Chapter 222. Middle East Journey (4) Mummy Priest

     Arriving at the Giza Plateau, perhaps due to the presence of the tomb complex here, the dark monsters emerged in an endless stream.  

     Ye Mo, however, had fewer reservations than she did in the city. She held an ordinary high-grade sword in her left hand and, in her right, an amplification bracelet that was more convenient than a staff, as she formed hand seals and cast spells.

     Combining ranged and close-quarters attacks, she annihilated every single monster that came, no matter how many.

     But she couldn’t kill them all. When the black monsters finally thinned out slightly, Ye Mo stopped being a killing machine and swiftly darted into a magnificent pyramid.

     Such a grand pyramid would certainly have been a famous tourist attraction before the resurgence of spiritual energy, with visitors once able to explore parts of its interior.

     But now, the pyramid was severely damaged in many places, having become a crumbling ruin. This was one of the reasons why the Egyptian survivors’ group suspected it might be one of the trigger points for the first two real-world dungeons.  

     Inside, the pyramid was now pitch-black, so dark that one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face. The passageways were collapsed in many places, twisting and turning, or inexplicably intersected with new tunnels, likely dug out by survivors, which may lead to unknown hidden chambers.  

     Some of the online rumors about the pyramids turned out to be true. To protect these historical structures or to avoid damaging them, the pyramids hadn’t been fully explored and mapped.  

     What surprised Ye Mo the most was that, even in such a severely damaged state, parts of the Egyptian pyramids could still block Hawk Eye ability and her mental power.

     Was it some kind of witchcraft array?  

     Unbelievable.  

     One area was the pharaoh’s burial chamber. Now completely empty, save for some weathered murals she couldn’t decipher and a few replica artifacts left behind for display. Nothing else remained.  

     Perhaps there were slightly more black monsters here because the concentration of dark elemental energy was exceptionally strong. Additionally, near the pharaoh’s chamber, there were remnants of damaged arrays in some of the ruined sections.  

     Ye Mo carefully studied the ancient Egyptian arrays and realized they weren’t just isolated formations, they were interconnected, with the entire pyramid’s structure playing a crucial role.  

     Aside from the pharaoh’s chamber, there was one other small area that could block mental power detection.  

     Ye Mo made her way toward it, navigating countless twists and turns before finally pushing open a stone door.  

     Boom!

     Logically, the pyramid should have been empty, yet there stood a mummy, wrapped so tightly that not even its eyes were visible.  

     Ye Mo’s action to cast a fireball paused. She tapped her earpiece. Static crackled in the background, but it didn’t hinder communication: “Ji Li, are mummies considered puppets?”

     “No, not entirely,” Ji Li replied. “The purpose of mummification was to preserve the soul, retaining memories of the past life to achieve eternal existence. Like puppets, they suffer, but they aren’t controlled by others. The mummification process was an act of devotion to the god of the underworld, a self-sacrifice.”

     “Hmm.”

     Ye Mo responded while dodging the mummy’s attacks. This mummy was indeed different from the black monsters, it could use wood and dark elemental magic.

     Wood-based spells had limited offensive power inside the pyramid, but the dark magic summoned swarms of corpse-devouring insects from the shadows, enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.  

     Water + Lightning— zap them to death.  

     Wind + Fire — burn them to ashes.  

     Ye Mo didn’t forget the real culprit. Cutting off the conversation with Ji Li for now, she pushed off the ground and lunged at the mummy. The first sword strike she brought down was actually blocked by the staff in its hand.

     This was a high-grade sword, no less powerful than the Mozi Sword, yet the staff managed to block a physical attack.

     This meant both the staff and the priest wielding it were far from ordinary. The staff, made of some kind of alloy, had astonishing physical resistance. ‘Not bad. Not bad at all.’ Ye Mo couldn’t help but admire its craftsmanship, mentally dissecting its forging technique.

     Bang! Bang!

     She exchanged another two blows with the mummy, deliberately avoiding slashing the staff directly, the thought of leaving even a scratch on it pained her. After a swift kick sent the mummy flying, she seized the staff for herself.  

     At the same time, she lashed out with her mental power, piercing the mummy’s consciousness and absorbing all its retained memories.  .

     This was a priest from over 5,000 years ago, the highest-ranking mortuary priest beside the pharaoh of this pyramid. Fragments of his memories contained vast knowledge in four disciplines: gnomonics (sundial studies), astrology, healing arts, and sacrificial rites.

     Never underestimate any civilization capable of leaving behind legends, even in an era devoid of spiritual energy.

     For instance, gnomonics and astrology, their scientific contributions to agriculture remain in use in the West even today. And astronomers would undoubtedly adore them, as they could accurately map the positions of the sun, moon, and stars from millennia ago.  

     Not only that, Ye Mo also really liked them because they contained incredibly precise calculations. These arts were the foundation for creating the pyramid’s formations.

     With this new knowledge, the process of studying the pyramid became much easier, and her understanding of formations progressed further.

     As for the healing arts, which combined witchcraft, pharmacology, and a small amount of surgery, Watson would love them. She wouldn’t have to worry about his birthday gift this year.

     Then there was the sacrificial art. Ye Mo wasn’t sure if Ji Li would like it, but ancient Egyptian sacrificial practices were closely tied to death and eternal life. Whether he liked it or not, it would be useful for his cultivation.

     In a way, zombies and mummies shared certain similarities. Ji Li’s early days as a fledgling zombie must have been incredibly tough.

     After thoroughly beating the mummy priest into near-oblivion, until it could no longer fight back. Ye Mo manipulated its movements, guiding it toward a hidden sanctuary called the “*Stolists.*” Every priest had their own purification chamber, a space of faith untouched by outsiders. No wonder archaeologists never uncovered this one

     The pharaoh of this pyramid had been unearthed, meaning his sacrifice failed, and it’s highly probable his soul was scattered, that’s the price of the ritual.

     On the way to the secret chamber, Ye Mo spotted the remnants of some defensive armor left by a survivor, but the survivor’s own remains were completely gone, gnawed clean by corpse worms.

     There was no doubt that the reality dungeon activated by this unfortunate survivor group was connected to this mummy priest. Perhaps their goal was to eliminate the priest, or to find something?

     Along the way, she encountered a few more suspected relics from other survivors, including a plain-looking storage pouch.

     From the items in the storage pouch, it was clear this survivor was a local from the Middle East, possessing many unique items from Middle East countries.

     Entering the secret chamber, Ye Mo found the area wasn’t large.

     The walls were covered in vividly colored murals depicting scenes from millennia ago, ceremonial worship and the gruesome, visceral process of preparing the pharaoh’s mummy for sacrifice. The imagery was unsettling, to say the least.  

     The narratives centered around Egypt’s Ennead: Ra, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys, and Anubis, alongside glimpses of lesser deities. 

     There are other gods as well.

     Ye Mo originally couldn’t understand these murals, but with the priest’s memories, she could at least distinguish which ancient Egyptian gods were depicted and why certain gods couldn’t be drawn together.

     This was because, over 5,000 years ago, during the priest’s lifetime, these so-called gods were engaged in fierce internal strife. Considering the context, it was likely over spiritual energy resources.

     The ancient Egyptians worshipped the gods of the underworld partly because they had many and powerful underworld gods, and partly because the gods, in their eyes, were mostly using similar sacrificial methods to plunder resources.

     The ancient Egyptian pharaohs creating mummified cats, snakes, and insects was also a form of exploitation of other life, reflecting the saying, “As the beam is crooked, so the rafter slopes.” ^[1]上梁如何、下梁如何” → Idiom rendered as “as the beam is crooked, so the rafter slopes” (Western equivalent of corruption flowing downward)   

     In the center of the secret chamber was a coffin with its lid pushed aside. The coffin was engraved with images of two guardian goddesses of death. A closer look at the marks on the coffin’s edge suggested it was intentionally damaged, most likely opened by survivors.

     Aside from the coffin, the chamber contained a small but exquisite collection of treasures: silver, gold, silver alloy, amber gold, ivory, gemstones, and some ritualistic or magical artifacts containing gold or silver.

     Ye Mo touched each item, but no reality dungeon was activated.

    The mummy priest, however, became incredibly agitated. Unfortunately, having sacrificed his internal organs and soul, he had lost all five senses except for his magic and memories, so he couldn’t express his rage.

     So, Ye Mo ultimately collected all the items into her space, planning to study their uses later.

     A few more black monsters followed them into the secret chamber. The mummy priest was also a target for these black monsters, and without his staff, he struggled against them.

     Ye Mo dispatched both the monsters and the priest with a beam of light and a bolt of lightning.

     Then, she continued to explore and study the next pyramid. She meticulously examined the entire Giza pyramid complex, both inside and out, especially its hidden chambers and their contents.  

     It was because of these endeavors that Ye Mo, who was once the fastest at exploration within her team, became the slowest.