Chapter 955: Temple

He slowly stepped inside.

The passage between the two worlds undulated like water ripples, emitting wave after wave of ripples as Chu An entered.

Each step felt like stepping into a viscous swamp.

After a few minutes, Chu An, having successfully entered the gate, stepped onto the ground paved with stone bricks.

Standing in place, the two exchanged a glance and nodded in greeting.

Looking at the distant temple-like structure, Chu An merely glanced around briefly, his poker‑face calm, as if he were not surprised by the scene here.

The temple was immense, its towering dome covered in vividly colored painted patterns.

The bluish‑gray stone tiles and holy white walls gave it an ethereal feel.

Like a medieval church, the patterns painted on the dome resembled oil paintings; at a glance, one could clearly see that they depicted Lin An's figure.

Under religious reinterpretation, the images of Lin An that had once appeared were given sacred meaning; even the original scene of the Judgment nobility in Bo La Ka was painted as a miracle, occupying the highest point of the dome.

And at the farthest end stood four huge stone statues.

The central statue shows Lin An with arms outstretched, wearing a white robe, and smiling with a holy‑spirit‑like expression.

On the massive altar base made of gold and gemstones, the white candlelight made his image appear extraordinarily tall and mysterious.

At a glance, it gave off a feeling of compassion.

Absurd, eerie.

In the hands of the devout sculptors, Lin An himself probably never imagined he would be fabricated into such an image.

And on either side of his colossal statue were a giant bear and an archer Gao Tian, carved like guardians.

The silver giant bear roared forward, while Gao Tian was carved as a sharp‑eyed warrior.

As for Mo Ling, his statue is the smallest, placed behind Lin An.

With hands clasped together in a fist salute, her image seems to have been twisted by believers into the symbol of a 'lamb'.

Whether or not she had ever shown any special ability, she was molded by doctrine into a protected 'holy follower'.

Footsteps echoed.

Chu An walked a few steps forward and withdrew his gaze.

This place was once the amoeba worm dungeon.

Of course, it has now been jokingly called the Ling An World by Ke Lai En.

Under ten times the normal flow of time, the humans who survived the final battle quickly multiplied.

Under Ke Lai En's special means, the population surged.

The entire world took the sect unintentionally left behind by Lin An as its foundation, forming a brand‑new social system.

Unifying church and state, it was built into the largest terrestrial 'god‑state' in history.

Ignoring the fervent gazes all around, Chu An opened his hand and directly handed the spirit‑energy seed in his palm to Ke Lai En.

"According to the rules."

"You help me cultivate crops, and I'll open the passage for you."

"If there's nothing else, don't disturb me; I'll stay here for a while."

His words were brief and to the point.

Standing opposite each other, Ke Lai En listened to Chu An's cold tone and couldn't help but feel a bit resigned.

"You're treating me like a mere tool..."

"Can't you improve your attitude? After all, we're supposed to be friends, right?"

"Friends?"

As soon as the words fell, Chu An gave Ke Lai En a blank glance and replied softly:

"We're just using each other, that's all."

"You want to open the passage, and I need you to supply food—nothing more."

Hearing Chu An's blunt words, Ke Lai En forced a bitter smile and then stopped caring.

He had grown accustomed to this poker‑face way of speaking that could drive one mad.

"Fine."

"You're staying here to study the amoeba worms?"

"To be honest, I'm curious why you don't just ship supplies straight out of here."

"You know, as long as I'm willing, I can make this continent overflow with food~"

Taking the seed, Ke Lai En glanced up and down at Chu An, obviously very curious about the answer.

From the moment Chu An first contacted him, saying he needed a large amount of food in exchange for their cooperation, he had proactively suggested this.

But for some unknown reason, Chu An didn't agree; instead, he went to great lengths to make the trip here.

Lowering his arm, Chu An slightly lifted his glasses frame and frowned slightly:

"You have too many questions."

"Things taken out of here lack the system's exclusive marker; if the quantity is too large, it will be detected."

"Once it triggers an investigation, both of us will die."

"As for the amoeba worm matter, it's none of your business."

Hearing Chu An's brief reply, Ke Lai En's eyes flickered and he fell silent for a moment.

"So that's how it is?"

"No wonder this guy does that..."

But when he heard the word 'system', a flash of wariness suddenly crossed his eyes.

After reluctantly accepting the answer, Ke Lai En's expression turned resentful as he let out a sigh:

Damn system...

That said, if you want to study amoeba worms, I happen to have plenty of materials.

While speaking, he turned and pointed toward the rear, giving Chu Colonel a meaningful glance.

I added quite a few things for them according to your request...

This is, quite an interesting masterpiece.

Proud in tone, Klein uttered the words 'masterpiece' without a care for the fervent crowd before him.

As if he didn't care what this crowd heard.

Behind him, tens of thousands of believers stared excitedly as Klein pointed at them, equally indifferent to his tone, which treated them like objects.

It seemed, being pointed at was also a kind of honor.

Chu An shook his head slightly, his expression unchanged:

No need.

Your materials, are you referring to yourself?

If you're bored, you can make more copies of yourself.

After Chu An finished speaking, he walked toward the crowd, leaving only the slightly stunned Klein standing alone in place.

This guy...

He shook his head, Klein cleared the excess emotion from his face, looked at Chu An's back, and for some reason, let out a light chuckle.

As it turns out, he had long known that I am a worm...

Passing through the fervent crowd, his steps were slow.

Amidst the gaze of ten thousand, Chu An had already reached the rear of the church.

Just as he was about to leave, his foot paused, and he suddenly stopped before a middle-aged man wearing a white sacrificial robe.

Seeing Chu An stop, unlike the crowd kneeling on the ground, this middle-aged man's attire was obviously far more elaborate.

He held a white-gold short staff in his hand, his right hand cradling a silver book, attire resembling that of a pope.

The two locked eyes; the middle-aged man's body shuddered violently, his expression extremely agitated as he opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But whether he dared not or didn't know what to say, the somewhat thin middle-aged man trembled, his mouth shaking, his left hand gripping the staff until it turned bluish.

His hair flecked with white, he trembled as he spoke:

You..

Are you...!!?

Looking at the pope who wanted to speak but was overcome with emotion, Chu An gave a slight nod:

That's right, I come representing him.

His voice was soft, yet it struck the middle-aged man's ears like thunder.

A plain, unremarkable sentence, yet in an instant it moved him to the point of reddening eyes.

Gazing into Chu An's eyes, this pope could no longer contain his emotions:

As expected... as expected! The Lord has not forsaken us!

Lord Lin An... no! Divine Spirit Lord...

Is he well? Will he come to us again?

Does the Lord have some decree!?

A series of questions followed.

As the pope's voice rang out, countless believers in the hall trembled in unison; they dared not turn back, yet they devoutly wished to hear every word Chu An would say next.

On both sides of the temple, four solemn-faced priests clutching scrolls stared fixedly at Chu An, the feather pens in their right hands clenched until they turned bluish, fingertips trembling.

In their eyes, Chu An at this moment was the most exalted being in the world, the representative of Lord Lin An.

Every word spoken by the divine envoy must be recorded, to be passed down for all generations.

Looking at the excited pope, Chu An's originally indifferent expression shifted to a gentle smile.

It will.

However, perhaps before long, the Lord will need you to fight for him...

Having said that, Chu An nodded and departed.

Gazing at Chu An's retreating back, the pope, famed as the supreme ruler of this continent and once having contacted the divine spirit, first froze, then shook with emotion and nodded vigorously.

His stooped frame strained to straighten.

Taking a deep breath, he faced the tens of thousands of fervent believers, suddenly raising his staff high, and shouted solemnly:

Did you hear it!? The lambs of my Lord!

The Supreme Being who once saved the world has issued a new revelation! Lord! We are needed!

For Ling An!

The pope's shout, exerted with all his might, echoed within the temple.

In an instant, countless equally fervent shouts rang out simultaneously—these were the cries of all the fanatical believers, as if receiving honor.

For Ling An!

All glory belongs to Ling An!

All glory belongs to Ling An!

Over and over again, amidst the tsunami-like shouts, the pope holding his staff instinctively glanced back at the deity's statue, while not far off, the scribe was writing furiously.

Beneath the dome, the smile on the pure white deity's statue grew ever more divine.

In a daze, he seemed to recall the day he first saw the divine.

In a corner of the temple, a female priest draped in white gauze silently watched the pope leading the believers in their cries.

Or rather.

Lemming.