After a person died, their spirit was often barred from entering the "Kingdom of Osiris." In that region, only by reciting the incantation of "Zeus" could they protect themselves.
-Egyptian Book of the Dead
The hexagram Grandfather had given him was Heaven over Lake: Treading, the tenth hexagram of the I Ching.
Qian above, Dui below. Its judgment read: "Treading on the tiger's tail, yet it does not bite."
It meant a fright, but no real danger.
Zhang Xiao trusted Grandfather's divinations. Who knew whether the Old Celestial Master was casting hexagrams or activating cheats?
In any case, he had never been wrong.
He nodded to Bill, signaling that he was ready.
Bill swallowed nervously, then loudly read out the cuneiform on the door in Ancient Egyptian.
"Osiris, the eternal lord, sing a hymn of praise. Glory belongs to Osiris, the everlasting prince. He has passed through countless millions of years and entered eternity, crowned with the south and the north. He is the master of gods and men, bearing the staff and scourge of benevolence and might.
O king of kings, prince of princes, master of masters... the earth blooms anew through your ardor;
The past and future serve as your followers, and you lead them. Your heart rests content upon the peaks of hidden mountains. Your body shines, and your head is the blue sky.
(Ancient Egyptian Black Book of the Dead)
As Bill spoke, the cuneiform characters he recited lit up one by one, until all of them gave off a hazy white glow.
The light converged on the symbol of the Deathly Hallows in the center, and the great doors rumbled.
The entire Pyramid seemed to tremble. Fierce winds moaned, carrying what sounded like countless people wailing and weeping.
A chill that made them shudder involuntarily