After the filming concluded, the underground market beneath the Immortal Fate Hall gradually dispersed, leaving only the Foundation Establishment cultivators who possessed Barrier Charms behind. They settled in the side hall of the Immortal Fate Hall to wait—the entrance to this labyrinth lay beneath the side hall, accessed via a set of bluestone steps descending underground.
This labyrinth beneath the Immortal Fate Hall opened only at set intervals.
Among the gathered Foundation Establishment cultivators, many had previously ventured into the maze and were familiar with its internal conditions. They casually found spots around the entrance of the underground stairs to sit, calmly preparing themselves while awaiting the maze’s opening.
There were over a dozen cultivators like Ye Qin, entering this labyrinth for the very first time. They appeared somewhat excited, leaning over to inquire about the maze’s conditions from the seasoned veterans nearby. The atmosphere here was generally quite amicable; most had concealed their identities, and there were no immediate, severe conflicts between them. Finding valuable items within the maze largely depended on luck, so few harbored excessive wariness.
Ye Qin sought out an inconspicuous corner and sat down quietly.
Unintentionally, he gleaned a significant amount of intelligence from the surrounding cultivators' conversations.
This Immortal Fate Hall Labyrinth was a formidable restrictive array constructed by a group of ancient cultivators in this city. It comprised eight layers: the Fire Palace, Wood Palace, Earth Palace, Metal Palace, Water Palace, and Thunder Palace. Within the maze, formidable phantom beasts of the eight elemental types would spontaneously generate, with each successive layer becoming progressively more perilous.
The phantom beasts within the Fire Palace were the weakest; cultivators above the Foundation Establishment stage could generally pass through. However, the Wood Palace and Earth Palace required those at the mid or high stages of Foundation Establishment. The Metal Palace and Water Palace were more suitable for Golden Core stage cultivators to attempt with any confidence. For the final three palaces, only Nascent Soul cultivators would dare to venture inside.
Merely the existence of the Earth Palace demonstrated the inherent strength of those ancient cultivators.
This ancient labyrinth possessed an extremely long history, predating even the oldest cultivation sects in the Spirit Mist Mountain Range. It was originally designed as a proving ground for succeeding generations of cultivators and was not easily accessible to the public. However, after the ancient cultivators passed away or departed, a large volume of rare treasures remained within the maze, constantly drawing attention.
Currently, although the labyrinth was managed by the Rogue Cultivator Alliance of Immortal Fate City, cultivators from the major immortal sects were also eligible to enter, provided they paid a substantial fee in spirit stones.
Thanks to the protection of the Barrier Charms, although the labyrinth was extremely treacherous, there was no worry of mortal danger. Naturally, this had become a favorite site for adventure among many Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Wealthier family cultivators would come here almost every few months to test their luck, hoping to acquire relics left behind by the ancient cultivators.
“Brother Ye seems to hail from a rogue cultivator background. I wonder if you’d be willing to join our Rogue Cultivator Alliance? I can introduce you to the Alliance Elders,” Han Xu said with a smile after studying Ye Qin for a long time, unable to discern his origins.
Although they had only known each other for less than half a day, their conversation had flowed easily, prompting Han Xu to consider recruiting him.
Ye Qin replied with a light smile, “Brother Han, I apologize. I was indeed born a rogue cultivator, but I have already joined a sect.”
Han Xu immediately expressed a touch of regret upon hearing this. “Oh, then I shouldn’t force the matter. However, Brother Ye, if you ever plan to leave your sect in the future, you might consider joining our Rogue Cultivator Alliance.”
Ye Qin chuckled, “Leaving the sect? I fear that might be inappropriate; my master’s sect might not permit it.”
Han Xu chuckled slyly, “That’s actually not uncommon. Many Foundation Establishment cultivators find themselves quite constrained within their sects and later sever ties to regain their freedom. Our Rogue Cultivator Alliance alone has many members who came from various sects. We rogue cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage often feel like guests under someone else's roof within the established sects; it’s far more carefree in the Alliance. If Brother Ye ever contemplates that path, feel free to seek me out.”
Ye Qin shook his head and suddenly asked, “Brother Han, what kind of items can actually be obtained inside this labyrinth?”
Han Xu replied, “That’s hard to say. You might find a decent low-grade magical artifact, or perhaps some useless junk, or even nothing at all. It really depends on luck. If you’re very lucky, you might even find something entirely unexpected. Many things in this maze were casually tossed in by the ancient cultivators; it’s hard to predict if they’re good or bad.”
Ye Qin pondered for a moment, confused. “But a group of cultivators enters every month to explore—surely the items inside the maze must be dwindling?”
Han Xu lowered his voice and chuckled, “Of course, not everything inside is left by the ancient cultivators, otherwise there wouldn’t be enough for everyone to search for. A significant portion of the items placed inside are newer additions. Some of the things we acquire to purchase the Barrier Charms are put back into the maze. Furthermore, the Golden Core seniors of Immortal Fate City also toss some of their belongings in. This is all done to spice up the fun in the labyrinth. Of course, a few people still manage to find genuine treasures from the ancient era every year, or else so many people wouldn't be drawn here to take risks.”
Ye Qin was astonished. By that logic, he might even find his own Guiyuan Pill inside the maze.
A faint rumbling sound echoed from beneath the Immortal Fate Hall, finally ceasing after a long while.
A thin-faced Taoist in yellow robes, at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, immediately stood up from his seated meditation. He opened the rusty iron grate atop the underground steps and glanced back at the crowd. His gaze, cold and sharp, swept over everyone:
“Some of you are here for the first time, so allow me to remind you. Everyone had best affix their Barrier Charms securely. This labyrinth is an ancient restrictive array, extremely dangerous. If you encounter peril, only this Barrier Charm can save your life by instantly teleporting you out.
If anyone wishes to exit the labyrinth early, simply crush the Barrier Charm. If you fail to affix it properly and die inside, you have no one to blame but yourself. As long as the charm is sound, no one can die inside this maze.
There is one small rule within this labyrinth: the first person to reach the end of the maze corridor will receive a highly valuable item—it could be quite surprising, or it could be nothing at all.
Furthermore, we are merely here for some excitement, not for a life-or-death struggle. Therefore, avoid disputes inside the maze, as it reflects poorly on the Rogue Cultivator Alliance. Now, follow this humble Taoist inside!”
The yellow-robed Taoist descended the underground steps in the side hall first.
After listening, the cultivators maintained impassive expressions and followed in single file down the stone steps. The stairway was quite narrow, flanked by bluestone walls, descending for over ten zhang.
When Ye Qin reached the bottom of the steps, he found a small, single-person teleportation array already active—it could only accommodate one person at a time. He hesitated slightly, thinking: This must be the channel that transports us into the labyrinth.
A rough voice from behind urged him, “Hurry up in front! Don't waste time; you only have one day inside. Delaying means you might miss the chance.”
Ye Qin frowned slightly and quickly stepped onto the teleportation array. A dazzling beam of light flashed, enveloping him completely, and he vanished from the spot.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a completely pitch-black passage.
It was a perfectly straight corridor stretching ahead, utterly dark and profoundly silent. No sound he made seemed to carry, and he was utterly alone. After waiting a moment, he noticed no other cultivators appearing, and he immediately understood. This passage was for individuals to traverse alone; others must have been teleported to different channels.
Ye Qin immediately gripped the Bronze Bell and the Profound Yin Sword, his two magical artifacts.
Although the Barrier Charm guaranteed safety from mortal danger, surviving depended ultimately on his own strength.
The first destination in the maze was reportedly the Fire Palace.
Ye Qin extended his divine sense to its maximum extent, startling him: there seemed to be some restrictive formation within the labyrinth capable of significantly suppressing spiritual perception. He could, at most, scan the movement within a radius of ten zhang before his divine sense could not extend any further.
Ye Qin couldn’t help but offer a wry smile. Unable to probe distant conditions, he would have to take things one step at a time. As for how far he could progress, that would depend on the situation.
He hesitated no longer and sped forward through the passage.
One rule of this labyrinth was that the first to reach the end of the corridor would receive a highly valuable item.
After rushing forward for about a li, Ye Qin saw a patch of fiery light emerging ahead in the passage.
Ye Qin was overjoyed and hastened his pace to see what it was.
“Roar!”
Three Fire Beasts paced back and forth ahead, occasionally letting out low growls while their claws scraped the ground. They were shrouded in surging flames that crackled audibly.
Fire Beasts!?
Ye Qin was startled and halted a hundred zhang away from the beasts, rapidly inspecting them with his Spirit Eye Technique. These beasts somewhat resembled black leopards, larger in size, wreathed in blazing flames, and possessed snow-white fangs nearly a foot long.
However, these were not true fire-attribute demonic beasts but rather phantom beasts materialized by the labyrinth’s restrictive array.
Inspecting them with the Spirit Eye Technique revealed their strength to be around the third rank—equivalent to a cultivator at the peak of the Qi Refining stage, not overly formidable. With his current power, dispatching them should be relatively easy.
The passage was extremely narrow, only three zhang wide. Under normal circumstances, bypassing these Fire Beasts without alerting them was almost impossible.
Ye Qin did not wish to waste time on these beasts. He brought out the Bat King Wings, intending to fly directly over them using the Void-Shattering Flash. Just as he was about to beat his wings, his gaze suddenly sharpened. He spotted a small, fire-glowing casket directly beneath the three Fire Beasts. Concealed by the flames enveloping the beasts, he had almost missed the casket’s existence.
“The cultivators who venture into the labyrinth can obtain items within it—are they perhaps stored in these treasure chests?” Ye Qin murmured to himself.
He channeled his magical power, and the Profound Yin Sword rapidly enlarged, transforming into a chilling, ten-foot-long greatsword, which he swung down toward the Fire Beasts.
Boom!
One of the Fire Beasts was struck, thrown back several zhang, and crashed onto the ground. If it had been a real demonic beast, it might have been severely injured and unable to rise. But with a roll, it sprang back up.
The other two Fire Beasts, sensing an intruder, let out great roars from their gaping maws and lunged toward Ye Qin.
Ye Qin slowly retreated backward, his Profound Yin Sword continuously hacking at the Fire Beasts.
In a short time, Ye Qin managed to cleave the three Fire Beasts into two halves without allowing them to land a single solid hit, and upon death, they vanished from the spot.
He then proceeded to open the flaming treasure casket.
“A piece of Red Iron Ore.”
Ye Qin retrieved the crimson stone and was left speechless; it truly was utter trash.
However, he hadn't expected to find anything valuable on his very first attempt. This Fire Palace was vast; it would likely take half a day to reach the end. If delayed by the Fire Beasts, it could take nearly a full day. There were many more Fire Beasts along the way that needed to be eliminated.
He continued flying deeper into the Fire Palace passage. (To be continued. For future developments, please log into wwwncomm for more chapters, support the author, and read legitimate versions!) First published.