"Damn it!" Lu Yao felt the world go black before she could manage a second gasp, being tossed like a broken sack into some pitch-black, ghostly place.
The thick darkness all around, carrying an indescribable, rotting stench, made every hair on her body stand on end.
She felt as though she had been thrown into an interdimensional garbage can where time seemed frozen, and only the dangerous aura lingering in the air—like countless invisible hands—choked her tightly by the throat.
She, Lu Yao, a good-for-nothing who had struggled for years in the Cultivation World yet remained stuck at the "novice" stage, currently felt as though she had stumbled onto the set of a major horror film—and one that hadn't even provided a script.
She had hoped to rely on her meager "ancestral" perceptive ability to find some "novice village" and farm minor mobs, only to be directly teleported to "hell mode"?
"Heh heh heh..." A light chuckle, carrying a hint of playful mockery, broke the suffocating silence.
Lu Yao's heart skipped a beat. Supposing the "final boss" had made its entrance, she was just about to strike a defensive pose when she realized the voice came from behind her.
"I say, Yao, you managed to get lost even here? You really are a born direction-idiot!" Suyi—his bright, sunny face looked particularly glaring in the dark—spoke in a tone full of banter, as if he hadn't just brushed shoulders with the gates of hell.
Lu Yao almost spat a mouthful of old blood.
This guy, he was always pulling this kind of "surprise" completely out of context.
"Suyi, can't you be a little reliable! Is now the time for jokes?" she roared, her fear instantly blown away by anger.
"Oh, don't get mad. Look how tense you are." Suyi remained all smiles, as if he didn't realize he had just taken a round trip to the edge of life and death.
Lu Yao took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She looked around. Besides endless darkness, there was nothing in this space—like a meticulously designed cage that didn't give a person a single chance to catch their breath.
She tried to take a step forward, but felt as if she were stepping on cotton underfoot, an invisible force seemingly preventing her from advancing.
After trying several times, she still couldn't break through this invisible barrier.
She grew a bit discouraged; her pitiful "novice-level" cultivation was practically a joke in a place like this.
The surrounding darkness seemed to mock her weakness, pressing down on her until she could barely breathe.
Just as she was feeling despair, the ground beneath her feet suddenly shuddered slightly, and the sound of mechanical gears turning broke the stillness.
With a crisp "clack," Lu Yao's heart contracted sharply.
Oh no!
It's a trap!
A dark shadow shot out from the left wall at an astonishing speed, heading straight for Lu Yao.
At the critical moment, Lu Yao felt a sharp sting on her left side and almost instinctively dodged to the right.
With a "whoosh," the shadow flew right past the tip of her nose, stirring up a gust of fierce wind.
Still shaken, Lu Yao patted her chest and thought to herself: That was close!
Good thing old lady here reacts fast, or I would've been turned into a shish kebab.
What on earth was that thing just now?
A hidden weapon?
Magic?
Or some kind of high-tech gadget?
She suddenly realized that the dangerous premonition she'd felt earlier was precisely her half-baked "ancestral" perception at work.
With this discovery, Lu Yao's confidence instantly soared.
She cautiously stepped forward, concentrating to sense the surrounding fluctuations of energy.
Sure enough, after taking only a few steps, she sensed another wave of danger assaulting her from the right.
This time, she didn't panic; instead, she dodged to the left in advance, easily evading the attack.
"666, Yao, not bad! Your perceptive ability is actually pretty sharp!" Suyi watched in astonishment from the side, unable to resist giving her a thumbs-up.
"Hehe, of course. Look who you're talking about." Lu Yao proudly lifted her chin, the previous fear completely swept away and replaced by a deep sense of accomplishment.
"Still, this place is too bizarre. Traps everywhere—it's practically a maze." Suyi scratched his head, his tone turning serious as well.
"Yao, stay close behind me. I've encountered similar formations before; perhaps I can find the exit."
Lu Yao nodded, following closely behind Suyi.
The two advanced cautiously. Suyi occasionally reminded Lu Yao to watch out for surrounding traps, while Lu Yao relied on her perceptive ability to sail through danger time and time again.
In this perilous space, the friendship between the two deepened, and the surrounding darkness no longer seemed quite so cold.
Just as they thought they were about to find the exit, a heavy, slow set of footsteps suddenly echoed from afar—*thud, thud, thud...*—each step sounding like a strike against their hearts.
Lu Yao and Suyi exchanged a glance, both seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes...