85: black stone

A pale green Lava Fireball, a meter long, instantly appeared in his palm.

Intense heat radiated from within the Lava Fireball in all directions, and a green glow enveloped the entire stone temple, a powerful aura of destruction covering everything.

Shi Yan had lost his patience to keep searching. Although he knew there must be something good here, if he couldn't obtain it, then there was no need for it to exist.

Shi Yan raised the Lava Fireball in his hand high and fiercely hurled it towards the tallest stone statue in the distance.

“Wait!”

A slightly hurried, aged voice abruptly rang out, transmitted directly into Shi Yan’s mind.

Shi Yan narrowed his eyes, his mind racing with thoughts, but he still didn't stop his steps, swiftly charging towards the fifteen-meter-tall sculpture before lightly leaping up.

The Lava Fireball violently struck the center of the sculpture's chest, but then a strange scene occurred: the green Lava Fireball seemed to be dissolved by something the moment it hit the sculpture, instantly vanishing from its original spot.

Although the process was very quick, Shi Yan could still see what had just happened.

Just now, a white-glowing shield suddenly appeared in front of the tall sculpture, dissolving his Lava Fireball, and then instantly disappeared again.

“Is something the matter?”

Shi Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his calm words spreading in all directions, completely devoid of the ferocious, destructive aura he had just displayed. It was as if nothing had happened, and the person holding the Lava Fireball wasn't him.

“You!”

The aged voice clearly wanted to say something, but in the end, it fell silent.

“I am the god of this Black Stone Temple.”

“You may call me Black Stone God.”

The aged voice continuously resounded directly within Shi Yan’s mind.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

Shi Yan didn't ask about anything else. He looked up at the face of the giant sculpture in front of him, where it remained blurred and indistinct.

“You are but a mortal, how can you peek at my true form?”

The aged voice now seemed to carry a hint of superiority, and a touch of condescension.

“Heh heh.”

Shi Yan smiled calmly, and another pale green Lava Fireball, one meter in diameter, appeared in his hand. He was only stalling for time by talking to the sculpture. Now that the Lava Fireball's energy was fully charged again, he slowly walked towards the sculpture.

“You, a mere mortal, cannot break through my shield.”

The aged voice, tinged with anger, transmitted into Shi Yan’s mind.

“Is that so?”

Shi Yan ignored the voice, still walking resolutely towards the sculpture.

He had noticed that although the white shield had dissolved his Lava Fireball earlier, its own white glow had also dimmed, which meant its defensive power was limited.

With the black mist drawing ever closer, he had no time to argue with the statue. If it listened obediently, fine. If not? Then he would just destroy it.

Shi Yan walked to the front of the sculpture, his legs slightly tensed. The Lava Fireball in his hand was aimed at the sculpture's head, as if he intended to smash it in the face this time, currently taking aim.

With a movement of his legs, Shi Yan sprang to the front of the sculpture's head, and his right hand smashed towards the sculpture's head.

“I can tell you!”

The aged voice urgently resounded in Shi Yan’s mind.

The Lava Fireball in Shi Yan’s hand stopped in front of the sculpture’s face, only a dozen centimeters separating them.

Just as expected.

Shi Yan floated expressionlessly in the air, confirming his thoughts.

“I am not lying to you; those whose soul level is not qualified cannot see my true form.”

The aged voice spoke softly in Shi Yan’s mind.

Shi Yan narrowed his eyes. Was that really the reason? However, he wasn't very concerned about this point. His initial goal was never this thing; he only did this to create a situation where he was in control.

This black sculpture clearly didn't want to bother with him at first. If he hadn't been careful and cautious, he really wouldn't have discovered it.

“What is this place?”

Shi Yan calmly looked at the sculpture's head, as if he could see the sculpture's true form. This was what he wanted to know.

“I don’t know what this place is either.”

The aged voice entered Shi Yan’s mind.

Shi Yan remained expressionless upon hearing this, but a faint green flame appeared in the center of his lowered palm, a sign of another Lava Fireball about to condense.

“I truly don’t know. I also stumbled into this dilapidated world by chance.”

“As the Black Stone God, how could I deceive you?!”

The aged voice carried a mix of urgency and anger, as if speaking the truth.

“Then what do you know? Tell me everything at once.”

Shi Yan interrupted the Black Stone Sculpture's next words, his tone cold and forcefully commanding.

“I was originally just a minor deity in the Black Stone Minor World, beneath the Xuanyuan Great World. I lived a relatively free and easy life every day, but then one day, two immensely powerful beings, whose strength I don't know, fought above me. The aftermath of their battle struck the edge of my temple, shattering space, and then I endured countless hardships, transported here by spatial turbulence.”

The aged voice, tinged with hatred yet powerlessness, resounded in Shi Yan’s mind.

Shi Yan’s face was expressionless, but his heart was already in turmoil. The information in the Black Stone Sculpture’s words was a bit too much: Xuanyuan Great World? Black Stone Minor World? Aftermath that could shatter space?

“Then do you know how to get back?”

Shi Yan asked.

“If I knew, I would have gone back already.”

The aged voice responded with a hint of regret.

“Alright, thank you for clarifying.”

Shi Yan turned to look at the black mist outside the temple, and he had a rough estimate in mind.

“Twenty seconds.”

Shi Yan’s faint voice rang out.

“Twenty seconds for what?”

The aged voice sounded a little confused.

“Of course, it’s…”

Shi Yan's entire body instantly swelled and grew as if inflated. Blood Tattooed Transformation, Melting Transformation, Vine Entanglement, and Ice Power were all instantly activated.

“To finish you within twenty seconds!”

Vines blocked Shi Yan’s ferocious smile, completely enveloping his body. In an instant, a vine giant, eight meters tall and suspended in the air, instantly appeared.

He exuded a fierce sense of oppression all over his body.

His right hand, wreathed in mist, slammed with all its might towards the black stone sculpture’s head.

The violent wind pressure blew the other black stone sculptures askew, and the already mostly collapsed walls around them completely fell.

“You!!”

The aged voice, filled with anger, rang out.

Thump!

Shi Yan had already slammed his fist heavily into the center of its head. A white light shield blocked Shi Yan’s fist, struggling to withstand Shi Yan’s immense force.

Shi Yan ignored the Black Stone Sculpture. Both arms came up, his two-meter-thick tree-trunk arms swinging in countless afterimages, bringing with them a whirlwind-like sound as they furiously smashed towards the white light shield.