Chapter 368

Chapter 368: Black Church

Darkness descended, and Yu Sheng let his mind sink into that familiar, gentle calm.

He didn’t try to shove his consciousness back into the other Hotel and “wake up early.” Instead, he relaxed and lingered in the brief peace. With this rare—well, not actually that rare—clarity, he drifted through memory, letting his thoughts spread out in the boundless quiet.

He recalled everything he’d seen on the behemoth’s back.

That torn planet was obviously the Grand Void Spiritual Axis. He’d witnessed an ending before history—a destruction that happened before birth.

Thinking of the massive Divine Armament Peak he’d seen in that desert, and the inscriptions carved inside it, the answer became hard to deny.

This bizarre otherworld deep in the underground mine on Nethermoon had a special trait: it randomly reflected scenes from the late Old World before a visitor.

But… why?

Yu Sheng had never heard of an otherworld like this. Everything he’d learned—from Bai Li Qing, from Immortal Yuan Ling—pointed to one truth: all intelligence from the Old World was blocked behind the event barrier formed by the second singularity outbreak. Sealed behind the historical curtain. It shouldn’t have been able to leak to this side at all.

…Was someone sending Old World intelligence over?

Was there something deep inside the otherworld recording messages from the Old World?

Or was the event barrier being pierced by some force, letting the Old World seep through?

Or… was it all three?

His thoughts churned. Details he’d ignored resurfaced. Memories layered over memories until countless guesses and fragile connections sprouted in the dark.

After who knew how long, his scattered mind began to gather again. He felt himself rising, crossing that boundary of chaos and drifting toward something like waking.

In the haze, he “saw” the darkness retreat.

He “saw” blond Luna leading her knight group on patrol across that barren wilderness.

He “saw” the bronze knight guarding the great bonfire that had somehow reignited.

And he “saw” a black cathedral that had somehow risen between that nameless hill and the bonfire wasteland.

The cathedral burned with light from within. Thin mist curled around its towers.

Yu Sheng: “…”

He’d almost returned to life. His mind was already climbing toward the edge of escaping the dead’s chaos. But as he crossed the threshold, he caught sight of the sanctuary wasteland and got hard-locked on the spot.

Something was wrong.

He needed to look.

With a thought, Yu Sheng guided his consciousness downward and landed directly in the sanctuary wasteland.

In the gray, quiet wilderness, he stared up at the black cathedral—spires, towers, and all—standing where nothing should have stood. After a long moment, he started forward.

As he approached, the heavy doors—like they’d been cast from black iron—opened on their own. The creak echoed through the fog.

A strange, absurd thought flashed through Yu Sheng’s mind: any second now, some rousing background music would start, a woman would begin singing, and a boss health bar would pop up above the church.

He shook his head, threw the association away, and walked on with wary curiosity.

He crossed a corridor more than ten meters long, passed an outer wall lined with narrow windows and pointed spires, and entered the church courtyard.

Pale stone slabs paved the ground. On both sides of the path were flowerbeds and nurseries. Dark soil held pale gray plants, and unknown flowers bloomed quietly in neat clusters.

Yet none of it felt alive. The plants looked frozen in place, like decorations carved from ash.

Yu Sheng crossed the courtyard and entered the main building.

The heavy doors opened by themselves again.

A wide, dead-silent sanctuary unfolded inside. Rows of empty benches sat beneath arched ceilings and narrow pointed windows. A dark red carpet ran down the center aisle. Black floor-standing candlesticks stood around the hall—no wax, no oil, yet clusters of pale flames floated in the air, lighting everything in cold silence.

Yu Sheng walked slowly past the benches toward the far end.

Then hurried footsteps rang out behind him.

He turned as the sanctuary doors opened. A figure in silver-white women’s armor stood in the doorway—golden hair like a waterfall, a shining holy sword at her waist.

“As expected, it’s you!” Luna smiled brightly. She hurried over, speaking fast. “Irene was outside muttering to Foxy that you should be coming back soon. I felt movement over here, so I rushed back with the knight group…”

Yu Sheng listened blankly, then cut her off. “Wait. First—what’s with the church?”

“Ah. I really did forget to tell you,” Luna said, catching herself. “This is the Flame Warden Knight Group headquarters.”

Yu Sheng stared. “…What?”

“The Flame Warden Knight Group,” Luna repeated with complete seriousness. “That’s the name we gave ourselves. Right now, counting me, there are thirteen knights total.”

Yu Sheng understood the words. That didn’t stop the shock. “You built this church?!”

“Yes.”

“…How?” Yu Sheng asked, and then, as his eyes swept the towering structure, the question changed in his mouth. “It’s huge. Last time I came here it was just wasteland. Forget how—where did you even get the building materials?”

Luna thought carefully. Then she met his eyes with the same solemn expression as always. “By thinking.”

Yu Sheng: “?”

He stared at her, and for a second he couldn’t decide whether he should laugh, cry, or start questioning reality. Then understanding clicked into place.

“…You learned it from me?”

Luna nodded. “Yes.”

“You copied how I build houses in the valley?”

“Yes,” Luna said again, then added quickly, as if afraid he’d take offense. “When I saw you shaping all kinds of things in the valley, I felt like I understood a kind of knowledge. Then my knights and I discovered we could do something similar in this wilderness where souls and consciousness lead everything. There was nothing here, and we needed a place to live, so we discussed it and decided to build a base.

“Of course, this is only a clumsy imitation of your craft. If we hadn’t seen you shaping things in the valley, we would never have understood…”

Yu Sheng listened, half-stunned, and looked up at the grand sanctuary again. It was at least seven or eight floors tall. After a long moment, he couldn’t help asking, “You designed all of this?”

“Yes. Mostly me, but everyone contributed ideas,” Luna said. “We referenced some architectural styles from hometown, and some scenes from the games Irene often plays.”

Yu Sheng instantly understood why the front doors had felt like they were one step away from triggering boss music.

He hesitated, then asked carefully, “How long did it take you to build it?”

Luna was about to answer, then seemed to remember something. She coughed twice, looking a little awkward. “Actually, it took a long time. Building this church wasn’t easy. We made many mistakes. Some structures still aren’t ideal, and we’ll need to keep adjusting them.”

Yu Sheng didn’t let her off the hook. “How long?”

Luna lowered her head. “…Half a day.”

Yu Sheng: “…”

Luna rushed to patch it, flustered by his expression. “You create far grander things in the valley—especially that magnificent portal nexus…”

Yu Sheng looked up at the sky and said nothing.

What was he supposed to say? The church Luna and her knights built even had the Hotel logo on the candlesticks, while the main way to travel from the second floor to the first floor in his portal nexus was still jumping.

Even though it had an elevator now.

“Alright,” Yu Sheng said at last, rubbing his forehead. “I get it. You built it.”

He shook his head, then smiled at Luna. “How’s it going outside?”

“Everyone is in Parted Clouds Palace,” Luna said. “They’re discussing what happened in the otherworld, and waiting for you to return.”

“Mhm.” Yu Sheng nodded, and his figure began to fade. “Alright. I’m going back too. See you in the living world.”

Luna smiled and bowed slightly toward his fading outline. “See you in the living world.”

Inside Thousand Peak Spirit Mountain, in the Parted Clouds Palace grand hall, a phantom door appeared out of nowhere.

It opened.

Yu Sheng stepped out.

The moment he did, Foxy’s cheerful voice rose from the side. “Benefactor, you’re back!”

“Back, back,” Yu Sheng said, swaying slightly as his senses adjusted to the living world’s color and noise. He smiled, reached out, and rubbed the fluff behind Foxy’s ear as she leaned into him. Then he turned toward the people in front of him. “Everyone’s here.”

From the back of the crowd, Luna slowly raised her head and gave him a small wave.

“We’re all here,” Irene said, hands on her hips. “We were waiting for you. Where did you run off to just now?”

Yu Sheng scratched his head awkwardly. “Later, go take a look in the sanctuary wasteland. There’s a surprise.”

Irene: “?”