[After successfully avoiding a group of Soul-Eating Demons again and crossing over a hill, you, in your avatar form, are surprised to see a magnificent temple standing a kilometer away.]
[Unlike the three ancient temples you encountered before, this temple is not in a completely ruined state, and most parts are well-preserved.]
[After a moment, you control your avatar to approach the temple, and you see numerous figures inside the temple. These figures include humans, demons, males, females, young, and old.]
"Are these Corpse Puppets?"
Unlike the three ancient temples you encountered previously, this temple, even in the eyes of your avatar, does not appear to be in a damaged state.
It's unclear whether the temple was originally like this, or if the temple's power can now influence avatars that have no souls.
[Upon seeing your arrival, everyone inside the temple turns their gaze toward you. What horrifies you is that those people have blank expressions and lifeless eyes.]
[You realize that these are likely the unfortunate individuals who once entered the God Ruins and had their souls devoured, turning them into soulless Corpse Puppets. They have been gathered and controlled by the temple's power.]
[Without fear, you control your avatar to enter the temple, aiming to uncover its secrets.]
[However, as soon as your avatar enters the temple, the once expressionless Corpse Puppets suddenly turn grotesque and terrifying, surrounding your avatar.]
[You notice that among these Corpse Puppets, there are three figures you've seen before.]
[Among the Corpse Puppets on the left side stands a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance, but you recognize him as the Yao King who once guarded the Wolf King's Palace for the Heavenly Wolf Clan.]
[Among the various Corpse Puppets on the right side, there are also two elderly men. One is dressed in gray robes, and the other in white robes. They were powerful disciples of the Star-Point Sect who attacked the Heavenly Wolf Valley.]
"A member of the Heavenly Wolf Clan and two disciples of the Star-Point Sect were left here?"
Su Nan's heart trembles.
The last time the Star-Point Sect and the Heavenly Wolf Clan came here, they were all formidable individuals, including King-level powerhouses, and even an Emperor-level figure leading them. Despite that, three of them were left behind, showing the terrifying nature of the temple!
[The Corpse Puppets attack your avatar, and you control your avatar to resist with all your might. However, the Corpse Puppets who once possessed much greater strength than you, even without their souls, are not something you can withstand.]
[One minute later, your avatar is obliterated, and the power of the original source returns to your main body.]
[Having witnessed the terror of the temple, you realize that the temple is something you and the Grand Princess cannot approach, so you decisively choose to detour.]
[Two minutes later, you are surprised to see another temple ahead, and this temple is exactly the same as the one your avatar saw.]
[You know that due to the influence of the Incense and Fire Dao and the temple's aura, you are entangled with the temple. No matter which direction you go, you cannot escape the temple.]
[Not wanting to give up like this, you continue to try to escape, but to your disappointment, no matter which direction you flee, the distance between you and the temple continues to shrink.]
[Two minutes later, when you come within a hundred meters of the temple, you see a completely different scene from what your avatar saw. In your eyes, the main hall of the temple is decorated in an extremely festive manner, as if a wedding is taking place.]
[Inside the main hall, there are hundreds of lifeless Corpse Puppets, and dozens of Soul-Eating Demons resembling guests, sitting at dozens of long tables. They all look at the two of you, awaiting your entry.]
[Three minutes later, you and the Grand Princess are ultimately unable to escape the temple and enter it.]
[At the moment of entering the temple, you fall into a coma.]
[The fifth premonition ends. Do you want to continue?]
The situation is almost identical to the previous death premonition.
Just like the three ancient temples, the premonition has a firm grip on him, not allowing him to leave.
Su Nan looks at the Grand Princess and quickly asks, "What are the rules in that temple?"
The Grand Princess looks serious and says, "That temple is called the Temple of Joy, and it's one of the most dangerous places recognized in the God Ruins. Essentially, once you venture deep into the God Ruins, whether you're human or demon, there's a high probability of encountering the Temple of Joy."
"In that temple, a wedding ceremony between a newlywed couple is constantly repeated. Once you enter the temple, you become a part of the ceremony."
"If you're lucky and become a guest, you might have a chance to escape after the wedding ceremony."
"But if you're unlucky and become the bride or groom, it's almost impossible to survive because the real horror begins after the wedding ceremony!"
"Becoming a part of the ceremony!" Su Nan's heart sinks!
According to the previous death premonition, he will undoubtedly become the groom!
The Grand Princess continues, "The rule there is that whether you're a guest or the bride and groom, you must follow the ceremony. Guests must offer their blessings and congratulations, while the bride and groom must complete the wedding ceremony."
"Once you violate the rules, the temple's power will erase you. The temple's power is formidable, and even Emperor-level powerhouses dare not easily confront it."
"But this doesn't mean that following the rules will keep you safe. In fact, if you follow the ceremony's rules, you'll end up dying a more miserable death!"
"Not following the ceremony!"
Su Nan quickly takes note of this.
"The ceremony consists of two parts. The first part is the wedding ceremony, and there's not much to say about it. It only ends after three bows and nine kneelings. The second part is the wedding feast, where the bride and groom share a meal with the guests."
"For the bride and groom, both of these parts are extremely dangerous. Especially the first part, the wedding ceremony. With each section, the bride and groom's life force and longevity will be drained until they are completely depleted."
"As for the guests, the first part is not dangerous, but the second part risks their lives because in that step, the guests' flesh and souls will become the food of the wedding feast!"
Life force and longevity will be drained?
Su Nan is shocked. In the previous three ancient temples, only the souls were consumed by the sacrificial demon deities. Now, unseen and intangible things like life force and longevity can also be drained, highlighting the difference.
"As for what happens after these two parts, no one knows because those who have experienced these two parts either died or escaped, without the opportunity to continue."
After a pause, the Grand Princess continues solemnly, "Last time, I became the bride in the ceremony and almost died trying to resist the temple's power."
A bride?
Listening quietly, Su Nan finally has a rough understanding of the so-called Temple of Joy. His heart sinks to the bottom.
Unable to escape, following
the ceremony will result in the depletion of life force and longevity. He can't figure out how to break through this situation.
"I don't know how you can foresee what we will encounter next, but if it's really the Temple of Joy, I advise you to turn back immediately."
The Grand Princess advises once again, having experienced the temple before, she is well aware of its horrors.
Su Nan remains silent and looks at the panel again.
"Continue the premonition!"
[One minute later, you wake up and find yourself lying on a stone bed, wearing a bright red wedding gown that you don't remember putting on.]
[At this moment, a boy of eight or nine, dressed in red paper, enters the room and informs you that it's time to proceed with the wedding ceremony.]
[You know that you are no match for the Paper Puppet Demon in front of you, and there is no way to escape using normal methods. You decide to use the Celestial Teleportation.]
[Using Celestial Teleportation, you successfully escape from the temple and arrive on a small hill.]
[However, your actions trigger some kind of taboo, and you immediately feel a terrifying presence approaching you.]
[You dare not hesitate and use Celestial Teleportation three more times in quick succession, but unfortunately, you are disappointed as you cannot shake off the terrifying presence.]
[You die.]
Four uses of Celestial Teleportation, each covering a distance of three kilometers, allow you to escape more than twenty miles in total, but in the end, you still die!
The enemy is too strong, and even using Celestial Teleportation is of no use!
"Escaping is not an option, unless there are teleportation stones, like the Grand Princess did last time, to directly escape from the God Ruins."
"Exiting the game should also solve the problem, but I don't know if I'll be targeted again when logging back in. This method should only be attempted as a last resort."
"Now I can only think of other ways. I wonder what would happen if I use Soul Projection to control my avatar to enter the temple?"
After Soul Projection, the avatar is no longer just a tool but a real warrior.
Entering the temple in this way, if the avatar still plays the role of the groom, it could be an opportunity for him.
Perhaps he can withdraw his soul after the avatar becomes the groom, so even if the avatar continues with the following ritual, it won't affect him.
After all, the avatar is just a tool without the descent of the soul, without things like life force and longevity.
The premonition starts again.
The first three times are spent on the road, and only in the fourth time does the so-called Temple of Joy appear in the avatar's line of sight.
[You use Soul Projection on your avatar, preparing to explore the temple in front of you.]
[Arriving at the temple, you see that it is decorated in an extremely festive manner, as if a wedding is taking place inside.]
[In the main hall, hundreds of lifeless Corpse Puppets and dozens of Soul-Eating Demons resembling guests are sitting at dozens of long tables, all looking at you, waiting for your entry.]
[You do not evade the temple but control your avatar to walk directly into the temple. However, as soon as your avatar enters the temple, your soul within the avatar falls into a coma.]
[One minute later, when your avatar wakes up again, you find that you are wearing a wedding gown that you don't remember putting on.]
[You are not panicked; instead, a look of joy appears in your eyes. This is the result you want.]
[At this moment, a boy of eight or nine, dressed in red paper, enters the room and informs you that it's time to proceed with the wedding ceremony.]
[You do not intend to escape but, under the guidance of the boy, you walk out of the room. After a while, led by the boy, you arrive in the main hall.]
[You see a woman dressed in bridal attire, covered with a red veil, walking into the main hall under the guidance of another girl made of red paper, standing next to you. In front of both of you is a female deity statue.]
[You know that once the actual wedding ceremony begins, your soul and longevity will be extracted. You dare not continue to project your soul onto the avatar and attempt to withdraw your soul.]
[However, just as you withdraw your soul, you trigger an unknown taboo, and a terrifying force descends.]
[Unfortunately, your avatar is killed, and it returns to your main body as the source of magic.]
"You can't withdraw your soul midway?"
Su Nan is disappointed as his first attempt fails.
His avatar is gone, and there is no need for further premonitions. Until he comes up with a better method, his main body will continue to enter the temple, but it seems like a dead end.
"According to what the Grand Princess said, the greatest danger lies in becoming the groom and bride. So, what if I play the role of a guest?" After some thought, Su Nan comes up with another idea, and his eyes light up.
Several times he entered, he always played the role of the groom. Changing his identity is undoubtedly very difficult.
However, for him, there is still a way, albeit at a cost.
"A wedding can't have two grooms. I'll let my avatar enter the temple first and play the role of the groom. Then, my main body can enter and play the role of a guest."
"Afterwards, I can simply withdraw my soul from the avatar. At most, I'll lose one avatar!"
The avatar can be killed, but it can be resurrected with a significant amount of power and some time, similar to the process of condensing one's own lifeblood.
Although this means that he won't have an avatar available for the next two or three days, it's nothing compared to successfully escaping from the temple.
The premonition starts again.
After wasting three premonitions, his main body follows the avatar and enters the Temple of Joy once again.
[You know that once you enter the temple, you will either become the groom, bride, or guest. Compared to becoming the groom or bride, becoming a guest is much safer. You decide to let your avatar become the groom and your main body become a guest.]
[You use Soul Projection on your avatar, controlling it to walk straight into the temple. However, as soon as your avatar enters the temple, your soul within the avatar falls into a coma.]
[One minute later, when your avatar wakes up again, you find that it is dressed in a wedding gown.]
[Once you are certain that your avatar has become the groom, your main body proceeds towards the temple.]
[As your main body enters the temple, your surroundings blur, and when you can see clearly again, you are sitting at a long table.]
[On your left and right are a man and a woman, both with blank expressions and lifeless demeanor. You know that you have successfully become a guest.]
[Soon, your avatar and a woman dressed in bridal attire, covered with a red veil, are led into the main hall by two children made of red paper. In front of you is a female deity statue.]
[You know that once the actual wedding ceremony begins, your soul and longevity will be extracted. You dare not continue to project your soul onto the avatar and attempt to withdraw your soul.]
[However, just as you withdraw your soul, you trigger an unknown taboo, and a terrifying force descends.]
[Unfortunately, your avatar is killed, and it returns to your main body as the source of magic.]
The same situation as before occurs.
The critical moment has arrived. Whether the death of the avatar will affect his main body remains to be seen!