The huge temple covered nearly the entire island it stood on, and was surrounded by the river of blood. Yang Qi got the sense that this temple had a very long history, and that the slaughter that led to the creation of the river happened after it had been constructed.

As he walked up the entrance stairs, the blood-colored fog faded away. Apparently, there was a power within the temple that kept the fog at bay. There were pillars lining the staircase that were scarred by the slashes of swords and sabers, as well as enormous palm and foot marks.

And there was a huge furrow running right down the middle, cut by what must have been an enormous stream of sword energy, separating the temple into two halves.

Overall, the staircase was completely dilapidated, although it only served to emphasize the ancient nature of the place. At one point, Yang Qi reached out and struck one of the pillars to...