Ji Ziyue looked at the group of mortals who had finally dawdled to the temple gate in the distance, and then glanced in the direction Lin Hao had left. The sly and lively smile on her lips deepened.
"Oh dear, Grandpa really left just like that, leaving me to deal with this group of 'kids'."
She muttered to herself, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous anticipation.
She straightened her not-too-disheveled clothes, cleared her throat, and then, a bright, innocent smile bloomed on her face—enough to put everyone at ease—as she addressed the "guests" outside the temple gate, who were filled with both hope and fear, and said in a clear, crisp voice:
"Friends from outside, you must be tired from your long journey, right? There's some food left in the temple, would you like to come in and rest for a bit?"
Her voice, clear and melodious, like celestial music, carried far and wide across the desolate Mars wilderness.
Ye Fan, Pang Bo, Li Dan, and the others were startled by the sound and looked up.
Inside the dilapidated temple gate, in the dim light, a girl in purple, with a charming smile and otherworldly beauty, was waving to them in a friendly manner.
And the wisp of "smoke of hope" that had led them there was rising gently from not far behind her.
Ye Fan stared intently at the smiling girl in purple before him, his heart pounding in his chest, but his long-cultivated composure allowed him to quickly suppress his panic.
He stepped forward half a step and gave a slight bow.
"My name is Ye Fan. Thank you for your kindness, young lady."
"May I ask... young lady, where is this place? We... we were inexplicably brought here by that bronze coffin, and we are truly terrified. If we have offended you in any way, please forgive us."
He used extremely careful words, even with a touch of antiquity, for fear of offending this unknown being with the slightest disrespect.
Ji Ziyue blinked her clear, bright eyes, a sly smile playing on her lips, as if she found Ye Fan's wariness quite amusing.
She deliberately drew out her words, her voice clear and crisp like the clinking of jade. "This place—it's quite a fun place."
"As for me, you can call me Great Immortal Ji."
She raised her slender hand slightly and pointed to the dilapidated temple behind her, "As you can see, we'll be staying here temporarily."
"Fun places?"
Upon hearing this, Pang Bo couldn't help but mutter to himself, "This godforsaken place is nothing but sand and rocks, and the sky is as red as blood. You call this fun?"
He looked around at the desolate wasteland and shuddered. "I'd say this is more like the gates of hell!"
Despite these thoughts, he outwardly maintained his composure and said, "Greetings Great Immortal Ji. Our group was swept into that bronze coffin from Mount Tai on Earth and inexplicably arrived here. We only wish to seek an explanation."
"Can you tell me exactly where this is?"
Ji Ziyue tilted her head slightly, and a simple jade hairpin in her hair swayed gently with her movement, shimmering with a warm luster.
She leaned casually against the mottled door frame, her posture languid, yet she exuded a vitality that seemed out of place in this desolate world.
Earth? Mount Tai?
She repeated those two words, a faint glimmer of light flashing in her eyes as if she were recalling something, only to be quickly masked by a deeper smile:
"Ah, so you came from that blue planet that gave rise to life. No wonder..."
She paused, leaving room for interpretation.
No wonder.
Ye Fan keenly caught her unfinished words and pressed for an answer.
"No wonder..."
Ji Ziyue drawled, her eyes gleaming with even more cunning, "It looks so... fresh and delicious."
After she finished speaking, she burst out laughing, as if she had told a very funny joke.
A commotion erupted in the crowd, and several girls turned even paler, nearly fainting.
Li Dan's throat tightened, and cold sweat soaked his back.
He knew that the seemingly harmless girl in front of him was very likely related to the Heavenly Emperor Hao.
Her description of "fresh and delicious" is probably not entirely a joke!
Ye Fan frowned even more, but he didn't back down. "Miss, this is not the time for jokes."
"We just want to know where we are, whether we can leave, and how we can leave?"
Seeing Ye Fan's serious expression, Ji Ziyue finally toned down her joking tone slightly, but a faint smile still lingered on her lips:
"Okay, okay, I'll stop teasing you guys."
"This place, in a way that you can understand, can be called ' Mars '."
" Mars?"
Ye Fan was taken aback, quickly searching his mind for relevant information, "An ancient name for Mars?"
"Clever!"
Ji Ziyue snapped her fingers and gave Ye Fan an approving look, "It's that red star you observed."
"However, the true origins of this place are far more ancient and complex than you know."
Her gaze swept over the astonished and uncertain faces of the crowd, finally settling on Ye Fan. "As for leaving... since the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin brought you here, there must be a reason."
"This coffin isn't for just anyone to sit in; not everyone is qualified to be carried by it."
"Carry? Where is it taking us?" Ye Fan asked, grasping the key question, his heart pounding.
He recalled the vast star map inside the bronze coffin, the twinkling points of light clearly marked with different coordinates.
Ji Ziyue did not answer directly. Her gaze passed over Ye Fan and fell upon the giant bronze coffin that rested quietly on the Five-Colored Altar in the distance. Her eyes became somewhat distant.
" The Starry Sky Ancient Road, where Other Shore... The answer is for you to find."
She withdrew her gaze, looked back at Ye Fan, and smiled, "But for now, you should worry about yourselves first."
" The Yinghuo Ancient Star is no benevolent place."
"Don't be fooled by the calm surface now; this place... hides quite a few ' Old Gu '."
" Old Gu?"
Pang Bo repeated in confusion, "What do you mean? Something like this dilapidated temple?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Ziyue giggled and pointed a slender finger at Pang Bo:
"Big guy, if the 'residents' inside heard you say that, they'd probably jump out of their skin."
As soon as she finished speaking, a very faint "rustling" sound, as if something was rubbing against something, seemed to come from the depths of the dilapidated Great Thunderclap Temple. It was so faint that it sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Ye Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately realized that this seemingly desolate dead land was fraught with danger.
He forced himself to calmly analyze the information in Ji Ziyue's words: Mars, Starry Sky Ancient Road, Old Gu... every word exuded mystery and danger.
The girl in front of him was the only source of information and, so far, the only "goodwill" he seemed to possess.
"Young lady," Ye Fan softened his tone, trying to build rapport, "We meant no offense, we're just filled with fear and trepidation due to this sudden and drastic change."
"If you know anything about this, I would appreciate any guidance you may offer."
"At least tell us... is this temple safe? That wisp of smoke..."