Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 837 - 87: Peril at the Water Source

As Luo Pan grumbled, he wiped the sweat from his brow, looking up at the sky while cursing, "What kind of broken place is this? At night it’s as cold as a coffin, and during the day it’s as hot as a volcano. How is anyone supposed to live?"

The temple referred to by the Mountain Barbarian tribe was located at opposite ends of the village from the stone house where the Four Unlikes Team was staying — one to the south, the other to the north. The group was unfamiliar with the village’s terrain and had to rely on their feet to explore.

After walking for nearly two hours, the air, initially cool, turned blistering hot.

In the east, the clouds appeared to be ignited by fire, glowing red.

No wonder they say in the Ruins of the Fallen, only four hours of daylight are safe; if they can’t find the Water Source in another hour, they’re sure to become human jerky under the sun.

Though they had heard such things before, experiencing such a day after a difficult night only added to their exhaustion.

Fortunately, Luo Pan’s complaints didn’t last long, as a building resembling a temple appeared not far away.

It was a temple typically found in ordinary villages, modeled after the Earth God, with a glazed gold altar at the entrance, which had long been devoid of incense.

The main entrance of the temple consisted of two wooden doors, one taller than the other. There was a large gap at the bottom of the threshold, letting the wind rush through like a person missing teeth, creating a hollow "whoosh" sound.

As they reached the temple, Luo Pan was about to kick open the wooden door when Yue Jinghua grabbed him by the neck, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hey, Captain, there’s no time left. If we don’t get the water and return quickly, we’re going to dry up like jerky anyway," Luo Pan complained, already slick with sweat after a day and night without water, leaving him parched.

"This doesn’t look like a place with water around. Be wary of traps," Yue Jinghua cautioned, sharing the suspicion with Ying Wuwang.

The Sky Witch Village had been abandoned for millennia, and the climate didn’t suggest abundant rainfall.

There were no waterways or drainage channels in the vicinity, obviously not meeting the requirements for the Water Source.

To blindly trust the words of a female Mountain Barbarian who had died seemed too rash; the temple might harbor Demon Beasts or remnants of the Mountain Barbarian tribe.

After searching the area thoroughly, Yue Jinghua found no traces of Demon Beast activity, only a few scattered footprints at the temple entrance.

Beside the footprints were marks left by dragged iron chains, suggesting the Mountain Barbarians had been active here recently.

"Finally, we can go in; I’m dying of thirst," Luo Pan’s round face was already flushed, his lips cracked and peeling, clearly suffering from dehydration.

As Luo Pan spoke, he reached for the shaky wooden doors, and unexpectedly, they swung open, bringing a strange gust of wind.

Despite the protective Divine Rune, Luo Pan was hit directly by the fierce gust, seeing stars and his knees buckled, causing him to fall.

"Who’s there?" Dazed by the blow, Luo Pan cursed, "Come out, if you’re brave enough to fight me in three hundred rounds, attacking with hidden weapons is cowardly!"

Glancing at the ground, Luo Pan saw the "hidden weapon" that had struck him.

Upon seeing the object clearly, his round face turned ashen.

It wasn’t a hidden weapon; it was a human head.

The head had a nest of brown hair, a flat nose, and a wide forehead, looking ugly but vaguely familiar, clearly belonging to the Mountain Barbarian who clashed with the Four Unlikes Team last night.

The most terrifying thing was that the head which struck Luo Pan had empty sockets below the eyes, leaving gory holes, with the tongue wrenched out.

Such a death was indeed frightening.

Even Ying Wuwang frowned upon seeing it.

"Hehe, the Mountain Barbarians from yesterday are surprisingly reliable. Early in the morning, they’ve sent me a delicacy. Little tubby, your pale skin and tender meat look quite appetizing," a voice like an old crow came from the temple.

The voice was piercingly unpleasant, grating on the ears as if scraping the eardrum, unbearably uncomfortable.

"Captain, Captain, we’ve been tricked!" At Luo Pan’s realization, he scrambled towards Yue Jinghua.

The Mountain Barbarians indeed set them up, drawing them here; there was no Water Source, those crafty barbarians sought harm even in death.

Luo Pan had wronged the Mountain Barbarians; they differed from the Dark Practitioners in Canglong Continent, lacking such cunning. They found the Water Source, but the terrified female Barbarian forgot to say it had been seized.

The temple housed an unknown unmatched expert.

Having tracked the water trace, the Mountain Barbarians sought to claim the temple but lost several strong tribe members in vain.

Negotiations followed, and the expert agreed to provide water based on the tastiness of "live food" the Barbarians would find in the village.

Thus the Mountain Barbarians demanded two members from the Four Unlikes Team, intending to offer them to the formidable expert.

At this point, the wooden doors opened wide, and the temple’s interior was fully visible.

Years of neglect had left the temple strewn with withered leaves.

In the courtyard center stood a phoenix tree, beneath which an ancient stone well had been constructed using ancient blue stones, its depths holding cool, refreshing water.

"What’s this?" Ying Wuwang attempted to enter the temple, but upon approach, he immediately retreated, his expression changing, "Domain!"

The temple, with the two wooden doors as its boundary, displayed stark contrast inside and out.

Upon stepping in, Ying Wuwang felt thrust out by a formidable repelling force, unmistakable.

Domain?! A genuine Domain Power.

To the Dark Heavenly, it’s absolute suppression from the Domain Power.

The remaining three seeking water, including Yue Jinghua, showed shocked expressions.

The presence of a Domain implied the temple housed a Domain Expert.

In the Ruins of the Fallen, everyone’s cultivation should be forcibly reduced to the Dark Heavenly level, yet the temple’s mysterious expert could deploy Dark Power to establish a Domain here?

Everyone was stunned, not daring to move forward. In another’s Domain, subjugation is likely, and at worst, death can occur, understood even by Luo Pan.