I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

Sha Sanjia's eyes widened, somewhat doubting his life.

In his mind, there was only one question, "Is this really an illusion?"

Because it was a downhill road, the purple monster was charging faster and faster, accompanied by a faint yet tragic cry, "Waaagghh!"

"Elder, it's about to crash into us!"

"Pour the water, quick!!"

"Elder, is this an illusion?!!" the young people shouted out loud, unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality.

Because there truly was a voice ceaselessly calling out to them, tempting them.

[The Ascension Ceremony is about to begin.] The voice was enchanting. Even though it was not from their own species, one could still sense its gentleness and kindness, offering eternal happiness.

Meanwhile, the "Iron-armored Rhinoceros" had finally left the black smoke behind, revealing its complete form... It was a purple three-wheeled vehicle speeding along the relatively smooth road.

"*(&@? (Move aside, move aside!)" an armored creature on the three-wheeler shouted, "TMDS*&@... (Are they a bunch of idiots?)"

[Get out of the way!]

Upon hearing Miss Conch's voice, Sha Sanjia's eyes went wide as if he'd figured something out, and he yelled, "An illusion! It must be an illusion!! Quickly fetch the water! Get out of here!"

The three-wheeler came thundering down like lightning.

A fierce wind struck them head-on!

In truth, the Sha Li Clan had not invented the three-wheeler, but they knew it was made of metal.

As the vehicle approached wildly, villagers frantically collected water, heedless of all else.

This scene made Lu Yuan's scalp tingle. Were all these people fools? Explore more stories with empire

He didn't want to activate Different Space either, for there were still a large number of pursuers behind him.

"Tat-tat-tat!" Old Cat fired several shots into the sky.

The camels, startled by the gunfire, bolted in terror, paying no mind to whether it was an illusion or not, they just ran off.

"Elder, the camels are being stubborn! They're running away!"

Chaos erupted among the column, with some raising their shields to defend against the three-wheeler and the pursuers behind.

Others were grappling with the camels, while some were still frenziedly fetching water.

The camels were the most important asset to the travelers, more valuable than their lives.

A camel could carry 400 kilograms of water, traveling 30 kilometers a day.

Whereas carrying thirty kilograms was the limit for one of them.

Losing the camels was tantamount to losing everything.

If they survived and made it back, this incident might become a new topic of conversation, revealing the bizarre illusions at the heart of the ruins...

Unfortunately, even as a topic of conversation, it wasn't of much value, for out of the more than 20 original villages, only a mere 10 remained. The heavens withheld rain, and Sky City was too dangerous; the villages were withering away.

[The Ascension Ceremony, it's about to start!]

"Move out of the way!"

Sha Sanjia bit his tongue hard and shouted, "Everyone get out of the way!!"

"Ah!!"

The three-wheeler crashed violently into them!

At the instant it was about to collide with the camels, the anticipated scene of skin tearing and blood spraying didn't happen.

The strange vehicle disappeared, bringing only a tempestuous wind with it, while the sand danced around and the black smoke continued to spread in the background.

Sha Sanjia took a deep breath and gently rubbed his eyes. Once he confirmed that the monster truly had vanished, he muttered, "Was it really an illusion?!"

But within the black fog, a multitude of monsters was still in pursuit, a group of bizarre creatures with purple skin.

They had different appearances, moving as if they were drunk, struggling and crawling on the ground, a few of them even walking upside down, emitting sharp howls.

Facing this horde of monstrous beings, the group belatedly became fearful and suspicious, scrambling to run away.

This cursed place was too deceitful, even the illusions were so inexplicably bizarre.

At least they...

At least they had fetched some water?

They had managed to fill about a third of their containers, which somewhat alleviated their immediate crisis.

Next, they would have to find a small stream and slowly fill up.

The group fled wildly for three kilometers, gasping for breath, until they reached a high slope.

"Is anyone following?"

"Gone..."

"They seem to be returning..."

Those purple creatures, a few exuded a dominating majesty and terror that made them all tremble.

But most appeared to be just ordinary monsters, and there were even some who were villagers from The Sha Li Clan.

"Isn't that Sha Muli? He's in there too."

The tall Militia Captain was stunned, he had seen with his own eyes one of the young men from his village among the tide of purple monsters, a young man who had gone missing.

He was a brave and optimistic young man, a Pioneer exploring the ruins.

In the past, he had brought back a lot of reliable information.

But as things stood now, the young man had lost his spirit, wandering like a zombie.

Even the color of his skin had changed.

Only the bone necklace tied around his neck signified that he was indeed once a member of The Sha Li Clan.

This might be the fate of their race.

It was also the sorrow of the world...

After a while, these strange creatures returned to the purple mist from whence they came and disappeared from sight.

Everyone watched in stunned silence, feeling uncertain and afraid, their eyes fixed in that direction.

If they followed those tempting voices, they might become part of the monsters and never be able to return to their former selves.

"We must take this news back!"

That was everyone's first thought, for too many villages were being tempted, with villagers disappearing every day.

Perhaps only a portion of them would believe the news they brought back.

Most villagers still couldn't resist the temptation and chose to come here, to hold some sort of "Ascension Ceremony."

But surely someone would believe it.

"Let's go, we need to get back alive..."

"Elder, I... I really want to become one of them... I think they... are so beautiful." Suddenly, a young man spoke as if in a daze, 'I... I want to join the Ascension Ceremony!'

"She's calling me, she really is calling me! I heard it! That's my mom, my mom is calling me!"

He couldn't help but cry out, drool flowing from the corners of his mouth.

Everyone's faces changed, an eerie chill creeping up from within.

A few quick-reacting people immediately pulled out ropes, bound the raving man, and started beating him on the head hard.

They didn't stop until he looked like a swollen pig's head and had finally awakened from his madness.

"I..." The young man cried bitterly while sneaking looks into the distance.

He felt that place was Heaven, the place of his dreams.

This here was Hell.

"He won't live long," said Sha Sanjia sadly, "he'll definitely sneak out. Once the spirit has been compromised, it can no longer withstand such temptation!"

But what could they do?

They would just have to take one step at a time...

Suddenly, he heard the "clattering" of chains again.

Wait, what was that?

He quickly rubbed his eyes!

The Iron-armored Rhinoceros... why was it still pursuing them?!

He gripped his long spear: "Face the enemy!!"

Everyone paused briefly, then saw the massive creature behind them.

Real or illusion, they "rustle rustle" got into formation, raised wooden shields, and braced their long spears.

This was their tactical formation, the "Iron Barrel Formation"!

With this tactic, they had killed many enemies stronger than themselves.

Then the "Iron-armored Rhinoceros" slowed down just a bit, performed a sleek drift, and made a "zing" sound.

The tricycle's tires screeched violently as they scraped against the ground, coming to a forced stop in front of the Iron Barrel Formation.

"Hey, guys, good afternoon!"

...