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The old Daoist was dumbfounded. The so-called Animation Technique was, in truth, merely a spell capable of turning the still into motion. For example, just like before, it could make an immobile Buddha statue move.

It looked mysterious and profound, but in reality, it could only frighten ordinary people. Because even if the Buddha statue moved… it was still just a statue. It could never truly become a monster.

Naturally, that meant it could not possess intelligence, nor could it feel fear. And it definitely should not have been terrified into fleeing by a harmless-looking little girl! Yet it had run. Right before his eyes.

No matter how unreasonable it was, reality had unfolded exactly that way.

‘Gulp…’ The old Daoist swallowed hard, then stiffly turned his head to look at Lilith.

Lilith casually stuffed the black club back into her skirt, clapped the dust off her hands, and tilted her head toward the old Daoist. A faintly amused smile lingered on her face. “What’s wrong? I already chased the monster away, and you’re still scared? Or maybe… it ran so fast that you’re reluctant to part with it?”

“H-How could that be? The monster being driven away is something I should be celebrating.” The old Daoist wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead and forced out an awkward laugh.

No spirit power. No matter how he investigated, this seemingly harmless little girl truly possessed no spirit power at all.

Which meant… Was it that club? A magical artifact? But why could he not even discern what type of artifact it was? And judging by how easily she stuffed it into her skirt, the club most likely even contained its own storage space.

Artifacts capable of carrying their own storage dimensions were, for the most part… incredibly precious. Even he, the Seventh Elder of the Immortal Cloud Pavilion, only possessed two treasures of that caliber at most.

But if she truly had no spirit power, then how was she activating the artifact? The old Daoist’s thoughts raced wildly as countless possibilities flashed through his mind.

In the end, his conclusion settled on one possibility: some hidden senior expert had deliberately infused spirit power into the artifact beforehand, allowing the little girl to use it without relying on her own power.

If that was the case, then this little girl’s background was probably far from ordinary. Most likely, she was the descendant of some ancient monster-level expert. As for the possibility that the little girl herself was overwhelmingly powerful… The old Daoist rejected it immediately.

Because for someone to hide their cultivation from his perception, their realm would have to be at least peak Ninth Heaven Saint Realm! And in this world, the only beings at peak Ninth Heaven Saint Realm were the former sect master of the Immortal Cloud Pavilion and that existence imprisoned beneath Maplefall Town.

“Sigh… it seems I have been too arrogant and too dismissive of the people of this world.” The old Daoist suddenly clasped his hands behind his back and let out a weary sigh filled with age.

Since that little girl could produce such a treasure, then curing an illness was likely no difficult matter for her at all. “Forget it, forget it. Everything follows fate. It is I who became too obsessed.” Shaking his head, the old Daoist turned and walked outside.

“Huh? You’re leaving already?” Liana blinked in confusion, unable to understand why the old Daoist’s attitude had changed so drastically before and after.

“Hehe, since I am no longer needed here, there is little meaning in staying.” The old Daoist stood at the doorway and looked back. The breeze outside stirred his white hair and beard, finally giving him the appearance of a true immortal sage.

“However, the things I said earlier still stand. Little Liana, if you ever wish to become my disciple, you may come to the Immortal Cloud Pavilion to find me at any time. Ah, though recently may not work. I still have matters to handle in Maplefall Town.”

After thinking for a moment, the old Daoist tossed a talisman paper toward Liana. “Take this. If you make up your mind, simply ignite the talisman, and I will come find you myself.”

After saying that, the old Daoist hurriedly departed. In the direction the Buddha statue had fled. The Animation Technique had not yet been dispelled. If it caused some kind of trouble, things would become troublesome. He needed to catch the statue as quickly as possible.

“What a strange old grandpa…” Watching his departing figure, Liana scratched her head in confusion, still unable to make sense of him.

She lowered her head to look at the talisman paper in her hand. The yellow talisman appeared ancient and worn, covered in symbols she could not understand at all, yet she could clearly feel an unusual fluctuation flowing from it.

It did not feel like it was merely meant for communication alone.

“Just keep it.” Lilith said casually, “At the very least, he probably doesn’t have any ill intentions, and the fact that he’s from the Immortal Cloud Pavilion should be real as well.”

And if Liana truly possessed the so-called Netherfiend Physique the old Daoist spoke of, then the Immortal Cloud Pavilion really would be the best place for her. After learning about Liana’s physique, Lilith found Landon increasingly difficult to trust.

“Alright then.” Liana obediently put away the talisman paper. But when she looked back at Lilith, she discovered her squatting in a corner, rummaging through a tattered cloth bag covered in patches. “What’s that?”

“No idea. Picked it up off the ground. Judging from how shabby it is, it was probably left behind by some beggar who once stayed in this temple.” Lilith searched through the bag for quite a while, only to pull out a few stones and a fiery red maple leaf. “What kind of lousy beggar was this? No ambition at all. Stuffing nothing but broken rocks and dead leaves into the bag.”

Having originally hoped to uncover some sort of treasure, Lilith tossed the ragged bag aside in disappointment. The moment she shook it, a plain and inconspicuous little booklet slipped out from inside.

“What’s this…” Lilith picked up the booklet and read the words written on the cover. “Bestiary of Hundred Demons?” She casually flipped through a few pages. Gradually, her eyes began to brighten. “This actually… looks pretty interesting.”

***

A few minutes later, Lilith also departed with Liana. The ruined temple instantly became empty and silent. With even the Buddha statue gone, the place felt eerily quiet.

“Holy crap, my bag!” A startled shout suddenly shattered the silence. The old Daoist from earlier hurriedly rushed back inside, as though something urgent had happened. Only after spotting the ragged bag lying in the corner did he finally let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, the bag’s still here. The Stabilizing Stone and the core haven’t been lost either.”

He rummaged through the bag, and only after confirming that the two most important items were safe did he finally relax completely. “Sigh, I’m still not used to carrying these things around. If they get lost, the consequences would be disastrous. Unfortunately, these items can’t be stored inside spatial artifacts.”

He shook his head and prepared to leave. “Hm? Those two little girls already left?” He swept his gaze across the temple and discovered that it was already completely empty. “I had originally planned to give them a ride. But since fate did not align, there’s nothing to be done.”

Judging from the two girls’ direction, they were probably also heading toward Maplefall Town. However, from here to Maplefall Town, it would take at least two full days on foot. The moment he imagined that irritating little girl having to endure two days of sleeping outdoors and rough travel, the old Daoist felt an especially satisfying sense of delight.

“This is the price of provoking me!” With a sweep of his sleeve, an ancient longsword instantly floated before him. He lightly stepped onto the sword, then soared into the air riding it!

At his sword-flight speed, he could reach Maplefall Town in less than an hour!

“Judging from that little girl’s artifact, it probably can’t fly. If I happen to run into them on the road, I can mock her a little. Though my future disciple will suffer because of it. Ah, right! The Buddha statue! I still haven’t caught it yet!”

The old Daoist hurriedly drove his flying sword forward, transforming into a streak of golden light that vanished into the distance in an instant.