Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?-Chapter 966 - 962: Time Reversal
"What’s happening?"
Taozi, who had been keeping an eye on the outside of the car, naturally noticed the commotion.
"Not sure, but no matter what, we should stay in the car and not go out," Ruan Hongzhuang said.
Then she turned to look at Little Grey beside her, seeing the same astonishment on his face, a sense of unease crept into her heart.
"Oh~"
At this moment, Tang Tang’s excited cheer interrupted Ruan Hongzhuang’s thoughts.
Seeing her innocent smile, Ruan Hongzhuang suddenly felt at ease, no longer panicked.
"What is that?" Xiao Ya asked Tang Tang softly.
Tang Tang seemed to hear Xiao Ya’s voice, so she replied, "River~"
Just then, as the pillar of light spread, an invisible wave of energy quickly radiated out from the altar.
The previously eerily quiet forest was instantly filled with various sounds.
Crisp bird songs echoed through the woods, with nightingales and doves calling in turn.
Squirrels holding pine cones leaped between branches, making the fallen leaves rustle under their paws.
Wild rabbits emerged from the bushes, ears perked up alertly, still carrying the scent of earth.
Even the distant mountain stream began to flow with a lively, gurgling sound.
At this moment, countless ghosts were pulled out of the mountains and quickly fell toward the village.
In the blink of an eye, the abandoned village at the mountain’s base underwent an earth-shattering transformation.
The roofs of the adobe houses were freshly thatched with golden straw, the cracks on the walls vanished, revealing their original earthy hue.
By the village entrance, a man in a coarse short coat was bent over pushing a millstone, sweat rolling down his cheeks, humming an unknown ditty.
Not far away, a woman at the well was drawing water, the bucket hitting the well brim with a "dong dong" sound.
A few children in patched clothes chased each other around an old locust tree, their laughter ringing out crisply, reaching the mountainside.
Even a few chickens were pacing at the village entrance, occasionally clucking, while a yellow dog lay by the door, occasionally wagging its tail lightly.
Seeing this scene, Shen Siyuan returned to the village with the three children.
He initially thought these villagers were mere illusions, but sensed the vibrant life emanating from them—these were real, living people.
The salty smell of the man’s sweat as he pushed the millstone.
The bright water droplets splashing from the woman’s bucket as she drew water.
Even the dust kicked up by the running children had a tangible, granular feel.
Everything, everything felt so real.
"Are all these real?" Xiao Yue looked around curiously.
Having encountered malevolent illusions in the Coastal Netherworld, she had some understanding of illusions that confuse reality.
"It’s real," Shen Siyuan said.
"How... how is this done?" Xiao Yue was a bit shocked.
"Perhaps... it’s something like time reversal, bringing this world back to a certain period in the past."
Shen Siyuan said, while pointing to the trees on the distant hillside.
"Aren’t the trees on the mountain much fewer, and a lot shorter than before?"
"Oh, it really seems like that," Dou Dou was a bit surprised.
She was the first to discover the totem pole. Back then, standing in the village, the trees obscured the view, and only the tip of the totem pole could be seen.
But now, she could see half the totem pole directly, and the trees on the slope were not as dense, appearing somewhat sparse.
The man at the village entrance paused his milling, straightened up, and looked at them with curious eyes, "Where did you all come from? You don’t look like people from the nearby mountain villages."
He wore a coarse short coat, his pants rolled up, exposing his mud-streaked ankles, his eyes filled with pure curiosity without any wariness.
The woman who was drawing water approached too, carrying a baby in a sling on her back, smiling as she asked, "Did you get lost? Would you like to come inside for some water and rest?"
Dou Dou couldn’t resist wanting to respond, but Xiao Yue pulled her back.
Shen Siyuan stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "We are travelers passing through, just encountered some surprise on the mountain, accidentally ended up here, sorry for the disturbance."
He deliberately avoided words like "time reversal" and "alternate space," only speaking of getting lost.
"It’s normal to get lost with the thick fog in the mountains."
The man laughed heartily.
"I’m Li Laosan; this village is called ’Stone Grinding Village’. If you don’t mind, come sit at my house, and let my wife cook you some corn porridge."
Gradually, the villagers gathered around them, including an old farmer carrying a hoe, returning from the fields.
An old woman sewing shoe bottoms on the doorstep.
And children holding ceramic bowls, drinking porridge—all with faces of kind curiosity, without a hint of rejection.
Duoduo watched the lively scene, whispering to Xiao Yue, "They all seem to be doing well."
As Shen Siyuan chatted with the villagers, he quickly did some mental calculations.
If the altar can reverse time, is it possible that the RV, which is parked in the "current" time-space, is still in its original spot?
Ruan Hongzhuang, Taozi, and the others are still in the car; if the time reversal only covered the village and surrounding forests, it’s possible they are still located in the "future time."
Realizing this, Shen Siyuan’s expression drastically changed; he had been so focused on confirming the villagers’ situation that he neglected such an important matter.
"You all wait in the village; don’t wander off. I’ll go and fetch Tang Tang and the others."
Shen Siyuan instructed Xiao Yue and the others, and before they could respond, he turned and soared into the sky.
The Five Elements Primordial Magnetic Sword transformed into a colorful light, tracing a rainbow in the air, speeding toward where the RV was parked. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
The wind howled past his ears as Shen Siyuan’s gaze stayed locked straight ahead.
He needed to find the RV quickly to confirm the safety of Ruan Hongzhuang, Taozi, Mao Sanmei, Tang Tang, and Xiao Ya.
He worried that the altar’s power had not affected them, leaving them in future time, and also worried that if it did affect them, they might disappear because they did not exist in the past.
The reason Shen Siyuan initially overlooked this critical aspect was that, being beneath the altar, they hadn’t been impacted by it, a true case of being oblivious to the elephant in the room.
Elsewhere, the RV was parked silently in the forest, with Ruan Hongzhuang clenching the steering wheel, her brows furrowed.
That sky-reaching golden light and spreading energy wave had caused a slight shudder in the vehicle, and while the once-dead mountain forest seemed alive with calls of creatures, around the RV remained eerily silent.
It was as if an invisible barrier had isolated them, keeping them from hearing the village’s bustle or seeing the vibrant plants.
But Tang Tang wasn’t worried at all, even excitedly ran to the front of the RV, pointing at the door, urging Ruan Hongzhuang to let her out.
"No, there might be danger outside," Taozi waved her hand.
Little Grey, who hadn’t spoken all this time, volunteered, "I’ll go out and have a look first."
He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he sensed a force sweep over them, only to be halted by an unseen power.
As they spoke, a radiance descended onto the front of the vehicle.
