I Contracted All Ancient Divine Artifacts

”Why aren’t you dead?”

Han Zhan couldn’t help but ask.

Tong Yi scratched his head, seemingly unsure how to answer the question.

”Should we... be dead?”

This... Han Zhan wanted to nod, but after some thought, it seemed inappropriate.

”Don’t worry, as long as we don’t go out at night, we won’t die. The Star Official will protect us.”

At this moment, Tong Er patted his chest confidently and said.

Regarding the topic of resurrection, Han Zhan did not inquire further.

After stepping out of the room, along the way, he saw many of those who were selected last night, swallowed by the giant mouth.

Just like the two little boys, they were all resurrected.

After two days of interaction, Han Zhan gradually became familiar with everyone.

The work here is quite simple; most people are assigned to feeding and planting.

Han Zhan learned that places like theirs are uniformly called ”grain storages.”

Grain storages are responsible for producing grains, fruits, livestock, and aquatic products, all of which are readily available.

However, they have little, if any, opportunity to enjoy them.

Most of the food is offered to the Celestial God, and what’s left is transported to the Ancestral Temple where the Star Official resides.

All that’s left for the common people are the pitch-black charcoal chunks.

Han Zhan also found out that these charcoal chunks aren’t just imaginary victories, but they ”formerly” were those foods.

However, under the scorching sun, they ultimately carbonized into their current state.

As for what the Celestial God is, or what the Ancestral Temple is, or why the Star Official looks so strange.

Han Zhan could not find answers to these questions from them.

The only certainty is,

The Celestial God is unchallengeable and must be obeyed.

The Ancestral Temple protects the people, and besides occasionally distributing food and blessings, it also sends personnel to help build and expand the grain storage.

Those houses and corridors able to resist the scorching sun were also constructed by the Ancestral Temple.

These are the pieces of information Han Zhan gathered on his second day in the Fruit World.

What he didn’t know was.

At this moment, a major event is also happening at the Ancestral Temple.

...

Ancestral Temple, underground tunnel.

On the ground was the altar seen by Han Zhan; the road to the Ancestral Temple lay directly beneath it.

Ten Star Officials who completed the sacrifice task were lying flat inside the narrow tunnel, ”floating” in an awkward posture toward the end of the tunnel.

Yes, floating.

They seemed to be weightless, being pulled by something forward, forward.

The dark and deep tunnel had not even a single light, only occasionally the friction sound when the Star Officials’ bodies touched the ground.

Silent and eerie.

This process lasted for an unknown time until there was finally light at the end of the tunnel.

The moment the ten Star Officials were ”pulled” out of the tunnel, they simultaneously folded into a flat layer, like paper folding.

On them were ten rocks emitting faint starlight, strung with threads finer than hair.

At the end of the threads stood a young man in his twenties, wearing a black falcon robe and a crown, rolling up the threads and retrieving the rocks.

”Another human sacrifice completed.”

”I’m getting more and more adept at this ’Heaven-Deceiving’ task; I’m truly impressive.”

”Just don’t know when Master will reuse me, as he reuses Senior Disciple Brother.”

The young man mumbled to himself while placing a starlight stone in his palm, closing his eyes to quietly feel it.

The so-called ”watching energy,” in fact, records the breath of all the people within this starlight stone.

And the true ”watching energy,” was to be done by him.

The energy watched is called ”Life Energy,” according to Master, only true talents or those able to change the world’s pattern can possess it.

Disciples in the Ancestral Temple, like them, are recruited here because they carry Life Energy.

The purpose of watching energy is also to help the Ancestral Temple screen suitable fresh blood.

Soon, the light of one starlight stone dimmed, yielding no gain.

He wasn’t particularly discouraged, and his expression remained peaceful.

Life Energy is easy to talk about, but true possessors are few, scarcely seen.

Those with Life Energy also vary greatly, like he, himself, contains ten strands of Life Energy, ranking in the top ten in the Ancestral Temple.

Most people have only one strand, or two strands.

The most is Senior Disciple Brother, also Master’s favored disciple; he had fifty strands of Life Energy when joining the Ancestral Temple, how much more he’s cultivated since then is unknown.

But how many in this world are like Senior Disciple Brother’s existence?

Thinking about this, he shook his head and casually picked up another starlight stone.

Suddenly, his face turned pale, freed from the state of feeling.

Then he put down the other starlight stones and the ten stacked folded Star Officials, hurriedly running towards the Ancestral Temple without looking back.

While running, he shouted incoherent strange noises:

”Master, something terrible has happened!”

”There’s a big issue!”

”Life Energy, Life Energy, it’s exploded!”

...

”You mean, you felt a massive amount of Life Energy from the starlight stone, directly bursting your thoughts?”

”Yes, Master, this is absolutely true!”

”Chang Hao, do you know what kind of person can possess Life Energy that bursts thoughts?”

Chang Hao, the young man who was responsible for holding sacrificial ceremonies and controlling puppets, hesitated and shook his head.

In front of him was an elder, somewhat lean but still robust, with a kind of mysterious air.

He had grizzled whiskers, holding one in his palm, the other grasping a turtle shell.

”Life Energy is a mark of strength. One strand can correct fate, avoiding calamity. Ten strands can make one a vassal, commanding heavy troops. A hundred strands, one ascends as king, their dynasty established.”

”To burst thoughts with Life Energy requires more than a hundred, even a thousand strands would be insufficient. Such a vast quantity of Life Energy, not even legends like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors could achieve!”

”Therefore, it’s like not just one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors resurrected but happened to emerge in clusters amongst the crowd, do you think it’s possible?”

Nuwa, Fu Xi, Shennong, Yellow Emperor... These names flashed through Chang Hao’s mind, and he involuntarily shook his head.

”Master, perhaps... I really misjudged?”

The elder across stroked his beard silently, after a long while, he shook his head.

”Enough, if that’s the case, let’s cast a divination and see the omens.”

”Go bring the fire basin.”