Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Besides, it’s just a temple, he…

Time passed in a flash as they wasted it in various meaningful and meaningless ways, and it was already seven days later.

According to that "legend", Lin Miao had to enter the main hall alone and make a wish to the red lotus pond.

Reiss walked her to the white jade square in front of the main hall, his brows lowered.

"What's wrong? I thought you would be happy that we were going back soon?"

Lin Miao looked at him amusedly and poked his arm.

The intimacy value is just one step away from being full, but I don’t know if it’s because we have been in too much contact these days, ordinary physical touch can no longer increase the value.

The demon pursed his lips.

Ever since arriving on this mountain, he had always felt an uneasy sense of being spied on. He had always attributed it to the temple's inherent restraint on demons, but today, this feeling clearly went beyond the normal collision of magical power.

What's more, that pool... is very dangerous.

It wasn't just because of the residual souls of those monsters... there was something else that made him sense a "threat" engraved deep in his soul.

I don't want her to enter the main hall.

But……

But, I don't want to disappoint her.

The devil is not like those hypocritical angels. Reese will not make promises easily, but once he has promised something, he will never go back on his word.

——Besides, it’s just a temple, how could it not be able to protect a small human being?

Thinking of this, he released a faint demonic energy that penetrated into Lin Miao's veins, and a small flame mark appeared on the side of her wrist.

Lin Miao looked at him curiously. Reis coughed lightly and explained casually, "It's just a little gadget that can help you avoid being tempted by those residual souls."

"You're so weak. If you run into any trouble, just press this mark. I...I'll know."

Then they will reluctantly help you solve it and reluctantly keep you safe.

He added in his mind.

After all, how could his food be in such a place?

"...If you make a good wish, come out early. I won't wait for you too long."

"I know."

Lin Miao smiled with her eyes curved, took two steps forward and gave him a big hug, while he was still a beat slow to react, she quickly turned around and stepped over the threshold.

*

The palace door closed behind him, and Lin Miao's expression also became cold and silent.

Although she really hated trouble and really wanted to agree to Reese...

But then, there’s no point in her proposing to come to Mujia Mountain, right?

So, sorry.

The girl walked steadily towards the red lotus pond and stopped when she was one step away from the edge.

Then she raised her hand, and the folding knife slipped from her sleeve.

With a strange smile on his lips, Lin Miao casually scratched his palm lightly, and a thin blood mark appeared on the palm of his hand. Bright red blood beads immediately seeped out.

A few drops of blood broke free from the constraints of flesh, drew a vertical trajectory in the air, and fell into the red, sticky pool of water in front of him with a "plop" and a "plop".

The "buzzing" sound of the bell hammers hitting the chimes came from an unknown distance, gradually becoming clearer and clearer, and each sound was accompanied by the vibration of the air.

On the surface of the pool, densely packed floating spots of light were fleeing and dispersing.

Under her gaze, red flower buds slowly floated to the surface one after another, filling the entire pond, exuding an almost enchanting charm.

At a certain moment, these flower buds bloomed together as if by appointment, and the layers of petals stretched out, revealing the sacred and enchanting golden stamens in the center.

At the same time, the two pure white angel statues opposite her moved to the sides with a rumbling sound, revealing the previously obscured wall covered with ancient runes.

The red lotus was in full bloom, and a huge crack appeared in the middle of the gold foil wall, sliding to both sides at an extremely slow speed, and a dark passage appeared before their eyes.

An old, profound and mysterious aura slowly leaked out, and the luminous pearls on both sides emitted a soft and lustrous light, illuminating the faintly visible stone steps in the dark passage, as if some dust-locked secrets within were silently inviting her.

Lin Miao's heartbeat quickened. She barely suppressed the excitement and stimulation that grew from deep within her bones. She called up the card pool panel and used her mind to press the card drawing button.

Let her see what her luck can bring her in the face of such an unknown and dangerous future.

A purple light flashed, and a small footprint icon took shape and landed on the skill bar.

"Extracted Skill: Shift"

Doesn't that name sound familiar? Activate this skill and you'll instantly be transported to a random but completely safe location. Are you tempted?

(Note: Only one life form can be brought at a time, and the cooldown period is 24 hours)

Such rigorous wording.

Lin Miao looked at the three words "living organism" and nodded approvingly.

In other words, non-human species can also be carried by her.

Although this skill cannot be upgraded, it just happens to meet her most urgent need of escaping, which is "of the thirty-six strategies, running away is the best one."

It's to save your life, not shameful.

She stepped into the secret passage without hesitation.

…

Following the guidance of the night pearl, after diving downwards through many twists and turns, her eyes suddenly opened up.

Hidden deep underground is a traditional and classical Western-style lobby.

The soaring dome was painted with murals depicting the gods in heaven overlooking all life. Luxurious crystal chandeliers cast a brilliant light, illuminating the place like daylight. Stout Roman columns stood in the corners, and the floor was paved with black and white marble, stitched into an elegant and intricate pattern.

After a quick glance around, she finally looked at the relief paintings carved on the surrounding walls.

These environments and characters looked particularly familiar to her, as if she had seen them somewhere before.

Countless scenes and images flashed through her mind like a kaleidoscope. Lin Miao caught a fleeting inspiration and raised her eyebrows.

——She remembered.

The content of these paintings is the battle between angels and demons a hundred years ago.

Zhi Ling had mentioned it briefly, and there were a few vague records of it in the books in the reading room, and even... it appeared in the throne room of the three-headed dog.

At first, she was attracted by the golden eyeball and failed to notice it. However, when Reese took her there again to use the teleportation array, she took a quick glance and saw the huge relief screen behind the throne depicting a large number of angels descending into the Styx and demons stepping out of hell to fight.

The six paintings here, unlike the ambiguous information she had received in the past, showed the battle of a hundred years ago in a very specific and intuitive way, pulling her into that legendary history that turned everything upside down.

Lin Miao looked from left to right.

In the first painting, the god stands on a high step, holding a scepter and giving orders to the angels who are kneeling on the ground with their heads bowed in unison.

The second painting resembles a throne room relief, but the main subject is angels descending from the sky, their holy light dispelling the surrounding darkness. Demons emerging from the depths of the River Styx are pushed to the corners of the painting, the waters of the River Styx surging and boiling as the two clash.

The third painting depicted a masked, cloaked "man" confronting a robed deity. Lin Miao suspected he was the legendary Demon King. Countless black mists emanated from him, clashing with the deity's white light, causing the entire intersection to tremble.

The fourth relief depicts a fierce confrontation between two factions. Angels wield their staffs, unleashing a flood of divine magic; demons meet back with claws and weapons. The two forces collide and intertwine, and the scene becomes increasingly intense.

In the fifth panel, the demon king is struck to the ground, his side ablaze with flames. The gods hang high in the sky, gazing grimly at the fallen demon king, as if declaring the end of everything and the victory of the angels.

And on this last relief painting...

Lin Miao stopped in front of the sixth painting, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes.

The battlefield was reduced to ruins. In the boundless silence, an angel whose face could not be seen lowered his six wings and knelt on one knee on the ground, as if he was... mourning for this?

Mourning his dead colleagues? Or perhaps, mourning this brutal battle?

Lin Miao felt that both the relief itself and everything outside of the relief were extremely interesting.

Traditional narrative reliefs often emphasize continuity, with the goal of allowing viewers to understand the complete story content. The cause and effect relationship is clear, and it is rare for them to start well but end poorly.

Since these paintings appear below the Angel Palace, if she were to arrange them, she would choose to show the proper demeanor of the "victor" in the last picture; it could be the cheers and praises of the people on earth, it could be the joyful celebration of the demons being completely suppressed and the angels returning to the court, but it would never be the bowing and mourning of a victor.

Even if the "artists" who carved these pictures were compassionate and believed that there were no winners in war, the angels' mourning could better highlight the mercy of heaven.

So, outside of the relief, where is the Demon King?

As the biggest "loser", the Demon King was simply described as "missing" by both the seemingly knowledgeable spirits and his most loyal subordinate, the three-headed dog. The relief sculpture in the basement of the temple that seemed to show the entire battle only depicted a result of him falling to the ground and possibly being defeated.

Where did the devil go?

Did He really fail?

Surrounded by the dazzling brightness, Lin Miao shuddered.

What needed to be done has already been done, she thought with a bit of sadness.

Knowing when to quit is the long-term solution, and leaving quickly is the best option.

——But unfortunately, even though the coldness of the warning had spread to her limbs, it still could not freeze the rebellious and adventurous genes in her blood.

Lin Miao stepped back to the fifth painting, touched the relief with his fingertips, felt the image of the devil, and found the raised spots on the smooth surface.

"Click".

The sound of metal breaking suddenly rang out, and the sound of gears turning came from inside the wall.

Guessed it right.

The temperature around me dropped rapidly and the air became cold and humid.

Countless black shadows formed by demonic energy appeared out of thin air in the hall. They looked like human figures, but their outlines were distorted and blurred.

Their "eyes" flashed with a strange red light, floating around, surrounding her and approaching her.

The sticky, disgusting malice surged towards her like a tide. Lin Miao gritted her teeth and stepped back step by step, cold sweat wetting her forehead.

Can't make a move yet.

She has to wait and wait...

The moment all the shadows gathered in the lobby, the demonic energy closest to her was only a few inches away.

However, just before invading her body, the black shadow fell into a brief stagnation without any warning.

Now is the time!

Activate skill, "Thorns"

A large number of thick thorny thorns broke out of the ground, entwined and intertwined, forming a huge cage, trapping countless dark shadows inside.

Lin Miao left their struggles and roars behind and ran in the direction they came from without looking back.

She climbed countless steps, and the heavy and distant sound of the bell outside the hall penetrated directly into the ground and into her ears, ringing seven times in succession.

Seven sounds...

Her eyelashes fluttered and she ran faster.

Rushing into the original hall, Lin Miao didn't even have time to take a breath before running to the gate and looking out through the not-so-narrow gap in the door.

In the square, a gap was torn in the originally peaceful sky, and a dazzling and holy light spurted out from it, pouring out like a torrent.

A straight figure slowly stepped out from it.