Chapter 785: Chapter 526: Clearing the Field, Descent of the Celestial Deity (Part 3)

"This is the fifteenth one, right!"

The woman curled her lips: "No need to flatter, once this area is fully explored, call them back immediately. If you don’t want to die, it’s time to prepare to leave now."

"Huh? It’s not even two days since we got here, right? The captain is still in that big temple and hasn’t returned?"

"We’ll leave once he returns."

The woman frowned and glanced into the distance: "Have you forgotten what we saw along the way, that big temple right in the center?"

"Previously, four golden beams continuously flew from the sky, and now, out of the eight headless Buddha statues at the entrance of the temple, four of them have grown heads."

"Who knows what will happen next?"

"Creatures like the ’Corpse Forest King’, ’Spirit Master’, ’Plague King’, ’Soul Spirit King’... with such terrifying beings gathering here, who could predict what would unfold?"

"To survive, you must retreat at the right time."

The strong man paused, then grinned: "The captain is lucky to have married you!"

The woman, heavily made up, nodded with satisfaction, suddenly turning her head towards a temple a kilometer away.

"By the way... I always feel like someone is watching me, have any bumpkins gone in there?"

The strong man froze: "I think someone went in, but hasn’t come out yet."

"Oh? Go take a look."

The strong man nodded, summoning a large, gray-brown bear that stood on two legs, with blood marks left from bites around its mouth, and headed in that direction.

......

A ragged boy, carrying a sack on his back, was hiding at the entrance of the temple, no longer peering outside at the approaching strong man and his Contracted Spirit Beast, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

His name was Ruan Wenping, a mere fourteen-year-old who hadn’t awakened his talent. Because his mother was seriously ill and they couldn’t afford the treatment, he believed in the rumors circulating in the town two days prior—

"A Secret Realm descended from the heavens, containing treasures, with one you could enrich three generations."

Thus, he wagered everything he had saved, rented a broken-down pickup truck, and spent seven days entering this place that everyone said could change his fate.

It was as if the heavens favored him, and he indeed obtained the treasure by sheer luck.

After evading mysterious and bizarre dangers, he saw a glowing jade slab on the offering table in the temple’s center. Holding it in his hands felt like a special energy surged within it.

This should be what everyone referred to as ’Spiritual Materials.’

He was almost moved to tears with joy.

However...

Just as he was about to leave, the death of that man earlier was like a cold bucket of water thrown over him, leaving him with nothing but trembling.

—He could clearly feel that he would die.

But how could a fourteen-year-old boy possibly outrun a Spirit Master?

He curled up on the ground, desperately trying to shrink and remain unnoticed, but tears streamed down uncontrollably.

It is said that as one nears death, they recall their entire life.

Though young, he had struggled tirelessly in the town, enduring countless hardships, becoming quite mature for his age.

But at this moment, he realized he couldn’t forget his mother’s pale and heart-wrenching face before he left—she clearly wanted to stop him, but knew she couldn’t persuade him.

So, she left him only one sentence.

"Ah Da, you must come back."

—I’m sorry, Mom, I’m sorry...

—I can’t come back...

The strong man was getting closer; it seemed his footsteps could already be heard.

Death seemed to edge nearer.

But at that moment.

The strong man’s steps suddenly halted.

"......?"

The boy opened his eyes.

Then...

An unforgettable sight unfolded before him.

In the dusk-lit sky filled with swirling sand, a dark golden star drew a brilliant arc across the sky and fell beside a dead tree a kilometer away.

"...!!!"

From within emerged a handsome young man.

The young man stepped out from the radiant light, a path of flames unfurling underfoot, looking almost unearthly, a black diamond crown atop his head, like a god or a king, immaculate and commanding an awe-inspiring presence, descending from the sky to stand before the heavily made-up woman.

Without a word, merely a slight rotation of his crown, the young man shook his head.

The woman, just about to express her fright, was instantly engulfed in flames that materialized out of thin air, turning her and her Contracted Spirit Beast to ashes.

The strong man stood dumbfounded, starting to roar and charge forward, then froze, similarly turning to ash along with the bear.

Ruan Wenping was stunned.

But in the next moment, he found the youth’s gaze meeting his from a kilometer away.

"...!!!"

—He noticed me!

The moment this thought emerged, the young man, without delay, appeared right in front of him.

Bright and clear flames surrounded him.

Looking from this angle, the young man in the black windbreaker was flawlessly perfect, his aura transcendent, more like a god than a deity statue within the temple.

Ruan Wenping was awestruck, frozen for a full three seconds before kneeling: "My lord! Please don’t kill me!!"

He hastily pulled out the jade slab from his chest, offering it in a kneeling posture, not daring to raise his head, his eyes filled with nervousness and pleading, hoping that the youth wouldn’t kill him.

But he discovered...

The young man’s finger seemed to touch the jade slab in his hand.

He looked up in astonishment, seeing this god-like youth raise his hand, his slender fingers emitting a bright and warm flame, circling around the jade slab, releasing a swirl of black gas.

The flame continued to flow downwards, sizzling, yet without burning his body, expelling more black gas, invigorating Ruan Wenping, as if the fatigue from his journey was being dispelled.

In the end, the jade slab wasn’t taken away; instead, a small rice ball appeared in his palm.