Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3574: The Awakened Guardians

Awakening the Guardian Beast Spirits required enormous amounts of energy.

The spirits were not weak entities.

They were fragments of beings that once stood at the peak of existence. Maintaining their consciousness required tremendous power. That was why the Tournament of the Guardian Beasts was held every hundred years.

The time was not arbitrary.

A hundred years was the amount of time required for the temple arrays and the faith of countless worshippers to accumulate enough spiritual energy for the spirits to awaken once again.

Of course, the spirits maintained emergency reserves.

If a world faced catastrophic danger, the temple could awaken them.

But such emergencies were rare.

And this moment...

Was clearly not one.

Which made what had just happened utterly incomprehensible.

Temple Head Puyi felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

Just how had Lin Mu awakened them?

Above the temple floor, the two spirits slowly turned their immense heads.

Their eyes swept across the hall.

They looked confused.

Disoriented.

The Vermilion Bird’s wings flickered slightly as if adjusting to the sudden awakening.

Their voices carried a faint grogginess. Like ancient beings who had been roused from deep slumber.

The Azure Dragon spoke first, its voice echoed through the hall like distant thunder.

"Who... has awakened us?"

The Vermilion Bird tilted its head slightly.

"...This aura..."

"It feels... familiar."

Their gazes finally settled on Lin Mu.

Both spirits paused as if they could feel something.

A faint resonance.

Inside the human standing before them.

It was subtle.

Not overwhelming.

But unmistakable.

The aura of the Azure Dragon and the aura of the Vermilion Bird.

Both of them.

The two spirits exchanged glances.

This was... strange.

There had been cultivators in the past who carried the bloodline of a Guardian Beast.

Rare individuals who had inherited a fragment of their power.

Such cultivators could sometimes awaken a spirit. But that usually required a fully assimilated bloodline. And even then it would only resonate with one beast... Not two.

Yet the man before them clearly carried traces of both.

Still...

The resonance should not have been strong enough to wake them.

Which meant something unusual had happened.

Lin Mu stepped forward slightly.

He cupped his fists respectfully and bowed.

"This junior greets the honored Guardian Spirits."

Temple Head Puyi immediately followed suit.

"This junior greets the revered guardians."

Only then did the two spirits finally notice him.

The Vermilion Bird blinked.

"Oh."

"It is you."

The Azure Dragon nodded slowly.

"Temple Head."

They recognized him instantly.

After all, Puyi was the person who interacted with them most frequently. Whenever the spirits awakened during rituals or tournaments, he was always present.

Temple Head Puyi raised his head cautiously.

"Honored guardians... this junior wishes to ask..."

"Why have you awakened now?"

The Azure Dragon’s long body shifted slightly through the air.

Its voice rumbled again.

"We felt... the call of kin."

Temple Head Puyi’s eyes widened.

That confirmed it.

The resonance had truly come from Lin Mu.

But the Vermilion Bird was still studying the human carefully.

Its fiery eyes narrowed slightly.

"You."

"How did you awaken us?"

"And why do you carry our aura?"

The question hung in the air.

Lin Mu had expected this.

There was no point trying to hide anything from beings like them.

He spoke honestly.

"This junior consumed Bloodline Essence Crystals belonging to both the Azure Dragon and the Vermilion Bird."

Temple Head Puyi nearly fainted.

Consumed?!

Bloodline Essence Crystals?!

Those were among the most precious treasures connected to the Guardian Beasts.

The two spirits were also clearly surprised.

Their immense forms shifted slightly.

But Lin Mu continued speaking calmly.

"However, this junior did not assimilate the bloodlines."

"I only used the vitality contained within the crystals."

The Azure Dragon’s eyes narrowed.

"For what purpose?"

Lin Mu lowered his gaze slightly.

"To save someone."

"A close friend of mine."

"She had been afflicted by a powerful curse made from Death Qi. The vitality within the bloodline essence was the only thing capable of preserving her life."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Her name is Lady Kang."

"This junior used the essence to neutralize the curse and stabilize her life force."

The temple hall fell silent.

Even the twins stopped poking Meng Bai.

Little Shrubby lowered his recording jade slip slightly.

The two Guardian Spirits studied Lin Mu carefully.

Their expressions were difficult to read.

But there was no anger in their eyes.

Only curiosity.

The Vermilion Bird spoke softly.

"You used our bloodline essence..."

"...not for power."

"But to save another life."

The Azure Dragon slowly exhaled a deep breath.

The air within the temple rippled from the force of it.

"Interesting."

Temple Head Puyi looked between Lin Mu and the two spirits with disbelief.

A human who had consumed two Guardian Beast bloodline essences...

And did not even assimilate them.

Instead he used them simply to save someone else.

Even the ancient temple keeper had never heard of such a thing.

Meanwhile, Meng Bai finally twitched again.

He whispered weakly.

"...I think my brain is broken."

The twins hissed in agreement.

Little Shrubby resumed recording enthusiastically.

The revelation left the temple hall in stunned silence.

For several moments neither the Azure Dragon nor the Vermilion Bird spoke.

Even their massive illusory forms seemed slightly frozen, as if the two ancient spirits were processing the absurdity of what they had just heard.

The Vermilion Bird was the first to react.

Her flaming wings flickered as she slowly tilted her head toward Lin Mu.

"You consumed..."

"...our bloodline essence crystals."

Her voice carried a strange tone now.

Not anger or admiration but something else... Something in between.

Then she continued slowly.

"To save someone."

Lin Mu nodded.

"Yes."

The Azure Dragon’s massive body shifted slightly, coils of azure light swirling through the air like storm clouds.

Its deep voice echoed through the hall.

"You risked your life."

Lin Mu did not deny it.

"Yes."

The Vermilion Bird stared at him for a long moment.

Then she said something that perfectly summarized what both guardians were thinking.