Chapter 1681: Longing Fills the Heart
Chapter 1681: Chapter 1681: Longing Fills the Heart
Unexpectedly, the Xuanhuang Stone gifted by Fen Qianji brought such great benefits. Thinking of him, Mu Hanyan’s heart was filled with gratitude, and that yearning and worry surged again.
"Holy Saint, although I don’t know why you came to the Divine Continent, to survive here or to return someday to the Holy Court Continent and become a Priest is the only way. Only then can you hide your identity; otherwise, it will eventually be discovered. Only this way can you learn the Divine Hall Secret Technique, gain sufficient strength, and return to the Holy Court Continent," said Ye Yi’an.
"Alright." Mu Hanyan pondered for a moment, then nodded heavily.
Even with Ye Yi’an’s protection, she didn’t have to worry about her identity being revealed for now, but Ye Yi’an was already in his twilight years. Who knows how long he can live? He can’t protect her forever. Besides, she couldn’t resign herself to hiding in this small mountain village for life. Her family awaits her in the Holy Court Continent.
Mu Hanfeng, Huayue, and others were still drifting in the endless Void; her grandmother was risking her life against a formidable foe for her sake. She must rescue them.
To become a mighty one. Only by becoming a mighty one can she rescue them and reunite with her family. Her heart to become stronger was unprecedentedly firm and persistent.
"The Feng City Temple’s recruitment of Priests in Tianfeng City this time is your best opportunity," Ye Yi’an continued.
"Why?" Mu Hanyan asked subconsciously.
"The Temple’s recruitment of Priests has always been very strict. Not only must one have extraordinary talent, but also a clean background, and must not have ties with the Holy Court Continent. Therefore, in past recruitments, Priests were usually selected from their close friends and relatives. Common people need to undergo stringent screenings to verify their identity.
Back then, when I first came to the Divine Continent, the Temple suffered massive casualties from a war and still didn’t extensively recruit Priests. I was gravely injured, almost losing my cultivation. After recuperating for many years and wandering with the Mu Family for decades, I finally completely hid my identity and passed the examination to become a Priest." At this point, Ye Yi’an paused, feeling a bit tired from speaking so much in his old age, despite the excitement of seeing someone from the Holy Court.
What Ye Yi’an said didn’t surprise Mu Hanyan at all; the Holy Court is equally strict in choosing disciples. So a thousand years ago, the Divine Lord initiated a war to send Bo Xuanji’s ancestors to the Holy Court Continent, using the casualties in the Holy Court Disciples selection process to infiltrate the Holy Court.
Even then, to conceal his identity, Bo Xuanji’s great-grandfather sought an early death, allowing Bo Xuanji to firmly establish his position in the Holy Court and become a Steward.
The Temple is very wary of the Holy Court, making Priest selection even more stringent.
"But this time, for some unknown reason, various temples are widely recruiting Priests, with far less stringent identity restrictions than before. Otherwise, you truly wouldn’t have the opportunity to enter the Temple and learn the Divine Hall Secret Technique," Ye Yi’an took a sip of tea and continued.
"I see." Hearing this, Mu Hanyan finally understood what Ye Yi’an meant by the best opportunity, but she was somewhat puzzled why the Temple was widely recruiting Priests at this time?
The Holy Court recruited disciples indiscriminately back then due to heavy losses from a war against the Temple. The Temple was in no better condition than the Holy Court and didn’t recruit Priests extensively then, but strangely chose to act now. What is the reason behind this?
Could it be that the Temple is planning a major move? The Holy Court is the only enemy of the Temple. Could the Divine Lord be planning another attack on the Holy Court Continent? This was the only possibility Mu Hanyan could think of.
Thinking of this, Mu Hanyan couldn’t help but worry. To seal the Jiuyou Netherworld, top experts from various Continent Countries lost two-thirds of their strength, and the Holy Court suffered similarly. At the same time she arrived on the Divine Continent, over a hundred descendants of the Guardian of the Gods and the last five Saints fell into the endless Void.
If the Temple were to attack the Holy Court Continent now, even with a strong Holy Master, they would be unable to withstand such a blow. It’s like a house leaking at the turn of a stormy night.
However, despite her anxiety, Mu Hanyan knew that with her current situation, she couldn’t change anything or even discern the Temple’s intentions.
Strength—only by restoring strength, no, not just restoring. It’s about gaining even greater strength than before, so she can change everything.
"Holy Saint, if you have no objections, I will soon announce that you’ll represent Mu Family Village in attending the Feng City Temple’s Priest examination. Luckily, your surname is also Mu, and if my guess is correct, you are a descendant of the An Yun Mu Family, so you won’t even need to change your name," Ye Yi’an said.
"Will it leak out?" Given the large number of people, Mu Hanyan was not very confident in the villagers.
"You don’t need to worry about this. The Mu Family clan of Mu Family Village is one of the most ancient clans with a long inheritance on the Divine Continent. However, like other declining clans, they have been homeless and wandering. It wasn’t until I became a Priest that they got this fief, giving them a place to settle.
According to the Temple’s rules, every Priest receives a fief. But if the person dies, the fief can only be occupied for up to 500 years. Even if they live, it’s limited to a thousand years. Once the time expires, it must be returned to the Temple unless a new Priest is born.
I’m already at a considerable age, and although I’ve survived till now by taking elixirs, I won’t live much longer. Even if I continue to barely survive, this fief must be handed back to the Temple.
The villagers pin their hopes on Ling Baobao, spending their possessions to buy him medicinal herbs and elixirs, hoping he can represent the Mu Family in the Priest examination to keep the fief.
So rest assured, they will absolutely not gossip about your identity or past, and will treat you as one of their own from the Mu Family." Ye Yi’an said.
"Moreover, as you must have noticed their respect for me, since I said you are an old friend, they would not doubt your origins, nor would they suspect you or discuss anything privately." Ye Yi’an added.
"That’s true." At this point, Mu Hanyan felt her worries were somewhat unnecessary.
The villagers originally mistook her for a Temple Priest, and upon hearing she was an old friend of Ye Yi’an, given their veneration for him, they wouldn’t doubt her origins. Besides, they dared to place their hopes on the completely unknown Ling Baobao, so how could they question her background?