Chapter 645: Massive bonfire
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Mbenga eyed these excellently crafted pikes for a brief while, before casually scooping two of them; one within each hand. Then, he barreled straight for the long bridge.
At this moment, Sheyan caught glimpse of two Plaga Hosts wildly pursuing him from behind.
The Plaga Hosts charged in with abnormal breakneck speed, dragging along an afterimage of dried, shriveled skin behind them, as they insatiably chased after Mbenga with no regard for all else.
From afar, Sheyan keenly took notice that those two Plaga Hosts pursuing Mbenga, had seemingly differing characteristics as compared to the African natives. Their hair color and attire evidently exposed their identity as European sailors.
Mbenga fixated his attention on the long bridge. Then, he indeed blatantly bolted straight for the bridgehead. Once again, two glaring focused sun beans lasered in with unbelievable speed.
Without hesitation, Mbenga darted towards the deep abyss, but instead, mimicking Sheyan exactly, he thrust his pike into the bridge’s rocky body.
Nevertheless, wasn’t that too excessive a joke? Sheyan’s ‘+7 West’ was like a valiant divine artifact, in addition to his brutish force, he could naturally drill into the cliff rocks like it was dofu. On the contrary, no matter how sharp those wooden pike heads were, one could simply imagine how solid rock debris was as well.
However, an event that left Sheyan flabbergasted occurred.
Mbenga’s pike actually drilled in effortlessly into the lateral rock body, and even manage to stab 2-3 inches deep.
"What the…..perhaps Mbenga is a cultivator with fighting qi that can conquer all obstacles? Cultivating his spear mastery to such an extent? Is this movie secretly a Xuanhuan wuxia novel?"
While Sheyan was lost in shock, Mbenga was borrowing the momentum of his thrusting impetus, consecutively executing gymnastic somersaults as he barreled fiercely in advance. Every time his body was about to drop off, he would drill his other pike with lightning pace into the rocky lateral of this bridge.
Meanwhile, those Plaga Hosts were fearless as well. Naturally, they wouldn’t stupidly dash into the unfathomable abyss, but instead, directly stampeded onto the ‘magnanimously spacious’ long bridge. Yet just when they dashed 5-6 meters onto the bridge, two peerlessly dazzling sunlight beams blasted in sonorously.
In the blink of an eye, the two Plaga Hosts were diced into cauterized pieces by the first beam, and reduced to dust by the second beam. The winds blew across, as their existences dissipated from this world.
By now, Sheyan had already realized Mbenga’s secret....there wasn’t a single cent of relation between his effortless impalation of the rocky bridge, and his strength or ‘fighting qi’!
Everything became worthless once the secret was laid bare.
This was because, when the artisans constructed this long bridge, they had actually manufactured teacup sized deep holes within two-meter intervals, on both lateral sides of this bridge. Moreover, those holes had been concealed, and an outsider could never see through this farce. It was no wonder Mbenga could impale the rocky bridge as though it was tofu.
Very quickly, Mbenga arrived at the middle section of this bridge, where he straightforwardly charged towards Sheyan’s side. Following that, he offered his stooped back towards Sheyan, as he gesticulated incessantly with his arms; a look of frightened anxiety filled his eyes. Evidently, the duration left to cross this bridge would soon expire, and he intended to carry Sheyan across.
Sheyan hesitated for a while. Frankly speaking, for Sheyan to replicate Mbenga’s method of crossing would be truly beyond his reach.
Firstly, he wasn’t familiar with the holes along the lateral side of this bridge and also wasn’t adept at using pikes. Most critically, Sheyan only had one arm, and the risk would be too immense.
Thus, Sheyan first sampled and pinched Mbenga’s wooden pike. He reckoned that the material used for crafting was extraordinary and incredibly tough, as such, supporting the weight of two humans should be fine. Hence, he bluntly climbed onto Mbenga’s back, and the two subsequently headed off.
This time, Mbenga was inevitably not as smooth as before. His arm muscles shivered and throbbed repetitively. Fortunately, right before the sun fully set, he arrived onto the core zone of the opposite bank.
Upon stepping foot onto safe ground, Mbenga immediately slumped to the ground and panted heavily, before drinking several mouthfuls of rum. His current state was as though his toes couldn’t force out the slightest movement as well.
At this moment, Sheyan became exceedingly fearful that he would receive a merciless notification – you have arrived at the ultimate innermost reaches of this hidden world, every 1 hour requires a fee of 50,000 utility points....
Fortunately, the nightmare realm didn’t play it excessively overboard. His worry was totally unnecessary, and the realm maintained a rate of 10,000 utility points per hour. Though that was so, Sheyan still felt unbearable heartache.
Mbenga soon recovered, still huffing as he climbed back up. Yet just when he was about to speak, a sudden thunderous rumble boomed in from the rear.
Spinning their heads around for a glimpse, they realized the blood remnants of the combusting sun had already degraded into a red goose egg; with its half already plunged into a regiment of clouds. Dark clouds churned and occupied the entire sky, erasing all notions of the sun appearing again. From afar, unknown when, the two statues with their convex mirror lenses had slithered back down into the stone platform.
Most importantly, after the statues retracted, a hollow column instantly spiraled up the section of the bridge they had just crossed. Immediately following that, a mystifying surge of mist and fog filled that column and gathered densely, to the point where even winds could not bypass it.
Not too long later, the entire long bridge was drowned in the fumigation of rolling mist; appearing like famous mountains and great rivers in a sea of clouds. The only difference was, a sea of clouds exhibited multitudes of cotton wadding puffs, but the fumigation of mist here replicated the muddiness of the Kijuju Marsh; adorning a thrilling ocher shade resembling that of coagulated dried blood!
At this moment, Sheyan was finally enlightened. The reason the rocky bridge was preserved with a glossy, sleek luster, was probably due to this misty intervention preventing all forms of erosion.
Sheyan proceeded cautiously towards the edge of this bank of the bridge. Picking up a craggy and dull rock, he hurled it into the swirl of rummaging mist, following that…...there was no following that!!
According to theory, the weight of that rock should still fall to the ground after touching the mist, however, in Sheyan’s sight, that bowl sized rock actually disappeared without a trace. It was as though countless famished mouths were hidden within the mist, where they would inevitably devour all intruding objects!
Even that rock had been eroded away so quickly, what more flesh and blood?
Sheyan was exceptionally clear. Regardless of how monstrous his physique became, or how overpowered his innate could evolve to be, it couldn’t be discussed in the same league as the solidness of granite. Death would not come any quicker if he dove into that regiment of swirling mist. Even wishing for an intact corpse would be futile.
Indeed, it appears this reality coincides with his earlier thinking. Attempting to enter by completing the trial of the sunlight was possible, but trying to bypass the trial would only lead to a disastrous vanity.
Presently, Sheyan once again batted a glance at Mbenga. He realized that his striking crimson blood scar had become strangely diluted. Originally two fingers thick and 3-4 inches long, it had shrunk to a finger thick and 2 inches long. Still, Mbenga’s eyes brimmed with straightforward honesty, not any different from his usual state.
In spite of that, Sheyan could scent waves of reeking blood stench from Mbenga. He couldn’t help but ask.
"Where are the ears of the foes you slew?"
Upon raising that topic, Mbenga’s body abruptly stiffened. He drooped his head and offered a raspy voice only after a good long while.
"Kill, kill, kill kill kill!!! Vengeance, I seek vengeance, vengeance!!"
While exclaiming, his arms trembled with unparalleled intensity as he brandished his wooden pike.
In response, Sheyan hastily hugged Mbenga; who knew if that wooden pike was smeared with toxins, and would mistakenly injure him?
Instead, he listened as Mbenga muttered a term incessantly alongside his heavy panting.
"Guarba! Guarba!!!"
After painstakingly getting Mbenga to calm down, Sheyan didn’t dare to offer him any more rum. In any case, their bodies were still smeared with the ‘Tigfog’ herb medicine, which could still provide minimal feasibility. If the aroma of rum allured a big boss to surface, there would be nowhere left to escape!
**********************
Sheyan stood beside the massive bonfire dyke.
Indeed, that same bonfire he surveyed from his previous bird’s eye view. The same massive bonfire that Bernard Fokke detailed in his voyage log.
Without a doubt, this signified Sheyan was nearing the ‘Stairway of the Sun’.
The night darkened with swift ferocity. In the twinkling of an eye, darkness descended. Very evidently, this was a forbidden ground of the Ndipaya Kingdom. Except for ceremonially important days, not a single soul would be permitted entry.
That must be why Bernard Fokke and his group could peacefully rest by the massive bonfire that year.
How they reached this spot, Sheyan didn’t wish to exhaust his energy to decipher.
Nevertheless, Sheyan could confirm that regardless whether it was Bernard Fokke or Little Lord Fokke, the dangers and risks they took were much lesser than him.
At least during then, this kingdom of ruins was still firmly grasped by the former Ndipaya monarchy, where long periods of peace and stability had undoubtedly caused a complacency in guarding the place.
Sheyan examined this massive bonfire dyke that spanned at least 30-40 square meters.
He could imagine the spectacular sight once it gets set ablaze. He reckoned that such a dazzling incandescence could even tear through the enshrouding fog of the Kijuju Marshland, prompting all within several thousands of kilometers to worship in veneration.