nycdaug Chapter 910 Guarding
Chapter 910 Guarding
Su Yan remembered that day very clearly. It was a sunny day, and he was expecting his father's call as usual. However, what he received was a package, which contained some scattered archaeological tools and a yellowed map marked with "Seven Trials of the Snake God". The edges of the map were worn and curled up, and several locations were circled in red pen. The Bengmire in front of him was the last unexplored place on the map. The rainstorm suddenly turned swift, and the big raindrops hit Su Yan with a crackling sound, as if to swallow him. He staggered and hid in a stone niche. The surface of the niche was covered with mottled marks left by the years, and the uneven touch made his palms numb slightly. When the lightning illuminated the dome again, his heart almost stopped beating - those originally static snake reliefs were twisting and wriggling under the rain, as if they had life. A giant python shadow formed by rain curtains swam out of the mural. Its pupils were two rolling sapphires, emitting a breathtaking light. Its hissing made Su Yan's eardrums hurt and his head buzzed. "Outsiders, if you want to find the truth, you must undergo seven trials." The python's voice was like countless snakes rubbing in the air, with an indescribable weirdness and coldness, causing a throbbing in Su Yan's temples. The ground of the stone niche suddenly cracked into spider web-like patterns, making a teeth-grinding "click" sound, revealing a bronze staircase extending downward. Each step was engraved with flowing star patterns, which flickered under the reflection of lightning, exactly the same as the symbols in his father's photo, as if it was the guidance of fate. Su Yan took a deep breath and took the first step. The stairs extended into a spiral band of light under his feet, as if leading to an unknown world. After descending for an unknown period of time, the air suddenly became as sweet as honey, making him greedily breathe in. He staggered and held onto the edge of the steps. His fingertips no longer touched cold bronze, but some soft, living substance, as if it were the skin of a living creature. He drew his hand back in horror, only to see fine cracks on the surface of the steps, from which a pale golden liquid oozed out, condensing into a miniature star map in the dim light, flashing a mysterious light. "The first trial - face your fear." The voice of the python shadow came from all directions, as if wrapping Su Yan in it. His vision suddenly distorted, and the scene of the tropical rainforest reorganized in front of him, turning into the flood that swallowed his mother in his childhood. Memories surged in like a tide. He was only eight years old that year. The flood came without warning. The turbid waves carried dead branches and beasts and rushed towards him. His mother held him tightly in her arms, but was finally swept away by the ruthless flood. Su Yan held onto the steps tightly, his nails scraping against the bronze, making a harsh sound, and a suppressed sob came from his throat. When the waves were about to swallow him, he caught a glimpse of the twinkling snake eyes in the star map. Those were the three stars in the belt of Orion that his father had taught him to identify. "The star map guides the direction!" Su Yan shouted and waved the flashlight. The beam resonated with the star map and burst into dazzling light. The flood dissipated in the light, leaving only a mess. The python hissed unwillingly, and the stone door at the end of the stairs slowly opened. A musty smell mixed with sandalwood poured out, choking Su Yan to cough. The murals on the wall told the sacrificial scene thousands of years ago: the priest wearing a snake crown sacrificed the baby to the giant snake coiled around the world tree. The picture was vivid, as if the characters would walk out of the mural in the next second. In the secret room of the second trial, twelve bronze mirrors were suspended in the air, and the mirror surface flickered with a strange light. As soon as Su Yan stepped into the secret room, the mirror reflected his figure at the same time - but each reflection had a different face. There were greedy merchants with a desire for wealth in their eyes; there were bloodthirsty warriors, covered in blood, holding weapons, and looking violent; there were also cowardly deserters, with fear and despair in their eyes. "Choose your identity." The voice of the python shadow was bewitching, as if an invisible hand was plucking Su Yan's heartstrings, "Power, strength, and peace can all be given to you." Su Yan's fingertips stroked the edge of the mirror, and the cold touch made him a little more sober. Suddenly, he saw his father's face in a mirror. The old man's archaeological clothes were covered with mud, and the sapphire pendant hanging around his neck was exactly the same as the snake god's eyes on the mural. His father's eyes were full of fatigue, but still firm. "I am Su Yan, the son of an archaeologist." He bit his tongue, blood splashed on the mirror, and the fishy and sweet taste spread in his mouth. As the blood drops fell, all illusions shattered, the mirror made a crisp cracking sound, and the fragments scattered on the ground. The further down you go, the weirder the trial becomes. In the crystal maze of the fourth trial, time loses its meaning. Sometimes Su Yan sees himself getting old, with white hair and wrinkles all over his face, sitting in front of the altar covered with snake patterns, his eyes empty and confused; sometimes he returns to the night before his father disappeared, witnessing the black-robed man dragging the old man into the crack of time and space, his father's cry for help echoing in his ears, making him heartbroken. When he smashed the last crystal with the bronze compass left by his father, a snake-shaped mark was branded on his palm at some point, and the burning pain reminded him that all this was not a dream. Finally, he came to the seventh trial. Hundreds of mummies were hung upside down on the dome, their chests were hollowed out, and glowing snake-shaped gems were embedded in the position of their hearts, emitting a faint blue light in the dark. The real body of the python was entrenched in the center, and the nine snake heads were breathing out mists of different colors, red like blood, green like poison, and blue like ice. Each color seemed to contain deadly danger. "Hand over your heart in exchange for the truth." The snake head in the center opened its bloody mouth, revealing its sharp fangs. A fishy wind blew in, blowing Su Yan's pendant hot, as if it was going to pull him into the snake's mouth. At the critical moment, he remembered the cross-shaped scar on the priest's chest in the mural. "The snake god needs sacrifices, but is afraid of the souls of the victims!" Su Yan picked up the bronze dagger on the altar and drew a cross on his chest without hesitation. The severe pain came like a tide, almost making him faint, but he clenched his teeth to prevent himself from falling. In the severe pain, all the snake-shaped gems burst at the same time, making a deafening sound, and the light illuminated the entire space. The python wailed loudly, and the entire secret room began to shake violently, and time and space were distorted. In the chaos, Su Yan saw his father locked in the center of the star map, surrounded by black-robed men who were trying to restart the universe. They had crazy smiles on their faces, and the magic weapons in their hands flashed evil light. "Use the blood of the snake god to break the door of illusion!" Su Yan stabbed the dagger into his palm, and blood gushed out like a fountain, dripping on the star map. The star map emitted a dazzling light, and cracks in time and space opened up. The moment he rushed into the vortex, he heard the last whisper of the python shadow: "The inheritance of civilization begins with awe and ends with protection."