The Abyssal Garden: No Room for the Idle

"I really should hang you from the street lamp."

"Don't just hang me alone, quite a few priests have quietly done the same thing."

The Yellow Robed Priest hummed, "It's just that you're down on your luck now; otherwise, you, a mere mortal... The first thing you must learn upon entering this place is to be sensible."

"You live and learn, but, Mr. Huang, aren't you being a bit reckless?"

The Yellow Robed Priest coughed, aware that he himself was now just a weak Spiritual Body, and under someone's roof, one must bow their head: "Anyway, it's been quite some time since the temple was last opened, and although the paths are now chaotic and lacking priestly oversight, hence the higher threshold for entry, it also means there's no control."

"In the Present World, many forces will not miss this chance and will pay any price to get a number of people in."

"I understand—all the officials' kids, rich kids, Young Masters, and whatnot..."

"And the resources of the temple are limited, so the competition will be a hundred times fiercer than before," sighed the Yellow Robed Priest. "So you see, without me... how can you, a mere mortal, smoothly enter the temple amidst such fierce competition?"

"Then when the time comes, I'll have to trouble Brother Huang for some guidance, as I am very keen to progress," said Su Qi with a light smile.

"Good, good, good, your attitude is finally much better than before," the Yellow Robed Priest said with satisfaction.

Su Qi and Tentacle Man walked on, their eyes calm and steady.

A Three Surnames Servant, and a habitual embezzler at that, this fellow... was a restless fibber, and what was to be learned from him surely needed to be verified with reality.

Take it slow.

Countless people were heading towards the Rainbow Bridge, seeking to draw nearer to the central location where the Gods Palace lay.

The scene itself was striking, like an army marching in tight formation over a narrow bridge.

With each step closer to the central Temple Group, it felt as if ethereal music was playing by one's ear, making the entire person feel more lucid and refreshed, as if their minds were being vibrated and cleansed.

Their devotion to the Divine gradually increased, and shame for past sins deepened.

Even Tentacle Man was somewhat dazed and even shed tears: "...I feel now that my previous actions were too outrageous, and I allowed my daughter to suffer terribly for two years."

"...That's the previous chapter, let's not dwell on it anymore."

Su Qi also looked at the others, who had all fallen into a state of devotion: "This is... a bit too much, a collective confession and prayer?"

The Yellow Robed Priest coughed, "After all, the Gods Palace needs to collect the power of countless believers' faith. Listening, baptizing, confessing... these methods are all quite useful."

Some cried bitterly, while others prayed.

Some, trembling, confessed:

"Forgive me, God... It was one sunset evening when I caught a fish and suddenly had an unusual thought..."

Fortunately, this confession process did not last very long, and the listening voices gradually faded away.

What remained was an intensified fear in people's minds; under the power of God, they were as transparent as glass and could not hide anything.

They continued onward.

Rainbow Bridge... so numerous and widely scattered, it was difficult to gauge how many people there were, but such a vast, majestic formation, all leading to one place, demonstrated the grandeur of the ultimate central location.

And at the same time.

It also meant the many Rainbow Bridges gradually converged, from a hazy, light-obscured blur until an hour later... one could make out the faces of the people on the nearest Rainbow Bridge.

After walking for an indeterminate amount of time.

People finally saw the resplendent gate at the end of the Rainbow Bridge, and beyond that gate lay the center of the Gods Temple Group.

"Isn't this path a bit too long?" Su Qi muttered to himself: "I started to feel bored after just ten minutes."

Su Qi also looked ahead.

Ever since they began their walk, the position of the Gods Temple Group and the nine statues had not shifted, giving no feeling of drawing nearer.

The key issue was that the Rainbow Bridge was still slowly forming, leaving no opportunity for those who wished to reach the destination more swiftly.

And now, it seemed that the entire Temple Group was vast and wrapped in an enormous ritual, belonging to a different space altogether, with this so-called gate of splendor serving as one portal into it.

"This is called the pilgrimage path... an audience with the many Gods in the temple is a major event for mortals. Haven't you seen how everyone is so serious and reverent, and you're the only one lacking patience!" The Yellow Robed Priest paused, "Besides, it serves other purposes."

"Do you think everything just now was just for the power of faith? It was also to prevent the Abyss or evil forces from sneaking in."

Su Qi had already stepped through the resplendent gate with everyone else.

What met their eyes was... the majestic temple group, with its multitude of structures sprawling across the space like a mirage, radiating a grand aura.

Su Qi looked on with a bizarre expression.

The sanctity, purity, and tranquility before him... seemed to be the underlying tone of the Gods Palace.

But... compared to the few divine beings he had encountered,

it didn't seem to relate at all.

Let's not even talk about the Evil God and the Master of Destruction.

Take the most recent Yellow-robed Master, for example. That... obviously was a god directly related to strangeness and horror. How could he possibly have a temple here? It was a completely different style.

However,

Su Qi didn't immediately expose Old Huang.

Because... at this moment, the ancient bell rang again, and everyone who entered here looked up to the ancient bell set in the sky dome with trembling expressions... It was gently struck by a figure, without even a quiver to its arc, yet it caused the entire space to vibrate, its sound carrying far and wide.

This caused many existences outside the Anxious Land to feel a slight tremor in their minds and souls.

"...It's come again. It looks like... they have already entered the region of the temple group," someone murmured softly.

"For countless ages, there has actually been someone who could ring that ancient bell. Could that being still be alive?"

"Not sure..." came an aged voice, slowly rising: "But it's probably impossible. After the last war... it ended with the sequence pathway collapsing."

"Every being cut off above the severed pathway forever sleeps, sealed, left in that place."

"Even now... no one has ever reached the last step where the sequence pathway is broken."

"Sequence One..."

-----------------

At this very moment,

countless people stood on the pristine white stone bricks like ants, their gazes trembling as they looked at the towering figure descending from the sky dome.

This was the awe-inspiring figure mentioned earlier, the Bell-Ringer who controlled the summoning, with a face devoid of any expression, but eyes shining with extraordinary light.

"Old Huang..." Su Qi began softly, just about to ask a question.

"Don't talk to me!!!" The Yellow Robed Priest seemed panicked, his voice trembling: "How could this be, how could he still be alive!!!"

"?" Su Qi said with contempt: "Didn't you say you weren't afraid before?"

"Nonsense, I thought that presence just now was a vestige left from the previous great war, so I could speak out loud without worry, but now it seems... damn, it's actually him!" The Yellow Robed Priest was frantic.

"Hide me quickly, or he will surely notice."

Yet Su Qi just smiled: "Is that so?"

"Don't rush, let me confirm something first..."

The Yellow Robed Priest almost choked: "You kid!! Is this really the time to confirm something? If I'm gone... you won't be able to get to the Yellow Robe's temple!!"

"Tch!"

Su Qi softly said: "Could there be a possibility that you never intended to take me to the Yellow-robed Master's place?"

"....."

The Yellow Robed Priest felt guilty, but reasoned with a cough: "How could that be, I also need the temple's strength to recover..."

"Even though I'm an honest person, you need to tell me the truth. This place... does not seem like where the Yellow-robed Master would stay." Su Qi said, smiling: "Besides, you brought me to the temple, probably also looking to claim resources for your own recovery."

"How could that be...." The Yellow Robed Priest laughed dryly, then felt his Soul Fire trembling, the frightful aura causing him to twitch: "...The Bell-Ringer is about to descend, can you hide me first? I swear by myself, Huang! Later, I will tell you everything without any concealment!"