"Oh, come on, every line in there mentions the 'Golden Mask,' doesn't it? You can't just completely omit the word 'Mask'!" O'Connell walked over and patted Jonathan on the head, then settled onto the sofa.

After the violent explosion in the square, Zheng Zha immediately had Zhan Lan scan the entire area with psychic energy. Coincidentally, they saw O'Connell's group descending from their vehicle, standing not far outside the square. Accompanying them were the undead priest Imhotep and his woman, Anck-su-namun—these five individuals were actually together.

Later, after Zheng Zha and the others regrouped, they met up with O'Connell and his party. When Evy saw the little boy, the small woman instantly burst into loud tears, clutching the boy to her chest and weeping uncontrollably. The helpless O'Connell could only embrace her and press forward, following Zheng Zha and the others into the hotel.

The group helped Evy for a long time. Once they confirmed the little boy was alright, they fed him some milk.

Only then did everyone have the chance to sit down and discuss things.

Especially regarding the origins of this "Golden Mask" and that creature.

"Because the situation in Britain started getting tense recently, we obtained immigration green cards and moved to America. We originally planned to buy a manor in the East; with our savings, we could certainly afford a large estate. However, when Evy contacted her university professor—a senior archaeologist in America—she was told that he had already gone west with a team to a site concerning ancient Mayan civilization ruins. So, we temporarily gave up the idea of buying a manor and took a train together to the Mayan ruins..." O'Connell recounted their recent experiences while seated on the sofa. What made everyone more curious, though, was why Jonathan was with them. Zheng Zha immediately asked curiously, "Jonathan, weren't you planning to go to China? Why are you traveling with O'Connell and his group, and why did you go to the Mayan ruins together?" Jonathan took a sip of coffee and laughed with surprising bravado, "Do you think such a responsible brother as myself would abandon his sister and nephew to travel alone? Besides, they can't manage anything without me. It’s a burden, but I have no choice but to stay and protect them..." O'Connell immediately exposed his lie: "Are you sure you didn't come with us because you heard there was a gold rush in San Francisco again? And then heard that the Mayans liked to bury their nobles with gold, which is why you followed us to the Mayan ruins?" Jonathan quickly laughed heartily, "Of course not! Do you really think a gentleman as upright and wealthy as myself would covet a small gold mine or go digging up someone else's grave? You underestimate me too much..." "I think he would..." Zheng Zha whispered to O'Connell. "Think? He absolutely would..." Regardless, the safe arrival of O'Connell and the others brought some relief to Zheng Zha and the others. After confirming the little boy was O'Connell and Evy's son, Zheng Zha had genuinely prepared for the worst, even thinking they might have been killed by that monster.

Zheng Zha then said to O'Connell, "Please, continue telling us about the monster. How did he come to be? And how did you obtain that Golden Mask? Don't be so vague."

O'Connell nodded and continued, "When we arrived at those ancient Mayan ruins, the archaeological team was opening the gate to the structure. Evy and her professor could barely make out some of the text on the door. In terms of meaning, there were two interpretations: one was that behind this door lay the hope for humanity's future, and the other was that behind it was a world-destroying demon. Naturally, the archaeological team wouldn't stop there, so they opened the entrance to the stepped pyramid and went inside."

"To be honest, it didn't look like a tomb at all. Instead, it resembled a workshop or a factory. There were many small bronze tools inside, but because the handles were wood, they had completely rotted away over countless years, leaving only the rusted tools behind. Furthermore, a large pit was discovered there, filled with countless human skeletons. According to the archaeological team, it was a place for Maya human sacrifice by burial alive, a site for praying to the heavens. But..." Evy walked out from the inner room, taking over the narrative. "But all the bodies there were deformed and distorted. Many looked like mutated humans, and a few had completely lost any semblance of human form. It’s a wonder those fools boasted so much about burial alive; I’ve never seen monsters used for sacrificial rites."

"We then explored further inside, eventually finding a Golden Mask embedded in the wall at the deepest part of the pyramid. Surrounding the Golden Mask were many murals and explanatory texts. The archaeologists were already impatient; they happily took the mask and left the pyramid. However, we discovered much more from those murals and writings."

Evy walked over and sat next to O'Connell, murmuring, "The murals narrated events from ancient times. According to what they showed, ancient humans were a group of apes that slowly evolved into humans step by step. When humanity was still ape-like, our world was filled with countless terrifying, unknown monsters, many possessing immense power or special abilities unmatched by humans. Among these ape-like humans, 'Sages' began to emerge—not just one, but a group of 'Sages' who led the ape-like humans to defeat those countless monsters. Then, the apes survived and slowly began to evolve into humans..."

"But the 'Sages' started aging and dying, and since the monsters were nearly wiped out, new 'Sages' could no longer arise from humanity. So, the remaining 'Sages' desperately searched for solutions. One faction of 'Sages' suggested that humanity should generate new 'Sages' on its own. Thus, they constructed a massive space and continuously threw humans into it, followed by some of the remaining monsters, forcing humans to be killed repeatedly within that space..."

"Another faction of 'Sages' found this too cruel. So, they began creating things that could turn humans into 'Sages' as well. A group wearing long robes and large, crowned hats created golden pills. Humans who swallowed these pills would transform into beings similar to 'Sages.' They all resided on a mountain with these 'Sages.' A group of 'Sages' wearing cloaks performed surgeries on humans, causing them to continuously grow bat wings and feathered wings. These transformed humans left with the 'Sages.' And another group of masked 'Sages' created these very Golden Masks. When a human wore a Golden Mask, they would become the 'Perfected Being,' the closest thing to a 'Sage.' This is what the murals depicted."

"But what followed suggested that everything the 'Sages' did was in vain. Those people who swallowed the golden pills and lived on the mountain gradually became cruel, beginning to attack the 'Sages' wearing long robes and large, crowned hats. They even split into two factions and slaughtered each other within one nation, ultimately fighting until they all perished together... Those humans who grew wings lost the ability to procreate, and the ones with bat wings and feathered wings also began fighting amongst themselves, eventually killing each other off as their numbers dwindled... Those who wore the Golden Masks transformed into monsters themselves, constantly hunting humans for sustenance, seemingly having completely forgotten they were human before wearing the mask. However, they appeared terrified of sunlight; once the sun touched them, they instantly turned into piles of white bone, unable to reform into monsters..."

"Thus, all the actions of those 'Sages' failed. As the last 'Sage' died, only that immense space remained preserved—this is everything shown in the murals."

Evy finished speaking, but Zheng Zha and the others were left dumbfounded. All of this was too incredible; it was almost as if the origin of the 'Main God' space and everything that happened before and after was displayed on those murals. This influx of information was something Zheng Zha and his group had never anticipated—they never realized so much had transpired previously.

Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses: "So, does that mean this monster is just an ordinary human who put on the Golden Mask? Is that ruin still intact?" Evy nodded: "The ruin is still there, but the entire archaeological team has turned into zombies... Yes, he was originally just an ordinary old man; he became what he is now after wearing the Golden Mask. However, he is not a complete monster; he is still incomplete. He hasn't attained the full power of that creature yet! Jump to..."