Chapter Thirty-Five: The Temple of White Bones

A temple!

A temple embedded within the stone wall!

Along the eerie, sinister underground cavern beneath the heart of Forest Lake, deep grooves had been carved into the stone. The space inside was considerable—just enough to construct a temple.

If all this was not enough, what truly struck terror into Fu Yang was…the material of this underground temple!

It was a temple built entirely from human bones.

Femur, humerus, radius, pelvic bones, skulls…

Every part of the structure was made from human bones of various kinds, composing each section of this subterranean sanctuary.

Deep underground, in pitch-black darkness, among tree roots twisted like serpents, stood this temple of bones, grim and foreboding!

Such a scene could only be found in nightmares for most people.

But for Fu Yang, he could just barely accept it...

“Stay calm! I must stay calm.”

He took a few deep breaths, then walked toward the bone temple before him.

This was, of course, not recklessness—for if he could, Fu Yang would wish to stay as far as possible from such an evil thing!

To build a temple out of human bones? Whether done by humans or ghosts, only a madman of an extreme degree could have conceived such a thing.

But he had no choice.

This cavern stretched nearly eighty meters beneath the forest of Jiangcheng University, offering no clue for escape, no information whatsoever; if he did nothing, he would be trapped here till death.

Now, this sinister, wicked temple of bones might be the only breakthrough!

Even knowing it was dangerous, he had to venture inside.

To put it another way: it was as if you were starving to death, and the only thing before you was a can of surströmming. Would you eat it or not?

Fu Yang was a warrior, not a martyr. So his choice was clear: he would eat!

Thump, thump, thump.

His heart pounded like a drum, echoing audibly in the silent depths below.

Closer, closer...

He had reached the entrance of the stone wall recess. The ominous bone temple was less than ten meters ahead.

The gates of the bone temple stood open, surrounded by skulls embedded in the walls, each facing him directly. Hollow eye sockets, as if staring at him intently!

Fu Yang shuddered, a chill running through him.

To bolster his courage, he spat on the ground and rolled up his sleeves: “What are you staring at, huh? Never seen such a handsome Taoist before?”

Well, this fellow, who couldn’t even name the different Taoist sects, shamelessly proclaimed himself a “Taoist.”

Oddly, saying such things made it seem less frightening!

He steeled himself, clenched his teeth, broke off a few glowing underground plant branches from the stone wall beside him to use as makeshift light sticks, and jogged a few steps, charging directly into the temple.

No sooner had he entered…

A whirling gust of cold wind rushed at him, as if alive, swirling around Fu Yang for a moment, making the hairs on his body stand on end.

Actually, aside from being constructed from human bones, the layout inside and out was not very different from ordinary temples or Taoist shrines.

Fu Yang entered, using the glow of the plant in his hand to observe.

Nothing unusual on either side, but at the far end against the wall stood a large altar. It seemed to enshrine a statue—too far to see clearly.

Beneath the statue, near the center of the temple, stood an old, decrepit incense table; in front of it, a meditation cushion thick with dust.

There was no incense, candles, fruit, or the usual offerings—only a pile of dark, irregular spheres stacked like a small mountain.

Seeing this, Fu Yang was finally certain. Even if the cavern had formed naturally, there were unmistakable signs of human modification—such as this temple of bones.

“But what kind of eccentric would come here to worship? Are they praying to gods or to ghosts?”

Fu Yang muttered to himself.

He stepped forward, standing before the incense table, curiosity drawing him closer to examine the pile of dark objects.

What he saw nearly made him kick the table over in fright!

Hearts—complete human hearts!

He could clearly see the shriveled, dried blood vessels and tissues.

They were black, probably smoked or cured with something. Not only did they emanate a strange fragrance, but their texture and color resembled preserved meats.

“Damn it! This place is downright cursed.”

Fu Yang felt his worldview shatter yet again. Using smoked human hearts as offerings—how evil could one get?

Unimaginable!

Standing at the incense table, aided by the glow of the plant, he could now clearly see the statue on the altar ahead.

It was a black Buddha.

Fu Yang saw three faces—front, left, and right—though he couldn’t tell if there was a fourth face hidden against the back wall.

A black Buddha?!

“Hell, has Buddhism spread to Africa? Is this what the locals worship?” Fu Yang joked to himself.

Though not well-versed in religion, he knew that black was ominous, and no orthodox sect would decorate a Buddha in black. It radiated a strong sense of foreboding.

Looking closer, he discovered that the multi-faced black Buddha was covered in eyes!

They were carved in relief.

Some eyes were closed, others open. Lifelike, almost human, and each seemed to express emotion—all negative.

With a sweep of his gaze, Fu Yang read despair, ferocity, violence, sorrow, anxiety, and a host of uncomfortable feelings from the carved eyes on the Buddha.

It truly felt as if hundreds of eyes were watching him!

Fu Yang felt himself falter, instinctively stepping back, chills running through him.

The black Buddha was large, hands flat before its navel in a classic meditation pose.

“Wait—there’s something on its hands.”

Fu Yang noticed that in the Buddha’s overlapping palms, which looked almost like a bed, there seemed to be a human figure. Tense, but curious, he rose on his tiptoes for a better look.

He dared not approach. A sudden idea struck him.

Snap.

He broke a glowing plant branch in half and hurled it toward the Buddha’s hands.

It arced through the air like a glowstick, illuminating its path, and landed squarely in the Buddha’s palms. Fu Yang immediately saw the figure lying there.

“So it’s true! My and Ah Huang’s guess was right!” Fu Yang exclaimed in surprise.