9. THE RUINED GODS

Months have passed by and the still practice everyday to perfect their skill. They are seated in their various bed and Wu Chan continued his lecture

To connect to your inner world you must first empty your thought and feel the spiritual energy flowing around you, then feel it flowing into your body. Slowly guide the flow from your heart to your head, it may be slow to feel it now but when you master it you will be able to see your inner world in split second.

They both follow the instructions and after a minute they began radiating spiritual energy, they opened their eyes smiling.

You did it

That's because you are a good teacher, Mu Joli reply

Tell me, how big is your inner world and how does it look like?

I saw a piece of land with a tree in the middle and the land is surrounded with water, she answered.

What about you, turns to Mu Shali

Mine was a large field, in the field there is also a huge tree. What does that mean? he asked worriedly

I don't know what those mean but I do understand that the stronger you grow the bigger your inner world will be. From what I know the inner world is limitless, your strength determined how far you will see. But one thing you need to take into consideration is that you must build your inner world to suit your spiritual beast.

Most people will prefer to tame their beast before developing their inner world.

How do we develop our inner world now when we have not contracted with a beast, because we don't know what kind of beast we will tame in the future. Mu Joli asked him

You don't need to develop it now, just continue to grow stronger so that your inner will grow wilder. Copy the world we live in, it has rivers, mountains, trees, grasses, animals, fishes, birds and air. With all this all life form have survived, practice until all these things becomes visible.

Wow.... I cannot believe you know all this things in your head. I still have a question, how do we sign a contract with beast or tame it?

You tame beast using your power and force it to surrender, that's why people can only tame beast lower than them in cultivation. If you try to tame beast higher than you in cultivation it may backlash.

Contracting with a beast needs the beast permission and he is willing to be your beast, with this method you can contract with a beast higher than you in cultivation and there is no consequence.

using either way you will get to share the beast powers and techniques.

Ah.... wow... there are many things we do not know, how did you know all this?

Aunt Mei taught me everything, they already knows what he wants to say and join him.

Now that we have all completed our task I think we should explore the cave deeper, we still have few months before the two years complete. Wu Chan Suggested

That we be a great idea, Mu Joli join in.

Then let us set out tomorrow, we may find something good deeper.

The next day they set out to their new adventure venturing deeper into what seems to be an endless cave. They pick spiritual herbs and defeat low level beasts on the way, probably the ones Aunt Mei had ignored.

The have walked a great distance and now they came to a place full of fallen stones, the structure of the landscape seems there was once a temple in that place. They walked around the structure observing and wondering how a temple will be in such a place considering it is outside the naked eyes of the world.

Amidst this ruin there was statues of four figures seating on what seems like a throne with each having different symbols on their forehead. They were each holding an empty bowl pointing to their mouth.

How can there be such a place here? Mu Shali asked what's in all their minds.

Judging from the stones, these are over a thousand years old and if I guess correctly this was once a temple. Says Wu Chan

Are those the statues of the gods? Mu Joli asked

Every temple have the statue of the god they worship so am sure those are. Mu Shali answered her.

Duoli draw to the small altar standing in the middle of the four figures. Wu Chan knows Duoli has sense something but they can clearly see nothing. He activate his Absolute Eye of Deception but still sees nothing so he concluded it must be a puzzle.

He looked again at the figures again and again while walking around each of them.

What are you looking for? Mu Joli asked him

Something is not right here, look at the statues, they are all connected to the altar with this small line (Pointing down) and they all hold empty bowl.

We can offer them water, Mu Shali said casually

Yes water! Wu Chan exclaimed, that's what they need.

They quickly took out water and poured into the statues one after the other. When they poured the water to them the statues moved and poured the water down to the line down. When they have finished with the fourth figure still nothing happen.

What are we waiting for exactly? Mu Shali wanting to know

I don't know, but I feel there should be more than just watching them pouring it down.

Let's try it again, this time let one of us pour the water to each statue the same time. Mu Joli suggested

I think the same thing too, let's do it

This time each of them hold a water jar and at the signal of "Go" they poured the water simultaneously and the statues did the same thing too. The water simultaneously reached the altar and surrounded it then sink down, soon stairs begin to appear leading downward.

They walked down the stairs abruptly leading to a hall, inside they saw a the statues of the figures again but they were standing. Out of nowhere they hear the voice of someone speaking to them.

Welcome to the temple of the Great gods, the voice spoke

Turning around they sees nowhere and began wondering where the voice is coming from.

Who are you?

Then appear a Padan Like creature floating in the air, it has two horns.

I am the guardian and protector of this temple and you all except the beast will be inheritors of the gods power.

What exactly are you protecting because this place is ruined and what inheritance are you talking about? Wu Chan asked mockingly

Do not underestimate the great gods, once they were worship and reversed by all being.

What then happen?

Why is the temple ruined?

Why are they no longer worship by people? Out there nobody even know there exist some gods here. They bombarded the padang with questions.

Let me tell you a story, over a thousand years ago before the era of cultivation, people were just ordinary only then the demons emerged from the darkness possessing both humans and beasts causing chaos all over. Four creatures decended from heaven to help the humans defeat the demons and they won after years of battle.

The humans worship them and build statues to idolised their saviours, they pleaded with the gods to teach and give them strength to fight the demons which they did. However humans turn out to be more vicious than the demons they promised to fight against and started using the powers of the gods to fight among themselves.

The human wars was more intense than the demons, greed and lust for power overtook their heart and when the gods saw this they forbade to lend human their powers again. Seeing this the humans with their fickle powers dared to challenge the gods to steal all their powers.

The battle was fought in this mountain and out of anger the gods slayed all of them but even in death their greed and lust for power still prevailed thus corrupting this whole forest .

This forest is called Ghost Forest, was it because of the battle? Wu Chan asked

You can say that, but this forest used to be beautiful and people from all over the world will come here to worship.

What happened to the gods afterwards? Mu Joli asked

They left but left their powers for those that will be worthy to inherit them, the entrance to this place was sealed off from the outside world.

Are we worthy then? Coming from Mu Shali

I have said that already

Why did you think we are worthy? Mu Shali continued

Now getting annoyed, because first you broke the seak and was kind enough to give the gods a drink. Those were the test required.