Covering the sky

A chilling roar came from the direction of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, resembling the cry of an ancient beast breaking free from its seal, shaking the mountains and rivers, and causing the stars and moon to tremble. The sound sent a wave of dread through the souls of those who heard it, leaving them with an unbearable sense of terror.

But then, everything fell silent again. The terrifying roar dissipated, and all that remained was the sound of the sandstorm roaring outside the five-colored altar.

"What was that?"

"Are there other creatures on Mars?"

"There's a legend that the Buddha suppressed many demons and monsters, and perhaps the place of their sealing is near the Great Thunder Sound Temple."

After discussing briefly, a chill crept into everyone's hearts. As modern city dwellers, they had never truly believed in such legends. But after experiencing a series of unbelievable events, and now recalling even more terrifying stories, the atmosphere became one of intense fear. Everyone felt the surge of dread in their hearts.

If their suspicions were true, their situation would be dire. The Great Thunder Sound Temple had already been destroyed, and there were no more Buddhas or deities there. They would have to face the demons from the legends alone, and their fate was all but sealed.

"Today has been full of shocks to our beliefs, and it's almost unbearable…"

"All those monsters and demons from the myths… They might actually appear before us now!"

Just the thought of what could happen next made everyone feel a cold shiver. The uncertainty of their fate was enough to fill them with dread and worry!

At this moment, a cold corpse lay before them, its blood staining the ground, the faint scent of blood lingering in the air, reminding them of the grim reality—they were in serious danger. Something unknown had appeared and taken a life right in front of them.

"Clink."

A strange noise came from the corpse's skull, making many people tense up in fear.

"Chomp."

It sounded like something was feeding or chewing, an incredibly unsettling noise. After all, it was the skull of a human, and it seemed as though an unknown creature was feeding inside it, causing many people to shiver with fear.

"Crunch, crunch!"

The sound of bone grinding could be heard, as though sharp teeth were slicing through the skull. The atmosphere grew tense and suffocating.

No one spoke anymore. The five-colored altar fell silent, and many people held their breath, afraid to make a sound. The air seemed to thicken with a terrifying, oppressive aura.

This was a form of torment, the noises of feeding, the grinding of bones, together creating a terrifying symphony that seemed like a haunting melody from hell, tormenting the minds of those present.

Many of the women covered their mouths, wanting to cry but unable to make a sound. The atmosphere was so intense that it nearly broke them.

But not everyone was terrified. Those holding divine relics felt a little more secure. Pang Bo, ever the bold one, seemed disturbed but raised the copper plaque of the Great Thunder Sound Temple and was about to strike the skull.

Ye Fan stopped him and said, "Don't act rashly."

"Splurt!"

At that moment, a blood flower burst from the bloody hole in the corpse's forehead, and white liquid began oozing out. The disgusting sight made many feel nauseous—it was the brain matter flowing out.

Then, from the hole in the skull, a black head shaped like a sharp needle emerged, small and pointed, covered in scales.

"What is that?"

Everyone instinctively took a few steps back, even Ye Fan and Pang Bo retreated slightly.

It was a strange creature that resembled an alligator. It crawled out of the blood hole in the corpse's head, its body smeared with both blood and brain matter, making it look even more horrifying.

It was no longer than ten centimeters long, as thin as a finger, resembling a snake but not quite, like an alligator but with no legs, its belly bare and its entire body covered in black scales, dark and ominous, as if it came from the underworld.

The blood and brain matter on its black scales made it even more disturbing. The cold chill of fear surged in many people's hearts as they looked at it.

This unknown creature, after emerging from the skull, crawled onto the head, its tiny eyes glinting with a cold, piercing light, silently observing everyone. It seemed more like an intelligent being, rather than a lowly creature.

Seven classmates, four years of shared memories, all lost to this horrific creature.

Its eyes were filled with malice, coldly scanning the group as if it were a predator sizing up its next meal.

"Damned three-inch-tall thing, how dare you kill my seven classmates? I'll crush you!" Pang Bo, enraged, swung the Great Thunder Sound Temple's copper plaque at the creature.

Thunder rang, the light shone brightly, and electric arcs surged forward, weaving into a web of divine power.

"Whoosh!"

But the unknown creature was incredibly swift. Seemingly aware of the danger, it turned into a streak of black light and dodged the blast of light.

Ye Fan advanced with the ancient bronze lamp, blowing forcefully on the wick. A scorching flame shot out, rushing toward the creature.

The small, alligator-like creature let out a shrill, horrifying scream. The sound was so loud and terrifying that it felt like a ghost from the underworld was wailing, causing everyone's ears to ring and their spines to freeze.

It was hard to believe that such a tiny creature could emit such a terrifying sound.

The fire from Ye Fan's lamp shot forward, reaching about three meters, but it only grazed the creature's tail, singeing a few scales and leaving its tail half burnt off.

The creature glared at Ye Fan with a look of deep malice, like a human expression of hatred, baring its sharp teeth and letting out low growls.

"What the hell is that thing?" Many of the students in the back trembled in fear. Even those holding divine relics did not dare to approach.

"You little bastard, with those evil eyes, I'm going to smash you to pieces!" Pang Bo, undeterred, swung the copper plaque again, charging at the creature. "You killed my seven classmates, and now I've just burned your tail—this time, you die!"

Pang Bo was enveloped in a glowing aura from the copper plaque, like an angry war god. The plaque vibrated, emitting a thunderous sound.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan continued to corner the creature, sending flames from the ancient lamp, the heat so intense it seemed to scorch the air.

But the creature was too fast, and no matter how much they tried, they couldn't seem to touch it.

Its agonizing scream echoed, and soon, more of these alligator-like creatures appeared, dozens of them, emerging from the light barrier outside, all no bigger than the first one. Their eyes were filled with cold malice, as though they harbored an unrelenting grudge against everyone.

"How are there so many?"

"Are these creatures from Mars?"

A sense of helplessness washed over everyone. They weren't deities and didn't know how to wield the divine relics properly. They could only rely on the power of the relics themselves, but now with so many of these grotesque creatures, they couldn't possibly defeat them all.

Then, the sound of rustling came. Outside the five-colored altar, hundreds of these alligator-like creatures appeared, more and more squeezing through the light barrier.

Those students who hadn't acted yet, those with weak hearts, were trembling in fear. If these creatures rushed in all at once, even the divine relics wouldn't be enough to protect them.

"Pang Bo, stop chasing them! We need to group up!" Ye Fan shouted.

There were too many of these vicious creatures now, and they couldn't kill them all. The best strategy was to hold their ground. Once the five-colored altar gathered enough energy, the Starry Road would open, and they could escape.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a soul-chilling roar sounded again from the direction of the Great Thunder Sound Temple!

With this terrifying scream, the surrounding sandstorm seemed to come to a sudden halt. There was no other sound, just the rumbling of that beastly roar.

The ground trembled again, and the five-colored altar shook as well, while the sandstorm outside was completely suppressed.

"The Great Thunder Sound Temple… It's the lair of the beasts!" someone stammered.

Looking out beyond the light barrier, more and more of these terrifying creatures gathered, all coming from the direction of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, the ground crawling with dark-scaled beasts, numbering in the thousands.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, the ground trembled violently again, and a terrible aura surged from a thousand meters away, reaching up to the sky and down to the underworld, shaking the very heavens and earth!

Even though the sandstorm was still between them, everyone could see two massive eyes glowing like lanterns from the ruins of the Great Thunder Sound Temple, piercing through the darkness.

The ground erupted like a volcanic explosion, with massive rocks and buildings crashing down around the five-colored altar, creating a cataclysmic scene.

"It's the foundation of the Great Thunder Sound Temple… It's collapsing! Something terrifying is coming out!"

If that were the case, even with the divine relics in their hands, they might not stand a chance.

"I think I know what these alligator-like creatures are…" a female student said in a trembling voice.

The Tibetan region holds the deepest reverence for Buddhism, and almost everyone believes in it. This female student had visited Tibet before and heard a legend from an old Tibetan man.

It was said that beneath the Great Thunder Sound Temple, the Buddha had sealed away many