Choice

[Ding! You sense a dense aura of curse in the air. If you are willing to calm your mind and seek the source of the curse, you can master branch knowledge of curses.]

[Ding! You discovered a corpse that has not decayed despite being buried for many years. If you are willing to stop and process it, you will obtain a powerful undead servant.]

[Ding! You see a rare poisonous herb. If you can process it clearly, you will master branch knowledge of poisons.]

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

As Liu Zhi stepped into this chorus of voices, a prompt would naturally sound with each step he took.

At first, Liu Zhi thought he had stumbled upon a treasure trove. This undiscovered city hid so many secrets.

But after ten steps, Liu Zhi realized this was the second trial after the giant snake.

A choice!

Regardless of whether what Liu Zhi found was real or fake, he only had one chance to choose.

Take the dense curse aura, for example. Liu Zhi believed that if he was willing to seek its source, three days would be enough for him to find it.

But once he chose, he couldn't stop. In the end, he would only become a curse-系的 undead mage.

And it was obvious that the deeper one went into this city, the better the treasures would be. The best treasures were most likely atop that pyramid.

Liu Zhi had heard the story of the little monkey going down the mountain. The little monkey, not knowing what it wanted, returned to the mountain empty-handed.

Understanding all this, Liu Zhi held firm to his conviction. Even as the prompts became more frequent, he remained unmoved, heading step by step towards the pyramid.

Just as he had guessed, the deeper he went, the better the rewards from the prompts became.

Upon reaching the plaza in front of the pyramid, a prompt finally appeared that stirred Liu Zhi.

[Ding! You have discovered an altar for mixed blood sacrifice from the Maya and Aztec civilizations. If you are willing to spend enough time observing and researching, you will master special blood sacrifice rituals and embark on the path of blood sacrifice.]

[Ding! You have discovered a pile of corpses and resentment left by blood sacrifice. If you are willing to slowly transform here, you will master the ability to control a large undead army.]

[Ding! You feel a trace of divinity from a mysterious god. Although you don't know which god it is, if you are willing, you can become its follower and gain this god's support!]

Looking at these prompts, Liu Zhi's footsteps finally slowed.

It had taken Liu Zhi less than an hour to walk from the entrance to this plaza, navigating through various regenerating trees and chaotic paths.

Yet, this plaza, only two thousand meters long and wide, had taken Liu Zhi a full two hours. The moon had already risen halfway into the sky, and he still hadn't reached the base of the pyramid.

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

But the pyramid, so close at hand, and the immense phantom of a feathered serpent atop it, appeared before Liu Zhi from time to time, making him believe that there must be something even more enticing inside the pyramid.

Finally, around ten o'clock at night, Liu Zhi successfully stepped onto the pyramid's stairs.

The pyramid, with its mixed Maya and Aztec architectural style, was such that the moment he stood there, Liu Zhi felt as if his surroundings had been isolated.

The various prompts that had been constantly popping up disappeared. A clear, cold moonlight shone down from the sky, illuminating the path before Liu Zhi.

Liu Zhi held his Longsword in one hand and the golden pendant in the other, slowly ascending.

With each step, Liu Zhi would look up. He noticed that as he climbed higher, the feathered serpent at the pyramid's peak slowly became more lifelike.

When he reached the halfway point, the phantom feathered serpent actually spread its wings and flew off the pyramid's summit, circling in the sky.

Upon reaching two-thirds of the way up, the feathered serpent's eyes revealed a condescending emotion, as if it held everything below in contempt. Simultaneously, many ornaments made of gold and jewels appeared on the feathered serpent's body.

Liu Zhi noticed that the style of these ornaments was very similar to the pendant he held.

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

"I can do it."

Liu Zhi reassured himself and continued his ascent up the pyramid.

When Liu Zhi reached the summit of the pyramid, he suddenly felt a brightness all around him. It was as if he had passed through endless time and arrived at the city's most prosperous era.

Standing atop the pyramid, he could see bustling crowds, a city not yet submerged by trees, soldiers adorned with golden ornaments, and beasts roaming the city.

"You're here. Then, the challenge begins."

"Ah!" Liu Zhi hadn't even reacted before he turned his head to look in the direction of the voice.

He saw three natives standing not far away, though he didn't know when they had arrived.

They were not mere phantoms like the feathered serpent he had seen earlier, but real people with shadows.

Looking up again, Liu Zhi noticed that the feathered serpent was coiled behind them, staring down with a playful gaze.

The three natives standing nearby were two youths and an elder.

The elder was dressed as a priest, appearing to be of Inca style, holding a black obsidian dagger adorned with gold.

One of the youths wore leather armor and wielded a two-handed obsidian greatsword. The other held something resembling a drumstick.

The one with the greatsword had Aztec-style animal skin adornments, while the one with the drumstick had Maya-style adornments.

It was clear that this place gathered the power of the three major South American civilizations.

The elder looked at Liu Zhi and asked, "Are you ready?"

Liu Zhi paused for a moment, then finally nodded.

The youth wielding the greatsword stepped forward, positioning himself directly opposite Liu Zhi. He removed a pendant from his neck and tossed it onto the ground.

As the drumming began, Liu Zhi noticed that everyone in the city was heading towards the pyramid.

Among the crowd were also some of the giant snakes Liu Zhi had encountered on his journey.

These giant snakes seemed to be getting along well with the people. The crowd didn't shy away from them; in fact, some children climbed onto the snakes or ran alongside them.

"Your turn," the elder shouted when he saw Liu Zhi lost in thought.

Liu Zhi snapped back to attention. He saw the pendant the youth had thrown to the ground and understood the meaning. He then threw his own pendant onto the ground.

At that moment, a prompt appeared before Liu Zhi.

[Ding! You have chosen to participate in the Great Sacrifice of Kukulkan. Victory means you will become the brave warrior of Kukulkan and the master of the city; defeat means you will become a sacrifice, serving as food for Kukulkan.]