It was a dilapidated small temple, only a single story high. A golden Buddha statue stood before the door, gleaming with golden light yet showing signs of age. Surrounding the small temple was a circular golden light screen emanating from the Buddha statue. This barrier kept the wind, sand, and darkness at bay, creating a serene sanctuary within.
“Sister Su, this is the small temple?” Ji Yu asked, unable to hide his surprise as he looked at the sight. He had thought it would be a modest monastery, never expecting it to be so crude.
“Yes. Though it lacks the grandeur of the Temple of Eighteen Golden Statues, it remains a rare blessed land in the ancient desert.” Su Guanying smiled and explained, “This Buddha statue was left behind hundreds of years ago by a mighty Buddhist cultivator. Though centuries have passed, it still protects this area. As long as one enters the golden light, they can avoid the harassment of empty spirits at night.”
“I see,” Shi Yu murmured, nodding as secret admiration welled up inside her.
She knew little of Buddhist teachings, but she understood that a golden Buddha statue like this was no ordinary object. It boundlessly reflected a profound realm of Buddhist enlightenment and supreme merit. For that Buddhist cultivator to transform his own body into a statue to protect this small plot of land was truly worthy of respect.
The caravan members hastened to settle the Sand Camels, tying them around the perimeter of the small temple with thick ropes and laying out plenty of fodder.
Su Guanying sighed softly. “Fortunately… Sand Camels are native creatures of the ancient desert, so empty spirits have little interest in devouring them.”
Otherwise, given the Sand Camels' massive size, it would have been impossible to squeeze them into the area covered by the golden light.
After settling the camels, they entered the small temple. The interior was completely empty, devoid of furniture or decorations. The only thing present was a golden Buddha statue enshrined on an altar in the center, identical in form to the one outside, only slightly smaller.
Once all forty members of the group filed inside, the empty temple suddenly felt cramped.
Crowded together and knowing they were finally safe for now, everyone allowed their tense minds to relax as they silently gazed out of the temple.
As the cold deepened, Su Guanying retrieved some firewood and lit a campfire.
Such ordinary fire was insufficient to drive away the bone-chilling cold, but the dancing firelight cast a warm glow across their faces, offering a comforting sense of solace.
As the final sliver of sunlight vanished over the horizon, even those who had experienced this countless times couldn't help but grow nervous.
Someone whispered in a low voice, “The empty spirits are coming…”
The moment those words fell, the sunlight faded entirely, and darkness swallowed the sky.
The atmosphere between heaven and earth shifted abruptly.
Tied up outside, the Sand Camels began nervously stomping their hooves.
Shi Yu peered outside, feeling as though countless pairs of eyes were staring at them from the darkness, radiating a frigid, eerie aura.
Right then, someone gasped in a low voice, “There are people outside!”
Startled, Shi Yu looked out and spotted a small group of figures a few miles away, hurrying desperately toward the temple. Clearly, they were fellow travelers in the ancient desert seeking shelter at the small temple.
Su Guanying's expression changed. She glanced at the sky and murmured, “It's too late…”
In the ancient desert, the imbalanced Earth-element spiritual Qi severely hindered movement techniques and footwork, greatly limiting travel speed. A distance of a few miles would take mere seconds anywhere else, but here…
A gust of gloomy wind howled past, sending a chill rising from the bottom of everyone's hearts. Holding their breath, they watched as plumes of black Qi seeped out from the sand dunes. Innumerable ghost fires flickered and drifted unpredictably in the pitch-black night.
Within every flickering ghost fire lurked a blurry human figure—male or female, old or young, joyful or enraged, weeping or laughing—displaying all manner of expressions and dispositions.
These figures were ethereal and fleeting, looking as if they might dissipate at any second. Yet their eyes were terrifyingly vivid, burning with a frantic, ravenous glare locked firmly onto the small team of cultivators who radiated the breath of the living.
The team of cultivators outside was now only a few hundred meters from the temple. Shi Yu could clearly see the sudden relief and joy dawning on their faces.
But in the next instant, the ghost fires swarmed and surrounded them completely.
“Ah!”
“Help! Save us!”
A few bloodcurdling screams rang out, only to be swallowed whole by chilling sounds of chewing and swallowing.
Ji Yu's face turned pale as milk. Terrified, he tried to dive into Shi Yu's arms, but Qingzhou caught him by the back of his collar in time. Trembling like a leaf, the boy turned and buried his face in Qingzhou's arms instead. Qingzhou frowned slightly, but he didn't push him away.
“Are these… empty spirits?” Shi Yu muttered, her heart pounding furiously against her ribs.
She gently patted the back of Ji Yu's hand to comfort him, her heart sinking as she took in the horrific sight.
Shi Yu had never seen such creatures before. They possessed no physical bodies and emitted no spiritual Qi fluctuations, yet they exuded an overwhelming dread.
Su Guanying narrowed her eyes, unable to watch any longer. She turned away with a heavy sigh. “These are the most horrifying entities in the Wangliang Ancient Desert. Formed from the accumulated resentment and remnant souls of countless dead who perished in the desert, they have no set form or consciousness—only boundless greed and a drive for destruction.”
The rest of the group averted their eyes as well, lingering dread gripping their hearts.
If they had been even a moment slower and failed to enter the temple in time, they would have met the exact same fate—devoured alive by empty spirits…
The caravan members fared relatively better; though solemn, they had witnessed such horrors many times before and quickly composed themselves. However, Shi Yu's group and the six traveling cultivators were witnessing such cruelty for the first time, leaving them shaken and filled with dark foreboding.
The team of cultivators was devoured to nothing in moments. Unsatisfied, the greedy empty spirits drifted away from the spot, roaming in search of further prey.
Gradually, more and more empty spirits gathered, swelling into a horde of hundreds, then thousands.
Catching the scent of living humans inside the small temple, the nearby empty spirits lunged forward and slammed against the golden light. Instantly, sickening sizzling sounds erupted in succession. Ripples washed across the golden light screen, and any empty spirit that touched it rapidly dissolved into black smoke.
Yet moments later, even more empty spirits surged forward to take their place.
Ji Yu asked in a trembling voice, “This golden light… won't break, right?”
“It is not impossible,” Su Guanying exhaled softly. “Apart from the Temple of Eighteen Golden Statues, the golden light of all other small temples will fade eventually—it is only a matter of time.”
Seeing the boy swallow nervously in fear, Su Guanying quickly added, “However, the golden light of this particular temple is still fairly sturdy. There is no need to worry about it dissipating anytime soon.”
...
Sandstorms howled through the dead silence. In the deep night, these empty spirits felt extreme aversion toward the golden light yet lusted insatiably after the living beings inside. Even as they perished wave after wave, their assault never wavered for a second.
Everyone remained silent, sitting numbly in place. The shadow of the slaughtered cultivators' death hung heavily over them, dampening any desire for conversation.
It was not until Su Guanying spoke softly that the quiet was broken: “It is getting late. Let us eat something to fill our stomachs and get some rest early.”
Apart from the three Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, the rest of the caravan was still in the Qi Refining Realm. They naturally required food for sustenance and sleep to restore their stamina.
Adding more wood to the campfire, everyone gathered around the light, pulling out clay pots, dried meat, and other provisions to simmer spiritual grain.
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