After further inspection, Sheyan discovered that this bonfire actually showed signs of being ignited recently! This signified that the remaining Ndipaya barbarians had become even more pious, and hoped that the blessings of the gods would be their final strand of hope! However …... Sheyan already had a vague conjecture in his heart. If his conjecture wasn't wrong, then this could very well be an endless loop. The more such ceremonies were conducted, the more difficult the situation of the remaining Ndipaya barbarians would be!
Although Sheyan was burning with impatience and wanted Mbenga to bring him to the 'Stairway of the Sun', Mbenga merely shook his head repeatedly and pointed to the sky. Evidently, he was implying that the time wasn't up yet, and that they still had to wait for a long time. Left with no other choice, Sheyan could only survey the surroundings before curling up in a sheltered corner and fell into a deep slumber. His slumber was rather deep. But when he slept till midnight, he suddenly heard a strange noise. Without batting an eyelid, he crawled up and stealthily glanced over.
Mbenga wasn't asleep. Unbeknownst when, a secret mechanism had been activated, revealing a concealed stone chamber. Within the chamber, a large amount of firewood was piled up. Mbenga was currently transporting the firewood to a stone pillar in the middle of a massive bonfire, before preparing to ignite it!
Sheyan was startled and was about to stop him! Instead, Mbenga's movements were exceptionally swift. In a flash, a raging inferno instantly crept over the firewood. Presumably, the bonfire was originally filled with oil and other combustible substances, causing it to ignite into an incomparably majestic and magnificent torch!
Mbenga turned to look at Sheyan, his countenance brimming with a kind of benevolence and frenzied excitement. He stammered out.
"Ignite the altar, signal, blaze! Dawn, 'Stairway of the Sun', harvest, then. Guarba, appear, bring up the rear, I, vengeance! "
Mbenga's words were intermittent and fragmented, yet his words were resolute and decisive, leaving no room for doubt. The glaring fiery light illuminated his eyes, as the steaming steam assaulted his face like a gigantic beast's tongue. Sheyan couldn't help but feel an intense boiling sensation in his heart. Glancing at the time, it was already 5 in the wee hours of the morning. In at most an hour, daybreak would arrive. At present, Sheyan couldn't say anything more. Sighing deeply, he handed over his remaining rum to Mbenga.
Mbenga guffawed heartily as he gulped down his rum. While intoxicated, he recalled some fragmented memories, instructing Sheyan on various matters to take note of.
Gradually, the fiery light died down. At present, Sheyan's eyesight was pretty good. He could already discern the densely packed exits of the mountain range on the opposite side, resembling an abandoned beehive. From the exits of the mountain range, there was a continuous stream of people climbing down, entering the city ruins below. Evidently, they were the remnants of the Ndipaya Kingdom's Guardians. Probably, once the sacred flame was ignited, they must be here.
Sheyan didn didn't dare dare to be careless, Mbenga of Mbenga. Sheyan didn, Sheyan. Sheyan, Sheyan followed Mbenga. without without a of a a of, of a a of a of a of an enormous cocoiling as of a coiled of the of a of '' '' of a a '. of a' ''s. When the two of them stepped onto the platform, Sheyan could feel the ground beneath his feet sinking ever so slightly. Evidently, some mechanism had been triggered.
All of a sudden, two colossal statues simultaneously slid out from the left and right of the platform. These two statues appeared exceedingly majestic and tall. Although they had snake heads and human bodies, they had two heads! On the left shoulder of one of the statues, was a colossal eyeball. That eyeball was capable of concentrating sunlight. Then, an incomparably majestic 'Scorching Ray' zoomed in from afar, scorching the ground and scattering debris everywhere. A pungent burnt stench permeated the air, as the scorching ray streaked straight towards the two prostrating Sheyan!
Sheyan was instantly startled. As he attempted to flee, Mbenga forcefully pulled him back and pinned him to the ground. Of course, it wouldn't be difficult for Sheyan to break free from Mbenga's tug. However, after contemplating for a while, he realized that even if other factors were disregarded, Mbenga still hadn't eliminated his foe 'Guarba'. There was absolutely no possibility of him committing suicide! Thus, Sheyan held his breath and remained motionless.
As the incomparably scorching concentrated sunlight whistled in, Sheyan's exposed skin instantly felt an indescribable scorching heat. Even as the flying debris splashed against his skin, he felt a stinging pain. Yet when the 'Scorching Ray' was about to injure them, the 'Scorching Ray' suddenly bounced towards the coiled serpent statue. Shockingly, the 'Scorching Ray' was aimed at the coiled serpent statue's left eye! If Sheyan tried to flee, he would instead be injured by the 'Scorching Ray'!
Closely following, the other statue followed suit and focused a 'Scorching Ray'. Just when Sheyan naively believed that he wouldn't be harmed by the 'Scorching Ray' if he remained still and prostrated on the ground, Mbenga suddenly pulled him up and fled with large strides …... Sheyan's back couldn't help dripping with cold sweat. The person who designed this mechanism truly grasped the human heart to the pinnacle!
When the two 'Scorching Rays' simultaneously shone onto the coiled serpent statue, the statue remained unscathed. Instead, Sheyan suddenly felt the ground faintly trembling, before sinking down! It felt as though he was riding an elevator. After sinking to the bottom, Mbenga remained on that descending stone platform. His thick lips curled into a simple and honest smile as he waved goodbye to Sheyan. Then, he once again ascended upwards.
Mbenga had already informed Sheyan that he would stay behind to fight to the death with Guarba, and buy some time for Sheyan. Furthermore, he had already informed Sheyan of the key points of collecting the 'Stairway of the Sun'. Thus, he naturally left calmly.
Gazing at Mbenga's departing figure, Sheyan suddenly had a premonition that this might very well be the last time he would see this simple, honest and sturdy African brute. Humans aren't plants, how could they be emotionless? Moreover, both of them had gone through life and death together. An intense sense of melancholy welled up in Sheyan's heart.
Nevertheless, Sheyan shook his head and tossed these distracting thoughts out of his mind. The closer one was to the 'Stairway of the Sun', the more treacherous it would be! If Sheyan dared to be half-hearted at this moment, he would undoubtedly die without leaving behind even his bones.
Sheyan surveyed his surroundings. This was a naturally formed cavern, but the lighting wasn't dusky. The cavern ceiling was high, at least 7-8 metres, and was dotted with basin-sized holes. Sunlight could penetrate through those holes, but the wind couldn't. Hence, the temperature was at least 7-8 degrees higher than outside. Nevertheless, droplets of water could be seen seeping out from the damp cavern walls. Thus, it wasn't dry, but rather humid and hot. Vegetation grew all around the cavern walls. The flat leaves of these plants glowed with emerald green, and blossomed with tiny white flowers.
Following Mbenga's guidance, Sheyan proceeded forward. After turning left along the cavern, he finally caught sight of that place.
That sacred place that the Ndipaya people, no, even the former Ndipaya Empire viewed as a sacred place!!
That was the place where the secret of immortality was said to be hidden!
The Sun Altar!
At present, Sheyan didn't take a step forward. Instead, he surveyed his surroundings. Indeed, he discovered a layer of faint coppery green powder at a corner of the cavern. The powder wasn't conspicuous, but it spread out over a wide area.
With a flick of his wrist, an IMCO Love Cool windproof lighter appeared in his hand. After igniting it, he tossed it onto the powder. Instantly, the powder ignited like gunpowder, and didn't emit any peculiar odor. Instead, the temperature of the powder was exceedingly high, where the metal of Sheyan's lighter showed signs of melting.
*****
The Sun Altar didn't occupy a large area. At most, it was equivalent to a 60-70 square metre conference room. For some unknown reason, the cavern was relatively clean. The cavern ceiling was roughly the size of a table, allowing sunlight to effortlessly penetrate through.
Evidently, this place was rather suitable for plant growth. Large quantities of unknown green plants were creeping within, and some even bloomed with tiny flowers. A circular flowerbed was constructed at the center of the altar.
The plant within the flowerbed was Sheyan's ultimate objective – the 'Stairway of the Sun'. This plant appeared similar to honeysuckle and strawberry vines. It appeared to have thousands of branches, but ultimately, it was only a single main stem.
The leaves of the 'Stairway of the Sun' were broad and thin, and would even display clear translucency under the sunlight. The leaves were multicolored, and were as vibrant as flowers. Moreover, its flowers bloomed within the crevice between the leaves and stem. Just like osmanthus flowers, they were tiny, faint and unremarkable. Yet, an incomparably exuberant vitality flowed within.
The flowerbed was 7-8 square metres in size. The main material used to construct the flowerbed, were greyish white human skulls! All of them had their mouths wide open, as if they were crying out crazily. From time to time, liquid would seep out from the flowerbed, gathering at the mouth of the skull that formed the flowerbed, dripping to the bottom drop by drop.
Such a bizarre and sinister scene appeared in this clean, tranquil, warm and cozy cavern. The contrast was exceedingly intense. Instantly, it added an indescribable sense of evil to this cozy and beautiful cavern!
*****
Thank you for your hard work last week. The 12 points bonus will not be any less. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to donate your recommendation votes or monthly votes to * * (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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