The voices of tens of thousands called out almost at once, as if spoken by a single person. The sound echoed low across the plain. When they finished, every person wearing his adoptive father's likeness stared fixedly at him, their eyes revealing concern.
Zhang Yu ignored them, his gaze passing over their heads toward the distant horizon.
Though these people looked like his adoptive father, he could sense that not a ripple stirred within any of them. They merely responded rigidly to the outside world according to spirituality that had been stabilized in advance.
Thus, upon seeing him, every one of them spoke the same words and gave the same response.
He stepped forward, walking into the depths of the plain beneath the gazes of those tens of thousands of father-like figures. Seeing that he paid them no heed, the tens of thousands spoke again, still saying exactly the same thing. He heard them without listening and continued onward until he reached the very back.
A gigantic shed stood here, towering over the plain like a mountain. Behind it stretched a gray-blue vault of sky. It stood there silently, as though unchanged since time immemorial.
The enormous structure was supported by spider-like jointed legs. Its roof was covered in the shells of some living creature, while its walls resembled the thin wings of insects. There seemed to be no entrance at all.
Zhang Yu observed it from outside for a while, then walked closer. When he was still a few steps from that membrane, an opening tore itself into the membranous wall before him with a faint sound.
His steps did not pause as he walked straight inside.
The sounds outside had been clamorous, but the instant he entered, every trace of noise was cut off. It was very tranquil