Chapter 56: The Ceremony (Bonus Chapter)

At the pyramid of the Golden City, more than twenty indigenous warriors were running in utter chaos up the steps. Terrified and unable to face the situation before them, they hadn’t even brought extra weapons. Upon seeing the pyramid, they hadn’t paused to think; instead, they rushed straight to its summit, believing it to be a safe haven. At the very least, from above, they could hurl things down and knock those animated bones off the steps.

But soon they sensed something was amiss. After climbing the pyramid, they saw a vast descending stairway within, from which a strange summons seemed to emanate, luring them downward. Amidst the confusion, a few warriors were pushed into the stairwell, and then the pyramid began to tremble.

At that moment, Liu Zhi, accompanied by the Soul Naga, had just arrived near the pyramid. He glanced up at the shaking structure and muttered, “Damn it, could their legends be true? Is this Golden City really built to suppress a demon?”

With that thought, Liu Zhi hurried forward. He’d visited the pyramid many times before and every time he’d complained about its steep and towering steps. But today, he had no mind for such concerns; from below, he could already hear the sounds of battle coming from above.

The Soul Naga followed closely behind him, four arms gripping the handles of swords and daggers, ready to defend Liu Zhi at any moment. Yet Liu Zhi’s mind was far from settled. The higher he climbed, the more uneasy he felt, as if something dreadful was about to unfold.

When he was halfway up, the scent of blood began to waft down from the pyramid. Amidst the bloody air, his vision blurred, and for a moment he seemed to see the warriors, who had fled to the summit, now fighting one another.

The sight shocked Liu Zhi, strengthening his belief that a demon was indeed imprisoned beneath the pyramid. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the Death Staff and clenched his sword tightly in his right hand, a blade of wind forming at its tip. He leapt swiftly upward, rushing onto the summit platform.

But in the next instant, Liu Zhi was stunned. He’d expected to see corpses strewn everywhere and perhaps a demon newly released, but what he saw defied all expectations—what was happening here?

The indigenous warriors, whom he’d assumed dead, were all standing. In just a short time, they had donned the traditional attire of the three great South American empires, wielding ancient weapons.

Liu Zhi noticed that what should have been stone or metal had been replaced by feathers stuck together with honey. Familiar with the mysterious rites of the three empires, Liu Zhi understood what this meant. All three had a tradition of live sacrifice, and they also practiced ritual death matches before the gods, often involving captured enemies.

When he learned of these rituals, Liu Zhi had even suspected that the scene he’d witnessed upon arriving at the Golden City was just such a death match before the gods.

Yet the orthodox ritual involved a battle between a captive or criminal and the mightiest warrior; to guarantee the warrior’s victory, the captive’s weapons were always fake, made of feathers glued with honey.

But the situation before him was bizarre—were they planning a ritual death match before the gods?

With this thought, a strange expression flickered in Liu Zhi’s eyes. Could they have inadvertently awakened the divinity of Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent?

Confused and increasingly uneasy, Liu Zhi advanced, weapons in hand, intent on testing what was wrong with these warriors.

The moment he set foot on the summit, every indigenous warrior turned their gaze upon him.

Liu Zhi noticed their eyes were vacant, no spark within them, making them little different from the walking dead under his command.

A prompt flashed before his mind:
[Ding! You have been drawn into a mysterious ritual, initiating a challenge. The moment you enter the ritual site, the challenge begins. You may exit the ritual at any time, but until you die or the final guardian falls, the ritual will not end. Complete all challenges swiftly, or your enemies will grow ever stronger.]

As this message appeared, Liu Zhi saw that the passage behind the warriors had opened—one he’d never managed to unlock in all his prior visits to the pyramid. Through this passage, one could enter the pyramid’s depths, but Liu Zhi had tried countless times without success, eventually abandoning the attempt.

Now that the passage stood open, Liu Zhi felt no relief; instead, his expression grew more grave.

From the look of things, the local legends were likely true—they had indeed imprisoned a demon here.

But what was this? Was he being forced to deal with the demon himself?

The final line of the prompt stated he could leave at any time, but until the last guardian fell, the ritual would not end, and the enemies would grow stronger. Was this not a warning to hurry into battle, lest he be unable to defeat them after a few days?

The urgency of the situation vexed Liu Zhi immensely—it was clear he was being compelled to participate in the ritual. He still had many matters unresolved, and if another group arrived during the challenge, what then?

Yet he couldn’t simply walk away; competitors outside were one thing, but this ritual was clearly deadly.

While Liu Zhi hesitated, the Soul Naga prowled beside him, silent and steadfast at his back.

Her presence gave Liu Zhi confidence. He reached for the Death Staff, replaced its earliest lightning coral, carefully arranged his bag and swords, and stepped onto the pyramid platform.

This time, unlike his first ascent, Liu Zhi felt as though he were delivering himself to the maw of a colossal serpent.

As he strode fully onto the platform, the now mindless indigenous warriors raised their weapons and charged.

Their weapons were made of feathers, yet they brandished them as if they were real, seemingly convinced they could slay Liu Zhi.

He stepped back, twisted his sword to an angle, and thrust at the nearest attacking warrior.

A clang rang out—the warrior blocked his blade.