Lin Fan felt a bit nervous at the moment. This was his first time exploring an ancient ruin, and he had no idea what might be lurking inside.
The broken stupas around him were covered in moss, showing signs of extreme age. On their surfaces were imprints of dried black bloodstains, long since darkened by time.
“Master, this place feels unsettling,” Sha Dulong said, following closely behind Lin Fan, his eyes alertly scanning the surroundings. Even before entering that gaping, hellish gateway, he felt a chilling coldness seeping into his bones.
“Hmph,” Lin Fan murmured, his own nerves frayed. This wasn’t a joke. What he feared most was precisely this kind of eerie, shadowy environment. If it were a beast attack, he wouldn’t be so nervous—he could just fight for his life.
But the current situation unnerved him. He imagined a skeletal hand suddenly bursting from the ground, followed by a horrifying face appearing right in front of him. That kind of terror would break a person’s mind completely.
A flame crackled, its light illuminating the entrance’s darkness. Yet the firelight only reached a small area, barely revealing a few steps ahead.
Truly pitch-black, without a trace of daylight.
“You go outside and wait for me,” Lin Fan said. Originally, he had brought Sha Dulong along for a quick look around, but the current situation left him no choice.
If something happened inside, Lin Fan had the means to protect himself. But in his eyes, Sha Dulong was practically useless. He might die without even knowing how.
“Master, this…”
“I’ll be fine. Your cultivation is too low. If something happens inside, I’m afraid I won’t be able to protect you,” Lin Fan explained.
At that moment, Sha Dulong felt like crying. His cultivation wasn’t low—he was a Nascent Divinity Stage expert, after all. Yet hearing Lin Fan’s words made him feel helpless, and in the end, he could only silently retreat.
Although the outside environment was still gloomy and terrifying, compared to what lay ahead, he definitely preferred staying out here.
After Sha Dulong left, Lin Fan pressed forward. This Earth Temple was indeed tilted, and the steps at the entrance extended deep into the ground. Lin Fan couldn’t tell how wide the staircase was, but he could reach out and touch the wall beside him.
The walls were covered in thick layers of dust. As Lin Fan’s hand moved along, he felt indentations, as if something had struck them violently.
He didn’t know how many steps he had walked, but the deeper he went, the colder it became—so cold it pierced his bones.
“Pu pu…”
Suddenly, a sound of rising flames echoed. The torches on both sides of the wall abruptly ignited, casting away the darkness and revealing the surroundings.
At that moment, Lin Fan saw what lay ahead.
He extinguished his torch and carefully examined the area. He was now in a corridor. In the corners on both sides lay remnants of decayed human bones. Long years had turned the bones black, and coiled around them were thin, elongated venomous snakes.
Lin Fan took a deep breath, drew out his Eternal Axe, and continued forward.
Who the hell built this cursed Earth Temple? Why does it have to be so damn creepy?
As he reached the end of the corridor, his vision suddenly opened up.
The passage gave way to a vast hall.
Lin Fan scanned the area. In the hall, three sides held towering statues resembling giants.
The statues stood with palms joined. On each statue’s fingertips rested an ancient altar, covered in dense, intricate runes. But those runes had long since dimmed and lost their former brilliance.
As Lin Fan prepared to step forward for a closer look, he noticed something disturbing.
Lying before him were several corpses.
He immediately felt a jolt of shock. The clothing on these bodies—wasn’t that the uniform of the Fire Dao Sect?
He hurried forward, flipping over the face-down bodies. His heart sank. These Fire Dao disciples had become mummified, as if all their essence and vitality had been drained away. Their twisted, grotesque expressions made Lin Fan’s palms sweat.
This place was dangerous.
He examined each corpse. Six in total. Thinking back to that day, the Fire Dao Sect had sent over a dozen disciples. Where were the others?
Where was Liu Yi Yuan?
At that moment, Lin Fan looked up at the statues and suddenly noticed something. The ancient altars resting on the statues’ fingertips were open.
He scanned them one by one. Except for the grander statue directly ahead, whose altar remained sealed, all the others had been opened.
At once, Lin Fan deduced the situation. Liu Yi Yuan and the others must have arrived before him, opened these altars, and released something terrifying, leading to their demise.
Suddenly, Lin Fan’s hair stood on end. It felt as though countless unseen eyes were locking onto him from the darkness.
“Who’s there?” Lin Fan shouted in alarm, scanning his surroundings warily.
Tap tap…
Footsteps—soft, light, and numerous.
When Lin Fan finally saw the silhouettes, he let out a sigh of relief. Among them was clearly Liu Yi Yuan.
“It’s you guys. I almost killed you by accident,” Lin Fan said with a relieved chuckle.
But then, something felt off.
Liu Yi Yuan and the others were emitting thick, dark auras. These black mists writhed as if possessed with consciousness.
Lin Fan immediately activated his system to scan them, his expression suddenly turning grim.
“Liu Yi Yuan (Deceased), possessed by You Xie.”
He counted the figures. The number matched exactly the number of opened altars.
What puzzled Lin Fan was why the altar on the statue directly ahead remained unopened.
“Die…”
Liu Yi Yuan, his eyes pitch black, rasped out in a hoarse, chilling voice.
Lin Fan instinctively took a step back, cursing inwardly. What the hell had Liu Yi Yuan and his group done to end up like this?
“Damn it, you think I’m scared of you bastards?” Without hesitation, Lin Fan raised the Eternal Axe high. Space trembled. The Heaven’s Sword technique activated, instantly manifesting a sword of sword-qi behind him.
Dual attack—axe and sword. He was ready to fight with everything he had.
The Dragon Emperor Domination combat skill activated.
At that moment, Lin Fan radiated golden light, a golden dragon swirling around him.
“Take this, you bastards!” Without another word, Lin Fan charged forward. Who cared what they were? He’d just cut them down first.
The Fire Dao disciples, now possessed by You Xie, exuded thick dark auras, resembling ancient evil demons. A surge of malevolent energy erupted toward Lin Fan.
“Break!”
Lin Fan unleashed his power. The Eternal Axe shot forward into the thick black mist.
Without pausing, Lin Fan extended a finger.
“One Finger of Annihilation!”
The space before him violently collapsed, and the dark mists, now twisted into demonic faces, screamed as they shattered like the space itself.
When fighting, one must give it their all. Even a lion uses its full strength to kill a rabbit—how much more so for a human?
He would crush them first.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage