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The moment Hao-Yun, Evelyn, and Eun-Chae crossed the threshold of the Temple, the world seemed to change.
It was vast, far bigger than what the outside structure had suggested.
The ceiling was so high it vanished into an illusion of a night sky, filled with slow-moving luminaries and glowing celestial clouds that floated like lanterns in the dark.
White jade pillars lined both sides of the central walkway, each carved with scenes of long-forgotten Gods, their battles and ascensions eternally engraved on stones.
The floor beneath them was perfectly reflective, a silver-mirror surface that showed not their physical forms, but their true inner selves.
In the far end, where the Sacred Ashes were said to be sealed, stood a thin, semi-transparent sheet with a sign that said only those with pure mind and soul shall pass through this wall and be worthy of the Great God of Divine Might's attention.
Hao-Yun pointed at the other two, "How about we try passing through it one by one?"
Eun-Chae asked, "Why don't we all at once?"
"No! We can't do that. What if there was a trap and we all fell into it? Going one by one is the best solution."
Eun-Chae, in a low voice, said, "Okay..."
At first, Hao-Yun tried going through the sheet. However, the moment he touched it, the thin sheet seemed to reflect his force. He tried adding more force, but was thrown back by the sheet.
Hao-Yun gave up and asked Evelyn to give it a chance.
She walked towards the sheet and hesitatingly tried touching it. But, nothing happened.
The sheet didn't push her back, nor was she thrown like Hao-Yun. There was no resistance at all.
She added a bit of pressure and easily went past the sheet.
"I did it!" she said.
Hao-Yun then hinted at Eun-Chae, "You should try as well."
But, she looked hesitant, "Isn't it enough to have Evelyn bring back the Ash?"
"No! It's your Task, Evelyn won't be taking care of you forever, you should do things for yourself." Hao-Yun was angered.
Eun-Chae had no choice but to try as well. Slowly, she walked towards the sheet, closed her eyes, and jumped.
Hao-Yun was left dumbfounded; he couldn't believe his eyes. Even Eun-Chae was able to go past the sheet.
"Does that mean only my heart and soul are not pure?" He wondered.
But then he noticed something: "Aren't both Evelyn and Eun-Chae cute and beautiful girls?"
"That must be the case. I bet that God of Divine Might is a womanizer."
Eun-Chae and Evelyn were confused to see why Hao-Yun was frowning over something so trivial.
For the time being, they decided to ignore him and collect some of the Ash.
While they fill it in a small jar, some of the Ash's fragrance goes through their nose.
It tempted them. They could sense how powerful it was and what they could possibly become after using some of it.
But, No... They didn't give in to this temptation.
Both had a single thought, "It would be so wrong to do so."
As soon as the jar was filled, they returned, without looking back. As if they looked back even once, they wouldn't have been able to control themselves.
"Hao-Yun, we've got the Ash," said Evelyn.
"That's great! Now all we have to do is leave this Dream Realm without getting caught."
The three walked over the entrance of the Temple of Divine Might and pushed the door to create enough space for them.
The Divine Beings were still fighting the Great Demon Serpent. It was their best chance to escape.
Slowly, they stepped over the cloud ride.
Then...
THUMP-THUMP...
FWOOSH...
"This is the end!"
The three were surrounded by all the Divine Guards, led by two leaders.
The Leaders were none other than the two lights who were fighting with the Great Ancient Demon Serpent.
"Did you think you could trespass in the Great God's temple and leave as you please?" said the male leader.
"Today! The sin you have done can't be forgiven. Death isn't enough for your punishment, your soul shall be sealed like that Demon Serpent," said the female leader.
"You'll be imprisoned, for eternity, in hell."
Noooooo....
"Waaah! Waaah! Hic.... Ughh... Please... Hic... don't do this... Hic..." Eun-Chae began crying. Her eyes swelled, and her nose was running. It was as if she were a crying baby.
On the contrary, both Hao-Yun and Evelyn thought about how they could escape from this mess.
Hao-Yun apologized to Evelyn, " Evelyn, I'm really sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have dragged you into this mess."
"No, I came on my own; it has nothing to do with you. Besides, if anything, I should be grateful. Because if you didn't save my life that day, I couldn't have seen all this."
"Guards, capture them!" The male leader ordered.
The three could see their life were over. They couldn't possibly do anything against these Divine Beings, much less with these Temporary Bodies.
Suddenly, Hao-Yun thought of something, "Wait! Wait!"
"Please listen to us..."
"What a sinner like you possibly has to say?" The female leader asked.
"Can you please tell us your name?"
"Why?" Both leaders said in unison.
Evelyn and Eun-Chae were confused. They didn't know what Hao-Yun was trying to do. But, Evelyn had a hunch that Hao-Yun had a good plan.
Hao-Yun once again pleaded, "Please, it's really important to us."
"Hmm... I'm Xianyu, the Goddess of Rebirth, and he is Morelian, God of Divine Thunder."
"So it's you, after all, Great Goddess Xianyu and God Morelian. I was wondering why both of you are looking so familiar, you thought so too, right? Evelyn?"
Evelyn joined Hao-Yun's scheme, "Y-Yeah... I- It's the famous Goddess Xianyu and Morelian. I-I know them... I definitely know them!"
Neither God nor the Divine Guards knew what they were trying to do, but hearing that some foreigners knew them made them feel good.
They agreed to listen to their story.
"Say, what you want to say, but don't take too much time!"
Hao-Yun grabbed the opportunity, "Don't worry, Great Goddess, we won't take much time. Still, what our Master said was true."
"Master?" Except for Hao-Yun, everyone was confused. Where did the Master come from?
"Who is your Master? And where did he say about me?" Goddess Xianyu asked.
"Great Goddess, My Master said that among all the Heavens and Chaos, he didn't see a peerless beauty like you, your porcelain-like smooth skin, those soft and supple red lips, your cat-like eyes, and that shiny hair that fades the beauty and texture of the chaotic silkworm. At last, he also said, Your body is a body of true women, you are the role model of every woman, and no one should call themselves beautiful before seeing you."
"This poor peasant only remembers a few phrases my Master used for you."
The Goddess Xianyu was completely melted; she had reached the point where she could favor Hao-Yun or even kill him based on who his Master was.
"Y-You! Who is your Master? Hurry up! Tell me?" Goddess Xianyu was clearly flustered.
"M-M-M, My Master... My Master is..." Hao-Yun was shuddering; he didn't know who to name.
"What Happened? Hurry up, and say it! Who is your Master?"
"My Master is... Ah, Right! My Master is someone people of Heaven can't name casually! He is the origin of existence, he is everything, there's nothing he couldn't see through, he is the epitome of power, the power itself originates from him. He is the might, he is chaos."
"He is the EPHYREON!"
KRRAAKK!
As soon as Hao-Yun said these words, the sky of Heaven turned dark, lightning rumbled, and an invisible pressure spread everywhere.
Both Goddess Xianyu and God Morelian were making a serious expression. The Heavenly Guards were visibly scared.
But Hao-Yun didn't know what he just did?
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