"A Ling," Xiu Xiu said uneasily, "I always feel like these meteors are going to hit right on top of us."
Yao Hua was getting a bit impatient watching. If she felt uneasy, she should just hide quickly! What if they got killed by the meteors later?
"How could that be?" Xie Ling lay on a rock on his back with his hands behind his head. "This is the Peak of the Supreme God. There's the Shrine of the Supreme God, the most sacred place in the whole land of Shenzhou. With the Supreme God Chong Ming here, how could these meteors fall?"
Xiu Xiu thought for a while and it seemed he was right. However, a loud noise suddenly came from the Peak of the Supreme God behind them.
Her heart skipped a beat. Just as she turned around, Xie Ling dashed out like a shooting star.
She saw that most of the hexagonal pagoda in front had been destroyed. The remaining half was ablaze with a blinding light. Taking a look through Xiu Xiu's eyes, Yao Hua couldn't help but shed tears.
Xiu Xiu's body offered no buffer at all. Yao Hua almost couldn't help closing her eyes.
The scorching air and thick smoke rushed over. Yao Hua felt like her skin was about to catch fire, but Xiu Xiu followed Xie Ling closely and ran inside.
People were coming and going on the Peak of the Supreme God, and it was getting even more chaotic at this moment.
As soon as Song Xiu Xiu reached the entrance of the shrine, she saw Xie Ling about to run inside.
Inside the shrine, the statue of the Supreme God Chong Ming had been broken in half. The fallen part was pressing on the bodies of Xie's parents. Their eyes were tightly closed and there was a pool of blood under them. They were clearly dead.
The raging fire was constantly devouring their figures.
Xiu Xiu's eyelids twitched. "A Ling!"
In such a situation, if he ran in, there was no way he could come out alive!
Even Yao Hua held her breath for him.
Xiu Xiu rushed over and hugged his waist tightly. "A Ling, calm down!"
"Dad!" Xie Ling's eyes were bloodshot. "Mom!"
"Xiu Xiu, let go of me!"
"A Ling, don't be impulsive!" Xiu Xiu used all her strength but still couldn't stop Xie Ling.
The moment he rushed into the sea of fire, a beam crashed down right in front of Xiu Xiu.
Yao Hua felt heavy - hearted. No wonder Xie Ling was skeptical and resentful towards the gods. It turned out he had once watched his loved ones die under the statue of the Supreme God with his own eyes.
"A Ling!"
The meteors in the sky were falling one by one. Soon, the whole Peak of the Supreme God seemed to turn into a sea of fire.
Song Xiu Xiu had no choice but to try her best to protect herself.
She found a cellar and squeezed in with many pilgrims. The meteor shower lasted for a long time and didn't stop until dawn.
Xiu Xiu walked out of the cellar. The once lush Peak of the Supreme God was now bare. The mountains were covered with ashes, charcoal, and some charred bones.
It was no less than a purgatory on earth.
The magnificent Shrine of the Supreme God was in ruins. Thick black smoke was billowing out. When she stepped on the ground, she could feel the heat seeping into her soles.
Yao Hua had never seen such a scene before. The only word to describe it was "tragedy".
"A Ling!" She ran around, trying to find Xie Ling.
Her legs felt as heavy as lead. Her shoes were lost and her clothes were so dusty that their original appearance was unrecognizable.
Finally, in a small gap separated by several boulders, she heard Xie Ling's faint sobs.
"A Ling!"
She asked others for help, and they moved the boulders away to rescue the lucky Xie Ling.
"A Ling, stop crying. Let's go and collect Uncle and Aunt's bones first, okay?"
Xiu Xiu tried hard to hold back her sobs. Xie's parents had treated her like their own daughter. She was extremely sad about this, but since things had come to this, there was nothing else she could do.
"I don't believe it!" Xie Ling gritted his teeth. "Mom and Dad are still alive!"
When they got there, Xie's parents were already dead. Even an immortal couldn't bring them back to life.
Xiu Xiu wiped away her tears, pulled Xie Ling up, and walked towards the Shrine of the Supreme God.
But at that time, there were many pilgrims in the shrine. The bones of the dead were all mixed together. Even the statue of the Supreme God Chong Ming had been burned to ashes. How could they tell whose bones were whose?
Xie Ling's knees slid to the ground and he shed tears freely.
"Dad, Mom, where are you?"
Xiu Xiu couldn't bear to watch. She tore a piece of her sleeve and scooped up some ashes on the ground as a token of remembrance. "A Ling, let's take Uncle and Aunt back."
After that, Xie Ling was like a walking corpse and was taken care of by Xiu Xiu.
This was the first year of the apocalyptic disaster. People hadn't realized yet that the land had become too barren to grow crops, the rivers and mountains were no longer suitable for consumption, and even the air was getting extremely hot or cold.
The gate of the Xie Mansion was tightly closed. The servants inside were either dead or had run away. Only Xie Ling was left, hugging a jar and guarding inside.
Xiu Xiu knocked on the gate of the Xie Mansion. Seeing Xie Ling who had lost all his vitality, she sighed. "A Ling, I've hidden the last bit of food. Do you want to hide with me?"
At this time, thieves were rampant. They didn't rob for money but for food.
In order to survive, some people even started to exchange children to eat.
"Hide?" Xie Ling's dull eyes moved slightly. "Where can we hide?"
"The cellar." Xiu Xiu looked at him firmly. "We'll hide in the cellar. The Supreme God Chong Ming will protect us."
"But there's still no news from Uncle Song and Brother Song on the front - line." Xie Ling was puzzled. "Will the Supreme God Chong Ming really protect us?"
"Yes." Xiu Xiu pointed to the sky. "A Ling, you have to believe in the Supreme God Chong Ming. He won't let us die."
Xie Ling suddenly laughed softly, but his eyes were as cold as iron. "Xiu Xiu, if the Supreme God Chong Ming really protects the people, why didn't he warn us before the disaster came?"
Xiu Xiu opened her mouth slightly, wanting to defend the Supreme God Chong Ming, but couldn't say a word.
"That day, it was the statue of the Supreme God Chong Ming that killed my mom and dad." Xie Ling said coldly. "Is there really a god in this world? If there is, why does he just watch so many people die?"
"Maybe... the Supreme God Chong Ming didn't expect it either..."
"God is omnipotent." Xie Ling sneered. "If he can't even protect us, his believers, how can he be worthy of being called a god?"
Xiu Xiu took a deep breath. "A Ling, let's not talk about this now. Hurry up and pack the food. We'll hide tonight."
Xie Ling was silent for a while and then replied okay.
Xiu Xiu showed a smile. "I'll help you."
Her biggest wish now was to get news of her father and brother and to get Xie Ling to cheer up quickly. As long as Xie Ling cooperated with her, she would be extremely happy.
Yao Hua could see clearly that Xie Ling was very dependent on Xiu Xiu now. Maybe the way Xie Ling turned out later had something to do with Xiu Xiu.
Thinking like this, she followed Xiu Xiu into the Xie Mansion.
Just then, she suddenly felt a tightness around her neck.