for years, they both inspected each other, sighing in their hearts.

Wanyan Lu had completely slimmed down, and the once six-hundred-pound young woman who needed several strong aids to walk had now fulfilled her wish.

Now, her skin had a light wheat hue, her eyebrows exuding heroic spirit, her whole body agile and well-proportioned, with long legs, a slim waist, and a chest rivaling that of a Celestial Maiden, exceedingly upright. She had perfectly transformed into a healthy, sunny beauty.

Zhang Rongfang also couldn’t help but praise her in his heart.

In terms of looks, Wanyan Lu was just slightly below a Celestial Maiden, not to mention her stark contrast to the massive, overweight image she used to have.

Wanyan Lu, also having not seen Zhang Rongfang for many years, recalled the days when he was known as Zhang Ying, assuming a fake identity in Tan Yang City.

Now, meeting an old acquaintance truly brewed an inexplicable feeling within her heart.

She immediately stepped forward and walked hurriedly to Zhang Rongfang. They were of similar height, and she opened her mouth but suddenly found she didn’t know what to say.

The other companions present also revealed curious expressions.

Among them, Wanyan Lu was considered a high-cold beauty pursued by many in the academy.

Yet, they hadn’t expected her to meet someone in such a forlorn temple deep in the wild that made her lose her composure.

"Sister Wanyan, won’t you introduce us?" The leading young man among the six, dressed as a scholar with a short sword hanging at his waist, walked over with elegance.

He was Zhang Shuoyang, like Wanyan Lu, a member of Chongyang Academy. The two were also from the same town. Towards Wanyan Lu, he had always harbored a vague interest, but due to pride and limited interaction, he hadn’t truly pursued her.

"Hmm..." At this time, Wanyan Lu also recalled Zhang Ying’s identity, her pretty face slightly changing color. "This is an old close friend I befriended back in Tan Yang, Brother Zhang Ying."

She subtly changed one character’s pronunciation, then looked apologetically at Zhang Rongfang.

The latter smiled indifferently.

"Brother Zhang is alone here, surely busy with something. We won’t disturb you." Wanyan Lu quickly finished speaking, pulling her curious companions to a corner to talk softly.

Although she hadn’t met Zhang Rongfang afterward, she had gradually heard about the major changes involving Zhang Ying’s identity.

She was afraid that her friends, companions, and classmates would inadvertently anger Zhang Rongfang, bringing trouble upon themselves.

Though she always had a unique feeling towards Zhang Ying, many years had passed... People change...

Especially after hearing about Zhang Ying’s increasingly violent and fierce reputation...

The five were pulled away by Wanyan Road, and Zhang Rongfang didn’t mind.

Seeing an acquaintance also dispelled a bit of the loneliness in his heart during this time.

It was rather tedious to keep searching alone in the mountains for the temple of the White Scale.

’Is she your former sweetheart?’ White Scale couldn’t help but ask in his mind.

’She’s just a little girl, what are you talking about?’ Zhang Rongfang was speechless. ’Back then... I was just a low-ranking official. She was just a 600-pound young girl....’

’Six hundred pounds??’ White Scale instantly compared it to Wanyan Road’s figure just now. Suddenly fell silent.

’Alright, let’s not talk about this. You’ve searched for quite a few temples, and this time, you finally found all the pieces of the core idol. What’s next?’ Zhang Rongfang asked.

’To enter my Void, you must have the core spiritual line combined with the core idol as my host. I have the core spiritual line here, but for my core idol, I can only collect them from various temples.’ White Scale explained. ’Now find a place and assemble my core idol. I’ll try my best to see if I can pull you into my Void.’

’Okay!’ Zhang Rongfang’s spirits lifted.

For the past three months, his goal had been to investigate what kind of existence the Void of gods and spirits truly was.

Gods and spirits have always descended on the worshipped or the Spirit Generals to fight, but he had never seen a god or spirit descend in their true form.

According to White Scale, gods and spirits cannot descend by themselves from nothing; to influence reality, they must rely on tangible objects.

Like idols, like people.

Initially, Zhang Rongfang didn’t intend to understand the origin and nature of gods and spirits, thinking that as long as he destroyed all their followers and statues, they would eventually fade into oblivion.

But a word from White Scale made him change his mind.

’Gods and spirits like Spirit Flying Heaven, high and mighty, have their spiritual imprints on all the Great Spirit Soldiers. If you go up against Spirit Flying Heaven, according to your method, wouldn’t you have to kill all soldiers and possibly even more people?’

Thus, based on this point, Zhang Rongfang decided to switch to White Scale’s second proposed method. The second method to completely kill gods and spirits.

—Enter the Void and kill the deity in their true form.

But such a thing, I’m afraid no one can accomplish.

If it weren’t for Zhang Rongfang’s terrifying talent, White Scale would never have suggested such a method.

For a moment, Zhang Rongfang sat alone in a corner of the broken temple, while Wanyan Road’s six people sat in another corner.

Both sides started a fire to rest.

Unknowingly, the rain outside grew heavier, from sparse to dense.

Raindrops wet the grass, hitting the leaves and branches, making crisp pattering sounds.

The five from the academy clearly were curious about Zhang Rongfang and kept asking Wanyan Road about related details.

But Wanyan Road stubbornly kept her lips sealed and refused to speak.

After questioning for a while, seeing her not cooperating, they gradually lost interest and started discussing other matters.

"Have you heard? The new policy has been disseminated from all provinces and roads, all the way to the prefectural level, where examination centers must be established," a young scholar whispered.

"His Majesty, wise and decisive, single-handedly bearing the heavy burdens of the world; it’s said that after the decree was issued, the Grand Sect Alliance made several visits to the imperial palace for negotiations. In the court, many high-ranking officials also tried to resist. But despite the many dissenters, there are even more supporters!"

The leading Zhang Shuoyang spoke with an air of casual superiority, revealing that he even knew details of the court.

"His Majesty is changing the destiny of all scholars in the world!"

Although their voices were low, Zhang Rongfang, with his keen perception, heard everything as if they were speaking directly into his ear.

Originally, he was learning from White Scale how to depict and activate the descent magic array of the Void. But hearing this conversation reminded him of the significant event his sister Zhang Rongyu mentioned earlier.

Immediately, he stood up and approached them, clasping his fists.

"I’m sorry to interrupt you all."

The group stood up and returned the greeting.

"You’re too polite, brother. What can I do for you?" Zhang Shuoyang was the first to ask.

"Brother Zhang, if you need anything, just come to me, no need to be so formal." Wanyan Road patted her chest warmly.

"I just wanted to ask about the new edict from His Majesty you mentioned earlier. What is it...?"

Zhang Rongfang had been roaming the mountains for a long time, and he hadn’t contacted his subordinates for a while. Due to constant changes in location, Xiaohong couldn’t deliver information to him.

Now he’s somewhat isolated from information.

"Oh, it’s that matter?" Wanyan Road took a step forward, pulling Zhang Shuoyang back as he was about to speak.

"This is a decree issued recently. His Majesty announced to the world that Confucianism is singled out from the Great Spirit’s ten levels, to be listed alongside Buddhism and Daoism! Additionally, all provinces and roads are ordered to re-establish academic testing institutions and reopen the imperial examination!"

"Reopen the imperial examination!?" Zhang Rongfang’s expression jolted.

"Why so suddenly!? Did something happen before?" he immediately asked.

"Yes, a month ago, the Seven Veins of Confucianism, along with the academy and many great Confucians, went to the Great Capital, and at the dojos designated by His Majesty, debated with Buddhism and Daoism." This time Zhang Shuoyang quickly explained.

"In the end, our great Confucians of Confucianism won seven rounds in seven debates. Sect Leader Yue of the Grand Sect Alliance was rendered speechless and ultimately retreated to the Celestial Sincerity Palace."

"Thus, Confucianism was re-established, and the imperial examination was reopened! The path for scholars in the Great Spirit Heaven is revived!!" Zhang Shuoyang’s words were full of pride and self-satisfaction.