Two Realms High Martial Arts: Gathering the Heavens to Become a Great Luo Immortal

Chapter 331 The Sphinx, the True and False Temples

Li Xijun and Su Nianying broke free from Medusa's entanglement with the gods and continued deeper along the broken divine path.

The closer you get to the center, the stronger the aura of destruction and death becomes.

But at the same time, a certain ancient and magnificent "divinity" lingering in the air becomes increasingly clear.

at last,

They passed through a "forest" made up of toppled giant stone pillars, and the view suddenly opened up before them.

It was a colossal temple whose grandeur and magnificence defied description. Even though nearly half of it has collapsed, the remaining main structure still stands like a majestic mountain in the center of this world of ruins.

The temple is built of a black megalith that shimmers with starlight, and is carved with patterns of the long-dimmed sun, moon, stars, and all living things, filled with an ancient and solemn rhythm.

Simply standing in its enormous plaza, one can feel a profound sense of insignificance and awe emanating from the depths of one's soul.

"What an amazing aura..." Su Nianying murmured, her eyes filled with amazement. She tried to activate her mental power to sense it.

Li Xijun nodded silently, and at the same time he extended his mental power, carefully touching the magnificent temple.

In an instant,

It was as if some ancient, dormant mark had been touched—

Illusions surged into his mind like a torrent!

No longer desolate and dilapidated, but a magnificent and radiant scene of dazzling light and divine splendor.

Inside the magnificent temple, the dome hangs high, seemingly holding the entire starry sky.

Countless gods, each radiating a powerful aura and in various forms, sat atop a jewel-encrusted throne.

The air was filled with an intoxicating fragrance, the nectar brewed by the god of wine with divine power, a nectar that could intoxicate even the gods, swirling in golden goblets. The god of abundance smiled and waved his hand, and instantly his throne was piled high with divine fruits and delicacies that radiated an alluring glow and contained a boundless life force.

In the center of the temple stood a magnificent, golden stage, condensed from pure light.

The goddess of beauty, clad in a light veil, possessed a beauty that could eclipse the sun and moon. She danced gracefully to the divine music played by the god of music, music that could cleanse the soul and resonate with all things.

Every turn of her dance seemed to expound the profound meaning of the law of "beauty," and her graceful figure attracted countless admiring gazes. Even the reliefs on the temple walls seemed to come alive, dancing along with her.

The gods laughed and drank, praising the greatness of the god-king and the prosperity of the world.

At the very top of the throne, the God-King, shrouded in endless radiance and whose exact features are obscured, simply sits there, and the majesty and compassion he exudes seem to be the very foundation of the entire world.

This is a microcosm of an eternal feast belonging to the gods!

however,

At a certain moment when this glory reached its zenith—

"Snap!!!"

It was like the deafening sound of glass shattering in the entire universe, exploding without warning!

Suddenly, a huge, irregular black hole appeared in the temple's seemingly eternal dome.

The terrifying black shadow, like flowing ink, instantly obscured the brilliance within the temple, devoured the starry sky, and even the boundless radiance of the God-King paled in comparison!

An incomprehensible, indescribable gaze, filled with absolute malice, instantly overwhelmed all joy and praise, like an icy tide.

The illusion ended abruptly!

Li Xijun and Su Nianying abruptly withdrew their divine senses, their faces turning slightly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appearing on their foreheads.

The glorious end and the sudden arrival of destruction brought an incredibly strong spiritual impact.

"That was..." Su Nianying gasped, but her eyes gleamed with excitement, "...fragments of memories from before this temple fell."

"This is absolutely the core of the Pantheon, the place where the gods convene and feast. It must hold the supreme secrets left behind by the gods, perhaps even... the legacy of the God-King!"

Li Xijun calmed his churning blood, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Su Nianying's judgment was the same as his; this place was undoubtedly the ultimate goal of this trip, containing unimaginable opportunities.

The two exchanged a glance, and without further hesitation, stepped onto the main path paved with pure white jade that led to the main gate of the enormous temple.

however,

Just as they were about to take their first step—

"Buzz..."

Beside the road, a giant stone statue leaning against the ruins, almost completely covered by dust and withered vines, suddenly trembled slightly.

The two instantly became alert, their auras surging, their thunder and Dharma power held back but not unleashed.

The dust settled, revealing the true form of the stone statue—a sphinx with the body of a human, but extremely dilapidated.

Half of its body, including its wings, had disappeared, and the broken section was as smooth as a mirror, as if it had been instantly erased by some irresistible force.

The remaining part of its body was also covered with crisscrossing cracks, as if it would shatter completely at the slightest touch.

Its face is that of a human male, weathered by time, with eyes filled with endless weariness and sorrow, yet strangely carrying a hint of sacred afterglow.

Its aura was so faint that it was almost indistinguishable from its surroundings unless it actively revealed itself.

But Li Xijun keenly sensed that within the stone statue, there remained an extremely faint yet incredibly pure wisp of divine soul fire!

This is the first being he has discovered in this world that still retains its own consciousness!

The stone statue's weathered eyes slowly turned, finally settling on Li Xijun.

It did not reveal any hostility, but rather a... complex emotion, carrying nostalgia, sadness and a glimmer of hope.

"A traveler in a foreign land..."

The stone statue spoke, its voice dry and hoarse, like rusted metal rubbing together, yet it resonated directly deep within the two people's hearts.

"I sensed within you... an immense... aura of 'hope'."

Its remaining eyes stared at Li Xijun before it, as if they could see through appearances and look directly to the source.

"I heard... the prayers of countless lives echoing within you... there were cries for peace, yearning to be free from the ravages of war and the ravages of alien gods; there were calls for a wise ruler, hoping for peace throughout the land and for all living beings to recuperate; there were cries for the future, yearning for heroes to rise and protect their homeland... so many, so heavy... yet so pure..."

The voice of the stone statue carried a deep sense of compassion:

"You who bear the hopes of so many lives... your path is completely different from the 'pure malice' that destroyed this place."

It seemed to be lost in distant memories, and its tone became even more sorrowful:

"Before our world was dragged into eternal darkness... it was ruled by brutal ancient giants and void monsters who reveled in destruction and devouring."

"At that time, the earth wept blood, the sky darkened, and all living beings struggled and wailed in endless fear and death... It was the great god-king Orog who, bearing the most fervent hopes and prayers of all surviving beings, comprehended the great power of the laws of domination and creation in despair, and finally ascended the throne, leading the gods through bloody battles to drive out those giants and monsters, bringing order and light to this world, and establishing this magnificent divine court..."

"O kind soul who carries the hopes and prayers of all beings," the Sphinx's gaze was filled with earnestness, "if you believe in me, the remnant soul of a guardian who should have died long ago... then please do not enter that magnificent main hall of the Pantheon."

It turned its head with difficulty, looking towards another inconspicuous corner of the square, where there was only a pile of broken rubble and a few low stone pillars.

"That place... is not where hope lies, but rather a final prison of despair. His Majesty the God-King's true gift to those who come after him... lies over there." It gestured in that direction with its gaze.

There was a hint of hesitation and weighing in Su Nianying's eyes.

The words of the stone statue were too bizarre, but the pure divine remnant soul on its body and the sorrowful emotion seemed genuine.

Li Xijun, on the other hand, tends to believe that the other party still has a divine soul. If there were any malice, he would naturally sense it with his current tribulation mind. But since he did not sense it, it could still reveal the core secret of his own being burdened with the wishes of all living beings.

So,

This is actually the one that is most likely to be believed.

After a moment's hesitation, Li Xijun nodded slightly to Su Nianying.

He chose to trust his intuition and the warning from the remnant soul.

The two walked in the direction the stone statue pointed.

When Li Xijun stepped into that seemingly ordinary area of ​​rubble, something miraculous happened.

The vast power of the will of all living beings within him rippled slightly, resonating with the earth beneath his feet.

"Buzz—"

A faint halo of light appeared beneath their feet, and the broken rubble receded to the sides like a phantom, revealing a downward-sloping staircase made of rough bluestone leading to a hazy light.

Descending the stairs, the end did not lead to the underground palace one might have imagined, but rather to a tranquil space bathed in soft light.

Before me stood a temple.

Compared to the magnificent Pantheon main hall in the distance, this temple was so ordinary that it was almost rudimentary.

It is built from rough, grayish-white stone with natural textures. Its shape is simple and unadorned, without any fancy carvings or decorations. Its style is similar to the ordinary temples for mortals to worship in ancient Greece, which have survived from the previous era. It has a kind of simple and unpretentious style.

The palace doors were tightly closed, and the palace itself was constructed of ordinary stone.

Li Xijun took a deep breath and could feel an indescribable, gentle yet vast attraction emanating from the hall.

He gestured for Su Nianying to wait a moment, then stepped forward and placed his hands on the cold stone door.

With a little effort from him.

"Creak—"

The stone gate was not as heavy as a mountain; it opened easily.

In an instant,

An incomparably pure and holy white divine light surged out from inside the door, instantly filling the entire field of vision and engulfing the figures of Li Xijun and Su Nianying.

The light was not dazzling; instead, it carried a power that warmed the soul.

The white light lasted for a few breaths before receding like the tide.

The spot was now deserted.

Li Xijun felt a slight shift in space and time, and when she looked around again, she found herself inside the stone hall.

The interior space is not large, and is equally simple and empty.

Only in the very center of the temple did a coffin, also carved from rough gray-white stone, sit quietly.

The coffin was simple and unadorned, without any inscriptions or decorations, as if it were just casually carved from the most ordinary stone.

But Li Xijun's gaze was instantly drawn to it.

He sensed that all the secrets and all the gifts might be hidden within this seemingly ordinary stone coffin.

(End of this chapter)