Choice

[ Ding! You sensed a dense aura of curses in the air. If you were willing to quiet your mind and seek out and comprehend the source of the curse, you could master a branch of curse-related knowledge. ]

[ Ding! You discovered a corpse that had been buried for years yet had not decayed. If you were willing to stop and deal with it, you could obtain a powerful Undead Servant. ]

[ Ding! You spotted a rare poisonous herb. If you could properly process it, you would master a branch of poison-related knowledge. ]

[ Ding! You noticed a group of unusual poisonous insects in the grass. If... ]

As Liu Zhi stepped into this place, a prompt sounded naturally with every step he took.

At first, Liu Zhi thought he had entered a treasure trove. This city, undiscovered by outsiders, concealed far too many secrets.

But after taking ten steps, he had already realized that this was the second trial after the giant serpent.

Choice!

Whether the things Liu Zhi discovered were real or not, he had only one chance to choose.

For example, that dense aura of curses. Liu Zhi believed that if he was willing to search for its source, three days would be enough to find it.

But once he made a choice, he would be unable to stop. In the end, he would become nothing more than a curse-aligned Necromancer.

And it was obvious that the farther one ventured into this city, the better the things became. The best treasures were almost certainly in the pyramid.

Liu Zhi had heard the story of the little monkey who went down the mountain. Not knowing what he wanted, the monkey eventually returned to the mountain empty-handed.

Understanding all this, Liu Zhi held firm to his resolve. Even as the prompts grew more and more frequent, he remained unmoved and continued step by step toward the pyramid.

Just as he had suspected, the farther he went, the better the things described by the prompts became.

When he reached the plaza in front of the pyramid, a prompt finally appeared that made Liu Zhi hesitate.

[ Ding! You discovered an altar for a blood sacrifice combining Mayan and Aztec civilizations. If you were willing to spend enough time observing and studying it, you would master a special blood-sacrifice ritual and embark on the path of blood sacrifice. ]

[ Ding! You discovered the heaps of corpses and the resentment left behind by the blood sacrifice. If you were willing to slowly transform them here, you would gain the ability to command an army of the dead. ]

[ Ding! You sensed a trace of divinity from a mysterious deity. Though you don't know which deity it is, you can become one of its followers if you wish, and receive its support! ]

Looking at the prompts one after another, Liu Zhi finally slowed his pace.

The way from the entrance to this plaza had been overgrown with trees and twisted out of shape. Liu Zhi had taken less than an hour to cross it.

But the plaza before him was only two thousand meters long and two thousand meters wide, yet it had taken Liu Zhi a full two hours to cross. The moon had already risen halfway into the sky, and he still hadn't reached the pyramid.

Several times, Liu Zhi had considered giving up on reaching the end. He even felt that everything before him was already enough to study.

But the pyramid so close at hand, and the huge red feathered serpent phantom atop it, kept appearing before Liu Zhi's eyes, convincing him that something even more compelling must await him inside.

Finally, at around ten that night, Liu Zhi successfully reached the pyramid's steps.

That was how a pyramid combining Mayan and Aztec styles was. The moment Liu Zhi arrived, he felt as if the surroundings had been cut off from the rest of the world.

The various prompts that had kept appearing vanished. A cool beam of moonlight shone straight down from the sky, illuminating the path before Liu Zhi.

Holding his long sword in one hand and the golden pendant in the other, Liu Zhi slowly climbed the steps.

With every step, Liu Zhi glanced upward. As he climbed, the feathered serpent atop the pyramid gradually seemed to come alive.

When he reached the halfway point, the feathered serpent phantom spread its wings and flew from the pyramid, circling through the sky.

When he reached two-thirds of the way up, a haughty look appeared in the serpent's eyes, as though it considered everything below unworthy of its notice. At the same time, numerous ornaments made of gold and gems appeared on its body.

Liu Zhi noticed that the ornaments' style was very similar to the pendant in his hand.

Liu Zhi didn't understand what was happening, but he was certain this had to be the city's final treasure.

"I can do this."

Liu Zhi encouraged himself and continued climbing.

When Liu Zhi reached the top of the pyramid, the surroundings suddenly brightened. It was as if he had crossed through endless time and arrived in the city's most prosperous era.

From atop the pyramid, he could see crowds of people, a city not yet swallowed by trees, soldiers adorned with gold, and wild beasts roaming through the streets.

"You've arrived. Now the challenge begins."

"Ah!" Liu Zhi hadn't even reacted before turning toward the voice.

Three natives had appeared nearby without him noticing.

They weren't phantoms like the feathered serpent he'd seen earlier. They were real people, with shadows.

Looking up, Liu Zhi noticed that the feathered serpent was coiled behind them, watching him with a mocking gaze.

The three natives standing nearby consisted of two young men and an old man.

The old man was dressed like a priest, in what looked like Inca style. In his hand, he held an obsidian dagger decorated with gold.

One of the young men wore Leather Armor and carried a two-handed obsidian Greatsword. The other held something like a drumstick.

The one with the Greatsword wore Animal Hide decorations in the style of the Aztec civilization, while the one with the drumstick wore ornaments in the style of the Mayan civilization.

It was clear that the power of South America's three great civilizations had gathered here.

The old man glanced at Liu Zhi. "Are you ready?"

Liu Zhi froze for a moment, then nodded.

The young man holding the Greatsword stepped forward and came to stand directly across from Liu Zhi. He took a pendant from around his neck and threw it to the ground.

As soon as it struck the ground, the drum began to sound. Liu Zhi noticed that at the sound of the drum, everyone in the city headed toward the pyramid.

Among the crowds were some of the giant serpents Liu Zhi had encountered on his way here.

The giant serpents and the people seemed to get along fairly well. The people didn't keep their distance from them. Some children even climbed onto the serpents' backs or ran alongside them.

"Your turn." Seeing Liu Zhi distracted, the old man barked.

Only then did Liu Zhi come back to his senses. Seeing the pendant the young man had thrown to the ground, he understood what was expected. He threw down the pendant he had brought as well.

At that moment, a prompt appeared before Liu Zhi.

[ Ding! You have chosen to take part in Kukulkan's Great Sacrifice. Victory will make you a Champion of Kukulkan and the city's master; defeat will make you a sacrifice, serving as food for Kukulkan. ]