"Honey, when did you become so smart? I really admire you." Xiao Rou's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Ling Yun. "I remember you used to be quite slow, but now you've suddenly become so clever... It seems like you only became smart after we got together." The girl suddenly covered her mouth and smiled, and in an instant, flowers bloomed and spring breezes blew endlessly.
This time it was Ling Yun's turn to be annoyed: "Was I that stupid before? Huh, when did you become so talkative? This isn't like you, wife." As he spoke, Ling Yun reached out and hugged Xiao Rou, determined to teach the girl a lesson.
But Xiao Rou moved with lightning speed, dodging in an instant, leaving Ling Yun empty-handed. Xiao Rou giggled, standing several meters away from him, playfully winking, "Trying to catch me? Come on!" With that, her slender body turned and swiftly dashed up the stairs. Her movements were lightning fast; in the blink of an eye, she had already leaped dozens of meters.
Ling Yun smiled and shook his head, then followed after her. As soon as he saw Xiao Rou's mood improve, he felt relieved and instantly regained his calm and reserved personality.
Two figures raced side-by-side up the long staircase, traversing thousands of steps in an instant. They had passed all four trials of the halls; next lay the final destination of the mysterious barrier—the temple at the top of the stairs. But what unfathomable beings or trials awaited them within the temple?
After a moment, Lingyun and Xiaorou slowed their pace and began to walk uphill at a normal pace. Since they were less than a few thousand meters away from their ultimate goal, when they looked up, the huge temple was clearly visible, and the swirling, hazy mist was thinning out, seemingly dissipating as the two of them got closer.
The temple's style was similar to the four halls on the steps, but it was dozens of times larger and had a more classical and unique design. In front of the temple were two tightly closed doors lined with red copper buckles, unlike the four halls which had no doors at all, but were simply sealed with an opaque seal.
The entire temple was grand and imposing, exuding an extremely mysterious aura. In Lingyun and Xiaorou's perception, the temple was also filled with unfathomable power, even one percent of which was beyond their ability to contend with.
Ling Yun could even sense that the immense spiritual consciousness that had summoned him within the passageway was quietly lurking deep within the temple. Meanwhile, the sea of lava, after submerging the fourth hall, ceased its ascent, seemingly having reached its limit.
As Ling Yun walked, he quickly recalled his experience of entering the barrier.
It's an obvious fact that there are countless beings within the barrier stronger than the two of them, especially that spiritual consciousness. Erasing Ling Yun and Xiao Rou's existence would be no more difficult than crushing two ants. Even the black dragon Kazar in the third hall could kill them with a flick of his wrist. So why does the barrier force them to overcome each obstacle step by step, ultimately leading them to the highest temple within the barrier?
This was the last and most important question, and it kept swirling in Ling Yun's mind: what was the purpose of the spiritual consciousness doing this? He felt a vague unease, but all he could do now was try to secure a chance of survival. Faced with the terrifying spiritual consciousness, he and Xiao Rou had no power to resist.
The ornate creatures, totems, collapsing explosions, the sea of lava, and the enigmatic trials of the four halls that followed had pushed Ling Yun and Xiao Rou to their limits. Despite facing death at every turn, the benefits they would gain after conquering the four halls were undeniable. Unbeknownst to them, the two had grown to an incredible level.
Wisdom, courage, strength, and confidence—these are clearly the tests of the four halls, each presented in a way that is both relatable and deeply human. Even the slightest deviation from these tests could instantly separate two people by life or death. The test of the fourth hall is clearly more complex than the previous three, with each step intricately linked. Just when you think you've solved the mystery, you're actually only standing at the beginning of an even greater one.
After a moment, Lingyun and Xiaorou stopped and silently gazed at the towering temple before them. Only upon reaching its summit could they truly appreciate its immense size; it was a colossal building thousands of feet tall, and the two of them standing before the entrance were barely larger than a single bronze latch on the door. Looking upwards, the temple stretched endlessly into the sky, seemingly connecting with the entire universe.
The clear and ethereal summoning voice rang out again, like the cry of an ancient giant god. However, this time, it did not originate directly in Ling Yun's mental energy, but came from the depths of the temple: "You have passed my test and are qualified to enter here."
Two massive red gates, hundreds of meters high, slowly opened. If the gates hadn't opened on their own, Lingyun and Xiaorou wouldn't have been able to push them open with their strength.
As the rumbling sound of the door opening subsided, although no light source could be seen, soft and bright light filled the entire hall, presenting everything to Lingyun and Xiaorou.
Chapter 360 The Spirit of the Barrier
The temple, which is thousands of feet tall, has only one floor. Because it adopts a dome structure, there are no pillars in the vast space, and the view is unobstructed.
Ling Yun first looked up, his eyes narrowing involuntarily. On the top floor of the temple, he saw some white structural points moving back and forth like swimming fish. Compared to the barrier points in the passageways leading in and out of the barrier, these barrier structural points were obviously real and not virtual projections. Awe-inspiring pressure and immense energy were emanating from the structural points. Clearly, the power of the entire barrier originated from these points, and even a fraction of it made Ling Yun feel as deep as the ocean.
The temple floor appeared to be paved with gold bricks, not only exceptionally clean but also gleaming with golden light. The gold brick-paved temple floor stretched upwards, rising slightly over a thousand meters into the distance with several steps. Above the steps was a platform, on either side of which were two altars emitting purple flames. In the center, on a huge golden dragon throne, sat a black-haired girl.
As the two stood at the entrance of the temple, the black-haired girl, who had been keeping her eyes closed, suddenly opened them. A glint of light flashed in her eyes, and Ling Yun and Xiao Rou's bodies suddenly flew involuntarily, covering a distance of several thousand meters in the blink of an eye, and stood a dozen meters below the golden dragon throne.
Ling Yun and Xiao Rou were both greatly shocked. With their newly increased power, they were actually lifted up by the girl in mid-air without even having time to react or resist. They were already in front of her. This power was beyond their imagination. Could this girl be the owner of this mysterious barrier? With such power, she could sweep across the world. Why would she need to hide in this ancient barrier?
The black-haired girl remained silent, merely observing the two, her gaze particularly fixed on Ling Yun, as if trying to pierce through him. Ling Yun indeed felt a power that almost completely penetrated his body, coldly scanning him, devoid of any emotion. This power was both incredibly strong and incredibly familiar—it was the immense spiritual consciousness that had summoned him into the temple earlier.
The consciousness silently swept over the two people's bodies. Before they even realized it, the consciousness had completed all the detection, not even missing a single cell at the most microscopic level, and then gently returned to the black-haired girl's body.
Ling Yun was filled with doubt and surprise. He had no ability to resist this consciousness, so he readily allowed the other party to scan him. However, it was hard for him to believe that the huge spiritual consciousness came from such a young girl.
He scrutinized the black-haired girl, trying to find something amiss. But in terms of appearance, skin, and body, the black-haired girl was clearly flawless. Ling Yun couldn't even find a single blemish on her face. Her skin was as smooth as jade, her face was breathtakingly beautiful, and even her posture and elegant demeanor gave off a sense of perfection.
This perfection even created an invisible pressure, pressing down on those nearby, inspiring only submission and no resistance. If it were any other superhuman, they would likely have collapsed or submitted long ago to the black-haired girl's power.
However, Ling Yun and Xiao Rou were different. One possessed various secret techniques, and Ling Yun's Illusionary Eye was already open. Although the Illusionary Eye was greatly reduced due to the unconscious blockade of the other party, he could still see that the black-haired girl was merely illusory in the form of the two of them. Her true form was definitely not human. Inside the black-haired girl's body, there was a huge illusory shadow. All the power originated from this shadow. If he was not mistaken, the shadow was the master within the black-haired girl's body.
Xiao Rou's mental power continued to recede into the void. She immersed her mind in a state of clarity, yet maintained sufficient responsiveness to the outside world. All mental influences were swept away by this state of clarity, so the pressure exerted by the black-haired girl had no effect on the two of them.
Surprisingly, the black-haired girl's appearance kept changing in an instant, each change producing a completely different yet equally stunning face, like a face-changing act. Ling Yun and Xiao Rou were dumbfounded, wondering what kind of being this black-haired girl was, possessing such a bizarre and magical ability to transform.
After finally using her powerful abilities to probe Ling Yun and Xiao Rou, the black-haired girl's eyes revealed what seemed to be a satisfied expression. Her face changed several times before finally settling on a slightly cute and stunningly beautiful face. She remained still, and then her clear, cold voice rang out: "Very good, you have met my requirements."
The voice was standard and clear, sounding just like Mandarin Chinese, but the tone was very stiff, as if it were spoken by an artificial intelligence machine.
Ling Yun and Xiao Rou exchanged a glance, neither able to fathom what the black-haired girl's request meant. However, the girl before them was so powerful that even if they joined forces, they were no match for her. Before things escalated to an irreconcilable point, it was best not to show excessive wariness or hostility. Of course, this didn't mean they were afraid of death; it simply meant that as long as there was a chance of survival, there was no need to make things worse.
Cherishing life and possessions, and taking death and loss in stride—this is Lingyun's motto.
Ling Yun steeled himself and stepped forward: "Senior, may I ask what kind of barrier this is? Why did you abduct us here and force us to undergo that trial? What are your demands?"
He was a modern city dweller, unfamiliar with these titles that only appeared in novels and period dramas. Calling her "senior" felt awkward, but he really didn't know what else to address her. Calling her "Miss" or "Madam" seemed inappropriate; calling her "you" directly seemed disrespectful. After thinking for a long time, he reluctantly added the title "senior," though it sounded somewhat out of place, especially strange to a girl around his age. But at that moment, there didn't seem to be any other suitable way to address her.
Xiao Rou almost covered her mouth and laughed. "Senior? Why not call him Master? This guy is such a fool." Compared to Ling Yun's restraint, the girl was much more indifferent. Anyway, being with Ling Yun meant the worst that could happen was death. They could just die together, so what was there to be afraid of? Besides, this black-haired girl was so powerful that the two of them probably wouldn't even be a match for her in one move, so there was no need to put up a desperate resistance.
Ling Yun seemed to have asked several questions, but the core meaning was the same: what exactly did the black-haired girl want to do? However, asking directly seemed impolite, so Ling Yun had to compromise, hoping that the black-haired girl wouldn't suddenly become furious.
The black-haired girl looked at Ling Yun with her bright phoenix eyes and said calmly, "You should have seen some information in the barrier passage, right? The information recorded a strange civilization that this world has never seen before. In short, the barrier is the greatest work of the civilization at the peak of its development. It was precisely because of the barrier itself that the City of Death was attracted, which led to the destruction of the civilization."
Ling Yun nodded thoughtfully. He hadn't expected the black-haired girl to be so easy to talk to. Moreover, what she said was roughly the same as what he had guessed. But if even the entire unfamiliar ancient civilization had suffered a catastrophic disaster, how could the barrier itself have been preserved?
Before he could even ask, the black-haired girl seemed to have already seen through his question, and continued to explain, "There were certain signs before the City of Death appeared, and the civilization's resistance could continue for a while. So before the civilization perished, it used its last strength to break through the space tunnel, pushing the barrier into the spacetime turbulence. At the same time, it faithfully recorded all the information about the destruction and the civilization's records within the barrier. You have seen the information, so you should understand how all of this happened."
“I understand, I see.” Ling Yun nodded and said, “Then may I ask, senior, are you a descendant of that civilization?” His mind raced. This black-haired girl seemed no different from an ordinary person, and her power was terrifyingly strong. However, after two rounds of conversation, Ling Yun realized that the black-haired girl was as innocent as a little girl who didn’t know the ways of the world. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she was an automated answering machine with artificial intelligence. Although she showed no emotion, she answered all of Ling Yun’s questions without reservation. For any power holder with a deep mind, this was extremely abnormal.
Furthermore, Ling Yun noticed that the black-haired girl did not use any name when addressing Wenming, which clearly meant that she herself did not know what Wenming's name was. This is abnormal for an adult with normal thinking.
"I am not." The black-haired girl hesitated for a moment. It was clear that she wanted to hide something, but her expression was also anxious, as if she didn't know how to hide it. "I am the barrier itself. You can call me the spirit of the world. This is a word I learned from the memories of people like you. I don't really understand it myself."
"A Realm Spirit?!" Ling Yun and Xiao Rou exclaimed simultaneously, exchanging a glance. Both could see the shock in each other's eyes. Although the black-haired girl's words were somewhat inarticulate, the two astute individuals understood perfectly what a Realm Spirit meant. A barrier possessing its own unique consciousness—what a shocking thing! They had never even heard of it before; it was an existence even more ethereal than legend.
It's no wonder Ling Yun and Xiao Rou were so shocked. The barrier itself becoming sentient was equivalent to an ordinary person ascending to heaven in broad daylight. Although many people in the world have great awe for gods and immortals, in the eyes of those with supernatural abilities, the legends of gods and immortals are nothing more than legends, not worthy of reliability or scrutiny. What truly inspires awe and worship in those with supernatural abilities is power, and the true source of power is only nature. Therefore, nature is the true deity.
Unexpectedly, they found a self-sustaining barrier within this barrier today, which undoubtedly overturned their previous understanding. Moreover, judging from the aura and powerful force emanating from the black-haired girl, what she said was probably mostly true. Ling Yun's heart stirred, and he observed the girl with his Eye of Illusion. As the girl spoke, the shadow within her body fluctuated at the same frequency, seemingly echoing the tone and voice of the black-haired girl.
Ling Yun suddenly sensed something and looked up at the top of the temple. The structural points, like stars, were constantly forming highly regular patterns. At first glance, they seemed meaningless, but upon closer observation, Ling Yun suddenly discovered something wonderful. The patterns of the structural points were clearly in harmony with the frequency of the shadows. Under the gaze of the Eye of Illusion, faint, invisible projections were being cast down from the top of the temple and into the shadows within the black-haired girl's body.