Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 668 The Ancient Altar!

This place is even more secluded than the ancient city of Tongjing; it is estimated that it has remained undiscovered for at least several hundred years.

Hu Ming was the only person in the vast underground space. He didn't care about anything and simply took off his wet clothes and threw them aside. He was skilled and daring, and didn't need any other protection. He looked around shirtless.

Rugged and desolate.

This was Hu Ming's first impression of the place.

In the vast, enclosed underground space, 99% of the area is desolate, with no trace of human activity visible.

There was only one altar in the very center!!!
Clearly, this was a sacrificial site of the ancient ancestors. However, even with Hu Ming's extensive knowledge, he could not discern which deity was being worshipped on the altar.

Judging from the carving marks on the altar and the statues, this style is not the style of the ancient Tongjing at all, but a much older style.

The human form of the statue was extremely forced and the workmanship was very rough; it was only barely discernible that it was a human-shaped statue.

What surprised Hu Ming even more was that, judging from the location of the altar, the statue of the god was facing away from all living beings!
"What the heck is this? Is this still the Wushi Emperor from Dongfang's novels?"

Hu Ming's lips twitched, somewhat unable to understand, and he circled the statue once.

"The faceless statue?"

Hu Ming frowned.

So-called gods are generally imagined by ancient people who could not understand natural disasters and were afraid of death. They are great beings who hold the power of heaven and earth.

Generally speaking, when a certain deity becomes a consensus among the early people, they will always create an image for the deity.

Whether it's intimidation, kindness, compassion, or ferocity.

In conclusion, the faces of deities often correspond to the ideals that the ancients entrusted to them on the robes.

But a faceless idol?
What exactly were the early inhabitants of this place worshipping?
Moreover, there was something else that bothered Hu Ming.

The sacrificial traces left on the altar indicate that this place has a very long history.

The skeletal remains of some of the sacrificial animals already showed signs of fossilizing!
It's important to know that for some animal bones to become fossils, the time required is extremely long, so long that it makes everyone question the meaning of life—it can take tens of thousands of years!
In other words, the sacrificial rituals here began at least ten thousand years ago!
It should be understood that so-called sacrificial rites are also a manifestation of civilized activities.

And what we call civilization…

According to previous research by historians, the earliest civilization in China was generally recognized to have formed around 5,000 years ago.

The ancient creatures inside the gate also confirmed this.

Of course, if we are to be more precise and consider the emergence of Chinese characters as the origin of civilization, then we can push it back several thousand years.

However, the evidence here suggests that the sacrificial activities that took place here are at least seven or eight thousand years old, or even older!
"Damn it! Seven or eight thousand years ago? Look at these bones that are almost fossils, that must be more than ten thousand years old."

"Wasn't that when the human species on the land of China had just entered the Neolithic Age?"

Hu Ming's eyelids twitched; he felt as if he had inadvertently uncovered a colossal secret!!!
Furthermore, Hu Ming discovered some ancient carvings on the altar that were almost completely weathered away and could not be seen.

These markings were clearly not drawn randomly; although simple, they were ancient and beyond Hu Ming's comprehension.

However, this does not prevent Hu Ming from making a simple judgment; it is a simple form of writing!
This point... contradicts the earliest known writing discovered by archaeologists. "In other words, in a time even earlier than the time when the beings within the gate existed, in that lost era whose existence is now unreliable, could there have been some unverifiable ancient civilizations?"

If the discovery here were to be made public, it would undoubtedly be an astonishing discovery that would shock the world.

pity…

Hu Ming came here not to conduct archaeological and historical research activities befitting his identity as an archaeology professor and historian, but rather...

However, Hu Ming still planned to minimize the damage to the ruins, prepare the relevant information, and then hand it over honestly!
Hu Ming's eyes flickered slightly. He put aside his doubts about the faceless god, squatted down, and stroked the faceless god statue with both hands.

as predicted!
Hu Ming discovered a hidden mechanism on the altar!
"A mechanism? Holy crap, did such a thing exist in the Neolithic Age, ten thousand years ago?"

"Besides, what kind of mechanism could operate for thousands of years? You can't possibly be spouting nonsense and having been left behind by aliens, can you?"

Hu Ming took a deep breath to suppress his anger, smashed away the hard layer of dust that had almost piled up into rock, and pressed it down hard...

Several minutes later, there was still no movement.

This was to be expected, and Hu Ming was not surprised.

If it could still function after ten thousand years... Hu Ming, the master mechanic, would really have to question his existence.

With a flick of his wrist, Hu Ming summoned the treasured sword in his hand. He silently apologized to the faceless statue before the indestructible sword plunged into the altar.

He drew a circle the size of a person with both hands holding the knife, and with a slight flick of his wrist, he lifted out a perfectly round stone slab.

Below was a small, dark, and gloomy compartment.

The powerful flashlight shone inside, revealing an empty space except for a black stone slab lying quietly within.

The surface is neatly covered with ancient characters, which are in the same style and system as the characters on the altar.

Hu Ming retrieved the stone slab and examined it closely, his brows furrowing deeply.

The characters that appeared in this space look somewhat like oracle bone script unearthed in China, but they are more rugged and ancient, a kind of pictographic script so ancient that no one recognizes it.

Oracle bone script appeared around the Shang Dynasty, about 3,600 years ago.

The characters found here are somewhat similar to oracle bone script, yet they are far more ancient, leaving a lasting impression.

Hu Ming first located the camera in the system space to take photos and record videos!
Hu Ming then spent another full day searching this space, but unfortunately, he still found nothing.

Apart from that, there were no traces of human intervention, nor any hidden secret rooms or the like.

"Based on a simple speculation, this place must have been an extremely secretive, unknown, or rather, small-scale sacrificial activity that the human tribes at that time did not want others to know about."

"The so-called worship of gods, apart from fanatical believers and other devout believers, is nothing more than people making requests of the gods."

"But what about the faceless gods? Did the ancient people of that time simply lack the awareness to create faces for their deities?"

After replenishing his food and water, Hu Ming sat cross-legged under the statue, leaning against it, playing with the black stone slab in his hand, and muttering to himself.

"Place…"