Who left their last words here?

Chapter 98 Forbidden Ancient Characters! Pilgrims and Elite Assessment! (Two-in-One)

On this desolate wasteland.

As far as the eye can see, there are the "junk" collected by Bai Zhou, as well as the tombstones that Bai Zhou erected himself.

Some belonged to Leia, and some to the soldiers...

When Shirafusa first arrived in the wilderness, she was filled with fear, but now, seeing these familiar things, she feels a subtle sense of familiarity.

Compared to the living world on the surface of Earth, this dead world seems warmer and more tranquil.

The blood moon's light shone on me, giving me a warm, cozy feeling, like being roasted by a fire.

He put all the "junk" he had collected into the Trojan Horse, and then Bai Zhou dug up a lot of dark "ashes".

Making money is nothing to be ashamed of.

Bai Zhou is a hardworking miner from the Ruins Realm.

But no matter how warm it is, adventurers will not stay in one place forever.

He was going to continue exploring.

After a while, he looked around one last time to make sure he hadn't missed anything...

Bai Zhou took out the heavy token from his bosom.

The shield and sword emblem on the token, symbolizing adventurers, seemed to shimmer faintly under the glow of the blood moon.

A subtle connection exists between the token and the sky.

Bai Zhou no longer hesitated and activated the spiritual energy he had infused into the token.

"Zheng!!"

On the token, swords and blades clashed and rang, as if they had come to life.

The moment when the blade and the edge of the knife collide and sparks fly—

A seven-colored beam of light descended from the sky!
The beam of light spread across the sky, falling precisely to the edge of the distant cliff, like a rainbow bridge connecting heaven and earth.

Bai Zhou had a feeling that as long as he walked near the rainbow bridge, it would directly guide him to the sky.

They were even directly led to the "Temple of the Sun" mentioned by the Skeleton General Al!
However, that cliff...

Amidst the ruins, a winding path leads straight to the edge of a cliff.

Occasionally, a red light would illuminate the abyss below the cliff; it was the flames of a meteor that had rolled down from the giant city in the sky.

As the fireballs swept past, the piles of ashes and ruins along the path were illuminated.

—This is a place where Bai Zhou once stopped, not daring to set foot easily.

Because he was convinced that there would definitely be no shortage of traps featuring local cultural characteristics.

But now, the dazzling, multicolored scene has answered the questions that Bai Zhou had when he first arrived here—

He found it strange at the time that the tracks of the army's chariots and horses' hooves stopped abruptly at the cliff, as if everyone had jumped off the cliff.

It turns out, the cliff was a "teleportation anchor" that guided them back to the city...

"clatter……"

Stepping on gravel and pebbles.

Carefully stepping onto the winding path, the white boat reached towards the rainbow bridge at the end of the cliff.

As Bai Zhou had predicted, the path was indeed full of traps.

He had only taken three steps when the ground beneath his feet suddenly sank half an inch, and three poisoned crossbow bolts flew from the side.

Seven steps away, nearly transparent tripwires crisscross, connecting to bronze bells whose purpose is unknown.

Ten steps away, a rusty iron lantern hangs on a tree, covered with terrifying spikes, seemingly designed to "swallow" people's heads.

There are also several gargoyles with half their bodies buried in the ground, some breathing fire, some spitting poison, and seeing them has a silent hallucinogenic effect.

...It seems that when the army withdrew, they prepared quite a few surprises for the attacking zombie army.

One mechanism led to another, and even though many of them were abandoned, they were still terrifying, making Bai Zhou nervous and apprehensive.

The familiar feeling is back.

Fortunately, Bai Zhou is no longer what it used to be.

The innocent and naive boy is long gone; now appearing is a Class A wanted criminal of the Special Administration, a seasoned adventurer, a skilled explosives maniac, and a half-master of traps—

While picking up "ashes," and even managing to find a few barely usable traps, Bai Zhou finally made his way to the end of the cliff.

"clatter……"

A few pebbles fell, and beneath their feet lay a bottomless abyss, while before them stretched a long, colorful rainbow bridge.

"Buzz!"

As if sensing the approach of the token, the seven-colored beam of light suddenly generated an irresistible pulling force, drawing Bai Zhou's figure into it.

Flying up...

Everything beneath his feet was shrinking, and as Bai Zhou's field of vision gradually rose, he felt exceptionally small.

It was a hard feeling to describe, but it was the first time Bai Zhou had experienced the feeling of breaking free from gravity, and he flew toward the blood moon in the sky and the upside-down giant city.

Although it didn't grow black and white wings, nor did it have a magic carpet or broom to fly, it still achieved its first flight in life.

Unfortunately, this feeling didn't last long. Before Bai Zhou could fully experience it, his feet were already back on the ground.

Everything before my eyes has undergone earth-shattering changes.

—A truly earth-shaking transformation.

"This is……?"

The blood moon was no longer visible; the sky in sight had turned into a blood-red, shattered "earth."

The area before me had turned into ruins, with broken relief stone pillars and dilapidated towers everywhere I looked.

The streets were split open, statues of gods were reduced to half their bodies, terracotta figures were broken, city gates were crooked, and the moat and buildings were covered with rubble...

In the distance, the largest clock tower stands in the city center, and even though it has collapsed halfway, there are still scattered blue flames shining at its top.

The blue flames above the "Listen to the Sea Exclude You" tower, which Bai Zhou had seen in the Reflection Ruins, were strangely similar to those he had seen in the Reflection Ruins.

Everything is ruined and over.

At this moment, Bai Zhou knew that he was in an upside-down giant city in the sky.

He had once thought that there might be a Sleeping Beauty in the city who extorted money from passersby.

The reason why everything he saw was "turned upside down" was because he himself had also "fallen upside down".

But... why didn't he fall?
Were they "drawn in" by this city?
There was no time to think about such things, because the token in Bai Zhou's hand began to get hot, like a branding iron, and he almost lost his grip.

...Perhaps it's because it sensed what was in front of it.

A colossal temple, majestic as a mountain, stood silently before the white boat.

In this city of ruins, the remains of this temple have been miraculously preserved in large part.

Huge white stone pillars support a ceiling inlaid with reliefs, and ancient, unnamed inscriptions are engraved on bronze doors, exuding a sense of holiness and majesty.

However, under the erosion of time and moisture, the ruins of this temple, standing in the silent ruins of the city, inevitably take on a somewhat gloomy and dilapidated feel.

The faded paintings on the door depict a legendary scene where a sun shines on all things, melting away many ferocious monsters that seem to come from mythology.

"The Temple of the Sun..."

Bai Zhou's heart was pounding.
"If you have the chance, you can visit the Temple of the Sun in Sky City."

"Back in our day, every novice adventurer could find their way there!"

Recalling the words of the Skeleton General Ale when he handed over the token, Bai Zhou slowly took a deep breath.

"..."

however.

The feeling of surprise quickly faded, and before long Bai Zhou began to worry.

Because it's different from what I imagined...

The temple's doors were tightly locked.

A massive bronze lock, its body engraved with a sun-shining pattern, stood as tall as half a person, bolted there like a tower shield.

Bai Zhou tried to take the token, but the bronze giant lock did not react.

This left him dumbfounded.

I arrived here full of anticipation, only to find the temple locked.

You can imagine the scene...

The entire city had fallen, and in the end, when everything had settled, the last priest of the temple locked it up to protect it.

This sealed-away state is the passage of time and the changing of the world.

It seems the zombies couldn't do anything about it, which is why the temple is relatively well-preserved...

But what about Shiraishu?
Are we just going to go home empty-handed like this?

at this point--

Bai Zhou drew his purple-gold saber and leaped into the air.

Without a word, he activated his spiritual power, and the blade's light burst forth—

"【Moonlight Oath Saint Slash】!"

"【Oath of Sainthood Slash】! 【Oath of Sainthood Slash】!"

There's definitely no key. Who says that forcibly picking a lock isn't unlocking it?

Bai Zhou unleashed three consecutive sword strikes.

However... the bronze giant lock remained completely still, without even the slightest trace of burning or scratching.

"..."

Bai Zhou tried various methods and studied for a long time, but ultimately failed to open the door.

Bai Zhou gritted his teeth.

Adventurers who are driven to the brink of despair often come up with ingenious ideas.

As the crow once said, people in their comfort zone are like tea bags soaking in lukewarm water, but adversity turns them into espresso.

Unwilling to give up, Bai Zhou suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with some ideas.

"How about... we try that?" Although the idea is a little risky, but...

Bai Zhou looked around to make sure that the city was completely devoid of any "life" and that there was no one spying on it.

For the adventurers' path to inheritance beyond this door...

For the last remnant of an extraordinary temple of civilization—

Bai Zhou felt that this risk was worth taking!
So, Bai Zhou took out the extraordinary paintbrush he had just acquired and began to try writing on the lock.

—It doesn't even count as writing.

Bai Zhou had only written a couple of strange strokes on it when he was startled and jumped away.

"Crack..."

The extraordinary paintbrush, with its remarkable craftsmanship, developed a faint crack, causing Bai Zhou great distress.

The next moment——

"call!"

A pitch-black whirlwind suddenly appeared.

As the blood rain fell, countless elusive demons and monsters howled and wailed deep within the black wind.

The moment he finished writing the strokes, as if he had anticipated it, Bai Zhou immediately took off running without looking back.

"Roar!"

Sure enough, the black mist was chasing after Bai Zhou, baring its fangs and claws, and almost grabbed Bai Zhou's butt several times.

He fled, it chased.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a thunderclap resounded from the ground, and blood-red lightning descended from the sky!

It struck hard against the bronze lock that bore the two strokes of calligraphy.

The innocent bronze giant lock snapped and shattered, its inscription forcibly erased.

"Om..."

The strange phenomenon vanished immediately.

The black whirlwind that was just a hair's breadth away from dragging Bai Zhou in also disappeared.

"call……"

Bai Zhou then stopped and slowly let out a long breath.

Before I knew it, my back was covered in cold sweat.

Everything returned to quiet.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Only the broken giant lock on the ground and the faint cracks in Bai Zhou's paintbrush testify to what had happened here...

"Forbidden knowledge!"

The half-character that Bai Zhou had obtained with the help of the Golden Pass now displayed its great power.

Bai Zhou had long wondered why, as forbidden knowledge rejected by the world, it would be eradicated from the world once it appeared...

—Could this also be considered "indestructible" in some sense?
No matter how mysterious or strong the material that supports it, it can never be a match for the entire world!

Sure enough, this attempt finally validated Bai Zhou's ingenious idea.

Although Bai Zhou still doesn't know the correct way to use this half of the forbidden ancient character...

But by sheer chance, he seems to have found a strange and unusual way to do it?

"The ultimate lock-picking bomb!"

Why isn't it some kind of magical "open sesame" spell?

It's just a pity that the limitations are too great, so it can't be used more often...

While pleasantly surprised, Bai Zhou also felt a little regretful.

One regret is that it's unlikely there will be an opportunity to paint it on an "enemy".

Otherwise, Bai Zhou really wanted to write a big taboo character on Major Luo's forehead, so that he could have a good time with the demons and monsters roaring in the black mist.

Another regret is that special materials like the bronze giant lock cannot even leave a trace on the Moonburn Oath Saint Slash, let alone others.

Only extraordinary brushes can be used.

However, Bai Zhou possessed only one extraordinary paintbrush.

He stopped immediately because of just one crack; he was heartbroken.

He didn't want to use up his newly acquired treasure so quickly unless absolutely necessary...

“Da, da!”

Running back from afar, Bai Zhou stood once again in front of the temple gate.

Above the broken lock, the temple doors finally opened a crack.

A damp, musty smell, a mixture of aged spices and copper rust, seeped out from under the door.

"finally……"

Taking a deep breath, Bai Zhou placed his hands on the temple door and slowly applied pressure.

"Squeak..."

Pushing open the bronze gate, a long, dark passageway came into view.

White Boat took a step forward.

Suddenly, the token in his arms vibrated.

The heavy token, as if drawn by some force, flew out of Bai Zhou's arms and hovered in mid-air.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"

An alarm-like sound echoed throughout the passageway.

"what happened?!"

Could it be that we've been mistaken for intruders?

What kind of temple is this? How can it be so "intelligent"?!

Cursing his bad luck under his breath, Bai Zhou, filled with doubt and unease, immediately turned and left.

But in the next instant—

"Shh!"

A silvery-white light descended from the sky, striking with incredible, unavoidable speed, and instantly enveloped the white boat.

At the same time, a dull, ancient, and cold mechanical voice echoed in Bai Zhou's ears.

The mechanical voice reached the depths of Bai Zhou's heart, and Bai Zhou inexplicably understood its meaning, which seemed to be...

"Detecting...the only pilgrim in countless years."

"The numerology detected is [Chen], which meets the qualifications for the temple's assessment."

The cold, mechanical voice echoed in Bai Zhou's mind, devoid of any emotion.

The next second, the token transformed, changing from its original bronze color to a flowing, bright silver, the same color as the descending pillar of light.

This token... seems to have been upgraded?

Bai Zhou was filled with surprise and doubt, not understanding what had happened.

—But then.

Another beam of light descended from the sky, the golden beam enveloping the white boat.

That cold, mechanical voice sounded again, its tone seemingly carrying a subtle, almost imperceptible fluctuation:

"Deep scan..."

"Congratulations, new pilgrim."

"Those with a height of five feet five inches or more than three feet are qualified to enter the elite assessment of the temple."

The light flashes!

In the blink of an eye, the token was reshaped and upgraded before Bai Zhou's eyes, the silver color fading into a gleaming gold.

"Elite assessment, ready."

"—Pilgrim, please begin your test!"

The moment the words fell, the golden pillar of light enveloping the white boat began to burn like flames.

As the flames burst forth, a change occurred before Bai Zhou's eyes.

The feeling of weightlessness from riding the rainbow beam returned, and Bai Zhou felt dizzy and disoriented.

"What……?"

When Bai Zhou opened his eyes again, he found himself in a strange, enclosed space.

"This is where!"

Bai Zhou forced himself to calm down and looked around with suspicion and uncertainty.

The dimly lit space was large, with a faint blue light emanating from the blue gemstone overhead.

The walls on all four sides are covered with dense text and figures.

On the ground...

Beneath Bai Zhou's feet lay a dense mass of chilling white skeletons.

Whether lying down or sitting, in different postures, they were all decaying.

Bai Zhou suspected that they were the examiners from before!
Beside these skeletons, the ground was covered with blooming spider lilies.

They are breathtakingly beautiful, making this place seem like the shores of the underworld.

But upon closer inspection, Bai Zhou realized that these were not the red spider lilies he had been looking for at all...

They were nothing more than the scarlet last words left by the skeletons, writhing and overlapping on the ground, densely covering it—

Layer upon layer!
There was practically nowhere to stand!
(End of this chapter)