By the Power Of Snake's Will

An imposing, though sibilant voice responded to my own. "Who has come?"

The eyes of the statue began to glow, though the statue itself did not move. "Ah, I see you possess the qualifications." The voice lowered in volume a little as we continued to approach. "Forgive my surprise…it has been some time since someone last made it this far. I thought perhaps the measures to repel unauthorized intrusion needed refreshing—they do, every five million years or so, and the next such time is getting pretty close."

"Yes, over a hundred thousand years as I understand it," I said, "I am Xu Zuhui, and this is Chen Huan who recruited me to become a Champion of Snake. If I'm not being too bold asking, are you a manifestation of Snake's will?"