The enormous blue hand lifted Hu Ma to the front of the cave and then slowly withdrew, disappearing into the mist halfway up the mountainside.
Looking down from the cave, he could see the three passes and twelve tiers. Even though they still appeared eerie and bleak, they were now beneath him. It was as if sothing had been broken through, as if he had surpassed sothing.
Hu Ma let out a light breath and began to walk slowly forward. As he was engulfed by the darkness of the cave ahead, his vision dimd, and he felt an incredibly strange sensation.
"This is..."
Hu Ma’s mind stirred. Have I entered the Lifebound Spirit Temple?
Once his eyes adjusted to the light of the cave, he examined it closely. He saw thin, peculiar mist floating inside, with an incense table before him. On the table was an incense burner full of ashes, but not even a single One Incense remained.
Behind the incense table sat a tattered stone statue, its head tilted, utterly lifeless. It was clearly the Lifebound Spirit Temple of a Reincarnator. Indeed, the scene was identical, down to the smallest detail, to what he had witnessed upon first entering his own Lifebound Spirit Temple.
Every Reincarnator had their own Lifebound Spirit Temple, but Hu Ma had never had the chance to see anyone else’s. This was his first ti, and the feeling in his heart was extrely peculiar.
The sense of surreal absurdity from the journey, which had left him speechless, gradually subsided. He let out another breath, walked forward slowly, and examined his surroundings closely. The temple was devoid of life; even the Divine Statue appeared to be re clay, sitting there desolately.
Upon closer inspection, he saw huge cracks and fissures on the Divine Statue, like a person’s wounds. As for the statue’s countenance, it was already blurry and indistinct, but he could faintly discern the sharply defined, masculine features of a man.
"Is anyone there?"
Hu Ma had taken only two steps into the Lifebound Spirit Temple before he stopped and cautiously called out. His voice echoed through the temple.
No one responded; a deathly quiet perated the surroundings.
Hu Ma had only called out from a sense of courtesy and caution, so he wasn’t surprised by the silence. He continued to look around and quickly spotted a particularly fine remnant of Life Incense next to the incense burner.
Unlike his own, this incense had a faint golden hue, its surface covered in intricate and delicate patterns. Even though it was coated in dust, it possessed a certain divine quality. The mont he drew near, he felt a sense of pressure.
It was just so short, so incomplete, like a dying person.
He slowly lifted his head, glanced at the lifeless Divine Statue with its lolling head behind the incense table, and gradually understood. Reaching out, he took the fragnt of Life Incense in his hand and then stepped back a pace.
He first bowed respectfully to the Divine Statue before inserting the small piece of Life Incense into the incense burner.
WHEW...
As soon as the Life Incense entered the burner, a point of red light suddenly flared, and wisps of smoke curled up and dispersed.
Hu Ma imdiately stepped back two paces, quietly observing the changes in the Divine Statue. A peculiar mix of anticipation and subconscious awe filled his heart.
Under his watchful gaze, there was initially no change in the Divine Statue. However, as the incense smoke curled upwards, the earthen crust of the statue seed to rapidly crack and peel away. Deep within those large fissures, a red, flowing substance appeared, as if they had transford into real wounds.
After so ti, debris from the statue began to fall with a soft rustle, and the clay figure suddenly shuddered. From its chest, there ca a sound like turbulent air, like a heavy, weary sigh.
At the sa ti, it slowly raised its head. As dust fell from its eye sockets, two eyes gradually opened, looking down from above with an expression of endless bewildernt.
eting this gaze, Hu Ma felt a jolt of alarm, an unmistakable sensation as if his Divine Soul had suffered an invisible blow. He hurriedly retreated another step, until he was standing at the very entrance of the Lifebound Spirit Temple.
It was then that a resonant, booming aura emanated from within the Divine Statue, vaguely forming words that seed to be squeezed from his throat, bit by bit:
"Soone has finally arrived..."
There was a pause before the statue’s voice rumbled again, "Hmm?"
Listening to this voice, Hu Ma felt as though a gigantic bronze bell were tolling beside him. His entire body seed to grow faintly blurred from its vibrations, making it almost impossible to stand.
Having entered this painting, Hu Ma realized he was actually in his Divine Soul state, a fact he hadn’t perceived until this voice jolted him.
This Divine Statue possessed an imnse divine authority. Even in its deep slumber, it had stood tall and silent, exuding an intense pressure.
Now that Hu Ma had helped him light the last bit of Life Incense, the statue had co alive. The oppressive force he now emanated temporarily made Hu Ma, despite his cultivation level of having entered the abode, feel like an ordinary person facing a Guest—an instinctive trepidation.
As defensive thoughts rose in Hu Ma’s mind, the Divine Statue began to murmur to himself in confusion. His eyes focused quickly, a spark gradually appearing within them, like soone waking from a long sleep who needed a mont to recall their thoughts before slumber.
Simultaneously, his hollow, dim eyes, which carried an air of withered age, eagerly turned to Hu Ma. A surge of air seed to stir within his chest as a blurred voice spoke urgently,
"So, has the new Emperor been chosen yet?"
Hu Ma was silent for a mont, utterly unprepared for the Divine Statue’s first question to be about this. He had co here with a host of questions, but he hadn’t expected to be confronted with this one imdiately. Sensing the statue’s urgency and concern, he paused. He swallowed his own myriad questions and decided to answer the statue’s first.
After taking a mont to collect himself, he looked at the Divine Statue and slowly said, "No!"
"For twenty years, no one in this world has sat on the Emperor’s throne..."
There was another pause.
"Tw... twenty years..."
The Divine Statue, perhaps due to just having awakened, responded slowly. His voice was filled with infinite exhaustion and confusion. "Only twenty years?"
As he spoke in a low voice, he struggled to move his eyes, causing even more dust to fall from his body.
Slowly, his gaze found where Hu Ma stood. It took a great effort before a flicker of light finally appeared in his eyes. Focusing on Hu Ma’s face, he spoke with difficulty, "You... you’re a Reincarnator, aren’t you?"
WHEW...
Hu Ma pondered. Realizing that since he had entered through a backdoor, there was no need for concealnt, he slowly nodded and said, "Yes. I ca here this ti precisely to et a fellow countryman, to see an elder..."
"Good... good..."
Normally, when Reincarnators t, so pleasantries were customary. Hu Ma was also pondering the identity of this Divine Statue and how to ask his most pressing questions.
But unexpectedly, the Divine Statue didn’t pursue that topic. Instead, his eager eyes looked toward Hu Ma, his voice gradually becoming more fluent, "Regardless, since a Reincarnator has arrived here first, it ans... it ans that..."
"...the selection of the new Emperor has begun?"
Hu Ma was taken aback by the question.
Why is he asking this way?
The suspicion in Hu Ma’s mind grew, but eting the Divine Statue’s concerned gaze, he nodded. Observing his expression, he slowly said, "There are signs."
"The various prominent families are all placing their bets; even the local gentry are stirring restlessly. It’s unknown who truly holds the Emperor’s destiny, but there are plenty who harbor imperial ambitions. Perhaps, selecting an Emperor might only take a few short years."
There was a brief silence.
"Good... good..."
The Divine Statue nodded vigorously, a hopeful look seeming to appear in his expression. He looked at Hu Ma and asked with concern, "Then what about all of you..."
"Your generation of Reincarnators, how are your preparations coming along?"
Hu Ma, who had been answering while closely watching him, was startled by this question.
"Preparations?" he asked, puzzled. "What preparations?"
The newly awakened Divine Statue was clearly baffled by Hu Ma’s question. After a mont, he repeated, "What preparations?"
The statue visibly took a mont to process this. More light flickered in his eyes, and the incense in the burner even seed to burn a little faster. With a tone carrying urgency, he said, "Naturally, the preparations to contest destiny and slay the Tai Sui..."
"We... we were caught off guard back then, had no ti to prepare. We lost that engagent, all to buy you... to buy you more ti..."
"But... with these twenty years, surely that’s been enough ti for you to unite and formulate a counterasure?"
"If soone is willing to beco Emperor, that would be for the best, but the sacrifice is indeed too great. It’s understandable if Reincarnators don’t want to take that seat, but... but..."
"Even if no one is willing to do it personally, after so much ti has passed, you all must have at least selected so suitable candidates, right?"
Hu Ma was stunned into silence, his mind reeling.
"Contesting destiny? Slaying Tai Sui?" he finally blurted out. He listened to this barrage of words, his mind muddled. He forgot everything he had intended to ask, completely enveloped in curiosity. I rember hearing sothing like this from the mountain lord, but I never imagined it would be stated so directly.
He asked so matter-of-factly, as if he expected to understand his words instantly...
That engagent he ntioned, was he referring to the duel during the grand ceremony in Shangjing? Was that to buy us ti?
He said they bought us twenty years... does that an these twenty years without an Emperor?
It felt like this conversation was misaligned from the very start. Both of us had our own concerns, but it was as if a crucial piece of understanding was missing between us.
Thinking quickly, he took a low breath and said slowly, "It seems you are indeed an elder among Reincarnators. But how did you end up in this state?"
"I’m not sure how I should address you. Also, regarding what you just said..."
"...I don’t even understand what you an."
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