The setting sun is infinitely beautiful,
but it signals the coming of dusk.
Several solitary birds soared across the sky, bathed in the golden rays cast down from above.
Upon reaching the stele, Jiuyou bit through her finger and let her fresh blood drip onto the stone.
A thunderous "boom" erupted from the surroundings.
The ground beneath began to crack open, crevices spreading out, and then a temple slowly rose up.
"What is this?" Xu Zimei inquired.
"This is the Divine Temple, which can only be unlocked with the blood of our Divine Race. It’s typically one of our meeting places, completely undetectable by others," Jiuyou explained.
The temple wasn’t especially large; it was surrounded by a pale white hue, constructed from a special kind of crystal.
The top of the temple was tinted a shade of brown, and its doors were shut tight.
There were no windows on either side, with two silver rings hanging on the door.
Jiuyou approached the door, grasped the rings firmly, and with a harsh "creak," pushed open the doors that had been sealed for ages.
It seemed as though fresh air hadn’t reached the inside for a long time, stirring up dust and carrying a mix of impurities.
Both entered the temple, which was simply arranged.
Pale yellow curtains hung on either side, with three cushions laid out below them.
At the frontmost position stood an enshrined statue.
This statue was entirely blue, its deep blue eyes inset into a face of unparalleled beauty.
It had eight wings, four on each side, as it sat in the most honored position, gazing forward.
In those azure eyes, it seemed as though the myriad realms of the gods were evolving.
The temple appeared long abandoned, its altar covered in dust, with no one but the statue present.
Jiuyou moved behind the statue and pressed against its back, revealing it to be hollow inside.
There was a box placed inside; she opened it to find that it was empty, devoid of anything.
"It seems no one has been here for a long time," Jiuyou commented.
"Let’s head to Divine Valley, our chances are better there."
"Who is this a statue of?" Xu Zimei asked.
"The Divine Master," Jiuyou replied. "He is said to have been the ruler of our Divine Race long ago, a being capable of contending with the Demon Race.
But those times have long passed, and even we survivors aren’t too clear on such matters."
"Let’s go," Xu Zimei said, after glancing around a few times, and then left the temple.
Once the two had exited, the temple sank back into the earth, and the crevices in the ground sealed as if they had never existed, making it hard to detect.
As they headed towards Divine Valley, Xu Zimei asked en route, "Can you tell me about the Divine and Demon Clans?"
"What do you want to know?" Jiuyou inquired.
"There’s no rush; just tell me everything you know," Xu Zimei said.
"Actually, I don’t know much either. My parents were remnants from the Divine Race, and I was raised here from birth.
Although the bloodline in me is weak, it can still be awakened.
This Divine-Demon Battlefield is inhabited not only by the remnants of the Divine Race but also by some of the Demon Race. The remnants of our two clans have continued the traditions of our ancestors.
There’s often covert fighting between us," Jiuyou said.
"Several million years ago, it was the Divine-Demon Era. It is said that a cataclysmic battle took place here one day.
No one has actually seen the combat itself, but that day, roars of battle echoed through the four domains, and the shaking of the earth reached across the entire Eternal Ancient Continent.
It was after that battle that all members of the Divine and Demon Clans disappeared."
"Some say they all perished, and others say they are trapped somewhere. In any case, there are many different claims,"
Xu Zimei pondered for a moment and took the Lock Demon Bell out of the Storage Ring.
The somewhat broken bell spun in Xu Zimei’s palm, exuding an ancient and vast aura, as if waiting for some mysterious summoning.
"You say, this Lock Demon Bell was used by you to imprison some of the Demon Race?" Xu Zimei inquired.
"This is just my speculation. It’s not certain whether it really is the Lock Demon Bell or not."
Jiuyou said, "I have seen it mentioned in some books of my clan. It is said that when we cannot kill some powerful demons in a short time, we would use the Lock Demon Bell to trap them, incarcerating them inside.
It is one of the treasures of our clan."
"How much farther to the Divine Valley?" Xu Zimei asked.
He found that the earth under his feet turned blacker the further he walked.
If one were to stand at a high place and look into the distance, the sky overhead would appear azure.
But the closer it got to the horizon, the darker and more blood-red the color of the sky became.
In this world, Xu Zimei faintly sensed the long-lost Demonic Qi.
"It will probably take some more time," Jiuyou shook her head and said.
At that moment, the sky gradually darkened as the setting sun completely disappeared, and the autumn wind blew with a mournful sound.
Up to this point, Xu Zimei had not encountered any danger.
But all along the way, he had also hardly found any treasures.
He looked up at the dark sky, where a round moon hung in mid-air.
This round moon was oddly surreal, with one half being a blood moon and the other half an azure blue moon.
It seemed as if both halves were isolating each other, giving off an especially mysterious feeling to the entire moon.
"Let’s rest, and set off again tomorrow," Jiuyou suggested.
"After all, I haven’t returned here for a long time and am afraid of mistaking the direction."
Xu Zimei nodded, not in a rush either.
The two found a large tree to rest by. The trees in the Divine Demon Battlefield bore divinity and were generally as tall as the heavens.
Jiuyou started a fire and sat down next to the large tree.
One person hugged their knees, gazing blankly at the round moon in the sky, lost in thought.
"What’s wrong?" Xu Zimei smiled.
"I’m thinking of my parents," Jiuyou chuckled lightly and said, "I can’t forget the scene of my family lying in pools of blood under the blood moon that night."
"Isn’t revenge close at hand?" Xu Zimei smiled, leaning back against the trunk of the tree.
Just then, the sound of footsteps arose from nearby.
"Who’s there?" Jiuyou quickly turned her head, looking around alertly.
Three figures approached from not far away, two men and one woman, all dressed in similarly styled purple robes.
"Don’t be afraid, we just saw the firelight here and wanted to rest for a while," the leader among the three, a young man in a purple robe, said with a smile.
"People from the Wind-Thunder Pavilion?" Observing the trio’s clothing, Jiuyou asked tentatively.
"Yes, yes," the three nodded hastily.
As the three approached the firelight, which illuminated their faces, one could see they were somewhat disheveled, with hair in disarray and dried bloodstains all over them.
"What happened to you?" Jiuyou inquired.
"Don’t mention it, a site of a powerful demon was opened ahead, and we were ambushed. We were fortunate enough to escape with our lives," the man said shaking his head.
Then he looked at Jiuyou and smiled, "My name is Feng Changnian, this is my junior brother Feng Changyin, and my junior sister Feng Yu’er.
You two are Loose Cultivators, right?"