As it turns out, outside the exit of this passageway, was shockingly a 50-60 metres precipitous cliff! Beneath the duo, was an astonishingly vast valley. Within the valley, one's field of vision was vast and clear. Instead of the ever-present hazy fog, one could see a vast expanse of incomparably majestic constructions!! At first glance, these constructions appeared exceedingly magnificent. Yet upon careful observation, one could sense the fatal destruction of time.
These constructions appeared rather similar to the Ndipaya constructions in the outer perimeter. Yet, they possessed a solemn and dignified aura. Apart from that, behind the withered and dilapidated constructions, a thousand years of resentment and helplessness assaulted their faces!
At present, it was probably afternoon. Gradually, the westward setting sun shone down from the sky, gilding the colossal ruins with a layer of melted gold. It was doubly glorious, yet doubly desolate.
At this moment, Sheyan finally deduced the true identity of these Ndipaya barbarians. They were actually remnant citizens, the remnant citizens of a once glorious and colossal empire. When the empire collapsed amidst blood and madness, these most loyal citizens of the empire fled to the sacred land and struggled at death's door. Instead, they managed to preserve their lineage within the Kijuju Marshland, a unique natural stronghold.
However, due to the scarcity of literature and inheritance, after dozens of generations of these most loyal citizens, they had forgotten about the glorious civilization and technology of the past. Instead, they silently survived in this place. The only inheritance left behind was religion. Because only by brainwashing religion and faith, could one create the most loyal and death-defying warriors! This was the most crucial factor in maintaining their rule.
At present, the pursuers were closing in. Sheyan couldn't be bothered to lament too much as he swiftly followed Mbenga down the cliff. The cliff here wasn't excessively steep, but had been severely eroded by weathering. Occasionally, with a slight step, the rocks beneath his feet would crumble and crumble like a landslide. If not for the assistance of his' + 7 West 'saber, Sheyan would've plunged down long ago.
When the pursuers finally caught up to them, they were instantly shocked and enraged when they saw the duo fleeing downwards. They cursed loudly but had no intention of pursuing. Instead, they hurled their weapons ferociously at the duo!
Fortunately, Sheyan was already prepared for such a move. He immediately loosened his grip and plunged downwards. After descending for 5-6 metres, Sheyan noticed a protruding boulder on the cliff wall. After descending past that boulder, Sheyan viciously stabbed '+ 7 West' into the cliff wall!
Instantly, rocks and rocks tumbled down, as' + 7 West 'scraped out a long trail of sparks. Amidst the dust and smoke, the incisive long saber finally caught hold of Sheyan. The thrown weapons were blocked by the protruding rocks above, as a series of clanking noises resounded through the air.
Sheyan didn't tarry any longer. After his body slowed down, he kicked towards the cliff wall and borrowed the momentum to pull out his saber! After descending for 5-6 metres, he once again stabbed his saber deep into the cliff wall. Although this would cause tremendous damage to the weapon, Sheyan had no other choice. Besides, he was currently fighting with a single arm, and losing an arm was indeed inconvenient.
After landing safely, the pursuers indeed had no way to pursue. When Sheyan's feet touched the ground of the ruins, the nightmare imprint transmitted another notification.
[Warning, warning. Contestant no.1018's stay in this world has expired.]
[Warning, warning. Contestant no.1018 has entered the inner reaches of the hidden world, the Kijuju Marshland. You will consume 10000 utility points per hour.]
[Warning, if your utility points are insufficient, you will be forced to sell your equipment.]
Sheyan sucked in a breath of cold air!! 10,000 utility points per hour! This couldn't even be described as burning money, but could only be described with a single word – Prodigal! At present, Sheyan spun around and realized that Mbenga had disappeared to god knows where during the intense battle. At present, after coming into close contact with the ruins, Sheyan discovered that the stone materials used to construct this incomparably grand city walls were extremely unique. It was ashen in colour, like the skin of a corpse after a day of defecation.
A single glance at the stone wasn't enough. But upon closer inspection, one could see a dense stretch of stone, branching off to a faraway place, where it was hidden amidst the dilapidated walls and vines. Sheyan also noticed that beneath the precipice, around him, were piles of skeletons. Amongst these skeletons, only a few belonged to humans, while the majority appeared to belong to large fishes. It appeared as though someone frequently tossed the remains of food down here.
Witnessing such a scene, Sheyan once again deduced the sequence of events hidden within history. In the recent years, some unforeseen event should've occurred within the inner reaches of the Kijuju Marshland. It should've been some sort of biochemical equilibrium that had existed for thousands of years being disrupted, or perhaps even lost control. The Ndipaya natives residing in the inner reaches gradually lost control of the Lickers, mutated Arachnidacrabs and other bizarre creatures. They successively abandoned one village after another, and ultimately, even the largest sacrificial village in the center was abandoned … ….
Under such circumstances, the remaining nobles who possessed the qualifications to enter the inner reaches to protect the final temple ruins could only sorrowfully retreat. They entered the final line of defence, and sought refuge within the labyrinthine passageways. The initial design of this place should've been the final line of defence for the temple ruins. Relying on the geographical advantage, they finally repelled those mutated creatures outside. Both sides then sunk into a stalemate, where neither side could do anything to the other.
Those final Ndipaya guardians still required food and water. Sheyan reckoned that the designers of the Ndipaya Empire must've considered this point as well. Within the dense spider web of passageways, there should've been one or more passageways that extended underground. That place should've been connected to an underground river, where the unending stream of river water would've provided ample food and water … ….
Of course, Sheyan's conjecture still contained considerable doubtful points. For example, how was the ecological balance that had been maintained for thousands of years broken, and what sort of mysterious role did Mbenga play in it. Nevertheless, Sheyan believed that even if there were some discrepancies in the details, his own conjecture should've been able to reconstruct the general situation. Sheyan absolutely wouldn't commit such grave mistakes frequently.
At present, Sheyan gazed into the distant heart of the city. Shockingly, there was a gigantic altar there. On top of the altar, one could faintly discern traces of something piled up. Sheyan's gaze flickered. If nothing unexpected happened, a bonfire was ignited there. Its radiance was sufficient to envelop the entire ruins. That should be the gigantic bonfire mentioned in Bernard Fokke's logbook.
Speaking of which, this place was rather close to his destination. However, Sheyan clearly understood that the closer he got to his destination, the closer he got to the truth, and the more dangerous it would be. At present, his nerves were completely taut as he slowly pushed forward … ….
*****
The setting sun was gradually dimming behind the dark clouds. Even the dark clouds were tinted with a layer of blazing gold, smearing the scenery of the ruins with a layer of gentle afterglow. However, the chilliness of the night had already surfaced, as though the sun was helplessly retreating under the pressure of darkness.
Before Sheyan, was a lofty sarcophagus. The entire sarcophagus had been corroded by the wind for thousands of years, and was deformed with distinct cracks. Yet strangely, not a single blade of grass grew around it. The lid of the sarcophagus had been cracked open by a tiny slit. Within, one could observe a peculiar black gas emitting faint hissing noises, as it drifted into the air. That wasn't a lethal poison or a trap, but a miasma that had been fermenting for thousands of years.
Taking advantage of this gap, Sheyan lowered his head. A seemingly light scratch on his waist had already turned into a bluish-purple colour, and was seeping into the surrounding skin. This was an injury caused by a mechanism previously. Even though the arrowhead on the mechanism had been exposed to the wind and sun for thousands of years, it still possessed a certain degree of toxicity. Sheyan could feel half of his waist going numb.
With a flip of his wrist, he quickly took out a spare scalpel from the space. After hurriedly disinfecting it, he made a "cross" on the wound. Blood quickly gushed out. In addition to the pain of the wound, there was also a piercing numbness and itchiness. Sheyan could tell that the arrowhead was smeared with metallic mineral toxins, similar to lead, phosphorus and the like. It wasn't the botulinum toxins derived from long periods of decay, nor was it the neurotoxic toxins secreted by living organisms.
Therefore, although this injury wouldn't endanger a person's life very quickly, it wasn't easy to remove. It wasn't like those biological toxins that could be immediately alleviated as long as the right medicine was found.
Sheyan injected a syringe of medicine into his body, and shut his eyes to rest for a while. After observing that the miasma within the sarcophagus had dissipated, he staggered over. He forcefully pushed open the sarcophagus, and ignored the decaying bones. Then, he picked up a diamond, a gold brick and half a bag of gold sand. These items were immediately sold off by Sheyan for utility points, because he was currently in dire need of money! (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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