Ch. 20 - Crocodile Ancestor

A horrifying roar came from the direction of the Grand Thunderclap Temple, as if an ancient primordial beast had shattered the earth, broken free from its seal, and let out a cry that shook the mountains and rivers, stirring the stars and moon, a sound that made one’s soul tremble.

But then, everything became completely silent again. That terrifying roar faded, leaving only the rumbling sound of the sandstorm outside the five-colored altar.

“What was that?”

“Are there other lifeforms on Mars?”

“According to legend, the Buddha sealed many demons and monsters. Perhaps the sealed place is near the Grand Thunderclap Temple.”

After just a few remarks, everyone felt their hearts race with fear. As modern urban people, they had never believed such legends. But after experiencing so many incredible events today, and now thinking of even more terrifying tales, waves of dread surged through everyone’s heart.

If the speculation was true, then their situation would be dire. The Grand Thunderclap Temple had already turned to ash, there was no longer any Buddha, no gods. If they had to face legendary monsters on their own, the outcome was obvious.

“Today has been mentally overwhelming for all of us…”

“The demons and monsters from old myths might soon appear right in front of us!”

Just imagining the possible things to come, everyone felt a chill rise in their hearts, their bodies went cold.

Endless possibilities. Unknown fates. It filled them with fear and anxiety.

At this moment, there was still a cold corpse lying before them, blood staining the ground. The faint smell of blood lingered in the air, reminding everyone that the situation had already turned grave, an unknown entity had appeared again and taken another life right before their eyes.

“Tsk.”

A strange sound came from inside the corpse’s head, immediately making many people tense up.

“Squelch.”

It sounded like chewing, something eating. It made everyone extremely uneasy. After all, that was a human head! It seemed some unknown creature was feeding inside it, causing many to feel their hairs stand on end.

“Crunch crunch…”

The sound of bones being ground echoed out, like sharp teeth cutting through the skull. The scene became even more tense and suffocating.

No one spoke again. The five-colored altar fell silent. Many people didn’t even dare to breathe, everything was deadly quiet, filled with a terrifying air.

It was tormenting, the chewing, the bone crunching. Together, they sounded like a song from hell, torturing the minds of those present.

Many girls covered their mouths. Some wanted to cry but didn’t dare make a sound. The horror of it all had nearly broken them.

Of course, not everyone was terrified. Those holding divine relics felt some confidence. Pang Bo, always bold, felt stifled and began dragging the copper plaque of the Grand Thunderclap Temple forward, ready to smash the skull open.

Ye Fan stopped him. “Don’t act rashly.”

“Pfft!”

Just then, a burst of blood sprayed from the hole in the corpse’s forehead, followed by a white liquid. Many people felt nauseous, it was brain matter flowing out.

Then, from that bloody hole, a black, drill-like head emerged, small and sharp, covered in scales.

“What the hell is that?!”

Everyone involuntarily stepped back, even Ye Fan and Pang Bo retreated a few steps.

It was a strange creature resembling a crocodile, crawling out from the corpse’s skull. Its body was stained with blood and brain matter, just looking at it made one’s scalp go numb.

It was only about ten centimeters long, as thick as a finger. Like a snake, but not a snake; crocodile-shaped, but legless, with a bare underbelly and black-scaled body, pitch dark, as if it came from the underworld.

Blood and brain matter stuck to its black scales in a grotesque display, making many people feel a deep, cold fear.

After crawling out of the corpse, the unidentified creature perched on its skull. Its tiny eyes emitted an icy, piercing light. It stared at the crowd in a way that suggested it had intelligence, not a low-level lifeform, but a higher one.

Seven classmates. Four years of shared time. Several vibrant lives, devoured by a grotesque creature like this.

Its eyes were full of malice, sweeping across the crowd like a vengeful spirit, not viewing them as equals, but as food.

“You damned midget! Not even as long as a rat, and you killed seven of my classmates? I’ll smash you to bits!” Pang Bo lifted the copper plaque of the Grand Thunderclap Temple and swung it hard at the cold-blooded creature.

Thunder rumbled, light burst skyward. The plaque emitted countless rays and crackling electricity, forming a dazzling net of light.

“Whoosh!”

But the unidentified creature was extremely fast. It seemed to sense the danger and turned into a black blur, dodging the shining light.

Ye Fan stepped forward with the bronze lamp. He blew hard on the wick, instantly, a scorching divine flame burst forth and surged forward.

That grotesque creature, only finger-thick and ten centimeters long, let out a piercing shriek. The sound was terrifying, like a ghost howling, shaking everyone’s eardrums and chilling their spines.

It was hard to believe that such a small, scaly creature could produce such a loud and terrifying cry.

The flame Ye Fan blew stretched over three meters long. Though it didn’t engulf the creature, it grazed its tail, causing scales to fall off and the burned tail segment to drop to the ground.

It glared viciously at Ye Fan, showing human-like expressions. Its face twisted in rage, mouth open, revealing sharp, white teeth. It growled lowly at him.

“What is this monster?!” many classmates in the back were terrified. Even those with divine relics dared not approach.

“You little beast, with that wicked glare, I swear I’ll crush you!” Pang Bo charged in, copper plaque raised. “You killed seven of my classmates, losing half your tail is nothing. Go to hell!”

He was shrouded in the blinding light from the plaque, looking like an enraged war god. The plaque vibrated, and thunderous Buddhist chants echoed through the sky.

On the other side, Ye Fan closed in, blocking the creature’s escape. Flames from the divine lamp surged like a furious dragon, the air itself scorched by the heat.

At this moment, Zhou Yi, Wang Ziwen, and others also rushed forward, raising their divine relics and attacking the crocodile-like monster.

Though they surrounded it, the creature was too fast, like a black lightning bolt darting around the five-colored altar. No one could catch it.

Its cries continued, shrill, furious, and full of spite. The beast sounded like a ghost from the deepest hell, wailing in rage.

“Shkkk, ”

A tearing sound came. More grotesque, crocodile-like creatures had pierced the light dome and entered the altar’s perimeter. All were about ten centimeters long, identical to the first, and their eyes glowed with the hatred of ancient enemies, full of malevolence.

“How are there so many?!”

“What are these things? Is Mars their lair?!”

Everyone felt helpless. They were not gods, they didn’t know how to wield these divine relics. They could only rely on the passive power of the artifacts to protect them. Now, with so many monsters, there was no way to kill them all.

Then came a sh-sh-sh sound. Outside the light dome, dense clusters of the creatures appeared, hundreds of them.

Behind Ye Fan, those who had not fought and were timid were already trembling. With so many creatures trying to break in, even with divine relics, they might not be able to hold them off!

“Pang Bo, stop chasing it, gather with us,” Ye Fan shouted.

With so many of the beasts appearing, killing them was impossible. Defense was now the best strategy. They only needed to wait for the five-colored altar to gather enough energy to open the ancient star path.

“Awoooo, !”

Suddenly, another soul-shaking roar came from the direction of the Grand Thunderclap Temple!

With that earth-shaking cry, even the howling sandstorm outside seemed to freeze, no other sound existed in the world, only the monstrous roar that filled heaven and earth.

The ground trembled constantly. The five-colored altar shook. The outside storm was completely drowned out.

“The Grand Thunderclap Temple… is the nest of these beasts!” someone said, trembling.

Everyone looked out beyond the dome. More terrifying creatures were gathering, all coming from the direction of the temple ruins. The area was packed with black-scaled monsters, thousands upon thousands of them.

Boom!

Suddenly, the earth shook violently. Then, from a thousand meters away, an incredibly fearsome aura erupted, piercing the heavens, shaking the underworld, surging across the land!

Even though a sandstorm lay between them, they could still see two blood-colored, lantern-like eyes appear in the ruins of the Grand Thunderclap Temple, piercing the dark.

That place looked like a volcanic eruption. Stones the size of houses were launched into the air and crashed down near the altar, the noise shaking the heavens.

“The foundation of the Grand Thunderclap Temple… it’s collapsing! Something terrifying is emerging from underground!”

If so, then even with divine relics, they might be completely powerless.

“I think… I know what these crocodile-like monsters are…” a female classmate said with a trembling voice.

In Tibet, Buddhism is deeply revered, nearly everyone believes. This female student had once visited Tibet, including Jokhang Temple and Ramoche Temple, and had heard old local legends.

According to one tale, beneath the Buddha’s sanctuary, the Grand Thunderclap Temple, was not a pure land, but a prison for many world-ending demons. The first layer suppressed the Crocodile Ancestor, an ancient divine crocodile of immense power, eventually subdued by the Buddha.

“You’re saying… the sacred Buddhist temple suppressed ancient demons beneath it?”

“That old Tibetan man really said so.”

After hearing this, everyone felt a deep chill. If it were true, then the Grand Thunderclap Temple must have sealed the Crocodile Ancestor, and these grotesque monsters were its descendants.

Ye Fan frowned. “I once read an ancient essay…"

In that obscure text, there was mention of a limbless 'crocodile’, body harder than diamond, capable of flying and burrowing, able to pierce flesh with ease. It was called the Divine Crocodile.

Zhou Yi nodded. “I’ve seen similar records…”

According to Buddhist tradition, the ancestor of the divine crocodiles was sealed by the Buddha. From then on, its descendants never again appeared in the world.

Everyone felt surreal. These legends were once just stories, but now they were witnessing them firsthand. Shock and fear gripped them all.

“That old Tibetan said the Crocodile Ancestor was sealed in the first layer beneath the temple… does that mean there’s a second layer? A third…?” a female classmate asked, trembling.

No one answered. If the Crocodile Ancestor really emerged, it alone could wipe them all out.

Sh-sh-sh, the sound returned. Thousands of small crocodiles surrounded the altar, trying desperately to break in.

Boom!

Suddenly, the five-colored altar shook. In the sky, five-colored ancient symbols appeared, like stars flashing, and the Yin-Yang Trigram began to emerge. It was the sign the Star Road was about to open.

But at the same time, from the ruins a thousand meters away came a dreadful tremor. The blood-colored eyes rose higher, clearly, something was breaking free from the underground temple and rising to the surface.

Escape. Escape from here. Escape from Mars!

That was everyone’s thought. They all prayed for the Star Road to open soon. Even drifting forever in the cold void of space seemed safer than staying here.

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