Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?

Chapter 1230: Chapter 1226: The Ghostly City God Temple

"This place is so scary." Duoduo turned into a wisp of green smoke, floating mid-air.

Xiao Yue looked down at the skeletons embedded in the soil and inhaled sharply, clenching her fists tighter.

"So from start to finish, this lake was fake? We didn’t really fly up?"

At this moment, the Guanyin Dharma Aspect transformed by Dou Dou gradually dissipated, and the Lotus Lamp shrank into a tiny one.

She shook her little head, the solemn and dignified aura from before vanished without a trace, and she reverted back to the mischievous little girl.

Hands on her hips, she looked at the polluted energy burned clean by the Divine Fire on the ground, glanced at the dark lake bottom, shook her little head, and said proudly to the group, "See, I’m amazing, right? Big frauds who deceive children deserve punishment."

She then sighed deeply: "Alas, it’s a pity my Little Monkey sugar figure is gone."

Her contrasting demeanor made everyone burst into laughter.

Shen Siyuan gently turned his palm, put away the Five Elements Primordial Magnetic Sword, walked up with a smile, and rubbed her little head: "Amazing, our Dou Dou is really a hidden talent, even I didn’t expect you to pull this off."

"Of course."

The little one, who was just feeling down, immediately regained her pride, puffing out her chest and holding in her belly, acting like she’s second to none.

Speaking, she angrily kicked the cracked soil under her feet, "Dare to pretend to be a lake and trick me, such a bad thing."

Xiao Yue, seeing her like this, couldn’t help but smile.

In the air, Duoduo revealed her figure and praised: "Impressive, you really were quite amazing just now, like a real Bodhisattva."

"Ha~" Dou Dou was even more proud now.

But the next second, her face fell, tugging Shen Siyuan’s arm, "But Potato, they tricked me out of my Little Monkey sugar figure, will it never come back?"

Hearing this, everyone burst into laughter again.

This little thing is still thinking about his sugar figure.

Just then, the center of the dried lakebed suddenly lit up with a golden glow.

A round pearl, half-exposed in the mud.

This time, Dou Dou didn’t rush over to pick it up first but turned her head to look at Shen Siyuan, waiting for his decision.

Xiao Yue, seeing this, couldn’t help but laugh.

"Why aren’t you fighting for it today?"

"Hmph, it’s not mine anyway, I don’t want to work for free." The little thing was full of resentment.

Shen Siyuan ignored her, walked over directly, and picked up the pearl from the mud.

This pearl had been submerged in the lake for who knows how many years, yet it wasn’t polluted by the foul energy. Its surface seemed to have a layer of mist, real and illusory, constantly changing, making it look even more dazzling.

"Wow, so pretty."

She secretly held her little face, eyes shining brightly, completely captivated.

Actually, not just Dou Dou, even Xiao Yue and Duoduo couldn’t resist. Women are naturally weak to these shiny things.

"Do you regret not picking it up now?" Shen Siyuan asked with a smile.

Dou Dou nodded repeatedly, "I regret it now, really regret it..."

She said, shaking her head and wiggling her butt in place, acting like she deeply regrets and wants to wail.

Shen Siyuan laughed heartily, then handed the pearl to her.

"In that case, take it." Shen Siyuan said.

Duoduo and Xiao Yue looked envious but said nothing.

"Is this for me?"

Dou Dou asked, but her actions were fast as lightning, snatching it up and holding it tight.

"You made the biggest contribution this time, so this is your trophy." Shen Siyuan said.

"Yes, yes... whoever defeats the villain gets it." Dou Dou nodded repeatedly, reminded of what Sister Xiao Yue said to her before.

With Shen Siyuan saying so, Xiao Yue and Duoduo didn’t feel envious anymore, since Dou Dou indeed made the greatest effort this time.

"Wahaha..." Dou Dou raised the pearl high, laughing crazily.

At this moment, she felt like she was the queen.

Then, she started to worry about one thing.

Where should she put this pearl?

Afraid it might fall from her pocket, afraid it might be stolen if kept in space, she secretly looked at Shen Siyuan walking ahead.

Holding it was inconvenient, and she was afraid of swallowing it if she put it in her mouth, so she took the Lotus Lamp off her head and placed the pearl inside.

Whoa, not bad, just right, hehe...

She walked at the back, chuckling secretly.

The group walked along the dry lakebed, where cracked soil gradually got covered by scrubby grass. The dark brown wild grass grew taller than a person, with leaves as hard as bones. The wind blew, making a "rustling" sound, like countless bones lightly clashing.

The dead silence returned, no insect sounds, no wind, only the sound of their footsteps echoed far in the vast Netherworld.

The sky was still covered with thick black clouds, and the faint blue light spots leaking from the gaps fell on the grass, not able to reflect any vitality.

The further they went, the thinner the polluted energy in the air became, replaced by a faint scent of sandalwood, mingling with the light sound of bells and drums, clashing with the dead silence of the Netherworld.

After walking for about half an incense stick’s time, the wild grass suddenly disappeared, and a vast plaza appeared in front of them.

At the end of the plaza stood a majestic City God Temple.

This temple was built extremely grand, with towering scarlet walls and gilded glazed tiles reflecting dazzling light under the blue sky, upturned eaves pointing upwards. The eaves’ beasts were lifelike, each tile and carved beam was exquisitely flawless.

The two thick red lacquered doors were wide open, flanked by two tall white jade stone lions, glaring fiercely and imposing.

Above the door hung a huge black plaque with gold letters reading "Xuzhou City God Mansion" in ancient seal script, with vigorous strokes, shining brilliantly under the light emanating from inside.

Strangely enough, this massive City God Mansion was brightly lit.

Countless red lanterns hung along the corridor into the depths, and the warm yellow lights shone through the window lattices. Inside, soft bell and drum sounds, chanting, and even whispers of people’s prayers filled the air, full of life, contrasting starkly with the desolation of the outside Netherworld.

"Wow, what a big house." Dou Dou’s eyes instantly lit up, and she wanted to rush inside with her short legs.

"Wait a minute." Shen Siyuan grabbed her.

Xiao Yue and Duoduo became instantly alert, taking up fighting stances.

Because this was so bizarre, the Netherworld here had long been invaded by evil for years, so how could there possibly be a place like this?

Shen Siyuan’s Divine Stone probed like a tide towards the scarlet door ahead but seemed to fall into a boundless abyss, with no sign of life inside, only a mass of sticky, huge, and tumultuous polluted energy lying dormant behind the lights, like a giant open mouth waiting for them to step inside.

"Don’t go in." Shen Siyuan held onto Dou Dou who wanted to step forward.

"Huh? But it looks so lively inside."

"Listen." Shen Siyuan said.

At his words, Dou Dou perked up her little ears. Soon, the excitement on her face faded, replaced by a look of confusion.

The chanting, prayers, and bell and drum sounds from inside were always in the same tone, looping over and over, like a stuck recording, with no variation, no life.

Even the warm yellow light, though vibrant, emitted no warmth, casting dead shadows on the red walls.