CHAPTER 1162: CHAPTER 1162: YOUNG MASTER! (THIRD UPDATE)

Inside a temple on a green mountain, a young man gazed at the Buddha statue in front of him, with an expression lacking reverence and instead showing a subtle disfavor.

The young man was dressed in white ancient attire, with long hair tied back, resembling a scholar from antiquity. However, he emitted not the literary aura of a scholar but the martial aura akin to a general.

He had sharply defined features, incredibly handsome, with fair skin like white jade, leaving an unforgettable impression with just his appearance.

If he walked down the street, it would surely cause many fangirls to scream; indeed, he was excessively handsome.

Unfortunately, his eyes were too indifferent, as if everything in the world was merely scenery to him, unworthy of his attachment.

He was in the temple only with a playful attitude, as if he were a god descending from the heavens, looking upon everything with detachment.

"There are no gods in the world. The weak always place hope upon deities, which has been unchanged for millennia," the youth said calmly, his tone bearing the weary passage of time.

"Young friend, in life, one must hold some reverence. Without faith, like a ship wandering the sea without seeing the light, you can only drift along, rising and sinking," a meditating old monk suddenly spoke.

"Are you suggesting I should believe there are gods?" The youth coldly chuckled.

"Divine beings always exist and always watch over us," the old monk continued.

"Ignorance. If there were gods in this world, I would like to meet them. Alas, they’re merely a human-made illusion, unchanged for thousands of years. In my view, if you want to worship Buddha, you’d be better off worshipping me," the youth replied.

"Young friend, you are insulting the gods. There is punishment in the form of descending to the eighteen layers of Hell after death."

"I do not believe in any eighteen layers of Hell. If they exist, I will break them apart," the youth said.

"Absurd, absurd... so young and without reverence, disregarding all divine beings. What do you fear in this world?"

"Heh, I fear nothing because it is others who fear me," the youth laughed heartily.

The old monk shook his head, feeling the youth’s heart was as high as the sky in today’s society, destined to suffer a great loss sooner or later.

However, as the old monk rose and glanced back at the youth, his pupils suddenly shrank. He saw clear footprints left on the hall’s stone slabs, visible as the youth walked out, leaving faint marks on the green stones outside the hall.

The youth walked with his hands behind his back, without looking back, but the old monk was already dumbfounded because he saw the youth walking step by step into the air.

"A living deity..." The old monk immediately knelt down, clasped his hands together, and bowed in full obeisance towards the youth.

As the youth walked away, he showed a faint smile, gently shaking his head: "Ignorant humans, walking in the sky is merely a Martial Artist’s technique, yet you call this divine. Truly ignorant."

After touring the mountains, the youth sighed with a modern society increasingly unfavorable to cultivation.

"In such times, it seems strong ones are no longer emerging," the youth shook his head sadly, and then he arrived at the place where Martial Artists frequently gathered, sensing several slightly powerful presences. He couldn’t help but sigh again: "So weak, not even reaching the True Qi realm. This continent is regressing more and more."

The Martial Artists in the martial world were oblivious to the youth’s scrutiny.

Once the youth returned to his dwelling, he saw a middle-aged man waiting for him at the door.

"Is it done?"

Upon hearing the youth’s inquiry, the middle-aged man shook his head silently.

"Oh? A trivial matter has even stumped you, a man of royal realm—I’m very doubtful whether I kept the wrong person," the youth’s gaze landed on the middle-aged man.

"Young master, things took an unexpected turn. If not for Ye Qiu’s appearance, I would have retrieved the Spiritual Liquid formula long ago," the middle-aged man bowed his head. A Martial Artist of royal realm, bowing to the youth, showed the youth’s exceptional status.

"Oh?" The youth showed surprise. His interest in the Spiritual Liquid’s formula stemmed from its miraculous properties.

The energy contained in the Spiritual Medicine could cure all diseases in ordinary people, strengthen the body, and extend life. Such efficacy was extraordinary. Though he tried the Spiritual Medicine’s effect himself, it didn’t help him, but he was curious how ordinary humans managed to create something akin to elixir effects in the Spiritual Medicine.

"Ye Qiu... Now that you mention him, I recall that he is said to be the person behind the Spiritual Medicine. But for you, a royal realm, facing a youth, not to come back successful?"

Brought up, the middle-aged man’s muscles trembled.

"What exactly happened?" The youth realized it was not as simple as he thought.

Then, the middle-aged man recounted his confrontation with Ye Qiu, even detailing how Ye Qiu dismissed him.

The youth showed a hint of surprise; for his old servant to be defeated, Ye Qiu was not ordinary indeed.

"Attacking one’s servant requires some spine, knowing of my existence and still humiliating you. He has some courage," the youth didn’t immediately get angry but showed a trace of admiration, though it quickly vanished, and his face turned cold: "But, having harmed my people, even if you have guts, you must still die."

"Young master, his strength is not low; we mustn’t be careless," the middle-aged man cautioned.

"Are you worried I can’t handle him?" The youth’s gaze suddenly sharpened, the middle-aged man hastily corrected himself: "No, I’m only reminding the young master not to underestimate him."

The youth was indifferent, saying: "In these lands now, reaching the royal realm is indeed not easy. I certainly won’t underestimate him. On the contrary, I’m very interested in him, eager to meet him."

"I thought there was no one worth my effort here, though his skills are merely royal realm. I can use him for practice; after so many years without action, I feel like my body is rusting. It’s time to move a bit, just hope he doesn’t disappoint me too much."

The middle-aged man bowed: "If you act, young master, regardless of his strength, he will ultimately be defeated."

"Haha, I do hope he puts up a bit of a fight. Before the destined opportunity opens, having someone to play with won’t be too lonely," the youth smiled slightly.

"The destined opportunity will surely belong to you, young master. Then, we can take it and leave this declining world to return to the ancestral land," the middle-aged man said.

"Sleeping for a millennium, I’m quite eager to return," the youth sighed, yet excitement echoed in his voice.