Chapter 369 - Entering The Ancestral Temple
A couple of guards blocked Lin Mu when he got closer, but then a voice called out.
"Let Lord Mu Lin pass!" Wu Hei ordered.
Hearing that the person in front of him was a lord suddenly made the guards anxious. They wondered if they had accidentally offended an aristocrat and were bracing for the punishment, but surprisingly the person in front of them had no reaction to it.
They moved aside and let Lin Mu pass, still feeling a bit speechless.
"Have you ever seen an aristocrat act like that?" one of the guards asked the other.
"Very few… but they are in the minority… seems like we were lucky." The other guard muttered.
Lin Mu was observed by the other people that were wanting to enter the Ancestral Temple. All of them were either Aristocrats, or officials of the nearby sects. Lin Mu particularly paid attention to the sect officials and tried to recognize which sect they were from.
Lin Mu secretly took a breath of relief, seeing that they were actually from small sects that were not that powerful.
"Makes sense, a cultivator wouldn't particularly come to visit an ancestral temple once they have severed their mortal ties," Xukong spoke.
Lin Mu nodded his head, ignoring the curious gazes of the people. The sect officials looked away rather quickly, but the aristocrats were still wondering about his identity. They were from different places, but could still tell that the person in front of them was not normal.
No normal aristocrat would walk around that casually in clothes like that.
"Who is he?" One of the younger aristocrats questioned another.
"I heard Lord Wu Hei call him, Mu Lin. Do you know the clan he's from?" The other one replied.
"Hmm, I know of a couple of Mu clans but they are not aristocrats." Another person added.
"Greeting brother Mu Lin." Wu Hei spoke out loud intentionally with a smile.
Seeing their host greeting the person who had just come personally, made them confirm his identity. Wu Hei took a quick glance around and was satisfied by the result. This was another one of his methods that he was using to softly introducing Lin Mu to the others.
If Lin Mu directly turned up at the tournament, it would be a bit problematic and others could be suspicious. Wu Hei had thought of this method after seeing Lin Mu's demonstration last night. If Lin Mu truly ended up doing something on that level in the tournament, the others would question his motives.
Someone like Lin Mu would rightfully be worthy of cultivation sect and they would wonder if Wu Hei was cheating or something.
"Greetings lord Hei, I hope I was not late." Lin Mu replied seeing the door of the temple was still closed.
"Oh no, you are not late. The priests should be ready to open the doors at any moment." Wu Hei said, and the very next moment a sound was heard.
~Rumble~
The two big doors of the ancestral temple moved and the people could finally see the inside of the Temple. The door was opened by two priests and they seemed to be middle aged.
Wu Hei cupped his hands and slightly bowed his head in respect. "We greet the priests of the ancestral Temple. May the spirits of ancestries bring us prosperity." He greeted out loud.
The others responded similarly, and Lin Mu hurriedly did the same.
The priests on the other hand did not react at all and simply looked on, without a change of expression.
"Please, come in." The priests spoke in a calm tone.
Wu Hei nodded and gestured for everyone to enter. Lin Mu was right beside Wu Hei and was looking at the temple with interest. This was the first time that he had seen the inside of the temple and was feeling curious about everything.
The Ancestral temple was actually quite large, but it only had one floor. The entrance door led them to a small hall that was relatively empty and had a plain stone floor. They continued onward and were brought to the next pair of doors.
These doors were inscribed with protective prayers, and Lin Mu could tell that they were quite old. In fact, they seemed to be older than the walls of the temple. He could even feel the aura that was present on the doors.
"That aura is the amalgamation of many years of prayers of the priests. It has been imbued with their very intent and is close to becoming a treasure on its own." Xukong explained.
Lin Mu had not expected for something like this to be possible. He could not feel a single fluctuation of spirit qi from the doors, but the aura on it was still strong. Finally, the doors opened and the great ancestral tablets were visible to everyone.
There were tens of thousands of stone tablets, carved with the names of ancestors of the people placed in the center. They were elevated on a black platform that seemed to be made out of some kind of rock, yet it was polished enough that the flicker of the lamp flames could be reflected off of them.
The stone tablets were of different sizes and were placed in a circular pattern. The small ones to the outer area and the bigger ones in the inner area. The center of the platform was occupied by a five meter tall stone tablet, which was the biggest one of them all.
The name that was written on it had nearly faded away and could not be made out properly. Even the obituary that was carved on the stone had withered away due to wear and tear over the countless years it had stood here.
The people who had made great contributions or had a good status were the only ones that would have a chance to get their tablet placed here after their death. Lin Mu curiously looked around and tried to see if there were any stone tablets with the name 'Lin' on it.
He was curious if there was anyone among his ancestors that had been venerated here.
"Hmm… not the 'Lin' I want…" Lin Mu muttered to himself