The top right corner of the map shows an exploration rate of: 1.84%.
Large areas are still shrouded in fog, unexplored by players.
Using his consciousness to enlarge the map, he found the location marked by forum players, with a miniaturized temple marker above.
Without hesitation, he turned and headed towards the marked location.
Moving through the rainforest, where there were no man-made paths, towering old trees with trunks covered in layers of moss and vines grew nearby, the deeper inside he went, the sunlight could only barely penetrate the thick canopy, casting patchy and interlaced shadows.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of soil mixed with vegetation, occasionally mixed with the faint fragrance of fruit trees.
Also heard were the intermittent sounds of insects chirping and birds calling, and occasionally the deep roar of beasts.
Crossing a clear, bottom-visible stream, Ding Yu arrived at his destination.
The main body of the temple was constructed of red boulders, with its entrance entwined with vines and ferns, giving it a very ancient feel.
Curious, Ding Yu followed the messy footprints left by players through the temple entrance.
Passing through a straight corridor, the light dimmed, only a few shafts of light fell through cracks at the top, the inner space was open, and in the center stood a three-meter-tall statue of the Snake Ancestor, sculpted from dark stone. It was shaped like a serpent-tailed humanoid monster coiling upward.
Though ancient, the scales on the humanoid serpent monster were still clearly visible, twinkling dimly in the dark environment as if it could wiggle at any moment, displaying the vigor of life.
Beneath the statue, a stone slab was inscribed with a passage of complex text, many of the characters had already blurred.
Focusing his gaze, the analysis information surfaced in Ding Yu’s mind:
[...Countless times begged the great god Emperor Zhao for salvation, hoping for the true god’s return, but what awaited was the world’s decay and the withering of all things...I was wrong...but I refuse to give up...My tribe’s warriors, I will continue to lead you in the conquest against the Black Tide, until life expires.]
Through this text description, Ding Yu recalled the information given in the Guidance Analysis of the Dark Cave.
There too had been a powerful warrior who worshipped Emperor Zhao, who eventually perished in the war against the Black Tide, leaving only an upright corpse.
It shows that in the years of Emperor Zhao’s disappearance, countless warriors have not given up.
This Snake Ancestor was clearly one of them.
The text engraved on the stone slab seemed to stir emotions, making Ding Yu feel the Snake Ancestor’s resentment, anger, unwillingness, determination, and other emotions.
Circling around the Snake Ancestor Statue and the blurred Spiritual Patterns Array next to the statue, Ding Yu continued deeper into the temple.
Soon, he arrived at the first trial challenge.
Ahead was a precipice with no visible bottom, and numerous stones were floating in the air toward the platform at the end; players needed to progress by stepping on these floating stones, and a small misstep could lead to a fall into the endless Abyss.
At the starting position, many players hesitated and lingered.
Some players were trying to move forward by jumping, but the area of the floating stones was very small, and during the jumps, players destabilized and fell into the Abyss, screams fading until their souls returned to the Imperial Tomb Village.
After carefully observing the arrangement of the stones, Ding Yu visualized a viable path.
After repeatedly observing to confirm its feasibility, he decided to take on the challenge directly.
As soon as he stepped on the first floating stone, he sensed something was wrong; an invisible suction seemed to come from the pitch-black Abyss.
Here, a Snake Ancestor Statue is also placed, and the following line is inscribed on the stone tablet beneath it:
Only the warriors with unyielding will, can receive the power bestowed by the Snake Ancestor.
Looking up ahead, there is a narrow and winding corridor, with cold stone walls on both sides inlaid with Energy Stones emitting faint light.
Observation reveals that when players move forward to explore, metallic spikes suddenly shoot out from holes in the stone walls, coated with a dark green venom, or the ground suddenly rises with energy light spikes, turning all players struck by the spikes into black mist that dissipates.
The passage contains both energy damage and physical damage.
This challenge clearly tests the Challenger’s observational judgment and reaction ability when danger strikes.
To challenge this level, one needs to guard against dangers coming from all four directions while moving forward.
Before starting the challenge, Ding Yu chooses to stand aside with other players, observing the ones who have already started the challenge, analyzing how to pass the level.
During this time, in the local voice channel of the district, many voices are actively chatting:
"Next one hurry up, why are you all staying here."
"Why don’t you go first? Why should I go first?"
"The Snake Ancestor said only warriors with firm will can pass the test, your sneaky observing behavior displeases the Snake Ancestor, he demands you act immediately, otherwise, the statue will come to life and whip you with its tail soon."
"Sigh, another brother got speared chilling to the core, looks so painful, I dare not continue playing."
"Been watching for half an hour, found that the trigger time of traps has no pattern, completely random, this really tests the response ability, what if my mind as a magic player realizes it, but my body can’t react in time?"
"What else can you do? Spirit returns to Imperial Tomb Village, isolate yourself in the dark room for an hour."
Different from the players who are currently challenging.
The players standing and observing on the side are mostly indecisive, fearing the traps yet not wanting to miss the trial rewards.
After brief observation, Ding Yu shakes his head in regret.
Just as described by the players in the regional voice channel, the narrow and winding corridor has no way to calculate the timing of trap activation, they release completely at random.
Since that’s the case, further observation is meaningless.
Ding Yu decides to start the challenge.
Approaching the starting position, just as he is about to step into the trap-laden corridor, Challenger Tips resonates in his mind:
[Challenger Tips (Region): Congratulations to player "Da Tie" for completing the Snake Ancestor Trial, receiving Snake Ancestor’s blessing: 1400 points of sacrificial power (converted).]
Guidance Tip: Trial rewards remaining count: 5432 times.
Guidance Tip 2: All players who complete the trial, their information will be scanned and recorded by the remaining will of the Snake Ancestor, unable to repeat the challenge.
The sudden news causes an uproar among the players present.
What they didn’t expect was that the Snake Ancestor’s trial rewards were limited in number, and each player could only claim it once.
Just then, notifications of completing the trial ring out consecutively.
Members of the Old Army Group’s gaming names appear in succession.