Chapter 34#

Temple of the Burning Lamp 5#

Thinking this, Jude first froze completely, stopping all movement, then slowly, very slowly, lowered his gaze to his feet.

Beneath his two feet, his shadow was still attached.

A breath escaped him. The shadow was still there; so it had been another illusion just now.He slowly turned his head, looking at the full shape of the shadow behind him.

On the green grass lay his black silhouette. It rested quietly there—head, torso, limbs—all present.

Everything was normal. Nothing had happened.

No!

Jude trembled all over, staring in terror at his shadow—

Why wasn’t it moving with him?

Holding his breath, Jude raised his right hand.

It was a large, obvious movement. But his shadow did not raise its hand. It simply lay flat on the ground without moving at all, like another black human figure standing upright, radiating endless coldness and malice.

Jude staggered back a few steps, and the shadow slowly shifted with him, stuck firmly beneath his feet.

Suddenly, it moved.

A sensation of bone‑deep cold shot up from Jude’s right ankle.

“AAAAHHHH—!”

A scream filled with terror and despair exploded from the forest.

Yu Feichen snapped around and looked in that direction.

Jude, what had happened to him?

The next to react was Djuna. She set down the moss in her hand and said, “Honey?!”

The screaming continued, followed by a heavy thud, and then a hoarse cry: “Help me… help me! Ah—!”

Yu Feichen drew his sword in one swift motion, cutting through the branches blocking his way, striding rapidly toward the sound.

The others rushed after him.

The sword tip pushed aside a curtain of vines, revealing a scene that made everyone’s breath catch.

Jude was rolling on the grass, screaming in agony, clutching his right leg. On that leg, countless black‑and‑red tentacles wriggled like tiny snakes—covered in rotting flesh, festering sores, and human mouths. Sharp barbs pierced deep into his skin, and the rotting mouths bit down, refusing to let go.

But the strangest thing was this: all those dark tentacles were stretching out from Jude’s shadow.

Yu Feichen’s eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, his sword flashed in the sunlight and severed Jude’s lower leg.

Blood sprayed. A shriller cry tore from Jude’s throat.

Djuna gasped sharply, wanting to step forward but forcing herself to stop.

The severed lower leg was dragged backward by the vine‑like appendages, rolling away several steps and separating from Jude’s body. Yu Feichen hooked an arm under Jude’s ribs, grabbed his shoulder with the other, and lifted him upward with a sharp command: “Stand up!”

Jude was heavy, and he was collapsing downward with all his weight. Yu Feichen used full strength to pull him up—but he needed Jude to push upward as well, to separate his body from his shadow.

Jude heard him.

Stand up… stand up…

He clenched his teeth, enduring the agony shooting through what remained of his leg, and forced his body upward, following Yu Feichen’s pull.

At the same time, a thought rose in his mind.

What… what was the thing that had just been wrapped around him?

It felt as if an irresistible force twisted his neck, forcing him to look down at the shadow on the ground—his own shadow.

The human‑shape still stood there silently on the ground.

Jude’s eyes widened suddenly.

He saw that on the head of his shadow, where a mouth should be, a mouth really had opened.Then the corners of that mouth slowly curled upward. It opened wide, revealing a pitch‑black cavity, forming a wicked, sinister smile. Endless malice surged forth, as though from a bottomless, blood‑soaked hell.

The strength Jude had just regained drained instantly from his legs. Every bit of resistance evaporated.

Something unseen tugged violently at his heavy body. Yu Feichen felt Jude slip from his grip and crash downward.

The next moment, Jude fell onto his own shadow and began convulsing violently.

This time, the tentacles—covered in sores and mouths—latched onto his throat, nose, eyes, coiled around his chest, pinning him firmly to the ground. Blood splattered everywhere, and the tentacles themselves leaked streaks of red.

Someone grabbed Yu Feichen’s arm and pulled him back. It was the Pope. At the same time, Yu Feichen instantly let go and retreated several steps.

He knew there was no saving Jude.

A broken, rasping sound leaked from Jude’s throat. Blood covered his face. One of his eyes had been pierced and destroyed. He struggled desperately, but the tentacles wrapped him tightly, controlling his body, dragging him inch by inch toward Yu Feichen, the Pope, and the others.

Jude reached a trembling hand toward them, gasping out, “Help… help me…”

His eyeballs bulged outward from pressure, the world before him drowning in red. Suddenly, he saw a chestnut‑colored silhouette—someone staring blankly at him.

It was Djuna, his wife.

A… stupid woman.

His mouth opened. A force he didn’t know he possessed briefly pushed back against the monstrous control over his body.

His hand was still reaching forward, but the “help me” at his lips was swallowed down. He forced out a hoarse, broken cry.

“Run…run…”

Djuna’s face was pale. She lifted her skirt and, trembling, turned around. Bai Song grabbed her arm and dragged her toward a spot with fewer trees and the brightest sunlight.

The scholar immediately bolted after them.

Yu Feichen sheathed his sword, glanced at the ornate, heavy clothing on the Pope that would slow movement, and in a lightning‑quick decision, grabbed Ludwig’s arm and pulled him into a run.

A strong gust swept through the forest. In the deep shadows, a sharp, chilling shriek seemed to echo.

The group stumbled forward as they ran. Yu Feichen observed the surroundings even as he sprinted.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

The shaking tree shadows around them were not only unnaturally dark—they seemed alive, twisting like snakes in response to their movement.

No… that’s not it.

Yu Feichen’s thoughts raced, and his steps faltered for a split second.

The shadows weren’t alive. Something was trying to come out of them!

The next moment proved him right. Just five centimeters from his boot, from the shadow of a treetop, a sinister tentacle condensed in the darkness and shot toward him at lightning speed.

But Yu Feichen had already been wary. He lifted his foot instantly, and with Ludwig pulling him forward, the two leapt away from the shadow.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the tentacle retract in frustration. The darkness, thick as ink, seeped rapidly across more of the surrounding shadows, spreading like spilled dye.

“Don’t touch the shadows,” Yu Feichen said quickly while running. “And don’t let your own shadow touch any other shadow either.”

As soon as he said that, the scholar’s body trembled.

At that instant, his swinging left arm brushed the shadow of a vine. He gritted his teeth and thrust his arm sideways. “Knight Commander!”

Yu Feichen reacted instantly.

His sword flashed—and severed the scholar’s forearm. It all happened in one or two seconds.The severed arm, along with its portion of shadow, fell away. A dark blotch of living shadow wriggled within it, separated from the main shadow attached to the scholar’s body.

They continued running. The shadows chased them like a tide, relentless. Finally, when their strength was nearly gone, warm sunlight washed over them—they burst out of the forest into a clearing by the stream.

Everyone, including their shadows, was out of the forest’s darkness.

Yu Feichen said, “Stop.”

They halted, panting heavily, turning back to stare at the forest.

The black shadows still churned among the trees, but they did not cross into the sunlit ground.

It couldn’t leave the boundary between shadow and light.

Among the group, Yu Feichen had the most stamina and was the quickest to recover.

“The thing that killed Jude was a black monster,” he said. “I don’t know its exact form or size, but it moves extremely fast, hits extremely hard, and—”

He thought of Jude’s strange behavior when he pulled him earlier. “—it may be able to confuse or manipulate the mind.”

The scholar tore fabric to bind his wound while speaking. “Yes.”

The run had left Ludwig’s voice slightly hoarse, but it made him sound more real. “The monster can only move in shadows.”

Yu Feichen nodded.

Yes. From what they had seen, the creature was confined to shadows as strictly as a human is confined to the ground. Even when it reached out, it could only extend briefly, unable to fully leave the shadow.

Bai Song suddenly exclaimed, “So we can’t touch shadows—nor can our shadows touch other shadows, or else…”

Or else the monster could move from an external shadow into one’s own. And a person’s shadow is always connected to their body—once it entered, escape would be impossible, just like Jude.

So where had Jude’s monster originally come from? Yu Feichen thought briefly and concluded it probably had something to do with the lights being extinguished last night.

According to the cloaked old man, the Holy Son had been brutally injured by an evil spirit. That evil spirit was almost certainly this shadow monster. It had entered the couple’s room through the darkness and inhabited Jude’s shadow.

But inside the brightly lit temple, the monster’s movement was severely restricted, so it hadn’t attacked immediately. It waited until they reached the forest before revealing itself.

Meaning the monster had been with them all morning.

Yu Feichen exhaled slowly.

The gatekeeper had been right. Deadly dangers lurked everywhere in these fragment worlds.

Everyone fell silent, lost in their own thoughts. Only Djuna let out a small sob.

Yu Feichen glanced at her. Her face was pale. She leaned against Bai Song, wiping tears from her cheeks.

She was grieving, in pain, but not falling apart. Her mind was still clear.

Yes. She had actually been rational the entire time. Yu Feichen clearly remembered—though she had grumbled about avoiding shadows, she had carefully avoided them throughout the entire search. And in fact, she had not touched her husband at all since the beginning of the morning.

Djuna looked up at him. Yu Feichen withdrew his gaze.

He didn’t know what Djuna now thought of this world, but that wasn’t his concern. A clear‑headed companion was better than a hysterical burden.

At that moment, the Pope spoke. “Look over there.”

Yu Feichen followed his gaze. A deep green shadow flickered where they had come from, paused, then darted into the dense forest.

A lizard!

“What’s over there?” Yu Feichen narrowed his eyes.

“Blood,” the scholar answered.

He had finished binding his severed arm, but earlier, during their escape, he had left a trail of blood on the ground.

Yu Feichen looked straight at him. The man was hiding something.

The scholar did not deny it. He grimaced in pain, then flipped open the bestiary again and turned to pages he had not shown earlier.

There, among the entries of many lizard species, one trait appeared repeatedly in their habits: fondness for fresh blood.

The scholar had read every word in the book last night. He had known this, but had not mentioned it earlier.

Last night he had been warned to beware shadows; yet this morning he told them not to worry too much.

And just like Djuna, he had carefully avoided shadows all morning.

Whose blood had he intended to use to lure the lizards?

Probably anyone’s but his own.

But now, he was the only one bleeding. And during the bandaging, he had left a large puddle of blood beneath him.

There was no time to delve into intentions. They quickly decided to hide behind a nearby rock, leaving the blood to attract the lizards.

The book was right. Soon, several rustling figures approached—lizards. These lizards were ugly and wicked, with mottled scales and long red tongues greedily lapping at the blood.

Now that the lizards had come, the next step was to catch them.

But it was far harder than expected.

The clearing was too open—any movement was visible. Bai Song rushed out first, but the moment he appeared, the lizards scattered like lightning.

Next, Yu Feichen dug a trap with his sword, covering it with leaves and grass. If a lizard stepped on it, it would fall in.

But when the lizards returned, they avoided the spot entirely, seeming to have seen through his plan.

They were all equally intelligent. After two attempts, none came near again.

“What now?” Bai Song ruffled his hair anxiously.

Their blood couldn’t lure them anymore. They were stuck.

But—

Yu Feichen looked toward the depths of the forest.

There was another place with plenty of blood.

Where Jude had died.

But going there meant risking another encounter with the monster.

They voted.

Unexpectedly, besides the Pope, Yu Feichen, and Bai Song, Djuna also chose to go.

The scholar, with one arm severed, was unable to move well and stayed behind.

They followed their previous path back into the forest.

When running out earlier, the sun had been behind them and shadows before them, easy to see. But on the return trip, their shadows fell behind them. To ensure none brushed other shadows, they had to walk in single file, each person watching the shadow of the one in front.

Someone had to take the back, with an unguarded shadow.

Ludwig said, “I’ll be last.”

Yu Feichen glanced at him. “I should.”

Ludwig gave him a faint look.

Then said, in as few words as possible: “You’re taller.”

True—Yu Feichen was taller, so his shadow would be longer.

But that didn’t dissuade him.

He looked at Ludwig’s shadow and replied with meaning.

“Your Holiness,” he said, “you wear too many layers.”

The Pope’s formal attire was dignified and beautiful, but the long hems and wide sleeves enlarged the area of his shadow.

The Pope turned and walked forward.

Yu Feichen raised an eyebrow, feeling he’d won that round, and followed behind.

This time, entering the forest, they moved carefully. They avoided every shadow perfectly, encountering no incidents.

They reached the spot again.

Behind the bushes lay an extremely gory sight.

Jude had been completely dismembered. Blood, flesh, head fragments, bones, organs—all scattered across the ground. His face was unrecognizable, his eyes were gone, some organs missing—likely eaten by the monster.

Among the crimson mess, a large swarm of lizards feasted. Their scaled heads were buried in the corpse, tearing and sucking greedily. There were dozens more here than earlier, and their frenzy was far more intense.

Bai Song turned pale, about to retch.

The one who stepped forward, volunteering to catch the lizards from the corpse, was Djuna—her face equally pale.

Yu Feichen nodded.

She took out the silk parasol that noblewomen carried at their waist, opened it, then bit down and snapped the thin handle, turning it into a cover.

Then, showing astonishing caution and precision befitting a veteran gamer, she removed her heavy dress, leaving only a short lace chemise. This reduced her silhouette and increased mobility.

Barefoot, clutching the parasol cover, lips pressed tightly, she crept toward her husband’s mangled corpse.

No lizard noticed her.

Then she lunged.

A heavy thud. Her whole body toppled forward with the parasol cover pressing down over the remains. Blood splattered over her arms and legs.

The lizards scattered—but four were trapped under the parasol cover.

Yu Feichen moved swiftly, pulling the lizards out and wrapping them inside his cloak, tying it into a bag.

Djuna silently put her clothes back on. Before leaving, she took one deep, agonized look at her husband’s remains, then turned away resolutely.

They returned to the clearing and rejoined the scholar.

Now they had lizards.

With lizards, they could extract the hearts—thus obtaining a “lizard’s heart.”

But what exactly was the Heart of the Weeping Lizard?

Yu Feichen took out one of the ugly, multicolored lizards. Its eye sockets were clean and empty; sparks flickered on the spikes along its body as it tried to bite him.

Would a magical lizard cry?

Were they supposed to make the lizard weep from sadness before extracting its heart?

Impossible. No one could converse with lizards.

What should they do?

Everyone was deep in thought.

Was there some magic allowing communication with animals?

No. It couldn’t be that complicated.

Then—an idea flashed across Yu Feichen’s mind.

He looked up and spoke one word.

“Salt.”

The scholar echoed, “Salt…?”

But Djuna’s eyes lit with sudden understanding.

“The Knight Commander is right,” she said, her voice trembling with excitement. “I know crocodiles shed tears to expel salt from their bodies. Maybe—maybe lizards do the same! We can force it to eat salt.”

Yu Feichen had indeed been thinking along those lines.

In scientific terms, crocodiles, lizards, and other such creatures often cannot secrete metabolic waste through their skin; they expel excess salt through glands near their eyes, appearing as tears.

Whether this scientific principle worked in a magical world was uncertain, but without other clues, they had no choice but to try.

To make it cry, they needed salt.

Where could they find salt? The temple kitchen?

Looking at the temple ahead, and recalling the utterly unseasoned, dreadful salads at the dining table, the same question arose in all their minds.

Would a place like this… really use salt?