“Is that the Sacred City?”
After clearing the evil spirits along the road and passing through the villages, they found a functional off-road vehicle and quickly arrived at the center of the continent.
Standing on the hill, everyone was shocked by the scene before them.
It was a white, towering city.
The snow-white walls seemed to be made of ancient palace white jade, pristine and immaculate, contrasting sharply with the dark surroundings. There were buildings with domes and antenna-like spires within the city walls, and the open city gates allowed people on horses or donkeys to come and go freely. The pedestrian traffic was bustling, creating a vibrant scene.
“F**K, I can’t believe I find this place not bad-looking.”
Hill exclaimed in disbelief, “I even have the urge to worship it.”
Arthur furrowed his brow, “There’s something strange about this place. I have the same feeling as if a voice is telling me to go inside, saying everything you desire is in there…”
Sucha quietly recited Buddhist scriptures, and Park Huiya’s eyes began to wander. She even took a few steps forward, and it was only when Zhao Xiaokui slapped her on the back that she snapped out of her trance.
“What happened to me?”
Startled by the sudden awakening, Park Huiya heard Zhao Xiaokui ask, “What were you thinking just now?”
“I, I wasn’t thinking anything…” Park Huiya had no idea what happened. She said, “I just felt like I should go in and take a look.”
“It’s certain now that there’s something peculiar about this city. We just don’t know if the peculiarity comes from the city itself or the evil gods residing inside,” Zhao Xiaokui looked at the only person in the team, aside from her, with a natural restraint against such phenomena. “Sucha, do you have any solutions?”
Sucha whispered a passage from Buddhist scriptures. Upon hearing Zhao Xiaokui’s question, he opened his eyes, took out a stack of papers from his pocket, and then distributed them to everyone. “This is a portion of the Buddhist scriptures I copied by hand. After reciting the scriptures on it and carrying the scriptures on your body, it can provide a certain level of resistance. However, I’m not sure how long it will last, as the power of the scriptures is limited, and I don’t know if the influence of this strange power on us will deepen after entering the city.”
Zhao Xiaokui asked, “Is the Buddhist scripture a one-time use?”
Sucha shook his head, “The Buddhist scripture is just a carrier. What really works is the belief we transform through reciting the scriptures. The more times you recite, the better the effect, but human belief is not endless. If the belief is depleted, the Buddhist scripture will no longer be effective.”
In other words, if the Buddhist scripture he handed out to everyone is like a mobile phone, the people are like power banks. As long as the power is not used up, the Buddhist scripture can continuously provide protective power. However, once the power is depleted, holding the phone with no power won’t make a call.
“Ye Ying, Park Huiya, the two of you recite the Buddhist scriptures and then enter the city for investigation.”
After a brief contemplation, Zhao Xiaokui began to arrange tasks for everyone. “Lin Bai, Hill, check the communication and instrument status and survey the surrounding terrain. Sucha and Arthur, circle around the city, observing the flow of people and the actual terrain. I’ll wait here for you. Each of you has five hours, now, check your watches.”
“Yes!”
Each person had their own task. After everyone left, Zhao Xiaokui sat cross-legged, looking in the direction of the Sacred City, pondering her conversation with Loisette.
Undoubtedly, that was a terrifying evil god.
Although she had a beautiful appearance, seemingly no different from humans, her mind had long been distorted in the river of time, making it impossible to fathom with common sense. She hoped Zhao Xiaokui could give her a true death. But honestly…
Facing an evil god that survived across more than one civilization, Zhao Xiaokui didn’t know what merits or abilities she possessed to be considered capable of bringing her a true death.
Golden blood flowed in Zhao Xiaokui’s heart, ceaselessly circulating. Every cell engaged in vigorous respiration, greedily absorbing the energy between heaven and earth. Every second, Zhao Xiaokui could feel herself growing more powerful than the previous second. Each passing moment increased her control over her body compared to the previous second.
However, having experienced the formidable power of Loisette firsthand, Zhao Xiaokui did not indulge in the enhancement of this power. Her strength, compared to Loisette’s, was like the difference between a firefly and the bright moon. In the face of that woman, there was not a hint of resistance in Zhao Xiaokui’s mind, illustrating the opponent’s immense power and terror.
In the distance, the Sacred City appeared to be an ordinary city, devoid of any remarkable features apart from its eerie allure. Among the bustling crowd, there were hardly a few extraordinary individuals, just the most ordinary of ordinary people.
Park Huiya transformed into a local woman, following behind a group, her head lowered as she passed through the city gates.
Ye Ying leaped between the shadows of people, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Zhao Xiaokui closed her eyes, sinking into her own consciousness.
Her consciousness was no longer just a silent ocean; now, stars twinkled in the sky, and within the vast sea, a solitary island rose. With a mere thought, Zhao Xiaokui conjured a massive palace with deep-sea mermaid characteristics, standing tall on the island, resembling the abode of a deity.
She watched for a while, shook her head, and the palace vanished with a loud pop, turning into a simple villa. A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on her face.
This transformed villa was, of course, the home of Zhao Xiaokui and Shen Zhifei in the real world. Every flower, every tree, every brick, and every tile, even the moss climbing the walls due to dampness—everything mirrored the place they lived in reality. Having considered this place their private domain for so long, Zhao Xiaokui had explored every inch of it countless times with her mental power.
With a mere thought, she found herself on the second-floor observation deck.
Lying on a recliner, she casually picked up a glass of orange juice and took a sip. Despite being a sensation imagined based on memory, Zhao Xiaokui felt a moment of relaxation. She sighed, gazing at the starry sky.
Compared to outside the anomaly, the starry sky here was much dimmer.
Zhao Xiaokui attempted to communicate but found herself blocked by some force. Unlike in the external world, where she could directly explore the lives of those providing faith, here she could only vaguely sense whether the providers of faith were male or female and get a hazy impression of their current situations. Beyond that, she felt disconnected.
Suddenly, a shooting star streaked across the sky.
Zhao Xiaokui reached out, and the shooting star landed in her hand.
In the starry sky of her consciousness, it was impossible for meteorites to appear, unlike the real world.
Any unusual change represented some kind of directive.
Zhao Xiaokui took the captured starlight and placed it on her forehead. Soon, an image appeared in her mind—
It was a narrow and cramped room with a small window, allowing only a beam of light to penetrate from outside. On a small bed in the room lay a black woman with tightly closed eyes. Beside her, a thin and frail girl held her hand, praying close to her forehead: “Oh, Goddess of the Sea, please forgive us for our sins and come to save us…”
Zhao Xiaokui’s memory wasn’t extraordinary.
But to her surprise, she recognized the girl before her.
She was the girl from the group of fishermen rescued by Zhao Xiaokui from the bay that day, the one with a close connection to dolphins.
But how could that be?
Logically, after being taken away from the African continent, these fishermen would either be accepted as refugees by other countries or go to reunite with their relatives in other countries. Even if they hadn’t found a place to settle, it was impossible for them to appear in this location.
Yes, Zhao Xiaokui had already identified the place where the girl was praying—
The Sacred City.
Without hesitation, she transmitted her voice, “Tell me, what has happened?”
Hearing a strange female voice in her mind, the girl who was praying was startled.
She sat down on the ground, nervously looking around and said, “Who, who is speaking there?”
Zhao Xiaokui didn’t answer.
The girl swallowed and felt that the sudden voice seemed to have no malicious intent. So, she bravely asked, “Excuse me, is it Goddess of the Sea? Did you hear my prayer?”
“If you think it is, then it is,” Zhao Xiaokui said indifferently. Communicating with people with low cultural levels sometimes meant many things couldn’t be explained clearly. “I want to know what happened. Didn’t I send you out of Africa before? Why have you come back?”
“It really is Goddess of the Sea!” The girl exclaimed with joy, immediately kneeling on the ground respectfully. She clasped her hands together and placed them on her forehead in a praying posture. “I didn’t expect to truly communicate with you, Goddess of the Sea. The person you mentioned shouldn’t be me; that’s my twin sister. We were born with a telepathic connection, able to sense each other’s thoughts. She has already left this place. I learned about your existence through her, so I prayed to you. Please save my mother; she can’t endure any longer…”
Twins, telepathic connection, and still able to do it through a domain?
Zhao Xiaokui was astonished, but she hadn’t forgotten her main task. Seizing the time, she asked, “What happened to your mother? Tell me the details, and then I’ll know how to save her.”
The girl firmly believed in her words and quickly explained, “Reporting to Goddess of the Sea, here is what happened…
“We are a family of fishermen on the sea. Mother heard that this side of the Sacred City was recruiting workers, and the salary was much higher than ordinary jobs. Plus, if you worked well, you could get a house as one of the first residents. So, she brought me and our family here, to this place…”
