Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3573: The Spirits Answer

Puyi immediately straightened.

"Yes, Great Granduncle Master!"

Lin Mu winced slightly.

"...Just Lin Mu is fine."

The foxkin shook his head vigorously.

"That would be improper!"

Lin Mu decided not to argue further.

"I came here today for a simple reason."

"I wish to pay my respects to the Guardian Beasts."

Temple Head Puyi’s expression softened immediately.

"That is an honor for this temple to witness."

However, he also added gently,

"I must inform you of one thing."

"The Guardian Spirits themselves will not respond."

Lin Mu nodded.

"I expected as much."

Puyi explained further.

"The spirits of the four Guardian Beasts awaken fully only during the Tournament of the Guardian Beasts."

"That grand event occurs once every hundred years."

"The last one happened forty six years ago."

Meng Bai twitched slightly at the words. The twins continued poking him. Little Shrubby kept recording.

Puyi continued speaking.

"Even during our annual rituals, the spirits do not fully awaken."

"At most, a faint wisp of their will lingers."

Lin Mu nodded again.

"That is fine."

"I am not here seeking a response. I simply wished to offer my respects."

Temple Head Puyi bowed slightly.

"In that case, please proceed."

Lin Mu walked toward the center of the temple hall.

The four statues of the Guardian Beasts stood in a circle around the central prayer platform.

Each statue faced a cardinal direction.

Azure Dragon.

Vermilion Bird.

White Tiger.

Black Tortoise.

They radiated ancient, sacred power.

Lin Mu stepped into the center.

Then he knelt.

Meng Bai finally blinked again as he watched.

Lin Mu lowered his head.

He kowtowed three times.

Each bow was steady and respectful.

Then he spoke a short prayer.

Just one sentence.

It was simple.

Common.

The same kind of prayer that countless cultivators had spoken before these statues for generations.

But the moment the prayer ended...

Something changed.

SHUA!

A brilliant glow erupted from Lin Mu’s body.

Two distinct lights emerged from him.

One azure.

One vermilion.

Both wisps of light rose into the air like drifting flames.

Temple Head Puyi’s eyes widened instantly.

He could feel the aura within those lights.

It was unmistakable.

Azure Dragon.

Vermilion Bird.

The old foxkin’s breath caught in his throat.

He could understand one.

There had been rare cultivators throughout history who received the blessing of a Guardian Beast bloodline.

Such individuals were extraordinarily lucky.

But having two...

His mind struggled to process it.

It was almost impossible.

No one could assimilate two Guardian Beast bloodlines.

The energies would clash and destroy the body.

The only theoretical exception would be a child born from two pure-blood Guardian Beast lineages.

But even that was nearly impossible.

And Lin Mu was clearly human.

The two glowing wisps drifted through the air, then they entered the statues.

The azure light flowed into the Azure Dragon statue.

The vermilion light entered the Vermilion Bird statue.

Silence filled the temple.

Then...

HONG!

The statues began to glow brightly.

Ancient runes across the temple walls suddenly ignited. The massive array hidden within the temple structure activated automatically. Layer upon layer of protective barriers formed around the hall.

Outside the temple, the guards jumped slightly as the protective formations erupted into activity.

"What happened?"

One guard frowned.

"Did the temple head activate the barrier array?"

Another shrugged.

"He probably did."

"No one else could trigger the temple formations."

They did not question it further.

Inside the temple...

Things were becoming far stranger.

The statues glowed brighter and brighter.

Ancient energy filled the hall.

Then... Two immense auras appeared.

They gathered above the statues as the energy twisted and coiled.

It slowly took form.

First came the long, serpentine shape of the Azure Dragon.

Its body stretched through the air like a living river of light.

Then came the fiery wings of the Vermilion Bird.

Flames of spiritual fire formed its majestic outline.

Both figures were translucent and illusory. But their presence filled the temple like the weight of heaven itself.

Temple Head Puyi’s legs nearly gave out.

Meng Bai, who had just barely begun recovering from his earlier shock...

Looked up.

Saw the two colossal illusions forming in the air.

And instantly returned to a completely catatonic state.

His mind shut down again.

Little Shrubby’s recording jade slip captured everything.

The twins stared in delight.

And Temple Head Puyi could only whisper in awe.

"The Guardian Spirits..."

"They answered..."

Lin Mu raised his head slowly as the two colossal illusory figures formed above the temple floor.

Even he had not expected this.

The Azure Dragon’s vast serpentine body shimmered with waves of azure light, its scales appearing and disappearing like ripples on the surface of a cosmic ocean. The Vermilion Bird hovered beside it, wings made of flowing crimson flames that flickered like a living sun.

Their presence filled the temple hall with a pressure that was both majestic and ancient.

Lin Mu had seen them before.

That memory returned to him vividly.

Back in the Rust Sky World.

Inside the Guardian Beast Temple.

During the Tournament of the Guardian Beasts.

At that time the spirits had been fully awake. Their power had been far more stable, their voices clearer and their forms more defined.

But now their appearance was different.

Their bodies flickered slightly.

Their voices carried a faint echo.

Almost like someone speaking while still half asleep.

Lin Mu immediately understood why.

From what he had learned from Xukong, the spirits within the Guardian Beast Temples were not mere projections or illusions created by arrays.

They were something far more profound.

They were fragments of the true souls of the four Guardian Beasts.

Whenever a Guardian beast perished, fragments of their souls would be preserved through ancient rituals. Those fragments were sealed within the temples across countless worlds.

Even in death, the Guardian Beasts continued to guide and protect the creatures of the realms.

They watched over tournaments.

They blessed worthy cultivators.

They intervened during moments of great danger.

But awakening them was not simple.

Not even remotely.

Temple Head Puyi knew this better than anyone and his eyes trembled slightly as he stared at the two spirits. He had served the temple for centuries. And he knew exactly how difficult it was to awaken the Guardian Spirits.