"But... our elderly mothers are old, and we can't bear to leave them," someone said hesitantly.
"Yes, and there are children. If we leave, they will surely have a hard time surviving."
"Once you join the temple, you are people of the temple. From the day you join, everything else comes second. To us, the most important thing is to serve the gods, and the gods are everything to us."
"So, if you still hesitate and cannot make up your mind, then stay here and wait to be fed to the demonic beasts!" The leader told them his principles, as if devoid of any compassion.
Compassion, softness, and all such emotions should not exist in him, for he had long ago dedicated all that he possessed or might possess in the future to his god, and that was how he gained such immense power.
"This..." Whispers could be heard from the crowd.
The people from the temple did not rush them, but waited patiently. It did take some time to make up one's mind, and they themselves had struggled with it initially.
"Have you decided?" he asked.
"Yes! I've decided to stay," someone said.
"Mother, I'm sorry, your son is unfilial..." someone was bidding farewell to their loved ones.
"Once the dice are cast, there is no turning back. You only have this one chance," he reminded them.
He did not care how many people he would bring back in the end. It didn't matter if this village was short of people; he could go to the next one. After all, quality over quantity, and he presumed the gods would think the same.
Soon, these villagers made their decisions. They left with those who were willing to go, while the remaining people were filled with terror, looking as if the sky was about to fall.
The young and strong men in their village were already few, and now more than half had left. With the remaining people, it was uncertain if they could even survive the winter.
For others, it was a day full of surprises, but for them, it was merely a disaster, an unstoppable calamity.
Fang Mu, however, was very pleased, feeling that his opportunity had arrived.
The variety of materials here was naturally not as abundant as in his previous world, but because the materials for making weapons were known only to him in this world, he could find many useful resources.
The first thing he crafted was a crossbow.
Although he did not know how strong the demonic beasts in this world were, his most immediate goal now was to survive the attacks of the demonic beasts, then collect the materials he needed, and continue his unfinished experiments in this world.
As for whether the human anatomy in this world was the same as in the previous one, it was not within his scope of concern. Even if it were different, it might even make his experiments more successful!
Three months later, Xing Yuan finally succeeded in condensing into a physical form.
As if Nuwa creating humans, Xing Yuan had now sculpted a body for herself with her own hands.
A delicate face, a figure that could be described as alluring, coupled with those peach blossom eyes, she was incredibly captivating when she looked at someone.
Without exaggeration, Xing Yuan had combined all the beautiful faces she had ever seen, taking the most beautiful parts to create her own face.
Appearance was usually determined from birth. Having this rare opportunity to decide her own appearance, Xing Yuan naturally cherished it.
On the night of the lunar eclipse, Xing Yuan once again issued a divine decree, ordering them to prepare the things she needed. This time, she would truly descend into this world.
Under the command of the Dark Temple, everyone in An Cheng stood in their designated positions. Black stars lit up throughout An Cheng, and all the power converged towards the Dark Temple at the center.
Black light enveloped the statue, whose appearance was obscured, as if it had come alive. It trembled slightly, beginning to communicate with the divine realm.
The statue was actually a channel left by the gods for their descent. The entire An Cheng was built in the form of a formation. Once the gods intended to appear, the formation of the entire city would be activated, and the gods could descend into this world with minimal cost.
Of course, a little sacrifice was indispensable.
The elders of the Dark Temple personally hunted two demonic beasts to welcome the gods. Under the gaze of everyone, the statue cracked open with a '咔嚓' sound. Before anyone could be shocked, a fissure instantly opened on the altar beneath the statue, and a black mist rose from the ground, quickly reaching the surface.
This black mist seemed to be constantly swirling, finally condensing into a woman. The woman's eyes were closed, her black robe fluttering in the wind, a scene that would be recorded in history unfolded before everyone.
The woman possessed breathtaking beauty, her aura both sacred and eerie. For a fleeting moment, everyone even felt as if they saw a waking behemoth, evil and powerful.
As she opened her eyes, a black light enveloped the Dark Temple. The god's indifferent gaze swept over everyone, and finally, she sat regally upon her throne.
Everyone knelt on the ground in excitement and said piously, "Congratulations, our God, on your return!"
"Rise!" The god's lazy voice echoed in everyone's ears, and the entire An Cheng returned to its usual calm.
"May I ask why the gods have suddenly returned? Is something major about to happen?"
An elder with white hair stepped forward tremblingly. In the span of a short sentence, he coughed several times, but he persisted in finishing his words.
Xing Yuan's brow furrowed slightly. A black light suddenly shot out from her palm, directly piercing the elder's body.
The elder's body trembled, and he instantly straightened his back. The wrinkles on his face seemed to have diminished by a few.
"Are you the Grand Elder of the Temple?" she asked.
"Yes!" The elder lowered his head, his expression respectful.
He had indeed harbored a thought of testing her earlier. After all, the gods had not responded to them for over a thousand years, and he worried it might be a deliberate deception by someone with ill intentions. However, in that instant, his thoughts were completely overturned.
Humans could never compare to gods. The vastness of the gods' power was something he had never witnessed in his life. Once seen, no one would doubt that this was truly a god.
In the long silence, the elder voluntarily knelt down, placing his hand on his forehead piously, "I beg the god to forgive my sins."
"Let this not happen again!" she said.
"I am proficient in the art of darkness. During my slumber, I glimpsed death," Xing Yuan stated the facts with a casual tone.
"Our world has been invaded by an anomaly. This anomaly will disrupt the peace of our world. Therefore, I have returned to the mortal realm to pursue and apprehend this anomaly."
Xing Yuan gently raised her hand, and black stones, condensed from her power, were randomly placed into the hands of several powerful individuals in the hall.
"Take these and go to the areas with anomalies to investigate. If there is any trace of the anomaly, I will be able to sense it. However, the anomaly is still useful, so do not alert it," Xing Yuan said calmly, her expression as placid as if she were discussing what to eat for dinner.