At a fork in the labyrinthine corridors of the Heavenly Flood Palace. Forty-seven innate masters were gathered, their gazes fixed upon the six figures from Green Lake Island.

"This is troublesome," Yuwen Liufeng thought with a frown. Before entering, the people of Green Lake Island already knew that the Heavenly Flood Palace was a maze, as the map etched onto the Yu Emperor's Treasure Scroll contained the layout.

Thus, prior to entry, Yuwen Liufeng and his company had devised a plan. They understood that— In the pitch-black environment of the Heavenly Flood Palace, the first action of numerous innate masters upon entry would be to probe their surroundings.

Once this initial exploration concluded, they would inevitably discover the maze! Subsequently, the logical conclusion would be the existence of a maze map!

If it reached that point, the assembled innate masters would surely surround them. Therefore, Yuwen Liufeng and his group initially pretended to explore, when in reality they were shifting their gathering point.

Because many innate masters were watching them, Yuwen Liufeng and Elder Hu remained behind temporarily to mislead the crowd… They were waiting for the moment everyone was stunned by the maze and momentarily distracted from them, allowing them to slip away quietly. If only the crowd of innate masters could react even two or three breaths slower.

That would grant the Green Lake Island contingent ample time to vanish stealthily. After all, in absolute darkness, if one merely maintained a slight distance, they would become untraceable within this maze.

Alas… they had barely begun their escape when someone cried out their intentions! They were given not even a moment's reprieve.

"Yuwen Liufeng, why are your Green Lake Island people attempting to sneak away?" Among the throng of innate masters, the foremost figure was Ying Haojiang of the Ying Clan. Ying Haojiang’s cold, sharp eyes pierced through the golden mask, fixing upon the six from Green Lake Island.

"Had we not surveyed the area, we wouldn't have known this was a maze. Now, everyone likely understands." "The six from Green Lake Island, please hand over the maze map!" a stout monk from the Mani Temple intoned deeply.

"Yuwen Liufeng, hand over the maze map," the refined, purple-robed middle-aged man from the Carefree Palace sneered. "Everyone here knows the hardness of the ceiling in the Heavenly Flood Palace.

If a single peak innate Golden Core expert tried alone, they probably couldn't blast an exit large enough for even one person to escape! Without a maze map, once we all disperse, we’ll likely starve to death right here." Indeed, take Teng Qingshan, for instance.

If he were alone inside the Heavenly Flood Palace, unable to breach the ceiling, he would naturally be trapped in the maze. He would certainly starve to death!

If fate were cruel, he might even lose his life encountering a powerful demon beast. "They want us dead," Liu Xiu exclaimed anxiously.

Teng Qingshan also shouted: "People of Green Lake Island, do not push things too far! Without the maze map… in here, we can only starve.

If you push us too hard… Hmph!" "That's right, push us too hard, Hmph," a burly man from Hongtian City let a hint of viciousness flash in his eyes. The numerous innate masters began to close in, pressing forward!

The Green Lake Island contingent slowly retreated, careful not to bolt, lest they incite a concerted slaughter from the assembled experts… especially those from Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, who possessed long-range attacks. Escape would be exceedingly difficult.

"Maze map?" Yuwen Liufeng's icy gaze swept over the pressing crowd of innate masters before him. "Our Green Lake Island possesses no maze map!

We only discovered that the Yu Emperor's treasure lay within the Heavenly Flood Palace! I suspect this maze is merely a challenge left by Emperor Yu for those who seek his treasure.

The Yu Emperor surely wouldn't just hand over his bounty so simply." "Still quibbling," Ying Haojiang roared in anger. "Elder Yuwen speaks reasonably," Teng Qingshan interjected.

Many innate masters couldn't help but frown as they looked at Teng Qingshan, this innate master known as 'Qin Lang.' Everyone generally held a favorable impression of him because, earlier, it was 'Qin Lang' who had found the entrance to the bottomless pit. However, his current words displeased many.

Teng Qingshan continued: "Elder Yuwen, I believe what you say. But others might not.

I suggest, Elder Yuwen, you allow others to search you—to search your persons to see if you truly possess a maze map! I believe a map of a maze spanning dozens of miles must be written down; it cannot be memorized solely by the mind… Let everyone search.

If nothing is found, I am sure everyone present will apologize to Elder Yuwen and your group." Many experts from the Ying Clan, the Mani Temple, Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, and others began to smile. "Since you say that, Yuwen Liufeng, you can certainly allow us to search," Ying Haojiang stated.

"A search will reveal the truth." One after another, the innate masters spoke, their eyes fixed intently on the Green Lake Island group. The six from Green Lake Island exchanged glances, an unspoken resolve hardening in their eyes.

"Hahahaha…" Yuwen Liufeng’s voice suddenly soared high. "Want to search?

Hmph, in all these years, no one has dared to search the person of Yuwen Liufeng!" "We say we don't have the map, then we don't have the map! As for searching our bodies?

Our (Law Enforcement Elders) of Green Lake Island are not for you to search," Elder Hu also stated coldly. These six Law Enforcement Elders appeared utterly resolute.

"Everyone present, these six from Green Lake Island are courting death," Ying Haojiang declared. "Yuwen Liufeng, resist further, and prepare to die!" The five venerables from Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain simultaneously pulled the divine bows from their backs.

"Resist, and die!" Those from the Carefree Palace were equally cold and merciless. "Yuwen Liufeng, there is still time to repent," the eleven Arhats from the Mani Temple raised their purplish-red iron staffs.

Every innate master was poised to strike. No more words!

Further resistance meant death! Even the forces of Green Lake Island would be slain without hesitation.

After all, those present represented the Six Great Sects of the entire Azure Continent! And that included the Mani Temple!

Even if these few were killed, let alone if Green Lake Island knew the truth, they wouldn't dare seek vengeance. Did Green Lake Island truly dare to challenge the Mani Temple, the Ying Clan, and so many other sects?

They were seeking their doom. "Hmph," Yuwen Liufeng let out a low snort, simultaneously sweeping his right palm backward.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Whoosh! The other five members of Green Lake Island gritted their teeth, suppressed the innate true essence on their bodies, and fled rapidly toward the distance almost simultaneously.

"Kill!" Ying Haojiang roared. "Kill!" The leader of the Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain venerables shouted.

Kill! Kill!

Kill! Almost instantly, a string of killing cries erupted, and the innate Golden Core experts shot forward in a blur.

The fastest were the five venerables from Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain. Swish!

Swish! Swish!

Five dark-red arrows shot toward the five fleeing figures from Green Lake Island at terrifying speed. "Whoosh!" Teng Qingshan instantly unleashed the second layer of 'Heavenly Horizon Travel,' his physical strength erupting, launching him forward like an arrow.

"Elder Hu is terrifyingly strong," Teng Qingshan clearly saw that out of the five arrows fired by Sun-Shooting Divine Mountain, four were intercepted by Elder Hu, who was trailing at the rear. The single arrow that got through pierced the back of one Green Lake Island innate expert, its speed so swift that the innate Mid-Stage expert had no time to block it.

The moment it pierced, it detonated! With a boom, the entire back of that innate Mid-Stage expert exploded, leaving a horrifying gaping hole.

Green Lake Island: One dead! "The arrow Elder Hu didn't intercept must have been shot by an innate Golden Core expert," Teng Qingshan moved incredibly fast, directly chasing the experts fleeing ahead.

"Kill!" "Slay them all!" Almost instantly, three innate Golden Core experts, led by Ying Haojiang, surrounded 'Yuwen Liufeng,' who was lagging behind. The reason Yuwen Liufeng was at the rear was precisely to obstruct the enemy.

If he couldn't stop the innate Mid-Stage experts, he would have to block the peak innate Golden Core masters! Alas, Yuwen Liufeng’s strength was limited; entangled by three innate Golden Core experts, he was helpless.

And the forces of the major sects still had a large number of powerful figures remaining. "So many innate Golden Core experts, this is bad!" Elder Hu saw the danger and abruptly accelerated.

Elder Hu, who had previously been behind the three surviving innate Mid-Stage experts of Green Lake Island, quickly overtook them all and rushed to the front. "Run!

Disperse!" When visibility is poor in heavy fog, even cars must drive slowly. Going too fast risks an accident.

These innate masters were the same! The halo of innate true essence around their bodies could only illuminate a range of about ten zhang.

At their speed, they passed that distance in the blink of an eye. Because the visual range was too limited, if they suddenly encountered a wall ahead, they might react only after they had already crashed into it!

Most critical was this— To avoid detection, the people of Green Lake Island had suppressed their innate true essence. They were desperate anyway.

But the pursuing innate Golden Core experts, unable to see clearly, dared not maintain their absolute maximum speed while chasing. Otherwise, at the peak speed of an innate Golden Core master, suddenly seeing a wall, by the time their brain registered the danger, they would already have impacted it.

The force of such a collision at maximum speed would cause severe injury if not death! Teng Qingshan, however, was different!

In this complete darkness, he could unleash his speed unchecked! "Trying to escape?" Teng Qingshan spotted one of the Green Lake Island members darting into a side passage.

Because it was utterly dark, others hadn't noticed. But Teng Qingshan had!

He immediately veered into the side passage as well! The distance between them was only about five zhang.

"Swish!" A flying dagger shot out abruptly, moving like a streak of lightning—it was too fast! The fleeing innate Mid-Stage expert only managed a clumsy sideways dodge as he reacted.

Pffft! The flying dagger still pierced the innate Golden Core expert’s body, the innate true essence erupting from the man's skin causing the dagger to shatter and explode outwards.

Though wounded, the man continued to flee! "Hmph, still running?" Teng Qingshan watched the scene with cold indifference because—about ten zhang ahead of that innate Mid-Stage expert was a solid wall!

It was a dead end! Teng Qingshan could see it; the man could not.

Without his innate true essence shield active, his visible range was barely one zhang. "He's a hidden weapon master; must escape further." The man desperately accelerated.

When he saw a wall appear within his field of vision—a mere one zhang away—at his speed… He didn't even have time to react! "Pathetic," Teng Qingshan watched helplessly… "BAM!" A low, violent impact echoed.

That innate Mid-Stage expert struck the wall as if he were a piece of tofu thrown against it. Blood splattered, and he crashed heavily to the ground.

"One killed by crashing!" Teng Qingshan knew that the force of that impact at such speed was no less than falling from a cliff hundreds of zhang high onto the earth. "Ah!" Screams echoed from a distance, followed by the continuous sounds of slaughter and roaring collisions.

"The dying has begun…" Teng Qingshan murmured.