Ancient tomb excavation traces

When the witch said that, I couldn't help but think that these Miao people were really something else. They raised a whole nest of venomous snakes as weapons to guard the tomb, and even deified these cold-blooded animals. What was most chilling was that she said that these snakes required human sacrifices!

The very word "sacrifice" is enough to send chills down one's spine. In ancient times, when understanding of the unknown was limited, most people believed that offering their lives to the gods would bring rewards such as power, security, or protection. However, it was precisely this belief that fueled the killing, and those sacrificed were often impoverished people or slaves of war. They were cruelly skinned, their hearts ripped out, and died in agonizing agony without any resistance.

The most cruel one I've heard of is supposedly a Viking "blood eagle" ritual. This bizarre and absurd ritual involves the priest carving an eagle pattern into the sacrificer's back, then cutting open the flesh to expose the spine, lifting the ribs one by one, and finally pulling out the lungs to achieve the shape of an eagle. Just thinking about it is disgusting and terrifying, let alone the brutality suffered by those who endured it.

Now, hearing the shaman say that this snake requires a human sacrifice, I couldn't help but think of my current situation. Recalling the two unrecognizable people I saw under the pile of snakes, I felt a chill. Could it be that these Miao people are even willing to sacrifice their own people?

This thought sent a shiver down my spine. Seeing those "Crimson Flame Alchemy" snakes, which the Miao people called "Spirit-Slaying Snakes," go into the water, I felt a chill run down my spine. I knew there was no antidote for the male snakes; even a little poison would be fatal. Just when we were at our wits' end, the shaman coldly said to us, "You can't handle these venomous snakes. Go to the altar!"

Seeing her solemn expression, I suddenly realized that this girl wanted to save us, but her motives were hard to say, after all, we were enemies from the start. However, we had no other choice now; she was alone and poisoned, posing little threat to us. After thinking it over, I swam over first, and Bao Cai responded to the call. Meanwhile, the ancestor, while confronting the snake, also moved closer to the altar, suggesting that the snake must have been quite difficult for him to deal with as well.

We quickly swam up to the altar and looked into the water again. There weren't many male snakes, but they were very thick. Their swimming posture in the water was very similar to that of a dragon boat, with their entire heads standing upright, exuding a cold and murderous aura.

The deep blue pool rippled with white waves, and above it, blood-red venomous snakes sent chills down our spines. We felt like people trapped in a small boat by a group of sharks, as if fear would drag us into the mouths of these demons the moment we got near the water.

While we were discussing countermeasures, my ancestor gripped a bronze scimitar in the water, looking ready to wreak havoc. The scimitar was fiery red, extremely hard, and incredibly sharp. Its scabbard was made of leather, with a dragon-like pattern sewn on it. In the 21st century, it has become a family heirloom.

My grandfather said this scimitar is incredibly powerful in close combat, and it's also a treasured sword used to ward off evil spirits. Our ancestors used it to deal with poisonous snakes, hitting them with deadly accuracy every time. A fine sword is always a hero's weapon… However, even though we now possess various famous swords, we can't guarantee our safety in close combat. I thought to myself, how awesome would it be to have a machine gun right now!

At that moment, a male snake was less than two meters away from us. Being out of the water, we could exert more strength and skill, but these snakes were clever; some led the charge, while others circled and approached us, as if the altar had become their hunting ground, and we were the trapped beasts. I didn't understand why the priestess had brought us up here, but I thought she had just saved me; surely she wouldn't sacrifice us to feed the snakes?

As we anxiously watched the underwater movements, the shaman pulled a tiny flute from her sleeve. The flute's sound was clear and melodious, with a distinctive ethnic flavor. However, I found it strange that she was playing the flute at this moment. Was she perhaps going to tease the snake like those snake charmers in India? But that seemed unlikely. Could it be that she wanted to play a farewell tune for us before we perished?

There was no time for further analysis. I turned my gaze away. The ancestor, seeing that the snake had reached the edge of the altar, hurriedly shouted, "Little Celestial Master, Bao Cai, Little Rogue, the three of you cover me. The rest of you, follow me and take the knife. Let's finish this quickly and wipe out these obstacles!" As soon as he finished speaking, the snake leading the charge revealed an aggressive and ferocious glint in its eyes. Just looking at it was enough to terrify me. I swallowed hard. In the blink of an eye, the snake opened its blood-red maw, revealing long, slender fangs, and lunged at the ancestor's arm.

It came up very quickly, like a red lightning bolt. An ordinary person would never be able to dodge it. Fortunately, my ancestor reacted quickly. Just as the snake was about to bite him, he swiftly stretched out his left hand and pinched the snake's vital spot. The snake did not expect to be bound. It twisted its body and nimbly wrapped itself around my ancestor's arm. I could see its body contracting and contracting continuously. My ancestor's arm was being tightly bound and was gradually turning a faint purple, indicating that the blood was quickly congealing in one place.

In my haste, I cried out, "Ancestor!" This cry caused him, who was locked in fierce combat, to tremble slightly. Something flashed in his eyes, as if he already knew I was his descendant. But I had never revealed our identities, and I didn't know why I had this absurd illusion.

I gave a wry smile. After recovering from the strange sensation, the struggle between the ancestor and the venomous snake was not yet over. The snake was extremely strong. While the two were locked in combat, I saw the ancestor clench his teeth and exert all his strength. He pressed down on the snake's vital spot with his extremely long and thin fingers. If he could win at this crucial point, this bitter struggle would end immediately.

But the result was beyond my expectations. The venomous snake was pinched at its seven-inch mark and its flesh was torn open, but it did not die. What was most shocking was that its head began to frantically bite at the old ancestor's flesh, which looked terrifying.

I was secretly alarmed, thinking how vicious this thing was. Even with a hole pierced through it, it was still so aggressive. But I quickly realized that the snake was longer than usual. In the rush, perhaps our ancestors hadn't quite pinpointed its vital spot, which is why they hadn't killed it instantly. Another possibility is that these snakes are fed on human sacrifices, so the food they swallow is much larger than themselves. To prevent their hearts from being crushed, they've subtly changed the position of their hearts, like a kind of evolution.

The ancestor dodged the frenzied snake's bite, raised his right hand with a red copper scimitar, its blade gleaming, and was about to strike when the snake's chest began to heave and throb, like a drunkard vomiting.

Seeing this sudden change, I had a bad feeling. The priestess beside me widened her eyes and shouted urgently, "Relax! Quick! It's going to raise its scales!"

Fortunately, the snake wasn't tightly coiled because it was injured. When she cried out, the ancestor hurriedly threw away the hot potato in her hand. The moment the venomous snake was thrown onto the sacrificial table, its body resembled an angry pufferfish, and its triangular scales popped up, which was quite terrifying.

"Holy crap!" Chen Yi stared in disbelief at the scene. The snake was bleeding, emanating a foul, fishy stench. But what was truly admirable was its hissing, its fighting spirit still incredibly high. And from within its raised scales, a murky white liquid was being secreted—likely venom released in its rage. If this snake were in modern times, many snake breeders would probably be willing to keep it to make money, because its venom was simply too abundant.

After the lead snake was injured, the remaining snakes surrounding us began to hiss, as if responding or communicating. We dared not be careless, all watching the snakes' movements in the water with vigilance. If they all came up at once, we would surely be caught in a chaotic battle and poisoned, but as long as we didn't die suddenly, given our manly spirit, we would fight to the death.

The priestess didn't stop playing; her flute's melodious tune was perfectly suited to the beautiful scenery. But I wondered why she was playing under these circumstances. Just as I was about to ask, the old man cursed, beating me to the punch, and demanded, "Are you playing your flute to control these poisonous snakes?"

The priestess glanced at the old man, stopped playing, and said sternly, "If that's the case, I'll let them bite you to death first!"

Hearing this, Old Man Tai felt a tightness in his chest, the word "you" stuck in his throat for a long time. He had never gained the upper hand in an argument with a woman. But this time, he believed the witch; otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to remind the ancestor.

We had no time to deal with her whims, because we had to keep an eye on the venomous snakes that were attacking us. But strangely, they stood still in the water, seemingly observing, and didn't attack immediately. This inaction was both perplexing and unsettling.

However, the worst thing soon happened. On the previously calm water in front of us, some dark spots appeared. Just as Bao Cai crouched down to examine them closely, several bright red, soft-bodied creatures suddenly darted out, catching us all off guard. By the time we realized they were venomous snakes, the situation was completely out of control.

"Damn it!" I cursed. It turned out these venomous snakes were all schemers, using a double-cross strategy. They first set up a formation to confuse us, and then the other snakes lurked underwater to catch us off guard.

The young Taoist priest and I were startled and fell to the ground when the snake flew towards us. Bao Cai was the unluckiest; the snake darted directly into his arms. He let out a suppressed scream, his face drained of color. I saw his legs trembling uncontrollably, his eyes filled with terror, and I quickly told him to calm down and not move. He glanced at the venomous snake with its head raised, his face contorted with fear.

Soon, the snake moved. Bao Cai looked at me with pleading eyes and said in a trembling voice, "Save...save me..." The voice was very low, almost squeezed out of his throat.

I slowly got up and carefully approached Bao Cai. When I looked back at the little Taoist priest, he nodded at me, bent down, and prepared to deal with the two poisonous snakes that were about to attack us with a wooden awl that Chu Ba had whittled for him.

Longji①: An ancient mythical beast in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, it looks like a pig with horns on its head. Legend has it that eating its flesh will prevent nightmares.