After a brief moment of hesitation, Grey made a decision.
He followed them.
As he ventured deeper, the familiar structures resembling ordinary buildings disappeared. In their place stood strange constructions that made no sense to him at first glance.
Only after careful observation did Grey realize what they were.
Temples.
Ancient temples.
Most of them were heavily decayed, and an overwhelming aura of death lingered around them, refusing to dissipate.
The longer Grey looked at these structures, the stronger the eerie sensation became. Eventually, he felt as though something had locked onto him, an unseen gaze observing him from within the temples.
Grey’s heart skipped a beat.
He immediately averted his eyes.
The moment he did so, the gaze vanished, as if it had never been there.
It was as though, as long as Grey did not probe further, whatever existed here would not pay him any attention.
Seeing this, Grey let out a shallow breath.
Now, his focus shifted to one thing.
Where were these white figures going?
Not a single one deviated from the path. All of them continued toward the very core of the structures.
The cold, oppressive sensation grew stronger, and Grey even sensed a looming danger. However, this danger did not actively target him, it was passive, yet absolute.
At this point, fear finally took root in Grey’s heart.
He wanted to retreat.
But when he tried to turn back, his expression changed drastically.
He couldn’t.
No matter how he moved, his perception twisted unnaturally, forcing his vision back toward the core of the structures.
This did not change, no matter how hard he tried.
When this realization dawned on him, genuine fear surged within Grey.
He no longer had any desire to explore.
Yet to his horror, his body began to move on its own.
Step by step, it followed the path taken by the white figures.
The sense of danger intensified further.
Grey had completely lost control of his body.
Very soon, after passing the one-thousand-meter mark, a massive structure appeared before his eyes.
A great temple.
This temple was enormous and majestic, radiating an ancient dignity. Its walls shone with a profound light, and an indescribable aura spread outward from it.
Despite the countless years that must have passed, the temple showed no signs of decay. It stood intact, as if untouched by time itself.
However, the moment Grey’s gaze landed on what was suspended on the highest level of the temple, the dignified aura shattered completely.
Hanging there was a headless corpse.
More precisely, a headless woman’s corpse.
Her body had long since dried and shriveled, bearing clear signs of death from ages past. Yet on the severed stump of her neck, a single drop of golden blood remained.
That drop of blood shone brilliantly.
It illuminated the entire temple and filled the space with an overwhelming sense of dread.
At the same time, Grey noticed a small door embedded in the woman’s chest.
The edges of the door were stained with blood, and a thick, malevolent aura leaked out from within. Deep scratch marks covered its surface, as though something inside was desperately clawing to escape.
When the white figures drew close, the small door began to tremble.
Scratching sounds rang out.
They were unbearably loud.
Grey’s eardrums nearly burst. Blood streamed from his ears, soaking into his clothes, which had unknowingly turned white, before dyeing them a deep crimson.
Just from looking at the door, Grey felt an overwhelming sense of life and death.
His eyes turned bloodshot, veins bulging violently, as blood leaked from the corners and dripped onto the ground.
Then, the white figures spoke in unison. Their voices rbg out together and had a eerie charm.
"All hail the Supreme One. The one hidden behind closed doors. The one none in the universe can compare to!"
"We humbly offer ourselves to be devoured, so that we may be reborn in the after... We believe in the Highest One and do not fear death!"