"Can't take it anymore, I'm sleepy."
The students from Great Xia all collapsed on the ground, snoring loudly.
The same was true for those from the Land of Sakura. Mercenaries and students alike lay on the ground, fast asleep.
The mercenaries tried to hold on, but all their efforts ended in failure.
Zhou Lin watched as these students also succumbed, his gaze fixed on the talisman. A twitch ran across his lips.
He wouldn't get dizzy either. What should he do? He couldn't just hit himself with a stick, could he?
This talisman was a dream-inducing charm. For the one casting the spell, it was a state of mind, allowing entry into the illusion woven by the caster.
There was nothing else, but if he didn't go in, wouldn't he miss out on a lot?
Finally, he asked the system, exchanged for some elixirs, and swallowed them without hesitation.
"Ah... I'm dizzy."
Zhou Lin said, then closed his eyes and fell to the ground. m..oΓg
Inside the livestream.
"Why does the great one look so fake? Why did he get dizzy?"
"Yeah, why? But why do I feel uncomfortable looking at it? I'm dizzy too..."
"No, why do I feel like sleeping too?"
"I want to sleep too..."
Everyone in the livestream felt a bit groggy.
When they woke up, their livestream had changed.
Before them appeared palaces, most of them ancient structures, along with elements from the desert regions.
Zhou Lin, Huo Qi, and the Xuanxue Professor looked at the scene before them, feeling both strange and shocked.
They had just taken a nap, how had things changed so much?
"This... where is this? Where are we?"
Huo Qi looked at Zhou Lin, confused and astonished.
"This is also an illusion. Let's see what the person who cast the spell wants to say. This is much better than looking at some relics."
As soon as Zhou Lin finished speaking, the scene before them changed.
They were in a palace, filled with people all looking intently at a woman in the center.
It was a woman dressed in a black robe, holding a scepter with an eyeball-like object on it. She was kneeling before a black curtain.
Many people by her side looked at the woman with great respect.
The woman in the black robe knelt on the ground, speaking in a jumbled tongue. Finally, a majestic voice came from behind the curtain, and the black-robed woman stood up.
She raised her scepter high, and the people around her knelt on the ground, looking extremely reverent.
"Who is this?"
"Why does it look different?"
Huo Qi had seen some early Western Regions attire before, and it shouldn't be like this.
"This is the High Priestess of the Demon Kingdom. It is said that selecting a High Priestess is not easy. Do you see the people in black robes by the side? These are the candidates for the High Priestess."
"But if they fail, they will face severe punishment."
As Zhou Lin finished speaking, he felt a gaze.
The Xuanxue Professor and Zuo Lin and the others beside him also felt it.
This gaze came from the inner area.
"They can't see us, right?"
Captain Zhao asked in a low voice.
"Theoretically, that's correct. But who is the Queen of the Demon Kingdom? She is the eye from the Ghost Cave Tribe. What can't she see?"
Zhou Lin looked at the Queen's position and a thought struck him.
Could he get a look later?
Before, he had only seen portraits and records in books. He had never had the chance to see the real person.
As he thought this, his feet began to move, wanting to see what the Queen looked like.
"Professor Zhou Lin, didn't you say the Queen's eyes have a problem? If you go there and she takes them, what will you do?"
Zuo Lin now relied entirely on Zhou Lin. If he died, what would they do?
Zhou Lin looked at their expressions and knew they cared about him more than themselves.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen. Even if you want to see, you won't be allowed to. Don't overthink it."
As soon as Zhou Lin finished speaking, the surrounding scene changed.
It was a place of torture. Various torture instruments were scattered around. More than a dozen women, their faces veiled, were being bound. Their bodies were covered in wounds.
There were also many venomous snakes at their feet.
Their bodies were covered in all sorts of wounds, and some were even crawling with insects.
Their faces were pale, and sweat dripped onto their veils.
The High Priestess from before sat in the center, watching these women suffer.
"Kill us. You've already taken the position you desired. Why do you torment us like this?"
One of the women glared at her with hatred.
"You always suppressed me, jealous that my witchcraft was better than yours, and constantly undermined me. Do you think I would let you go like this?"
The leading black-robed woman looked at these women, then raised her scepter, releasing lightning. The women were struck by electricity...
Zhou Lin, Huo Qi, and the others watched, feeling terrified. Below, venomous snakes were gnawing at their feet, leaving bloody trails.
Beneath their feet was a passage. This small passage was filled with blood, which flowed down into a large basin below.
Song Lin went to take a look and saw all sorts of venomous snakes inside – white, green, black, all kinds.
Anyone who saw it would find it disgusting.
Anyone would feel their scalp tingle and a chill run down their spine.
"This... is a Chái Pén?"
The Xuanxue Professor, seeing the snakes eagerly drinking the liquid that dripped from the girls' feet, felt his scalp go numb.
"What is Chái Pén?"
Song Lin had never heard of it before.
"It's one of the ancient punishments. But why use these people's blood? Why not just push them in?"
Huo Qi didn't quite understand.
Wasn't that the purpose of Chái Pén?
"If they were pushed in, these snakes couldn't be fed. Professor Huo, take a closer look at what's going on with these snakes!"
Zhou Lin 'kindly' reminded them.
The people from Great Xia and the Land of Sakura were all watching the Chái Pén.
The livestream went wild.
"Damn, what am I seeing? So many snakes! Is this Chái Pén? This is a punishment from the Shang Dynasty."
"I'm also seeing videotapes from the Demon Kingdom? Does this count as seeing history?"
"But I really didn't expect to see such a scene. It's a shame I didn't get to see the true face of the Demon Kingdom's Queen."
"By the way, will this affect the archaeological team? This is a very important matter."
"It shouldn't. They can't see the great one."