Chapter 434: Are You Ready?
Chapter 434: Are You Ready?
A giant green hand gently carried Hu Ma to the cave entrance, then slowly retracted, disappearing back into the misty clouds halfway up the mountain.
Looking down from the cave entrance, Hu Ma saw the Three Gates and Twelve Stages, still eerie and bleak, but now beneath his feet, and he felt a vague sense of breaking through and surpassing something.
Hu Ma took a deep breath, then slowly walked forward. As he approached the black cave, his figure was swallowed up by it, and his vision dimmed slightly, giving him an extremely strange sensation.
"This is..."
Hu Ma's heart stirred, "Have I arrived at the Life Spirit Temple?"
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the cave, he carefully examined his surroundings. He saw sparse and strange mist floating inside the cave, and in front of him was an incense table with an incense burner on it, filled with ash but not a single incense stick.
Behind the incense table was a broken and dilapidated clay statue, its head tilted to one side, devoid of any vitality. It was clearly the Life Spirit Temple of a reincarnated person, and it was exactly the same as the scene Hu Ma had witnessed when he first entered his own Life Spirit Temple, without the slightest difference.
Every reincarnated person had their own Life Spirit Temple, but Hu Ma had not yet had the opportunity to see anyone else's. This was his first time, and he felt extremely puzzled.
The absurdity and silence of his journey here gradually subsided as he took a deep breath and slowly moved forward, carefully examining the temple. He found that it was devoid of any life, and even the statue seemed like a real clay figure, just sitting there lifelessly.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the statue had large cracks and gaps, like wounds on a person's body. The statue's features were also blurred beyond recognition, and he could barely make out that it was a man with rigid facial features.
"Is anyone here?"
Hu Ma had only taken two steps into the Life Spirit Temple when he stopped and cautiously called out. His voice echoed back and forth within the temple.
There was no response, and the surroundings were as quiet as death.
Hu Ma asked out of politeness and caution, but he wasn't surprised by the lack of response. Instead, he continued to look around and soon spotted a small piece of Life Incense beside the incense burner.
Unlike his own, this incense stick was faintly golden, adorned with intricate and delicate patterns. Even though it was covered in dust, it still held a sense of divine mystery, and as he approached it, he felt a sense of oppression.
However, it was too short and too broken, like a dying person.
He slowly raised his head and glanced at the clay statue behind the incense table, its head drooping, devoid of any vitality. He gradually understood and reached out to pick up the Life Incense, pinching it between his fingers, then took a step back.
He respectfully bowed to the statue and then inserted the remaining Life Incense into the incense burner.
"Huff..."
As soon as the Life Incense was lit, a faint red light rose, and wisps of smoke drifted upwards.
Hu Ma immediately took two steps back, quietly observing the changes in the statue, his heart filled with a mix of anticipation and subconscious reverence.
As he watched, the statue initially showed no signs of change. But as the smoke from the Life Incense rose, the clay shell on the statue seemed to crack and peel away rapidly. The deep crevices seemed to turn red and flow, as if they had become real wounds.
After about half a day, the clay dust on the statue suddenly fell off in a flurry, and the clay statue trembled. From within its chest, there seemed to be a sound of surging airflow, like a heavy and weary sigh.
At the same time, the statue slowly raised its head. Dust fell from its eye area, and its eyes slowly opened. The eyes, looking down from above, were filled with endless bewilderment.
Hu Ma, facing that gaze, was startled, feeling as if his divine soul had received an invisible shock. He hurriedly took another step back, standing at the entrance of the Life Spirit Temple.
At that moment, a vibrating, rumbling breath emanated from within the statue, and a faint voice formed, squeezing out from his throat:
"Finally, someone has come..."
"..."
"Hmm?"
Hearing this voice, Hu Ma felt as if a giant bronze bell was ringing beside him, and even his body seemed to tremble, almost unable to stand.
Upon entering this place, he had actually been in a soul state, but it was difficult to notice until he was shaken by this voice and suddenly realized it.
The statue possessed immense divine might, even when it was just sleeping, it was tall and silent, giving off an incredibly oppressive aura.
Now, with Hu Ma's help in lighting the last bit of Life Incense, the statue came to life, and the pressure it emitted was so strong that even Hu Ma, who had entered the Mansion, felt like an ordinary person facing a dignitary, with an innate sense of caution.
Just as Hu Ma became wary, the statue began to mutter incoherently, its eyes quickly focusing and regaining some vitality, like a person waking from a deep sleep and needing a moment to recall what happened before they fell asleep.
At the same time, the hollow, dim eyes, with their overall air of withered old age, also turned anxiously towards Hu Ma, and from within its chest, there seemed to be a sound of surging airflow. A muffled voice sounded urgently:
"So, has the new emperor been chosen?"
"..."
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma never expected that the first thing the divine statue would do after opening its eyes was to ask this.
He had come here with a bellyful of questions, but he didn't anticipate encountering this question first. However, sensing the divine statue's urgency and concern, he paused and swallowed the various questions in his mind, deciding to answer the statue first.
After calming himself, he looked at the divine statue and slowly said, "No!"
"There hasn't been anyone sitting on the emperor's throne for twenty years now..."
"..."
"Twenty... twenty years..."
The divine statue, perhaps due to its recent awakening, responded slowly, its voice filled with endless fatigue and confusion: "Only twenty years?"
As he spoke softly, he struggled to move his eyes, causing the mud and dirt on his body to fall off even more.
Slowly, his eyes located Hu Ma's position, but it took a great deal of effort before they finally regained some clarity and slowly focused on Hu Ma's face. With difficulty, he opened his mouth and asked, "You... are a reincarnate, right?"
"Hmm..."
Hu Ma pondered, thinking that since he had entered through the back door, there was no need to hide anything. He slowly nodded and said, "Yes, I came here specifically to meet a fellow townsman and see a senior..."
"Good... good..."
It was customary for reincarnates to exchange pleasantries, and Hu Ma was also considering how to ask the questions that concerned him the most, including the identity of the divine statue.
However, to his surprise, the divine statue didn't continue with the topic. Instead, it looked at Hu Ma with anticipation in its eyes, and its voice gradually became more fluent: "Regardless, since a reincarnate has arrived here first, it means..."
"..."
'Why is he asking this?'
Hu Ma's doubts grew, but facing the divine statue's concerned gaze, he nodded. While observing the statue's expression, he slowly said, "There are signs."
"Nowadays, various aristocratic families are placing their bets, and even the rural gentry are stirring. Many have imperial ambitions, though it's unclear who truly has the destiny to be emperor. Perhaps, choosing a new emperor will only take a few short years."
"..."
"Good... good..."
The divine statue was nodding vigorously. Its expression seemed to hold a glimmer of hope as it slowly turned to Hu Ma and asked with concern, "Then what about you...?"
"You... your generation of reincarnates, how are your preparations coming along?"
"..."
Hu Ma was answering while observing the divine statue, but upon hearing this question, he couldn't help but pause:
"Preparations?"
"What preparations?"
"..."
"What preparations?"
Not only was Hu Ma taken aback by the divine statue's question, but the recently awakened statue also seemed confused by Hu Ma's inquiry.
It was evident that the statue was struggling to process the question, and its eyes shone with even more light, as if the incense in the incense burner was burning faster. After a while, it spoke with a hint of urgency: "Of course, it's the preparation to fight for heavenly destiny and slay the Earth Deity."
"We... we were caught off guard back then and didn't have time to prepare. We could only lose that battle to buy you... to buy you some more time..."
"But... even with these twenty years, isn't it enough for you to unite and come up with a plan?"
"If someone is willing to become the emperor, that would be the best outcome. However, the sacrifice is indeed too great, and it's understandable if reincarnates don't want to take on this position. But..."
"Even if no one is willing to take on the role personally, with so much time having passed, you should have at least selected a suitable candidate, right?"
"..."
"..."
"Fight for heavenly destiny? Slay the Earth Deity?"
Hu Ma's mind was in a muddle as he listened to the divine statue's string of words. He had forgotten all the questions he had initially wanted to ask and was now filled with curiosity. He remembered hearing these words from the Mountain Lord, but he never expected the statue to say them out loud.
The divine statue asked as if it assumed Hu Ma would understand as soon as he heard it.
Was the battle it referred to the grand sacrifice in the capital city? Was it talking about that battle to buy us time?
Is this twenty-year period without an emperor what it's referring to?
The entire conversation between the two seemed to be slightly off from the start, as if both had their own concerns but were missing a piece of the puzzle.
As Hu Ma pondered, he let out a soft sigh and slowly said, "It seems you are indeed a senior among the reincarnates, but how did you end up like this?"
"I still don't know how to address you, and besides, the matter you just mentioned..."
"I don't even know what it means."
(End of Chapter)
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