The ruins of the ground above the temple, used to deceive Outsiders, were built by the then-flourishing Worm Cult in the early part of this epoch. At that time, it was the residence for the cult's priests and the worshipers who came to pay homage. Later, the cult declined, and the ruins were abandoned, becoming what Xia De now saw before him: the remains of a large manor.
Time had destroyed most things; only the blurred patterns on a few pillars could indicate how prosperous this place once was. Etched on the pillars were ancient languages from the third era, all the letters looking like curled worms. These were created by the races who coexisted with worms in the third era, and in the modern sixth epoch, probably few people other than Xia De could understand them.
The entrance to the underground temple was beneath the floor on one side of the ruins. Opening the downward passage required a difficult incantation and a key. After Xia De translated the incantation, its meaning was roughly, “Praise the great Earthshaking Worm, may your Vibration be with us.”
As for the key to open the entrance, it was not an inanimate object, but a worm residing in the body of the cult’s last priest, old lady Ilal. The worm was entirely black, about one-fifth the length of an arm, with a remarkably prominent mouthpart.
It crawled out of old lady Ilal’s mouth, with hundreds of tiny legs wriggling. Not only Xia De, but even Miss Aurora found this scene hard to bear. The cat on Xia De’s shoulder was even more alert, wanting to rush forward, seemingly intending to protect Xia De. Mia felt that this worm was smaller than her, so there was no danger at all.
As the incantation was recited, the black worm burrowed into the ground. And with the ground’s Vibration, stone steps leading underground appeared beneath the dark entrance.
【Outsider, you have sensed “Miracle” and “blasphemy.”】
Miracle mostly comes from righteous gods, while blasphemy only comes from evil gods. This was the first time Xia De had encountered a deity possessing both Miracle and blasphemy simultaneously.
Looking at the stone steps before him, Xia De handed Mia to the maidens, as old lady Ilal only allowed Xia De and Miss Aurora to enter the temple.
After waiting a while for ventilation, they descended the steps. The black worm crawled down the wall, lighting the kerosene lamps on both sides of the stairs ahead of them, also illuminating numerous murals depicting terrifying live sacrifices and religious torture.
Xia De once again confirmed that although the Earthshaking Worm had long departed, this Old God was indeed a true evil god.
Perhaps because the cult was already in decline when this place was built, the underground temple was not the large structure Xia De had imagined.
The stone steps were not long. At the end was a temple with holy emblems and statues, dimly lit, making the underground space appear somewhat narrow and rather shabby. On each side of the temple were dark rooms: a Library for storing cult scriptures and a dark room for resting.
It seemed all churches valued holy emblems more than statues. Thus, the statue representing the Earthshaking Worm’s form in the material world was simply placed on a high platform, while the holy emblem—which made Xia De feel as if dozens of worms were crawling on his back just by looking at it—was hung in the most prominent position in the temple.
The holy emblem was made of stone, circular in overall shape. The emblem’s pattern was a coiled worm, and besides some runes filling the gaps, this ancient holy emblem, just by looking at it, gave one a feeling of unsteadiness.
Old lady Ilal opened her mouth and swallowed the black worm, then slowly went to light the candles there, while Xia De and the witch scanned their surroundings. Before coming here, Xia De had some expectation of finding something divine, but unfortunately, there was nothing.
However, in the material world, other divinities must still exist. And rather than confronting an evil god directly, Xia De preferred to seek traces of divinity from myths and legends. Although his current divinity was enough to use until Four Ring if no greater trouble arose, he couldn't really wait until Four Ring to start searching.
After lighting the candles, the old woman knelt on one knee on the cushion beneath the holy emblem and prayed for a long time before leading Xia De up to the high platform in front of the statue.
The ancient statue, weathered by time and witnessing several eras, was not large, roughly similar to an ordinary bust plaster statue. As Xia De approached, he immediately felt an increasingly strong element of blasphemy, and simultaneously, the illusion of the ground vibrating became more pronounced.
The reason he considered this an illusion was that if there truly were an earthquake, the candle flames could not be so stable.
Among the common Knowledge of Ring術士, one rule is never to approach the statues of unknown deities. Even for the sake of acquiring Knowledge, one should confirm the consequences and write a will before approaching.
But this time, Miss Aurora was by his side, and Xia De had no hesitation. Seeing old lady Ilal kneeling again on the cushion beneath the statue, praying softly, he also took a step forward.
His eyes quickly scanned the statue. The bumps on the worm's body were not decorations or runes, but twisted human faces contorted in pain. When Xia De saw them, those faces seemed to come alive, wriggling to express their suffering, even transmitting the pain they endured to Xia De.
But with a blink, the illusion vanished. The impact of this scene, combined with the influence of the evil god's statue itself, made Xia De immediately close his eyes and lower his head.
This was different from the statue of Vampire Duke Loyaer; this statue was a sacred relic of the cult and still received sacrifices. Its influence on mortals was far greater than the former.
He felt someone approach behind him:
“I didn’t expect your mental strength to be so powerful. You’ve come this close and can still look up at the statue.”
It was Miss Aurora; she had also come over.
“Do those grotesque human faces on the statue’s surface have any symbolic meaning?”
Xia De wanted to rest for a moment, to restore his best mental state before looking directly at the statue and feeling the blasphemy.
Miss Aurora, completely disregarding old lady Ilal’s feelings, smiled and explained:
“In ancient times, to appease the so-called wrath of the earth, followers of the Old God Earthshaking Worm would perform live sacrifices, offering blood and souls to the deity to gain peace. It is said that the souls of those sacrificed would be devoured by the Old God and permanently imprisoned within the deity’s shell, subjected to exploitation, attrition, and torment day and night.”
“This is their honor.”
The old woman, still praying with bowed head, suddenly spoke. Although she didn't look up, Xia De believed she still had that benevolent expression.
Miss Aurora smiled again, not refuting, but instead asked:
“Xia De, haven’t you ever wondered? Why are Miracle and blasphemy distinguished by human concepts of good and evil?”
“I’ve thought about it, but I can’t figure it out. Perhaps the distinction between evil gods and benevolent gods just happens to align with good and evil, but in reality, the division of Miracle and blasphemy is due to other reasons.”
“Yes, that’s why there are deities who possess both Miracle and blasphemy. There has been discussion within the council on this point. We believe that Miracle is what should inherently exist, and blasphemy, while seemingly opposite, is actually a derivative of Miracle.”
Miss Aurora said, reaching out behind Xia De and grasping his right hand:
“I cannot explain this better to you; you can only discover it yourself. Feel carefully, Xia De, I will help you carefully feel the power of this Old God. If the power you gain is related to the earth and not Vibration, I think I’ll have to find other methods.”
Her five fingers intertwined with Xia De’s, pushing his hand forward. Xia De, of course, knew this posture was inappropriate, but the statue was right in front of him, and he had no time to refuse.
A strange light emanated from Miss Aurora, passing through her arm to Xia De. Behind them, the Destiny Ring of a Second-Circle Arcanist and a Twelve-Ring Sorcerer appeared in the steam mist. The brass ring, with its dodecagonal cross-section, seemed to help the flat ring rotate:
“Xia De, even a witch cannot do this often. Please make sure to feel this power carefully.”
So their hands pressed tightly against the surface of the statue together.
As his palm touched the statue, Xia De paid no mind to the cold sensation or the slight stinging pain, as if being bitten by worms. He gazed at the statue, truly concerned that the stone worm before him seemed to come alive at that moment, its body wriggling, allowing his hand, pressed tightly against it, to feel the roughness of the stone surface.
Xia De’s eyes began to bleed, but the vibrating power and the terrifying might of the great one that remained there were truly felt by him.
His body wanted to tremble, but the witch behind him held Xia De’s hand steady. Amidst the strange light emanating from the witch, the terrifying mouthpart of the stone great worm directly bit Xia De’s hand. As an unreal pain appeared, Xia De felt as if something exploded in his head.
He felt as if, in the moment, he saw the bloody sacrifices of primitive tribes in ancient times, as if he saw terrifying worm species wandering deep within the earth, as if he traveled through several epochs, and in the most ancient of times, saw worms devouring something in the trembling, crying earth.
Amidst these chaotic illusions, a voice finally appeared in his ear:
【You have touched the statue of the Old God “Earthshaking Worm.”】
【Wandering in the depths of the endless earth, vibrating the land, drawing power from disaster and destruction. In the twilight of old days, in madness, It willingly departed, returning that great power to the earth.】
【You have listened to the story of the Old God “Earthshaking Worm.” You have learned of the blasphemy of the Old God “Earthshaking Worm.”】
Behind Xia De and Miss Aurora, the Twelve-Ring Sorcerer’s Destiny Ring disappeared, and the Second-Circle Arcanist’s Destiny Ring spun rapidly. Both the old woman and the witch turned to look; the dazzling four-color spiritual light that had lit up seemed as if Xia De was using a Miracle, but this was merely the normal state of Xia De’s Ling Rune.
The ground was vibrating, and this time, a small-scale earthquake truly occurred. Accompanying this Vibration, silver spiritual light gathered on the surface of the Destiny Ring. Bells chimed, steam whistles blared, and the dazzling silver spiritual light directly illuminated the entire underground temple space.
This was the first time anyone had witnessed Xia De inscribing a Ling Rune up close. The old woman, being a low-Ring術士, found this scene miraculous, but the witch, however, frowned in surprise.
Even a High-Ring Sorcerer inscribing a Ling Rune shouldn't cause such a commotion. After all, obtaining a Ling Rune is an individual matter for a Ring術士; there's no reason it should affect the environment so strongly.
【Outsider, you have inscribed the silver blasphemy Ling Rune - Vibration.】
The rapidly spinning Destiny Ring gradually slowed, all the spiritual light converging on its surface, finally forming a new rune. The flickering spiritual light gradually stabilized, reaching a level almost identical to 【Kiss of the Tree】 and 【greed】.
“Miss Aurora, that’s enough.”
Xia De breathed deeply, removing his hand from the statue. The statue remained in its original state; the scene of the worm devouring Xia De’s arm was truly just an illusion.
Only a tingling sensation remained in his arm. Because he had received a massive amount of information and felt the deity’s power up close, Xia De stumbled back a step, feeling his back hit something soft. His face reddened; he didn't dare to turn around immediately to observe his Destiny Ring, but he had already felt that power.
The witch retracted her surprised expression, chuckled softly, and withdrew her slender fingers from between Xia De’s. Xia De slowly exhaled, completely averting his gaze from the immense pressure of the statue before him, only then realizing that his entire back was soaked without him noticing.
“Was there an earthquake just now?”
He asked softly, somewhat weakly, half feigned, half due to his genuinely poor mental state.
“A very slight earthquake.”
The witch with long brown wavy hair said, then looked suspiciously at Xia De’s profile:
“Xia De, don’t tell me the Ling Rune you obtained is 【Earthquake】.”
“No, it’s 【Vibration】. This trip has achieved its goal.”
Xia De said, then sighed softly:
“Miss Aurora, you’ve truly been a great help this time.”
“Don’t be so polite; I just helped you pay the travel expenses.”
The witch said easily, looking at Xia De, then back at the statue still standing quietly there. The deity had long departed, but the statue remained terrifying:
“Alright then, let’s go back.”
She also did not wish to comment too much on this place, nor did she wish to face the evil god’s statue for too long. Even a witch is still a mortal.
Thus, this short journey smoothly concluded.
