The golden pagoda bloomed, and from its center, a colossal female statue slowly ascended!
Standing about three and a half meters tall, it exuded an immense sense of pressure.
The gold-dusted surface was exquisitely detailed, and its slightly smiling face resembled that of a divine mother!
Hei眼鏡, his eyes now healed, couldn't help but gasp, "Huo!"
The statue's face was identical to the fairy relief above the Buddha's Maze! It seemed to be a mass-produced item!
Zhang Qiling shone his nearly-dead flashlight on it. In the flickering beam, the collapsed structures of the golden pagodas vaguely formed several familiar conical shapes.
...Pyramids?
"Looks like this place was quite lively back then, gathering everything from the sea and the sand," Hei眼鏡 quipped, eagerly reaching into his leather jacket, attempting an impromptu crayon creation.
Just then, a series of dense, fragmented "zhi ah" sounds suddenly came from behind them!
The two instantly turned, only to see the seemingly silent doorways of the houses on the decaying street now being pushed open one after another from within!
A group of skeletons, clad in tattered clothes, some missing limbs, crawled out from the houses, from the dust, and even from the distant moat. A cluster of eerie green ghost fire ignited in their dark eye sockets as they shuffled towards them!
"Screeeech—"
The flashlight in his hand gave its last breath. The world plunged into darkness, leaving only the faint, floating ghost fire.
Staring intently at the approaching skeletal horde, the two slowly retreated.
The skeletons' attention didn't seem to be on them. As Zhang Qiling and Hei眼鏡 moved away from the golden pagoda, the focal point of the skeletal horde became clear—
It was the female statue!
The skeletons formed a circle, as if performing some ritual.
A bone structure, so utterly mangled it was beyond recognition, stumbled to the front, forcefully pushed to its knees by the skeletons behind it.
Its skull was roughly lifted. A complete, intact skeleton, dressed in ragged clothes, picked up a sharp golden spear from the ground and plunged it directly into the kneeling skeleton's eye socket!
A piercing scream echoed through the space for a moment, but no matter how deafening the cries, they were quickly drowned out by the subsequent ethereal laughter.
"Eye gouging."
Hei眼鏡's expression was solemn as he whispered.
Following the eye gouging, the performance continued with gruesome tortures like skinning, bone extraction, and limb severing.
Zhang Qiling watched the scene intently, a sudden realization dawning on him. He looked towards the benevolent golden statue.
Under the dim light of the ghost fire, the female statue actually opened its eyes!
Its wide, staring eyes were filled with satisfaction and ecstasy. The overly ferocious expression distorted its features, veins bulging!
Yet, the corners of its mouth still curved upwards slightly, just as before, creating a startling disconnect between the upper and lower halves of its face.
As Zhang Qiling cautiously remained vigilant, a piercing scream erupted. The skeleton being tortured instantly collapsed, its bones scattering into dust!
And at that very moment, the ghost fire within its body flared brightly, clearly illuminating the statue's expression!
...Those eyes, filled with extreme malevolence, had somehow turned and were now fixedly staring at the two of them!!!
"Run!!!"
The two immediately retreated, only to hear a powerful, wave-like female laughter from behind them!
The sound was like resentment and longing, like weeping and complaining, its hoarse, sharp tail wrapping around them like a viper flicking its tongue!
Just then, those pyramid-shaped cones suddenly blazed with light!
A blinding beam swept across them, and a sharp headache latched onto them like a persistent curse!
Their vision went black. When they opened their eyes again, they were faced with a scene Zhang Qiling and Hei眼鏡 could never have imagined!
...A city.
To be precise, a brand-new city in its prime, gleaming, bustling with people, and brimming with vitality!
The light before them was blinding. Zhang Qiling looked up dazedly. Above them was a vast, azure sky!!
Fluffy white clouds drifted leisurely, sunlight bathed the land, illuminating everything!
This was a sight that could never be simulated, no matter how hard they tried within the cave!
A troop of tall soldiers escorted blood-covered prisoners towards them. The moment they made contact, the soldiers passed through their bodies, creating ripples in the space like those on water.
The prisoners were still struggling and shouting, their voices choked with blood, filled with unimaginable fear and despair.
"Please, let me go! Please, please! I was wrong, I don't want to go, I don't want to go!!!" (Ancient Xiangxiong language)
He was still dragged away, leaving two long bloodstains on the ground.
"Another illusion?" Hei眼鏡 remained silent for a moment before saying with a smile, "This place is too unoriginal, using the same trick twice?"
Although his voice held a hint of amusement, his expression and posture betrayed his caution and seriousness.
Feeling the normal flow of the Qilin blood within his body, Zhang Qiling slowly squatted down and picked up a pinch of soil.
It was slightly damp, carrying the fresh scent of earth.
...They hadn't heard the sound of the bronze bell just now.
Both of them knew very well that this was not an illusion.
It was the real Qionglong Yincheng, which had existed thousands of years ago!