Hua Cheng said in a deep voice: "No. It's the human world."
It was indeed the human world. The picture depicted densely packed houses, trees, and people, yet they were all engulfed in a boundless sea of fire and flowing lava. The vague red Xie Lian had just seen was the color of fire.
Houses and trees were burning, people were covered in flames and screaming. The distorted faces were so realistically captured that Xie Lian could almost hear their cries.
In the center of the painting, a crimson mountain was painted, resembling a giant, red-hot furnace. It was truly terrifying. The flames and lava were all spewing out from the mountain's mouth.
Xie Lian asked, “This mural means… a volcanic eruption and the destruction of the Wuyong Kingdom?”
Hua Chengdao: "Yes. And not right."
Xie Lian understood and said, “That’s not accurate. This is… a dream.”
The tragedy below should be a depiction of Prince Wuyong’s dream.
Prince Wuyong and the four guardian deities are depicted with golden light, indicating that they have already ascended. He is tormented by nightmares, so the content, lines, and colors of the dream are all "illusory," as opposed to "real."
Some priests possess immense magical powers and exceptional talents, able to discern subtle signs and glimpse the future through dreams. This is known as prophetic dreams. I wonder if the Crown Prince's dream came true? Was this how the Wuyong Kingdom fell?
After a moment's silence, Xie Lian said, "Someone must be trying to tell us something. This mural's story should be a continuation of the previous one. I think when we reach the last one, the 'Bronze Furnace,' we'll be able to unravel many of our mysteries."
At this moment, Lingwen looked out the window and said, "Everyone, there is something I need to ask you. Do you find it strange?"
Pei Ming asked, "What's so strange about that?"
Lingwen said, "I don't know if I'm remembering it wrong, but were these two cliffs on either side of the road this close before?"
Everyone looked out the window. As expected, when they had just entered, the mountain wall had been about ten feet away from the window, but now it was incredibly close, almost pressing against it. Just as Xie Lian was about to go over to investigate, he heard a series of strange "crackling" and "creaking" noises, like the sound of earth, wood, bricks, and stone being squeezed.
Now, everyone felt it and asked, "What's going on?"
The floor tiles beneath his feet were shaking, as was the ceiling above him. Pieces of gravel and dust fell one by one. Pei Ming asked, "Is the ground shaking?"
As soon as he finished speaking, several terrifying wrinkles appeared on the wall. Xie Lian said, "It's not an earthquake! It's..."
The mountain walls on both sides are squeezing towards the Wuyong Temple in the middle!
Without time to explain, he shouted, "Run!"
Before he could say anything, Pei Ming had already kicked down a wall, opening an exit. Everyone rushed out through the wall and headed forward. However, they were still running through the Wuyong Temple. The temple was very deep and long. In addition to the main hall, there were many side halls, small halls, incense rooms, Taoist temples, and so on. So, everyone had no choice but to break down walls and kick down doors as they ran. In such a moment, the Martial God's movement style was of great help. However, just as they passed through two small halls, a large rock half a man's height smashed through the roof and landed at Xie Lian's feet.
These are the huge rocks that fell from the mountain walls on both sides!
The rumbling sound continued as more boulders fell from the sky. Some were as large as water tanks, collapsing entire roofs, while others were as small as human heads. The force of these boulders, falling from great heights, was astonishing. Fortunately, there was a roof to block them, and everyone was quite skilled, dodging them in time. Only Huacheng seemed to be the most relaxed. As Xie Lian ran and dodged, he suddenly heard him say, "Brother, are you coming over here?"
Looking back, Huacheng was right beside him, a step away, moving as steadily as a flying bird. He had pulled out his red umbrella from somewhere and was smiling at him from beneath it. The falling rocks thudded against the umbrella, but Huacheng held it with one hand, not even shaking!
Xie Lian immediately hid under his umbrella and said, "That was a close call. Luckily, I'm here with San Lang."
Hua Cheng smiled, considerately tilted the umbrella a little towards him, and said, "Come this way."
Despite being inappropriate, Xie Lian couldn't help but feel a slight emotion in his heart. He said, "Are you tired of holding the umbrella like this? Do you want me to hold it for you..."
The others were fleeing and dodging, running like crazy. Seeing how comfortable they were, they couldn't stand it anymore and couldn't help but say, "Hey, this isn't fair!"
"City Master Hua, may I ask if you have any extra umbrellas?!"
"Can I borrow a place to hide for a while?!"
Hua Cheng smirked and said, "No. I can't."
Amidst the crowd's protests, Xie Lian felt a little embarrassed and said, "This mountain is truly bizarre!" He tried to slip away, but Hua Cheng subtly embraced him and calmly explained, "Brother, you're right. This mountain is indeed bizarre. There are three large mountains within Tonglu Mountain, named 'Old Age,' 'Sickness,' and 'Death.' While they look like ordinary mountains, they can move autonomously within the mountain's boundaries. That's why some people consider them landmarks."
Rocks crashed down from above, but beneath the umbrella, a peaceful scene unfolded. Xie Lian asked, "So that's how it is! Was the mountain where Rong Guang blocked our path when he was disguised as the Deadly Blade Demon one of these three mountain monsters?"
Ling Wen, bouncing up and down on Pei Su's back, still managed to communicate, said, "No wonder this Wuyong Temple is so strangely built in the middle of the 'canyon'. I'm afraid its original location wasn't so bizarre, and it was those two mountain monsters who attacked us!"
Xie Lian asked, “But, ‘birth, old age, sickness, and death,’ since there’s ‘old age, sickness, and death,’ what about ‘birth’?”
Hua Chengdao: "Unfortunately, there is no 'life'. At least I haven't seen it."
Xie Lian said, “You mean you’re not going to give me a chance to live? That’s truly cruel!”
Then, Ban Yue said, "The mountain wall is still closing in!"
When they first entered the canyon, the path was about ten feet wide, narrowing as they went. By the time they reached the gates of the Wuyong Temple, it was less than ten feet wide. Now, the distance between the two mountain walls was no more than three feet. The houses and walls were squeezed and wrinkled because the Wuyong Temple used stone beams and other solid building materials, "stuck" the two mountain walls as they approached each other. But they were afraid they couldn't hold out for much longer. Pei Ming said, "There's no way out. Let's break through the roof and climb up! It's okay to go up in the rain of rocks. Just break up the falling rocks!"
Xie Lian said, “No! We’re still stuck at the temple. If we go up, if two mountain monsters clap their hands mid-air or something, we’ll be killed by them!”
As they spoke, the two sides approached faster, and with a loud clatter, the space for everyone to fit in was less than two meters wide. Ling Wen was still unable to move in this situation and couldn't help but say, "Everyone, can you please take some action quickly? If not, can you let me go and let me take action myself? I don't want to be crushed like this, thank you???"
The situation was pressing, so how could one easily come up with a solution? As the space continued to shrink, shrinking to a size barely wide enough for one person, Pei Ming suddenly shouted and leaped into the air. He braced his hands against the left wall, his feet against the right, and transformed himself into a "thorn," wedged horizontally between the two mountains. He said, "Even if I get crushed to death, I don't want to be crushed like this. I'll hold on, and you guys figure something out!"
“…”
Everyone was shocked by his move. Ling Wen reluctantly gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Old Pei, you're a real man!"
Pei Ming gritted his teeth and said, "You're welcome!"
The power of the God of War is beyond words. The two mountain walls were still moving closer together, as if they were stuck by Pei Ming, and they were in a stalemate. But this was the result of Pei Ming's full exertion of his magic power, and he certainly couldn't hold out for long. While Xie Lian was quickly thinking of a way to escape, the two mountain monsters gained the upper hand, forcing Pei Ming's knees to bend slightly. Seeing that the situation was not good, Pei Su said, "General, I will help you!" He threw the spiritual text on his shoulder to Banyue and joined the ranks of human flesh stuck. But he was a mortal now, where could he get his divine power? The spiritual text of the Jinyixian could be used, but he was too dangerous. Releasing it would only add fuel to the fire, like stepping on a poisonous snake after falling into a den of wolves. So, Banyue threw down the spiritual text and said, "I'll come too..."
However, she was still a young girl, not as tall as the two grown men. She was a bit short, unable to cling to the wall, so she slapped Pei Su's back, channeling his magical energy. Only then did Pei Su and Pei Ming slowly straighten their knees. Their faces flushed crimson, veins bulging as their power exploded. Hua Cheng, the most powerful of the group, was watching from the sidelines, twirling his red umbrella, unenthusiastic. Suddenly, Xie Lian pounded his palm, shouting, "Got it! Got it, got it, got it!"
There's a solution! Xie Lian said, "Since going forward, backward, and upwards doesn't work, let's go downwards! Let's dig a hole and take shelter!"
Lingwen immediately said, "Good idea! Please start now!"
Pei Ming gritted his teeth and said, "Then... please... hurry up...!!!"
Xie Lian said, "Okay, okay, okay!" He had already been digging furiously in the ground, sending sand, rocks, and dirt flying everywhere. Hua Cheng, standing by, holding an umbrella for him, not only didn't work, but also urged him, "Brother, stop digging. Sit down and rest."
Everyone couldn't help but shout, "City Master Hua!!!"
Hua Cheng said, "Hmm? What do you want me to do?"
Lingwen collapsed on the ground and said, "City Master Hua, you and the Crown Prince are here too. If you have a plan, could you please offer one? After all, no one wants to be stuck in a slab of stone." There was another question that no one dared to say: If you don't have a plan, could you please act as a human thorn in the side? Although Xie Lian was anxious, he instinctively trusted him. As he dug a hole with his hands, he said, "Sanlang, do you have a plan?"
Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Brother, just wait. You don't have to do anything. It will be done in a moment."
Right now, his bottom was on fire. Although everyone thought he should have a solution, he couldn't help but feel his bottom burning. Ling Wen was about to say something else, but Xie Lian suddenly said, "What's that sound?"
Amidst the rumble of falling boulders, another strange sound emerged, rapidly approaching. Crack, crack! Crack, crack, crack! It was coming ever so fast, drawing ever closer. Xie Lian felt the sound was familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before. He paused his frantic digging and exclaimed, “This… could this be?!”
Just as he finished speaking, a piece of ground suddenly collapsed at his feet, revealing a black hole large enough for two people to crawl into. In the hole, the end of a shovel rose up, reflecting a bright white light!
The geomancer's precious shovel!
The shovel flashed, then quickly retreated back into the hole. Hua Cheng said, "It's a little late, but we've made it. Let's go."
Without a word, Xie Lian grabbed the spiritual text and threw it in, followed by Ban Yue, Pei Su, and Pei Ming. Without the "thorn" stuck between them, the two mountain monsters suddenly accelerated. Amidst the creaking noise, Hua Cheng grabbed Xie Lian by the waist and said, "Hurry up!" He then embraced him and jumped into the tunnel. Xie Lian felt himself immersed in darkness, and then a loud boom came from above.
The two mountains finally fit together perfectly!
If they were still up there, they would have been crushed into meat patties. After calming down a bit, one or two small flames ignited in the darkness. Xie Lian looked at the tunnel they were in. It was neither too wide nor too narrow, neatly laid out, a passage worthy of being dug by the geomancer's precious shovel. The few who had fallen down first lay on the ground, breathing lightly. Hua Cheng released his grip on his waist, and Xie Lian removed the hand that had unconsciously climbed onto his shoulder, looking at the man in black holding the shovel.
The man in black was also panting, pawing at his shovel, and wiping away a few slivers of cold sweat. Xie Lian took a few steps closer, examining him closely. He looked like a neat, well-groomed young man, handsome indeed, with at least a 70% good appearance. However, he lacked any personality. He must have a very low sense of presence in his daily life.
Xie Lian approached him. The man in black raised his head and said, “Your Highness…”
Before he could finish, Xie Lian had already grabbed his pulse and asked, "Where is Master Feng?"
The man in black was stunned and said, "Ah? This... I don't know about this."
Xie Lian exhaled and said solemnly, "Master Heishui, why bother to act any further? Your revenge is your business, but Master Fengshi has a friendship with you after all, and he hasn't done anything against the will of heaven or morality. I hope..."
At this time, Lingwen interrupted him and said, "Heishui? Your Highness, why do you think he is Heishui? His face looks different, right?"
Xie Lian turned back and asked suspiciously, "Because he's holding the Earth Master's Treasure Shovel. Also, don't you all know the key to transforming? This face is so ordinary, it's embarrassing and can't be removed immediately. It must be a fake."
We talked about the method of changing shape before, and the face of the young man in black now perfectly meets the first requirement of an excellent fake skin: ordinary.
Even if you stare at his face for an hour, then take a nap and wake up the next day and completely forget what he looks like, wouldn't it be a fake face?
“…”
However, after a while, the young man in black said, "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I... I really do look like this."
“…”
Hua Cheng also came over, coughed lightly, and said, "Brother, this is really not black water."
“…”
???
Hua Cheng said: "This is indeed his true appearance."
It turns out that this is a real natural passerby face!
Xie Lian covered his forehead with his hands, then clasped his hands together, bowed slightly, and apologized, "...I'm sorry."
He actually took it for granted and actually told her directly in front of him that he was plain-looking and a disgrace. There was nothing he could do, because his face was such a standard example of a positive transformation!
The young man in black was also extremely embarrassed and waved his hands, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. I'm used to it..."
Ling Wenze said, "Your Highness Yinyu, this time we are really grateful to you."
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