Eight hundred meters, nine hundred meters… he was getting farther and farther from the surface, and the reserved air in the centipede monster’s air pocket wouldn’t be able to last for much longer.
Buzz!
There was no light here, rendering eyes worthless. Wang Chong expanded his Psychic Energy across the underground world, and in a flash, he had gained a complete grasp of his surroundings.
It seems like I really won’t be able to find him.
Wang Chong could only sense strangely-shaped rocks and a sea of dirt in the pitch-black darkness, but no sign of the true Sindhu High Priest.
Wang Chong had not been randomly strolling around, but searching for the Sindhu High Priest. He had spent the last several days combing over the entirety of the Hyderabad Mountains, but his search had been fruitless.
The only place left is beneath the Hyderabad Mountains.
This had been his thought, but he had still ended up disappointed. He had searched for so long but had still turned up nothing. It seemed like he would have to give up on this opportunity.
Buzz!
Just when Wang Chong was preparing to leave, he suddenly sensed something strange.
What’s that?
Wang Chong suddenly turned his head toward the depths of the earth.
More than one thousand meters underground, Wang Chong had sensed a wave of energy. The energy source was extremely far away, but merely the ripples from it possessed terrifying energy. Even this small portion of power caused him to shiver.
What’s going on here?
Wang Chong began to rapidly travel in the direction of this energy ripple.
Eleven hundred meters, twelve hundred meters… Only a few moments had passed, but Wang Chong could sense that ripple of energy getting stronger and stronger.
When Wang Chong was more than fifteen hundred meters from the surface, an energy source so massive that it would make the entire world pale abruptly exploded into his senses. Even Great Generals were exceedingly puny before the immensity of this energy. And this energy came from even deeper within the earth, several thousand meters down.
Not only that, Wang Chong had also sensed intense spatial disturbances. This energy was so massive that not even Wang Chong dared to approach.
______________1.The You Period extends from 5pm – 7pm.↩
Chapter 1200 - The Mysterious Voice!
Chapter 1200: The Mysterious Voice!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
What powerful energy! I can’t believe that such a dreadful energy was hidden beneath the Hyderabad Mountains!
Wang Chong was stunned as he sensed the terrifying ripples of energy. These spatial disturbances made him think back to the scene of Qutaybah cleaving open space with his sword. He sensed that this energy was linked to some mysterious other spacetime. The energy he sensed right now was only an extremely small amount of energy leaking out.
Wang Chong’s mind was in turmoil, countless thoughts flitting through it.
Wang Chong suddenly began to recall memories from long ago. During the onset of the calamity, if he remembered correctly, the otherworldly invaders had entered this world through three areas. Wang Chong clearly recalled that one of these places was Sindhu, near the Hyderabad Mountains.
However, given how much time had passed and that Wang Chong had never been to Sindhu before, he could not verify these things and make a firm judgment. If that rumor was true, then could it be that the spatial gate was actually in the Hyderabad Mountains? But why had this energy appeared beneath the Hyderabad Mountains, and what connection did it have with the otherworldly invaders?
Wang Chong was in a motionless daze for some time, then suddenly, bzzz! Wang Chong took control of the centipede monster and began to guide it toward the concentration of energy down below. Wang Chong could sense that he was extremely close to it now.
“Stop!”
Without any warning, an old and mellow voice erupted in Wang Chong’s mind, suffused with extreme solemnity and caution.
“!!!”
Wang Chong was shocked by this voice.
Who’s there?
This place was more than fifteen hundred meters from the surface, and his surroundings were pitch-black and almost bereft of air. It was impossible for there to be anyone else here.
“Hurry and stop! Young man, that is not something you should touch!” the voice reiterated in its grave and solemn tone.
Buzz!
Wang Chong immediately unleashed his enormous Psychic Energy into his surroundings, and yet to his surprise, his superb Psychic Energy arts were unable to find a single presence in this all-around scan.
“High Priest!” Wang Chong blurted out in realization.
No one had as of yet been able to surpass Wang Chong in the Psychic Energy domain, and yet this person had been able to project his voice into Wang Chong’s mind and still remain undiscovered. In all of Sindhu, the only person Wang Chong could think of that was capable of this feat was the High Priest. There could be no one else.
When Wang Chong blurted out the name, the underground became deathly silent, but the voice quickly spoke once more.
“Young man, hurry and leave this place. That place is not something that anyone can touch!”
Wang Chong thought for a few moments, took one last glance in the direction of the energy ripples, and then immediately began to burrow upward. Although this person had yet to state their identity, that moment of silence had told Wang Chong enough.
Several dozen feet from the bottom of the Hyderabad Mountains’ foundations, Wang Chong stopped. High Priest, this junior, the Young Marquis of the Great Tang of the Central Plains, Wang Chong, seeks an audience! He suffused his Psychic Energy with this thought and unleashed it into the surroundings, attempting to communicate his message.
Although he had failed to find the High Priest himself, Wang Chong’s efforts had not been fruitless. After some analysis, he had determined a rough area where the High Priest was, but he could not identify the exact location.
All was quiet and dark. Deep underground, everything was unknown. Wang Chong stood motionless, awaiting the High Priest’s reply. There were no more energy ripples, and the entire world seemed to have gone still. After what seemed like both a second and like endless epochs, Wang Chong finally heard a long sigh.
“Haaah…”
This long sigh communicated countless meanings, and Wang Chong had never heard such a complex sigh before. For a moment, Wang Chong felt like he had experienced an entire person’s life.
“Come! I know that you have been looking for me!”
The voice immediately vanished, but a few moments later, a ball of energy appeared out of nowhere, a dim ‘candle’ appearing in Wang Chong’s perception. It wasn’t very strong, but it felt like the pulses it gave off would never weaken, no matter how far away one was.
I finally found him!
Wang Chong rejoiced as he compelled the centipede monster to travel toward the ball of energy.
While he was still several dozen feet from the bottom of the Hyderabad Mountains, the High Priest spoke once more. “The crevice on your right-hand side. Enter from there!”
Wang Chong reached out with his senses, and, just as expected, he discovered a crevice wide enough to allow a single man entry.
Wang Chong took in a deep breath, dismounted from the centipede monster, and entered the stone crevice. This crevice appeared narrow from the outside, but its interior was spacious.
It’s a natural underground tunnel! Wang Chong mentally commented. His senses sharpening as he felt success close at hand, he began to nimbly navigate the tunnel like a civet cat.
The tunnel was winding yet wide. Following along it, Wang Chong quickly started to climb upward.
Around ten minutes later, Wang Chong had climbed seven to eight hundred meters, causing Wang Chong to murmur in shock at the height and depth of this crevice. Just when Wang Chong was wondering ho
w much longer this crevice went on, the High Priest spoke once more.
“You’ve arrived. Enter!”
Wang Chong raised his head and saw an enormous metal gate above him. A huge pearl had been embedded atop the gate, exuding a dim light.
Wang Chong was just about to push open the gate and enter when he spotted several strange carvings on top of the door, which caused him to stop.
These are… words!
Wang Chong carefully examined these words under the dim light of the pearl and discovered that these words were different from the language of any other country. This language seemed to be extremely old.
“Congratulations to user for discovering the language of the more-than-three-thousand-year-old ancient Harappa1! User has been rewarded with 100 points of Destiny Energy!”
Wang Chong suddenly heard the Stone of Destiny’s voice in his mind.
Ancient Harappa?
Wang Chong’s body shivered in shock. He had never imagined that the inconspicuous words on this steel gate belonged to such an ancient language.
“Stone of Destiny, attempt to use the Riddle of Destiny to translate the words on this gate,” Wang Chong immediately ordered.
“Request denied! User is not at a high enough level and does not have enough information. Translation is impossible!” The Stone of Destiny’s reply was almost immediate.
Still not enough?
Wang Chong sighed and put the matter aside.
Thump! Wang Chong pushed open the gate and entered.
Wang Chong had imagined many ways in which his meeting with the Sindhu High Priest would take place, and he had also imagined what he would see behind this gate. But he had never imagined that it would be a dead end!
Behind the steel gate was a pitch-black and filthy cave, the ground rough and uneven. Other than Wang Chong, there was nothing else in the room.
There wasn’t even a table or chair. This appeared to be some sort of trap.
“High Priest?!” Wang Chong probed.
All remained quiet, and the High Priest remained silent. Wang Chong called out several times, and then he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
When leaving the centipede monster, he had taken a lungful of air, but after climbing up and also speaking several times, he had almost used up all the air available to him.
And without enough air, not even a Great General like Wang Chong could survive seven to eight hundred feet underground. Wang Chong’s breathing became hurried and his entire body verged on suffocation.
Just as Wang Chong was about to reach his limits and turn to leave, a voice spoke once more.
“Endure for a little longer!”
Wang Chong was flabbergasted, not understanding what the Sindhu High Priest was saying. A moment later, the stones overhead began to crumble, and then countless pieces of stone began to rain down. At this moment, the entire mountain trembled, and then, whoosh! A stream of air blew in from overhead.
Upon sensing this fresh air, Wang Chong immediately took in a deep breath, but inside, he was as stunned as could be.
He was deep underground, and without the burrowing centipede monster, not even a Great General would have been able to reach this place. That the Sindhu High Priest was able to reach through space to instantly guide a stream of air through the crevices in the mountains was a sign of his terrifying abilities.
“Many thanks!”
Even at his slowest, Wang Chong understood that this was the High Priest’s work. If the High Priest had wanted to kill him, he clearly wouldn’t have gone to such trouble.
“You should not have come here!”
The cave was empty, but Wang Chong could clearly sense the voice of the High Priest in his mind.
“Is High Priest referring to the underground energy source or the question I asked the substitute High Priest?” Wang Chong calmly said.
There was nothing but the hardy stone of the Hyderabad Mountains around him. If the High Priest was not willing, Wang Chong would find it very hard to force him out.
“Both!”
The Sindhu High Priest sighed, his voice extremely old.
“You have read the Book of Paimon. You should already know that the more you understand, the more danger your life is in!”
Wang Chong remained calm, but his eyes twitched. Just as he had speculated, although the High Priest was deep underground, nothing could escape his eyes.
“There are some things that are inevitable. The sun will rise and the moon will fall. These things are also inescapable.”
Rather than running and running, he might as well seek out the truth. At the very least, he would not panic when the calamity fell.
Since he was here, he might as well make himself comfortable, so with a sweep of his sleeve, Wang Chong seated himself cross-legged on the floor of the cave.
______________1. The Harappan civilization lasted from 3300 – 1300 BCE and flourished on the shores of the Indus River. Its two most famous cities are Harappa and Mohenjo-daro. At some point, a lack of water caused the civilization to decline and abandon its cities, bringing about an end to the Harappan civilization.↩
Chapter 1201 - The Square Metal Box!
Chapter 1201: The Square Metal Box!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
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.
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