The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 647

Chapter 647: Chapter 643: The Secret of Jiang Liu Chapter 647: Chapter 643: The Secret of Jiang Liu Shen Luo and his companions quickly returned to the Golden Mountain Temple. Inside the temple, the Buddhist ceremony of Golden Cicada was going on for three days straight, and at this moment, countless believers were once again gathered within the temple.

Even more people have attended this time; the temple square was overloaded, forcing numerous people to sit on the flat land outside the temple.

In order not to disturb the ceremony, the trio did not fly directly into the temple but landed some distance away on a slope without drawing any attention.

Master Jiang Liu was delivering his sermon, the sound of his solid preaching echoing from afar. The three of them situated at this distance could still hear him clearly.

“We've finally made it back. There's not much time left. Brother Shen, let's hurry inside,” Lu Huaming anxiously suggested.

Shen Luo, equally concerned, agreed with a nod.

“What are you doing at the Golden Mountain Temple?” asked Gu Hualing curiously.

“Why ask so many questions? Just follow us,” said Shen Luo gruffly. Despite having to work with Gu Hualing to investigate the organization that had destroyed the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, Shen Luo's tone was understandably tense due to the incident concerning the Pavilion still weighing heavily on his mind.

Gu Hualing huffed, somewhat displeased, but kept her anger in check.

“A lot of people died in the ghost incidents that happened in Chang'an City recently. We want to invite Master Jiang Liu of the Golden Mountain Temple to guide their souls to the afterlife,” explained Lu Huaming. “Conceal your demon Qi in the temple to avoid unwanted attention,” he added, cautioning Gu Hualing.

“You want to invite who? Jiang Liu?” Gu Hualing looked at both of them with a peculiar gaze.

“Yes, you know Master Jiang Liu? You're right, Hei Feng Ao is not very far from Jinxia Mountain; it's only natural for you to know of such a renowned master like Jiang Liu,” commented Lu Huaming as he nodded slightly.

“On account of our future cooperation, I recommend you not to invite Jiang Liu,” Gu Hualing suddenly suggested.

“Why?” Lu Huaming exclaimed in surprise.

“Jiang Liu is quite notorious. I once came here disguised under a different name while seeking a method to heal my mother. During my visit, I discovered a secret about him,” Gu Hualing revealed.

“What secret?” Shen Luo asked, intrigued by her revelation.

Gu Hualing gave Shen Luo a glance but decided to remain silent with her arms folded.

Shen Luo frowned slightly. He had only been slightly cold in his tone earlier, but Gu Hualing had taken it to heart, brooding about it.

He let out a light chuckle internally and decided not to ask any further, glancing at Lu Huaming to indicate that he should take over the questioning.

“My dear Daoist friends, we must cooperate fully in the future, so let's not hold grudges against each other. Friend Gu, what exactly is the secret you found out? Master Jiang Liu's matter is of utmost importance to us, so any advice would be greatly appreciated,” said Lu Huaming, easing the tension between the two by stepping in and respectfully addressing Gu Hualing.

“Jiang Liu is delivering his sermon right now, he should be in a treasure tent. If you want to know the truth just lift the tent. It's up to you whether to go or not, just don't blame me afterwards,” Gu Hualing replied calmly.

After saying that, she moved to the side, sat down and kept quiet, seemingly still in a foul mood.

On hearing this, Shen Luo found his brow furrowed.

The Golden Phoenix Feather had already been recovered, and it seemed that the matter was about to be resolved smoothly. Yet, a new twist had appeared.

However, Gu Hualing didn't seem to be lying. Could it be that there was something about Master Jiang Liu that she was keeping a secret?

Reflecting on the recent past, the process of getting the Golden Phoenix Feather from the Hei Feng Ao was indeed a bit strange. According to Jiang Liu, he had sent several parties to Hei Feng Ao beforehand. Yet when engaging in a fight with the Black Phoenix Demon, there was no mention of this by the demon.

Furthermore, the strength of the Black Phoenix Demon had reached the Great Mahayana Stage. Jiang Liu should have known about this but had not mentioned it to him and Lu Huaming. Had the Heavenly Book not summoned the cultivation powers from Dreamland in time, they would surely have met a deadly end.

Could it be that there actually was something off about Master Jiang Liu?

“Brother Shen, do you think Gu Hualing's words are true or false? Could she be trying to stir up trouble out of sadness for her mother's death?” Lu Huaming asked through spiritual communication.

“From her expression, it doesn't seem like she's talking nonsense. Moreover, considering the events at Hei Feng Ao, there are indeed many suspicious aspects. Furthermore, everything concerning Master Jiang Liu is related to the Water-Land Conference, we can't afford any mistakes. Let's do this, Brother Lu, you and Daoist Gu wait here for a bit, I'll go and investigate inside the temple,” Shen Luo replied after a moment's consideration.

“Don't rush, Brother Shen. Our relationship with the Golden Mountain Temple has just started improving. If you go and cause a ruckus, our previous efforts will be wasted if things don't turn out as Gu Hualing claims,” Lu Huaming hurriedly cautioned him through spiritual communication.

Shen Luo had said he was going to investigate, but Lu Huaming knew that he planned to follow Gu Hualing's advice and lift up the treasure canopy. Such an act would undoubtedly provoke the Golden Mountain Temple, especially in front of so many believers, and could have serious ramifications.

“Don't worry, Brother Lu. I'll think it through and won't let it affect our important task,” Shen Luo assured him with a smile, pulling out a fox skin charm he had obtained from Dan Yangzi and attaching it to his chest, infusing it with Mana.

A fluffy pink light emerged from the charm and soon enveloped his entire body, making him look as though he was covered in a layer of fox fur.

A few breaths later, all the pink light disappeared into his body, completely transforming Shen Luo's appearance and attire into that of a slender woman dressed in a pink robe.

“What kind of charm is this? It's truly miraculous!” Lu Huaming was quite taken aback as he took in Shen Luo's new appearance. Even with his divine sense, he couldn't detect anything unusual.

Meanwhile, not only had Shen Luo's appearance changed, even the fluctuations of his Qi were entirely concealed by the charm. He now looked exactly like an ordinary person who hadn't cultivated at all.

Concealing one's Qi is easy, but to completely hide all traces of Qi is extremely difficult, even if there is a realm difference among the practitioners.

Gu Hualing, standing on the side, also expressed surprise upon seeing this.

“It's just a little trick, not worth mentioning. Just wait for me here while I go and investigate what Master Jiang Liu is up to,” Shen Luo remarked lightly, roping in his surprise at how effective the fox skin charm had been. His only complaint was that the charm could only transform him into a female, which he found to be a bit awkward.

Seeing that Shen Luo had such an advanced method of disguise, Lu Huaming set aside his worries and nodded in agreement.

Shen Luo then headed towards the Golden Mountain Temple, carrying a gray wooden box in his hand, and quickly arrived at the temple gate.

The front of the temple was filled with people. He found a narrow gap within the crowd, barely squeezing through the gate. He then followed the edge of the crowd in the square, inching closer towards the high platform where Jiang Liu was conducting his sermon.

The Golden Mountain Temple was filled with highly skilled practitioners. Hence, he had to get as close as possible to the high platform to ensure that he could lift the treasure canopy.