Chapter 51 Chapter 51 The Truth
The witch temple was built in the mountains. Shen Wen and Shen Run woke up early and headed for the mountain. As they walked, Shen Wen said to her, "This witch temple has a deep connection with the Chi clan. Do you know the legend about it?"
Chen Run pulled the strap of his backpack: "Huh? Didn't the Witch Temple just get discovered?"
"Of course not. This witch temple has existed for thousands of years. A hundred years ago, due to constant natural disasters and man-made calamities, the temple was buried in the mountains. It was finally unearthed recently. Um... do you know what it was used for?"
Chen Run said casually: "It's probably the same as a Buddhist temple or a Taoist temple."
"This isn't the Witch Temple. It's also known as the Town Temple." Chen Wen bent down and helped her remove the cockleburs stuck on her clothes. He spoke gently and patiently, "In ancient times, the great witch of the Chi clan specially ordered the construction of this Witch Temple in order to suppress an evil demon from outer space."
Chen Run became interested: "Oh?"
"The evil demon committed all manner of evil, wreaking havoc on the human world and causing constant war. Ancient gods sealed him away, but his power was too great. Even sealed, he could still influence the world. To eliminate him, the great witch of the Chi clan searched through the stone inscriptions before finally finding the place where he was sealed."
"Then this evil demon is quite evil. No wonder the ancestor wants to suppress it." Chen Run asked: "And then?"
Chen Wen's lips curled slightly as he pondered, "His power far exceeded human imagination. To successfully defeat him, the Chi clan ancestor had to resort to a trick, deceiving him of some of his power and causing him to fall into a deep sleep. Over a decade later, through cultivation, the ancestor also gained formidable strength, and this time, he finally succeeded in defeating him."
Without waiting for Chen Run to ask further questions, he continued, "Our ancestors were afraid that he would come back to life, so they cut his body into several pieces and gave them to the clan members to eat."
"That's disgusting." Chen Run bared her teeth. She then asked, "Hasn't the evil demon already been killed? Why does the Witch Temple still need to suppress it?"
Chen Wen sighed softly, seeming somewhat helpless. "Even if his body is destroyed, he cannot be considered completely dead. His soul is immortal. Our ancestors can only set up a formation in the temple and use the power of faith to weaken him day by day."
He pondered, "To prevent any accidents from happening in future generations, our ancestors placed a ban on the Chi clan. Every generation of the Chi clan would have several guardians. Their duty was to guard the Witch Temple and continue the seal. This tradition was gradually forgotten until the Witch Temple was buried by the mountains a hundred years ago."
Chen Wen uttered an "oh" and suddenly caught a logical flaw: "Hey, that's not right. The first time the Evil God was sealed, it was the ancient gods of China. Why did the second time it was the ancestors of the Chi family? Where are the original gods of China? Where did they go?"
"Legend has it that they ascended to the immortal realm. After they left, there were no more immortals in the human world. It was because of their departure that the seal of the evil god loosened."
Chen Wen paused: "But in ancient times, immortals could marry mortals, and the immortals left some bloodlines in the human world. The Chi family is one of them, so the Chi family is good at taming beasts and knows witchcraft."
"No wonder." Chen Run touched his chin: "So, everyone in the Chi family is a descendant of immortals."
"That's not the case," Chen Wen laughed, and looked at her again: "Descendants with pure immortal blood are extremely rare. Maybe one won't appear in a thousand years. It all depends on chance."
Chen Run simply listened to it as a myth, not paying any attention to it at all. He listened to it for fun and then forgot about it.
Chen Wen didn't say anything else. The two continued walking forward and could already see the outline of the Witch Temple. This temple was different from any temple Chen Run had seen before. It was heavily trimmed and eerie, and the main hall was built like the head of a coffin, which made people feel uncomfortable.
It was ten o'clock in the morning, early summer, and the sun was at its highest. However, once he stepped into the Witch Temple, even the sunlight dimmed a lot, and Chen Run felt a chill all over his body.
The Wu Temple had not yet officially begun renovations, and the fences had not been put up. Only a few staff members and workers were outside discussing things. Many villagers had come to visit and join in the fun these days, and the staff were not surprised to see the Chen Run siblings. They just reminded them to be careful when visiting and not to touch the cultural relics.
Just as the brother and sister were about to go in, they saw two staff members coming out carrying a stretcher. Lying on the stretcher was a pale-faced worker with his eyes closed and not moving, as if he had fainted.
Several staff members whispered to each other, "...We haven't even started work yet, and three people have already gotten into trouble. This time, it's even more outrageous. They insist they've fallen in love with the statues in the witch temple. This place is truly spooky! Can we report this to the higher-ups?"
"What's the point of reacting? The higher-ups have already made up their minds to develop a unique tourism industry, and they've even approved the funding. Let alone a few minor incidents, we have to keep going even if it rains knives from the sky."
"I was struck by lightning in my previous life, so I studied civil engineering in this life."
Several staff members complained, but their leader ordered them to do their work in a cowardly manner with the drawings in hand after complaining.
Chen Run had never taken the legends about evil gods seriously, but seeing how weird this place was, she couldn't help but feel a little suspicious - she used to be a staunch atheist, but now she herself has superpowers, so it's not impossible for a few more monsters to appear in this world.
Just as she was about to speak, Chen Wen had already gently pushed open the door of the main hall.
The statue in the main hall is carved from stone and is very simple, but this is understandable considering that it was an ancient tribal period. The statue has now been carried down from the shrine and surrounded by warning fences.
The statue must have been carefully cleaned, and its entire body is clean and tidy. The most amazing thing is that although the statue is carved from stone, there are not many traces of grace on its body. Its posture is swaying, and its eyebrows and eyes are lifelike - it is obvious that it is not a proper statue of a god.
Chen Run was stunned, feeling that this place looked familiar. She first looked around the main hall, then subconsciously raised her head to see the face of the statue.
Chen Wen's voice rang out again: "...Legend has it that the ancestors of the Chi clan didn't carve the face of the deity when they sculpted it. The statue's features and shape were carved piece by piece by the evil spirit suppressed within it."
He sighed, "In order to deceive his followers, he deliberately created a stunningly beautiful appearance that would captivate everyone."
At this moment, Shen Run's gaze also fell on the face of the statue, and her pupils suddenly shrank.
The statue's facial features are quite clear, with deep and beautiful eyebrows. At first glance, it has some Western exotic style, but its skin is as delicate as jade, and it is in line with the elegant and implicit aesthetic of the Oriental people. It is fully worthy of the five words "nature's wonders" - the statue alone is so beautiful, no wonder King Zhou fell in love with the statue of Nuwa at first sight.
Chen Run's eyes widened. How could this be so similar? How could this be so similar...
Shen Wen asked gently, “Do you think it looks familiar?”
Shen Run suddenly turned his head to look at him.
Chen Wen didn't explain much, but pointed back and said, "Let's go to the back and take a look."
Shen Run looked at him deeply, then walked around behind the statue without saying a word.
...There is actually a stone statue carved behind the statue.
However, compared with the beautiful statue on the front, the stone sculpture on the back is much more distorted and grotesque - it is a monster with eyes all over its body and countless tentacles growing underneath. It is tall and ferocious, simply beyond human imagination.
It has a huge impact on people with special abilities. Shen Run only took one look at it and it felt like he was hit hard in the face. His brain buzzed and his head felt like it was about to split open.
Some childhood scenes flashed through my mind one after another.
She and her friends got separated in the mountains and mistakenly ran to a gloomy temple to take shelter from the rain. A voice in the temple gently coaxed her. She brought some fruits and vegetables to the temple to worship the gods. Her grandmother seemed to realize that something was wrong and locked her at home to prevent her from going out.
The last scene is that the grandmother, despite her sick body, bit her fingertips and drew a talisman on her forehead, sealing all her memories before the age of six. With tears in her eyes, she told her to leave quickly and never look back.
Soon, her nose felt hot and a few drops of blood dripped out.
Chen Wen seemed to have expected this. He pulled her back to the front, took out a tissue and carefully wiped her nosebleed, and asked with concern: "Are you okay?"
He looked apologetic, "I forgot to tell you, the back is engraved with His true form, which will have a slight negative impact on those with high spiritual power."
He pulled Chen Run to walk out, but Chen Run grabbed his wrist. She took advantage of his inattention and kicked him in the knee, making him half-kneel on the ground. She then handcuffed his arm and pinned him down with one knee.
She asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
No matter how stupid she was, she realized that something was wrong. Chen Wen had brought her to the witch temple and told her a lot of things step by step. In the end, he let her see this statue, which was exactly the same as Chi Shuangliu's statue. Chen Run would rather eat the statue alive than believe that Chen Wen didn't do it on purpose.
So the question is, how could Chen Wen know so much? If he is not Chen Wen, then who is he? What is his purpose?
Even after being attacked, Chen Wen showed no panic on his face. He still looked gentle and kind, but his tone was a little more helpless: "I am Chen Wen."
He shook his head. "Remember what I told you yesterday? I was in a car accident a few months ago. It was from that time that I inherited the memories and abilities of my ancestors. I learned that I was the current gatekeeper of the Chi clan. My duty is to guard the witch temple and prevent the evil god from harming the world again. And you, you and I share the same blood. We were born to fight against him."
"After awakening, I immediately wanted to contact you, but I discovered that He had already come to your side. During the time I was recovering my strength, He had successfully bewitched you."
"Chi Shuangliu is the evil god who caused devastation on earth thousands of years ago. He tried to seduce you when you were very young. After you grew up, he came to you again. He seduced you and tempted you, not because he liked you, but because he wanted to use your bloodline to unlock the seal left by our ancestors."
"He is a complete monster. He is cunning, cold-blooded, cruel and ruthless. He regards humans as cattle, sheep, pigs and dogs. It is impossible for him to have feelings for humans, especially not for the Chi family. Xiaorun, are you still stubborn and unwilling to change your ways?"
"Even if you don't believe me, would grandma lie to you? She risked her life for you!"
Chen Wen's tone became solemn. He turned his head and looked at her without blinking.
"Xiaorun, believe it or not, it's time for you to make a choice."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com