It was indeed so. Whether it was because it hadn't burned completely, or because the paint on top had melted in the heat and flowed down, covering the image below and saving it from destruction, Xie Lian could indeed faintly make out half a human face beneath his fingertips. He began carefully peeling away the hard, black matter. Pei Ming, holding his swollen left hand, asked, "Is Your Highness the Crown Prince so interested in the mural?"
Xie Lian said, “It’s not that I’m interested, but I have a bold idea.”
Pei Ming asked, "Tell me about it?"
Xie Lian said, "It's a rare opportunity for us to come to Tonglu Mountain. Besides stopping any potential Ghost Kings, can we also trace their origins? For example, who created them, and what power sustains them? Perhaps we can destroy them once and for all, eliminating the need to worry about Ghost Kings emerging again."
Pei Ming said, "Your idea is truly bold. However, City Lord Hua hasn't even figured it out, so we'll probably waste even more time. I, Pei, don't recommend this at the moment."
Hua Cheng said, "I didn't find out because I'm rather dull and limited in ability, and I was busy fighting at the time. If my brother had been in charge, it wouldn't have been possible."
Xie Lian said, “No, no, no. It’s me who has limited abilities. Sanlang is far more capable than I am.”
“…”
As if he couldn't bear to listen any longer, Pei Ming threw Pei Su to Banyue, turned around and walked out, saying, "I'd better go out and get some fresh air."
Over there, Xie Lian wiped off a few pieces of black hard stuff without any difficulty. He was stunned for a moment and said, "These can actually..."
This layer of black hard substance that looks burnt can actually be peeled off in large chunks!
In the space of a few words, he had already peeled off a large piece, revealing a face the size of a baby's fist. Though the lines were extremely simple, the expression on the face was vivid, as if it were chasing something, even the enthusiasm in its eyes was captured. The black hard material seemed to have formed a protective film, making the colors of the mural still vibrant, as if it had only been completed recently. Xie Lian turned around and said, "Sanlang, let's go together..."
Huacheng remained motionless, yet a silver light flickered in the darkness. Soon, hundreds of silver butterflies silently appeared, fluttering their wings and landing on the pitch-black wall. As their wings flapped in unison, Xie Lian heard a subtle cracking sound, as if a mask had been peeled off from its face. Countless tiny cracks appeared on the black wall.
Then, collapse.
The black hard objects that were originally attached to the wall fell down, revealing their true appearance.
A huge colorful mural!
Xie Lian looked up at the wall, his scalp tingling.
The entire scene is divided into four distinct layers. The top layer is shimmering with golden light, shrouded in mist, and devoid of people.
The second layer depicts a single figure, a handsome young man in white. He is shrouded in a brilliant golden glow, the same pigment used for the light on the top layer.
The third layer depicts four figures, each with a different face, clothing, expression, and gesture. Each figure is half the size of the young man in white on the second layer.
The fourth layer, the bottommost, was filled with countless figures, half the size of the four figures on the third layer, a dense mass of darkness. Each face was identical, as were their expressions, all filled with fanaticism, adoration, and bewilderment. The first face Xie Lian peeled off was the one on this bottom layer.
The entire painting had beautiful, rounded lines. Xie Lian was stunned for a moment before he said, "Sanlang, have you... seen this thing before?"
Hua Cheng said slowly, "I've traveled all over Tonglu Mountain and visited almost every Wuyong Temple. I can confirm that I've never seen this thing before."
Xie Lian came back to his senses and said, “This mural probably isn’t from two thousand years ago.”
Hua Chengdao: "Absolutely not. Judging from the color and the state of preservation, it is at most a hundred years old. Maybe, newer."
In other words, this mural was painted later!
Xie Lian pointed to the top layer and said, "That layer should be the painting of 'Heaven'. This is because 'Heaven's Way' is above all living things."
He then pointed to the second floor and said, "This floor should be dedicated to Prince Wuyong. Since this temple is dedicated to Prince Wuyong, he is the main character in the mural. Therefore, he is the largest figure in the painting. The light on his body is the same color as the sky, and he is second only to the 'Heavenly Dao'."
Pointing to the fourth floor, he said, "The people at the bottom are the smallest and look identical. They must be the people of Wuyong."
Finally, pointing to the third floor, he said, "But who are these four people? Regardless of their position or size, they are above the people of the country and below the crown prince. This shows that their status should be the same. Are they ministers? Guards? Or..."
Hua Cheng walked a few steps closer and said, "Brother, look, they also have a layer of spiritual light."
Sure enough, there was indeed one, but because Prince Wuyong's light was so powerful, the aura of their bodies was almost obscured by comparison. Xie Lian realized and said, "It was the priest who appointed them after the prince ascended to heaven."
Xie Lian walked around the temple and confirmed that only the wall facing the main hall door held the secret, as the other three walls were completely charred.
Who created this mural? Who is it for? What message does it convey?
Xie Lian couldn't make out much from just one mural. After a moment's hesitation, he said to Hua Cheng, "Let's keep an eye out for other Wuyong Temples along the way. I have a feeling there might be more than one mural like this."
Hua Cheng nodded and said, "That's exactly what I meant."
The two of them carried Pei Su's Banyue and walked out of the temple. Xie Lian then remembered someone and asked, "Where's General Pei?"
Pei Ming had just left after saying he needed some fresh air. They had been tossing around in the temple for quite a while, but he hadn't returned. Xie Lian called out a few times, but with no response, he asked, "Could he have disappeared at this hour?"
The four searched the desolate town for a while, but couldn't use their psychic skills in Tonglu Mountain, and found nothing. Just when Xie Lian felt that this mountain was completely hopeless, Hua Cheng said, "Brother, don't worry. I have a solution."
He extended a hand, and a tiny silver butterfly gently fluttered from his palm, circling Xie Lian several times. Xie Lian thought it was adorable, but he didn't know what it was for. He said, "This is..."
At this moment, he suddenly heard a gasp, and then a man's voice came from the silver butterfly.
He said, "I never expected to see you here."
Pei Ming!
Xie Lian looked at Hua Cheng. Hua Cheng chuckled and said, "Yesterday, I placed a silver butterfly on everyone."
Pei Su reluctantly raised his head and said, "...Then, you can use that silver butterfly to monitor the other person's every move, and the other person won't be able to detect you, right? You are worthy of being the Blood Rain Scholar."
Hua Chengdao: "Don't speak if you can't punctuate."
“…”
Xie Lian held the tiny silver butterfly in his palm and said to it, "General Pei? Where are you? Who's across from you?"
Hua Cheng said: "Sorry, brother, I can only listen, not speak."
Xie Lian thought about it and said, “That’s right.” If the listener’s voice could also be transmitted, wouldn’t it be easily detected by the other party?
Then, another cold young man said tiredly, "Old Pei, a piece of advice—you must not speak such meaningless nonsense right now. Be careful or I'll slap you to death."
Hearing this voice, Xie Lian opened his eyes slightly.
It’s Lingwen’s male appearance!
He said, "So that's how it is! That black-clad man who's been killing everyone along the way... is Ling Wen in male form."
Pei Su said, "Yes, Senior Lingwen, did you take General Pei away?"
Xie Lian said, “I don’t know. I’m still listening.”
Over there, Pei Ming said, "Why are you so angry, Jie Qing?"
Ling Wen said, "Shut up. I told you not to. It's not me who's angry, it's others. Let me make it clear, I can't control my body right now. If I end up crippling you, don't hold me responsible."
Pei Ming said, "We are all in this state now, unable to move. Who can scare who?"
Xie Lian looked up and said, "It wasn't Lingwen who abducted General Pei. They're all trapped somewhere, controlled by someone." Then he pondered, "If they could even suppress the Jinyixian, who could that person be?"
Pei Ming asked again: "What are you wearing now?"
He didn't say what it was, but everyone knew what he meant.
Fairy in brocade clothes!
Lingwen said: "Yeah. He doesn't like you very much. You'd better be careful with your words."
Pei Ming asked, "How do you know what he's thinking? I'm really impressed by you. How could you be so careless as to cause such a scene? You were so audacious as to steal things from the Divine Martial Palace, ruining your golden rice bowl, and now you're coming to Tonglu Mountain. Did it send you here?"
Ling Wen said, "He didn't ask me to come here. I came here on my own initiative. Don't ask, Old Pei! He's going to be angry. I can feel it."
Pei Ming fell silent. After a while, Ling Wen let out a soft breath, as if Jin Yi Xian had finally calmed down. Then, Ling Wen said, "Old Pei, what's wrong with you? Why did you come to Tonglu Mountain when you were fine? Did you get stung by a million wasps on your left hand? What's it like?"
Pei Ming's voice was filled with frustration and frustration. He said, "It's a bad start, hard to explain. It's all because of Pei Xiao's carelessness. I shouldn't have been in such a mess, but who knew I'd run into my nemesis right away? If I hadn't been injured like this, would I have been dragged to this hellish place? I didn't even see who it was."
Xie Lian thought to himself, “Why don’t you just tell me where it is, a cave or a house? At least I’ll know where to look.”
However, there weren't completely no clues. Within Tonglu Mountain, the ability to shrink a thousand miles wouldn't work, so Pei Ming must have been nearby. Their conversation was ethereal and echoing, suggesting it must have taken place in a sufficiently empty space. Furthermore, Xie Lian could faintly hear the sound of flowing water.
They had walked for a long time and had not seen any rivers or lakes on the ground. There was no building on the road more empty than the Wuyong Temple. Therefore, there was only one possibility for where they were now.
underground!
However, this town is not small, so where exactly is the underground?
Pei Ming said, "What about you? I heard you killed over a thousand demons and monsters on the way, scaring them all. That's really commendable. You can't become the number one literary god, so why not switch to being a martial god? What kind of thing would tie you up here?"
Ling Wen smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know either. I accidentally had a fight with Master Yushi and was groggy after the fight. I guess the person hiding behind me took the opportunity to attack me. There's no need to ask, he will come out eventually. Just remember not to reveal your identity."
At this moment, a third voice suddenly interrupted the conversation between the two: "Pei Ming and Nangong Jie, you two, stop your wishful thinking. Don't I know what's going on under your skin?"
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