182: Chapter 182 Deep Sea Labyrinth, Shadow Stealth

The entrance to the third floor was a swirling vortex of water, completely different from the stairs of the previous two floors.

Lin Fan stood before the vortex, sensing the spatial power contained within—this was no simple passage, but some kind of teleportation Formation.

“What is the third floor?” Zi Linger poked her head in to look; the vortex was bottomless, with a faint blue light flickering in its depths.

Jiang Yun recalled, “The Jiang Family's ancient records have sparse mentions—the third floor of the Sea-Suppressing Pagoda is called the ‘Deep Sea Labyrinth.’ It is said to be a massive underwater labyrinth built by an ancient powerhouse, filled with intricate passages, surging undercurrents, and various deep-sea Yao Beasts.”

“A labyrinth?” Zi Linger's eyes lit up. “I'm best at those.”

Lin Fan said nothing more and was the first to step into the vortex.

Instantly, the powerful current swept him inside, making the world spin.

After an unknown amount of time, his feet touched solid ground.

Lin Fan opened his eyes and found himself standing in a narrow passage. The passage was built from green coral stone, about three zhang wide and five zhang high, with walls covered in glowing seaweed that emitted a faint blue light.

Endless passages stretched out both in front and behind, leading to unknown destinations.

Behind him, the water vortex flashed, and Su Zhiqing, Zi Linger, Jiang Yun, and the others appeared one after another.

“This is the labyrinth?” Zi Linger looked around. “It doesn't look like anything special...”

Before she could finish her sentence, a low roar suddenly echoed from the end of the passage.

The sound grew closer and closer, as if something was rapidly approaching.

Lin Fan's gaze narrowed. “Prepare for battle.”

Everyone stood ready.

The source of the roar soon appeared in their field of vision—it was a massive octopus, crimson all over, with eight tentacles as thick as giant pythons, each covered in sharp barbs. Its body almost filled the entire passage, and its two eyes were as large as lanterns, flickering with bloodthirsty light.

“Late-stage World Lord!” Jiang Yun gasped.

The octopus roared and lunged, its eight tentacles stabbing toward the group simultaneously.

Lin Fan stepped forward, the reincarnation spear in hand, and thrust it out.

A gray spear light pierced through the passage, directly impaling the octopus's head.

The octopus shrieked, its massive body crashing to the ground, twitching a few times before it stopped moving.

Zi Linger breathed a sigh of relief. “Good thing it wasn't that strong...”

But Lin Fan did not relax.

He stared at the octopus's corpse and suddenly said, “It was just a scout.”

Everyone was stunned.

Just as he spoke, roars erupted from all directions in the passage—countless identical octopuses were approaching, their numbers so great it made one's skin crawl.

“Run!” Lin Fan made an immediate decision.

The group turned and sprinted deeper into the passage.

Behind them, countless octopuses surged like a tide, their eight tentacles flailing in the passage and making a tooth-grinding scraping sound.

Lin Fan observed the sides of the passage as he ran.

Every hundred zhang or so, a fork in the road would appear—some going left, some right, some up, and some down. Every passage looked exactly the same, with no differences at all.

“Running like this isn't the answer!” Zi Linger said. “The labyrinth will trap us to death!”

Lin Fan suddenly stopped.

The others stopped as well, looking at him anxiously.

Lin Fan closed his eyes, expanding his perception to its full extent.

The Eternal Annihilation Body played an astonishing role at this moment—he could sense the direction of the water flow, the aura of the Yao Beasts, and faint spatial fluctuations in every passage.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and pointed to a passage on the left that extended downward:

“This way.”

The group followed without hesitation.

Behind them, the octopus swarm reached the fork and suddenly stopped.

They circled in place, letting out confused cries, and ultimately did not enter the passage Lin Fan had chosen, instead continuing to chase along the main passage.

“They don't dare enter?” Zi Linger was surprised.

Lin Fan nodded. “This passage has some kind of Restriction that deters Yao Beasts.”

He paused and continued, “But for us, it is also dangerous.”

Everyone looked deeper into the passage.

There, a massive stone gate was faintly visible.

On the stone gate, an ancient rune ‘Xu’ was carved.

The stone gate was about ten zhang high, pitch black, and its surface was covered in complex Formation lines. The character ‘Xu’ was carved right in the center, its strokes twisting as if some living thing were squirming.

Lin Fan stood before the stone gate, sensing the dense Power of Annihilation contained within—it was purer and closer to the Origin than any Nirvana Believers he had encountered before.

“Was this left by Xu?” Su Zhiqing asked.

Lin Fan nodded.

He raised his hand and pressed it against the stone gate.

Instantly, a massive amount of information flooded his mind.

It was the voice of Xu:

“Latecomer, the fact that you could reach here means you have already passed the tests of the first two floors.”

“The labyrinth of the third floor is the first true test I have set.”

“Behind the stone gate is a wisp of my Projection.”

“Defeat it, and you may proceed to the fourth floor.”

“If you fail—”

The voice paused, carrying a hint of mockery: “Then become my nourishment.” The information cut off.

Lin Fan withdrew his hand, his expression calm.

Zi Linger leaned in. “What's inside?”

“Xu's Projection,” Lin Fan said. “Peak World Lord, but much stronger than an ordinary Peak World Lord.”

Everyone's expressions turned solemn.

A Peak World Lord Projection of Xu would be countless times stronger than the likes of the Gold Envoy they had met before.

Lin Fan turned to look at them. “You all stay here. I'll go in alone.”

Su Zhiqing's brow furrowed slightly. “I'll accompany you.”

“No need.” Lin Fan shook his head. “This is my battle.”

He looked at Jiang Yun. “Brother Jiang, please take good care of them for me.”

Jiang Yun solemnly cupped his fists. “Rest assured, Brother Lin Fan.”

Lin Fan said no more, pushed open the stone gate, and stepped inside.

The stone gate slowly closed behind him, cutting off everyone's view.

Behind the gate was a strange space. There were no walls, no ceiling, only an endless Void Realm. Countless points of light floated in the void, some golden and some black, slowly rotating like a sea of stars.

In the center of the void, a figure floated.

It was a middle-aged man whose face was no different from a human's, but his eyes had no pupils, only two spheres of deep darkness. He wore a black robe embroidered with countless twisting runes that were slowly squirming like living things.

“Lin Fan.” He spoke, his voice as gentle as a spring breeze. “We finally meet.”

Lin Fan looked at him. “You are Xu's Projection?”

“Projection?” The man smiled. “In a way. I am a wisp of Xu's Fragmented Soul, waiting for you here.”

He walked closer, sizing Lin Fan up. “The co-existence of Eternity and Annihilation truly lives up to its reputation.”

Lin Fan didn't respond, only saying coldly, “Let's begin.”

“What's the rush?” Xu's Fragmented Soul smiled. “I want to ask you a question first.”

“Ask.”

“Do you know why I wanted to wait for you to grow up?”

Lin Fan looked at him without answering.

Xu's Fragmented Soul continued, “Because devouring a weak Eternal Annihilation Body is meaningless to me. Only when you are strong enough, when you have truly fused Eternity and Annihilation, can I achieve true transcendence by devouring you.”

He paused, his smile becoming even more brilliant:

“Do you think it was an accident that you obtained the Great Emperor of Annihilation's Legacy?”

“Do you think it was luck that you could enter Burial King Valley?”

“Do you think meeting Ethereal Moon was a coincidence?”

“It was all arranged by me.”

Lin Fan's pupils constricted slightly.

“From the moment you stepped into the Nirvana Divine Palace, you have been on my chessboard,” Xu's Fragmented Soul said. “I let you grow, let you become strong, let you fuse Eternity and Annihilation—and then, at the right time, I harvest.”

He raised his hand, and a ball of pitch-black light appeared in his palm. “And now, the time has come.”

Lin Fan looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, he laughed.

Xu's Fragmented Soul was taken aback. “What are you laughing at?”

Lin Fan said calmly, “I'm laughing at your overconfidence.”

“What do you mean?”

“You arranged everything, but you overlooked one thing.”

“What?”

Lin Fan raised his hand, the reincarnation spear appearing in it, the tip pointing straight at Xu's Fragmented Soul. “You overlooked—whether I am willing or not.”

The spear shot out like a dragon, gray spear light piercing through the void!

Xu's Fragmented Soul's expression changed, and he struck out with a palm.

BOOM!!!

The two forces collided, making the entire void tremble.

Countless points of light exploded, turning into a sky full of flowing light.

Lin Fan stood with his spear, gray Qi surging around him, his eyes burning with Battle Intent:

“Come!”

“Let me see just how strong you, the chess player, really are!”

Xu's Fragmented Soul withdrew his smile.

He looked at Lin Fan, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Interesting. In ten thousand years, you are the first person who dares to speak to me like this.”

Lin Fan ignored his sentiment, flicked the reincarnation spear, and thrust it out again.

This thrust was faster, fiercer, and more precise than before. Everywhere the gray spear light passed, the void was torn apart, leaving behind a pitch-black rift.

Xu's Fragmented Soul did not dodge or evade, simply meeting it with a palm strike.

The palm print was as black as ink, colliding with the spear light.

BOOM!!!

Another thunderous sound erupted as a violent airwave expanded outward, blowing away all the floating points of light.

Lin Fan retreated three steps, while Xu's Fragmented Soul remained motionless.

“Perfected World Lord?” Lin Fan's brow twitched slightly.

Xu's Fragmented Soul smiled. “Take a guess.”

He no longer defended passively and took the initiative to attack.

With a palm strike, countless black threads surged from his palm, covering Lin Fan like an inescapable net.

Lin Fan withdrew his spear and switched to a sword.

The nirvana sword appeared in his hand, and he slashed out.

The sword light swept across, severing all the black threads.

But the moment the threads snapped, they turned into countless black mists that swirled toward him.

Lin Fan frowned, the gray Qi around him surging violently to form a barrier.

The mist crashed against the barrier with a sizzling corrosive sound but could not penetrate it.

“eternal battle armor?” Surprise flashed in Xu's Fragmented Soul's eyes. “You actually obtained the Sovereign's eternal battle armor?”

Lin Fan didn't answer, his sword light flashing again.

This time, he took the offensive.

The nirvana sword worked in tandem with the eternal battle armor, integrating offense and defense. Where the sword light passed, the void shattered; with the armor protecting his body, ten thousand techniques could not invade.

Xu's Fragmented Soul finally turned serious.

He formed hand seals, and the black light around him intensified. Those floating points of light suddenly surged toward him, merging into his body.

His aura began to skyrocket;

Middle Stage Perfected World Lord!

Late-stage World Lord Perfection!

Peak Perfected World Lord!

Lin Fan's expression turned solemn.

This was the true strength of Xu's Fragmented Soul—Peak Perfected World Lord, only one step away from Great Perfection.

“Lin Fan.” Xu's Fragmented Soul spoke, his voice carrying a hint of mockery. “Did you think that just because I'm a wisp of a Fragmented Soul, I'd be easy to bully?”

He raised his hand and struck out with a palm. This palm was completely different from before.

Everywhere the palm print passed, everything was being annihilated—space, time, light, and even ‘nothingness’ itself was disappearing.

Lin Fan did not retreat but advanced instead, the eternal battle armor's light intensifying as he slashed out with the nirvana sword at full power.

When the sword and palm met, Lin Fan was sent flying back, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Xu's Fragmented Soul remained motionless.

“The co-existence of Eternity and Annihilation only has this much strength?” He smiled. “How disappointing.”

Lin Fan wiped away the blood and slowly stood up.

He looked at Xu's Fragmented Soul with no fear in his eyes, only calm.

“Are you done laughing?”

Xu's Fragmented Soul was stunned.

Lin Fan withdrew his sword and raised his hand.

In his palm, gray Qi began to condense—but instead of being released outward, it contracted inward.

Compressed, and compressed further.

The gray Qi changed from a mist-like state to a liquid, then from liquid to solid, finally condensing into a gray crystal the size of a fingernail.

The crystal floated in his palm, rotating slowly and emitting an aura that made one's heart tremble.

Xu's Fragmented Soul's face changed drastically. “This is Origin Annihilation?”

Lin Fan did not answer.

He simply pushed the crystal forward gently.

The crystal flew toward Xu's Fragmented Soul; it wasn't fast, yet it seemed to lock onto everything about him—his Physical Body, Divine Soul, Origin, and even his very ‘existence’ itself was locked by this crystal.

Xu's Fragmented Soul wanted to dodge, only to find he couldn't move at all.

“Impossible!” he roared. “How could you possibly master Origin Annihilation? That is exclusive to the Great Emperor of Annihilation!”

Lin Fan said calmly, “Because I have fused Eternity.”

“Eternity suppresses, and Annihilation returns to the source.”

“When the two become one, that is the Origin.”

The crystal sank into Xu's Fragmented Soul's body.

In the next instant, his body began to collapse—from within, from the Origin, and from every level of existence.

“Don't—” he shrieked. “You can't kill me! I am a Fragmented Soul of Xu! If you kill me, Xu will sense it—”

Lin Fan looked at him, his gaze calm:

“Let him sense it.”

“I'll be waiting.”

Xu's Fragmented Soul completely collapsed, turning into countless black points of light that dissipated into the void.

Lin Fan stood in place, panting heavily. This strike had nearly exhausted all of his strength. But he did not fall.

He turned and walked toward the stone gate.

Behind him, that void space began to crumble.

The stone gate was pushed open, where the others were waiting anxiously.

Seeing Lin Fan emerge, Zi Linger was the first to rush up. “Are you okay?”

Lin Fan shook his head.

Su Zhiqing looked at his pale face and said nothing, silently handing him a healing Medicinal Pill.

Lin Fan took it and swallowed it.

Jiang Yun stepped forward, hesitating to speak.

Lin Fan knew what he wanted to ask and said calmly, “Xu's Fragmented Soul is dead.”

Everyone gasped.

That was Xu's Fragmented Soul; even if it was just a wisp, it was enough to crush everyone present.

And Lin Fan, alone, had killed it.

“Where is the entrance to the fourth floor?” Lin Fan asked.

Jiang Yun pointed toward the end of the passage. “There, there is a light gate.”

Lin Fan nodded. “Let's go.”

The group followed.

Behind them, the stone gate slowly vanished as if it had never existed.

At the end of the passage, there was indeed a light gate.

The light gate was the color of Chaos, looking exactly like the gate at the entrance of the Tongtian Ancient Road.

Lin Fan stood before the gate and took a deep breath.

The fourth floor was just behind that gate.

Xu's main body was also there waiting for him. But he did not hesitate.

He stepped inside.