Read Novel Full Chapter 686.1
Chapter 686.1
Standing at East God Temple and looking down at the middle, through the thin, ethereal mist, one could vaguely make out the Snake God Temple they had worshiped at yesterday.
The majestic and enormous Snake God Temple now seemed as tiny as a grain of millet, reduced to a small speck of red dust.
The bustling crowd was still performing rituals inside the temple. After quickly circling through the temple, Bai Lixin stepped out of the gate.
Far off to the side of East God Temple, a sparse grass field stretched out, and there was another red temple.
A blue wall surrounded the outside of this temple, and a few people could be seen walking toward it.
Bai Lixin walked in that direction, meeting a few people walking back along the way.
Seeing him, they waved and called out, “Don’t go further, that temple isn’t open to the public yet.”
Bai Lixin stopped in his tracks. “What temple is that?”
One of the tourists said, “There’s a ten-meter-high golden statue of the Snake God inside still under repair, it’s not open to the public. I came here two years ago, and it wasn’t repaired then either. This year, it’s still not done.”
Another tourist added, “Two years? I came here four years ago, and it was the same. I bet if you come back next year, it’ll still be the same. There’s no sign of any construction starting.”
These tourists seemed mysterious.
“Is it because there isn’t enough incense money? Or is there some kind of deeper meaning?”
“Who knows? But I heard from the people in Snake Town that the golden snake is suppressing evil spirits underneath. It’s not that they won’t start construction, but that they can’t. If they disturb it, it will break the seal, and the evil spirits will escape.”
“Did you hear? Last month, some tourists walked to Snake God Mountain, bowing every three steps. However, they didn’t come down the mountain at night, and two of them disappeared in the middle of the night. They still haven’t been found. How can people just vanish into thin air? You’d expect to find either the living or the dead, right? The police have searched the mountain several times but found nothing.”
“No wonder the checks on Snake God Mountain are so strict now. There’s a checkpoint every time you pass a ridge.”
“And after that? Were they found?”
“No, they haven’t been found yet!” The tourist lowered his voice. “There are rumors that those two offended the Snake God and were kept on the mountain by him. Some say they encountered the true form of the Snake God and were enlightened, ascending to immortality.”
Bai Lixin looked toward the temple under repair.
Dense blue mist enveloped it, stretching and swaying like flames.
He thanked the enthusiastic tourists and continued walking toward the temple.
The temple was tall, and after climbing the high steps, Bai Lixin stood on the platform, looking up at the enormous Snake God statue inside.
This statue was even larger than the one in Snake God Temple. The giant snake coiled around a round pillar, like a dragon clinging to a stone column.
Its head drooped slightly, and when Bai Lixin looked at it, he noticed the snake had no eyes.
On the parts of the pillar where the snake’s coils didn’t cover, strange Sanskrit and runes were faintly visible.
The writing and symbols were dense and complex, and the pillar it coiled around didn’t seem like an ordinary one.
Bai Lixin raised his phone, intending to take a few photos to study later, but a man in a blue robe slowly approached him from behind.
“Donor,” the man said, “photography is not allowed in this temple.”
He was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a cap that covered all his hair. His face was thinly crusted with scabs formed by exposure to the wind and sun.
With hands clasped in a prayer gesture, his expression was serious, and he held a string of beads while his unblinking eyes stared at the phone in Bai Lixin’s hand.
Realizing the situation, Bai Lixin put away his phone. “My apologies.”
“I hope it’s not too presumptuous to ask, Master, what do the carvings on these pillars mean?” he asked.
The practitioner glanced at the pillar. “That is a seal. Long, long ago, before the Snake God ascended to godhood, he protected Snake God Mountain and the villagers on it. Under his protection, the village had good weather for the crops, and the people lived peaceful lives. But one day, a frenzied black dragon invaded the village and began slaughtering the people. To protect the village, the Snake God fought the black dragon in a fierce battle that lasted for three hundred rounds, turning the sky and earth upside down. The fight continued for forty-nine days.”
“After the forty-nine days, the Snake God finally defeated the black dragon. But the black dragon was only one step away from transforming into a true dragon and had already cultivated an immortal body, meaning mortal forces couldn’t kill it. So, the Snake God divided the black dragon’s body into four parts and sealed them in the east, west, south, and north of Snake God Mountain. The Snake God remained seated in the temple at the center, suppressing the four seals. Since then, Snake God Mountain has returned to its former peace.”
Bai Lixin: “Do the other three temples also have similar seals?”
The practitioner nodded. “Of course, though they take different forms.”
Bai Lixin: “What kind of seals do the other three temples have?”
The practitioner clasped his hands together and closed his eyes slightly. “Such knowledge cannot be disclosed. the donor should find the opportunity on his own.”
Bai Lixin then pointed to the snake statue. “Why doesn’t this statue have eyes?”
The practitioner: “It should have eyes. Perhaps, over time, they have dimmed. Thank you for pointing this out. I will report it to the head priest so they can repair the statue.”
As Bai Lixin left, he encountered Chen Min Min and the others at the gate of East God Temple.
They were standing behind a hidden wall, lining up to receive porridge.
Two practitioners in robes were pouring steaming white porridge into disposable bowls. Next to the porridge stood a red sign that read: “Free Porridge, Blessed After Consecration”.
Seeing Bai Lixin, Min Min smiled warmly, “Where did you go just now, handsome guy?”
Bai Lixin pointed to the side hall behind him. “I went to check that place out.”
Min Min craned her neck to look. “What’s over there?”
Seeing her stretch her neck, Bai Lixin suddenly thought of the strange “illusion” by the river last night.
He subconsciously touched his own neck. “There’s a golden snake statue inside, but the eyes are missing. I told the practitioner at the front of the hall, and he said he would inform the head priest to repair it.”
“The eyes of the snake statue?” The practitioner pouring the porridge overheard and looked up. “That statue didn’t have eyes when it was brought here. That’s not the Snake God but a manifestation of him. During the Snake God’s time cultivating in the mortal world, he often transformed into different forms. Once, he assumed the form of a blind old man during his cultivation. The statue was modeled after that form of the Snake God.”
Bai Lixin: “But the practitioner I spoke to said the eyes had fallen off…”
The practitioner was somewhat indignant: “That main hall has never been fully repaired because the incense offerings have been insufficient, and we are so busy here that there’s no one available to watch over it. It’s probably another outsider wearing our temple’s robes, pretending to be staff and tricking people. It’s common to see these guys begging at the temple gate.”
Bai Lixin: “…He also said that the four temples in the east, south, west, and north were suppressing the body of the black dragon?”
The practitioner scoffed, “That’s absolute nonsense. The four temples of the east, south, west, and north house the four great guardians under the Snake God. After the Snake God ascended, his four guardians also ascended with him. They were his closest and most devout followers, and they are very powerful.”
Bai Lixin: “Oh, I see.”
What they said was completely different.
When it was Min Min’s turn to receive the porridge, she took the bowl handed to her by the master and immediately gulped it down.
After finishing, she handed the bowl back and asked for another serving.
After three bowls, Min Min finally set the bowl down with satisfaction and walked over to wait by Bai Lixin.
Behind her was Man Man, who also seemed to have been starving for days, stopping only after drinking four bowls.
The short-haired girl drank the most, downing a total of six bowls, leaving everyone else astonished.
So much so that when the short-haired girl tried to ask for more, the practitioner gently declined, “Please, let others have a chance.”
The short-haired girl left reluctantly, still rubbing her stomach.
Bai Lixin: “Were you all this hungry?”
Min Min: “We got up late this morning and didn’t have breakfast. Even after three bowls, I’m only about half full.”
A man who was eager to please approached, “I have some snacks in my car. You can have some when we get on the road.”
The short-haired girl pouted, “I’m hungry too.”
Another man chimed in, “I’ve got some food too. You can all have some.”
The short-haired girl: “Forget it, those two women will just say something smells bad again.”
“They’re just jealous,” the man quickly reassured her. “Don’t listen to their nonsense.”
The short-haired girl’s stomach growled, and she looked at the man, holding her belly. “I’m hungry, can I eat now?”
The man immediately broke into a big, flattering smile. “Of course, let’s go.”
“Wait, me too!” Min Min saw this and hurriedly followed, with the two other girls and two men trailing behind her.
Bai Lixin wandered around for a bit before finally heading toward the bus.
As he approached, he saw the two women standing by the bus with their noses covered. They were frowning and glaring at the bus with disgust, clearly reluctant to get in.
But near the two women, there were several men gathered around.
They were staring at the bus with a strange fascination, unwilling to leave.
In the end, the two women dragged two men away to switch buses, and the men eagerly agreed, rushing toward the bus with their luggage, as if afraid the women might change their minds.
When Bai Lixin got into the bus, the girls were still eating, with snack wrappers piling up at their feet.
“There’s only one bag of spicy pickled chicken feet left,” a man beside him awkwardly offered the last snack from his bag.
The short-haired girl’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed the chicken feet, tearing the package open and immediately starting to eat.
As she chewed the chicken feet with loud crunches, Bai Lixin could clearly hear the sound of bones cracking from his seat.
Glancing over, he saw her chew for a bit and then swallow the entire chicken foot without spitting out a single bone.
After finishing the whole bag of chicken feet, the short-haired girl let out a satisfied sigh and rubbed her stomach. “Ah, I’m full, so happy.”
The scent of milk candy seemed to get stronger in the bus.
Now that two men had replaced the two women in the bus, there were no more complaints about any bad smells.
Leaving the East God Temple, they were now heading to the North God Temple.
The road was still bumpy, and after eating their fill, the girls soon closed their eyes for a nap.