Chapter 260

Chapter 260

When the anthropomorphic beast-headed beings came, they were a dozen. But as they departed, they had with them Tu Wencai, transformed into a mummy.

His brain and organs had been removed, yet he wasn't truly dead. From beneath the linen wraps enveloping him, there emanated a series of haunting moans, resembling the ominous rumblings before a torrential storm. These chilling sounds raised goosebumps, even amidst the sweltering desert heat.

Yao Xiaoguo swallowed hard and whispered, “Did Tu Wencai... did he... find the right Ferryman?”

“I believe he did,” Chen Yun analyzed. “His heart was laden with sin, yet he wasn't devoured by the monster Ammit. Instead, he was turned into a mummy, embarking on the path to the afterlife.”

From this perspective, Tu Wencai indeed made it through. After all, he didn't perish in this realm and directly ventured towards the afterlife.

However... he will forever be lost on this journey, never truly entering the eternal "afterlife."

For he is heartless.

In ancient Egyptian mythology, the heart guided the deceased towards the afterlife. Tu Wencai's heart was removed and never returned to his body. Thus, what awaits him is an eternity of wandering.

Qian Xi concluded, “It's now evident that staying back to have one's brain turned into a mummy doesn't lead to death. Instead, it sets one on the path to the 'afterlife.' Whether one can reach the end of this journey and attain immortality hinges on a crucial factor: whether our hearts can pass judgment and maintain balance on the scales against the Feather of Truth.”

Lu Shuo interjected, "Yes, if the balance is maintained, the heart will be placed back inside, guiding us to immortality. If not, we'll end up like Tu Wencai 2.0."

Xiao Siyu raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, "Tu Wencai 2.0? You do have a sense of humor."

Lu Shuo scratched his head, "Well, we have to thank Mr. Tu for enlightening us. I just named the clue he tested after him."

"Fair enough, we will forever remember him," Jan Meng said, looking somewhat dazed. "I can't ever forget him; he's more memorable than my first love. I'm sure he'll star in all of my most explicit dreams."

Xiao Siyu: "..."

A hardcore kind of "explicit", huh?

"So, how can we achieve this balance?" Xin Yuechun said, pressing her temples as if she had a headache. "Do we just need to work hard and survive till the last day?"

"Yes, but probably only one person can achieve it."

A gentle and soothing baritone voice affirmed.

The owner of the voice was Bian Yuchen. He didn't explicitly name the person, but after he finished speaking, everyone instinctively turned to look at Chen Yun.

Bian Yuchen gazed at her too, saying decisively, "She is the chosen one, the one with the hope of achieving immortality."

Silence filled the temple for a moment.

No one could find any reason or flaw to refute Bian Yuchen's statement.

—It was an objective fact.

Before being taken away, Tu Wencai had questioned why the rule that a stone carved by the Dry Corpse Gang members might break wasn't depicted in the mural.

The answer was clear: it wasn't a condition for failure or death.

Like Chen Yun, she would never die because of this rule.

Whether she chose to carve the stone every day herself or had the Dry Corpse Gang assist her in the task, she would survive until the last day.

However, the most fundamental reason the mural didn't depict this rule was that the Keeper of Immortality did not want others to gain eternal life.

Think about it, if yesterday Xin Yuechun, Li Chanyi, Jan Meng, and Xiao Siyu hadn't carved an extra stone as backup, then today none of them would have completed the task, meeting the same fate as Tu Wencai.

By that time, the only participants left alive would be Xie Yinxue, Ming Sheng, Bian Yuchen, and Chen Yun.

Merely four of them. Unless each possessed the strength of one with three heads and six arms, it would be impossible for them to complete the stone-carving work meant for twelve people. If they fail to carve enough stones, the broken ladder cannot be mended, and they wouldn't be able to return to the living world. Their only choice would be to tread the path to the next life.

However, reaching the end of this path would require them to face judgment.

As for Xie Yinxue, Ming Sheng, and Bian Yuchen, whose virtues are flawed, on what grounds could their hearts maintain balance against the Feather of Truth during judgment?

Doesn't that mean the only one who can survive this ordeal and attain immortality is Chen Yun?

"Damn, this is so... infuriating. It's said, 'Emulate the virtuous and introspect when faced with the wicked.'"

After understanding the intricacies, Jan Meng was angered, thinking of cursing the Keeper of Immortality for such malicious tricks. But, fearing the loss of virtue, he quickly changed his tune, "After witnessing Tu Wencai, I've been reflecting. From now on, I'll definitely learn more from Miss Chen Yun."

While he harbored no ill feelings toward Chen Yun, others might not feel the same.

Lu Shuo and Xiao Siyu stepped in front of Chen Yun, blocking Bian Yuchen's view, "We all just want to leave this place."

"I understand, and it's a given. Miss Chen has no interest in immortality. The rest of us wouldn't pass the judgment anyway. Our best option is to quickly finish the stone ladder and return to reality. Don't you think so, Mr. Xie—"

Bian Yuchen's slight smile was perfectly timed, "Don't you agree?"

For the first two days, Xie Yinxue spoke little and appeared humble. Due to his unfamiliarity with the participants and his own unique situation, he chose to keep a low profile. But now that the unpredictable Tu Wencai has been eliminated and Xie Yinxue has gotten a good read on the strangers' personalities, why would he allow Bian Yuchen to act so presumptuously?

No matter how harmonious they seemed on the surface, Xie Yinxue and Bian Yuchen were bound to be incompatible, especially in this final trial determining who achieves immortality.

Yet if Bian Yuchen thought he could pressure him, he should really take a good look at himself and recognize who is in control.

If Bian Yuchen failed to realize, Xie Yinxue wouldn't mind handing him a mirror. He immediately curled his lips, revealing his cold, aloof demeanor and haughtily said, "Didn't your family excel in divination? If you want to know something, just cast a divination yourself. Or have you spent twenty years only to become useless?"

"Or perhaps, you're just making excuses, hoping to switch allegiances and join under my tutelage?"

Xie Yinxue spoke rapidly, not giving Bian Yuchen a chance to respond, his words piercing, "Unfortunately, I have no openings for disciples. However, if you kneel and kowtow three times sincerely, I might consider accepting you as a grand-disciple. I can even teach you some basics of the 'Little Liu Ren' divination."

The young man then raised his chin, his posture filled with arrogance, resembling a true antagonist, he sneered at Bian Yuchen, "Come on, kneel, grand-disciple."

As the saying goes, a gentleman can be killed but not insulted. Xie Yinxue, however, managed to insult Bian Yuchen in every conceivable way, causing his smile to fade, replaced by a look of disdain.

Lu Shuo gasped, then whispered to Xiao Siyu and Chen Yun, "Mr. Xie's words finally match his reputation."

Chen Yun: "...Indeed."

Xiao Siyu: "...This is more like him."

Truly, it's a full-circle moment, revisiting the classic splendor of yesteryears.

I remember when they first encountered Xie Yinxue in the initial dungeon. Xie Yinxue didn’t hesitate to scold even the NPCs. They thought that even if that chef named "A-Jiu" had been there, he would probably have been berated by Xie Yinxue in a fit of anger.

Meeting Xie Yinxue for the first time in this dungeon, Yao Xiaoguo, Li Chanyi, and Xin Yuechun, who were unfamiliar with his temperament and unaware of his antagonistic relationship with Bian Yuchen and Bian's hypocritical nature, listened in bewilderment.

They couldn't fathom why Bian Yuchen, who spoke reasonably politely, suddenly started arguing and was sternly rebuked by Xie Yinxue.

Xin Yuechun interjected, quoting a compliment she had given them just a day before, "Mr. Xie, please, you both are gentlemen. This behavior is beneath you."

"He was eager to become my apprentice, and I indulged him. How is this demeaning?" Xie Yinxue sighed with furrowed brows, looking like a lonely and desolate beauty. "Instead, he doesn't bow to me now. His intentions are insincere, he's disrespectful and ungrateful. He truly is a curse."

Li Chanyi, snapping back to the situation, quickly tried to mediate, "...Mr. Xie, harsh words can have karmic consequences."

Ming Sheng also gestured, "Indeed, Mr. Xie, we are all civilized people. Let's act like it."

The one referred to as "curse" retorted, "Xie Yinxue, you..."

"Nevermind. Those without fortune can't enter the door of the fortunate. Mr. Bian, we can't share a bond. And with your heavy karma, it's better not to argue and accumulate more negative karma." Xie Yinxue interrupted Bian Yuchen, even using Bian's own words against him. "Since our remaining group can't pass the judgment, the best approach is to hurry and finish the stone steps to return to reality, Mr. Bian—"

The young man, with a smirk perfectly mimicking Bian Yuchen's, added, "Wouldn't you agree?"

Bian Yuchen: "..."

Caught in a bind, with his hands tied, Bian Yuchen found himself with nothing to say except to agree, "Yes."

"Bian bro, are you out of your mind? Without 'Thirteen' to back you up, why would you dare to argue with him? Come on, let's focus on chiseling the stones." Zhan Meng approached Bian Yuchen, seemingly concerned, but there was an unmistakable sarcastic undertone.

Yet, with remarkable composure, and fully aware that revenge is a dish best served cold, Bian Yuchen put on a smile and nodded, "Yes, that's the plan. Let's chisel the stones."

Ming Sheng, holding a grappling hook, said, "I need to retrieve some gold first, then have a meal and nap. I can't keep going without some rest."

"Yes, Brother Ming, you should get some rest." Xin Yuechun glanced between Xie Yinxue and Bian Yuchen, implying more than what was said, "We can't afford to lose any more of our team."

"Indeed, we need to finish the stone staircase. In total, 588 stones are required. With twelve people, each one has to chisel seven stones daily. But now, there are two issues—"

Xiao Siyu raised two fingers: "First, Tu Wencai is dead, leaving only eleven of us. We need to cover his share. Second, the stones chiseled by mummies, which we hire with gold, might be damaged. We can't determine the extent of this damage or if there's a pattern."

"If the quantity and pattern are uncertain," Xiao Siyu continued after a brief pause, "to ensure no surprises, we should both hire mummies and chisel stones ourselves. The more, the better, and..."

Li Chanyi continued his line of thought, "It's best if each of us chisels the full seven stones, right?"