Worldwide Awakening: My Soul Kinds Are Lost-Chapter 513: Another Explanation? You Guys Put Out a Warrant on Him_1
Li Qinglian left, departing from Dai Temple without the slightest reluctance. Not long after, Wang Linchi received news of the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign’s demise.
Indeed, it was Li Qinglian’s doing, and it had stirred up considerable chaos in Springhead City.
Enemies seemed to spring up on all sides, but Wang Linchi knew that Li Qinglian had already begun to unlock the bloodline power within him. As for how he had managed to kill the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign, Wang Linchi had a rough understanding: it seemed Li Qinglian had won by using Unpredicted Prophet from the very beginning, with the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign never even realizing what was happening.
The incident was quickly exposed, and Li Qinglian, along with members of the Human Association, swiftly evacuated Springhead City.
Wang Linchi really wanted to ask—Li Qinglian had caused this mess, yet now people were at his door demanding an explanation from *him*, Wang Linchi. Their reasoning was clear: The man was raised by you, the Temple Master of Dai Temple. If you didn’t secretly instruct him, who did?
From the very beginning, it seemed Li Qinglian harbored little affection for Wang Linchi, treating him more like a tool. Otherwise, if he had shown even a little more consideration, things would not have escalated to this point.
Luckily, I’m not a full-fledged Temple Master, Wang Linchi thought, otherwise, I would have definitely died here this time.
"Explanation? What sort of explanation are you looking for?" Wang Linchi asked, his tone nonchalant.
The Temple Masters from the four major Demon God Temples in Springhead City, along with those from some smaller temples, had gathered. Of course, there were originally five major temples, but with the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign dead, his Demon God Temple was naturally delisted. Without their Demon God, the Temple Master and his followers lost their Divine Arts. They were no longer considered part of the group and were all dismissed and scattered.
"It’s about Li Qinglian killing the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign," said the Temple Master of the Gray-haired True Immortal, who appeared to be leading the group.
The Gray-haired True Immortal was a giant gray rat, hence its name. It had always been the perennial second-in-command, but with the death of the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign, it had now risen to the top.
"So you think I orchestrated it?" Wang Linchi asked mockingly. "What do Li Qinglian’s actions have to do with me? If you want him, go hunt him down yourselves."
"He was your disciple, raised by you. Who else should we approach if not you?" the Temple Master of the Gray-haired True Immortal retorted without hesitation.
"Do you think someone with his personality could have been nurtured by me? All these years, I haven’t made a move against any of you, not because I fear you, but because I wish to avoid trouble," Wang Linchi stated leisurely.
The others couldn’t help but pause, recalling past events. Wang Linchi had single-handedly thrashed all of them, even physically hanging them upside down.
"Still, you have to give us an explanation," one of them pressed, their tone slightly softer after the implied threat, though the underlying demand remained. "Li Qinglian was raised by you and left from your Dai Temple. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to shirk all responsibility?"
"Explanation? I want an explanation myself!" Wang Linchi countered. "That kid has always been a maverick. He ran off down the mountain and caused this mess; how could I possibly know?"
"Besides," Wang Linchi added with a rhetorical question, "he can even kill the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign. What could I possibly do against him?"
His words silenced everyone; it seemed he had a point.
After all, Li Qinglian could even kill a Demon God. Wang Linchi, like them, was a Temple Master who relied on Divine Arts; he wouldn’t have the ability to confront Li Qinglian directly. Therefore, the matter would likely be handed over to the Court to issue an arrest warrant and dispatch pursuers, and then it would probably just fizzle out. Since a Demon God had been killed by Li Qinglian, they were clearly no match for him either. Even if Li Qinglian’s slaying of the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign seemed to involve many coincidences, the fact remained that the God Sovereign had been killed, and no amount of coincidence could change that.
"I understand," Wang Linchi finally said. "You all want to save face. Fine. I won’t interfere in your pursuit of Li Qinglian."
Is that all? the other Temple Masters wanted to retort. You should at least give us something tangible. We’d even accept smashing up your Dai Temple, or at least its outer walls!
Instead, Wang Linchi was only offering them a way to save face verbally, unwilling to incur any actual loss himself. This left them quite exasperated. They considered resorting to force, but the sight of the heavily armored Underworld Soldiers standing nearby deterred them.
In recent years, Dai Temple had experienced something of a resurgence. This was largely due to numerous Rebel Armies rising up under the banner of Dai Temple’s Dongyue Tianqi Emperor of Life and Benevolence, which brought in a significant amount of incense offerings and faith. Of course, this was merely an external misconception. In reality, only two Dai Temples remained: the Mount Tai Ancestral Court and the Springhead City Temple where Wang Linchi resided. The few other Dai Temples that had once existed had long since been destroyed by the flames of war. Springhead City, however, was relatively untouched by the conflict, making it one of the rare safe zones. Other places weren’t so fortunate; the turmoil of war was no mere saying, and chaos reigned supreme.
Given this, and seeing Wang Linchi’s composure and the Underworld Soldiers, the assembled Temple Masters knew they couldn’t force his hand. Wang Linchi felt he had already given them enough face by engaging. If he were to simply have them all thrown out, they would have no recourse. Their Divine Arts were inferior to his, so what else could they do? They couldn’t possibly resort to divine possession; things hadn’t reached that point. Besides, it wasn’t *their* Demon God who had died. Invoking divine possession would shorten their own lifespans. After weighing the pros and cons, they felt Wang Linchi had a point. As for whether their own Demon Gods would be dissatisfied, that was another matter entirely. If the Demon Gods had the ability, they could find someone else to do the job; if not, the Temple Masters would just have to endure it.
Indeed, after the death of the Mysterious Tiger God Sovereign, the faith of most believers had waned. Everyone realized that even Demon Gods could die, and at the hands of an ordinary person no less. The invincible image that all believers previously held had been shattered.
"So, are you satisfied with this face-saving gesture? If not, we can continue negotiating. But, it’ll cost you extra," Wang Linchi said with a wide grin.
Wang Linchi naturally wouldn’t let this opportunity slip. The basic face-saving gesture was free; at most, he’d turn a blind eye. But if they wanted more face, he wouldn’t give it to them for free—not unless they offered a price that satisfied him.
Everyone felt a collective headache. Wang Linchi was still the same money-grubber. If they agreed, they’d have to bleed heavily; if they didn’t, they could report back, but they’d inevitably face punishment. Demon Gods weren’t benevolent deities; they were genuinely evil gods. Even though they were Temple Masters, if they failed to complete their tasks or if their performance didn’t satisfy their Demon God, punishment was unavoidable.
"Name your price. We’ll all chip in," the Temple Master of the Gray-haired True Immortal said helplessly. This definitely had to be a collective expense; it couldn’t fall on just one Temple Master. By sharing the cost, even if there was no discount, everyone would suffer the loss together, which made it slightly more bearable for them.
"Now, now, what’s this about ’chipping in’?" Wang Linchi chided. "Just take out your things. We’ll follow the old rules: I’ll take one item from each of you."
"Don’t hoard anything," he warned, a look on his face that suggested he was doing this for their own good. "If I catch you, don’t blame me for being impolite."
Hearing this made everyone’s head swim. Nevertheless, they paid up what was due to complete their mission. Besides, Wang Linchi was known for his integrity in these matters: he said he’d take one item, and he’d take only one, never more—unless you tried to be clever.
The Temple Master of the Gray-haired True Immortal was the first to present his items for Wang Linchi to choose from. He had to take the lead. Though it wasn’t exactly a glorious task, some expenses just couldn’t be avoided.
Wang Linchi quickly picked his items and then said, "Okay, now let’s hear your plan."
"At the very least, we have to smash a section of the wall..." the Temple Master of the Gray-haired True Immortal said.
"Such small thinking..." Wang Linchi tutted. "Let’s aim higher. Why not smash the main hall directly? Just don’t touch the divine statue," he "kindly" suggested, upping the ante.
"No, no, no, let’s skip that! Just damaging the outer perimeter will be enough," the Temple Master of the Gray-haired True Immortal hastily declined. This temple isn’t that large to begin with. Smash the main hall? The true deity resides in there! If we smashed it, we’d be finished too! Dai Temple might be in decline, but a god was still a god—not something a group of Temple Masters like them could afford to offend. Besides, they weren’t sure if this was one of Wang Linchi’s insidious schemes. What if, after they actually smashed it, he had his Underworld Soldiers kill them all? If word of that got out, their respective Demon God Temples would be in the wrong and wouldn’t dare to respond directly.
"Alright then. What about the repairs afterward?" Wang Linchi asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. He had actually hoped they’d go for the main hall; then he could really blow things up and rake in another fortune.
"We’ll handle that!"
Such a trivial matter was nothing to these Temple Masters.
"Excellent, that’s beautifully handled. I’ll leave it to you then." These fellows are pretty good at adapting to circumstances and reading expressions, Wang Linchi thought. Probably a skill honed from serving Demon Gods. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
"Alright. If there are no other problems, shall we begin then?" Now that the deal was struck and the money received, it was time for action.
"Go ahead," Wang Linchi said. "Oh, by the way, would you like to add a bit more money? I can provide a performance of wailing and lamenting while you’re smashing things." He had a whole suite of follow-up services.
"N-no... that won’t be necessary." The Temple Masters’ eyelids twitched. If they added any more money, they feared they’d be leaving in nothing but their underpants.
