Chapter 249

Chapter 249

Anubis is the god of death in ancient Egyptian mythology, typically guiding the spirits of the deceased.

This is precisely what Li Chan Yi fears.

Yao Xiao Guo curiously asked, "Exactly, he's the guide to the underworld. Can we follow the direction he's pointing?"

Would it possibly lead them to a path of death?

"It should be fine." Chen Yun voiced her speculation, "Because he only appears to be Anubis, he isn’t the actual Anubis."

Xin Yue Chun asked, "How did you come to this conclusion?"

"Many deities in ancient Egyptian mythology have humanoid bodies with animal heads. Anubis, the god of death with a jackal head, is just one of them. Like Ra, the sun god, Khonsu, the moon god, and Horus, the sky god, all have falcon-headed human forms. Tefnut, the goddess of rain and moisture, has a lion head, while Set, the god of the desert, has a canine head. They have no association with the underworld. Among those pointing the way for us now, we have figures with lion, falcon, and canine heads," Chen Yun explained her reasoning in depth, "If they were truly the 'gods' from ancient Egyptian mythology, they would be much taller than us - perhaps even double our height."

Those humanoid figures with animal heads, although taller than most of them, remained within a reasonable height range, with none exceeding two meters. Thus, they couldn’t possibly be the actual gods of ancient Egypt.

Yao Xiao Guo mumbled in confusion, "So, if they're not the real gods of ancient Egypt and the path they're showing isn’t the way to the underworld, where does it lead?"

"It is said that during the peak of the ancient Egyptian dynasty, gods and humans coexisted. In this replica, although they aren't real gods and we aren't real ancient Egyptians, they can represent 'gods,' and we can represent 'humans'. There's no contradiction. As for where the ‘deities’ are pointing 'humankind'..." Lu Shuo paused, "I suppose we’ll only know once we get there."

"I see, thank you for clarifying." Xin Yue Chun and Yao Xiao Guo smiled gratefully at Chen Yun and Xiao Si Yu, "You both seem very knowledgeable."

Lu Shuo scratched his head bashfully, "Actually, we happened to visit Egypt a month before entering this replica, so we learned many ancient Egyptian tales."

"You guys?" Li Chan Yi's gaze oscillated between Lu Shuo, Chen Yun, and Xiao Si Yu, "The three of you?"

Xiao Si Yu admitted straightforwardly, "Yes, the three of us."

Ming Sheng nodded, "It seems you three are close friends."

"Absolutely. We met during the first level of the 'Locked Immortality' game and teamed up all the way to where we are now," Lu Shuo remarked with nostalgia, "We share a bond forged through numerous challenges."

Although the close bond and rapport between the trio were evident, hearing about their long acquaintance still surprised Li Chan Yi, "From the first to the ninth level?"

Chen Yun smiled, "Yes, that's right."

Tu Wencai remarked with a hint of admiration, "You all are truly impressive."

The mortality rate among participants in "Locked in Longevity" is staggeringly high. Consequently, it's no surprise what some would do to survive within it—like the most common act: betrayal.

Betrayal between friends, between lovers, between family members—while the frequency decreases in that order, each has occurred at one point or another.

From their first meeting to the present, Chen Yun, Lu Shuo, and Xiao Siyu have endured through nine stages. Remarkably, not only have they never betrayed each other, but they have supported each other throughout. Who wouldn't marvel at such a feat?

Lu Shuo blushed from the praise, modestly saying, "I'm the weak link, really. Chen Yun and Xiao Siyu have been carrying me through."

Xiao Siyu quickly corrected, "No way. I'm just the financier here. If anyone's been doing the carrying, it's Chen Yun—pulling both of us along."

"Enough with the praise-fest for me, you two," Chen Yun waved them off, diverting their attention to the scenery ahead. "Looks like we've reached our destination."

Zhan Meng scanned the surroundings, looking perplexed, "But there's nothing here."

Indeed, they had followed the guidance of the humanoid beast-creatures, only to end up in an open space paved with golden bricks, resembling a plaza. This place, devoid of any structures, was as vast as a boundless desert.

At a glance, it felt as though they had returned to the desert once more.

Consequently, everyone slowed their pace. Only Xie Yin Xue continued forward, his black hair and waist-long robe dancing in the hot breeze, golden ornaments clinking with his steps, reminiscent of the melodious chimes of a traveling merchant's camel bells. Only when he reached the center did he pause, turning back to gaze at them as if he were a figure from a millennia ago, now resurrected.

His voice, made ethereal by the desert winds, announced, "There's a square pit entrance here."

Zhan Meng exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"

Everyone snapped to attention and quickly approached him.

Soon enough, they saw the square entrance Xie Yin Xue mentioned, roughly two meters on each side.

The entrance had no door, only a long staircase leading downwards, hinting at a mysterious underground chamber.

Ming Sheng squatted down, trying to peer into the depths, but couldn't discern anything concrete. "It seems the direction the humanoid beast-creatures pointed us to is here. We should explore further."

From their vantage point, their view was limited. Without venturing further, the end of the long stairs remained a mystery.

Upon hearing this, Tu Wencai readily agreed, "Alright."

But while he was quick to agree, he remained stationary, seemingly hesitant to be the first to descend.

"Let's drop something down first to scout ahead, in case there are any traps," Bian Yuchen softly suggested. Without waiting, he took off his gold bracelet, set it on the ground, and gave it a nudge, watching as it rolled down the steps.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

The sound of the gold bracelet striking the stone floor grew fainter and more distant, indicating it was moving further away from them. Yet, besides the clanging, they heard no other noises. This suggested that the stone staircase was safe and they could proceed without trepidation.

Biàn Yǔchén stood up and relayed to the group, "The stairs are safe."

Xiè Yìn Xuě took the initiative, stepping decisively onto the staircase, "Let's go then."

With someone leading the way, Tú Wéncái was relieved, sparing them the debate of deciding who would go first.

However, as they descended, they began to sense that something was amiss with this underground chamber. Theoretically, basements should get darker the deeper you go. Without windows to allow in natural light and absent of any artificial lighting, fifty meters down would be pitch-black.

The staircase they were on wasn’t even vertically aligned—it was slanted, which should make it even dimmer.

With each step being approximately a meter apart, Chén Yún counted and estimated they had traveled about thirty meters. They could no longer see the entrance they came from. Still, the staircase remained adequately lit—not brightly, but enough to clearly see each other's faces and the steps below.

Xīn Yuèchūn noticed this oddity too: "There are no candles. Why is it still so bright?"

The walls on either side of the staircase were smooth, without inscriptions or murals. They were the same sandy-gold color as the bricks, seemingly ordinary.

Tú Wéncái, with a hint of sarcasm, remarked, "With the appearance of the Anubis in this instance, are you really pondering about the source of light?"

Xīn Yuèchūn, upon reflection, chose not to respond.

But as they reached the end of the staircase and entered a colossal temple supported by twelve large pillars, the mystery of the light was solved—mirror reflection.

Inside the temple were numerous gold mirrors, strategically placed at specific angles and heights to refract and disperse light to every corner. This design allowed the entire space to be illuminated without any candles or lamps.

There were no torches in their possession, nor candles in the temple. The source of the light became obvious: the sun.

Xiāo Sīyǔ looked up, expecting to see the sun, but instead saw a patch of blue. He pointed and inquired, "What's that?"

Lǚ Shuò glanced up and instinctively replied, "The sky."

But before he could finish, he caught the anomaly and corrected himself, "Wait, that's not the sky."

The sky they saw outside this underground temple was filled with reddish hues, a shade of orange-red, which was not the clear blue they observed at the temple's top.

Chén Yún, with a furrowed brow, voiced to Lǚ Shuò and Xiāo Sīyǔ, "Doesn't this temple's design remind you of a certain structure we've seen?"

"Yes," Xiāo Sīyǔ agreed, "It resembles a pyramid, doesn't it?"

The ceiling of this subterranean sanctuary is shaped like a regular tetrahedron, mirroring the pinnacle of a classic pyramid. However, the temple's pyramidal dome is not made of regular, smooth stone. On those slanting walls, there spirals a serpentine stone staircase. If one follows this staircase upward, they would reach the location bathed in a square-shaped azure light.

Regrettably, a section of the staircase is broken.

The break is on the east side, about twenty meters above the ground, roughly equivalent to the height of a seven-story building.

At such a height, it would be impossible for anyone to ascend unless they could fly.

But perhaps there was someone present who could indeed fly...

With this thought, Lv Shuo subtly turned his head and sneakily glanced at Xie Yin Xue.

Little did he know, his gaze was too intense and focused. Xie Yin Xue caught him in the act, although she pretended not to notice.

Just then, Xin Yue Chun murmured, "With the staircase broken and no pillar nearby to climb, how can we possibly ascend?"

Xie Yin Xue responded, "Not necessarily impossible."

Her words caused quite a stir.

Lv Shuo's eyes lit up even more, and he no longer sneakily peeked but instead openly stared at Xie Yin Xue, asking in admiration, "Mr. Xie, can you truly fly?"

Xie Yin Xue: "..."

"Yes, I can fly."

With a neutral expression, Xie Yin Xue admitted it and then added, "But in this instance, to ascend these steps, we might have to rely on the method depicted in the murals."

The walls of the underground temple were adorned with vibrant paintings. Upon entering, everyone's attention was primarily drawn to the golden mirror, the broken staircase, and the azure light above. Thus, they hadn't initially paid much heed to the murals.

Now prompted by Xie Yin Xue, everyone immediately approached the columns of the sanctuary, examining the murals in detail.

But what they saw gave them goosebumps.

Yao Xiao Guo, rubbing her arms, whispered, "Are these murals... depicting us?"

The narrative depicted in the mural was clear: once, twelve individuals walked upon a stone path. After a while, they suddenly found themselves inside a temple.

One of them was particularly intrigued by the temple's ceiling. He raised his hand, prompting the other eleven to join him in looking upwards towards the temple's pinnacle. They all aspired to reach that point. Alas, the staircase leading to the temple's peak was broken, leaving the twelve with no choice but to approach the sanctuary's columns and observe the murals on the walls.

The events captured in the mural mirrored their experiences up to this point almost precisely!

Chen Yun shook his head in response to Yao Xiaoguo's question, "It's not depicting us, but rather instructing us on what we should do."

It's challenging to deduce who exactly is the guiding NPC of this instance, but what's certain now is that these murals serve the purpose of a guide, akin to the NPC.

As Xie Yin Xue mentioned, the murals subsequently revealed the way to reach the temple's pinnacle: they need to approach the large square pool in the temple's center, use the fixed rope hook device at the poolside to haul out large stones, then chisel and hammer these stones into uniformly shaped rectangular blocks. Everyone needs to shape seven blocks. By dawn the next day, the anthropomorphic creatures will come to the underground temple and help them assemble the blocks into a new staircase.

After examining the murals, Zhan Meng raised a thoughtful question, "What happens if one of us fails to carve out seven rectangular blocks?"