Chapter 209: The Mysterious Tuodi Temple

“Ding, congratulations on killing the high-level middle-stage Nether Evil King.”

“Ding, congratulations on gaining 600 million experience.”

“Ding, congratulations on leveling up.”

“Ding, congratulations on successful artifact refinement.”

“Ding, congratulations on discovering Nether Evil Crystal.”

……

“Ha……” Lin Fan was stunned by the system prompts, overjoyed, and laughed as he stood up. He had thought that the refinement would yield nothing and that the kill might not even count as his own, but now he never expected not only generous experience but also successful artifact refinement.

A profit, a huge profit indeed.

It seems I am truly a man with great fortune; everything I do goes smoothly.

At this moment, Lin Fan was no longer so angry at the Nether Evil King for trying to possess him; this death was worth it.

Though the Tuodi Temple expedition was fraught with danger, the rewards were substantial. Not only did it give Lin Fan a better understanding of the Heaven and Earth Furnace, but it also improved his cultivation.

Initial Divine Realm.

Although his current cultivation was not very high, his combat power was now comparable to the Minor Heaven realm.

“Nether Evil Crystal: Formed from the essence of the Nether Evil King, an object that communicates with the Nine Netherworld.”

Lin Fan played with the fist-sized, purple-surfaced crystal that resembled a diamond, feeling puzzled about how to use it.

Then he stopped thinking about it and put it into his backpack.

Although he had killed the big boss, the Tuodi Temple still held many mysteries.

Now, with a single glance, he could take in the not-too-large Tuodi Temple, but Lin Fan felt it was definitely not that simple.

The Tuodi Temple had existed for a long time; many people must have come to investigate it. Why hadn’t any of them encountered these Nether Evils sealed in the ancient urns?

Very strange indeed.

Now Lin Fan looked at the ancient urn on the statue’s finger and immediately went to check if those treasures were still useful.

“Ding, congratulations on discovering Sealed Ancient Urn (Damaged).”

Playing with the sealed ancient urn in his hand, he found it useless, ordinary-looking, and damaged. But even though it was damaged, it had once been a treasure.

Lin Fan didn’t hesitate and directly put it into his backpack; maybe it would be useful later.

Lin Fan searched roughly through the Tuodi Temple, checking behind the statues for any secret manuals, and even smashed a statue to see if any treasure was hidden inside.

Lin Fan had been heavily influenced by novels in the past, so he wouldn’t miss these most likely hiding spots. If there really was a treasure, wouldn’t that be a windfall?

After finding nothing else in the Tuodi Temple, Lin Fan turned and left.

The mysterious Tuodi Temple might not be so simple, but for now, it seemed the time wasn’t right. He would come back later to see if the temple had changed.

Outside, Sha Dulong had been waiting. The master had been inside for a day and a night without coming out, which worried them greatly.

“Big brother, do you think something happened inside?” Sha Miexiong sat on the ground, poking the campfire. The Tuodi Temple was gloomy and terrifying, with eerie sounds coming from time to time at night.

If not for their big brother telling them to stay, they might have left long ago.

They knew that following the master might be profitable, but now so much time had passed, and they didn’t know if he was alive or dead. Could they wait here forever?

Sha Dulong didn’t speak, his brow furrowed. Finally, he sighed, “Wait two more days. If the master hasn’t come out in two days, we’ll go back.”

Sha Dulong looked into the entrance again, but it was pitch black inside, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

Especially standing there, you could feel gusts of foul wind carrying a rotting smell.

Just then, a sound came from afar.

The fourteen sand bandits changed expression. Sha Dulong drew the curved blade at his waist, staring grimly ahead. But when he recognized the figure, he relaxed and immediately stepped forward, “Master, you’re out.”

“En.” Lin Fan nodded, but when he saw the campfire, he was puzzled, “How long have I been inside?”

“A day and a night.”

Lin Fan was taken aback. He hadn’t expected so much time to pass; inside, he hadn’t felt it at all.

“Alright, let’s set off.” Lin Fan didn’t want to say much about the Tuodi Temple. Although he had killed the Nether Evil, he still felt something was off here.

“Pack up, we’re leaving.” Sha Dulong didn’t ask further and called his brothers to pack up and start moving.

As Lin Fan’s carriage gradually faded into the distance,

the Tuodi Temple once again sank into a gloomy and terrifying atmosphere. The entire area was dark and silent, occasionally punctuated by eerie, hair-raising sounds.

Night fell, and the moonlight seemed to try to penetrate the ancient trees to shine on the Tuodi Temple, but it was blocked by the dense leaves, leaving it dim and lightless.

At that moment, a streak of light cut through the night sky.

A crow, its body exuding deathly aura, flapped its wings and flew from afar. Its blood-red eyes seemed to captivate the soul.

The crow spread its wings and flew into the pitch-black entrance of the Tuodi Temple, moving forward until it reached the main hall inside.

The crow stopped before the large central statue. Its blood-red eyes emitted a red glow, and its black feathers were suddenly soaked with fresh blood, gushing out like a spring.

The crow screeched sharply, then turned into a dried corpse and vanished.

The blood seemed alive, flowing along the statue’s body, eventually reaching the ground and seeping deep into the earth, downward, downward.

A black stone coffin lay quietly beneath the Tuodi Temple, wrapped in thick iron chains. On the coffin sat cross-legged a golden skeleton, exuding an ancient aura, clearly a person of immense power in life.

The surrounding walls were densely carved with runes.

At that moment, wisps of blood-red mist slowly seeped from the coffin. But then, the countless runes on the walls suddenly emitted a dazzling light, and the blood-red mist instantly shrank back into the coffin upon contact with the light.

Drops of crimson blood fell from above, landing on the golden skeleton.

With each drop of blood, the golden skeleton dimmed a little.

And one mysterious rune on the wall would be extinguished, becoming dull and lifeless.