Drip!
Within a long, pitch-black corridor, the sound of dripping water stood out against the otherwise complete silence.
Ye Zichen stood alone in the center of the hall. Those who’d entered with him were no longer at his side.
He’d found himself within this corridor as soon as he entered the mausoleum.
He was certain this was somewhere within the mausoleum. As for why his friends weren’t with him, that was obvious too: the mausoleum’s entrance was actually a transmission array, and upon entering, everyone was sent to different locations.
The mausoleum was thoroughly soundproofed, so he could hear each drip of water clearly, but he had no way of knowing what was happening between Zhou Wu and the Four Great Auxiliary Stars outside.
“What kind of strange place is this?” Ye Zichen couldn’t help but mutter to himself as a fire lit in the palm of his hand. The corridor was dark, and unlike some mysterious realms, it didn’t seem averse to fire; Ye Zichen could use the firelight to illuminate it somewhat.
The corridor was only about two meters across, not particularly wide, but it was very long. At least, it seemed that way to Ye Zichen.
When he checked the phone in his pocket, Ye Zichen learned that he’d already been walking down the corridor for over two hours.
Given his pace, even on foot, that would have been enough time to traverse the entire Immortal Region and arrive in the Endless Beast Region.
The mausoleum was only so big. Even if it occupied the entirety of Howling Valley, Ye Zichen should have been able to traverse it in two hours. And yet, even after all this time, he’d yet to leave, or even encounter a corner.
“Dammit, something’s fishy here!” Ye Zichen came to a sudden stop, then stared intently at a mark on the wall. A long time passed before he could even speak.
The mark was new; it seemed as if it had been there less than two hours.
But then, that was obvious!
Ye Zichen had made it himself!
Ye Zichen had sensed that something was up with the corridor about an hour ago. Howling Valley was only so large, and the mausoleum hovered above it. It didn’t seem possible for an interior corridor to be so long.
When he made the mark, he’d already walked for an hour without leaving. This put him on edge, which was why he’d cut a mark in the wall.
He did this to ensure that he wasn’t just walking in circles. Now, it seemed it was just as he’d feared.
“What’s going on?” This was nothing like what Ye Zichen had expected. He’d assumed the mausoleum would be full of grand palaces, and that he might even encounter the former era’s God Emperor’s tomb.
Then, the tombs and palaces might hold miraculous treasures, which would lead to conflict amongst those in the mausoleum.
And yet, after going inside, the mausoleum was like some sort of maze!
No!
This couldn’t be called a maze. It was just one long corridor! All he could do was walk and walk until he started doubting life itself!
There was no way transcendent good fortune was hidden in a maze like this, one with walls so thin, even he could break them. He refused to believe this was the true nature of the mausoleum.
If this were really all there was inside, he ought to have seen more people, but here, he was all on his own.
This was only his first trial after entering the mausoleum. The true good fortune had yet to come, yet here he was, already stuck.
Reasoning took a lot of brainpower. Ye Zichen hadn’t really liked pondering escape rooms back in the Modern Realm, either.
He felt that way even about escape rooms, which at least had hints, so he certainly didn’t like this endless corridor. It provided no hints at all!
Whether it was the stones beneath his feet or the lapis lazuli embedded in the walls, there didn’t seem to be anything special about it.
….
….
Cang Xiong held a fruit, although it was unclear where he’d gotten it. In any event, it was so huge, it was shocking. Ye Zichen would likely need both hands just to hold it.
Cang Xiong grinned and opened wide before taking a big bite. Even as he ate, he didn’t pass up a chance to insult Ye Zichen.
If Ye Zichen and Cang Xiong were together, that naturally meant Ye Zichen had entered the Yao-Sealing Pagoda. That corridor really had him at his wits end, and he didn’t want to waste any more time inside. He hoped to ask the yao of the pagoda if they knew anything about the situation.
However, the results left him disappointed…
“Little Friend Ye, I’m afraid we can’t help you with this,” said Qing Lan with his characteristic amiable smile. Of the pagoda’s three yao emperors, he was the friendliest.
He’d listened attentively as Ye Zichen explained the problems he’d encountered. He was willing to help, but he really couldn’t.
“We’ve never been in this ‘Divine Mausoleum’ you speak of, and naturally don’t understand the situation inside. I know you came here to ask us, but we can’t provide any useful input,” said Qing Lan.
Actually, Ye Zichen had half-expected this result. When Qing Lan confirmed his fears, he deflated like a popped balloon and collapsed into a chair, as if he’d lost all interest in life.
How was he supposed to get out of this blasted place?
Just thinking about that endless black corridor, without so much as a corner, gave him a headache!
“You really are a brainless little squirt!” Cang Xiong gnawed on fruit and snorted.
Ye Zichen was already upset, so he didn’t care that Cang Xiong was an imperial expert. He glared and said, “And you have a brain? If you’re so smart, why don’t you solve this mystery for me?”
“Why on earth should I listen to you?” Cang Xiong snorted back.
“Don’t I have a chance to call upon each of you? Well, I want to use that chance here!”
“Heh, you seem to have misunderstood something. We’ll help you once, but that’s only if you encounter life or death peril. Even if you’re trapped in a corridor, there aren’t any enemies. Why should we help you?” said Cang Xiong.
“If you can’t crack this riddle, just say so. Why waste all those words on excuses?” said Ye Zichen.
“And what if I do want to crack it?”
“Crack it first, then talk. If you can, do it. If you can’t, hurry back to your tower. Just looking at you irritates me.”
“Take me outside!” Cang Xiong was visibly infuriated. He whacked the nearby table and demanded to go outside, but he didn’t forget to glance at Qing Lan first. “Brother Qing Lan, I’m going out for a bit.”
“Gon on!” Qing Lan laughed and waved him off. Ye Zichen evaluated Cang Xiong but didn’t say anything. He simply cupped his fist, then left the pagoda.
Shortly after they left, a fiery light appeared where Cang Xiong had just been sitting.
“You obviously have a map,” said Qing Lan, glancing at the new arrival. “Why didn’t you give it to him?”
“Why should I give it to him?” This new arrival blazed with fire, and his eyes were filled with disdain.
Qing Lan glanced at him. He couldn’t help but sigh. “Are you still mad at the Five Elements Great Emperor? That kid isn’t actually his descendant, you know, and he’s very pure-hearted. When I look into his eyes, I can see the kindness in his bones. If you explained your situation to him, he’d surely let you leave.”
“There’s no need for that!” The fiery figure snorted. “Where would I even go? Staying here is perfectly good, isn’t it? Besides, I really did lose to Five Elements, alright? There’s no arguing otherwise! A loss is a loss!”
“You could go look for…”
“Don’t even mention him. He and I have nothing to do with each other.” The fiery figure rose from his chair. As he was enveloped in flames, his features were indistinct. When he spoke, his words were low and resentful. “From the moment he chased me off, there’s been nothing between us.”
Then, he turned and looked at Qing Lan once more. “Right, next time that kid shows up, don’t bother telling me. If he can’t get through the mausoleum’s simplest obstacle, I doubt he’s fated for transcendence! I know you have high hopes for him, but I can’t see any hope for him at all.”
…
…
“Is this the place you were talking about?”
Ye Zichen had led Cang Xiong out into the corridor. Cang Xiong’s figure was huge, so the two-meter-wide corridor was a bit cramped for him.
“This is the place. If you’ve got what it takes, lead me out of here,” said Ye Zichen.
“This is all?” The corridor was indeed cramped and unpleasant for Cang Xiong. He twisted his neck, then, his hulking frame shrunk down a few sizes.
But even so, standing before him, Ye Zichen looked pitifully tiny.
“Follow me, pipsqueak! There’s gotta be some sort of formation around here somewhere. So long as we can find and break it, it’ll all be over.” Cang Xiong assumed the role of boss and led the way.
When Ye Zichen saw this, he was at a loss for words.
And here he’d thought Cang Xiong had a solution. After all that, this was it?
Everyone knew that walking around in circles like this implied a formation. Ye Zichen had thought of that possibility a long time ago. He’d been searching for the eye of the formation ever since! Six hours!
But he couldn’t find it.
Ye Zichen dared say that he’d been careful, too. Also, while he wasn’t there now, Formations Grandmaster Su Yiyun stood at his side. Although Ye Zichen didn’t share his proficiency, he’d at least picked up some basic knowledge through association.
Even so, he hadn’t found the eye of the formation. He didn’t think a musclehead like Cang Xiong was a formations expert capable of seeing through the corridor’s secrets either.
He was right, too: Cang Xiong was no formations grandmaster.
No, never mind a grandmaster; he didn’t even know the most basic of basics. He’d only come out here because he’d lost his temper. As for what he’d said after leaving the pagoda, well, Qing Lan would sometimes look at formation diagrams, and Cang Xiong had memorized a few things he often said.
The way he saw it, breaking a formation was simple. That’s because Qing Lan always seemed so relaxed when he did it.
They walked in the pitch-black corridor for who-knows-how-long. All Ye Zichen knew was that Cang Xiong’s ox-like eyes were fixed straight ahead. From time to time, he’d stop, as if he’d discovered a clue. Then, he’d turn his head away and keep forging ahead.
The places he stopped did have something out of the ordinary: the marks Ye Zichen had left behind.
Based on the marks, Ye Zichen knew they’d already gone around the corridor a full six times at least.
“How is it, Grandmaster Cang? Have you discovered anything?”
When he saw that Cang Xiong was utterly baffled, Ye Zichen wasn’t upset. Instead, he laughed gleefully at the sight of Cang Xiong’s confusion.
Cang Xiong had always looked down on him, but look at him now!
“Quiet!”
“We’ve already circled six times!” said Ye Zichen.
Cang Xiong suddenly came to a complete stop. Those ox-like eyes fixed on Ye Zichen. “What did you just say?
“No way! You really haven’t noticed? We’ve already gone in a circle six times. Those markings you stopped to look at? I left them there.” Ye Zichen was really at a loss for words this time. He hadn’t even noticed that? Then why had he seemed so confident when they first left the pagoda and entered the corridor?
Ye Zichen suddenly regretted believing Cang Xiong. He figured he ought to go back and try Qing Lan again. He seemed much steadier.
