The temple before them, though only half-exposed from the yellow sand, still conveyed its immense grandeur and magnificence. The very top was inlaid with gold and precious gems.
With a wave of his hand, Liu Nanfeng cleared away the sand, revealing the temple entirely.
Wide steps led upwards, each adorned with unique and exquisite patterns.
The two ascended, entering the temple. While parts of its structure had already collapsed, the divine statue within remained undamaged, still standing tall on its pedestal.
What surprised Liu Nanfeng and Yang Ruoyun, however, was that there wasn't one statue, but three, arranged in a front-to-back sequence.
At the very front stood a young girl statue, dressed in magnificent attire and adorned with elaborate hair ornaments. She held a long spear, her appearance utterly adorable, with her tongue sticking out in a playful gesture. Runes were painted on both cheeks, adding a touch of mystery to her cuteness.
Behind the child statue was a middle-aged woman, holding a ruler. Her clothing was equally opulent, but her expression was solemn, her gaze fixed straight ahead towards the direction of the ancient city.
Behind the middle-aged woman was an elder, leaning on a staff, her face deeply furrowed but her expression kind. Clad in black brocade, her eyes were lowered, a smile gracing her lips, her gaze filled with a gentle affection as she watched her daughter and the middle-aged woman.
"They don't look like evil gods," Yang Ruoyun observed, examining them closely.
"Don't judge a book by its cover," Liu Nanfeng's eyes flickered, the temple's information laid bare before his gaze.
"What did you see?" Yang Ruoyun asked with curiosity.
"I see that these three divine statues are not merely inanimate objects."
"Alive?" Yang Ruoyun was taken aback.
"It's more accurate to say they possessed divine sentience in the past. However…"
Liu Nanfeng's gaze first fell upon the elder.
"The elderly figure above used her own power to protect the woman beneath her, and the woman, in turn, used her power to protect the child. Now, only she retains a trace of spiritual essence. The laughter we heard earlier was likely her doing."
Upon hearing this, Yang Ruoyun once again cast a curious glance at the child statue.
To her astonishment, she felt as though the child statue was also scrutinizing her, causing her to instinctively retreat behind Liu Nanfeng.
"Liu Nanfeng, let's leave. I have a bad feeling about this place."
"There's nothing wrong with it."
As Liu Nanfeng spoke, he stepped forward and, with a swift movement, pulled the long spear from the child statue's grasp.
The spear, crafted from an unknown material, neither gold nor wood, was incredibly heavy. The moment he held it, his wrist was pulled down with force.
Liu Nanfeng thrust the spear tip onto the ground, and an invisible wave instantly spread outwards.
The once-empty temple was suddenly filled with believers dressed in strange, exotic attire.
They prostrated themselves on the ground, chanting in melodious, rhythmic verses. The scriptures possessed a peculiar cadence, echoing and colliding within the temple, ultimately converging at the roof. Following the spire, they dispersed into the sky, radiating a brilliant light.
Yang Ruoyun cautiously navigated around the crowd of believers. She looked back towards the outside of the temple. The sky, once filled with yellow sand, had vanished. In its place stood towering stone steles and immense trees. Further down the slope, a magnificent city stretched out.
The city now teemed with life, bustling with traffic and vibrant activity.
Innumerable voices rose towards the temple, chanting unknown songs filled with pathos and unwavering resolve.
Countless threads of faith converged, ascending to the heavens, where they merged with the light emanating from the spire. The combined energy then flowed back down the spire and into the temple, finally settling upon the child statue.
At that very instant, the city and its inhabitants vanished, as if everything had been a mere illusion.
"That's mine."
Just as Yang Ruoyun stood in bewildered astonishment, a childish voice suddenly rang out, startling her into instinctively hiding behind Liu Nanfeng.
Meeting Liu Nanfeng's gaze, she offered an embarrassed, sheepish smile.
"I... I didn't..."
Before she could finish speaking, a little girl appeared in the temple from nowhere. She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at them indignantly.
Startled, she "whooshed" and retreated behind Liu Nanfeng again.
The little girl was none other than the child statue they had just seen.
Her attire, her hairstyle, and her very demeanor were identical.
Seeing the little girl's expression, Liu Nanfeng smiled and returned the long spear to her.
"Thank you."
The little girl placed her right hand over her left chest and gave a slight bow to Liu Nanfeng, which seemed to be their way of expressing gratitude.
"You're welcome. However, are you a deity of the Tong Mu clan?" Liu Nanfeng inquired.
The little girl's face flickered with surprise.
"A very long time ago, we belonged to the Tong Mu clan. Later, the Tong Mu clan suffered a great upheaval, and we left the tribe, eventually rebuilding a new civilization here."
Liu Nanfeng knew this information from Ren Yang's memories.
Within Ren Yang's memories, there was mention of a congenital copper tree in the Great Wilderness, which was extremely difficult to grow but served as an excellent material for divine weapons and tools. The Tong Mu clan was a tribe particularly skilled in cultivating copper wood. In his memories, Ren Yang had interacted with them and was quite familiar with them.
However, with the passage of time and the evolution of civilization, they had almost entirely lost their past traces. This was why Liu Nanfeng hadn't recognized them immediately. It was only after he took the little girl's spear and realized it was made of copper wood, coupled with some of the markings on the girl, that he finally understood.
Meanwhile, Yang Ruoyun also noticed that the language they were speaking was completely different from their own. Yet, they could understand each other and communicate without any obstacles, which she found rather miraculous.
"Liu Nanfeng, what is she?" Yang Ruoyun tugged at Liu Nanfeng's robe and whispered.
Though her voice was soft, the little girl heard it. She raised her spear high, tilted her head back, and declared proudly, "I am a god."
"A god?"
"You can also call me Chu Yang."
"Chu Yang?" Yang Ruoyun mused on the peculiar name.
"It likely means 'beginning.' She has three forms: young, middle-aged, and elderly, representing the three stages of life," Liu Nanfeng explained in a low voice.
"Big fellow, you're quite clever," Chu Yang poked her spear, giving him an expression that clearly conveyed her admiration for his intelligence.
Then, she pointed to the middle-aged woman on the pedestal. "That's my mother, Cui Can, and my grandmother, Zhong Yan."
"It's a pity they have passed away, but it's alright. One day, I will become them."
Chu Yang spoke without sadness, her words filled with anticipation for the future.
"Then what about your kin? Or rather, your followers..."
Liu Nanfeng gestured towards the outside of the temple. Chu Yang's demeanor immediately drooped, a look of melancholic sadness crossing her face.
Seeing her reluctance to speak, Liu Nanfeng didn't press. Instead, he said to her, "We need to leave now. Will you come with us, or stay here?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Yang looked up at him, then walked to the outside of the temple. She sat on the steps in front of the temple, laid her spear across her knees, propped her chin in her hands, and stared blankly at the distant ruins.
"What's wrong with her?" Yang Ruoyun whispered.
"How should I know? I'm leaving."
Seeing Chu Yang's posture, it was clear she didn't wish to leave with them. Liu Nanfeng, naturally, wouldn't force her. He then took Yang Ruoyun's hand and continued on their way.