Chapter 351
Back in their room, Qi Bai took out the da ling zhu (大泠珠) they had obtained from Qingchi City.
Qi Bai wasn’t sure if the da ling zhu had any other uses, but it had definitely saved them a lot of lamp oil.
By day, the ling zhu only emitted a soft glow, but now that it was night, the moment he brought it out, it instantly lit up half the room.
It was a shame the other ling zhu in Qingchi City hadn’t yet been discovered to have this effect — otherwise Qi Bai would’ve definitely bought cartloads of them to take back to Heiyao and replace all their street lamps with these “light bulbs.”
Lang Ze laid out the food one by one, and Qi Bai took out cups and poured each of them a glass of wine.
“Pfft.”
Qi Bai took one sip and before he could even taste it properly, he got a mouthful of sediment.
Though it was supposed to be zhuo jiu (unfiltered wine), this had way too many dregs. Was this drinking wine or chewing on wine mash?
The temple’s wine might have been disappointing, but their food was not bad.
The beastmen of Beast God City didn’t seem to eat the less desirable parts of wild animals — all the meat they brought back was thick, juicy chunks. If a piece was a bit bland, they’d just sprinkle on some of their own barbecue seasoning, and then they could dig in heartily, taking big bites of meat — it was quite satisfying.
What delighted Qi Bai the most, though, was the variety of fruit. Apples, peaches, cherries… almost everything one could think of. Some of these were native to Beast God City, and others seemed to have been sent by other cities and preserved through unknown temple methods.
Whatever the origin, Qi Bai took all the seeds and stored them away. He silently thanked Beast God City for its generous hospitality — it had been a long time since he’d had so much fun collecting seeds.
Qi Bai happily gnawed a pear clean and then carefully saved the pear seeds:
“Let’s take these home, take them all home! Then in winter, we can make frozen pears — they’re even tastier when chilled!”
As Qi Bai drooled slightly, lost in thoughts of sweet syrupy frozen pears, he didn’t notice the shadow next to him shift. Suddenly, the corner of his mouth was bitten.
Caught off guard by the sneak attack, Qi Bai’s expression was dazed and confused.
Lang Ze, lips twitching slightly, said, “You were drooling just now.”
Qi Bai clutched his face in shock. When he touched it and found it completely dry, he realized he’d been tricked.
“Lang Ze! What are you, a dog? Why are you biting people?!”
“I’m not a dog — I’m a wolf.”
“You are a dog! A little dog! Woo-aoo! Little dog!”
As morning light began to rise, devout beastmen were already gathered in front of the altar atop Sacred City Mountain.
At the very front stood the nine shen si (神司 — high priests) from the three upper cities, followed by envoys from each temple and city, and finally, over sixty beastmen from various cities.
Qi Bai stood toward the back of the crowd and couldn’t help admiring their stamina.
The banquet had gone on late into the night, and yet now, at the crack of dawn, everyone was awake again — eyes wide, bursting with energy like they could go three more days and nights without rest.
Soon, low, solemn chanting began, accompanied by the sound of synchronized footsteps coming from both sides.
A procession of 120 chanting beastmen appeared, all dressed in identical temple robes and hooded cloaks, hands folded over their chests, heads bowed as they slowly marched toward the temple.
Behind them came 240 offering bearers, palms facing upward, holding food, tools, weapons, gemstones… all sorts of tributes laid carefully on their hands.
The chanting beastmen didn’t walk randomly — each step forward was matched with a line of incantation. Only when a line finished did they take another step. Their tone, rhythm, and movement were perfectly synchronized — like they were one body.
All the beastmen from the various cities were stunned by the scene before them. After all, some of the offering bearers even held wild beast cubs — and yet those cubs sat utterly still, not moving or making a sound, as though they had attained intelligence.
The chanting beastmen and offering bearers stopped and stood on either side of the gathering. Then, with a deep rumble, the long-sealed temple doors slowly opened.
The nine upper city shen si were the first to step forward, ascending the stone stairs to the temple.
Contrary to Qi Bai’s expectations, the temple they entered turned out to be a semi-open hall.
The walls — some 20–30 meters tall — were still built of bird bones, but they abruptly stopped at the edge of the cliff. There, instead of walls, stood twelve massive stone columns.
In front of those columns stood twelve ornately dressed beastmen.
Qi Bai scanned them one by one — they were clearly the twelve shen si of the Central Temple. They varied in age and gender — not all were old beastmen.
Qi Bai’s white hair was too conspicuous, and several gazes turned toward him. Whether hostile, friendly, or merely curious, he calmly accepted them all with a steady expression.
“Greetings to the Great Shen Si,” the nine upper city priests bowed in unison.
All the beastmen followed suit.
The Great Shen Si, holding two scepters and wearing a towering bone crown, stood on the platform surrounded by the twelve columns. Compared to a few days ago, he looked much better — even radiant, to the point Qi Bai nearly didn’t recognize him.
If he had looked like a man in his 150s before, now he appeared to have aged backwards 70 or 80 years — finally resembling what someone his actual age might look like.
The Great Shen Si looked down at the bowing crowd. “Rise.”
Then he began to speak:
“The great Beast God — He is the mountains, the rivers, new life, boundless wisdom, and the embodiment of all that is good.”
The Great Shen Si’s voice was steady and deliberate, as though he meant to carve each word into their souls.
It is He who gave you land — and so you have homes.
Ignorant beastmen — you must thank the Beast God, be loyal to Him, and offer Him everything you have.”
“Under His grace, you shall thrive.You will no longer fear death — because your soul will return to the Beast God's side, an eternal place without suffering.”
“Beast God above!”
“Beast God above!”
“Beast God above!”
The Great Shen Si turned and raised both scepters high. His tone remained solemn, but carried a trace of plea, or perhaps the purest longing of a child.
“O great Beast God, please hear the call of Your people — descend upon us with Your mercy!”
As his voice faded, light, ethereal music began to play from both sides of the temple.
The twelve shen si beneath the columns lifted their arms and began the sacred dance.
Unlike the stiff marching of the chanting beastmen or the chaotic tribal dances Qi Bai had seen before, this ritual was full of grace and rhythm — flowing like rivers and mountains, shifting like the four seasons. Just one glance could shake a person’s soul.
Everyone watched, unmoving, as the ritual unfolded under the leadership of the Central Temple's Great Shen Si and the twelve shen si.
The city priests didn’t even dare blink — this was true worship. This was the pinnacle they aspired to.
Time passed — or perhaps just a heartbeat — when suddenly, a radiant golden glow burst forth.
The sunlight hit the bird bone structure, and the entire temple became engulfed in brilliant, multicolored light.
Everyone looked up. In the sky, a giant curtain of light had appeared out of thin air — glittering, glowing — just like the “eternal realm” described by the Great Shen Si.
“The Beast God!”“The Beast God has blessed us!”
“Wuuu... Great Beast God…”
Though the singing continued in the temple, many beastmen had already dropped to their knees.
Some raised their arms to bask in the holy light; others pressed their hands reverently to the ground, as if this would bring them closer to the Beast God’s brilliance.
The Great Shen Si stared up at the giant light curtain with feverish devotion.
“Merciful Beast God — thank You for bringing divine light to the world!”
“Thank the Beast God!”“Thank the Beast God!”
“Thank the Beast God!”
His hands trembled as he cried out, “The Beast God protects you — go now. Take this blessing back to your lands and to your people.”
With that, he turned again, gazing longingly into the sky.
The curtain of light lingered
. None of the beastmen could bear to stand yet.
Qi Bai also looked up at the sky full of radiance. He felt… as though beyond that light, there was something more — something they couldn’t see.
Suddenly, the world around him went silent.
His mind plunged into a place of…
White? No…
Darkness? No…
It wasn’t color at all —
It was void. A complete, absolute void.
There was nothing here — yet it felt like a vortex, pulling him in and pushing him out at the same time. His mind was on the verge of being torn apart.
Then — in a flash — Qi Bai was thrown out of it.
He gasped for breath, dizziness washing over him.
That place… was not something he should have touched.
Lang Ze had seen Qi Bai space out for just a second — and then suddenly turn deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down his temples.
Lang Ze’s brows furrowed as he pulled Qi Bai into his arms. In a blink, they had both vanished from the temple and reappeared outside.
Seeing Lang Ze’s bloodshot eyes and hearing the pounding of his heart, Qi Bai weakly clutched his arm and nuzzled his neck. “I’m okay… I just overexerted my mental strength. I saw…”
Lang Ze protectively cupped the back of Qi Bai’s head and held him tightly to his chest. “Don’t think about it. Let’s get out of here first.”
Qi Bai leaned against Lang Ze’s chest and finally let go of all his strength.
He really hadn’t seen anything — he was just… so tired, so sleepy.
Just a little nap…
Unbeknownst to Qi Bai and Lang Ze, the moment they left the temple, the Great Shen Si on the high platform suddenly collapsed.
No comments:
Post a Comment