Chapter 11: Light Source

## Chapter 11: Light Source

“Where exactly have we ended up? I want to go home...” Some female students couldn't help but cry out.

“Another five-colored altar...” Pang Bo and Ye Fan stood together, exchanging glances before shaking their heads. They had been best friends since university, frequently meeting even after graduation, and knew each other well. Both now felt the situation was dire, everyone's circumstances precarious, filled with uncertainty and variables.

At this moment, the others also withdrew their gaze from the vast desert, anxiously and chaotically surveying their surroundings.

The massive bronze coffin lay overturned behind them, and beneath it was a grand five-colored stone altar, very similar to the colossal altar they had seen on Mount Tai, constructed from five different colored megaliths.

The five-colored stone altar covered an immense area; one could imagine the immense undertaking its construction must have been. However, years of wind and sand erosion had almost entirely buried the towering altar, which now lay level with the reddish-brown gravel-strewn ground.

Only today, with the nine dragons pulling the coffin and crashing heavily into the ground, were the surrounding sands shaken away, revealing a rough outline of the altar. Not only did the colossal bronze coffin lie across the altar, but all nine enormous dragon corpses also rested upon it, hinting at the five-colored stone altar's vastness.

“We... we're lost. There's no way back.” A fragile female student cried out, her body swaying. If no one had been supporting her, she would have collapsed to the ground.

Many people turned pale. At this moment, everyone imagined various possibilities; the scene before them strongly resembled an alien world. No one wanted to accept this reality, but Mount Tai was gone, and the vast desert lay before them, forcing them into silence.

“Don't panic, don't be afraid! There will be a solution,” Ye Fan shouted loudly.

“How can we solve this? How do we go back? How do we... leave this unfamiliar world?” Even some male students' voices trembled now, filled with intense fear and unease.

The unknown fills some people with awe and dread, while simultaneously sparking a desire for exploration in others.

Ye Fan and Pang Bo avoided the nine massive dragon corpses and walked forward, wanting to survey the nearby area.

Li Xiaoman was nearby, seemingly feeling cold, clutching her arms. Her beautiful face was somewhat pale, yet she remained remarkably calm, like a pure lotus blooming in the dim light. As Ye Fan passed by, he took off his jacket and offered it to her, but she simply said thanks and then shook her head, refusing it.

Ye Fan didn't say much; he wasn't trying to rekindle anything. Putting his jacket back on, he continued walking forward with Pang Bo. Rounding the colossal dragon corpses and the bronze coffin, they saw Li Xiaoman's American classmate, Caden, also observing the surroundings, exclaiming “God” from time to time.

Not far from the five-colored stone altar lay a massive rock, more than twenty meters high. Its slope wasn't very steep, making it possible to climb.

Ye Fan was about 1.79 meters tall. Although his appearance seemed quiet, he was actually very strong, a key player on the university football team, often called a “savage” on the field.

As for Pang Bo, his name suited him well. He wasn't fat but genuinely strong, a burly giant whose arms were almost as thick as a normal person's legs.

Both were in excellent physical condition. They ran quickly towards the giant rock, not bothering with careful climbing, and simply rushed up. Standing on the rock and looking into the distance, they were quite surprised to see faint glimmers of light piercing through the gloom.

“We probably can't go back.” Ye Fan spoke his conjecture and judgment directly to his best friend, holding nothing back: “This definitely isn't our original time and space.”

“This is indeed no longer our original time and space.” Although Pang Bo was usually carefree, he never joked about serious matters. He gazed at the faint halo of light in the distance, frowning as he asked, “Do you think there are really gods in this world?”

Ye Fan was also staring at the flickering light in the distance, saying, “We've even seen dragon corpses. I don't think I'd be surprised if a living god appeared before us now.”

“A living god appearing before us... what would that be like?” Pang Bo murmured.

A sound came from behind them; Caden, who was 1.9 meters tall, had also climbed the giant rock. When he saw the light in the distance, he immediately let out a cry of surprise.

“Praise... merciful God, I... I see light!” he exclaimed in somewhat halting Chinese, then turned and vigorously waved his hand backward, shouting loudly to Li Xiaoman in the crowd: “I see... light!” Afterwards, he climbed down from the rock and rushed towards Li Xiaoman.

Caden's shouting instantly threw the crowd into a commotion, and many people ran towards them.

Pang Bo glanced at Li Xiaoman and Caden, who were standing together not far away, and asked Ye Fan, “Is that foreigner really Li Xiaoman's boyfriend?”

“How would I know?”

“Are you really just giving up?” Pang Bo eyed him sidelong.

“Some things, even if you can start over, it's hard to return to the original point. Even if it's the same path, passing by it twice in life won't feel the same. Those are all things of the past; one must move forward.” Ye Fan shook his head, then seemed to recall something and chuckled, “You're the one who lives so freely, with such a colorful nightlife.”

“I despise you. My life is nowhere near as rich as yours,” Pang Bo said, looking at Ye Fan, then glancing at Li Xiaoman not far away. “Based on a man's intuition, I just feel like something will still happen between you two.”

“Stop ruining my reputation,” Ye Fan chuckled. “Do you have a sixth sense like a woman?”

At this moment, perhaps only these two could still manage a smile. Neither was a pessimist, and it was hard for them to be downcast, no matter the circumstances.

Before long, many people climbed onto the massive rock and gazed into the distance. Faint lights flickered like fireflies, piercing the dim space and catching everyone's eyes. Although the light source wasn't bright, it seemed to ignite hope in the crowd, and many female students cheered.

There was a faint light ahead. Although it still promised the unknown, everyone wanted to move forward. Perhaps this was human nature: fearing darkness and yearning for light.

“Please don't let us down.”

“We hope a miracle will happen.”

Everyone successively climbed down the giant rock and gathered before the five-colored altar to discuss a plan.

“Everything here is very strange to us. Even if there's light ahead, it's best to be careful,” Wang Ziwen, being more cautious, suggested.

Zhou Yi, who had remained calm, nodded upon hearing this. “That's right. Let's send a few people to scout ahead first. The light doesn't seem very far, anyway, just in case.”

Everyone else agreed. No one could predict the unknown path ahead, and in unfamiliar surroundings, it was best to be cautious about everything.

Thump!

Suddenly, a violent tremor occurred, and the bronze coffin on the five-colored altar emitted a metallic vibration.

“What happened?”

“I think it sounded like it came from inside the bronze coffin,” said a female student closest to it, her face pale.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed. They knew there was a smaller copper coffin containing a body inside the enormous one.