The instant they stepped inside, Qian Fan, Xu Yuan'er, and the gathered elites felt a powerful force sweep over them, as though an invisible hand had seized them. Then that mysterious, unfathomable power transported them to different locations.
"Yuan'er, how are you feeling?" Qian Fan anxiously watched Xu Yuan'er, whose face was as pale as paper, and worry rose in his heart.
Xu Yuan'er mustered her strength and gently shook her head. "I'm fine, it's just... where are we... it's so frightening..."
"Don't be scared. I'm here," Qian Fan hurriedly reassured her. "Let's calm down first and see if we can find a way out." With that, he began carefully surveying their surroundings.
They were in a mysterious, sinister maze, with an eerie atmosphere hanging all around them.
Most of the yellowed wallpaper had peeled away, exposing the mottled walls beneath; the damp carpet gave off waves of musty odors,
which made it hard to breathe; overhead, the fluorescent lights flickered, bright one moment and dim the next, as though they might go out at any time.
"Everyone, be careful!" Qian Fan raised his voice to warn the others. "There may be dangers hidden here."
Just as everyone put their guard up,
a low mechanical voice suddenly rang out, echoing through the silent maze and making their hair stand on end.
"Welcome to the Eternal Realm. This is floor zero of the Eternal Realm. Heh heh heh, you are the second batch of elites to enter in a trillion years.
"But, heh heh heh, you will all be trapped here, here, until your supplies run short and your water runs dry, and slowly, gradually, you die. Hahahahahahaha."
The voice echoed through the empty maze, making their hair stand on end.
Qian Fan's gaze turned icy.
He looked at Xu Yuan'er and reassured her, "Don't be afraid. We'll find the exit."
Everyone voiced their agreement and began exploring the maze.
Strange symbols were carved into the walls, seemingly following some pattern. Qian Fan studied them carefully, trying to decipher their meaning. Suddenly, a hidden door slowly opened, revealing a dark passage. "Maybe this is the way out!" one disciple cried excitedly.
Xu Yuan'er was just about to step inside
"Wait!"
Qian Fan quietly called Xu Yuan'er back.
Qian Fan stepped forward and lightly touched the doorframe, feeling the faint energy fluctuations within it. He frowned, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong.
"Don't rush in yet." Qian Fan stopped Xu Yuan'er. "I have a feeling there might be a trap behind this door."
Xu Yuan'er nodded and returned to Qian Fan's side.
The disciple who had shouted earlier flew inside first.
Riiip-
The disciple was instantly torn to pieces.
Even the Soul Bone left behind was pulverized by the power of space.
"What's going on?!"
Everyone present was instantly shocked, and those with lower cultivation began wailing for their fathers and mothers.
Qian Fan's expression darkened as he realized the maze was filled with dangers and unknowns. "Everyone, calm down. Don't act rashly," someone shouted.
At that moment, another disciple suggested, "Perhaps we can look for other clues or passages." The person who had spoken nodded in agreement, and everyone spread out to search.
In a dim corner, Qian Fan discovered a faintly glowing stone slab engraved with unusual patterns. Something stirred in his heart; he seemed to have found the key to solving their predicament.
While Qian Fan was studying the stone slab,
a figure flew over.
"Hello, Brother Qian! Long time no see."
Qian Fan instantly unleashed his Soul Power.
Only after he got a clear look at the newcomer did he withdraw his pressure.
"Little Brother Long Xiao, you're here too."
"Looks like we'll have to work together," Long Xiao said with a smile.
Qian Fan nodded. "Let's see what secrets this stone slab holds first."
The two leaned closer to the slab and carefully examined its patterns. Suddenly, its light intensified, and a map appeared before them.
"It's a map of the maze!" Long Xiao exclaimed in delighted surprise.
Qian Fan stared at the map, considering their escape route. "It looks like the exit is deep inside the maze, but there may be a lot of traps and obstacles along the way."
"We'll fight our way through together!" Long Xiao's gaze was resolute.
Xu Yuan'er came over then as well
and linked her arm through Qian Fan's.
"Brother Qian Fan, from what I observed just now, six major powers and nearly a hundred independent groups entered this secret realm.
"Right now, we're all in the hall. The dragon clan is stationed to the south, while the Taotie clan and the white tiger clan are stationed to the east.
"The phoenix clan and the Xuanwu clan are stationed to the north, and our Seven Star Domain is stationed to the west."
Long Xiao nodded
and chuckled.
"I came to find you behind my eldest brother's back. Hehehe."
Qian Fan studied the map in silence for a moment, then pointed west. "Let's head to the Seven Star Domain's encampment first and join the others." Long Xiao and Xu Yuan'er nodded in agreement.
The three headed west, carefully avoiding all sorts of traps and mechanisms along the way. Before long, they reached the Seven Star Domain's encampment.
Quite a few survivors had already gathered there. At the sight of Qian Fan and his companions, a glimmer of hope flashed in their eyes.
Then they all fell to their knees.
"We pay our respects to Holy Maiden Xu Yuan'er and Holy Son Qian Fan. Please show us mercy and lead us out!"
Qian Fan hurriedly helped everyone up. "Please, everyone, get up. Our most urgent task now is to find a way out of this place."
He turned to Xu Yuan'er. "Yuan'er, have you discovered anything?"
Xu Yuan'er shook her head slightly. "I've been thinking about it too, but I haven't found any leads yet. Still, I believe that if we unite our hearts and strength, we'll definitely find the exit."
Qian Fan nodded in agreement. "That's right. Don't lose heart, everyone. Let's analyze our current situation first." He unfolded the map, and everyone gathered around.
After some discussion, they decided to send a small team to explore the phoenix clan's and Xuanwu clan's encampments to the north and see whether there were any other clues.
Meanwhile, Qian Fan led a portion of the group in remaining at the Seven Star Domain's encampment to continue studying the map and their surroundings. Xu Yuan'er took responsibility for tending to the injured and contacting the other powers so they could discuss countermeasures together.
Amid the tense atmosphere, the members of each team swiftly got to work.
Just then, the electronic, mechanical voice sounded again.
"Elites, the seven ultimate attribute gates have opened. The wild revelry from hell has only just begun. Heh heh heh."
Outside the gate,
Chen Dao flew in from afar.
Seeing that Xu Fangyuan was also there brought him some comfort.
Chen Dao walked over to Xu Fangyuan and asked whether he had settled the Giant-Toothed Shark clan's affairs. Xu Fangyuan nodded, then told Chen Dao what had happened here.
At that moment, a woman in a voluminous red-and-black robe walked over.
"You two, long time no see. Heh heh heh."
"It's you!"
Chen Dao roared in fury.
Xu Fangyuan instantly drove his Supergod Third Tier pressure toward her.
"Cough, cough, cough."
She coughed up blood and shouted angrily,
"Xu Fangyuan, you dare hurt me! You'll pay for this! We'll meet again!"
She instantly spread her dark-red wings and flew away.
"Feng Xian, you traitor! You'd better never show your face before me again for the rest of your life."
Xu Fangyuan roared in fury.
"Why is that damned woman still haunting us like a lingering ghost?"
Chen Dao sighed as well.
"Forget her for now. Our most urgent task is to find out exactly what's inside that Eternal Gate."
Xu Fangyuan calmly assessed the situation.
"Indeed. Feng Xian is no longer the gentle, considerate junior sister she once was, nor the hero who stood among the four Supreme Gods. Now she's nothing but trash that has fallen into darkness..."
Elsewhere,
Feng Xian returned to the Phoenix Domain.
"Damn that Xu Fangyuan. Just because your cultivation is one tier higher than mine, you dare treat this empress like that. Hehe, I may be unable to defeat you, Xu Fangyuan, but surely I can capture that precious granddaughter of yours, Xu Yuan'er? Heh heh heh, Xu Fangyuan, you'll pay for what you did today."
Before you continue