The Metal God inclined her head with resignation. “The temples of the five elements oversee territory populated by beings from existences past. You will not find any opponents here.”

“Existences past?” Lu Yun frowned.

“Your Tome of Life and Death isn’t the notion of dao begetting one,” the Metal God explained. “After the mighty uprising, countless existences were born in the nothing…”

“Stop!” Lu Yun interrupted as she was about to launch into a detailed recounting of history. He stuck to his goal. “Where do I go if I want to increase my strength?”

“Continue north on this road until you see a big door. You’ll reach the other temples if you walk through it—wait, aren’t you going to consider what I just said?”

“Nope, farewell.” Lu Yun raised cupped...