Chapter 197: A Disappointing Ending

Seeming to wait for Xu Chen to finish observing the exterior of the temple, the old man then spoke with a solemn face via sound transmission: "This is the Ancestral Temple of our Feng Clan. No matter what you see after entering, you are not permitted to touch anything lightly. Furthermore, whatever clues you discover, you must tell us; this is considered mutual benefit."

Xu Chen naturally nodded and readily agreed.

He was very clear that even if he could find clues in the Ancestral Temple, he would likely still need the help of these barbaric natives to find a way out in the end. Otherwise, relying solely on himself to wander aimlessly in this sunless place, he might never find the right path even in a lifetime.

In reality, Xu Chen had another thought.

Although these natives were few in number, their strength was formidable, and for millions of years, they had been fighting against Soul Beasts, making them familiar with and knowledgeable about the weaknesses of Soul Beasts. If he could bring them back to the Mortal World, perhaps he could borrow their power to deal with the rampaging Soul Beasts.

The Eastern Wasteland and the various countries surrounding the Song Kingdom had already spiraled out of control.

At present, the two arrays at Black Wind Ridge and Spirit Fox Valley were also not stable. Once they collapsed, the Great Song would repeat the mistakes of its neighboring countries, and the casualties in both the Immortal and Mortal Worlds would be extremely heavy.

By then, the power of the Immortal World alone would likely be unable to resist.

If he could obtain the help of these Minghuang natives, perhaps this Black Wind leak and the Soul Beast disaster would be quelled very quickly.

Soon, Xu Chen followed the old man into the temple.

Facing them were several statues carved from excavated rock. They were all very tall, at least three zhang high. Some held a Giant Fork in their hands, while others held spears and bows. Although the carving seemed very rough, they were full of spirit; their muscles were bulging and their expressions were domineering, faintly carrying a powerful aura of Soul, giving one a sense of oppression that made one dare not look directly at them.

Aside from the statues, the surrounding walls were carved with a large number of reliefs and colorful rock paintings, all depicting scenes of humans fighting against Soul Beasts. They were likewise crudely crafted but carried an ancient and barbaric aura.

Although the temple was not small, Xu Chen swept it with his Divine Sense and finished viewing it almost entirely.

It was very crude and simple; he could barely feel any Spirit Qi fluctuations.

Therefore, after entering for a moment, Xu Chen frowned slightly.

Although this temple was ancient, it was just like the temples and Taoist shrines in the Mortal World, with nothing unusual about it. Furthermore, judging from his conversation with Feng Feiyi on the way, this temple was likely only excavated and built after the Feng Clan settled here; it was no longer a relic left behind when humans originally guarded Minghuang. Thus, even if the human ancestors had left clues, they were likely already unrecognizable or completely lost.

However, since he had already come, and had spent so much energy and cost, he was unwilling to let go of even the slightest trace. Therefore, he walked slowly inside the temple, looked carefully, and even released his Divine Sense like flowing water to feed everything inside the temple back into his Sea of Consciousness, using his Soul to carefully distinguish and perceive even the slightest difference.

The old man did not disturb Xu Chen, but instead knelt respectfully in front of a row of statues, his eyes slightly closed and his hands folded on his forehead, muttering to himself as if praying.

A full quarter of an hour passed, and Xu Chen finished examining the entire temple carefully, his brow furrowing even deeper.

Indeed, he had not discovered any information related to the Mortal World.

However, he still did not give up. He walked to the old man's side and asked via sound transmission: "Elder, there is no information related to the Mortal World in this temple, so I would like to ask some questions about your ancestors. I wonder if you could tell me?"

The old man continued to pray without changing his posture, muttering for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, before finally lowering his hands from his brow, turning around, and pointing to a red stone slab on the ground, transmitting his voice:

"Sit down and ask. I knew you wouldn't have any gains, but since I brought you here, I will try my best to satisfy your request. After all, the Wangchuan Flower is of great help to us, and it is worth us helping you once, but this is the only time."

Xu Chen nodded and sat down, asking: "I heard some things about you from Feng Feiyi, but I feel what was said was not very clear, so I would like to ask a few more questions about the process of the human ancestors coming here from the Mortal World and what happened afterward."

The old man shook his head slightly and sighed: "Although I don't know what Feiyi told you, or how much she said, what she knows is actually what all the clansmen of the Feng Clan know. I don't know any more than she does. Since you want to hear it again, I will tell you one more time!"

Following this, the old man began from the migration of the ancient human ancestors to the Minghuang Di Jie, then the long process of building cities, farming, multiplying, and forming great armies to fight against the Nether Beasts in the Underworld River basin.

At that time, this place was still a bright region with sun, moon, and stars, mountains and rivers, plants, birds, and beasts; it was not much different from the Mortal World, the only exception being that a large number of Soul Beasts appeared from time to time.

At that time, there were many human powerhouses who could fly, burrow, and control powerful Magic Treasures. They deployed countless huge Arrays along the Underworld River basin, built countless sturdy castles, and led the human army to repel the attacks of the Nether Beasts time and time again. There were even super powerhouses who crossed the Underworld River to kill their way into the Underworld on the opposite side.

But as time passed, the powerhouses from the Mortal World became fewer and fewer, while the Nether Beasts became more and more numerous. A large number of Arrays and castles were breached, and Underworld Qi gradually polluted this region. Finally, after an unprecedentedly tragic war between the Nether Human Race and the Underworld Clan, the human powerhouses were almost wiped out. Subsequently, the heavens and earth shook violently, the passage from the Underworld to the Mortal World collapsed, and everyone was cut off from their retreat and trapped here.

However, the hatred accumulated from countless years of fighting between the Nether Human Race and the Underworld Clan was already etched into their bones and could not be erased. The surviving humans continued to slaughter Soul Beasts and passed this down from generation to generation.

The humans living here at present are basically the descendants of the strongest humans of that time, all carrying a strong sense of mission, leaving behind ancestral teachings requiring future generations to guard Minghuang well, and absolutely never allowing Soul Beasts to break through Minghuang and enter the Mortal World.

Because there are no sun, moon, or stars here, it is impossible to know the specific time. Furthermore, under the erosion of Underworld Qi and the siege of more and more powerful Soul Beasts, the human territory has become smaller and more scattered, and reproduction has become increasingly difficult.

To this day, the Feng Clan tribe does not know how many humans are left in Minghuang; they only roughly know the situation of the neighboring tribes, but like the Feng Clan, they have almost reached the point of lingering on in a steadily worsening condition. Not to mention guarding Minghuang and killing Soul Beasts, even self-preservation and survival can no longer be sustained.

Xu Chen listened with his brow tightly locked.

Although what the old man said was much clearer than the fragmented words Feng Feiyi said on the road, the general content was basically the same.

Even the process of the ancient ancestors coming to Minghuang was described very vaguely, or even absurdly, completely carrying a strong color of mythological stories, similar to the ancient legends of the creation of the world circulating in the Mortal World, mixed with a large number of artificially fabricated story traces; its credibility was not high at all.

During the old man's narration, Xu Chen also continuously asked some questions he felt were useful to him, hoping to get clearer answers.

The old man was not unhappy about Xu Chen constantly interrupting his narration; instead, he tried his best to answer these questions clearly.

"It is not that I do not want to help you, but that I am powerless. You have seen the situation before you; we cannot even uphold the last wishes of our ancestors and can only linger on in this sunless place. How could we have the strength to find a way to the Mortal World? This is not just something our Feng Clan cannot do; other tribes cannot do it either. Therefore, you will not find the answer here, and you will not find it elsewhere."

After the old man finished telling everything he knew, he could not help but let out a long sigh and say this.

Xu Chen's face was full of bitterness.

It could be seen that the old man's emotions had undergone a huge change, and he no longer had the coldness and the attitude of keeping people at a distance that he had at the beginning.

But the outcome made him feel very uncomfortable.

Although he had already prepared himself for not finding any clues, until now, after visiting the temple and hearing what the old man said, his heart no longer held the excitement and enthusiasm he had at the start.

The current situation of the Nether Human Race was already in a precarious state, on the verge of extinction.

Not to mention clues about the passage to the Mortal World, even surviving was difficult.

Therefore, after a long silence, Xu Chen had to let out a long sigh, bowed to the old man, and said: "Thank you, Elder. Although I did not get the answer I wanted, I will still not give up on finding the way back. However, I still hope the Elder can help me provide some information on the surrounding tribes and the distribution of Soul Beasts."

The old man nodded and stood up, transmitting his voice: "I haven't been out for a long time either. Feiyi and the others know the situation outside better than I do. You can ask her directly later. If you are not in a hurry to leave, you can stay in our tribe for the time being. I also hope you can find the way back. After all, we are all humans. We never thought that one day we would be able to see a real human again. This is a good thing, but I fear it is also not a good thing."

Xu Chen stood up silently.

He understood the meaning of the old man's words.

The purpose of the human ancestors staying in Minghuang was to block the Underworld Clan from invading the Mortal World. Now that Underworld Qi and a large number of Nether Beasts have invaded the Mortal World, the millions of years of effort by the ancestors have likely already come to nothing.

Although they are lingering on here, they have not forgotten the last wishes of their ancestors, but their hearts are willing while their strength is lacking. At present, apart from trying to find a way to survive, they have almost no fighting spirit or hope left.

(End of this chapter)