novelhk Chapter 45 The True Form of the Temple
Chapter 45 The True Form of the Temple
Sunlight streamed down from the sky, shining on Li Yuan as he strode forward, and a faint white vapor rose from his face.
Although it is said that "looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death," after walking for several hours with unwavering determination, he finally stood in front of the snow-capped mountain.
Looking at the majestic mountain peaks that seemed to block out half the sky, and at the snow and ice reflecting the sunlight like jade, he did not hesitate and went straight through a narrow passage at the foot of the snow mountain to the other side.
On the other side of the snow-capped mountain, there is also a vast plain, which at first glance appears to be nothing but ice and snow.
After looking around a few times, Li Yuan began climbing up the snow-capped mountain, searching for any possible traces of special features.
The area was rich in spiritual energy, so there was no need to worry about the depletion of his true energy. He worked tirelessly, moving around and searching for more than an hour, and finally made a discovery!
In a snow-covered valley, he melted away the surface ice and snow with his true energy, and a track-like object appeared on the ground. He didn't know what material it was made of, but it remained perfectly smooth and undeformed even in such a frigid environment.
Looking along this track into the depths of the ice and snow, all the way to the highest point, one can see that the majestic ice and snow mountain range seems to have suddenly broken in the middle, sinking in.
As the area where the ice and snow on the ground were melted by the Heavenly Qi expanded, more tracks were revealed, all made of the same material.
"It seems that's the place..."
All the tracks eventually lead in one direction. Li Yuan urged his internal energy to go straight up, and on this snow mountain where there was no road before, he forcibly carved out a path!
Finally, at the end of those tracks, a stone staircase appeared!
These stone steps are made of bluestone, and have endured countless millennia of frost and ice. They are worn and damaged, giving them a weathered and ancient beauty.
Such a long stone staircase is so ingeniously hidden on a platform deep in the mountains. If you don't climb up, you may never see it from the bottom of the mountain!
Li Yuan climbed the stone steps and finally saw a long, light gray eave at the top.
Beneath the light gray eaves are black stone walls.
A magnificent and imposing building appeared before his eyes.
"This is... the temple..."
Looking at the building before him, Li Yuan chuckled softly, a smile that carried a hint of relaxation, a touch of eccentricity, and a hint of...just as I thought!
This "temple" is enormous; with current architectural technology, it would be impossible to build such a grand structure.
From a distance, the tall black stone wall looked like an ancient, unmelting ice wall stretching across the view, while the light gray eaves extended all the way to the end of the platform above the stone steps.
The platform at the end of the stone steps, hidden deep within the snow-covered mountains, is exceptionally large, capable of supporting such a magnificent "temple".
In Li Yuan's view, it was several times larger than the square in front of the Southern Qing Imperial Palace, which could accommodate tens of thousands of people.
At this moment, he stood on the top of the last stone step, still more than ten feet away from the main entrance of the temple.
However, because the main gate was so large, standing seven or eight zhang tall, it seemed as if the gate was right in front of them.
Above the main gate is a large plaque. Due to its age, the words written on it are no longer legible. Apart from the character "勿" (do not), only some fragmented symbols remain.
However, at this moment, Li Yuan had already automatically filled in the complete image of those symbols in his mind—M, U, S, E, U, M.
MUSEUM!
The "勿" above these letters should actually have a "牛" radical, which is "物"!
While the first few characters may be uncertain, at least the characters on the left and right sides of the character "物" are certain—that is, museum!
"So, what kind of museum is this?"
Li Yuan spoke, as if asking himself a question, or as if waiting for someone to answer.
And sure enough, the "temple" in front of him answered his question.
From within the magnificent gate, a voice devoid of any emotion rang out: "This is a military museum."
The next moment, the door opened silently a crack, which, although only at a fifteen-degree angle, was enough for someone to pass through.
Immediately, a small bird, entirely green and exuding a sense of tranquility, emerged from within, chirping a clear "coo-coo" as if inviting Li Yuan.
Seeing this, Li Yuan smiled slightly and followed the beautiful bluebird into the museum without any hesitation.
Although this place is called a "temple", what lies behind the door is not some fairyland, but a very large square.
Tall buildings are scattered around the square, which were previously completely hidden from view by the black stone wall.
Following the bluebird ahead, Li Yuan walked along the passage, passing through many dilapidated and desolate areas, and unknowingly arrived at the very center of the place.
There is a stone platform here, and behind the stone platform is the best-preserved building he has seen on his journey.
Although the exterior walls of the building also bear many traces of time, and many of the stone edges have weathered, it has not collapsed.
After the bluebird that had led the way arrived at this place, it circled in the air a few times before finally landing on the stone platform covered with a thin layer of snow.
After waiting for a while and seeing no further movement, Li Yuan finally spoke up: "Since you've already led me here, what are you pretending for? Show yourself!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the bluebird on the stone platform cooed twice and then suddenly flapped its wings and flew towards the sky.
However, after flying up to a height of about ten zhang, it suddenly turned into countless points of light and dissipated into the air!
These points of light slowly descended into the air above the stone platform and gradually condensed together.
Just like countless fireflies in the summer night sky, arranged into a certain shape by some mysterious connection.
The light gradually brightened, then dimmed, and finally transformed into a gradually clearer human figure in the air.
An elderly man in an ancient robe with wide sleeves appeared in mid-air.
Although his face and features were not clearly visible, one could clearly see the flowing clouds on the hem of his robe, the black and gold jade belt at his waist, and the elegant shoes with upturned toes on his feet.
The old man was enveloped in a faint golden light, his wide sleeves fluttering gently. His feet were not on the stone platform, but rather he stood in mid-air, as if he wanted to go away with the wind.
Seeing this, Li Yuan couldn't help but smile.
If an ordinary person from the world were to come here, they would probably already be kneeling at the feet of this "immortal," begging him to grant them a chance.
Unfortunately, it was Li Yuan who came, so he just watched the performance in front of him quietly.