As a frequent destination for cultivator expeditions, Maze Island had long ago seen factions establish teleportation formations to facilitate travel. Zhenhai City also housed a formation linking to the island. Naturally, the teleportation fee was steep. Most ordinary cultivators preferred to spend extra time flying themselves or opting for cheaper, large ocean vessels rather than splurge on teleportation.
While the cost was considerable, it meant little to Lin Feng and Wang Chen. Besides, they were pressed for time and naturally chose the direct teleportation route.
That morning, fully prepared, the two arrived at the teleportation hub. After paying the spirit stones, they stood upon the formation alongside several other cultivators also bound for Maze Island. As the formation activated, a flash of white light filled their vision. When their sight returned, the surroundings had completely transformed.
They found themselves on a vast plaza. Beyond it stretched endless ranges of lofty mountains and ridges. As far as the eye could see was land; there was no indication this was an island amidst the sea. Scattered on the plaza were other cultivators—some gathered in conversation, others setting up impromptu stalls right there on the ground, hawking treasures, genius loci materials, or demonic beast corpses obtained on the island.
This plaza marked a relatively safe area on Maze Island's periphery. The surrounding region had been cleared, and demonic beasts rarely ventured here. Any that occasionally appeared weren't particularly formidable, easily handled by the cultivators stationed to guard the teleportation formation. This was Zhenhai City's designated arrival point. Similar setups existed for other major cultivation cities like Black Dragon City, functioning much the same way.
"Brother Lin, let's go. We'll head to the Northern Sector first, then enter the underground maze."
While Lin Feng was still taking in the surroundings, Wang Chen, more familiar with the place, had already stepped off the formation platform and was heading north.
Lin Feng caught up, glancing at the sparse crowd of cultivators. "There don't seem to be many people here..."
Wang Chen nodded slightly, his expression turning grave. "Indeed. It seems the rumors are true. Who knows what exactly has happened on Maze Island..."
Lin Feng had only learned about this from Wang Chen earlier that day. Rumors swirled that over the past fortnight, numerous cultivators who entered Maze Island had failed to return—vanished without a trace, alive or dead. While cultivator deaths on Maze Island were commonplace, such a cluster of disappearances was rare. It had already sparked considerable panic. Speculation suggested a powerful Tier Four demonic beast might have strayed into the second or third layers, explaining the high casualty rate among descending cultivators. However, no concrete evidence supported this theory. Since the situation was impacting Zhenhai Alliance's teleportation revenues, the Alliance had officially announced it would deploy Nascent Soul cultivators to investigate. When the issue would be resolved remained unknown, hence most people were adopting a wait-and-see approach.
Lin Feng wasn't particularly intimidated by this news. Even if they encountered a Tier Four beast, he felt he had a decent chance of handling it. Moreover, the Void Cloud Flowers couldn't 'wait'. Therefore, when Wang Chen had sought his opinion before departure, Lin Feng had agreed to stick to their original plan and enter the island.
...
Leaving the teleportation plaza behind, the duo entered a dense forest. Maze Island's surface harbored its share of demonic beasts, though the danger paled compared to the underground maze. Traveling swiftly, they encountered no major obstacles. Roughly half a day later, they reached the entrance to the Northern Sector maze.
The underground maze lay beneath the entire island. Theoretically, one could enter it from anywhere on the surface by using the Earth Evasion technique to burrow straight down. Few employed this method, however, as it risked attracting the attention of subterranean beasts before reaching a navigable cavern—a perilous situation. Entering via designated entrances was far safer.
Numerous entrances existed. Lin Feng and Wang Chen approached one nestled within a small valley—a cave entrance resembling a tunnel bored by a giant serpent beast. After traveling several hundred meters inward, the passage abruptly transformed, revealing an immense subterranean world before Lin Feng's eyes.
At first, Lin Feng could still mentally map their route. But before long, he was thoroughly disoriented. The complexity of the underground maze vastly exceeded his expectations. As they delved deeper, he also felt his divine sense becoming increasingly unreliable. A distinct sense of suppression weighed upon it, and the information it gathered felt blurred and unreal, exactly as the rumors described.
Initially, Wang Chen navigated with relative confidence. He explained this route was one of the clearest and most established paths within Layer One, guaranteed to lead down to Layer Two. It represented the cumulative exploration efforts of countless cultivators over millennia. Wang Chen had spent a significant number of spirit stones just to purchase the map for this specific path.
After spending the better part of another day traversing Layer One, they successfully descended to a depth of three hundred meters, entering the realm of Layer Two. From this point onward, there were no precise maps; progress depended entirely on their own exploration and navigation.
Throughout their journey, they astonishingly encountered not a single other cultivator. The depths were shrouded in eerie silence, broken only by the sound of their own footsteps, creating a profoundly unsettling atmosphere.
"Qiu!!!"
While advancing cautiously, Xiaoqiu, perched on Lin Feng's right shoulder, suddenly brightened. It gave a soft cry, tugged lightly at Lin Feng's hair, and pointed its tiny claw towards the right front.
"A discovery?" Both Lin Feng and Wang Chen's faces lit up with hope. Exchanging a glance, they quickened their pace. At the next fork in the tunnel, they turned onto the right-hand passage...
...
Simultaneously, deep within the underground maze, elsewhere.
A team of three cautiously advanced down a tunnel corridor. They were three middle-aged male cultivators—two at the mid-stage Golden Core, the third at the Eighth Level of Golden Core.
"Huh? Something up ahead! Come on!!"
Suddenly, the man leading the way looked startled, then pleased. He beckoned urgently to the other two and sped forward. They quickly reached the end of the tunnel, where a wall of jade-green stone blocked their path.
"Jade Radiance Stone! It's Jade Radiance Stone!! A piece this huge! Haha! We've struck it rich!!"
The three stared dumbfounded at the luminous green wall, then identical expressions of wild elation spread across their faces. The man on the left couldn't contain a burst of triumphant laughter, already stepping forward impatiently to begin mining the precious ore.
And in that very instant—abrupt chaos erupted!!
Thump!
"Ahhh!!!"
A sickening thud sounded, followed instantly by a blood-curdling scream. The cultivator bringing up the rear was violently hurled forward. He slammed into the jade-green wall right beside his two companions with a heavy CRUNCH. When he collapsed to the ground, blood streamed from all seven orifices, his face grotesquely contorted, his neck bent at an unnatural angle. He was clearly dead before he hit the floor.
The surviving two cultivators were instantly paralyzed by terror, their souls nearly fleeing their bodies. Yet, their combat instincts kicked in almost immediately. They whirled around as one, defensive postures snapping into place. Standing behind them, as if it had always been there—a phantom, a specter of death—was a shadowy figure. A silent, ominous shadow loomed in the tunnel's gloom.