### Chapter 8: Temple (11)
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The desperate struggles and cries of Firefly just before her demise were vividly etched in Lin Nan’s mind.
What she didn’t expect was that just as she decapitated Firefly, and knelt down to smoothen the eyes of her severed head, two faint words escaped from Firefly’s lips: “Left hand.”
Now that was a testament to the formidable vitality of the Fallen Species.
Before leaving the underground room, Lin Nan pried open Firefly’s left hand, and to her surprise, there was indeed an object nestled in the palm.
It was that little wooden carving she had set beside the oil lamp for a closer inspection.
The surface of the sculpture was dark and extraordinarily smooth at the edges, clearly having been fondled continuously for years.
She examined it again and again; the carving appeared to depict a humanoid figure, with a distinct carved line between its small head and bulky body.
What was truly astonishing was that, despite its small size, the figure’s facial features radiated a mysterious, compassionate aura; if you stared into its eyes long enough, you could almost feel it about to spring to life.
What on earth was this?
Why did Firefly clutch it tightly even until her last moments, and why did she insist on telling Lin Nan to take it with her?
After pondering for quite a while, Lin Nan still couldn’t decipher it.
Even Jing Feng, who was usually composed and reliable, couldn’t make heads or tails of it when Lin Nan handed it to her.
Could it be that this little wooden carving was merely Firefly’s beloved object and she just didn’t want it to be lonely in the afterlife, thus entrusted it to Lin Nan?
Even if it was a dying wish from Firefly to ensure that this little wooden carving had company, that was fine too.
She was just an ordinary female player, who serendipitously found herself in this bizarre situation. She hadn’t done anything wrong; everyone wants to live, it’s just the instinct for survival.
Moreover, once a person transforms into a Fallen Species, it’s highly likely that their brain undergoes a makeover too, becoming ruthless and bloodthirsty.
The surprise was that, even in such a condition, Firefly still held onto this exquisite little carving.
Well, she’ll keep it with her for now; perhaps one day she would understand Firefly’s intentions.
On snowy days, darkness always creeps in early. By around six in the evening, the sky was almost indistinguishable from midnight.
Lin Nan didn’t rush into action, patiently waiting until midnight. Once she was confident that the entire Sky Sword City was in a deep slumber, she gently opened the window and, welcoming the flurry of snowflakes, swiftly slipped into the boundless, inky night.
With the heavy snow as her ally, Lin Nan felt as if she had sprouted wings.
She danced like a graceful sprite amid the relentless snowflakes, and the exhilarating feeling was simply irresistible.
First stop: the edge of the city wall of Sky Sword City.
Lin Nan had a lingering suspicion about what Li Hanbo said; after all, the strength of a Fallen Species would be drastically amplified after their transformation. For them, climbing over a wall like this would likely require just a few steps.
Why wait to d*e inside the city?
However, Lin Nan was taken aback when she discovered that a transparent membrane actually coated the city wall. Even in the pitch-black snowy night, it glimmered ever so slightly.
She reached out her finger, only for it to be stopped cold by the membrane. The snowstorm continued outside, but she couldn’t get a single step beyond the wall.
Immediately, she took flight, hoping to find another exit from above.
Yet, it seemed that the creator of the barrier hadn’t left any glaring loopholes. About a thousand meters above ground, all paths were sealed off.
After a fruitless explore, Lin Nan reluctantly landed.
It appeared Li Hanbo hadn’t lied.
Well then, her next destination was the Sighs Temple located at the fountain square in the center of the city.
As she glided over the drifting snow, Lin Nan arrived at her destination without breaking a sweat.
Unfortunately, after a thorough search, she found no hidden passages leading underground.
This only confirmed that the so-called Sighs Temple was not genuinely located directly beneath Sky Sword City, but was more akin to a Small Cave Heaven.
Perhaps the temple could only be revealed when the Man in Black Robe was present.
Could it be that she would have to return empty-handed today?
Just as Lin Nan was preparing to leave, the tiny wooden carving in her pocket suddenly began to shake violently, bouncing around like a headless chicken.
She quickly opened the pocket, and the little carving sprung onto the thick blanket of snow, bouncing and leaping like a spring.
Then, something astonishing happened.
As the carving hopped, a passage leading underground slowly opened right at the center of the fountain. From a distance, the tunnel appeared deep and unfathomable, with every snowflake that fell into it disappearing in an instant.
Lin Nan raised her hand, and the little wooden carving, seemingly in sync with her thoughts, hopped back into her palm.
Though she didn’t understand what was happening, she gently patted its head and whispered, “Thank you.”
Instantly, the wooden carving lost its momentum and stiffly fell over.
But that didn’t matter. Lin Nan shoved it back into her pocket, donned a mask to conceal her face, and slowly walked into the tunnel.
At that moment, she felt no panic—only a tingling mix of vigilance and excitement. Maybe the answers causing turmoil in Sky Sword City awaited her below, just waiting to be uncovered.
The moment she stepped into the tunnel, it was as if an invisible door shut behind her, and the blustery snowstorm vanished without a trace.
Lin Nan seemed to have anticipated this.
Without looking back, she calmly descended the stairs, step by steady step.
How long did she walk? Maybe it was just a few minutes or perhaps several hours.
All she knew was that, in this place, she had lost her sense of time, forgetting when she first set foot on this endless path.
Finally, when Lin Nan’s right foot landed on the hard stone floor for the first time, the passage behind her swiftly disappeared as if her lengthy walk down the stairs was just a figment of her imagination.
Lin Nan didn’t have the time to think about how to go back because a grand underground palace loomed before her, resembling the Sighs Temple deep in the East Sea by about 80-90%. Had it not been for the fact that the East Sea Underground Palace was her true home, she wouldn’t have recognized the distinctions so quickly.
Of course, the biggest difference was that in the center of this underground palace stood a colossal and awe-inspiring stone statue.
It towered over the entire underground palace, reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty standing regally, surveying the vast and desolate surroundings.
Lin Nan cautiously stepped deeper into the underground palace, and to be safe, she didn’t take to the air.
Since the East Sea Temple could give rise to Frost North Snow, this so-called substitute Sighs Temple couldn’t also harbor some kind of consciousness, could it?
But it seemed that there were no living beings here at all.
As Lin Nan approached the statue and looked up at its grandeur, she couldn’t help but frown slightly and take two steps back.
That statue… why did it look so familiar?
