473: Chapter 473 Exiting the Master

"Where on earth is this?"

Looking at the mountain before him—not tall, but shrouded in mist and possessing a distinct Immortal Qi—Wang Yao was completely speechless.

Along the way, Xiao Sheng had been pulling him along at a run. Whenever he asked where they were going, Xiao Sheng would only reply, "Almost there, almost there."

In reality, they had first run for half an hour, then taken a flying Yao Beast to the nearest major Kaifeng, and then used a Teleportation Array to reach another Kaifeng.

After that, it was one vehicle after another; they had switched between three or four different types, and no two were the same.

Even after all that, they had run for another half hour before finally arriving at the foot of this mountain.

If Wang Yao hadn't confirmed multiple times that this was indeed Xiao Sheng, he would have thought some ghost was trying to lure him into a trap.

"Hehe, you wouldn't know about this place, would you?"

Xiao Sheng beckoned Wang Yao to head up the mountain while introducing the location.

"This place is the oldest Legacy site of my Dao Sect, the third-generation ancestral court, the tallest mountain and longest river of the current Dao Sect—the Kurong Temple."

"You have no idea what I've been through these past three years."

As he spoke, Xiao Sheng couldn't help but start venting his grievances.

"Thinking back to those days, I could spend a million Spirit Stones with a wave of my hand. How carefree I was."

"The pre-prepared meals were also distributed for free to help others solve their problems."

"Who knew that old man, my Master, would lose his mind and insist on kicking me down the mountain to wait for some prophecy? He said I wasn't allowed back until I found it."

"At first, I didn't think much of it. I thought I could live like before, so I was a bit extravagant."

"But then I suddenly discovered that when I'm outside, the talismans I draw aren't considered official Kurong Temple versions, so I couldn't sell them for a high price."

"This led to me completely losing my source of income once I sold out of the talismans I could sell."

"But I'm a Talisman Cultivator! My cultivation is expensive to begin with, not to mention I have a body that cultivates Karma through good deeds. Money just flows out of my pockets in heaps. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have been selling the dishes Old Zhou made."

After saying this, he wiped his face, an expression of anticipation appearing.

"But now that you're here, the mentally troubled Avenger... as long as I bring you back, I can fulfill the prophecy and regain my financial freedom!"

At this point, Xiao Sheng even raised his hands in excitement.

Wang Yao could only shake his head at the sight.

"Then why didn't you just say so earlier? Why wait until we got here?"

Xiao Sheng scratched his head sheepishly and said,

"Wasn't I afraid you wouldn't come? After all, that prophecy is a bit... you know."

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it; as soon as he did, Wang Yao's expression soured.

"Right, I haven't settled the score with you yet!"

"Who are you calling mentally troubled!"

With that, Wang Yao hooked his arm around Xiao Sheng's neck, squeezing until Xiao Sheng repeatedly begged for mercy.

"Old Wang, calm down, calm down! Didn't you come here to stop that whatever-it-is plan?"

"If I go back, I can ask for reinforcements for you! My Senior Brothers are very powerful; they can definitely help you, they'll definitely help you!"

Hearing Xiao Sheng's pleas, Wang Yao finally let go.

However, he added,

"Fine, I'll go up the mountain with you. But I don't believe for a second that I'm the person you've been waiting for. You have to promise me that whether I am or not, you'll help me solve the Apocalypse problem."

Actually, Wang Yao didn't mind helping Xiao Sheng out. Although he didn't think he was mentally ill, he wasn't looking to exploit the favor.

It was just that when he had reported this matter to his Sect, his Master only told him that his Karma with this event was very deep. Either he didn't participate and acted like nothing happened, or he had to go alone; the Sect wouldn't provide much help.

At the same time, his Master mentioned that if he chose to get involved, the crisis might not be any smaller than the one in Kaifeng.

But whether it was for the sake of his hometown or the people involved in the Apocalypse, he had to do it. He needed power, so seeking help from local forces was his best option.

He had already established preliminary contact with the Law Enforcement Team. If he could use Xiao Sheng to get in touch with the Dao Sect, it would naturally be a good thing, so he accepted the condition.

And so, the two of them quickly climbed the mountain. During the climb, Xiao Sheng talked incessantly about the history of Kurong Temple and how formidable his Senior Brothers were.

When they reached the main gate, Wang Yao couldn't help but be stunned by the sight of the simple, ancient Daoist temple.

Seeing this, Xiao Sheng hurried to keep up and said beside Wang Yao,

"How is it? Isn't it impressive?"

Wang Yao nodded, then shook his head.

At this, Xiao Sheng was also a bit confused.

"What do you mean by nodding and then shaking your head?"

"..."

"Where is my temple?!"

Kurong Temple was originally supposed to be a complex of buildings in the Dao Sect style, but now all that remained was a perimeter wall, one main hall, and a few side halls.

Everything else was gone.

Oh, wait, there was also a white-bearded old man sweeping the main hall.

Hearing the voice from the gate, the white-bearded old man paused and looked toward the source of the sound.

His squinted eyes couldn't help but widen slightly.

"Oh, Little Sheng is back."

With a *whoosh*, Xiao Sheng vanished from where he stood and reappeared in front of the old man, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Old Man Hu, what on earth happened here? Where are my Senior Brothers and Master?"

Looking at the anxious Xiao Sheng who had suddenly appeared before him, Old Man Hu simply pushed him away gently and swept back the trash that had been scattered by Xiao Sheng's arrival.

After gathering the dust back into a pile, he finally spoke slowly.

"Them? They've already moved to the New Kurong Temple."

"Why didn't they tell me they were moving? Where have they moved to now?"

Hearing that they had moved, Xiao Sheng breathed a sigh of relief, though he still felt a sense of foreboding.

It wasn't until Old Man Hu spoke again that Xiao Sheng's premonition was fully confirmed.

"Why should they tell you? You are no longer a Disciple of the New Kurong Temple."

*Crack.*

Xiao Sheng froze on the spot as if turned to stone. Even Wang Yao at the gate felt like he could hear the sound of Xiao Sheng's heart breaking.

"Why?!"

After the silence came a roar so loud that both Wang Yao and Old Man Hu had to cover their ears.

Xiao Sheng, with tears streaming down his face, said,

"According to the rules, I haven't committed any major mistakes! At most, I sold some pre-prepared meals. Why expel me!"

Seeing Xiao Sheng with snot and tears running down his face, his hands once again clutching his shoulders, Old Man Hu explained with a hint of pity.

"Little Sheng, you've misunderstood something. You are still a Disciple of Kurong Temple. After all, not even the Temple Master has the right to expel a Disciple from the Sect at will."

"Exactly!"

Xiao Sheng acted as if he had caught a lifeline, instantly regaining his spirit.

"Even if my Master is the Temple Master, he has no right to expel me! Old Man Hu, tell me quickly where they moved. I'm going to find my Master and demand an explanation!"

Looking at the excited Xiao Sheng, Old Man Hu could only sigh again.

"Little Sheng, don't get excited yet. Let me finish."

"While a Temple Master cannot easily expel a Disciple, it is quite simple for Disciples to remove a Temple Master and expel their Master from the Sect."

"What?" Xiao Sheng's joyful expression froze instantly; he seemed to suddenly fail to recognize those words.

Old Man Hu removed the two hands from his shoulders and continued.

"I said just now that they all went to the New Kurong Temple, and you are not a Disciple of the New Kurong Temple. The reason is actually like this."

"It was about three years ago, a month after you went down the mountain."

"Your Eldest Senior Brother, on the grounds of the Temple Master's dereliction of duty—stealing sacrificial fruit and wine every day while doing nothing—joined forces with your other Senior Brothers and nephews to remove the old Temple Master and kick him out of Kurong Temple."

"And your Eldest Senior Brother became the new Temple Master."

Hearing this, Xiao Sheng felt his entire worldview collapse.

Why? Why!

Eldest Senior Brother was such an honest person, clearly the one who respected the Master the most and cared for his Junior Brothers. Why would he do such a thing?

Could it be... could it be that Eldest Senior Brother had planned this all along? Has Master already met with an unfortunate end?!

Xiao Sheng didn't dare think further; even his hands were trembling with disbelief.

But Old Man Hu's next words were even more explosive, completely shattering his current delusions.

"Later, your Second Senior Brother, on the grounds that the new Temple Master—your Eldest Senior Brother—had 'tastes for dragon sun' and intended to molest him, took the opportunity to unite the other Disciples and remove him."

"Thus, your Second Senior Brother became the new Temple Master."

"Then, your Third Senior Brother, on the grounds that your Second Senior Brother had smelly feet, led the Disciples to remove him."

"After that, your Third Senior Brother..."

"In the end, you were the only one left in the temple."

Hearing all this, Wang Yao's face at the gate had turned bright red from holding it in, but he politely refrained from laughing out loud—mostly because he had mentally detached his own vocal cords.

"That's not right!"

Xiao Sheng suddenly spotted a flaw.

"Removing a Temple Master requires a vote, and the Temple Master cannot participate in the vote."

"In my absence, shouldn't there be at least two people left at the end?"

Seeing the flicker of hope in the other's eyes, Old Man Hu finally forced himself to speak the truth.

"Indeed, there should have been two of your nephews left, because they couldn't easily remove a Temple Master without you."

"But as you can see, this place has been stripped bare; even the ancestral graves in the backyard are empty."

"That was the work of one of your nephews."

"Because he embezzled all the temple's assets, he committed an extremely severe violation of the Sect rules. He could be removed without a full vote, and he resigned in disgrace, being kicked out of Kurong Temple."

"Then that's still not right, isn't there still..." Xiao Sheng was about to say there was one left, but Old Man Hu continued.

"Your last nephew, because the entire School withered during his time as Temple Master and he couldn't even protect the Ancestral Masters' graves, repented before the portraits of the Ancestral Masters and decided to pass the position to you."

"Finally, he committed suicide before the portraits to atone for his sins."

"Of course, he was later saved by a passing Dao Sect Senior and was unharmed. But the ceremony was complete; he is no longer a Disciple of Kurong Temple."

"And those people who were forced out of Kurong Temple, out of reluctance to part, were led by the old Temple Master to create a New Kurong Temple."

"So you are not a member of the New Kurong Temple now; you are the last Temple Master of the Kurong Temple."

"Oh, I forgot to remind you. Since Kurong Temple is on the verge of extinction, you cannot normally resign from the position of Temple Master. Even taking a Disciple temporarily won't work; you'll be hit by a backlash of Luck."

"Of course, I didn't say that; the Master of the New Kurong Temple said it."

"Alright, I'm going to the side hall to clean. I have to go to the School to pick up my grandson for dinner in a bit."

With that, Old Man Hu took his broom and walked toward another room.

Leaving only the petrified Xiao Sheng behind.

Ah, no—it was the new Temple Master of Kurong Temple, Xiao Yuansheng.