Only three seconds? He's already the Lord of All Realms, so it doesn't matter.

According to the preface, the Jinluan Temple has been established for over three thousand years. Its founder, whose Taoist name was "Jinluan," was a descendant of an ancient divine bird. He attained enlightenment in the northern border region and established the temple to pass on his teachings.

"The Golden Phoenix, a divine bird, possesses pure Yang fire; its wingspan can burn mountains and boil seas, and even after its fall, its remains remain indestructible..."

Ye Xuan glanced at the record, a slight tremor running through his heart.

Continue reading, and you'll find records of the rise and fall of Jinluan Temple throughout history.

A thousand years ago, the Golden Phoenix Temple was once at its peak, with over a thousand disciples, and it was a force to be reckoned with in the northern region.

However, eight hundred years ago, a sudden change occurred.

The scroll is not detailed, only stating that "a calamity befell the temple, the abbot perished, and the divine fire of his remains decayed."

Since then, Jinluan Temple has declined, its traditions have been lost, and its disciples have scattered.

A hundred years ago, only one abbot, who was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, remained in the temple, leading a dozen or so disciples to guard the Qita Tower, which is the current state of the Taoist temple.

"A calamity?"

Ye Xuan gently stroked the two characters on the scroll. What kind of calamity could there be in the Realm of Immortality? That it could cause a once-prosperous Taoist temple, which possessed the inheritance of a divine bird, to decline to this state? Could it be the work of the Holy Sect again?

After all, the three thousand Daoist techniques in the Holy Sect's Scripture Pavilion were not all figured out by them on their own.

Under various pretexts, as long as it's not open arson, murder, and looting, the Taoist practices in many places will eventually fall into the hands of the Holy Sect...

Just as I was about to continue reading, I suddenly heard light footsteps behind me.

Ye Xuan closed the file and turned around to look at it.

Zhu Xiao had appeared beside the bookshelf at some point, holding a lantern in his hand, the candlelight illuminating his handsome face.

"Is Daozi interested in the history of Jinluan Temple?"

The bamboo flute's sound was gentle, yet his eyes held a hint of inquiry.

"Since you're new to this place, you should at least learn a thing or two."

Ye Xuan put the "Records of Jinluan Temple" back on the bookshelf, "But this volume records..."

"The calamity eight hundred years ago seems to be described in vague terms."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiao's expression darkened slightly. After pondering for a moment, he said:

"During that calamity, most of the scriptures in the temple were destroyed, and those that survived were mostly incomplete."

Even the disciples only knew that it was an attack by extraterrestrial demons; the specific details were known only to the abbot and the three elders.

He paused, then looked at Ye Xuan.

"If Daozi really wants to know, he might as well ask the abbot himself after the festival."

Ye Xuan nodded and asked no further questions.

"It's late, Daozi, you should go back to your hermitage to rest. I will come to invite you to breakfast tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM)."

A bamboo flute and a lantern led the way as the two walked out of the library; the night breeze was slightly cool.

In the direction of the Qita Tower, the golden light had almost faded, leaving only the white jade of the tower gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Hearing Zhu Xiao sigh softly towards the top of the tower, Ye Xuan pretended not to know and asked:

"The Golden Phoenix Temple is in decline; is there any way to revive it?"

Zhu Xiao shook his head, "This disciple doesn't know much about it."

"The abbot only said that it is necessary to use pure yang blood as a guide, but the specific method is known only to the abbot and the elders."

However, a person with a pure Yang constitution is extremely rare, appearing only once every hundred years. The temple has searched for decades but has yet to find a suitable candidate.

Ye Xuan remained silent, but at the same time, a sense of vigilance arose in his heart. If any disciple could reveal the Taoist temple's life-or-death strategy to outsiders, then this consecration ceremony must be more than just inviting people to attend.

The two returned to the hermitage along the stone path in silence.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the hermitage, Qingzhu bowed and took his leave.

"Michiko, get some rest."

"Wait, besides me, who else has come to the Taoist temple to observe the ceremony?"

"In reply to Daozi, besides you, there are indeed cultivators from all over the world who have come to witness the ceremony."

However, the ceremony only begins after the main event, and more people will likely arrive during that time, but... this disciple dares not speculate.

Ye Xuan nodded, stopped asking questions, closed the door, and walked to the window to stand.

Looking towards the direction of the Qita Tower, his eyes swirled with both blue and white energy, and his perception extended once more. This time, he did not approach the Qita Tower, but instead turned to other areas within the temple.

The retreat, guest quarters, alchemy room, training ground... all flashed by.

Finally, the senses stopped in front of a hidden cave.

The cave dwelling is located behind the Qita Mountain. The entrance is hidden by vines, the gate is tightly closed, and the surface is covered with golden runes, which are of the same origin as the Qita's restrictions.

Inside the cave, a powerful aura was circulating, and the fluctuations of magical power had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, with faint signs of a breakthrough.

The place where the abbot secluded himself...

Ye Xuan stopped exploring further and only lingered outside the mansion for a short while.

Although the aura within this mansion is strong, it appears weak and unstable, as if it were forcibly enhanced by elixirs or secret techniques, and its foundation is not solid.

He continued to wander around other parts of the Taoist temple and saw other guest rooms.

Besides him, the Daoist disciple from the Holy Sect, there were quite a few other people. The guest courtyard, which was neither too big nor too small, had ten guest rooms, all of which were now full.

Withdrawing his senses, Ye Xuan sat down on the futon.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, and the blue and white energies in his body flowed naturally. His golden core slowly rotated in his dantian, reaching the peak of the seventh level, just one step away from the eighth level.

Ye Xuan took out a Soul Pill from his storage bag, examined the ancient-looking pill in his hand, and then put it into his mouth.

It was slightly bitter at first, but quickly turned sweet. Although it tasted no different from ordinary pills, Ye Xuan immediately felt a rush of heat to his brain as soon as the Soul Pill entered his body.

As his blood and qi surged to his head, he immediately began circulating the "Nine Separations of Heavenly Yang" within his body. His own power and the effects of the elixir countered each other, reaching straight to the crown of his head.

After a moment of confusion, Ye Xuan's eyes cleared again. "Hmm, good stuff!"

Having suppressed the urge to have another one, and having successfully broken through to the next level of cultivation, his thoughts immediately became clear.

The old man asked me to come here to retrieve something, and the Golden Phoenix Temple needed the pure yang essence to rekindle its divine fire.

Although he was not of pure Yang constitution, only by cultivating the "Nine Separations from Heavenly Yang" to its ultimate state could the Yang energy in his body be no weaker than that of an ordinary pure Yang constitution.

"Are they trying to send me as a sacrifice?"

Ye Xuan thought of the Soul-Capturing Mirror in his arms, but no matter how much spiritual power he poured into it, there was still not a single trace of information on it...

Just as he was feeling troubled, there was another knock on his door, but this time it wasn't from a Taoist disciple.

"I apologize for disturbing you so late at night, and hope that the Holy Sect Master will not take offense."

Ye Xuan opened the door and saw a man in a black brocade robe standing outside. The man was about the same age as Ye Xuan and did not have any sect tokens hanging at his waist. However, there was an inconspicuous crescent moon mark embroidered in gold thread on the cuff of his robe.

"And who are you?"

Ye Xuan glanced at the crescent moon mark, but found no related clues in his memory.

"The rogue cultivator, Mo Chenling."

The man slightly bowed, but his gaze seemed to casually sweep over the Holy Visit Token and Dao Child Token hanging at Ye Xuan's waist.

"I heard about the centennial celebration of Jinluan Temple and came to attend the ceremony. Daozi and I are neighbors, and we live in the guest courtyard on the east side."

Seeing that the Daozi Hermitage was still lit, I came to pay a visit and make acquaintances.

He spoke politely, but Ye Xuan didn't take it to heart and remained silent.

A mere rogue cultivator dares to try and get acquainted with me, a Daoist disciple of the Holy Sect? Forget it.

Seeing the atmosphere gradually cooling down, Mo Chenling spoke again:

"Did Daozi also come for the consecration ceremony of the Golden Phoenix Temple?"

"I have come to observe the ceremony on the orders of my sect."

"Oh?"

A faint smile appeared on Mo Chenling's lips. "The Holy Sect would actually be interested in the festival of this declining Taoist temple?"

"I think Daozi has ulterior motives."

The atmosphere froze again. Ye Xuan remained expressionless and asked in return:

"So what if it is?"

Seeing Ye Xuan's increasingly domineering reply, Mo Chenling stared at him for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly.

"As expected of the Holy Sect's Dao Child, I was presumptuous."

He bowed again, no longer beating around the bush, and went straight to the point:

Although the Golden Phoenix Temple has declined, the name of the ancient Golden Phoenix's remains still holds some appeal on the northern border.

The Taoist temple was searching for a way to prolong life, and outsiders naturally wanted to try their luck, hoping to glimpse a glimmer of opportunity during the ritual.

As Mo Chenling gradually revealed his intentions, Ye Xuan became interested.

"You seem to know a lot."

"The longer you live, the more you'll see."

Having said that, he bowed again, leaving two sentences before departing:

"It's late, so I won't disturb Daozi's peace and quiet any longer."

However, it's best to be cautious during the ceremony the day after tomorrow. After all, if something were to happen to the Holy Sect's disciple here, the Golden Phoenix Temple couldn't bear the consequences, and it's hard to say what might happen to those who try to take advantage of the situation.

Watching the person gradually disappear into the distance, Ye Xuan closed the door, his brows slightly furrowed.

Mo Chenling's arrival was abrupt, and his departure was equally swift. His words were half a reminder and half a test, leaving his identity and purpose shrouded in mystery.

Moreover, the crescent moon mark on his cuffs was definitely not that of an ordinary rogue cultivator.