His words ignited a glimmer of hope in the despairing crowd.
Where there are buildings, there are likely to be people and a way out!
"Is it... is it a temple?"
As he spoke, Ye Fan squinted, trying to make out what was going on.
"It seems... so." Pang Bo also looked over. "It looks very dilapidated, almost collapsed... wait!"
He suddenly pointed in the direction of the temple, his voice rising, "Look! That temple... isn't it smoking?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately focused their attention on that direction.
Sure enough, in the vicinity of that dilapidated temple, it seemed... there really was a wisp of extremely thin smoke, almost blending into the dark red sky... slowly rising.
"Smoke? It really is smoke!"
"Someone's there! Someone's starting a fire!"
"We're saved! There are people there!"
A miraculous escape! The overwhelming joy instantly overwhelmed their fear, and the group was so excited they almost cried, forgetting their physical exhaustion and doubts.
Supporting each other, they stumbled and staggered towards the dilapidated temple and the wisp of smoke that symbolized "human traces" and "hope," running with uneven steps.
On the Douluo Continent, everyone watching the Heavenly Screen held their breath, staring intently at the faint yet incredibly clear wisp of smoke rising from a corner of the deathly red world.
"Smoke! It's cooking smoke!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed in surprise as she watched this scene.
"There are actually people in that kind of place?" Oscar was astonished.
"It can't be... a ghost, can it?" Ma Hongjun shrank his neck.
Tang San shook his head. "What kind of fire would a ghost make? To cook? It must be a person! But... what kind of person would live in such a ghostly place?"
Yu Xiaogang frowned. "Something's not right."
"That place was deathly still, devoid of any life; it didn't look like a suitable place to live at all."
"This smoke... appeared too abruptly, too strangely."
"Some things about perilous or deadly places—often, the anomalies that occur in such places—are not necessarily a sign of hope..."
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Fengzhi also saw the wisp of smoke, and a deep doubt and vigilance flashed in her beautiful eyes.
Something unusual must be going on.
In that deathly world that even she found oppressive and uncomfortable, smoke rose from a dilapidated temple?
This is more like a... trap?
Or perhaps it's some kind of existence they can't comprehend?
"They... went in the direction of the smoke," Chen Xin whispered.
Gu Rong: "Is it a blessing or a curse..."
"You'll know soon enough!"
Douluo Continent, Eastsea Academy.
Tang Wulin stood by the dormitory window, his clear eyes reflecting the lone wisp of smoke in the Heavenly Screen.
What do you think?
A clear, melodious voice sounded beside her; Gu Yuena had also arrived at the window at some point.
Silver-purple eyes gazed calmly at the Heavenly Screen, a calmness that held a glimmer of insight.
"The smoke... it looks like the smoke from an ordinary household cooking."
Tang Wulin pondered for a moment, then pointed to the thin line in the Heavenly Screen that was almost swallowed by the dark red sky, "But look at the area around the temple, the desolation and deathly silence are completely out of place with this wisp of smoke."
"Do you think it might be a deliberate attempt to lead them astray?"
"I don't know for sure either." Gu Yuena shook her head slightly. "Among Soul Beast, some top predators will also create the illusion of 'safety' to lure tired prey into their trap."
"Hope, at times, is the sweetest poison."
"Unless a powerful expert happens to pass by, the so-called trap will fall apart on its own. But I don't think Ye Fan and Li Dan have such a powerful expert."
"So you mean..." Tang Wulin asked, his voice filled with worry.
In an instant.
Everyone watching this scene felt their hearts leap into their throats, following Ye Fan and Li Dan's staggering steps.
They hoped that there really were people there who could offer these ordinary people in dire straits a glimmer of hope, so that they could continue to watch where this awe-inspiring Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin was headed.
Instinctively, I felt that the wisp of smoke rising from the dead world carried an indescribable eeriness.
In front of the Great Thunderclap Temple, under the withered Bodhi tree.
Ji Ziyue, who was resting her head on Lin Hao's lap, suddenly twitched her ears slightly, raised her head, and looked in a certain direction.
"Great-grandfather," she sat up, brushing imaginary dust off her hands, a hint of curiosity and mischief flashing in her bright eyes, "It seems we have a guest?"
"There are quite a few people, their steps are unsteady, their breathing is disordered... Are they those mortals from before?"
She sensed Ye Fan and his group approaching.
Lin Hao remained seated, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dilapidated temple walls, seeing the young men and women struggling across the red desert.
His eyes were calm and unwavering, as if he were not seeing a group of "old friends" whose fates had been completely altered, but only a few fallen leaves blown to this place by the wind.
"Um."
He gave a curt reply.
Ji Ziyue stood up, walked to the temple gate that had collapsed halfway, stood on tiptoe, and looked with great interest in the direction where the smoke and dust were rising.
A lively, amused smile played on her lips.
"Perfect," she turned around and smiled at Lin Hao, her smile as bright as a ray of sunlight piercing through this desolate world.
"There's still some barbecue left, it's cold, but it should still be edible. Should we... offer them some?"
"After all, meeting in this godforsaken Mars is quite a coincidence!"
In the distance, the figures of Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Li Dan, and others were already faintly visible on the horizon. They were approaching the wisp of smoke that had drawn them there, a symbol of "human presence," with a mixture of hope and trepidation.
Lin Hao shook his head indifferently, "You handle it yourself, I'll go take a look."
With that, Lin Hao stood up and walked towards the Three-Life Bronze Coffin.
Lin Hao slowly rose to his feet, his robes spotless.
As he passed by Ji Ziyue, the girl winked at him and made a gesture that said, "Don't worry, leave it to me."
Lin Hao glanced at her indifferently, his steps unwavering, and walked straight towards the back of the ancient temple, towards the place where the Three-Life Bronze Coffin was placed.
As he stepped out of the dilapidated temple and into the red gravel field, he ran right into Ye Fan, Pang Bo, and the others who were stumbling and rushing towards him.
The group of people suddenly stopped in their tracks, staring wide-eyed at the person who walked out of the temple.
This was a figure they had never seen before, yet it appeared extremely abrupt and out of place in this situation.
He wore a simple, ancient-style blue robe of questionable quality. He was tall and handsome, with a face that was almost Perfect World, yet he was shrouded in an aloofness that made people afraid to look directly at him.
He walked on the desolate, red sands of Mars, as leisurely as if strolling in his own backyard. The dark red sky, the dilapidated ancient temple, and the eerie atmosphere around him seemed to be insignificant backgrounds.
He didn't even glance at the group of disheveled men and women, as if they were just a few insignificant pebbles on the roadside, and calmly and leisurely walked past them.
The wind and sand seemed to automatically avoid him, not daring to touch even a speck of his clothes.