422: Chapter 422 The Time-Space Maze

Su Ning's spatial positioning captured those marks. Following the guidance of the Talismans, she saw Tianxin's figure crouching on the ground drawing Talismans at the end of another fork in the road.

“You've arrived,” Tianxin said without raising her head. “I've already drawn sixteen Talismans here. This intersection leads in eight directions, and I've tried six of them—all dead ends.”

Su Ning closed her eyes to sense it. “There are spatial fluctuations in the seventh direction.”

Luo Li plucked her zither strings, and the sound resonated in that direction for a moment. “The flow of time is stable; it shouldn't be a trap.”

The three of them walked toward the seventh direction.

The passage grew wider, and the space ahead gradually opened up. A circular hall appeared before them, with Chu Lan and Yaoguang sitting in the center. Chu Lan held a branch of the azure wood holy seed, its roots burrowing into the cracks in the floor to detect the path of the Spiritual Veins beneath the maze. Yaoguang sat cross-legged beside her, green light gathering in her palms, ready to heal at any moment.

“How did you find this place?” Chu Lan looked up.

“Su Ning's spatial positioning tracked the flow of the Spiritual Veins,” Tianxin said. “What about you?”

“The roots of the azure wood holy seed can sense the underground Spiritual Veins, and their path isn't affected by temporal or spatial distortion.” Chu Lan stood up. “I followed the guidance of the Spiritual Veins to this place, and I ran into Yaoguang on the way. We waited here for you because the Spiritual Veins in this area are the densest, so it should be the central hub of the maze.”

The fourth to be found was Lin Yue. He had no spatial perception, nor did he have any means of tracking through music or Talismans. However, he did the simplest yet most effective thing—he set up a small defensive Formation at the end of every passage he walked through, which emitted an earthy yellow light when activated. Su Ning's spatial positioning captured that light, and following its guidance, she found him in a spacious stone chamber.

“You're finally here,” Lin Yue said, leaning against the wall, the ground around him littered with shattered Formation Plates. “I set up eleven Formations here. When the eighth Formation was triggered, I discovered that the spatial node here is the most stable. The exit is probably nearby.”

Su Ning closed her eyes to sense it and confirmed that Lin Yue's judgment was correct.

Next, the group joined forces to find Lin Jingyu and Situ Lan. The two had been teleported to the same location and were standing back-to-back in front of a massive stone door. Situ Lan's frost sword was already unsheathed, a thin layer of frost condensed on its blade. Lin Jingyu's flowing cloud sword was also halfway out of its scabbard.

Chu Lan asked, “Why haven't you gone in?”

Situ Lan shook her head. “There are strong spatial fluctuations behind the door. We were afraid that if we went in, we wouldn't be able to find you.”

Gao Feng was the last to be found.

Using Time Insight to sense the changes in the flow of time along the way, he had unknowingly reached the depths of the maze. Ahead was a massive stone hall. There was no door in the hall, only a silvery-white wall of light with countless intricate runes flowing across it, marking the exit.

Instead of rashly stepping inside, he turned back along the path he came and met his teammates, who were searching for him, on his way back.

“The exit is ahead,” Gao Feng said, pointing to the passage behind him. “But we need to go there together.”

The nine of them walked toward the stone hall. Upon sensing their auras, the runes on the wall of light flared brilliantly, and a silvery-white light door slowly opened in the center. Behind the door lay a void, where a small stone platform floated, and sitting upon it was Master Void.

“You've made it out,” Master Void's voice carried a hint of surprise. “And in such a short time. Since the founding of Taixu Palace, the fastest Disciple to clear the Space-Time Labyrinth took seven days. You walked out in just one.”

His gaze swept across the faces of the nine. “You are the best-coordinated team I have ever seen.”

Gao Feng cupped his fists. “Can you teach us the Space-Time Deduction Technique now?”

Master Void did not answer immediately. His gaze fell upon Su Ning, watching her for a long time.

“You have a talent for time and space,” his voice was low, as if murmuring to himself. “You have already entered the path of space, and you have dabbled in the path of time. The Space-Time Deduction Technique requires mastery of both time and space Laws simultaneously. Fewer than five Disciples in the entire Taixu Palace can Cultivate this technique. If you stay in Taixu Palace, I can pass down everything I have learned in my life to you.”

Su Ning shook her head.

“Wherever my companions are, that is where I will be.”

Master Void looked at her for a moment, then smiled. It was a faint smile, but it was the kind of expression one only showed when genuinely gratified.

“Very well.” He did not urge her further, but drew a silvery-white Jade Slip from his sleeve and handed it to Su Ning. “The Space-Time Deduction Technique is an absolute secret of Taixu Palace. Take it.”

Su Ning took the Jade Slip, swept her spiritual sense inside to verify it, and then tucked it into her sleeve.

Master Void stood up and waved his hand, and a teleportation portal appeared on the stone wall behind the nine of them.

“You have passed the trials of Taixu Palace. Fairy Qingmu was right; you are indeed trustworthy. Go, the Wuxiang Sect is waiting for your return.”

Gao Feng cupped his fists and led his teammates into the portal. Amidst the flashing silver light, the void of Taixu Palace receded behind them. Before stepping through, Su Ning cast one last look back at Master Void. He had already sat back down on the stone platform, closing his eyes to rest as if they had never appeared.

The destination of the teleportation array was set on a plain where the five Sects intersected. Su Ning said they would use this as a transit point, and their next stop would be directly back to the Wuxiang Sect, without passing through any other Sect.

The setting sun dyed the plain a golden red. The nine of them sat in a circle, each checking the rewards they had gained on this journey.

The Heavenly Sword Sect's Sword Intent Spirit-Guiding Technique, the Wanfa Sect's Myriad Laws Return to Origin Art, the Lingbao Sect's Core Array Technique, the Changsheng Valley's Green Wood Pulse Continuation Technique, and the Taixu Palace's Space-Time Deduction Technique. With five Jade Slips in Gao Feng's possession and five secret techniques in hand, the final obstacle to repairing the Spiritual Veins had been removed.

Chu Lan pulled the branch of the azure wood holy seed from her robes. Its leaves gleamed with a faint golden luster under the setting sun, and the green sap flowed slowly through its veins. Yaoguang was checking Lin Yue's injuries; the internal wounds he sustained in the battle of the Dead Wood Forest were not fully healed, but they were not a major issue. Luo Li was tuning her newly replaced zither strings, humming the melody she had discovered in the maze as she tuned. Su Ning sat to the side with her eyes closed, holding the Jade Slip of the Space-Time Deduction Technique, her spiritual sense immersed within it.

Tianxin finished counting the remaining Talismans and packed them into her sleeves. Lin Jingyu and Situ Lan sat not far away on either side, their swords resting across their knees.

A mountain breeze blew past, and Chu Lan let out a yawn.

It was getting dark; they would set off early tomorrow to return to the Sect. Gao Feng tucked the five Jade Slips into his robes, stood up, and walked toward the teleportation array parked not far away.

The wind on the plain carried the chill of early autumn, and the distant mountains were reduced to faint outlines in the gathering dusk.

The nine of them sat around the campfire, the firelight illuminating everyone's faces. Chu Lan dozed off against Yaoguang's shoulder, Tianxin sorted her Talismans, Lin Yue wiped his Formation Plates, Luo Li tuned her strings, and Lin Jingyu and Situ Lan sat on the outer perimeter on high alert.

Gao Feng sat cross-legged by the fire, took out the five Jade Slips from his robes, and laid them out one by one in front of him.

The Heavenly Sword Sect's Sword Intent Spirit-Guiding Technique, the Wanfa Sect's Myriad Laws Return to Origin Art, the Lingbao Sect's Core Array Technique, the Changsheng Valley's Green Wood Pulse Continuation Technique, and the Taixu Palace's Space-Time Deduction Technique. Five secret techniques, five Jade Slips, five completely different spiritual energy fluctuations.

He had used his Star Battle Body to withstand the Rotten Wood Beasts in the Dead Wood Forest, and used Time Insight to sense the flow of time in the Space-Time Labyrinth, but his understanding of the Spatiotemporal Dao was still too shallow.

Master Void had said that the Space-Time Deduction Technique required mastery over both the Laws of time and space, and fewer than five Disciples in the entire Taixu Palace could Cultivate it. Su Ning had a talent for time and space, and so did he, but he was far from being as sharp as she was.

Instead of rushing to Cultivate the Space-Time Deduction Technique, Gao Feng repeatedly deduced the secret techniques of the first four Sects against the diagram of the Ten Thousand Spirits Gathering Yuan Array. The Sword Intent Spirit-Guiding Technique was used to guide the metal-attribute Spiritual Qi, the Five Elements Return to Origin Method was used to balance the Five Elements, the Core Array Technique was used to set up the Formation, and the Green Wood Pulse Continuation Technique was used to activate the vitality of the Spiritual Veins. The four each had their own roles, but they needed a central hub to integrate them.

The purpose of the Space-Time Deduction Technique was not to repair the Spiritual Veins, but to deduce the changing trends of the Spiritual Veins to find the precise location of the rift and the optimal timing for repair.

Su Ning opened her eyes.

Sitting cross-legged on the other side of the campfire, the Space-Time Deduction Technique Jade Slip in her hand had already dimmed. Her spiritual sense had drifted within it for a long time, and only when the silver-white light completely faded did she slowly open her eyes. She did not speak, but simply reached out and made a gentle swipe through the void. A silver-white rift appeared silently before her. The other side of the rift was not a chaotic void current, but a space she had never been to before—there were mountains, water, a sky, and sunlight spilling through the gaps in the clouds.

Su Ning reached her finger into the rift, her fingertip touching a leaf in that space. The leaf was slightly cool, still damp with dew. She withdrew her finger, and the rift slowly closed. This was not Space Cutting, nor was it Space Folding, but rather 'pulling' a distant space right in front of her. The Space-Time Deduction Technique had brought a qualitative change to her Spatial Magic.

“Congratulations,” Luo Li said, stopping her fingers from tuning the zither strings and glancing at her.

Su Ning nodded slightly and tucked the Jade Slip into her sleeve. She did not say what level she had broken through to, and the others did not ask.

The night grew deep, and the campfire gradually dimmed.

Gao Feng tucked the five Jade Slips back into his robes and closed his eyes to rest.

In his mind, he repeatedly deduced the details of the Ten Thousand Spirits Gathering Yuan Array: how the Sword Intent Spirit-Guiding Technique would guide the metal-attribute Spiritual Qi, how the Five Elements Return to Origin Method would balance the Five Elements, how the Core Array Technique would lay the Formation's foundation, how the Green Wood Pulse Continuation Technique would activate vitality, and how the Space-Time Deduction Technique would locate the rift. The five secret techniques were all indispensable.

Master Void had used it to deduce the rifts in the Spiritual Veins, but that ancestral Space-Time Deduction Technique had an even deeper purpose.

Master Void's voice echoed in his ears.

The next morning, the nine of them ate their dry rations on the plain and prepared to set off. Just as Su Ning was about to set up the teleportation array, a streak of silver-white light swept across the horizon and landed in front of her. It was a transmission Talisman bearing the mark of Taixu Palace.

Su Ning took the transmission Talisman and sent her spiritual sense inside. Master Void's voice rang in her mind: “Su Ning, bring Gao Feng to Taixu Palace. I have discovered something during my spatiotemporal deductions that is related to the root cause of the rifts in the Wuxiang Sect's Spiritual Veins.”