Chapter 011: The Light Source

"We've ended up where exactly? I want to go home..." Some of the female students couldn't hold back their tears.

"Another multicolored altar..." Pang Bo and Ye Fan stood together, exchanging glances before both shook their heads. They had been best friends since college and continued to meet often after graduation, understanding each other deeply. At this moment, they both sensed that the situation was not good, and the group's predicament was worrisome, filled with unknowns and variables.

At this time, the others also withdrew their gazes from the vast desert and began to anxiously and frantically assess their surroundings.

A massive bronze coffin lay overturned behind them, and beneath it was a grand multicolored stone altar, very similar to the giant sacrificial platform seen at Mount Tai, constructed from giant stones in five different colors.

The multicolored stone altar covered a vast area, and one could imagine that its construction must have been a massive project back then. However, after years of erosion by wind and sand, the once towering sacrificial platform was almost entirely submerged underground, now level with the red-brown sandy terrain.

Today, as the nine dragons pulled the coffin here, the heavy impact on the ground shook off the surrounding sand and gravel, revealing the approximate outline of the altar. Not only was the huge bronze coffin lying on the altar, but the nine massive dragon carcasses also pressed down on top, giving an idea of the grand scale of the multicolored stone altar.

"We... are lost, we can't find our way back." A fragile female student cried out, her body swaying, and if not for someone supporting her, she would have collapsed to the ground.

Many people's faces turned pale, and at this moment, everyone thought of all sorts of possibilities. The scene before their eyes resembled a completely unfamiliar world. No one wanted to accept this reality, but Mount Tai was gone, and the vast desert lay before them, making silence inevitable.

"Don't panic, don't be afraid, there will be a solution," Ye Fan shouted loudly.

"How can we solve this, how do we return, how... escape this strange world?" Even some of the male students' voices trembled with intense fear and unease.

The unknown can fill some with awe and terror, while also sparking the desire to explore in others.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo avoided the nine massive dragon carcasses and moved forward to check the nearby situation.

Li Xiaoman was not far away, seemingly feeling cold, hugging her arms, her beautiful face somewhat pale, but still very calm, like a delicate lotus blossoming in the dimness. When Ye Fan passed by, he took off his jacket and offered it to her, but she just thanked him and shook her head in refusal.

Ye Fan didn't say much; he wasn't trying to salvage anything. He put his coat back on and continued forward with Pang Bo. After circumnavigating the massive dragon carcasses and the bronze coffin, they saw Li Xiaoman's American classmate, Kade, also observing the situation nearby, occasionally exclaiming "god" in surprise.

Not far from the multicolored stone altar was a huge rock, lying horizontally there, with a height of over twenty meters, but the slope was not very steep, making it possible to climb.

Ye Fan, who was about 1.79 meters tall, may have looked gentle, but he was actually very strong; he was a key player on the school football team and was often referred to as a "barbarian" on the field.

Pang Bo, true to his name, had a "majestic" presence, but he was not fat; he was genuinely strong, a towering figure with arms almost as thick as an average person's legs.

Both had excellent physical conditions and quickly ran up to the giant rock, climbing it without caution. From atop the rock, they gazed into the distance and were surprised to see faint glimmers of light seeping through the dimness.

"We probably won't be able to return," Ye Fan said directly to his best friend, expressing his speculations and judgments, "This place definitely isn't the same space-time we're from."

"This place really isn't the same space-time we're from," Pang Bo agreed. Although he was usually carefree, he never joked about serious matters. Frowning at the faint glow in the distance, he asked, "Do you think there really are gods in this world?"

Ye Fan was also gazing at the faint light in the distance, saying, "We've even seen dragon carcasses; I don't think I'd be surprised if a living god appeared before us."

"A living god appearing before us... what kind of situation would that be?" Pang Bo murmured.

A noise came from behind as Kade, who was over 1.9 meters tall, climbed onto the rock as well. Upon seeing the light in the distance, he immediately let out an exclamation.

"Praise... the merciful Lord, I... have seen the light," he said in somewhat halting Chinese, then turned and waved forcefully back at the crowd, shouting to Li Xiaoman, "I have seen... the light!" After that, he climbed down from the rock and rushed towards Li Xiaoman.

Kade's shouting caused a commotion in the crowd, and many people ran towards them.

Pang Bo looked at Li Xiaoman and Kade standing together not far away and said to Ye Fan, "Is that foreigner really Li Xiaoman's boyfriend?"

"How would I know."

"Are you really just going to give up like this?" Pang Bo glanced at him sideways.

"Some things, even if you could start over, it's hard to go back to the original point. Even if it's the same path, life can pass by twice, but it won't have the same feeling. Those are all things of the past, people have to move forward." Ye Fan shook his head, then as if remembering something, he smiled and said, "You're the one who's really carefree, with a colorful nightlife."

"I despise you; your life is more fulfilling than mine," Pang Bo looked at Ye Fan, then at Li Xiaoman not far away, and said, "With a man's intuition, I always feel that something will happen between you two again."

"Stop tarnishing my reputation," Ye Fan chuckled, "Do you have a sixth sense like a woman?"

At this moment, perhaps only the two of them could still laugh; neither was a pessimistic person, and it was hard for them to ever look gloomy.

Soon, many people climbed up the huge rock to gaze into the distance. The faint light seemed like flickering fireflies, piercing through the dim space and entering everyone's eyes. Although the light source was not bright, it ignited hope in the group, and many female students cheered.

There was a faint light ahead, still full of unknowns, but everyone wanted to move forward. Perhaps this is a human nature, to fear the dark and yearn for the light.

"Please don't let us down."

"Hope for a miracle."

One by one, the group climbed down from the rock and gathered in front of the multicolored altar to discuss their options.

"Everything here is unfamiliar to us; even with light ahead, we should be careful," Wang Ziwen, being cautious, made such a suggestion.

Zhou Yi, who had been calm, nodded in agreement, saying, "Right, first send a few people to scout the path; anyway, that light doesn't seem very far away, just in case."

Everyone agreed; no one could predict the unknown path ahead, and everything in the unfamiliar environment should be approached with caution.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, a violent vibration shook the air, and from the bronze coffin on the multicolored altar, a metallic tremor emanated.

"What's happening?"

"It feels like the sound is coming from inside the bronze coffin," said a female student closest to the coffin, her face pale.

Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed; they knew that inside the giant coffin was a small bronze coffin containing a corpse.