Chapter 5: Ancient Temple

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In an abandoned tunnel... Zhang Yuanqing looked around anxiously. Being suddenly transported to an unfamiliar environment would make anyone feel panicked and lost.

"A tunnel? Is this the She Ling Tunnel from the urban legends?" As a native of Songhai City, Zhang Yuanqing knew about the top ten urban legends, including the She Ling Tunnel. When he was a child and stayed up at night mischievously, his grandmother would scare him with those stories.

However, leaving aside the fact that urban legends were just fantastical tales, the real She Ling Tunnel he passed by a few days ago during his return home for his father's memorial was nothing like this. It was old and outdated.

"But wait, this is the Spirit Realm, not the real She Ling Tunnel." He reassured himself, feeling uneasy in the cramped space. Zhang Yuanqing cautiously moved forward, with only the sound of his lonely footsteps echoing in his ears.

While walking, he pondered his situation and the information provided by the voice in his mind. Without a doubt, he had encountered a supernatural phenomenon and been taken into a story of an urban legend, where he was given mysterious tasks to complete.

"That voice gave me two tasks: survive for three hours and explore the Spirit Realm. The difficulty is S-level, a solo death mode... This death mode makes me quite anxious."

Surviving for three hours meant there would be significant danger. As for exploring the Spirit Realm, it likely referred to exploring this tunnel, indicating that the tunnel was dangerous.

He tensed his nerves and tried to figure out the rewards for completing these tasks. Since they were tasks, there should be rewards, right?

"Well, according to the attribute panel earlier, my occupation is a Night Walker, but my level is 0, not 1. Becoming a Night Walker should be one of the rewards. But what is a Night Walker?"

"Brother Bing was right; this black card can indeed change one's life. But I overlooked the second half of his words: it is difficult to control. Does that refer to the level of danger?"

Zhang Yuanqing analyzed everything silently based on the available information.

Just then, the old xenon lamp beside him flickered a few times, and amidst the interplay of light and shadow, Zhang Yuanqing vaguely saw a figure wearing a miner's hat standing under the lamp.

"Damn..." Startled, he jumped back, and his train of thought was interrupted. He rushed forward like a frightened deer.

Looking back, the xenon lamp continued to emit steady light, without any further flickering. It seemed that the figure wearing a miner's hat was just his imagination.

With this scare, Zhang Yuanqing didn't dare stay in this haunted place any longer. He quickly rushed towards the exit of the tunnel.

Clattering footsteps echoed in the quiet tunnel as Zhang Yuanqing didn't dare to stop. After walking for five or six minutes at a brisk pace, the old xenon lamps on the arched ceiling flickered again, but this time, no figure wearing a miner's hat appeared.

"They didn't follow me?" He felt a bit relieved but didn't dare to linger. With his head down, he continued to walk quickly. Suddenly, his gaze caught a heart-stopping detail on the ground.

The orange xenon lamp cast a long shadow, and next to his shadow, there were over a dozen more shadows following him.

"They've been following me?!" A chill surged from his feet to his head, causing goosebumps all over his body. Zhang Yuanqing's face turned pale, and he started running again.

Eventually, he reached the tunnel's exit, and under the cool moonlight, he rushed out of the tunnel, supporting his knees as he panted heavily.

After catching his breath, he surveyed his surroundings. The full moon hung in the night sky, lonely and frosty. Under its brilliance, the stars paled in comparison.

The lush forest bathed in moonlight cast large, dense shadows all around.

He found himself in a desolate mountainous area.

The xenon lamps in the tunnel flickered a few times and went out completely. The tunnel entrance was pitch-black and silent, resembling a beast's mouth waiting to devour prey.

"Quickly leave..." Zhang Yuanqing's scalp tingled as he walked along the rugged mountain path, climbing up the mountain.

After walking for some time, until his body was covered in a thin layer of sweat, Zhang Yuanqing finally emerged from the dense forest. His vision suddenly widened.

The moonlight shimmered like water, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. At the end of the rugged mountain road stood an abandoned ancient temple.

It stood silently in the darkness.

This ancient temple seemed to have been abandoned for many years. The main gate was blackened and full of holes, and the lanterns at the eaves had fallen to the ground, leaving only bamboo frames.

The plaque was still there, covered in cobwebs, hanging slanted under the eaves. However, the light was too dim to see what was written on it.

The stairs in front of the temple were cracked, and weeds grew in the gaps.

In this remote and desolate mountainous area, without a village or shop nearby, how could there be a temple?

Zhang Yuanqing reacted swiftly, as if he heard the voice from the introduction of the spiritual realm: "Do not enter the temple, do not enter the temple...". Following the peculiar voice's hint, he realized he shouldn't enter the tunnel but explore the decrepit ancient temple. Hesitating at the temple entrance, Zhang Yuanqing cautiously stepped forward, walking towards the ancient temple standing in the darkness, crossing the dilapidated threshold.

Before his eyes lay a spacious front yard, overgrown with waist-high wild grass. An old half-height incense burner leaned in the midst of the grass, having endured the ravages of time. A stone-paved path extended before him, with weeds growing in the crevices between the stones. His gaze followed the desolate surroundings, leading to the end of the stone path, where the dilapidated main hall stood on high foundations with six steps. Dim light filtered through the lattice doors of the main hall.

"Is there light inside?" Zhang Yuanqing questioned, surrounded by a silent and desolate environment. The moonlight was bright, yet it brought no warmth; if anything, it seemed to make the atmosphere even more eerie. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.

Startled, Zhang Yuanqing turned around, but there was nothing there. "Just my imagination?" he wondered, and continued his cautious steps towards the main hall. The footsteps persisted, and he was certain there was something following him. Reluctant to look back, he quickened his pace, but the footsteps behind him also quickened.

Feeling uneasy, he broke into a sprint, running towards the main hall. As he reached the steps and rushed inside, the footsteps behind him abruptly ceased. Panting heavily, he dared to look back, only to find an empty and desolate courtyard under the moonlight.

Relieved that nothing followed him, Zhang Yuanqing closed the doors of the main hall, trying to shut out the fear. Inside, he found a statue of a goddess wearing luxurious clothing and holding a hand fan. The other hand seemed to have held something before, but it was now empty.

You can try putting something in her hand to see if it triggers a mechanism.

On either side of the statue, there were figures of children holding swords and books. In front of the base, there was a dusty offering table with a candle holder and a burning candle, its light dispersing the darkness and calming Zhang Yuanqing's emotions.

On the left wall, there were two faded and cracked wooden boards covered in classical Chinese characters. Zhang Yuanqing, with his decent Chinese language skills, managed to understand his surroundings better. The mountain was called San Dao Shan, and the goddess worshipped in the temple was called San Dao Shan Niang Niang. She was a prominent figure from the Ming Dynasty, revered for her knowledge of talismans and alchemy, capable of praying for rain and expelling evil spirits.

As he read further, he discovered that the temple had been standing for around five to six centuries. He noticed a dark shadow lying under the offering table, which turned out to be a skeleton clad in a work uniform.

Could this be the construction team from all those years ago? Am I truly trapped in a world of legends?

As Zhang Yuanqing thought about the possibilities, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. The burning candle perplexed him even more. How could a candle still be burning in an ancient temple from the Ming Dynasty? Who was replacing the candles? The situation was getting eerier by the moment, and even the sculptures on the altar seemed to exude a strange aura, their eyes fixated on him from the height of the pedestal.