The Necromancer is amassing troops like crazy in the apocalypse

"Didn't you say there are several more temples? Maybe we'll find something at the next one," Lady smiled and comforted.

Wu Heng was silent for a moment, then suddenly felt a stirring in his heart.

This place has undergone multiple renovations, losing its original appearance.

If he could see what it looked like before... would he obtain the clues he wanted?

"Wait a moment!" Wu Heng took out the Truth Engraving Knife.

The four ghosts simultaneously looked at him.

It seemed they guessed what he wanted to do.

Wu Heng focused and held his breath, attempting to silently meditate on his thoughts.

As his thoughts arose, the engraving knife began to move, drawing complex runes that hovered in the air.

With the final stroke completed, the runes silently seeped into the air.

Instantly, the entire grand hall began to change abruptly.

In silence, the pillars twisted and deformed, the frescoes faded and then became vibrant again, as if time were rapidly reversing.

Light intertwined between bright and dark, and in a flash, they seemed immersed in another era, another reality.

...

Outside the door.

Chang Bin and others were waiting, smoking and chatting idly.

"Is that King Yama? He looks too young!"

"Young? His skin is smoother than a woman's, probably due to the transformation brought by the awakening of superpowers."

"There were discussions on the forums about his abilities, pieced together from fragmented information, but probably not wrong: summoning skeletons, resurrecting the dead, teleportation, some even say he can control fire and thunder..."

"Definitely a reborn one, too familiar with this, returned from the End of the World, seized resources and then rose up to build a harem during the apocalypse."

"Why haven't we heard of any scandals about him?"

"Doesn't Li Yahong count? There's talk they live together usually."

"What's that? You haven't heard of those leaders at the big bases up north, the real players..."

The crowd was laughing and discussing in low voices, when they suddenly sensed something wrong.

The Nuwa Temple ahead twisted abruptly without any warning.

The once restored and lavish, brightly painted grand hall began to transform right before their eyes.

The glazed tiles faded to pale gray, the vermilion wooden pillars reverted to bare wood, and the flying eaves and brackets collapsed in layers, the building form continuously regressed.

Qing style, Ming style, Tang style... as if time were violently rewound by an invisible hand, rapidly tracing back.

In just a few breaths, the entire temple had completely changed.

A primitive building, rugged and adorned with animal bones and clay talismans, stood before them, desolate and silent.

"... My god, what's going on?"

"Did we... collectively travel through time?"

"It must be King Yama who did something!"

"Wow, it's a miracle, the Spirit Awakening Sect says he's a deity, it's true..."

Everyone's eyes widened, faces full of shock and disbelief.

Simultaneously, they took a few steps back, ready to retreat at the first sign of danger.

...

Inside the Nuwa Temple.

The scene before them had completely changed.

The once renovated hall was gone, replaced by a very primitive, even crude shrine.

Earthen walls and wooden beams, the floor was rough stone slabs, and the air was filled with fine dust.

It seemed that what Chang Bin said along the way was true, this temple had been here for a long time.

But after much restoration, it had long changed in appearance.

Wu Heng and the four ghosts looked around in undisguised amazement.

Lady drifted closer, her gaze fell on the engraving knife in his hand, her tone full of disbelief, "You mean your engraving knife can be used like this?"

"I just thought about what I needed, what specific rule it changed, I'm not sure, but the result looks pretty good," Wu Heng looked around.

Xiao Xiao flew over, perched cautiously on his shoulder, and said carefully, "This place looks so strange! It won't be haunted, will it?"

"It's just restored to its previous form, there can't be any strange things following us," Wu Heng said softly.

Then, he and the four souls continued to look around.

The spot for the statue was empty, seemingly not restored, but the murals on the walls were clearly visible, no longer the previous frescoes, but narrative scrolls drawn with coarse mineral pigments, yet the conveyed meaning remained clear.

Wu Heng and the four souls leaned in, concentrating on the observation.

The mural unfolds from left to right, beginning with a divine being encircled by sun and moon seated on a throne.

It looks like sitting atop the clouds.

This is the Nuwa Temple, and depicted this way should be Nuwa herself.

Below, believers are bowing in worship, the figures of the believers are drawn very small, with the largest only reaching the divine calf, highlighting the difference between gods and humans.

Next is the depiction of humans engaged in farming, weaving, building houses, hunting and harvesting, showing a simple vitality.

Following that, Nuwa and other divine beings appear in the picture.

Nuwa stands at the back, with several figures slightly inferior but still far above ordinary believers in front, seemingly divine beings or heroes of that era.

Wu Heng casts his gaze on the depiction of two of the divine figures, one with a human face and snake body, holding virtual water flow in the palm, and the other with a beast body and human face, covered with red markings.

"These two...!" Wu Heng raised his eyebrows.

Bella said at the same time, "Are they depicting those two cultivation techniques you're practicing?"

Saying that, everyone's gaze turned to the Lady.

The was obtained from a Shang Dynasty site as a skill book, and the was written down by the Lady relying on memory.

She should know something.

The Lady frowned and examined closely, pondering, "I can't be sure...but if they are related, the possibility is very high. There have been rumors before that divine beings opened the way of profession, granting ordinary people a chance to surpass themselves."

"I think it's the ones Uncle is studying!" Xiao Xiao nodded affirmatively.

Wu Heng also smiled, "No wonder its power is so intense, involves the divine!"

Glenda thoughtfully joined in the conversation, "Earlier, I was wondering why in this world, technology is developing higher, able to explore the skies and seas, but the world preserving magic and skills is weakening generation after generation."

Pausing slightly, she continued, "Now, this explanation can make some sense, as abilities come from divine teachings, the longer the distance from when the divine bestowed these teachings, the less can be preserved, hence the power diminishes."

"Makes sense." The Lady agreed.

Wu Heng said, "For now, not sure how long the rules can be sustained."

Each of them continues to look at the next scene of the mural.

Nuwa holds a scroll in one hand, while the other hand is reaching for a radiating net in the void.

Opposite her, a beast resembling a lion crouches, seemingly in submission.

Its size, drawn to the proportion of divine beings, indicates it might be an extraordinary divine beast or magic beast.

"That scroll...is it the Slave Scroll?" Xiao Xiao leaned closer to examine.

Piqued by her suggestion, Wu Heng and the other ghosts felt a stir.

Although simplified, the shape of that scroll is quite similar to what they know as the 'Slave Scroll'.

"It's highly possible," Glenda analyzed, "Nuwa is establishing a contract with this divine beast."

"But what does grabbing the net-like rays mean?" Xiao Xiao raised the question.

"Perhaps...it's stripping a certain ability?" Bella speculated.

The Lady pondered, "Never heard of a scroll that can seize abilities, might be one restricting them. If it uses any ability, it would suffer backlash."

Mulling over, she continued, "This beast seems to have erred."

Wu Heng's eyes narrowed, casting another look at the scroll.

Previously, he had considered the matter of the Slave Scroll.

After signing the Slavery Contract, one's subjective awareness would not arise thoughts unfavorable to the 'master'.

This point is akin to a loophole in the rules.

Moreover, it's a loophole anyone can use.

Now, if this scroll's effect is tied to the divine, it feels much more reasonable.

It might even be that the Slave Scroll is a reduced version, with the original being more terrifying.

The mural reaches its ending: disasters descend, the sky shattered into a ferocious mouth, the earth splits, floods rage, believers flee in panic.

Afterward, Nuwa returns alone, mending the sky and water, redefining heaven and earth.

The story seems to conclude here, subsequent murals depicting tribal battles and daily farming and hunting.

"No more!" Xiao Xiao pointed.

"Seems there's no more record beyond this." Wu Heng nodded.

Xiao Xiao raised her eyebrows, then asked, "Uncle, does it help us?"

"It does!" Wu Heng thought for a moment and said, "At least, it lets us understand history better."

With previous experience in the scenic area, now seeing the mural recording divine beings is indeed a considerable gain.

"Oh oh!" Xiao Xiao nodded.

Wu Heng continued, "Spread out and look again, see if there's any record of cultivation techniques or anything?"

The ghosts once again dispersed, searching together.