"Oh? How rare?" the four-winged man asked in surprise.
The celestial maiden Guanghui gestured that he could inspect it himself.
The four-winged man smiled at Jiang Shan and his group, saying, "Hello! My name is Wu Tian, a four-winged guiding messenger. Welcome to the Moon God Palace."
The four-winged man introduced himself to Jiang Shan and his group in a very polite tone, his face full of smiles, making the three feel at home.
Such an attitude made Jiang Shan and his group unable to find any fault, and anyone would likely drop their guard and unconditionally trust this four-winged man.
"Divine Envoy, you... you are welcome. My name is... My name is Jiang Dongliang, this is Jiang Feng, our Clan Leader of the Changpan Valley, and this is Jiang Shan, a powerful hunter from the Changpan Valley," Uncle Liang pretended to be in awe, nodding and bowing.
Wu Tian smiled and said, "No need to be polite, old man. We are all citizens of the Divine Lord. Being able to come here proves that you all hold gratitude towards the Divine Lord, and from now on we are family."
—Pah! Only a fool would be family with you!
Uncle Liang couldn’t help but curse in his heart, but he still wore a frightened look and said, "Yes, yes, the Divine Lord blesses us."
"May I see the moonprint that the Divine Lord left on your arms to protect you?" Wu Tian asked gently.
Uncle Liang and the others immediately extended their arms, revealing the marks on their arms.
"All full moons, it seems that you are all deeply devoted to the Divine Lord. This is very good, the Divine Lord will protect any citizen who cultivates their moonprint to a full moon."
Wu Tian extended his slender, fair fingers, fingers as delicate as spring onions, truly rare for a man to have such fingers. His fingertips emitted a faint glow, touching Uncle Liang’s wrist.
His eyes suddenly brightened.
This is an egg with six-wing potential!
He looked at the moonprints of the other two and his smile grew even more radiant.
"The moonprint gathers the power granted to you by the Divine Lord. Your potential has been fully developed with the Divine Lord’s help. Very good, the Divine Lord will be delighted."
Wu Tian looked very satisfied and said, "I will guide you to the sacred pool to receive the Divine Lord’s baptism. Your hard cultivation in Changpan Valley will eventually be rewarded. Congratulations to you, as you will reap the final fruits at the sacred pool!"
He seemed to be sincerely blessing the three, his tone and attitude brimming with happiness, leaving no room for fault. Anyone unaware of the truth would likely be very excited to hear such words.
Uncle Liang and the others cursed inwardly once again, but still pretended to be happy and said again, "The Divine Lord blesses us!"
"I’ll go with you! After all, I was the one who guided these three humans," the celestial maiden Guanghui said.
"Alright." Wu Tian didn’t object.
Their group continued to move forward, but this time they didn’t walk far before stopping, seemingly arriving at the edge of a cliff; there was no road ahead, as if the earth had collapsed downwards, and all that could be seen was an endless dark abyss, with no visible bottom.
The most bizarre part was that this abyss seemed like a boundless ocean, with no visible boundaries.
However, above the abyss, there were several towering peaks, rising as if from the depths of the chasm; they were more like bizarre stone pillars than mountains, with the pillars extending crookedly into the air. On these pillars were various square buildings with round roofs, like mushrooms, with a very unique style.
White mist drifted leisurely above the abyss, creating a serene atmosphere.
"This is the Moon God Palace," Wu Tian introduced.
Uncle Liang and the others were awestruck, even knowing that this was not a good place, they couldn’t help but marvel at these magnificent and grand buildings, looking like the dwelling of gods, filled with harmony and sanctity.
However, Xiang Beifei, hidden and unseen to the side, frowned. The seemingly sacred paradise in front of him was not like that in reality.
His eyes gradually covered with a white glow, and all harmonious scenes disappeared; those twisted stone pillars were not made of stone at all but rather comprised of very bizarre yellow bones.
Even those pavilions and towers that appeared dignified and elegant, their walls were piled with bones, most of which belonged to desolate beasts, though some were human skulls!
The hollow sockets of the skulls emitted a dark yellow flame, flickering erratically. Those flames were overwhelmingly sinister, seeming to carry a breath of madness, accompanied by the sound of howling.
And beneath these structures, in the abyss below, the original white mist transformed into a yellow miasma. Strange echoes reverberated from below, some low, some piercing, occasionally intermingled with human screams, accompanied by the wails of other desolate beasts and even the voices of other Yi Tribe members.
It felt as though one had stepped into hell.
Xiang Beifei withdrew his gaze, and the surroundings returned to their original sacred, heavenly appearance.
This Moon God Palace exhibited two drastically different scenes, much like the true nature of the Meat-Winged Monster. Yet, they always presented the sacred side to outsiders. Those like Uncle Liang, who lacked sufficient cultivation, could not perceive the true nature.
Of course, even other Yi Tribe cultivators at the Heavenly Connection stage might not see through here, as the Meat-Winged Monster race habitually crafted themselves into hypocritical appearances.
Wu Tian, smiling, walked toward the cliff edge. As soon as he stepped into midair, a row of golden shining steps appeared below, one after another, stretching upward all the way to the sacred palace.
Everyone followed him, stepping onto the steps. To be honest, these floating steps induced a sense of vertigo, for beneath them lay the unseen abyss. Uncle Liang and the others were mere mortals, unaccustomed to such grand sights, and their throats felt somewhat dry.
At this moment, the steps beneath them began to branch off, guiding them toward one of the stone pillar structures. Around this stone pillar was a potent barrier, protecting the place thoroughly.
In front, twelve huge, pristine white wings were gathered together. At the gate stood two beautiful Divine Envoys, a male and a female, standing beside the wings as if guarding the place. Upon seeing Wu Tian, they frowned slightly.
"The Holy Pool’s ground, do not enter without purpose," one of the women said politely.
"I have brought these three devoted believers to receive a baptism by the Divine Lord; they possess the six-wing quality," said Wu Tian.
The woman’s expression clearly showed some surprise, but she quickly added, "We are not in charge of this; the Divine Envoy in charge of surveillance needs to confirm it."
The two Divine Envoys scrutinized Uncle Liang and the other two humans, then placed their hands on the wings behind them. A crack suddenly appeared in the stone wall above, revealing a giant eye, about the size of a fist, looking exceedingly authoritative.
Holy brilliance radiated from this eye, falling upon the three of them, as if seeing through them. Immediately after, the eye suddenly shone with a strange divine light, turning from white to gold.
Seeing this, Wu Tian reminded, "The Divine Lord has acknowledged you. You should kneel to thank the Divine Lord for his protection, for it is the Divine Lord who has granted us everything."
Uncle Liang and others felt very angry in their hearts, as they had come to understand the true nature of the Meat-Winged Monster—a mere ugly bastard. Yet, the three knew the purpose of their visit and could only kneel, bowing to the statue.
"Thank you, Divine Lord, for your protection," Uncle Liang and the others said.
"The Divine Lord has bestowed you with power, extended your lives. Are you willing to dedicate everything to the Divine Lord?"
Uncle Liang and the three others knelt on the ground, heads bowed, trying hard to look as if they were grateful.
Wu Tian inadvertently smirked with ridicule.
—Pathetic livestock, truly foolish.
After a moment, he spoke, "You are all devout believers of the Divine Lord. As Divine Envoys, Guanghui the celestial maiden and I have decided to guide you away from the suffering of the mortal world. But you must pass some trials. If you are truly devoted to the Divine Lord, such trials will elevate your soul and grant you greater power. Are you willing?"
"We are willing," Uncle Liang and the others responded.
"Then that’s good. You can enter the Holy Pool to receive the baptism of the Divine Lord."
Wu Tian smiled faintly.
The twelve wings that were gathered opened up, and a white halo emerged among the wings, resembling the entrance to a teleportation space, filled with white light, as if leading to a bright future.