Ji Yijun and Ye Zi walked forward from the crack, surrounded by naturally formed stone walls covered with moss and vines. Because the crack was large, sunlight could shine in from far away. So although it was a bit dark, they could see clearly around them.
After they walked carefully for nearly 200 meters, they found a faint golden light in front of them. It was just like the legendary golden treasure cave. After they walked a little further, their vision suddenly became clear. It was a hollow cave. At the end of the cave that hollowed out the belly of the mountain, there was a temple more than 20 stories high.
The temple was built entirely of white marble-like stone, with a style that was neither Chinese nor Western, with flying eaves and brackets, as well as pillar reliefs. The combination was quite strange, yet it had a sense of beauty that blended seamlessly. The front of the temple was completely exposed, while the back was embedded in the surrounding rock wall, blending into the mountain. This temple was much taller and larger than the ancient Greek temples that Ji Yijun had seen, with a front width of nearly 50 meters, equivalent to the area of half a football field. It was definitely not something that could be built by ordinary methods by people of this era.
And that soft golden light was emitted by the temple itself.
"It's so magnificent. What is this place?" Ji Yijun looked up and asked in a very soft voice. It seemed that he was also intimidated by an invisible pressure without realizing it.
"Temple of the God of War." Ye Zi said.
"How do you know?"
"I just know that the moment I saw this temple, I finally heard that strange voice. It was a sentence." Ye Zi's face was slightly confused.
"What?"
"Right hand of the God of War, fearless Valkyrie, the gate of the Temple of War has been reopened, and your comrades are waiting for your return."
"Is the Right Hand of the God of War a title? Is it referring to you?"
"How is that possible?" Ye Zi laughed. "We traveled through time together, so what does that have to do with the God of War? Besides, I heard from the locals that the God of War had fallen in ancient times, and now everyone in the kingdom is a believer of the God of Nature... I just feel like we seem to have gotten involved in something big."
"Tsk, what the hell is this divine calculation thing? It would be better if they were all dead." Ji Yijun drew out his enchanted steel knife and walked in first.
Climbing up the stairs and passing the pillars at the entrance that required four people to hug, Ji Yijun saw a five-story-high doorway in front of him. There were many reliefs around the doorway. "It is indeed the Temple of the God of War. Look, these carvings are all fully armed warriors. Hey, where are you looking!"
Ji Yijun pointed to the position above the main gate. There was an image of a female warrior holding a gun. She had short, neat hair, a resolute look, and was full of heroic spirit. She was wearing a simple breastplate, shoulder armor, and a battle skirt, and was in a starting position holding a gun. She looked very much like Ye Zi, who was also holding a big gun in front of the door.
When Ye Zi saw the statue, his heart was shocked, and a strange sense of familiarity came over him. Looking closely at the statue, its eyebrows, nose, and even its expression, it was like a portrait made by an art master imitating himself.
"It seems that she is a big shot who leads the legion. You see, all the other warriors are centered around her. She looks exactly like you, like a costumed version of you. Maybe that strange 'being' mistook you for her."
Originally, Ye Zi came here more to help Ji Yijun get revenge, but at this moment, she was full of curiosity about the things in this temple. Her intuition told her that the voice calling her had no ill intentions.
"Let's go in and take a look."
Although it was in the belly of the mountain, the interior of the temple was very bright. The light did not come from torches or magic circles, but from the white rocks on the ceiling. They were like fluorescent lights, casting gentle light from a very high place.
Unlike the doorway that is covered with relief carvings, the interior of the Temple of War is very plain. Apart from the thick stone pillars and the cold, hard floor, there are not many decorations.
The square hall at the entrance was probably a place for receiving worshippers, and there was another door in front of it that separated the hall from the interior of the temple. However, just as they were about to go in to find out what was going on, a man with blood all over his head suddenly stumbled out from inside.
The man covered his stomach with his hands, blood oozing out from between his fingers, and it was obvious that his abdomen was seriously injured. He saw Ji Yijun and Ye Zi and shouted, "Forgive me, spare me. I surrender! I..."
Before he could finish his words, a javelin shot out from the doorway, pierced his body, and emerged from his chest. The man let out a low cry of pain, then knelt on his knees and collapsed to the ground like a ball of mud and sand.
A man slowly walked out of the doorway. He was a burly brown-haired man with rough brows and several scars on his face, looking fierce. He was wearing fine black leather armor, holding a javelin in each hand and carrying five on his back.
He glanced at the corpse on the ground as if he were a street rat, then glanced at Ji Yijun and Ye Zi.
"More blasphemers..." he said flatly.
Although his tone was calm, the two javelins in his left and right hands were like two lightning bolts, flying towards Ye Zi and Ji Yijun.
Ji Yijun had no time to dodge, so he used the steel sword in his hand to chop at the javelin. The moment the blade and the tip of the spear touched, he felt a strong and strange energy coming from the spear, passing through the sword and directly hitting his arms, rushing towards his internal organs. He had to use his Qi and Dou Qi to fight against it, and a sharp stinging sensation spread throughout his body. He stood stiff, letting the two Qi forces fight endlessly with his body as the battlefield. When his Dou Qi finally gained the upper hand and eliminated the invader, he found that he had retreated five steps in a row, and his body was like being whipped from the inside out by countless whips, and the pain was numb. He felt a sweetness in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.
In the corner of her eyes, Ye Zi retreated one step further than him, and her spear was tangled on the ground by her spear, but she had to prop the spear on the ground to support herself. Her hand holding the spear kept shaking, and she had already used up all her strength.
Over there, the man raised his eyebrows, as if he was a little surprised that both of them took the shot. He pulled his hands behind his back and held two new javelins in his hands.
This man was too strong, at least two realms beyond them. Ji Yijun knew that the other party had not really used his full strength. If the man had used his full strength... I'm afraid that he and Ye Zi would have been turned into minced meat. He shouted: "We are not in the same group with the horse thieves, we are here to hunt them down."
The man was unmoved and said coldly: "Any blasphemer who steps into the temple shall die."
"No, we are not blasphemers. We heard the call of the God of War. She can hear it." Ji Yijun pointed at Ye Zi and said, "That voice welcomes the right hand of the God of War, the Valkyrie... to return here."
"Valkyrie?" The man looked at Ye Zi carefully, with a puzzled expression. After a while, he seemed to remember something, and his expression was actually a little excited, "I'll spare you for now, come in with me."
The man stretched out his hand, and the three javelins returned to his hands. Then he walked to the back hall by himself. Ji Yijun and Ye Zi looked at each other, knowing that they had no other choice at this time, so they had to follow the man.
Ye Zi whispered: "You actually sold me out."
Ji Yijun snorted and said, "I'm just improvising. Don't worry, if I have to die, I will definitely die before you."
Ye Zi pursed her lips but didn't say anything else.
The path to the back hall of the temple was much longer than Ji Yijun and his companions had imagined. They kept walking through doorways and corridors, and through rooms one after another, as if they were in a huge maze.
The man walked in front, generously exposing his entire back to them.
Ji Yijun looked at the back of the man in front of him, wondering if he would have a chance to strike him suddenly, but after thinking it over several times, he still felt unsure. According to the speed and power of the javelin he had just thrown, he would definitely turn around and deliver a fatal blow before he could succeed.
"Aren't you giving up yet, kid?" The man turned around and looked at him.
"You are still my enemy, so of course I have to think about how to defeat you." Ji Yijun's thoughts were seen through, but he did not avoid it.
The man made a few noises, not knowing whether he was disdainful or amused. "It seems that you know yourself that it is impossible."
"Just because it's impossible now doesn't mean it won't be possible in the future." Ji Yijun still said stubbornly.
"It seems you don't know who you are facing!" said the man.
"Then tell me, who are you?" Ji Yijun asked.
"The captain of the War God Temple, Wu Xiao." The man's tone was filled with a kind of pride from the bottom of his heart, as if this name meant invincibility.
"Your name doesn't sound like the local name." Ji Yijun said.
Wu Xiao answered by hammering his heart with his fist, "This name represents noble blood."
"Okay. Is this the Temple of the God of War?" Ji Yijun asked again. He thought it was always good to get more information before reaching the destination.
"This is just a secret temple left by the God of War. How can you mortals imagine the main temple of the God of War?" Wu Xiao's tone was a little annoyed, and it was clear that his precious treasure was underestimated. "Among all the temples, the temple of the God of War is the most magnificent. Countless powerful warriors live in these temples and are loyal to the God of War. When the spear of the God of War points in any direction, they will destroy all enemies under the command of the God's right hand."
"More powerful than the God of Nature?"
After Ji Yijun asked this question, he was greeted with a scolding, "Shut up and don't mention that despicable traitor in the Temple of the God of War! Otherwise I will kill you first."
The three people fell into silence again and continued walking in the seemingly endless corridor.
"Where do you want to take us?" Ye Zi asked.
"Go see the high priest. Let him figure out who you are." Wu Xiao's tone was a little gentler towards Ye Zi.
"What does this have to do with hearing about the Valkyrie?"
Wu Xiao hesitated for a moment and said, "I suspect that you may be related to Ye Ying, the right hand of the God of War, the fearless Valkyrie, the indestructible spear, and the leader of all warriors. Maybe you are her descendant, or maybe you are her clone, because you are too similar to the Valkyrie recorded in the classics."
"This..." Ye Zi was a little at a loss, "What if I have no relationship with her?"
"Then you are the desecrators of the temple. You entered the temple without respect. Only your blood can wash away this sin."