385: Chapter 385 "The Oriole and the Wolf"

The sensation of the world spinning lasted for about three to five breaths.

Once Ye Tian stabilized himself, he found himself in front of a corridor that seemed to have no end.

The corridor was flanked by blue-green stone walls, with glowing Ores embedded in the walls at regular intervals.

"Is this the 'Wanxiang Maze'?" Ye Tian immediately spread out his spiritual sense.

However, his spiritual sense had barely left his body for three zhang before it was suppressed by a force, making it impossible to investigate further.

His vision was also restricted; he could only see clearly within a range of about a dozen zhang in front of him.

He tried to circulate the Chaos True Essence within his body. Fortunately, the True Essence flowed without obstruction, though it was suppressed by some invisible field and wasn't as effortless as it was in the outside world.

His Divine Soul power was similarly suppressed, and even the circulation of the Illusory Sea Heart Sutra felt somewhat sluggish.

"Suppressing spiritual sense, vision, True Essence, and the Divine Soul... This is to increase the difficulty of finding the tokens, and also to... make the fighting more dangerous." Ye Tian instantly understood the purpose of this labyrinth.

In such an environment, sneak attacks, ambushes, and the weak defeating the strong all became easier.

The "struggle for tokens" mentioned by that grand voice likely didn't just mean "finding" them, but also included "contending" and "seizing."

He immediately restrained his aura, reducing his presence to the absolute minimum.

His control over his own energy had already reached a microscopic level; under this deliberate restraint, his aura became obscure and indistinct.

Unless someone deliberately investigated him at close range, it would be difficult to judge his specific cultivation. He looked like a Cultivator who had just entered the Huahai Realm, and might even be mistaken for being in the True Martial Realm.

"First, sense the location of the token." With a thought, Ye Tian communicated with the chaos talismanic seal inside the qingxuan ring.

Sure enough, the talismanic seal vibrated slightly, transmitting a faint sensation that pointed toward a certain direction deep within the labyrinth.

However, this sensation was very vague, only providing a general direction; the specific path and distance were entirely unknown.

He didn't rush into action, but instead carefully examined the corridor he was in.

The corridor was about two zhang wide and three zhang high, with rough stone slabs for the floor.

The blue-green stones of the walls on both sides looked ancient, with excavation marks in some places. The air flowed very slowly, feeling somewhat oppressive.

After confirming there was no immediate danger and no one else nearby, Ye Tian finally began to move in the direction sensed by the talismanic seal.

He didn't use any movement techniques, firstly to avoid exposing himself, and secondly because he needed to investigate this place carefully.

After all, his Divine Sense was heavily suppressed, and he had to rely almost entirely on his naked eyes to distinguish things.

There were many forks inside the labyrinth, branching out in all directions; some paths eventually led to dead ends.

Occasionally, incomprehensible murals appeared on the stone walls, most of which were fragmented and difficult to identify.

The special energy fluctuations in the air waxed and waned, seemingly designed to interfere with one's sense of direction.

After walking for fifteen minutes, Ye Tian still hadn't seen any exits or traces of other people.

This labyrinth was larger than he had imagined.

Suddenly, Ye Tian heard the sound of breathing around a corner in the corridor ahead.

Ye Tian stopped in his tracks immediately and hid in the shadow of a stone wall. His breathing slowed, and his spiritual sense retracted to cover only a small area in front of him, focusing most of his attention on his hearing.

The sound of footsteps drew closer; it was two people.

They walked slowly and carefully, clearly on guard.

"...Damn it, what is this hellhole? Sending out my spiritual sense is like being blind," a slightly raspy male voice complained in a low whisper.

"Stop talking nonsense and look carefully. Although the sensation of the token is vague, the direction should be right. Don't let someone else beat us to it." The other voice was steadier, but equally cautious.

"Big brother, do you think that kid can really get that chaos token? I think he just got lucky and picked up Nangong Xiao's scraps. Chaos attribute? I've never even heard of it; it's probably just a bluff, right?"

"Carefulness is the key to longevity. I've heard of that old fellow Nangong Zhuo; he's at the Fourth Stage of Sea Transformation. While not top-tier, he's no pushover either. To be able to kill him, regardless of the means used, that kid is not simple.

Moreover, he has many talismanic seals in his hands, so his chances of finding the token are high. We just need to keep a close eye on the direction of the sensation and wait for him to find the token..."

"Hehe, Big Brother is brilliant! The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind! When that kid gets the token and lets his guard down, we'll..."

The two men's voices grew fainter, and the rest of their words were inaudible, but their meaning couldn't be clearer.

They were coming for Ye Tian—or rather, for the chaos token that Ye Tian was about to find.

In the shadows, Ye Tian's gaze turned slightly cold.

As expected, since he held the chaos talismanic seal and had killed Nangong Zhuo and Nangong Xiao, they certainly thought he had obtained many treasures.

Now, in this lawless labyrinth, he had naturally become a fat sheep in the eyes of some.

Judging by their conversation, these two were not from the Nangong Family. They were likely from some small Family or a pair of Loose Cultivators. Their cultivation probably wasn't too high; otherwise, they wouldn't be acting so stealthily, trying to play the "oriole."

He didn't strike immediately. Instead, using the stone walls as cover, he followed behind the two men.

Since someone wanted to be the "oriole," he would see who was the mantis and who was the oriole.

Following the two for another burning of an incense stick and turning a few corners, the faint sound of fighting and flickering firelight came from ahead.

"There's movement! Be careful!" the "Big Brother" hissed. The two immediately stopped and crept forward even more cautiously.

Ye Tian also followed quietly, hiding behind a corner and peeking out.

Ahead was a relatively open cave, about a dozen zhang in diameter.

In the center of the cave, two groups of people were in a fierce struggle.

On one side were several men dressed in uniform grey martial attire. Their cultivation was at the True Martial Tenth Level, and they held standard-issue long sabers. They moved in an orderly fashion with perfect coordination, forming a small battle array to besiege the person in the middle.

The one being besieged was actually Shui Qingdie of the Liuli Xuan Sect!

At this moment, she looked somewhat disheveled; her hair was slightly messy, her pretty face was pale, and there was already blood at the corner of her mouth.

She held an aqua-blue soft sword in her hand, the sword light transforming into curtains of water surrounding her body, barely managing to withstand the onslaught of the three attackers.

However, the saber techniques of those men were strange, and with their battle array, their power was multiplied. Shui Qingdie's defensive water curtains were constantly being torn apart, leaving her in a precarious situation.

Her cultivation was at the Zhenwu Ninth Level, which was already lower than her opponents', and being besieged, her defeat was only a matter of time.

"It's Senior Sister Shui!" Ye Tian's eyes narrowed. Shui Qingdie had a gentle nature and disliked conflict. Being alone in the labyrinth and targeted by others was likely because of the "Water" Seal in her possession.

"Big Brother, it's that female Disciple from the Liuli Xuan Sect! She has a Water Seal in her hand!" the younger one of the two following Ye Tian whispered excitedly.

"Don't rush, wait for them to both be wounded. Those guys in grey are the 'Grey Wolf Three Evils.' They specialize in killing and looting in Secret Realms; they aren't easy to provoke.

Once they finish off that girl and grab the Water Seal, we will..." Greed flashed in the Big Brother's eyes. He was clearly planning to let the mantis catch the cicada while he played the oriole, and finally, the hunter.

In the cave, the battle had reached a critical moment.

"Little lady, hand over the talismanic seal obediently, and I'll spare your life!" the leader of the Grey Wolf Three Evils grinned hideously, shattering the water curtain with a single strike. His Saber Qi drew blood from Shui Qingdie's shoulder.

Shui Qingdie let out a muffled groan, her footsteps faltering as the radiance of the soft sword in her hand suddenly dimmed.

"The talismanic seal is the key to passing through; I absolutely cannot hand it over, but right now..."

Just as her eyes filled with despair and her heart with unwillingess, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared beside the leader of the Grey Wolf Three Evils. The speed was so fast it was a blur!

However, the leader of the Grey Wolf Three Evils was, after all, someone who lived life on the edge of a blade. His sense of danger was extremely sharp; his hair stood on end, and without a second thought, he turned and swung his saber with all his might!

However, that bolt of lightning simply extended a finger and tapped. The Medium Grade Profound Rank long saber in the leader's hand shattered into pieces!

The terrifying finger force continued unabated, passing through the broken saber and striking his chest.

*Puff!*

The leader's eyes bulged out instantly, and he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of flesh.

His chest was caved in by the force, and his body flew uncontrollably into the stone wall behind him, his breath ceasing instantly.

This sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.

The second and third of the Grey Wolf Three Evils froze with their sabers raised in mid-air, looking at their dead leader in disbelief.

Shui Qingdie was also dazed, staring blankly at the figure that had suddenly appeared.