95: Infinite Corridor

Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze toward Shi Suiyan.

Shi Suiyan slowly walked to the center of the group, bent down, and picked up a handful of debris from the ground.

She spread the debris on her palm, showed it to everyone, and then blew lightly, causing the fragments to scatter into dust.

As everyone wondered what she was doing, she began to explain.

“These fragments were originally whole stones that I brought in.”

“The first floor was originally a long passage, not even a maze; reaching the end was enough to leave.”

“But clearly, the path we are currently on is no longer like that.”

She stomped her foot and pointed to the ground.

“I dropped a stone in a corner every so often.”

“When I first saw two stones appear in the same spot, I knew we had passed through here at least twice.”

“But after continuing forward, there were still only two stones.”

“Logically, I should have dropped three stones on the same path by now. The next section should either have no stones or three, yet it still only had two.”

“That's why I discovered these fragments while you two were fighting just now.”

“The visibility here is limited. Even as Cultivators, we can only rely on the light sources on the walls to see.”

“We, who rely heavily on our keen five senses, have overlooked these subtle traces instead.”

“These fragments are what those stones turned into after being eroded by time. This indicates that this section of space has an issue and has been affected by time. We have long been caught in a temporal loop.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Hun Wushang interrupted, displeased.

“What can grabbing a handful of dust prove?”

“If we truly were caught in a continuous loop, then how did I manage to enter?”

“Are you going to say next that I'm a temporal remnant or a monster, and we must kill me to leave?”

He didn't know why, but he just found this woman irritating. She stood by earlier, and now she was creating panic.

This so-called temporal loop only became an issue after he arrived. How could there be such a coincidence in the world?

Shi Suiyan ignored his sarcasm and replied calmly.

“This passage was originally designed for solo travelers. I didn't anticipate that traveling together in a group would trigger this situation.”

”Just as you were able to meet us when traveling alone, now that you are traveling with us, haven't you noticed any difference compared to when you were proceeding by yourself?”

Hun Wushang fell silent upon hearing this.

It was fine when Shi Suiyan didn't mention it, but once she did, Hun Wushang genuinely sensed something was wrong.

As a soul entity, his perception differed from that of ordinary Cultivators.

The passage appeared straight, but when he traveled alone, he clearly perceived the overall path as curved, and he even passed two forks in the road.

After meeting them, the path actually turned straight, and he hadn't encountered any forks since. Even if some sections were long, they shouldn't be this long.

At this moment, Wang Yao was still feeling down and didn't intend to speak.

Hun Wushang sank into silence, unwilling to admit fault.

Shi Suiyan merely watched them indifferently, saying nothing further.

Seeing this situation, Mu Qianqiu could only step forward reluctantly to speak.

“Fellow Daoist Shi, since you have discovered the problem and are quite familiar with this Secret Realm, why not speak plainly? What is the method to resolve this?”

Only when Shi Suiyan saw him speak did she nod slightly.

“The method is very simple: close your eyes and proceed one by one. You will be able to leave quickly.”

“However, after passing through a section traveled by multiple people, what one encounters when traveling alone again is hard to predict.”

“Furthermore, if someone secretly causes trouble, we will still fall into the loop, and even worse... if someone launches a sneak attack from behind while one's eyes are closed...”

She didn't finish her sentence, but everyone understood the danger involved.

Spatial perception and Divine Sense were both restricted here; they could only rely on their physical eyes to guard against danger.

If attacked while their eyes were closed, it would indeed be difficult to react.

Although everyone seemed peaceful right now, they each harbored their own thoughts. No one could guarantee what would happen once they closed their eyes.

Moreover, Hun Wushang essentially had no eyes, meaning he would inevitably have to leave last.

No one could guarantee what this temporary companion, with whom they had just clashed, might do.

“Senior Sister, you go first. Contact us once you reach the second floor.”

Shi Suiyan did not discuss it with the others. After Wang Yao finished speaking, she closed her eyes and walked straight ahead.

Wang Yao, meanwhile, turned and blocked the path between Hun Wushang and Mu Qianqiu.

Hun Wushang always found that woman extremely dangerous and unsettling. If given the chance, he truly wanted to attack.

But with Wang Yao blocking him, he knew that if the other party got serious, he might not be able to fight one against two, so he had to temporarily restrain himself.

After Shi Suiyan left, only Wang Yao, Hun Wushang, and Mu Qianqiu remained in the area.

The three looked at each other, resulting in a brief standoff.

It was still Mu Qianqiu who first broke the silence.

“Ah, you two, listen to me.”

“Brother Soulless, although we have had some friction, we generally belong to the same faction and hold no deep enmity.”

“Brother Wang, I know you don't trust me, but surely you can trust Zhou Yan?”

“If the three of us remain trapped here until the Secret Realm closes and we are forcibly teleported out, people will know that three Prodigies were stuck on the first floor. That wouldn't look good, would it?”

He continued to propose a plan.

“As the neutral party, I will go in the middle.”

“Wang Yao, you go first. Hun Wushang, you go last.”

As if afraid of misunderstanding, he casually explained.

“After all, you fundamentally don't have eyes, so closing them won't affect you much.”

“Once we have all left, you will naturally be able to escape the loop.”

Wang Yao glanced at Mu Qianqiu, then let his gaze linger on Hun Wushang for a moment.

Seeing that Hun Wushang was just staring at him coldly without responding, he sighed softly, used action to signal his agreement, turned around, closed his eyes, and departed.

Wang Yao's figure eventually vanished into the darkness. Hun Wushang never made a move.

Mu Qianqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't leave immediately, but looked at Hun Wushang and smiled meaningfully.

“It seems the Truth Cult didn't invite people from Gui Xu to this Secret Realm, did they?”

Hun Wushang found his smile unsettling and replied casually.

“They did.”

“But the person who invited you doesn't know that.”

By Mirror Lake.

Zhou Yan and Yuan Chenling, one man and one cat, squatted by the wide lake, looking at the calm surface reflecting the blue sky, completely at a loss.

Zhou Yan had been following Shi Suiyan's instructions and looking into the lake for a long time. He even pulled Yuan Chenling over to look, but there was still no reaction.

“Xiao Yuan, how do you think we are supposed to get into this thing?”

“Boss, I'm just a Loose Cultivator. Knowing how to quickly pass the first stage is about all I can manage.”

“For the second floor, I only know there's this lake. After entering, you have to defeat the mirror image inside and find the gate leading to the third floor.”

“The third floor is supposedly where the treasures are kept. As long as you grab them and hide until the Secret Realm ends, you can leave.”

“I came specifically for the treasures on the third floor back then.”

“Information beyond that is too expensive; I couldn't afford it.”

Yuan Chenling made a gesture of a kitten spreading its paws, indicating that he was just an ordinary Hachikō and couldn't possibly know that much.

“That's as good as saying nothing. I already know all that.”

Zhou Yan stared at Yuan Chenling with an expression of disappointment.

“As a Loose Cultivator, why do you have no ambition at all?”

“What's the difference between taking some benefits and leaving, and being a salted fish?”

“Sigh, it's a pity my General Suiyan isn't here. Otherwise, this small Mirror Lake would be easily conquered, wouldn't it?”

Just as Zhou Yan was looking up and sighing, Mirror Lake changed.

“Hey, hey, Boss, look! The lake water is splitting!”

Yuan Chenling patted Zhou Yan's calf with his paw pad, and Zhou Yan had also noticed the anomaly in the lake water.

Didn't they say that reflecting on the lake surface was how you entered the Mirror World?

Why didn't they get in after looking at it for ages, but now that they ignored it, it opened up to welcome guests instead?

At this moment, inside a mysterious room somewhere, a Manta Ray was frantically operating controls.

“I knew something was up when I hadn't seen Zhou Yan enter the third floor for so long!”

“Which bastard set up the mechanism and then closed the door and forgot to open it?”