Chapter 902: Descendants of the Yin God
The dim ancestral temple of the Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty grew even darker, so dark that one could not see their own hand. After the screams, a deathly silence fell. Everyone halted in their tracks, a chill running through their bodies.
"They... they're floating out!" Finally, someone trembled, pointing ahead with a face full of terror.
It was human skin floating out, falling from within the temple hall like withered leaves, as light and airy as a piece of paper, landing at their feet without any weight. The figures seemed flattened, their features twisted, their expressions filled with ferocity, dying with eyes wide open in resentment.
"What's happening?" Everyone was stunned. A group of people had just been killed simultaneously upon entering the temple gate. This ancient temple was far more sinister than anyone had imagined.
Where were the flesh and blood? Where were the bones? How had they all vanished? Only the seemingly intact human skins remained. What had happened? What kind of malevolent spirit was at work?
Through the temple gate, pairs of eyes could be seen in the darkness, flickering like green lanterns, then gradually dimming and disappearing into the depths of the temple. This sent chills down everyone's spines. The ancient temple was eerie and impossible to see through—what were those things?
Many trembled in fear. This was only the temple gate. Who knew what lay in the depths of the darkness? For over two hundred thousand years, it had been shrouded in ribbon-like demonic mist. No one knew what changes had occurred.
"I give up. I'm not going in!" Many people made a decisive choice. Divine treasures were precious, but if they lost their lives, it would be truly tragic. Some people turned back without hesitation, leaving the group. No one mocked them. Knowing when to give up was also a form of attainment, a kind of wisdom.
"Among the dead, there were even people at the second level of the Immortal Platform!" someone sighed. More people behind them watched, all frowning.
Some old men crouched down to examine the human skins but found no flaws. There weren't even any wounds. It was as if these people had shed a layer of skin out of thin air, undergoing a transformation while their true bodies vanished.
"They're definitely dead. That spiritual fluctuation just now was the final struggle before their primordial spirits were extinguished," someone said with certainty.
Despite the strangeness, people couldn't stop here. Some, with cold expressions, each activated their magical artifacts, suspending them above their heads to cast a brilliant light. They strode firmly into the ancient temple.
The weapons shimmered with divine radiance, cascading beams of light from above their heads, illuminating the path ahead and everything inside the temple gate. It was empty—nothing at all.
"We cultivators, if we wish to achieve success, must press forward courageously. This is just an ancient temple—how can it block our path!" an old man said in a deep voice.
He and a group quickly disappeared inside. This time, it was quiet, with no screams. They swiftly passed the first courtyard and vanished into the darkness.
The ancient temple was truly strange. The second layer seemed to block everything. Those outside could hear no sound and see no light. The two sides were completely isolated.
Many people were watching, hoping to discern good or ill fortune before making a decision. But now, there was no hope. Waiting idly was useless. If those people succeeded, they would sweep away all the rare treasures, leaving nothing for the others.
"Let's go. Since we've come this far, we have to walk this path ourselves, or it'll be too regrettable." More people chose to advance, unwilling to fall behind. This was the ancestral temple of the first divine dynasty of the ancient era. If there were no artifacts inside, so be it. But if anything was discovered, it would surely be a divine artifact that would shake the world.
Ye Fan, Pang Bo, the Monkey, and the others also moved toward the temple gate. Black Emperor first confirmed that there was no killing formation inside the gate, then made Duan De walk at the very front. This was his domain, and no one else could compare.
"This is a temple world—boundless and vast!" Duan De's expression immediately shifted between uncertainty and gloom once he entered.
From the outside, it looked like an ancient temple, but once inside, they discovered it was a terrifying cluster of small worlds. Each courtyard was a separate realm, all connected, forming an immense and grand scale beyond imagination.
One couldn't help but marvel at the Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty's grand vision. Back then, there must have been a being with world-shaking power who spared no effort, even consuming their own source, to evolve so many small worlds. This so-called ancestral temple was unfathomably deep.
"Even if we're separated from the next courtyard by just a wall, if we don't enter, we won't know what's happening in the other layer of the temple. That's because they're actually separated by a small world," Duan De continued.
People realized it was impossible to fly over or jump across the walls. There were spatial barriers, unless they shattered the void and forcefully broke through. But in a place like this, no one dared to be reckless. The Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty had once ruled half of the Central Province. Destroying their most sacred place—who knew what shocking changes might occur?
"This is like a maze, so vast. With rows of ancient temples and connected small worlds, if we go too deep, we might get lost!" the big black dog warned, earnestly reminding everyone.
Ahead, it was pitch black. The courtyard was silent, with no one speaking. Everyone held their breath, concentrating as they walked step by step toward the second layer of halls.
On the ground lay human skin after human skin, scattered in a large area. Clearly, the first group had almost all died, their skins spread out on the ground like ferocious paintings.
The Old Blind Man said, "The Feather Transformation Divine Dynasty was very mysterious. Legend has it that many of their enemies, upon dying, would directly 'feather' and vanish from the world, occasionally leaving behind only hair or the like."
Everyone drew in a cold breath. Only a layer of skin remained, with blood and bones gone. It wasn't much different—it really did seem like they had 'feathered' within the eerie ancient temple, inspiring fear.
"Swish"
A snow orchid on Duan De's body lit up, turning from pure white to blood-red, emitting an eerie glow in the darkness. By now, they had reached the gate of the second courtyard.
"The second group that went in is probably all dead too. Only the smell of thick blood could make the snow orchid change color!" he said in a deep voice, crouching down to examine carefully. He found a few traces of blood seeping from the closed door crack.
Everyone's hair stood on end. The people who had just gone in were all experts, including top-tier great powers. Had they all died?
"Creak..."
From a distance, Duan De used his divine power to push open the gate of the second courtyard. Instantly, a pungent smell of blood rushed out. Inside, it was pitch black, with a deathly stillness.
They drew in cold air. Besides a ground full of human skins, there were many white bone fragments stained with blood, along with torn chunks of flesh and blood, and many intestines spilling everywhere. It was extremely bloody and gruesome beyond description.
"The people who just went in are all dead!"
The ordinary ones had become human skins. The older, stronger experts had struggled and fought back, but they had all been torn apart by something.
Duan De held a pitch-black flower between his fingers, as if it had grown in the underworld. It tugged at people's souls, making them involuntarily want to fly toward it. This was a Netherworld Flower, grown from a mass grave, carrying the heaviest yin energy.
With a flick of his hand, he tossed the Netherworld Flower inside. The black flower landed in the courtyard without any change, remaining motionless for a long time.
"It's not undead spirits or ghosts. There's something alive here!" Duan De said in a deep voice.
Something alive in an ancient temple sealed for over two hundred thousand years? This news was shocking, explosive. Ye Fan and the others all stiffened.
"Let's go!"
Ye Fan walked first, the Primordial Qi Cauldron suspended above his head, letting down strands of mother qi to protect him thoroughly. Ji Ziyue's eyes sparkled as she followed closely. The Monkey, holding a pitch-black iron staff, also stepped forward, entering this courtyard.
It was still quiet. The courtyard had no sound, a deathly silence. Only the shattered bones, flesh, and chunks of meat were shocking to the eye. After they all entered, there was only the sound of breathing.
"Ah..."
Suddenly, a piercing scream broke the silence. An extremely terrifying aura erupted from above their heads, rushing toward their crowns.
This change was too sudden. They hadn't sensed anything at all just now. The deadly danger appeared abruptly—something alive was attacking.
As they looked up, their scalps went numb. On the high courtyard walls and under the pitch-black eaves hung corpse after corpse, with disheveled hair. At this moment, they all opened their eyes, glowing like green lanterns, and dropped down headfirst.
"Damn it, grave robber! Didn't you say there were no vengeful spirits? What the hell are these?" the big black dog barked, its fur standing on end. Its movements became sluggish, as if a demon mountain was pressing down on it, or like a ghost weighing it down, making it hard to move.
The others were the same. Their movements were clumsy, unable to move quickly. Those terrifying beings, like hanged ghosts, swooped down, clawing at their crowns.
"Son of a bitch, all of you, die!" Pang Bo was fierce. He directly pulled out the Divine Maiden Furnace he had borrowed from Yan Yixi, lifted the lid, and blasted a stream of divine fire upward.
"Ah..." Piercing screams echoed through the courtyard, accompanied by the smell of burning.
The things hanging from the eaves, all with disheveled hair and ferocious eyes, extended demon-like fleshy wings, soaring into the air while burning and screaming, an utterly chilling sight.
The more piercing their screams, the slower everyone's movements became. The Old Blind Man said, "Cut off their sound waves! Don't let them touch your bodies!"
Everyone snapped to attention and did as told. Their movements returned to normal without any sluggishness. Pang Bo shouted, "I don't care what you are! Today, I'm shooting down planes—I'll blast you all out of the sky!"
He used the Divine Maiden Furnace like an anti-aircraft cannon, blasting out terrifying bursts of flames. This was a legendary saint weapon, and the fire within it was naturally immensely powerful. Dozens of charred corpses fell, barely recognizable.
"What the hell are these things?" Everyone looked at Duan De for answers.
"Don't blame me. You saw them—they have life. They're living beings, not ghosts." Duan De crouched down to examine them carefully, then walked to the eaves and peered into the pitch-black ancient hall. He stumbled back in shock, because there were many more of these things inside.
"I know now. These are the descendants of the Yin God. There must be an absolute great evil deep in the temple!" Duan De's expression turned grim, even worse than when he had seen the Divine Thought.
"What are the descendants of the Yin God?" Everyone was confused.
When a being of immense power dies, their divine flesh remains undecayed. If they happen to be buried at the yin eye of a terrestrial vein, after endless ages, that corpse might one day 'come back to life.' Of course, it has nothing to do with their former self. This is a new life form, a fresh start. It can also be understood as the highest level of corpse mutation—a life born from the extreme of death, a heaven-defying miracle. If they learn to cultivate, they can gradually become invincible.
Such beings are entirely new life forms. They can even mate and produce offspring. The group of living beings before them belonged to the descendants of the Yin God, though their bloodline was very diluted.
When they encounter humans or other living creatures, they can directly immobilize them, then suck out all their blood, flesh, and bones mouth-to-mouth. They are the most ferocious and terrifying of beings!