Chapter 2179: Different Perspectives Within the Temple
The massive stone door slowly swung open, revealing a long, dark corridor. The air that rushed out carried a faint scent of decay and an ancient, dusty atmosphere.
Xu Huo stood at the entrance, his gaze fixed on the depths of the corridor. Behind him, the other players also stared intently at the temple’s interior, their expressions varying from caution to curiosity.
“It’s really open,” the short-haired female player whispered, her hand gripping her weapon tightly.
Lawrence Li took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Xu Huo. “Be careful, there might be traps inside.”
Xu Huo nodded slightly but didn’t hesitate. He stepped into the corridor first. The moment his foot touched the ground, the torches on both sides of the wall ignited spontaneously, their flames flickering with a strange blue light, illuminating the path ahead.
The corridor was not long, only about ten meters, and at the end was a spacious hall. The hall was circular, with walls covered in murals depicting scenes of ancient battles, sacrifices, and worship. In the center of the hall stood a huge stone platform, on which lay a closed stone coffin.
“This looks like a tomb,” the bearded man said in a low voice.
“Or a sacrificial altar,” the baby-faced player added, looking around warily.
Xu Huo walked to the stone platform, carefully examining the patterns on the stone coffin. These patterns were very similar to those on the stone door, clearly from the same era and culture.
“Do we need to open it?” the pink-haired female player asked.
“Since we’re here, we have to see what’s inside,” Lawrence Li replied, stepping forward to help.
The two of them worked together, pushing the heavy stone coffin lid. With a low rumble, the lid slowly slid open, revealing a layer of dust inside. As the dust settled, everyone saw what lay within the coffin.
It wasn’t a corpse, but a neatly arranged set of items: a bronze mirror, a jade dagger, a roll of animal skin parchment, and a small wooden box.
“These are... burial goods?” the short-haired female player guessed.
Xu Huo reached out and picked up the bronze mirror. The mirror’s surface was covered in a patina, but it still faintly reflected a blurry image. He turned the mirror over, and on the back were engraved some ancient characters.
“Can you read this?” Lawrence Li asked.
Xu Huo shook his head. “It’s not a common script, probably a local ancient language.”
He put down the bronze mirror and picked up the jade dagger. The dagger was exquisitely crafted, with a faint chill emanating from the blade, clearly not an ordinary item.
“This dagger seems to have some special power,” the baby-faced player said, his eyes shining.
Xu Huo handed the dagger to Lawrence Li, then picked up the animal skin parchment. The parchment was covered in dense text and diagrams, recording some kind of ritual or spell.
“This might be the key to the temple,” Xu Huo said.
He then opened the small wooden box. Inside the box lay a crystal-clear bead, about the size of a thumb, emitting a soft glow.
“What is this?” the pink-haired female player asked curiously.
Xu Huo carefully picked up the bead, feeling a warm energy flowing from it into his body. “It should be some kind of energy core, possibly the power source of the temple.”
Just as he finished speaking, the entire hall suddenly shook violently, and cracks began to appear on the surrounding walls.
“Not good, the temple is collapsing!” the bearded man shouted.
“Grab the stuff and get out!” Lawrence Li yelled.
Everyone quickly grabbed the items from the stone coffin and rushed toward the exit. The shaking grew more intense, and stones kept falling from the ceiling. Xu Huo ran at the front, his gaze fixed on the exit ahead.
Just as they were about to rush out of the corridor, a huge stone block suddenly fell from above, blocking the way.
“Damn it!” the short-haired female player cursed.
Xu Huo didn’t hesitate. He raised his hand and shot out a Space Ray Blade, slicing the boulder in two. The rubble scattered, and a path opened up.
“Go!” he shouted.
Everyone scrambled through the gap and finally rushed out of the temple. The moment they stepped out, the entire temple collapsed behind them, raising a cloud of dust.
Panting heavily, everyone looked back at the ruins, still shaken.
“That was close,” the baby-faced player said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
Xu Huo put away the items in his hands and turned to look at the others. “We need to find a safe place to study these things first.”
Lawrence Li nodded. “There’s a cave not far ahead, we can go there.”
The group quickly moved toward the cave. Inside the cave, they lit a fire, and everyone sat around it, examining the items they had brought out.
Xu Huo spread out the animal skin parchment and carefully studied the text and diagrams on it. “This seems to be a map, marking the location of some important place.”
“Where?” Lawrence Li leaned in to look.
Xu Huo pointed to a mark on the map. “Here, it looks like it’s deep in the mountains.”
“Do we need to go?” the pink-haired female player asked.
Xu Huo pondered for a moment. “Since we’ve come this far, we might as well go check it out. Maybe we’ll find more clues.”
Everyone agreed, so after a brief rest, they set off again, following the map’s directions deeper into the mountains.
The mountain path was rugged and difficult to traverse, with dense vegetation on both sides, making it hard to walk. Fortunately, they were all experienced players and could handle it.
After walking for about two hours, they finally arrived at the location marked on the map. It was a hidden valley, surrounded by steep cliffs, with only a narrow path leading inside.
“Be careful, there might be danger ahead,” Xu Huo reminded.
Everyone became alert, weapons in hand, cautiously advancing. As they entered the valley, the scene before them opened up. In the center of the valley stood an ancient altar, surrounded by stone pillars carved with various mysterious patterns.
“This place looks even more ancient than the temple,” the bearded man said in surprise.
Xu Huo walked to the altar and saw a circular groove in the center, which seemed to be used to place something.
He took out the crystal bead from his bosom and compared it with the groove. It fit perfectly.
“Should I put it in?” he asked, turning to the others.
Lawrence Li thought for a moment. “Try it, but be ready to retreat at any time.”
Xu Huo nodded, took a deep breath, and carefully placed the crystal bead into the groove.
The moment the bead made contact with the groove, a dazzling light burst forth, and the entire altar began to hum. The patterns on the stone pillars lit up one by one, converging toward the center.
Everyone stared nervously at the changes, their hands gripping their weapons tightly.
Soon, the light faded, and a space portal appeared in the center of the altar.
“This is... a teleportation portal?” the short-haired female player said in surprise.
Xu Huo looked at the portal, a thoughtful expression on his face. “It seems the real secret is on the other side of this portal.”
“Do we go in?” the baby-faced player asked hesitantly.
Xu Huo turned to look at everyone. “I’ll go first. If there’s danger, you guys retreat immediately.”
“No way, we go together,” Lawrence Li said firmly.
Xu Huo smiled slightly. “Alright, then let’s go together.”
Saying that, he stepped into the portal first. The others followed closely behind.
As the light flashed, they found themselves in a completely different space. This was a vast hall, even more magnificent than the previous temple, with walls inlaid with countless gems, shining brightly.
In the center of the hall stood a huge statue, depicting a figure wearing a crown and holding a scepter, exuding an air of authority.
“This is... a god?” the pink-haired female player whispered.
Xu Huo walked up to the statue and looked up at it. Suddenly, the statue’s eyes flickered with light, and a deep voice echoed through the hall.
“Mortals, you have passed the trial and are qualified to receive my legacy.”
Everyone was startled, instinctively stepping back.
Xu Huo remained calm, looking at the statue. “What legacy?”
The statue’s voice continued, “My legacy is the power to transcend the mundane, the key to unlocking the truth of this world. But before you receive it, you must make a choice.”
“What choice?” Lawrence Li asked.
“Choose between power and truth,” the statue said. “If you choose power, I will grant you immense strength, enough to dominate this world. If you choose truth, I will reveal the secrets of this world to you, but you will lose the chance to gain power.”
Everyone fell silent, exchanging glances.
Xu Huo was silent for a moment, then said firmly, “I choose truth.”
The statue seemed to smile, its voice carrying a hint of approval. “A wise choice. Then, open your eyes and see the truth of this world.”
As the voice fell, the entire hall began to warp, and countless images flooded into Xu Huo’s mind. He saw the origin of this world, the truth behind the game, and the fate of all players.
When the images faded, Xu Huo found himself back in the cave, the others standing around him, looking at him with concern.
“Are you okay?” Lawrence Li asked.
Xu Huo shook his head, a complex expression in his eyes. “I’m fine. I just... saw a lot of things.”
“What did you see?” the short-haired female player asked curiously.
Xu Huo was silent for a moment, then said slowly, “The truth of this world... is far more complicated than we imagined.”