Nan Yue had initially worried they wouldn't be allowed inside, but after hearing their request, Suo Qisi readily led them toward the ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall was located behind the stone house where they had the initiation banquet the previous day. After rounding the massive ant stone statue, they found another stone door.
The door was currently open, and the scent of Ant-red Flowers they had smelled earlier wafted from within.
The space inside the ancestral hall was smaller than the outer stone house, but it was packed with countless ant stone statues.
These statues ranged in size, from as small as a thumb to as large as the giant ant statue outside.
The countless statues were scattered throughout the hall without any orderly arrangement. Stepping inside felt like truly stumbling into an ant's nest.
He Jiang stopped outside the ancestral hall at the right moment. His eyes darted around before he ordered Chen Bin to go in.
Chen Bin didn't want to go, but he had no choice since He Jiang had spoken, so he stayed at the very back of the group.
Nan Yue had Zhu Xi Ning follow her inside, while Gu Xiang Kai and Wen Xiang Yuan stayed on guard outside. Gu Xiang Kai stood like a door god, shielding Wen Xiang Yuan behind him.
This ancestral hall looked much more eerie than the outside. The statues, in particular, were so lifelike they could be mistaken for the real thing, unlike the one outside which clearly looked carved from stone.
Nan Yue examined a waist-high ant stone statue nearby. It was carved from an unknown black stone, and the ant's appearance was vivid, with its antennae and limbs captured perfectly.
Even the luster of the carapace looked remarkably real.
This was why several scavengers hadn't dared to enter; they couldn't tell if there were real ants hidden among the statues.
Zhu Xi Ning was highly focused at this moment, and she gave Nan Yue a slight shake of her head.
There was no danger in this ancestral hall.
Nan Yue walked further in. The hall delved deeper like a cave, with ant stone statues everywhere, including on the ceiling. They had to stoop to pass through some areas.
Nan Yue felt as if they were walking toward the center of the earth, surrounded by long, deep tunnels and countless ant sculptures.
The number of people following Nan Yue dwindled, but she didn't mind. Since it wasn't a life-or-death situation yet, it was natural for some people to avoid taking risks.
In the end, only Shang Xi and Huo Fuyu remained behind Nan Yue.
"I wonder if there are real ants hidden in here..." Shang Xi muttered as she walked. "I'm not afraid of bugs, but this feels pretty disgusting."
Huo Fuyu said softly, "In any case, the thing from the ant nest shouldn't be in here. At least we haven't been affected by hallucinations. So even if there are ants, as long as it's not that thing, there's nothing to fear."
Shang Xi found his reasoning sound and nodded to him gratefully.
Huo Fuyu returned a gentle smile.
Nan Yue glanced back, and Huo Fuyu nodded to her with a smile.
Judging by Huo Fuyu's behavior alone, he looked every bit like a gentle and considerate high-level player who was willing to look out for others.
If only he hadn't told her about that matter...
Nan Yue turned back and continued walking.
When they reached the deepest part, they found a large, circular room.
There wasn't a single ant stone statue inside; it was very clean.
Instead, the room was filled with countless stone coffins.
The stone coffins were arranged in dense rows, one after another, with their lids slightly ajar, revealing they were empty.
Ga Ya and Xie Roufen were standing next to the stone coffin at the very front.
Xie Roufen's face was deathly pale. Everything she had seen along the way was so bizarre that she couldn't keep her composure.
Ga Ya didn't seem to mind the outsiders at all. She was busy filling an empty stone coffin with Ant-red Flowers.
Xie Roufen breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the others arrive. She moved to Nan Yue's side and whispered about her experience.
She hadn't even eaten since returning before Ga Ya brought her here.
First, she was made to kneel in front of the giant ant statue where they ate for over an hour, and then she was brought here.
While Xie Roufen spoke, Nan Yue surveyed the room.
It was unclear how deep this ancestral hall had been excavated, but the space here seemed naturally formed.
Looking up, it was pitch black. It was impossible to tell how high the ceiling was or what might be up there.
Ga Ya filled an entire stone coffin with Ant-red Flowers and then pointed, signaling for Xie Roufen to lie down.
Xie Roufen didn't dare. She was afraid that the moment she lay down, Ga Ya would close the stone coffin.
"Sleep for a night."
Ga Ya's voice was hoarse and low, but her pronunciation was clearer than Suo Qisi's.
Xie Roufen asked with a pale face, "Just me? I'm scared."
Ga Ya simply watched her silently, her face like withered tree bark showing no expression at all.
Being stared at by the excessively large and dark eyes of an Antswamp Village resident was an intangible pressure. Xie Roufen was on the verge of tears, debating whether to listen to the villager or refuse to lie down.
Ga Ya seemed to see through her thoughts and spoke again.
"If you don't lie down, leave Antswamp Village."
Xie Roufen's heart sank. Although one didn't have to follow everything an NPC said, this mission was unique. They could only rest in the village, and leaving before five days were up would be a violation of the rules.
If Ga Ya insisted, her only option was to lie inside.
Xie Roufen lay down with extreme reluctance. Fortunately, Ga Ya didn't close the stone coffin; the lid seemed to be just for show.
"Ga Ya, is the sacrificial rite held here?" Nan Yue took the opportunity to fish for information while Huo Fuyu and Shang Xi were wandering around.
Ga Ya glanced at her and nodded.
The suspicion in Nan Yue's heart grew stronger. "Does the ritual involve all the villagers lying in stone coffins?"
Ga Ya seemed to smile, but her expression was too difficult to read, and Nan Yue couldn't tell if it was just her imagination.
"Yes."
No wonder there were so many stone coffins here; it looked like they could indeed accommodate all the villagers.
"Will she be in danger here alone?" Nan Yue was hesitating whether she should stay behind.
It wasn't to keep Xie Roufen company, of course. It was mainly because the time limit for this mission was tight, and they still didn't have many leads.
Moreover, her intuition told her that this mission was extremely strange. She didn't want to be passive and wait until the final days to gather clues.
Ga Ya looked at her. "She is very safe."
Nan Yue found the phrasing odd. Just as she was debating whether to stay, Zhu Xi Ning, who had been standing silently by her side, suddenly stepped forward and gripped her hand tightly.
Nan Yue turned and saw that Zhu Xi Ning's face was incredibly pale.
She was startled. Had Zhu Xi Ning activated her foresight awakened ability?
Ga Ya also glanced at Zhu Xi Ning. Her wrinkled skin twitched as she suddenly said something nonsensical.
"She has dual souls; the Ant God will like her."
The hair on Nan Yue's arms stood on end. Her entire body tensed, and her killing intent was released involuntarily.
Zhu Xi Ning hadn't expected Ga Ya to say that either. Sensing Nan Yue's tension, she gently squeezed Nan Yue's hand to calm her down.
Nan Yue's lapse in composure only lasted a few seconds, but Ga Ya clearly sensed the danger and retreated several steps.
Perhaps intimidated by Nan Yue, Ga Ya uncharacteristically said a few more words.
"Perhaps the Ant God will give her a blessing."
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