A sound of pleasure
Behind the door was a magnificent hall. In its center stood a statue of a goddess. A beam of light streamed down from her head, shrouding her in a dazzling aura. Twelve swords stood upright, surrounding her. The goddess' arms were outstretched, her palms slightly bent and spread upward. Her colorful garments were undamaged, still radiant and vibrant.
Around the statue of the goddess, there are upright stone coffins, forming a circle.
The coffin lids were carved with raised figures, young and old, male and female, all with eyes closed, and no discernible pattern to their appearance. Each figure held three incense sticks, and their names were inscribed above their heads, with details of their lives and the names of their children and descendants carved beside them.
The contents of all the coffins are the same, densely packed with mysterious inscriptions.
"Axun, do you remember what was inscribed on the stone tablet the village chief found? The mysterious ancient country rests the heroic souls of loyal men and her precious sword. The high priestess left a prophecy that the person she loved most would come here to awaken her soul. The deepest part of Huamian Village should be here, right?"
"Remember, I understand what you mean. I would rather not have this sword than..."
He Qi looked at Heng Jin standing beside him, feeling particularly displeased, but helplessly said, "Let him try."
Heng Jin on the side didn't say anything, just looked at A Li.
"Wait, Tsurugi. No one knows how many chances there are to touch each other. If it weren't for him, who knows what the consequences would be. To be on the safe side, I think it's more reliable for you to come."
He Qi said somewhat disappointedly, "It is precisely because of the need to be cautious that I think it would be more useful to have him come. Sister, you don't know, I..."
Heng Jin suddenly interrupted, "I also think that you are the one she loves the most. It's a sure thing for you to wake her up."
"Do you know who the goddess statue is?" Yuanli asked.
"I didn't know it when I came here, but after seeing the statue, I guessed it. And after adding to what you said, I'm sure of it. The Ice Soul recognizes its master. Even if you can't awaken her heroic spirit, you can awaken her Ice Soul. You can do it, but I can't. She told me that you were able to summon her Ice Soul when you were young. Even if she and I were in love for thousands of years, I would never be able to surpass your position in her heart by even a little bit."
Seeing Heqi's expression eased a little and he didn't say anything, Hengjin continued, "I guess you think this way because you feel that your beloved sister sacrificed her life for me, and didn't choose to live because of you?"
"If it weren't for knowing you, how could my sister have died so miserably and painfully? What qualifications do you have to say these things?"
"I'm responsible for your sister's death, and I know you hate me. But even if your sister had never known me, she would have chosen to sacrifice herself to suppress the Evil Abyss. You know her temperament best. She wouldn't sit idly by while the six realms suffer, and she couldn't help but do whatever she could. Furthermore, that forbidden technique can only be activated by the Yiji clan, and you and she are the only remaining Yiji members in the world. However, the forbidden technique requires Yiji, and she's not the only one who knows it. I'm telling you this not to shirk my fault or responsibility. I want you to understand that you are her family, and she loves you most, even more than her own life."
Upon hearing this, Yuanli leaned close to Cha Suxun's ear and asked, "What is Yiji?"
Cha Suxun imitated her, whispering in her ear and explaining, "On Xian Mountain, there is a beast. It's as big as a membrane, with a red beak, red eyes, and a white tail. When it appears, the town will be on fire. It's called Yiji. Yiji looks like a bear, but its body radiates blazing flames that never go out. Yiji is extremely powerful, skilled in controlling fire, and extremely powerful in battle. It's an ancient beast."
"Why is there no record of the move in the book?"
"I don't know. Maybe someone erased it on purpose. It's not impossible." After saying that, Cha Suxun signaled her to continue paying attention to Heqi and Hengjin.
"Nonsense! You're just trying to distance yourself from the fact that you killed my sister! When I looked at the record of that forbidden technique, I didn't see what you said about only the Yiji clan being able to activate it! Maybe you're just trying to trick my sister into dying for you!"
When he said the last sentence, Heqi almost roared in frustration.
"Because the stone formation was formed from Yiji's corpse after his death. Before suppressing the Evil Abyss, the stone formation had already been used. The first person to use the forbidden technique to suppress it was a member of the Yiji clan. The second time they attempted to use the stone formation, the Yiji clan member who left behind the method vanished, and the others sent were unable to activate it. Thus, the rumor spread that only the Yiji could use this method. Later, when the six realms were devastated, someone captured a child, a descendant of the Yiji clan, and forced his family to voluntarily sacrifice him to suppress the evil. From then on, the conclusion that only the Yiji clan could activate the formation was established. It wasn't spread because the Yiji clan member's willingness to sacrifice wasn't genuine, so the stone formation didn't work to its full potential, nearly allowing the suppressed evil spirit to escape. Therefore, the rulers of the six realms at the time immediately decided to suppress the news, staging a fake event to dispel the rumors."
"But how can you be so sure we're the descendants of the Fire Bear Yiji? Back then, when rumors about my sister and you spread throughout the six realms, why didn't you, the people of the Heavenly Realm, say we were part of the Yiji clan? You criticized my sister, saying she was a monster and unworthy of you. Now that we're in danger, you're saying my sister is the only remaining member of the Fire Bear Yiji clan. Fire Bear Yiji! An ancient beast! With such noble bloodline, why didn't you say my sister, a monster, was unworthy of you?"
"I don't know how the masters of the various realms knew this. This is all I can find out."
"So, at that time, Sister also knew... Sister was willing to die without hesitation in order to save my life. What a bunch of selfish villains! Why don't you come and trick me? Why don't you trick me into death!"
Seeing Heqi's near-mad collapse, Yuanli quickly told Hengjin to shut up. Heqi's tears fell to the ground, and the surrounding sarcophagus suddenly began to vibrate, and from within the sarcophagus came the sound of someone frantically slapping the lid.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know. Take the Ice Soul and leave quickly! Time is running out!"
Cha Suxun sternly reminded He Qi, "Go get Bingpo!"
The sarcophagus began to shift positions, trapping them in a chaotic yet orderly fashion. Cha Suxun pulled Yuanli upwards, intending to fly out, but the sarcophagus quickly followed them, maintaining the encirclement.
"Crane Roost! Summon Ice Soul!"
He Qi, hearing Cha Suxun's words, immediately imitated his sister's memory and summoned Bing Po. The twelve swords atop the goddess statue behind him began to tremble, and countless yellow sand fell. As He Qi repeated the summons, Bing Po finally revealed its true form.
Yuanli looked up and saw twelve ice-blue swords circling in the sky in an orderly manner. The swords were slender and long, and exuded a biting cold air that spread like milky white smoke.
As Heqi shouted "Sword come!", Bingpo quickly went to his side, with the tip of the sword pointing downwards, surrounded Heqi, and brought him out of the circle of stone coffins.
But Yuanli and Cha Suxun weren't so lucky. The sarcophagus spun closer and closer, until the edges of the lids touched, forming a stone wall. The sarcophagus spun around them faster and faster, the confined space dizzying and creating the illusion of the sarcophagus growing taller. Their vision was obscured, and they couldn't see the others clearly. Their cries went unanswered, and the silence was so intense that it felt as if they were the only ones left.
Just as Cha Suxun was about to use his Netherworld power to escape, Yuanli stopped him, saying, "No! Casting spells while experiencing tribulations in the human world will backfire. Right now, these sarcophagi are merely trapping us, not attacking us. Let's wait and see what happens. They'll surely find a way to save us."
"Ah Li, have you forgotten that that stingy Heng Jin considers me a love rival? I'm afraid he wishes me dead. Are you sure he will come to save us?"
"Why do you look so gloating? You and I are both mortals, and a crow's mouth will do you no good. It doesn't matter whether he comes or not, Heqi will definitely come to save us. Even if Heqi doesn't come, we can still survive if we work together. But, if we can avoid the backlash, then don't."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, my lady."
The coffin turned for a long time before it slowly stopped and fell to the ground, until the sarcophagus moved again and returned to its original position.
And now, they were the only two people left in the temple. The footprints they had stepped on when they came in were still there, but after calling for a long time, there was no response from them.
"Oh no, where are they?"
"I don't know. Let's worry about ourselves first."
"Axun, do you smell a foul odor? It's a bit like the stench of a rotting corpse, and a bit like the smell of gray mold."
"I smell a foul smell."
Cha Suxun took out two silk handkerchiefs from his chest, folded them and placed one in her palm, indicating that she should use it to cover her nose, and used the other to cover his own nose.
Yuanli quickly covered her nose, trying to reduce her deep breaths. Cha Suxun interlocked his fingers with hers, holding her hand tightly. Then, he leaned in close and said, "Don't get separated from me. Keep an eye on me."
She nodded, and Cha Suxun led her through the array of stone coffins, constantly observing the inscriptions on the stone coffin lids. Soon, he discovered that some of the stone coffin lids had opened slightly, and he thought that this foul air must have come from that.
"Ari, cover your mouth and nose tightly. Look here, there's a gap in the lid of this sarcophagus. We didn't smell anything when we came in, which means the gap was opened later. These sarcophagi have been sealed here for who knows how many years. When they're opened, the most you'll smell is dust and mold, but this stench is more like the smell of decay shortly after burial."
"This place is sparsely populated, and it's Kasi's temple. There's no way there's a body buried recently. Anyway, let's stay away from the coffin. I'll try to communicate with Tianshu."
Yuanli used a little bit of her magic power and called out Tianshu's name three times through telepathy.
After trying three times, Tianshu's weak voice came back: "Ari! Where are you?"
Yuanli replied through telepathic communication, "We are inside the temple and have not moved."
"We are also in the temple and have not moved, but we can't see you at all."
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