Chapter 7: Five-Colored Altar
The nine enormous dragon corpses pulled the bronze coffin through the starry sky, finally crashing down onto a desolate and barren land. Ye Fan climbed out of the coffin, his vision filled with a vast expanse of red earth and jagged rocks. The sky was a murky yellow, devoid of any sunlight, and the air was thick with an ancient, decaying aura.
He stood on the edge of a massive crater, the bronze coffin embedded deep within the ground. Around him, the other passengers from Earth were scrambling out, their faces pale with shock and fear. Pang Bo stumbled to Ye Fan's side, his voice trembling. "Where the hell are we? This doesn't look like anywhere on Earth."
Ye Fan shook his head, his gaze sweeping across the desolate landscape. In the distance, he spotted a massive structure—a towering platform built from five different colored stones: azure, red, white, black, and yellow. It radiated a faint, pulsating glow, as if alive with some ancient power.
"That's a Five-Colored Altar," a voice said. Ye Fan turned to see an old man among the group, his eyes sharp and knowing. "I've read about these in ancient texts. They're used for teleportation across star domains."
"Star domains?" someone gasped. "You mean we're not even on Earth anymore?"
The old man nodded grimly. "If I'm right, we've been brought to another planet entirely. This altar might be our only way back."
The group moved cautiously toward the altar. As they approached, Ye Fan felt a strange resonance in his chest—the green copper fragment he had picked up from the bronze coffin was vibrating. He pulled it out, and it glowed faintly, responding to the altar's energy.
Suddenly, the ground trembled. From the shadows of the surrounding rocks, figures emerged—humanoid but with skin like stone, their eyes glowing with malevolent light. They carried crude weapons and moved with an unnatural silence.
"Ancient guardians," the old man whispered. "This place is protected."
The stone creatures charged. Ye Fan's instincts kicked in. He had no weapon, but his body felt different—stronger, faster. He dodged a stone axe and delivered a punch to the creature's chest. To his shock, his fist shattered the stone, sending cracks spreading across its body before it crumbled to dust.
Pang Bo grabbed a fallen weapon—a heavy stone club—and swung it with brutal force, smashing two of the creatures aside. The others fought desperately, but several were overwhelmed and torn apart.
Ye Fan focused on the altar. "We need to activate it! Now!"
He ran toward the platform, the green copper fragment blazing in his hand. As he touched the altar, a pillar of five-colored light shot into the sky. The stone creatures hesitated, then retreated, hissing in fear.
"Everyone, get on!" Ye Fan shouted.
The survivors scrambled onto the altar. The light intensified, and the world around them blurred. Ye Fan felt his body being pulled apart and reassembled, a sensation of falling through infinite darkness.
When his vision cleared, they were standing in a lush forest under a sky filled with two moons. Strange birds with colorful plumage flew overhead, and in the distance, mountains floated in the air, defying gravity.
Pang Bo let out a low whistle. "Wherever we are, it's not Kansas anymore."
Ye Fan looked at the green copper fragment in his hand, then at the unfamiliar world before them. He knew this was only the beginning.