"Hmm..."

Lin Xi, who was already far away from the temple, suddenly felt a chill.

He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he felt as if a terrifying scream was coming from the direction he had left earlier.

However, when he turned around to look, all he saw were the towering eaves of the temple and the dark shadows of the temples rising and falling.

"Don't be afraid."

Lin Xi's actions seemed to cause a misunderstanding among those around him, and he heard someone mutter something softly to him.

It was a young page, who looked no older than Lin Xi (thank God, after inexplicably transmigrating to this indescribable ancient Sunu society, Lin Xi finally learned to recognize the appearance of Sunu people).

At this very moment, it is bending over, dressing the others who have just climbed out of the cold pool in brand new clothes.

Well, calling it clothing is an understatement; it's more like a long piece of cloth.

The fabric has no pattern; it is rolled up once at the waist and then draped over the shoulders, finally secured with a wooden button.

Lin Xi's chest and arms were mostly exposed, and the empty, chilly feeling under the cloth robe was very uncomfortable. He curled up slightly, still somewhat absent-minded.

If this is a nightmare, why can't I wake up from it?

Lin Xi thought painfully to herself.

"It's okay..."

The pageboy had clearly misunderstood Lin Xi's current situation once again. He tilted his head slightly and looked at Lin Xi with pity.

“Our Star God has always been very kind. When He conducts divine marriages, He is always very clear and will not... will not dawdle for too long…”

He lowered his voice and spoke quickly.

Taking too long?

Lin Xi looked at him blankly, still not understanding.

The pageboy stared at Lin Xi for a while, a look of envy on his face.

"And you are very beautiful. According to records, the Star God has always favored this kind of skin color and eyes—" The young attendant's voice was initially almost a whisper, but gradually became melodious and high-pitched, "...In the long overlapping time and space, in the ancient past, the long black hair and black eyes of the Mother of Insects were the Star God's eternal love. Oh, great and sublime Mother of Insects, she gave life to Chaos, and gave the Star God a soul and love. No matter how time flows, no matter how space and time are broken, the Star God will eventually find his bride, and the Star God will eventually give everything for her..."

Lin Xi stood there, completely bewildered. He couldn't understand why the kind pageboy beside him had suddenly started singing a long, drawn-out song after they had been talking.

"Actually, I just want to know, what is a divine marriage...?"

But in any case, so far, the pageboy beside him has been the friendliest of all.

He tentatively asked questions in an attempt to understand the current situation, but in the end he did not get the answer he wanted.

Because at the very moment he asked that question, he saw with his own eyes the pity and compassion in the page's eyes grow ever deeper.

"It was just a ritual, to help the Star God find its beloved, which had been lost in fragments of time and space..."

Hearing the words "time" and "space" from the servant boy's mouth, Lin Xi's eyes lit up and she became even more interested, but the servant boy didn't say anything more meaningful.

On the contrary, his companion, after hearing the words of comfort the servant boy had given Lin Xi, seemed to be greatly stimulated and couldn't help but sob again.

The crying of the group of young Sunu boys around Lin Xi quickly attracted the attention of the older monk, who rushed over and forcefully slapped the kind-hearted boy on the back with his staff.

"The names and deeds of the Star Gods must not be spoken lightly!"

The monks shouted at the young man.

After he left, the page shrank back, his mouth suddenly becoming as tight as a clam shell.

Lin Xi wanted to ask a few more questions, but since things had come to this point, she could only follow the other person's example and shut her mouth.

Despite Lin Xi's disgust and exhaustion, the various tedious procedures continued in an orderly manner.

After being forced to wear a long robe, Lin Xi, along with the others, was pushed and shoved into another luxurious and grand temple.

The furnishings here are exceptionally exquisite and luxurious, yet the lighting is incredibly dim. Stained windows decorated with beautiful vine patterns are high up on the wall near the top of the temple.

Countless exquisite tapestries hung from the ceiling to the floor.

Some older monks came in and examined the Sunu boys who had been driven into the temple one by one, muttering incantations.

Immediately afterwards, they knelt down and worshipped the magnificent and imposing sculpture on the other side of the temple.

Lin Xi followed the others and did the same thing, but when he looked up, he realized that the sculpture was... a giant insect.

Lin Xi admitted that her legs almost went weak when she saw the sculpture. It was incredibly lifelike. From the enormous head and intricate compound eyes to the menacing mouthparts, and even the enormous wings that stretched out to nearly ten meters long, everything was sculpted with exquisite detail. Even the colors on the terrifying insect were depicted; the circular eye spots on the edges of the wings shimmered with tiny glimmers, making them appear as if they were inlaid with countless gemstones.

"Ah, it's Star Butterfly."

Lin Xi muttered softly, but he quickly realized that this was not a Star Butterfly sculpture, but a sculpture of the "Star God"—just as Lin Xi knew on Earth, the Star Butterfly sculptures on Sunu Planet were indeed exactly the same as the insects called "Star Butterflies".

As for the "Star Butterfly," it is by no means a beautiful creature. Strictly speaking, it is not only ugly but also evil. However, upon closer inspection, every detail of it exudes a strange meaning...

Eerie, or rather, beautiful.

What was initially ugly, upon closer inspection, transformed into an attraction that defies description.

While feeling a shiver run through your body, you can't help but stare at those hideous, sharp, and terrifying organs, and then... your entire soul seems to be pulled little by little into the enormous compound eyes of the Star God.

Then, they were tightly, tightly wrapped by those delicate and exquisite wings—and finally, they were allowed to spit out pale golden silk threads, which formed thick cocoons on their bodies.

...

Lin Xi stared blankly at the sculpture of the star god, her head tilted back, and became completely absorbed in it.

Forest--

He only snapped back to reality when someone gently tugged at his wrist. Turning around, he found the Sulu teenagers around him staring at him with shocked expressions.

How dare you look directly at the Star God?

Someone standing next to him said in disbelief.

Moreover, Lin Xi soon noticed that not far from him, the temple monks, who always had expressionless faces and dark, empty eyes, were now staring intently at him.

Lin Xi's body stiffened instantly.

He began to doubt whether he had done something wrong again; the way those people were looking at him was extremely strange.

This feeling of unease reached its peak when the monks began whispering and talking directly to him.

Soon, Lin Xi's ominous premonition came true.

The monks were taken directly out of the temple.

"Creak—"

Lin Xi could hear the temple doors closing heavily behind him, leaving the Sunu youths far behind.

"I'm sorry, I... I won't do it again..."

It would be a lie to say he wasn't flustered. Ever since he was whipped by the monks last time, Lin Xi's biggest fear was the inhumane punishments he faced in this world.

The excruciating pain was almost worse than death.

"Oh, no...no..."

To Lin Xi's surprise, the monk, who had always seemed aloof in her mind, was unusually kind and approachable this time.

"We just think you're very...special."

The monk gave a vague explanation.

“If we’re lucky, we might see divine favor upon you this time. If so, your family and your village will be proud of you.” He paused, then added, “The children who came with you will also be grateful for your existence.”

The more amiable and approachable the monks were, the more Lin Xi felt that something was amiss.

However, in such a world, his feelings and emotions are irrelevant, and this objective reality will not change even if the monks now put on a kind and friendly appearance towards him.

Lin Xi was soon led by the group of monks into the depths of the continuous temple complex.

There is also a temple here, but it is smaller and more exquisite.

Immediately afterwards, the silent attendants appeared and took Lin Xi from the monk's hands.

"This is the child."

An old man, surrounded by waiters, came to Lin Xi.

Lin Xi instinctively tried to struggle, but at that moment, he was shocked to discover the strangeness of the old man's body—the pupils embedded in the old man's eye sockets were not human pupils at all, but rather protruding, light brown compound eyes of insects.

Lin Xi was so frightened that she couldn't move at all.

The old man stared at Lin Xi and let out a strange, short laugh.

"...You say he can look directly at the sculpture of the star god."

"That's right, we saw him gazing intently at the sculpture of the great and sublime star god, completely mesmerized."

"No, I—"

Lin Xi was now truly certain that her previous reckless behavior had brought her a lot of trouble.

However, before he could even utter a defense, his mouth was gagged.

"Then we should prepare carefully for him."

Lin Xi heard the old man say this in a calm tone.

Then someone forcibly choked him and poured some thick liquid into his body.

Lin Xi didn't know what it was, but his instincts told him it probably wasn't anything good.

Soon, Lin Xi found that her body was becoming weak and powerless, and it felt as if she had swallowed a large ball of fire from her chest to her abdomen, making it extremely hot.

He groaned and fell to the ground.

Of course, his well-trained waiters wouldn't actually make him fall.

They grabbed Lin Xi and led him into the small but magnificent temple.

“Good child, this is a supreme treasure, the milk of the gods. If you are truly a being favored by the gods, the earth's milk will help you release your original aura.”

The old man gently stroked Lin Xi's forehead, then grinned, revealing a smile that only appeared in the most terrifying nightmares.

"No……"

Lin Xi said painfully in Sulu.

When he was completely unable to exert any strength, the simple white cloth covering his body was ruthlessly torn off by them.

"What are they trying to do...?"

Lin Xi asked in a panic.

"To prepare you, don't be afraid."

His attendant said with great delight.

Immediately afterwards, they began to adorn Lin Xi, who was completely defenseless and naked—their viscous purple juice from unknown insects was mixed with thick gold powder, and then this golden-purple juice was used to draw intricate patterns on Lin Xi's palms, wrists, and abdomen.

Large gemstones were set in gold and then hung on Lin Xi's earlobes and chest. Next, countless gold ornaments were gradually laid on the thin body of the young Sunu.

After doing all this, Lin Xi could only collapse weakly on the floor, feeling suffocated by the weight of the jewelry and gold.

But the old man and the monks seemed quite satisfied with what they had done. They stepped back slightly and looked at Lin Xi. Lin Xi could feel their burning gazes tracing his body, which sent a chill down his spine.

"Don't be afraid, we are decorating you to suit the gods' tastes—this will make you feel better. The Star God loves sparkly and beautiful things, and often he collects these ornaments and takes them to decorate his dwelling place. Rest assured, this is for your own good, because most of the time the Star God doesn't like ornaments with our blood on them."

Blood? Why... is there blood?

Lin Xi opened his eyes wide, staring intently at the hateful old man and the monks. The viscous substance he had drunk was taking effect in his body, and despite his resentment, fear, and confusion, his mind inevitably began to cloud over. He then drifted off to sleep to the monks' drawn-out chanting.

Lin Xi had a long dream. The dream was so long it felt like it spanned the birth and death of a universe. In endless darkness and time, countless bizarre and fragmented scenes flashed before his eyes. In some fragments, he saw a spaceship crash on a dark and evil planet, a pale-faced young man wandering desperately through the ruins, followed by countless horrifying, writhing insects. In other dreams, he saw a somewhat familiar young man, while collecting folk songs in an ancient village, being pulled deep into the earth by an ancient sculpture that suddenly came to life, never to return to the surface. In some dreams, he saw lovers deeply in love, embracing each other, but after they fell asleep, long, sharp tentacles sprouted from the young man's back. In some dreams, it was still that pale-faced young man, stumbling into a dilapidated underground clinic, howling and begging the terrified doctor to remove the writhing thing from his abdomen…

The dreams came one after another. Sometimes Lin Xi even felt that she was one of the people in those dreams...

At the end of each of those dreams, without exception, Lin Xi would see the same monster.

It tightly bound Lin Xi with its sharp insect limbs, and then wrapped itself and Lin Xi together with its huge wings covered with terrifying patterns.

Golden threads wove together around them, forming a strong, fine net.

They melted into the golden cocoon, and then opened their eyes again in another dream—

Forest--

It seemed as if a strange, hoarse voice was coming from a distant place.

Deep within the temple, Lin Xi suddenly opened his eyes.

"Hmm..."

The lingering effects of the dream lingered in his mind, and for a while, he couldn't even tell whether he was dreaming or in reality.

The surreal feeling was almost the same as when he suddenly woke up in this strange, ancient world.

Thank goodness, the heavy jewelry weighing down on her finally brought Lin Xi back to her senses.

The damned drug's effects gradually wore off. Lin Xi mustered some strength and struggled to get up. He then discovered that he was placed on an incredibly large stone bed. In addition to the gold and silver jewelry that had been cumbersome on his body, the gaps in the stone bed were also filled with glittering gems and gold.

The temple was completely silent and dimly lit, with only two faint candlelights above the stone bed casting a dim glow. Lin Xi remained in his original position, carefully observing his surroundings. Apart from his breathing, there was truly no other sound—and there seemed to be no other guards outside the temple.

So... if possible, he might be able to use this opportunity to escape from this damned temple?

Once this thought arises, it can never be extinguished.

Lin Xi, panting, propped himself up and moved toward the edge of the stone bed, but just as he was about to jump off, his neck suddenly tightened.

Lin Xi was almost pulled to the point of passing out. After finally catching his breath, he raised his hand in disbelief and touched his neck. Then he realized that the heavy thing around his neck was not a necklace, but a collar made of some kind of precious metal, with a heavy chain attached to the back like a dog collar.

"Click-clack..."

The shackles weren't just on his neck, but also on his wrists and ankles. The only difference was that the shackles on his limbs looked thinner and were inlaid with large, tastelessly colored gemstones.

"These bastards..."

Lin Xi took a deep breath; he had to force himself to calm down.

Those damned Sunu people not only drugged him, but also put these heavy shackles on him—Lin Xi didn't think it was just for fun or some kind of perverse pleasure.

Especially considering what those monks said before...

Lin Xi's face gradually lost its color.

He tried hard to recall the information he had learned about Sunu on Earth, but for some reason, his memories of Earth seemed to have been melted away by something, becoming extremely blurry.

A strange sense of panic gradually spread through Lin Xi's heart.

"No……"

He muttered to himself.

I clearly remembered it before...

He should have an older brother, his older brother's name is... what was it again...?

Who is he...?

The more Lin Xi tried to recall, the more her head throbbed.

Finally, the headache even spread from his head all the way down his back, and then to his abdomen.

That burning sensation, as if his internal organs were being scorched, spread through his body once again. The little strength Lin Xi had managed to muster earlier vanished instantly.

His body shuddered violently, and then he fell heavily back onto the stone bed.

"Waaah..."

A painful whimper escaped from his tightly closed lips.

Then... the light gradually brightened.

Lin Xi stared blankly at the sky above her.

The two faint red dots, like candlelight, gradually began to change, transforming into the eyes of some enormous creature.

The circular markings gradually emerged from the shadows, and the fluorescence they emitted allowed Lin Xi to clearly see the outline of "He" floating above the temple.

That's... a star butterfly.

Lin Xi pondered this in a daze.

A living star butterfly.

One glance was enough to recognize this—no matter how lifelike or realistic the sculptures he had seen in the temple were before, a sculpture is still a sculpture.

The sculpture is completely different from the real star butterfly.

That near-evil ugliness and extreme allure intertwined, evil, darkness, nothingness, madness... these elements together constituted this terrifying creature.

And now, the creature is flapping its wings and slowly descending toward him.

Now, Lin Xi can even see countless reflections of himself in its compound eyes.

He could also smell the damp and cold scent on Xingdie's body.

He could even clearly see the milky white saliva slowly flowing from the Star Butterfly's ferocious mouthparts.

"Lin...Lin...Lin..."

Even more terrifying, Lin Xi could even hear its call.

It was some kind of human-like voice, rough and strange.

But it also contains an indescribable ecstasy and infatuation.

"Waaaaah..."

Lin Xi heard a sob, and it took him a long time to realize that it was actually himself crying out in fear.

His vision gradually darkened.

The star butterfly is slowly wrapping him up with its wings...

The familiar scene left Lin Xi feeling somewhat dazed.

Lin Xi's breathing gradually became heavy, because the Star Butterfly's wings were gradually tightening—a layer of pale golden silk threads gradually formed on the outside, then tightened, solidified, and formed a solid cocoon.

"Forest……"

He heard Star Butterfly whispering in his ear.

That calm and joyful voice sounded familiar.

"finally found you."

He said.

That's not a Star Butterfly.

—This was Lin Xi's last thought before her consciousness faded into darkness.

Author's Note: Extra Chapter 1 is in Chapter 39.