Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Chapter 396: Exploring the Temple

Jack, Brock, and Min Ling glanced at each other. Brock shrugged.

They started walking. After a few minutes, they emerged into a slightly larger cavern, empty if not for the twenty B-Grades staring them down. The pressure was palpable.

As soon as they appeared, Monk Uruselam chuckled, while Spacewind exclaimed, What are you doing here?

We were trying to escape a dragon, Min Ling replied simply.

Jack took in the people present. Though twenty-four B-Grades had entered this place, only twenty remained. A casualty rate of one-sixth was no joke, especially since they hadnt reached the main part of the temple yet.

Suddenly, Spacewinds mind shook. He had gotten past his initial surprise and realized that Min Ling, the woman he desired, had shown up together with Jack Rust, whom he viewed as his opponent. The two had doubtlessly adventured together so far, giving Jack time to flirt and pursue her. Perhaps hed even succeeded.

Spacewinds gaze grew frigid. He snorted coldly, then turned around. You will follow us, he said. Remain at the back. You will not fight, nor will you touch any treasures. Do you understand?

Yes, sir, Min Ling replied calmly.

Uruselam laughed kindly, cupping his hands before his chest. It is unfortunate that you had to come here. Since that is the case, let us hope you stay safe. We will do our best to protect you.

There was nothing Uruselam would like more than to instantly kill them all. They were enemies. However, with Spacewind present, he didnt dare move on the Churchs budding talents.

The rest of the B-Grades gave the new arrivals various looks. Some bore mockerythey enjoyed how these proud geniuses had bitten off more than they could chew and would now return empty-handed. After all, all of them had been inferior to Jack and Min Ling when at the C-Grade, so they felt envy and bitterness.

Only a few people showed looks of regret. By entering the core area, Jack and Min Ling were basically doomed to waste their time in the hidden realm. To geniuses like them, that was unfortunate.

The two Envoys that Jack was familiar with, Borkuren and Ashly, were part of this latter group.

Were moving, Spacewind said coldly, stepping over the corpse of a fifteen-foot-tall dragon-faced humanoidthe former guardian of this cavern.

Everyone fell into formation. They didnt speak much. Jack, Brock, and Min Ling were positioned somewhere in the middle, where they would be protected.

Jack noticed that the front of their formation was not occupied by Spacewind or Uruselam, the strongest people present. Instead, other B-Grades had taken the lead, walking slowly and very carefully investigating the path ahead.

Theyre afraid of traps, Min Ling said telepathically. Since this is a high-level place, any trap might be deadly to the people in front, whether theyre Spacewind or a weaker B-Grade. Thats why those other cultivators are walking aheadtheyre acting as meatshields.

Jack nodded. He had come to the same conclusion.

Thanks to the B-Grades careful approach, nobody had a problem keeping up. However, that meant they were moving slowly, and the temple was a massive place. Tunnels snaked in all directions. There were many intersections. Every time they met one, Uruselam would use divinationafter praying with his eyes closed for some time, he would point them at the correct way forward.

Like this, they slowly entered deeper into the mountain temple. Hours passed, but to people like them, walking for this long was nothing. As they delved deeper, the scenery began to change. The earthen walls darkened, while the fluorescent green moss was replaced by blue and purplethe felling was like entering a mysterious, underground cave complex.

The difficulty also shot up.

Almost everyone here was a B-Grade. Their status was exalted across the universe. If any of these people came to the Milky Way galaxy, they would be one of the strongest cultivators there, being able to form their own B-Grade faction and rule over a constellation.

In this temple, however, these people were nothing but foot soldiers.

Traps sprang unbridled. One time, a thin arrow was launched from the wall, instantly penetrating the leading B-Grades throat. Before anyone could react, that cultivator had melted into a puddle of goo. Everything had happened in a hundredth of a blink of an eye.

The rest of the cultivators present were shocked. Uruselam sighed, then cupped his hands and muttered something in prayer. Regrettable, truly regrettable. A good life lost. You will be remembered, he said, waving his hand and pulling the puddle of goo into his space ringthe dead B-Grade had been from the Hand of God. Benefactor Ren, would you do us the honor?

The woman called Ren gulped. She looked around, but there was no escaping this. She took to the front. Then, as slowly as the others allowed her, she cautiously inched forward.

Entering such a high level dungeon was both a fortune and a misfortune. If they survived, they would receive all sorts of wondrous treasures. However, a single step could lead to their deaths.

Throughout the exploration, the B-Grades took turns leading the group. They would change every hour or when someone died. Thankfully, while traps were common, deaths werent.

Spacewind and Uruselam, as the leaders of their respective groups, were excluded from meatshield duty. That was reasonable. The two were the strongest people present; if either of them died, the other would instantly act and exterminate everyone from the dead leaders faction.

Cultivators were not kind people. They were a group of vipers that would kill each other at the first opportunity. Even the kind-sounding Uruselam was no exceptionhe was only faking kindness, for his own reasons.

Jack, Brock, and Min Ling never took to the front. With their strength, they would die near instantly, and as much as Spacewind disliked Jack, he couldnt justify murdering his factions greatest talents.

They didnt meet only traps. Occasionally, monsters would spring from the walls, attacking the cultivators. They saw groups of draconic termites and all sorts of draconic insects. They ran into patrolling guardians of the temple, who were humanoids made of stone with dragon-shaped heads. Each of these guardians was at the early B-Grade.

These fights were swift and usually without casualties on the cultivator side. They were almost twenty people strongthe guards, who came in groups of three to five, were not a match.

The strongest enemy they ran into was a massive millipede, wide enough to fit the tunnel. Thankfully, they had heard its chittering from afar and prepared. Though it was at the middle B-Grade, the cultivators had worked together to defeat it without a single casualty. A few people had been injured, but nothing some medicine couldnt fix.

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The weirdest thing, however, was that even when B-Grades battled, the tunnel walls did not break. Only a few cracks appeared, quickly healing themselves. This place was clearly enhanced with superior Daos to withstand extreme impacts.

In all these battles, Jack was carefully observing the power of B-Grades. They did not just use the ambient Dao, as C-Grades did; instead, they erupted with power from the inside, presumably from their inner world. That power was far more than what a human body could handle. Even under the suppression of this temples heavy Dao, the B-Grades could make the walls shake for miles. Spacewind and Uruselam were especially fierce.

After his recent breakthrough, Jack was confident he was the strongest C-Grade of the Cathedral besides Min Ling. Yet, seeing these B-Grades fight, he had to admit that he wasnt their match at all. Even the weakest could easily defeat him.

However, perhaps in a few more fruits

Two days passed. Out of the twenty B-Grades, sixteen remained, and that was after they had taken every possible precaution while traveling. At this point, everyone was shaken. They had no idea how long they still had to go; if this exploration continued for a week, wouldnt they all die?

Moreover, nobody knew who the next victim would be. Despite their every precaution, some traps were just impossible to discover.

Cultivators liked to risk their lives for treasure, but that didnt mean they would commit suicide by temple. One third of their number had died and they had only found minor treasures. It was disheartening. Thoughts of retreat were already going through most peoples minds, but nobody dared say it out aloud.

Throughout the exploration, Uruselams directions had often led them to exit portals. They were oval doors embedded in the walls, made not of wood but of warped space. Stepping into one would deliver the cultivators directly outside the hidden realm. These portals emitted an aura which confused Uruselams methods, making them walk in circles and slowing down their progress.

Of course, nobody used the portals, but they amplified the thoughts of retreat in various peoples minds.

At some point, however, Uruselam paused. Wait, he said. Everyone froze mid-step.

What is it? Spacewind asked.

I sense something up ahead. It should be He inhaled deeply as if trying to smell something. It should be treasure.

The cultivators eyes lit up. They advanced carefully, and only half an hour later, their tunnel opened up into what seemed like an indoor forest. A cave thousands of feet tall appeared before them. It stretched on for miles, occupying a good part of the mountains volume, and it was filled with lush greenery. Despite the lack of natural sunlight, all the plants were thriving; the life energy was at its densest here.

There was also a set of great double doors at the back of the cave, standing over a hundred feet tall.

As soon as the cultivators entered the cave, the intense fragrance of the Dao assaulted their nostrils, even infiltrating their bodies from their pores. Just this fragrance was highly beneficial. If an F-Grade mortal took a single breath here, they could level up a few times and extend their life by ten years.

This must be the temples medicine garden, Uruselam said slowly. After being left alone here for who knows how long, the spiritual plants must have grown to unimaginable heights Our efforts were not for naught. This is a great harvest!

Spiritual plants were plants that contained pure Dao energy. They could either be directly consumed by cultivators or made into pills. The tree dragon that Jack and Brock had found before was also a spiritual plant, though intelligent. The more docile plants were sometimes gathered by strong cultivators and planted in special medicine gardens, where they could be grown and regularly harvested for millennia. These gardens often served as the backbone of powerful factions.

The Black Hole Church had its own medicine gardens, as did all the B-Grade factions of Jacks home galaxy. It was just that they were so closely guarded hed never had a chance to see them.

Most importantly, such places almost never had guardians or traps, as any strong disturbance could destroy many precious plants.

Disperse, everyone, Spacewind said, already flying ahead. Anything you find belongs to you!

The B-Grades didnt need to be told twice. They instantly spread out in all directions. Due to the ever-present Life Dao, using ones perception to discover spiritual plants was difficult. They had to search using their own eyes and hands, shuffling through the greenery to find them.

Still, nobody complained. The plants grown here would be very precious. Any one they found represented a small fortune!

Jack, Min Ling, and Brock also spread out to search. Spacewind hadnt told them to stay away, and they werent idiots.

Jack dove into the greenery. His connection to the Dao of Life gave him a slight advantage, but it was nothing compared to the B-Grades higher speed and sharper senses. After searching for a while, however, he did discover a plant! It was a root buried almost entirely into the ground, resembling something between a potato and a carrot. Yet, despite its simple appearance, the wealth of pure Dao it contained was staggering. Just this simple root was as valuable as the two tree dragon fruits hed consumed before.

As he dug it out, he was full of smiles.

Oho, what a rare find! That is a Twisted Orange Root. Great job, a pleasant voice came from behind him. Jack turned to find Uruselam standing only a few feet away, his face covered by a kind smile. Coincidentally, I happen to need such a root. How about giving it to me, benefactor Jack? Ill compensate you fairly.

A small sack appeared in his hands. With a quick scan, Jack saw it contained a hundred Dao stones. His face darkened. That was a ridiculously low price for this root. To B-Grades, a hundred Dao stones were nothing, but treasures werent easy to find.

However, could he refuse?

Seeing him hesitate, Uruselam laughed good-heartedly and added, Here, Ill throw in another ten stones. I wouldn't want to make you refuse. That would be rude, and it would put you in quite the tight spot!

Though everything in his expression and words radiated kindness, they were actually malicious. He was just trying to bully Jack using his superior cultivation.

Jack didnt want to be taken advantage of like that. Uruselam wasnt even in the same faction. Spacewind would most likely protect him from any lashback.

Just as he was about to open his mouth and refuse, however, the wind whistled. Spacewind landed between the two of them, glaring at Uruselam. Why are you bullying my faction members? he asked.

Ohoho. I was simply making a trade offer. If benefactor Jack wants to refuse, he is free to do so.

There is no need. I refuse for him.

Jack raised his brow. Spacewind sounded pretty nice right now, but there was no way it was that simple. The two of them were enemies. If Spacewind helped him now, there was certainly another reason.

It didnt take long for that reason to be revealed. Spacewind turned to Jack and said, To a cultivator as weak as yourself, holding onto treasures could get you into trouble. Give me that root. Ill keep it for you until we exit.

Jack blinked. He was speechless. What keep until you exit? Spacewind would certainly take the root for himself, and he hadnt even offered a token price like Uruselam. He had just directly demanded the root!

Jack did not enjoy being bullied. Its fine. I would rather keep it myself, he replied.

Spacewinds face darkened. What did you say? he asked. Your survival is only due to my kindness. You messed up to enter the temple, and we didnt even have you lead the way as you ought to. Your survival is already a great bargain, but you also want treasures? Dream on!

Jack did not reply.

Give me the root, Spacewind added coldly, or I will use my authority to execute you on the spot as a traitor.

Jack snorted. You are bullying me.

Hand it over.

I will hand your mother, Jack wanted to reply, but he kept it in. He suspected that, if he kept pushing, Spacewind really would kill him on the spot, and there would be nothing he could do about it.

These were the woes of the weak. Before a powerful B-Grade, the current Jack could do nothing to resistbut that wouldnt be true forever. He would be sure to take revenge.

Take it, he replied coldly, tossing the root over. Spacewind received it into his ring.

I will make sure you pay a hundredfold, Jack thought in his mind as he turned around and walked away. He no longer searched for spiritual plants and directly flew to an empty area at the back of the cave, near the double doors. There was no point in finding anything only for Spacewind to take it away again.

Min Ling and Brock awaited him in that empty area. They were empty-handed and dark-faced; clearly, their experience had been similar to his. As the weakest people present, there was always someone who would wrestle away their benefits.

The three of them sat down and waited, cultivating in the meantime. An hour later, the B-Grades were done searching. They all gathered at the empty area. Nobody discussed what theyd foundinstead, they turned their eyes towards the set of large double doors at the end of the cave.

Brace yourselves, everyone, said Spacewind. This must be the main chamber. Who knows what awaits us.

He and Uruselam touched one side of the double doors each, and then they pushed together. The doors creaked open.