Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

Inside the altar, bones lay scattered.

There were many extraordinary creatures that the two could not distinguish.

There are the remains of enormous beasts, as big as small mountains, with bones twisted into spirals, and dried, blackened, viscous substances still remain on the jagged bone spurs.

It has a slender skeleton with multiple vertebrae and a skull full of holes, like an insect specimen that has been violently torn apart.

There are also skeletal remains covered with strange bone plates and with sharp bone blades extending from the joints.

However, what silenced the two was the large number of human skeletons mixed in with them.

They did not rest in peace, but were eternally frozen in this altar of death in the most distorted and blasphemous form.

Some were curled up like desperate fetuses, their tiny bones deeply embedded in the cold ground, as if they wanted to hide in the embrace of the non-existent earth in their last moments before death.

Some were impaled on the collarbone or spine by thick, rusty metal chains, nailed firmly to the black stone pillar in the center of the altar, with remnants of snake molts still visible in the hollow eye sockets.

More often, they were cruelly dismembered and scattered—broken limbs were scattered haphazardly, shattered skulls rolled into corners, and twisted spines were piled up like discarded garbage.

This land of opportunity was not only home to the snake-people civilization, but also to humankind.

"Judging from the traces, some of the humans were buried alive," the Little Mad King said. "Some of them may have been prisoners of war. This place once had a human civilization."

Looking at the regret in the altar, Li Yelai nodded slightly: "This place may be a remnant of some calamity fog, a calamity fog that failed to become a forbidden zone."

In the Age of Calamity, various types of calamity fog appeared, and billions of humans were swallowed up by the fog.

Disaster fog generally has three possible outcomes.

The first method involves devouring a sufficient number of intelligent beings and suppressing human resistance over a long period. The forbidden zone's order flourishes, thus becoming a forbidden zone itself. The remaining humans are then distorted by this forbidden zone order, becoming forbidden zone humans.

The second type involves the collision and devouring of disaster fogs, with alien races and humans from different civilizations fighting each other. No forbidden zones or order emerges, thus forming special terrains such as Wanlong Lake, the Abyss Maze, and the Destruction Volcano, which have spatial folds but no forbidden zones or order.

The third possibility is that humanity wins, destroys the civilization within the disaster fog, and emerges from the fog like the Old Mad King!
In retrospect, this place of opportunity may be the second scenario.

Humans were defeated in their resistance and were eventually buried here.
Li Yelai's gaze returned to the desolate altar of bones, where layers upon layers of alien and human remains seemed to silently testify to the tragic war that had been lost to time.

"Damn aliens!" Li Yelai said, "If we see any snake people later, we'll wipe them out too!"

“That’s only right. The extreme racial fastidiousness of the wandering knights is something worth learning.” Little Mad King naturally agreed. As people of the giant city, they all believed that only dead aliens were good aliens.

"However, this is on the premise that the snake-people civilization still exists," Little Mad King reminded, "Judging from the remains, they are quite ancient. They are estimated to be several hundred years old or even longer. And this place is clearly not a forbidden zone, so it is not affected by the order of the forbidden zone."

Li Yelai nodded, if the snake-people civilization wins.

Order must emerge in the restricted area, and this space will become a restricted area. There will also be a king of the restricted area.

Perhaps, humanity did not lose?

Or perhaps, neither side won?
It would be wonderful if a powerful human civilization could emerge there, like at Wanlong Lake.

Li Yelai pondered for a moment, and then noticed obscure characters carved on the edge of the altar.

It is unknown whether it was left behind by buried humans or by the snake-people civilization.

However, it is certain that the powerful beings who left these words were not divine. They did not exhibit the kind of expression that transcends language and logic that comes with divinity.

So much so that neither of them could understand its meaning. "Should I activate the Demonic Mask?" Li Yelai wondered.

The blessing from the Deceptive God's Chosen Face allows Li Ye to understand any text and even directly see the spiritual energy paths of formations and rituals, which he can then modify or obscure.

However, once the face mask is activated, a powerful attack is guaranteed to trigger, easily attracting enemies and making you vulnerable to being surrounded.
"Fine, let's give it a try. They can't all be within my curse's range, can they? As long as there aren't too many, I'll kill them all!"

“Yes, with me here, they won’t even have a chance to send a message.” Little Mad King agreed with this method.

Thus, Li Yelai activated the Deceptive God's Chosen Face!
The moment the face was activated, Li Yelai saw the characters transform into understandable text.

It was a long poem praising a snake-man king named 'Yongzhe', describing his dazzling achievements and glory between the lines.

Conquering, capturing, and colonizing other races. Centralizing power, the snake-people civilization reached its so-called pinnacle in its hands.

The entire text is filled with praise. That's quite a skillful way of flattering someone.

However, at the end, it was a tribute to 'Yongzhe'.
"Ha! So, after all that, he's dead." Li Yelai sneered mockingly. He had no goodwill towards heroes from other races. In the records, among the 'other races' they had conquered and colonized were humans.

However, at the very end, at the bottom of the altar, several human remains nestled together, leaving behind another kind of inscription on the wall.

'It died, died a horrible death, at the hands of a hero!'

'The snake-man was eventually found with only half a body; he was dead, not even a complete corpse! Awesome!'

'We cannot leave; we will be buried alive as sacrificial victims. Poor children. We couldn't send them to the city.'

'But my future compatriots, if you find this place, please burn us.'

'And please, for our sake, dig up their ancestral graves!'

'Destroy their last hope completely!'

This is a testament that has spanned countless years; it is the last words of our fellow human beings buried here.

So that's how it is; this is the ancestral tomb of the snake people.

No wonder there are so many traps; are they to prevent tomb raiding?

it is good!
Li Yelai's waist held a beast-like head that floated into the air. He unleashed its power upon the remains of his comrades.

A clear, melodious female voice rang out from within: [Immortal Talisman - Ignite]
The next moment, the entire altar was set ablaze, and the intense heat consumed everything.

The bones, filled with pain and curses, melt away like ice and snow the moment they come into contact with flames!

The congealed black blood turned into rising blue smoke!

The binding chains snapped inch by inch and turned to ashes!
In the flickering firelight, it seemed as if countless sighs were being carried away by the wind.

But their regrets will be fulfilled by Li Ye.

You killed my compatriots, I'll dig up your ancestral graves!

As thick smoke rose, several teams were drawn to the scene.

There were merfolk with ear fins of various colors, nobles from forbidden land areas, a gathering of Chaos Demon Generals, and two Celestial Walkers!
(Sorry, updates have been a bit slow lately. I haven't designed a detailed outline, only a vague main plot, so the deductions are quite choppy. The deductions are almost complete now, and things should go smoothly next month.) (End of Chapter)