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Chapter 128: 【096】Mysterious Stone Temple in the Mountains, Cave of the Five Poisonous Monsters_2

Chapter 128: 【096】Mysterious Stone Temple in the Mountains, Cave of the Five Poisonous Monsters_2

Basically, even Martial Artists like Zhang Jinbao, Wu Hujie, and Huang Ao, who have Ming Jin strength, dare not explore the blue area alone, because these areas are truly too dangerous.

Punching well is useless in such places; the power of nature is not something a mere martial artist can contend with, and there are countless reasons that could threaten a martial artist’s life.

"I’ve never heard of ancient ruins in the mountains of Min Province. Could it be that the mountain people built shelter here to escape wars in the past?" Wang Longhu’s curiosity was piqued, and he quickly maneuvered up the cliff-face, approaching the location of the stone pagoda of the temple.

There’s an old saying: looking at a mountain will weary a horse.

The stone temple tower seemed close, and one only needs to pass through several patches of forest to reach it, but that’s the view from a few hundred meters up.

Once on the ground, the distance magnifies a hundredfold, leaving one sighing with exasperation.

Relying on his Lightweight Skill, Wang Longhu leapt through the forest, transforming into a mighty bird gliding low above the timber sea, each step rebounding several meters from the branches, heading rapidly towards the direction where a small tower tip exposed itself between the distant forest.

An hour later, after weaving through dense woods, the view suddenly opened, and a vast stone temple came into Wang Longhu’s sight.

This should have been a magnificent temple. A three-meter high stone wall encircled the stone temple, adorned with carvings of various strange beasts, crafted with exquisite workmanship.

But probably due to years of weathering, the stone walls are now filled with cracks and gaps, even overgrown with vines and moss, blending completely into nature.

"This place doesn’t look like a structure that could have been built during times of war." Wang Longhu strode through the long-decomposed door panels at his feet, crossed the stone threshold, and entered the temple.

The entire temple complex consists of four main halls, positioned toward the four cardinal directions: east, west, south, and north. In traditional culture, the south is esteemed, and the squat tower that Wang Longhu saw on the cliff is located behind the south hall.

In the courtyard, stone lanterns lay toppled, covered by vegetation.

Many ground tiles had eroded into a blasted appearance, and the four main halls had long collapsed enough that habitation was impossible; even restoration seemed extremely challenging.

It is unknown whether this area is a feng shui treasure; looking across the courtyard, one can discover many medicinal herbs, ranging greatly in value, abundantly filling the area.

Wang Longhu did not pick any herbs, because the market value of these would never reach the worth of a few freshly discovered seven-leaf lotus flowers.

"This should be a Buddhist temple, but it’s unknown why the Buddha statues here have such bizarre forms."

Wang Longhu entered the south hall; this hall is the most preserved among the four main halls, with even the roof tiles not too degraded, capable of shielding from wind and rain.

The hall was full of vegetation, with a four or five-meter high, completely ivory Buddha statue placed on the altar in the center; remnants of gold leaf around the toes and eyes suggest that the statue was initially a plated body of gold.

Unlike any Buddha statues Wang Longhu had seen over his past twenty-five years.

This statue in the hall wore a crown known as the Vairochana cap, also called the crown of five Buddhas, with two ribbons draping from the cheeks to the chest.

Underneath, it wore Chain Armor, externally draped with a Kasaya, its feet beast-like, poised on the altar with sharp fingertips.

Even more astonishing, its face was fierce like a malevolent ghost, two fangs protruding from its mouth, shoulders replaced by the front and back halves of a giant python.

The left side showed the python’s head, the right its tail, coiling around its body in a bizarre shape.

Although the hall’s floor was covered by vegetation, it wasn’t hard to spot, through gaps, a large circular relief in the center portraying a Hundred Lotus Pool, lifelike.

"Such a good place left abandoned is truly a pity; the craftsmanship of those who built this temple back then was indeed divine." Wang Longhu moved closer to the altar, scrutinizing it thoroughly.

As he reached the center of the circular relief, the floor beneath him suddenly cracked, seemingly about to collapse.

Before Wang Longhu could react, the relief abruptly split open, revealing a dark pit below.

It’s a mechanism!

Wang Longhu plummeted rapidly, landing with his feet about seven or eight meters down.

Upon impact, foul odors rushed up, startling Wang Longhu. Though he hadn’t clearly seen what it actually was, his hand instinctively fired a punch like an axe cleaving space, sending a sound of emptiness ringing out.

Bang!

Wang Longhu felt his fist strike something sticky and wet, instantly repelling it several meters away, unsure if it was alive or dead.

"Owww... owww... let... me..."

After a few seconds, nearby a mournful wail of sobbing sounded, akin to the call of a yellow weasel in the depths of winter, yet like a newborn baby learning to babble in swaddling.

Wang Longhu’s brows furrowed; suddenly transitioning from light to dark, ordinary eyes couldn’t adjust to this disparity instantly for clear vision.

Now at the bottom of this strange mechanism pit, amid unknown entities, in a mountain forest temple filled with eerie presence.