When consciousness returned to me, I found myself lying on a cold, damp ground, my head buzzing as if countless bees were swarming around my ears. I struggled to sit up, but the scene before me made my heart sink.
We were inside a completely unfamiliar grand hall. The surrounding walls were carved with bizarre patterns that emitted a faint green glow, and the air was filled with a stench of decay.
"Lier, you're awake!" Seeing me wake up, Qu Chen hurriedly stepped forward to support me, his eyes full of worry. "How do you feel? Is anything uncomfortable?"
I shook my head and looked around, but I couldn't see the figures of Xuanfeng and Linger anywhere. "Where are Senior Brother Xuanfeng and Linger?"
"I am here." Xuanfeng's voice came from not far away. Following the sound, I saw him half-kneeling on the ground, checking Linger's injuries. Linger's face was pale, her lips completely drained of color, and her breathing was weak—she had clearly suffered heavy injuries when the Formation was activated.
"How is Linger?" I hurriedly walked over and asked worriedly.
"Her meridians are injured; we need to find a safe place as soon as possible for her to rest and recover." Xuanfeng frowned deeply, his tone grave.
My heart sank. Looking around, this bizarre grand hall didn't look like a safe place by any stretch of the imagination. What was worse, we seemed to have lost our way.
"Damn it, what on earth is this ghost place?!" Qu Chen slammed his fist against the wall, his tone filled with anger and anxiety. "Where is the exit?!"
"Calm down, Qu Chen." Xuanfeng stood up and patted him on the shoulder. "The Formation has already altered the spatial structure here. What we need to do now is find new clues rather than losing our heads."
We searched the grand hall carefully, hoping to find some clues about the exit. However, apart from those horrifying murals and the increasingly thick stench of decay, we found nothing at all.
"Strange, it feels like..." I looked around, always feeling that something was wrong, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"Like what?" Qu Chen pressed.
"I feel like we've been walking in circles." I pondered for a moment and slowly said.
"Walking in circles?" Qu Chen and Xuanfeng exchanged a glance, both of their eyes showing surprise.
"That's right, look." I pointed to a mural on the wall. "Have we seen this mural before?"
On the mural, a gigantic nine-headed snake coiled atop an altar, breathing raging flames from its mouth, looking ferocious and terrifying. I clearly remembered that not long ago, we had seen the exact same mural in a corner.
"Could it be that we're really trapped inside the Formation?" Qu Chen's expression turned ugly.
"No, that's not right." Xuanfeng suddenly spoke up, pointing to a line of small characters beneath the mural. "Look here."
Only then did I notice that beneath the mural, several lines of small characters were carved in an ancient script.
"This is..." I struggled to recognize those characters, and a sudden sense of foreboding welled up in my heart. "This is... a warning?"
"A warning?" Qu Chen and Xuanfeng asked in unison.
"It says..." I took a deep breath, my voice trembling slightly. "Ahead lies the abyss of death..."
The abyss of death... These words exploded in my mind like a clap of thunder. My heart felt as if it were tightly clutched by an invisible hand, leaving me almost unable to breathe. Just what kind of danger was hidden ahead?
"The abyss of death..." Qu Chen muttered to himself, his brow tightly furrowed, his expression frighteningly dark. "Are we truly at our wits' end?"
"No, there must be another way." Xuanfeng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "Since these Ruins were left by our predecessors, there must be a way to break through. What we must do now is find it."
However, even though his words were firm, my heart could still not suppress a surging wave of despair. Linger's injuries were growing more severe; her already pale face was now completely devoid of color, and her breathing had grown hurried.
"Senior Brother Xuanfeng, am... am I going to die..." Linger's voice was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind, tearing at my heart.
"Don't talk nonsense, Linger, you'll be fine." I gripped her hand, desperately trying to control my emotions. "We will definitely find the exit; we will definitely take you out of here."
"Lier..." Linger smiled weakly, but her gaze was gradually drifting. "Promise me... you must... survive..."
"Linger!" I cried out in alarm, only to see that she had already fallen unconscious.
"Linger!"
"Linger, wake up!"
Qu Chen and I called out anxiously, yet Linger gave no response whatsoever.
"No, we can't wait any longer. We must find the exit as soon as possible!" Qu Chen abruptly stood up, his eyes filled with anxiety and determination.
Xuanfeng also realized the gravity of the situation. He closed his eyes and rapidly pinched his fingers together, attempting to use his knowledge of geomancy to pinpoint our location. However, the interference of the Formation caused his efforts to fail repeatedly.
"Damn it!" Xuanfeng snapped his eyes open, his forehead covered in sweat. "This Formation is too bizarre; my perception is completely blocked, making it impossible to determine the direction."
"What should we do now, then?" Qu Chen asked anxiously. "Are we really just going to sit here and wait to die?"
I looked around. Those bizarre murals, the gloomy space, the rotting stench—every single thing was reminding us that this was no benevolent place. We were like prey trapped in a spider's web, able only to watch helplessly as death inched closer and closer, with nowhere to flee.
"No, there must be another way..." My gaze fell upon the warning that read "Ahead lies the abyss of death," and a bold idea suddenly flashed through my mind. "Perhaps we should do the exact opposite!"
"Do the exact opposite?" Qu Chen and Xuanfeng looked at me uncomprehendingly.
I took a deep breath, pointing at the warning, and said, "Since it says that ahead is the abyss of death, then let's walk in the opposite direction. Perhaps that is the true path to survival!"
Although my proposal was bold, it was not entirely unreasonable. At least, under the current circumstances, we had no other choice.
"Fine, let's do as you say and walk the other way!" Qu Chen made a prompt decision, supporting my choice without a moment's hesitation.
Although Xuanfeng still frowned, he raised no objections.
The three of us turned our backs to the warning and walked in the opposite direction. However, the moment we were about to step into the darkness, a violent tremor suddenly erupted beneath our feet. Before I even had time to react, I felt the ground vanish beneath me, and my entire body plunged downward into an endless abyss...
A bone-chilling wind howled in my ears. I desperately tried to grab onto something, but could only watch helplessly as Qu Chen and I fell into the endless dark. The sensation of weightlessness made me dizzy; I closed my eyes tightly with only a single thought in my mind: It's over, we're really finished this time...
I do not know how much time passed before the sensation of falling finally ceased. I crashed heavily onto a hard stone slab, a muffled groan escaping my lips from the intense pain.
"Lier, are you alright?" Qu Chen's anxious voice came from beside me. He struggled to climb up from the ground and used the dim light to check my injuries. "Are you hurt?"
I shook my head, struggled to sit up, and looked around to find that we had seemingly fallen into a narrow stone chamber. The walls of the stone chamber were damp and smooth, with only a narrow fissure across the ceiling through which a faint ray of light filtered in.
"Where are we?" I muttered to myself, a strong sense of unease welling up in my heart.
Qu Chen did not speak. He walked to the corner of the stone chamber and carefully inspected the surroundings, attempting to find an exit to leave this place. Yet no matter how hard he tried, he could ultimately only shake his head in disappointment.
"This seems to be a secret room with no exit at all." His voice sounded exceptionally heavy; clearly, he too realized just how dangerous our current predicament was.
Despair washed over me like a tidal wave. We were trapped in this lightless place without food, without water, and without a shred of hope for escape. Were we really going to die here?
"No, there must be another way..." I muttered to myself, Linger's pale face appearing in my mind, her voice seemingly still echoing in my ears: "Promise me... you must... survive..."
I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down. Linger was still waiting for me; I could not simply give up like this!
"There must be another way..." I repeated those words over and over, my gaze falling upon the bracelet on my wrist.
I had been wearing this ever since I transmigrated here. I had always thought it was just an ordinary piece of jewelry, until that day...
I suddenly recalled what had happened in the cave that day. When I had been driven to a desperate end by the Black Snake Spirit, it was this bracelet that had suddenly erupted with powerful energy, beating back the Black Snake Spirit and saving my life.
Could it be that this bracelet was not ordinary jewelry at all, but a Divine Artifact?
My heart began to pound fiercely. If it truly was a Divine Artifact, did it possess other special functions, such as... helping us find an exit?
I closed my eyes and concentrated, trying to sense the power of the bracelet.
"What are you doing?" Qu Chen noticed my abnormality and asked with a puzzled expression.
I opened my eyes, hope sparkling within them. "If I say I might have a way to find the exit, would you believe me?"
Qu Chen was stunned for a moment, then nodded without the slightest hesitation. "I believe you."
I took a deep breath, pinning all my hopes on the bracelet in my hand. A warm wave of energy flowed outward from the bracelet and coursed through my entire body.
I could feel that something was being awakened... The warm glow gradually faded, and upon the previously smooth stone wall, a person-sized portal of light suddenly appeared. The light gate flickered with a soft halo, banishing the chill and darkness within the stone chamber, illuminating the eyes of Qu Chen and myself like a beacon of hope.
"Is this the exit?" A trace of tremor laced Qu Chen's voice; clearly, this sudden change had startled him as well.
I did not answer, merely staring fixedly at the portal of light, feeling both expectant and apprehensive. I could sense that the energy emanating from within the light gate was not the Spiritual Energy we were familiar with, but an even more vast, profound, and faintly dangerous power.
"Should we go in?" Qu Chen walked to my side and asked softly, his tone carrying a trace of hesitation.
I took a deep breath, tightened my grip on the bracelet, and another surge of warmth flooded into my body, granting me immense courage. "We have no other choice." I turned to look at Qu Chen, my gaze resolute. "Linger is still waiting for us; we must find the exit and return alive!"
Qu Chen said nothing more. He simply nodded firmly and took my hand.
Together, we stepped across the threshold into the light gate. The scene before us changed abruptly; the cramped stone chamber vanished, replaced by a deep and narrow passageway. The walls on both sides of the passage shimmered with strange lights, and various bizarre runes flowed across them, emitting a heart-palpitating aura.
An invisible pressure surged from all directions, pressing down on me until I could barely breathe. I felt as though my Spiritual Power was being suppressed by something, unable to circulate freely.
"Watch out!" Qu Chen grabbed me, pulling me out of the path of a suddenly materialized turbulent swirl of energy.
"Where... on earth is this place?" I steadied myself, looking at the seemingly endless passageway before me as a strong sense of unease welled up in my heart.
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a passageway connecting to a higher-dimensional world of Immortal Cultivation," an aged voice suddenly sounded beside our ears, "and what you are about to face is your first test—the Labyrinth."
Following the sound, we saw an elder draped in cyan robes appear behind us out of nowhere. The elder possessed the hair of a crane and the complexion of a child, radiating an otherworldly air, while an overwhelming pressure emanated from his entire body, making one instinctively want to bow in reverence.
"Who are you?" I asked vigilantly.
"Old man Qingyunzi, the Guardian of this Formation," the elder stroked his beard, his gaze sweeping over us. "The fact that you were able to reach this place shows that you share a fated connection with me. I can offer you guidance and help you pass the test."
My heart stirred, and I hurriedly asked, "Senior, may I ask about this Labyrinth..."
Qingyunzi waved his hand, interrupting me. "Heavenly secrets cannot be divulged. I can only tell you that the Labyrinth is filled with various riddles and traps; every step must be taken with utmost caution, and the slightest misstep will lead to damnation beyond redemption."
He gave us a deep, meaningful look and said, "Remember, only by finding the true exit can you leave this place; otherwise..."
Qingyunzi's figure gradually faded away, leaving only his final words echoing in the passageway: "...you will be trapped here forever."
Qu Chen and I exchanged glances, both seeing gravity in each other's eyes. Qingyunzi's words undoubtedly cast a shadow over our hearts, yet they simultaneously ignited our fighting spirit.
We had no other choice; we could only bite the bullet and press forward.
At the end of the passageway stood a massive stone gate, carved with complex and delicate patterns, emanating an ancient and mysterious aura.
I took a deep breath and reached out to slowly push open the stone gate...