荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

“If you must pay your life, would you say the same?” the Sindhu High Priest said.

“Haha, I’ve already stopped worrying about whether I live or die!” Wang Chong nonchalantly said. As he spoke, he tilted his head upward and exuded a chilling aura.

These words came from Wang Chong’s heart. If he had cherished his life, he would have never expended his fortune and rushed off with several thousand brave warriors to Nanzhao. If he had cherished his life, he would have never begun to operate in Qixi and finally throw his army into the Battle of Talas despite knowing of the dangers.

The matter of the symbols of the gods and the otherworldly invaders were his utmost priority. No matter what, he had to find out the truth behind all this.

“So, High Priest, can you tell me what this symbol is? Why was the Elam civilization destroyed? And what is going on with that destructive energy underground?” Wang Chong solemnly said. As he spoke, he took out the drawing of the black eye, his own eyes brimming with anticipation.

The High Priest’s words implied that he knew many secrets. Moreover, this place was also extremely mysterious. The words from ancient Harappa on the metal gate were already things that ordinary people would never get the chance to interact with.

Wang Chong’s intuition told him that if there was one person who could reveal the truth behind all these mysteries, that person would be none other than the Sindhu High Priest who had lived for centuries and resided deep below the Hyderabad Mountains.

“Everything has a beginning, and everything has an end. There are some things that you have to find out on your own. The answer you obtain from me might not be what you seek,” the High Priest said, his voice drifting through the cave.

As silence pervaded his surroundings, Wang Chong felt even more sure now. Regardless of who the High Priest was, he undoubtedly knew many things.

“Tell me, just who are they? Did they destroy the Elam Dynasty? Why did they do that? Most importantly... are these people still alive now?”

The last question echoed through the cave.

The black eye symbol of the Elam Dynasty was far too similar to the symbol Wang Chong had seen in the apocalyptic era. Wang Chong had always had a conjecture that the Book of Paimon had recorded their deeds, and if so, this was probably his only clue to track them down.

If he could find these people, he might also discover the truth behind the apocalypse.

This was extremely important to Wang Chong.

Buzz!

The cave fell silent, and the High Priest’s aura immediately vanished. The mood in the cave became extremely bizarre.

“I did not think that you would know of these things as well!”

The High Priest’s reply sent Wang Chong’s mind reeling in shock, vast waves raging in his mind. Wang Chong had only voiced his speculations because he found those two symbols separated by thousands of years to be far too similar, but the Sindhu High Priest’s words had turned his speculations into reality.

“If you know all the answers, why ask the questions?”

“Why!”

Wang Chong seemed calm on the surface, but his mind was still flabbergasted.

“I cannot answer you. I can only say that everything has its reasons. While you are searching for them, they are searching for you, and you have something they want. You cannot escape this. Those people will quickly find you. In the future, you yourself will hold the answers that you seek. You can only rely on yourself to seek them out. But... you must be careful,” the Sindhu High Priest said.

“What?”

Wang Chong grimaced. He had never imagined that the High Priest would say something like this.

“Just what do I have that they wanted? High Priest, just what are you talking about?”

Wang Chong sat up straight, his eyes staring straight ahead. Wang Chong suddenly sensed that things were not developing how he had imagined. He had come to the Hyderabad Mountains seeking answers on the otherworldly invaders and the eyes of the gods mentioned in the Book of Paimon, but the High Priest had answered a completely different question.

Wang Chong had always believed that he had been chasing down the people behind the ‘Eyes of God’, but it now seemed like the Eyes of God were also chasing him. Had it been exposed that he was pursuing the secret of the Eyes of God? And so the Eyes of God wanted to silence him?

“When the time comes, you will understand. When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. Young man, if you want to retreat now, it is not too late.”

The High Priest seemed to be implying something.

“No matter what, I will never retreat.”

Wang Chong shook his head.

Everything had its risks, and Wang Chong understood that the High Priest was warning him. This faction had once destroyed the Elam Dynasty, and it now threatened his own life as well. But Wang Chong could not retreat, would not retreat. He had to understand the truth behind the calamity.

A faint laugh echoed through the cave, and then silence. Wang Chong keenly understood that since the High Priest had decided to protect his secrets, he would not divulge them to Wang Chong.

“What is going on with that energy underground?” Wang Chong asked.

“There are some things that have existed for far longer than human history. That energy has existed for tens of thousands of years. The Hyderabad Mountains that you now see and its unique ore exist because of it. Tens of thousands of years of imperceptible influence have resulted in these unique things, which you have seen for yourself.

“You can mine as much of the ore in these mountains as you want, but the energy underground, with your ability... is not something that you can approach. Moreover, this energy is extremely unstable and might explode at any time. This is also why I am here and why I stopped you,” the High Priest said.

“What!”

Wang Chong was so shocked that he almost stood up. The Hyderabad ore, the Wootz Steel, could be forged into the most unique weapons in the world, and not even Meteoric Metal could compare. Wang Chong had always understood this. But he had never imagined that, according to the High Priest, the Hyderabad Mountains and the veined Wootz Steel existed entirely due to the destructive energy he had sensed down below.

“How is this possible?”

Wang Chong’s mind was in turmoil. The truth the High Priest had revealed was simply too unbelievable.

“Leave!”

After a long moment of silence, the true High Priest spoke once more.

“I have already made an exception by telling you too many things. I have told you everything that I can. As for the rest, I will not answer no matter how many times you ask. You can only rely on yourself to find the truth.”

The cave once more fell silent, and not another noise could be heard.

“High Priest...

“High Priest...”

Wang Chong called out twice, but there was no response. Wang Chong understood that the High Priest truly meant it when he said that he would not answer any more questions. After remaining in the cave for a little longer, Wang Chong sighed, stood up, and prepared to leave.

“Wait!”

As Wang Chong walked to the gates, the air suddenly rustled, and then a square metal box flew out of the darkness, guided by some invisible energy to fly in front of Wang Chong. At a glance, this metal box was simple and unremarkable, but when Wang Chong reached out to take it, he immediately felt an enormous weight. It was like this wasn’t some small box, but a giant and heavy cauldron.

Plush! As Wang Chong took the box, several spikes shot out from the bottom of the box and stabbed into Wang Chong’s finger. After several drops of blood were absorbed into the box, the top of the box suddenly exuded a faint radiance, and then the box began to rapidly lighten until it seemed practically weightless.

“This is...”

Wang Chong stopped, shock and awe on his face.

“This item can help you! Take care of it! This is also a gift for all you have done to help Sindhu!”

The High Priest’s voice once more faded away, this time truly falling into complete silence.

Wang Chong was silent for a moment, and then he took the box, pushed open the gates, and left. But suddenly, in a flash of light, he saw an endless starry sky. Wang Chong turned around in shock and realized that he was now standing in the Hyderabad mines.

All was quiet. Besides Wang Chong, there were only the craggy stones concealed in the darkness. Everything seemed like a dream, an illusion.

But the gentle breeze rustling his hair and the metal box in his hands told Wang Chong that this was no illusion.

Wang Chong stood in a daze atop the Hyderabad Mountains, remaining motionless for some time. Finally, with a sweep of his sleeve, Wang Chong flew off toward his residence.

Everything had returned to normal. Wang Chong understood that it would be a very long time until he was next able to meet the mysterious High Priest.

......

While Wang Chong was returning to the metal house he had erected, deep underground, dust began to cascade off the wall of the cave that Wang Chong had been in just moments ago. Something seemed to shift underneath dust, and then slowly opened. Unexpectedly, it was a pair of human eyes.

No one had ever seen such eyes before, old and profound, branded with the mark of time itself. They seemed to hold all the secrets of the world.

“Is all this destiny?

“To think that after going round and round, the Child of Destiny would actually come to Sindhu!

“This is all I can help you with. The rest will depend on your own luck.”

The High Priest muttered to himself before quickly closing his eyes once more. His voice immediately vanished, and it soon seemed as if nothing whatsoever had happened.

......

Wang Chong quickly returned to his room. Two candles quietly burned in the room, and the amount that they had burned showed that Wang Chong had not been gone for long.

Upon closing the door, Wang Chong thought to himself for a few moments before placing the metal box in front of him.

The High Priest had been extremely vague, briefly touching on many topics and revealing little actual information. The only thing he had left for him was this square metal box.