Chapter 18: The Moon Goddess Mural

As the distance from the stairs increased, the surrounding light grew dimmer and dimmer.

Before long, the sky had turned a murky grey, as if night would fall at any second.

The severed heads lining the path no longer mocked or insulted the four of them; instead, they kept their lips tightly sealed, their faces filled with terror, not daring to make even the slightest sound.

Seeing this, Wisdom Star tried to provoke them with a few remarks, but the heads simply ignored him.

"This is truly strange," Wisdom Star murmured, shaking his head slightly.

"Perhaps it is because we are drawing closer to the Moon God," Qian Cangyi said, recalling the legend Yan Ruoxuan had spoken of.

The Moon God, the ruler of Hefang Island.

"We should be careful; there may be danger ahead." No sooner had Ning Jing spoken than she suddenly jerked her head upward.

Almost simultaneously, Qian Cangyi also looked up. Not just him, but Wisdom Star and Xiao Tian did the same.

The four of them seemed to have sensed the change in the sky at the same moment, prompting them to lift their heads in unison.

The murky sky had turned completely black, yet it was brighter than before, for the crimson blood moon now hung suspended in the heavens.

Compared to before, the blood moon was much larger, occupying nearly a third of the sky.

Qian Cangyi scanned his surroundings and noticed that since the appearance of the blood moon, the heads along the path did not dare to open their eyes, let alone speak.

The heads kept their eyes tightly shut, their expressions serene—like schoolchildren taking a nap who had suddenly heard the teacher's footsteps—a stark contrast to their previous behavior.

"Why so soon?" Xiao Tian frowned deeply.

During the blood moon, they were not free to discuss things as they pleased; they had to act according to their designated roles, and there was a risk of being suddenly possessed by them.

While they might gain some information, all things considered, it was much safer during the non-blood moon periods.

"Do you think it's possible that because we are closer to the Moon God's altar, the blood moon no longer follows the rules?" Ning Jing suggested.

Wisdom Star nodded and said, "That is very likely. This Hefang Island cannot be an ordinary island. It is a pity that Yan Ruoxuan is already..."

"Sigh, what exactly is the Moon God? Why does it possess the power to grant people's wishes?"

After speaking, he tilted his head to look at the blood moon, his eyes unfocused, as if lost in thought.

"Granting wishes?" Qian Cangyi shook his head. "The heads mentioned earlier that we are under the Moon Shadow Curse, which means the Moon God has already granted our wishes. In other words, we have signed a contract with the Moon God. I think it would be more accurate to call it a transaction rather than a wish—a transaction between human and god."

"Look ahead," Xiao Tian said, pointing his right hand forward.

Qian Cangyi followed the direction of Xiao Tian's finger; in the darkness, a cave appeared, looming in and out of sight.

"Could there be danger inside?" Ning Jing asked, her expression anxious.

"Certainly, but do we have a choice?" Wisdom Star took off his backpack and produced a flashlight. "I will go in and take a look. You wait here for me. If I don't return after a long time, then you are on your own."

"Wait, I'll go with you," Qian Cangyi stepped forward and pulled out his own flashlight. "It's safer with two people."

Wisdom Star widened his eyes, looked Qian Cangyi up and down, then nodded. "Very well."

Qian Cangyi stepped forward, stood side-by-side with Wisdom Star, and together they walked toward the cave.

"Be careful," Ning Jing waved her right hand.

"Stay safe," Xiao Tian added.

The cave entrance was large, two people high, wide enough for five people to walk through abreast.

Standing at the entrance, Qian Cangyi raised his flashlight, letting the beam sweep across the interior. "Strange, I think I see gaps between the bricks."

Wisdom Star nodded and walked inside, with Qian Cangyi following closely behind.

The moment they stepped into the cave, the surrounding light seemed to be swallowed up entirely, leaving only the beam of the flashlight to illuminate the path.

The only thing that remained unchanged was the crimson blood moon hanging in the sky; however, unlike outside the cave, the blood moon cast no light within.

After entering, Qian Cangyi stopped. Although Wisdom Star continued to move forward, Qian Cangyi did not follow.

It was too dark inside, and rushing forward blindly could be dangerous.

Qian Cangyi crouched down, the light of his flashlight illuminating the ground a meter in front of him.

He touched a crack in the floor with his left hand, feeling a slight stinging sensation on his fingertip. Then, he moved the flashlight to scan the surroundings.

The floor was clean, tidy, and remarkably level—completely different from what one would expect inside a cave.

"Let's slow down," Qian Cangyi called out.

Hearing this, Wisdom Star looked back and nodded, though he did not stop, merely slowing his pace.

Qian Cangyi stood up, feeling deeply curious. Logically, the path inside a cave should be rugged and uneven, yet it was not.

The floor of the cave was not only level, but constructed entirely of neatly laid bricks.

He moved his flashlight and turned to look at both sides; the space inside the cave was far larger than it had appeared from the outside.

"This doesn't look like a cave; it looks more like a palace," Qian Cangyi voiced his thoughts.

Up ahead, Wisdom Star had already walked quite a distance.

Qian Cangyi quickened his pace to catch up. After a dozen seconds, the light ahead gradually shifted to the left and stopped.

"Did you find something?" Qian Cangyi followed the light.

As they drew closer, a massive mural gradually appeared before Qian Cangyi's eyes.

"Hmm, this mural is quite interesting," Wisdom Star said, turning his head to look at Qian Cangyi.

Qian Cangyi took two steps back and held his flashlight high, letting the beam move slowly across the mural from left to right.

Against a blue backdrop, yellow cross-shaped stars were scattered across the upper portion of the mural; the stars were of various sizes, arranged in different positions.

As his gaze shifted downward, the blue background faded, leaning more toward a blue-white hue. Then, Qian Cangyi saw two moons spaced far apart, though they differed in color—one was a pure white, while the other was a blood-red that sent a chill down his spine.

Qian Cangyi glanced at the red moon on the mural, then looked up at the crimson blood moon above, unable to help but connect the two.

He continued to look down and saw a truly bizarre scene.

Beneath each moon was a human figure, complete with arms and legs, wearing robes of different colors.

The robe beneath the white moon was also white, with faint golden light at the edges; the robe beneath the red moon was black, emitting a faint red glow.

Seeing this, Qian Cangyi could not help but take a deep breath; he felt his heart rate quicken.

He looked further down and saw green grass, yet neither figure’s feet touched the ground; they were hovering a distance above it.

Below that was the floor.

After finishing the first painting, many thoughts flooded Qian Cangyi's mind. He then turned to look at Wisdom Star.

"Finished looking?" Wisdom Star asked, staring into Qian Cangyi's eyes.

"This mural..." Qian Cangyi glanced back at the wall.

"Perhaps the people in it are the Moon God. Regardless, there is no immediate danger for now. Let’s call Duan Ling and the others in, hehehehe." With that, Wisdom Star held the flashlight under his chin and pointed it upward; his face suddenly took on a sinister appearance.