Chapter 1 A Wisp of Blazing Fire

A wisp of blazing fire scattered in all directions.

Transforming into hundreds of tiny embers.

Li Chen stared blankly at this scene…

His own [Source Eye] was an ability that needed constant "rotation" to maintain a 360-degree field of vision, which was already an extremely powerful mental ability.

But Gu Shen's range of investigation was even wider than his own.

Hundreds of faintly burning embers floated and drifted, surrounding everyone.

Everyone felt a faint warmth.

"Is this the 'S-rank' of East Continent?"

At the rear of the team, Mo Hongyi narrowed his eyes and muttered, "This kid isn't one of those freaks whose mental power is a whole major level higher than their own strength, is he?"

"Very likely, perhaps even stronger."

Zhu Xiao said softly, "In East Continent, there's another young prodigy named 'Bai Xiu'. Brother Gu is now on par with him. S-ranks are figures who can fight across borders; they can't be judged by common sense."

"At the third tier, mental power is consistently a whole major level higher than one's own strength… that's too terrifying, isn't it?"

Mo Hongyi exclaimed in disbelief, "According to the currently available information, there should only be one person in the entire Investigation Corps who can do this…"

Hearing this, Zhu Xiao smiled and said, "For us, that's an insurmountable barrier, but for these kinds of prodigies, although this step is difficult, there's still a chance to break through. I think… Brother Gu's mental power might not be weaker than that 'little monster' from the first team."

"That's because you haven't fought that little monster…"

Mo Hongyi muttered in a low voice, "That guy is a real freak!"

He looked at the embers drifting to the edge of the snowy wind. His eyesight could no longer capture the wisp of fire that Gu Shen had scattered. These embers contained extremely subtle spirit; they were purely a net for scouting the way.

Even if Mo Hongyi wasn't a mental-type transcendent, he could feel that these overflowing mental energies weren't very strong.

He scratched his head and said in a voice that only he could hear.

"Gu Shen… can he really compare mental power with that little monster?"

…

…

The Outpost mission was indeed very monotonous.

Even with a public channel for chatting… the time on the road still made people feel bored.

People weren't machines; always being on the road would definitely make them feel tired.

Mentally, and physically.

After nearly ten days of trekking, the atmosphere of the entire team became somewhat depressed. Fortunately, there were no "accidents" along the way, and the group successfully arrived at the mission's destination.

The broken snow mountain known as the "Labyrinth."

Looking from afar.

Snow flew all over the sky, drifting from the entrance of the distant canyon.

It was as if a celestial being had chopped it in half with an axe, revealing only a dark, deep, and narrow entrance.

At this moment, the one responsible for detecting source-matter fluctuations at the vanguard was Li Chen.

The [Source Eye] rotated swiftly—

"Everything is normal."

Li Chen's voice rang out in the command channel.

The expressions of the others in the team clearly became invigorated. For the Outpost mission, stepping out of the Great Wall meant that they could encounter danger at any time… being able to safely arrive at the "Labyrinth" meant that half of the mission was already a success!

Gu Shen followed everyone's gaze and looked at the canyon together.

He narrowed his eyes.

Although the "mental sensing" mission along the way was said to be rotated among three people, in reality, he had never let his guard down… the embers scattered by the blazing fire quietly floated in the cold wind of the [Old World] when he didn't have a sensing mission, following him forward.

An extra layer of protection meant an extra measure of peace of mind.

When looking at the magnificent snow mountain called the "Labyrinth."

A strange feeling suddenly welled up in Gu Shen's heart… He could feel the blazing fire suddenly leaping.

Was there something in this labyrinth that could resonate with the blazing fire?

Or was it an object connected to the wisp of "Netherworld energy" in his blazing fire?

Because this feeling was too faint.

Gu Shen didn't have time to feel it carefully. After a moment, it vanished, and it never rose again.

Looking at the labyrinth again, he only felt that it was a silent, inanimate object.

The previous throbbing and sensation seemed to be just an illusion…

At this moment, Yuan Yuan's voice rang out.

"Wait a moment…"

He held out a hand, signaling the team at the rear to slow down and stop in place.

Gu Shen looked at the captain.

This was the only "fourth-tier transcendent" in the team. Could it be that he sensed something unusual?

"Su He, are there any abnormal reactions from the 'source-matter sensor'?"

Yuan Yuan spoke to the vice-captain in the command channel.

"Everything is normal."

Hong Zhong's team was completely annihilated in the labyrinth mission. According to the original plan of the Investigation Corps, their mission was only to explore the feasibility of the thirty-eighth route… In theory, they wouldn't leave the labyrinth, let alone have the chance to see the so-called "oasis."

Therefore, before the trip, when formulating the plan.

Yuan Yuan believed that Hong Zhong had encountered a "distortion" in a certain black hole, and that black hole was very likely hidden in the labyrinth.

The most likely possibility.

Was that the "black hole" cut off Hong Zhong's team's retreat, causing this captain to order them to advance and fight to the death, and then see the oasis… But this assumption had one inexplicable point.

That was… how did Hong Zhong come back?

"Li Chen, from this moment on, I need you to keep the [Source Eye] running at all times."

Yuan Yuan looked at the young man beside him.

Li Chen nodded solemnly, opened his silver eyes, and began to survey all directions.

"Gu Shen…"

Before Yuan Yuan could finish speaking.

Gu Shen gently raised two fingers.

The tiny embers hidden in the distant wind and snow lit up at this moment, like dead ashes rekindling.

The sensor responsible for detecting transcendent source-matter and the two reliable mental-type transcendents in the team ensured the safety of the "labyrinth mission" exploration that followed.

The entire team slowly entered the long canyon tunnel bit by bit.

"Change formation—Formation Three!"

The Twelfth Team slowly changed into a line formation.

The entrance to the snow mountain canyon only looked narrow from afar. In reality, its "slenderness" was shown in contrast to the thick mountain rocks on both sides. After entering the "Labyrinth," darkness enveloped them, and the entrance here was wide enough for the twelve-person team to pass shoulder to shoulder… But what was terrifying was this kind of visual deception.

"Captain, I sense a very strong source-matter."

Li Chen's expression was solemn.

"The entrance to the labyrinth hides a black hole. Be sure to maintain formation. Only the center line can be passed here… Where the darkness covers, there's an unsolvable phenomenon of 'order collapse'. Once you cross the boundary, you may be swallowed so that not even bone fragments remain."

Yuan Yuan warned in a low voice.

Regarding the accurate information of the "Labyrinth," the Investigation Corps and the Gu Fort jointly explored it for nearly ten years and summarized many rules. The entrance location at this moment was a "rule point."

Everyone's expressions were very serious, and they followed the captain cautiously.

Gu Shen's expression didn't change.

The "blazing fire" he released transmitted specific sensations back…

He raised his head and looked at the top of the canyon entrance of this snow mountain.

Just where Gu Shen's gaze landed, hidden in the endless darkness was a huge black hole. This route wasn't as difficult as the information in the Investigation Corps said. As long as he could capture the source-matter outline of the "black hole."

Then outside the center line, there were still other areas that could be walked.

But…

Gu Shen didn't say anything. He quietly followed the team, walking in the third position in the front.

The blazing fire embers slowly drifted in the air. The order collapse phenomenon of the [Old World] was completely different from those disaster zones and mystic realms within the Five Continents… The huge black hole entrenched on the mountain rock had grown for who knows how many years and was deeply rooted.

Even the "ever gluttonous" blazing fire couldn't bring itself to have an appetite for it.

Gu Shen could sense the blazing fire's repulsive psychology toward these source-matters… It seemed that his blazing fire had compared the "ancient source-matter" of this region with the source-matter within the Five Continents.

The source-matter here tasted too bad.

Indeed, in an environment like the [Old World], these black holes could recklessly grow wildly, connecting piece after piece of broken rules. He didn't know how long his "blazing fire" would have to eat before it could nibble off some scraps. Wanting to truly touch the "core" was simply wishful thinking.

Too bad.

The [Old World] was truly a barren wasteland.

Even if he could devour "source-matter," he couldn't gain any benefits from this kind of soil.

The route after entering the snow mountain canyon wasn't complicated; it was a straight line.

Soon after, the darkness receded. The "black hole" that was hidden who knows where was gradually left behind by everyone. Gu Shen turned his head with a complex expression and took one last look at the super-large black hole.

"Brother Gu, are you feeling palpitations?" Li Chen noticed this scene and asked with a smile.

Gu Shen smiled and said, "Yes… It's the first time I've seen such a scene."

He didn't dare to say that the reason he looked back at that one glance was because he secretly felt regret and pity.

It was really a pity… If the disordered order wrapped around that black hole was broken and no longer existed, then his "blazing fire" would definitely be able to feast!

"The 'black holes' in this labyrinth are indeed considered 'big guys'."

Yuan Yuan spoke. He pressed his hands on his twin blades and was already prepared to enter a state of combat at any time. At this moment, he was surrounded by a faint blade aura and said softly, "I followed Captain Zhong Yuan on hundreds of expeditions, both large and small disaster zones and black spots and black holes. I can be considered to have seen the world… Not many missions can compare with this labyrinth, which has such a complex number of 'rule points.' Putting aside the quantity, these 'rule points' have almost all received a 'severe danger' rating."

"…Severe danger?"

Gu Shen frowned.

"'Black spots' and 'black holes' also have levels. Like the one at the entrance just now, the surface is wrapped in more than one layer of rules. Ordinary [Apostles] cannot purify it, so it's 'severe danger level'." Yuan Yuan said calmly, "Just like the rating of transcendent abilities, the rating of this kind of black hole is roughly equivalent to 'A-level'. Even if Lord A'Liu'er arrived here with the keepsake, he could only choose to avoid it and respect its rules."

"Equivalent to A-level…"

Gu Shen muttered in his heart.

No wonder his "blazing fire" wasn't interested in it at the moment.

It was because the danger factor was too high—

The blazing fire didn't want to eat it, and couldn't eat it.

"By the way, 'Crescent Moon City Fortress' is equivalent to an 'S-level' collapse point." Yuan Yuan said meaningfully, "Her Majesty chose to let it grow, which is actually not a wise move… If she had chosen to 'eliminate' it at the first opportunity, Crescent Moon City wouldn't have become like this now."

Gu Shen fell silent all of a sudden.

He knew what Crescent Moon City looked like now…

Originally a fortress as solid as iron!

Now reduced to an empty city!

Everyone had been evacuated, and General [Rustbone] led his legions to guard this fortress, in order to fight against any unexpected events that might occur in that disaster zone at any time.

"But… we all believe in Her Majesty's choice!"

Yuan Yuan smiled and said, "All the people of North Continent are waiting for your teacher to bring good news back to this land. I hope our exploration this time can find clues to Mr. Tree!"

Gu Shen nodded slowly.

After the team left the canyon entrance, they changed formation again, still the familiar Formation Seven.

Darkness receded.

What replaced it… was dazzling wind and snow. Large swaths of snow fluttered between the barren mountains and cliffs. The entire world broke away from the darkness and was immersed in a morbid intensity.

The faceplate of the source-armor automatically adjusted its brightness to cope with this dazzling spectacle.

A broken boulder cut off the straight line of the canyon. After the interior of the snow mountain cracked, four entrances in different directions suddenly bloomed… And what was terrifying was that Gu Shen sensed the existence of four different types of "black holes" in these four entrances.

At this moment, he finally understood why the mission was named "Labyrinth."

From this moment on, it was equivalent to taking a multiple-choice test.

What followed would be one fork in the road after another. It was difficult to imagine what kind of choices the first batch of transcendents who arrived at the labyrinth made… and what kind of beliefs they held as they trekked forward.

Just looking at the four-way intersection in front of him made a wave of despair rise in his heart.

"The route ahead will be very complicated."

Yuan Yuan said softly, "The Investigation Corps has carried out hundreds of Outpost missions… and only then has it summarized this 'route'."

He took a deep breath.

This section was the most difficult road… The number of "black holes" ahead greatly increased, and the previously summarized rules may have also changed. Everyone held their breath and proceeded cautiously.

The "tension" experienced during the ten days of Outpost trekking… was not worth mentioning compared to this moment.

No wonder the public chat channel was so lively when they had just left the Great Wall.

The previous trek was just a "warm-up"!

This moment was the main event… a time to face life and death!

One person, taking one wrong step, could bring huge trouble to the entire team.

Gu Shen's spirit had never been so concentrated. He could control a limited amount of "blazing fire," but now 30% of the embers had already dissipated in the wind… This was a very terrifying thing.

He didn't know when these embers had been swallowed by the "black holes."

Along the way, Gu Shen saw many strange and peculiar "rule points." Among them, there were some that even the Investigation Corps hadn't figured out the rules of. They had only summarized a vague "avoidance" range.

However… his "blazing fire" was different.

Although these embers had disappeared, he vaguely sensed the approximate rules of those few black holes.

Gu Shen was quietly groping alone while following the team forward.

This section of the road was really long.

Yuan Yuan led the two teams, making choices at the forks again and again, continuing the previous route of Labyrinth Thirty-Eight…

Several hours later.

Everyone's speed slowed down.

Gu Shen noticed.

Li Chen's complexion, in addition to being tense, was already a little pale.

The high-intensity operation of the [Source Eye] was a great burden on mental power… He began to quickly consume nutritional fluids and mental supplements. The state of the others in the team wasn't much better.

The physical fitness of the North Continent's transcendents was indeed very good. These people were born and raised in a cold environment, and their customs were fierce, brave, and good at fighting, but the cultivation in the "mental aspect" was slightly rough.

North Continent didn't have a great breathing technique like "Spring Breath."

Even elite warriors like Li Chen, who were among the best mental-type geniuses in the Investigation Corps, were somewhat lacking in the cultivation of breathing techniques…

Compared to East Continent, these people had stronger combat capabilities, but their mental cultivation was much weaker.

Gu Shen looked at the distant end of the flying snow and said softly in the command channel, "Everyone can try shifting twenty meters to the right. If I'm not mistaken, the power of this rule point… will continuously oppress the spirit of the transcendents. After shifting to the right, the situation will improve."

The team members who were struggling to move forward were stunned when they heard this.

They had been walking this section of the road with great difficulty, and the more they walked, the more they felt mentally strained.

And Gu Shen was indeed the only one who could be considered "relaxed."

"To the right."

Yuan Yuan personally tried it and then immediately issued the order.

The entire team maintained formation and quickly adjusted its position.

"Hoo…"

The next moment, a series of exhaling and relaxing sounds rang out in the team's public channel…

Sure enough, after the adjustment, everyone's mental pressure was greatly reduced!

If this news were to spread to the Investigation Corps, most people would probably scoff at it… They wouldn't believe that a stubborn mule like Yuan Yuan would believe the rule point suggestion made by an East Continent young man.

Or rather, they were even more unwilling to believe that there was such a magical mental-type transcendent who could decipher the rules of a "terrifying black hole" in such a short period of time after the first contact.

"The next intersection is to turn left, right? You can change the formation to Formation Four… and then everyone should proceed close to the left end of the wall." Gu Shen looked at Yuan Yuan, "Of course, this is just my suggestion."

Yuan Yuan narrowed his eyes.

He didn't ask how Gu Shen gave this suggestion… It was just that after the entire team turned left at the fork, he, as the captain, personally came to the position designated by Gu Shen to feel it.

Sure enough!

The invisible pressure was greatly reduced!

"Change formation, Formation Four!" Yuan Yuan decisively issued the order.

Next, Gu Shen relied on his senses to give suggestions again… The consumption of the entire team was greatly reduced, and everyone felt incredible.

After that, Gu Shen's "suggestions" were transformed into orders by Yuan Yuan without missing a word.

No one thought that this labyrinth mission would become so efficient!

Soon.

They arrived at the "recording point" of the last mission.

Because of the "suggestions" Gu Shen gave, the mental state of the entire team was maintained quite well.

"Thanks…"

Li Chen had lost count of how many times he had said these two words.

This guy was truly a magical person.

This trek along the way.

Unknowingly… everyone's "view" of Gu Shen had changed.

Perhaps it was because those firefly-like embers illuminated the darkness in many long nights, giving this exploration team a bit of light of its own to rely on.

Gu Shen just smiled and didn't say anything.

The mental pressure brought by the huge black hole behind him had disappeared.

Obviously, the team had arrived at a very safe location.

He narrowed his eyes: "Ahead… is that the endpoint that the elite team led by Hong Zhong reached?"

The wind and snow became less intense.

Yuan Yuan's toes touched something. He frowned and exerted a little force. A shell buried by the snow was revealed in the snow.

"A corpse?"

As the snow on the surface of the corpse was shaken off by Yuan Yuan's blade… the entire team fell into silence.

These people silently looked at the corpse.

"Old Yao…"

Yuan Yuan sheathed his sword, squatted down, and his eyes were a little moist.

He took a deep breath and stared at the dry cheeks of his old comrade-in-arms. The owner of this corpse was one of the veterans of the Second Team of the Investigation Corps.

A cold sense of sorrow surged in the entire explorer team.

One of the goals of the labyrinth mission was to find the remains of former comrades.

Soon.

The surrounding snow layers were dug open.

"Fortunately," there were a total of five corpses… none were missing.

These were all teammates of Hong Zhong's elite team!

These corpses were placed together. If the mission went smoothly next, and there was enough source-energy fuel, the explorer team would bring the bodies of these comrades back to the fortress together.

"Something's not right…"

Gu Shen looked at these freshly unearthed "corpses" and fell into thought.

"Their source-armor doesn't seem to have any signs of damage… This means that they didn't experience combat before they died, but without combat, why would they die here?"

As soon as he said this, the transcendents in the team began to re-examine the corpses.

"No… Old Yao's source-armor has wounds."

Yuan Yuan, who was squatting in front of the corpse, had a gleam in his eyes. He opened his mouth in surprise: "It's a knife wound… Moreover, Old Yao's spare energy source was taken away?"

Gu Shen came to Old Yao's corpse.

He looked at the corpse… The location of the knife wound wasn't on the chest, but on the back. A clean and swift knife pierced through the back and came out from the chest. Because the knife was swift and decisive, only a very small crack was left!

Under the frost, this crack was frozen, squeezed, and closed. If it wasn't carefully inspected, it would be difficult to notice.

Li Chen's voice trembled slightly: "Who… wielded the knife?"

This was a very cruel question.

But… it was also a very real question.

The team members, immersed in sorrow, stared at the knife mark, and each fell into dead silence.

Only Gu Shen answered Li Chen's question.

He spoke softly and asked in response, "Who, left here alive?"

…

…

(ps: End of the month! Asking for monthly tickets!)