The Labyrinth, Core of the World

All three were exceptionally capable; after their initial shock, they swiftly regained their composure.

Du Chen glanced at the winding forks in the path. This was a three-way intersection, with all three tunnel entrances looking remarkably similar: circular openings over two meters in diameter, walls of aged wood, bathed in an eerie, dark green light. They stretched into the unknown, unfathomable depths, like portals leading straight to the Underworld.

He looked back.

In the blink of an eye, a new three-way fork had materialized on the straight path they had just traversed. Suddenly, the underground tunnel system presented them with six distinct routes!

Old Foye and Deboning inspected the three newly appeared paths behind them, shaking their heads. "This is no illusion; these are truly real paths… It seems the Celestial Capital tunnel is constantly shifting!"

Du Chen rubbed his nose. "Let's stand back-to-back, stay put, and assess the situation before making any rash moves!"

With three paths ahead and three behind, the trio found themselves trapped in the central tunnel, temporarily afraid to act recklessly, falling into an impasse.

Old Foye gently placed Steve on the ground and rummaged through his belongings, pulling out a small fragment of skin. "Francis, the map is still on Steve. It's better than nothing!"

Du Chen reached for the map, but then, a sudden realization struck him. He quickly donned a pair of gloves and, with a subtle shift, dispelled his Lotus Internal Force before daring to accept it – otherwise, the map would have instantly incinerated! The fragment of skin was no larger than a baby's palm, its surface etched with a peculiar pattern divided into two distinct layers. The outer ring depicted three peaks standing in a tripod formation, instantly recognizable as the terrain of Three Blades Peak. Yet, the inner layer was a bewildering tangle of strange horizontal and vertical lines, utterly incomprehensible to Du Chen.

"Judging by the pattern, this map should point to the Celestial Capital entrance within Three Blades Peak. And these inner lines should illustrate the initial route through the Celestial Tunnel. Uncle, Deboning, can either of you make sense of these lines?"

Deboning was the first to shake his head.

Holding a map yet utterly clueless – was there a more vexing predicament?

Du Chen frowned. "Deboning, try slashing at this wall, but be careful of any unexpected reactions!"

Deboning nodded slightly. A cloud of black mist first enveloped a section of the wall, then his Blade descended sharply. With a 'clang,' Deboning grimaced. "Young Master, these walls might look like wood, but they're tougher than Dud's armor! It seems we'll have no choice but to find a path through!"

As they spoke, the tunnel walls to their left and right began to shift again. Du Chen exclaimed anxiously, "Look!" Another three tunnels appeared on each side, identical to the previous six! Twelve tunnel entrances now encircled them, trapping Du Chen and his companions in a narrow central space.

It was fortunate they hadn't moved recklessly earlier, or they would have plunged even deeper into this mysterious and unfathomable labyrinth!

But what now? The tunnel walls were incredibly hard, and twelve paths lay before them. Even a fool could tell that choosing any one path would likely lead to more forks, drawing them deeper and deeper until…

…they were trapped to death!

As a King of Thieves, Du Chen had naturally undergone training for navigating labyrinths during heists. He anchored his feet firmly in the direction they had originally come from. In the shortest possible time, he marked the floor, the ceiling, and nearby walls, memorizing their original path before the bewildering array of routes became too disorienting. No matter how the paths twisted and turned, Du Chen would always know which way led back to Blade of Heaven Peak!

But at that very moment, the ground beneath them suddenly began to rotate. The labyrinth itself was moving!

Instantly, despite his fixed orientation, Du Chen's marks were utterly scrambled. Around them, above them, and beneath them, countless new passage entrances materialized!

They were dense and intricate, like a honeycomb!

"Damn it!" Du Chen surveyed the 'honeycomb' with cold eyes. The trio dared not move recklessly!

…

Old Foye stroked his beard in thought for a moment, then exclaimed anxiously, "Francis, let's rethink Glynn's last words…"

Du Chen's eyes suddenly brightened with realization. "He said there are tunnels after entering the lifeline, and these tunnels are actually a grand labyrinth, leading to the various Heavens Beyond Heavens, Underworld Cities… Reversing that, perhaps the core of the world *is* a grand labyrinth! And what we call the Three Continents, Heavens Beyond Heavens, and Underworld Cities are merely branches outside this labyrinth, while the so-called lifelines are the labyrinth's paths leading to the outside world!"

Old Foye nodded with a knowing smile. "Precisely! We are now in the world's core, within the grand labyrinth! If we wander aimlessly, we might be lost forever, or killed by the dangers within the tunnels. But it's also possible… we might fortuitously stumble upon lifelines like Water's Embrace Lake, Mount Tianshan, Auerbach Grand Canyon, or even the Celestial Capital…"

He sped up his words. "When the Water's Embrace Divine Beast sent Glynn and me back to the Three Continents, it was through a similar section of this labyrinth, and we appeared in Auerbach Grand Canyon! This proves that while this labyrinth is incredibly complex, it connects in all directions, leading to any lifeline – it's full of dead ends, yet every corner could also be an exit!"

Du Chen touched his nose, interjecting, "Yes, we don't have the complete map of this labyrinth, and even if we did, we couldn't understand it… But, we have one person among us who has safely traversed this labyrinth at least once, and she knows how to read its map! At the very least, she knows how to find Water's Embrace Lake, to find the Water's Embrace Divine Beast who rescued Uncle all those years ago!"

With that, Du Chen flicked his Lotus, and a graceful figure materialized on the ground.

It was Xue Ji!

At this moment, Steve, draped over Old Foye's shoulder, took a deep breath and, even in his confused state, uttered a surprisingly clear, coherent, and profound statement…

"Virginal Scent of Sandalwood Blossoms… Exquisite, utterly exquisite! Beautiful lady, would you care to join me on an adventure through these mysterious and romantic tunnels? Together, we shall seek that distant, grand maternal love?"

Du Chen painfully slapped his forehead, Old Foye promptly clamped a hand over Steve's mouth, and Deboning, wanting to laugh but unable to, wore an exceptionally strained expression.

Du Chen peeled back Steve's skin and retrieved Dus's Lotus, then tossed Steve into his Lotus artifact, keeping him close. He then added, "Uncle, you cannot be seen by the people of Water's Embrace Lake, can you?"

Old Foye waved his hand. "These tunnels are fraught with danger. An extra hand means an extra chance at survival. Do you have a mask for me, and something to conceal the Blade of Heaven?"

Du Chen suddenly smiled. "I have plenty of masks. As for the Blade of Heaven…"

Deboning also chuckled. "Mr. Ben, why would Young Master need to hide a sacred artifact here? Couldn't Young Master just modify it for you?"

Old Foye was momentarily stunned. Du Chen had already taken the Blade of Heaven into his Lotus artifact. A few minutes later, he emerged carrying a golden longblade that looked as good as new. The moment Old Foye took hold of the Blade, he exclaimed in surprise, "The Blade of Heaven is even stronger than before?"

"I incorporated fragments of the rock that imprisoned Dud as material, and I've changed the sacred artifact lock's interface. Uncle, I'll explain more later when we have time, but first, let's deal with this Xue Ji!" Du Chen said, donning the mask he wore when rescuing people, and then used an alchemical product to revive Xue Ji.

Xue Ji slowly opened her eyes, seeing her benefactor's furrowed brow and worried expression, with two unfamiliar men beside him – one a tall, thin man of about forty to fifty, the other an elder in his sixties. Her beautiful eyes swept around, taking in her surroundings.

"This is… Benefactor, if Xue Ji is not mistaken, this is the Labyrinth of Life?"

"So it's called the Labyrinth of Life!" Du Chen looked around, sighing. "Miss Xue Ji, not long after you fell unconscious, I went to conduct some business with these two friends. Unexpectedly, when I returned to retrieve you, I acted carelessly and drew the attention of the black-robed enemies you described, those wearing The Flat-Top's Helm… Alas, they were too powerful. We barely managed to escape with you to the vicinity of Blade of Heaven Peak, but they still caught up. In that critical moment, Blade of Heaven Peak suddenly trembled, and a layer of Jade Mountain Body appeared. We fell into the mountain body, narrowly escaping death, but… we are now trapped in this predicament!"

He paused. "Does Miss recognize this place?"

Xue Ji nodded. "It is Xue Ji who has burdened Benefactor. Thank you, Benefactor, for risking your life to bring Xue Ji to safety!" She looked around. "This is indeed the Labyrinth of Life, alas, but the Labyrinth of Life is too vast. Xue Ji is also unsure where this particular path leads…"

Du Chen handed her Salon's animal hide map. "We found a corpse nearby just now. This was on the body. I suspect it's a map, look… Unfortunately, that corpse vanished with the shifts of the Labyrinth of Life."

Xue Ji took it and examined it. "So Blade of Heaven Peak also has a lifeline! Benefactor, you entered from Blade of Heaven Peak, so how many times have the paths around here shifted since you entered?"

Du Chen explained the situation. Xue Ji looked at the map with a bitter smile. "Alas, you should have taken the left fork when the first three-way intersection appeared! Or, if not then, the middle path behind you during the second shift would have worked. That path leads to Water's Embrace Lake's lifeline on Longblade Peak, but now…"

She tossed the map aside and explained, "The horizontal lines on these maps represent time, and the vertical lines represent intersections. To get out of here, one must choose the correct path at the precise moment. But Benefactor… you stayed in place too long and missed the shifts of the Labyrinth of Life. Now, this map can no longer show the way! In the Labyrinth of Life, the greatest taboo is to remain stationary and miss the timing of the intersection shifts!"

The honeycomb-like entrances above, below, and around them made Du Chen's heart sink. Even Xue Ji had no solution?

Having to choose the right time *and* the right path, this labyrinth was truly complex!

Du Chen said, "Miss Xue Ji, don't you know the path to Water's Embrace Lake?"

Xue Ji shook her head slightly. "Xue Ji does indeed possess a map, but that map points from Longblade Peak to Water's Embrace Lake. Xue Ji can only return to Water's Embrace Lake from Longblade Peak. From here… Xue Ji is currently disoriented and doesn't know where to go."

*So you old hag are useless too! Hmph!*

Du Chen was cursing inwardly when Xue Ji spoke again: "Benefactor, do you know where the lifeline of Blade of Heaven Peak leads? The Labyrinth of Life boasts countless paths, each varying in danger according to its destination. For instance, the route to Water's Embrace Lake is plagued year-round by gales fierce enough to tear a Nine-Star Battle God apart, only relenting for a single day every three months!"

Du Chen's heart stirred, and he probed, "Then which path in the Labyrinth of Life is the most dangerous? Heh heh, I hope our luck isn't so bad as to encounter the most perilous section!"

Xue Ji said, "My master says that in her lifetime, she has traversed the Labyrinth of Life many times. The most dangerous route is to the Celestial Capital, because the mechanisms on other paths are inanimate, and one can avoid them with care. But the section leading to the Celestial Capital has highly intelligent fierce beasts. They will pursue, they will set traps. Once they set their sights on you, unless you possess the strength of a Titled Battle God or higher to kill them, otherwise…"

"Otherwise, we'll simply devour you! Heh heh! Ga ga!"

Someone had joined the conversation!