Resurrection, or Not Dead?

Du Chen inwardly marveled. “No one within a thousand *li* can escape your lock-on? This Tyr fellow is truly arrogant.” No, Tyr had already proven with facts that he possessed this ability — at least even Bonis, the strongest after the Divine Emperor's demise, couldn't evade his tracking! And his biological son, the young Homan, still in his infancy, could even detect the presence of Du Chen's Precious Lotus Scripture.

Du Chen asked, “How is the battle on His Holiness the Pontiff's side with Bonis progressing?”

Tyr, clinging to Du Chen's left shoulder, whispered into his ear: “Bonis detonated the rocks at the bottom of the Auerbach Grand Canyon, burying Orbach, the Divine's corpse beneath the earth. However, His Holiness the Pontiff had made prior arrangements, dispatching Hawkins and a Suicide Squad of Crimson Mausoleum Guards, armed with sacred artifact bombs, to self-destruct and desperately block Bonis's retreat, trapping him within the Grand Chasm! Currently, the Raging Fire Scorcher Cannon and hundreds of sacred artifacts of war wielded by the McAllen Imperial Guards are entangled in battle with Bonis. Once the Army Corps from the beastmen territories arrives with their sacred artifacts of war as reinforcement, victory will be ours!”

Du Chen nodded slightly. Since that was the case, then let the glory of the first human-Fiendkind battle after the Fallen Gods' war, the monumental achievement of encircling and slaying Bonis, and the eternal renown be solely reserved for the Pontiff. He had no need to contend with him, nor any interest in doing so!

Uncle Orbach's great revenge was paramount!

Du Chen announced, “Very well then. My Divine Pet Pamir shall lead the vanguard, Grand Pontiff Brook will guard the rear, and you and I will take the center. We shall push into the Labyrinth of Life!”

Tyr, anxious for his son, naturally raised no objections. The group, following Du Chen's command, entered the Labyrinth of Life!

Compared to the fervent chaos outside, the battle within the Labyrinth of Life appeared strangely subdued, even eerily tranquil! This time, the Fiendkind had gathered approximately seven to eight thousand non-Undead soldiers along the Grand Chasm and Amulang Mountains front. While that number sounded substantial, most were engineering troops tasked with pilfering and transporting corpses, or administrative personnel assisting Philip in transforming Undead. Their combat strength was far inferior to the ten thousand elite experts that the Papal Curia had deployed earlier to cut off their retreat!

Purely judging by combat prowess, the Papal Curia's experts should have easily annihilated these Fiendkind forces. But the reality was far from it.

At the onset of the battle, Bonis had ordered his deputy general to lead the Fiendkind forces in a breakout. The main force abandoned the spacious Undead Base and entered the unpredictable, narrow tunnels of the Labyrinth of Life. Under the interwoven murky yellow and emerald green light of the tunnels, the Papal Curia's experts intercepted them, and a brutal melee immediately erupted. It was precisely this combat environment that prevented either side from fully deploying their forces or matching their full strength. Everyone was bottlenecked in the narrow tunnels, where the struggle was one of Elite Troops, of courage, and also...

Knowledge of the Labyrinth of Life's terrain!

In this regard, the Fiendkind forces, having operated near the Undead Base for over a year, far surpassed the Papal Curia's experts.

Du Chen entered the narrow tunnel, a map provided by the Green Gourd Beast in hand. He instructed Andy, who was clearing the path ahead, “Mr. Tyr, it's your turn now!”

Tyr closed his eyes tightly, frowning as he spoke. “The interior of this Labyrinth of Life is indeed chaotic. Its paths are constantly shifting, incredibly complex. Without a map, even I would likely face immense trouble if trapped here!” But Tyr was Tyr. He roared, “At four o'clock, twenty *li* away, there's a large concentration of The Undead, and the battle is at its most brutal! Furthermore, among them is a very weak yet exceptionally distinct Undead aura, which must belong to Philip! And by Philip's side is a Battle God who recently advanced to Ninth-rank, and my son is with him!”

Brockman!

Du Chen ordered Andy, who was pioneering the path, to change direction according to Tyr's guidance. But before them was naught but a solid wall; there was no path whatsoever!

After a brief pause, the scenery before them shifted, and a path materialized on the wall!

Only then did Andy leap through.

This method of progression, dictated by the Labyrinth of Life's characteristics, significantly slowed Du Chen's pace.

At the location Tyr had indicated, was a relatively wide clearing, capable of accommodating five to six hundred people. The nearby walls also shifted very little, making it the most brutal battleground!

Two to three hundred people were locked in a fierce struggle here. Every moment, blood flowed, and bodies fell, yet new combatants ceaselessly streamed in to replenish their ranks. Amidst this gory slaughter, one individual lay prone atop a pile of corpses, their protective battle qi expanded into a shield, while dozens of Papal Curia experts surrounding him continuously assailed his life-saving qi shield!

“This one is a Ninth-rank expert, leave him to me!” A Papal Curia expert gripped his dagger, leaping forth. With a 'phwip,' the battle qi shield was breached, followed by another 'phwip' as the dagger plunged into the lower back of the Fiendkind Ninth-rank expert, who was still prone amidst the heap of the dead!

“Excellent! Truly worthy of a Battle God of War!” The Papal Curia forces cheered, swarming forward as over a dozen sacred artifacts rained down like a storm. The Fiendkind Ninth-rank expert, gasping for breath, once again raised his shield, but its defensive power was severely diminished. Instantly, his back was ripped open, flesh mangled, yet he refused to move, even unto death. For a Ninth-rank Battle God, if one could maintain a shield, wouldn't moving be even easier? He seemed to be protecting something.

The Papal Curia experts' first wave of assault failed to kill him. The second wave followed immediately. Just then...

“Azure Tsunami! Water Brush Painting Vivid Scenes!” Brockman roared, surging up from the pile of corpses, appearing utterly deranged. The dagger still protruded from his lower back, blood flowing freely, but he gritted his teeth savagely, and a Secret Technique surged forth!

Pfft, pfft! The ten colorful ribbons forcefully blasted open a clearing around him. Treading on the corpses beneath his feet, Brockman let out a furious roar, tearing the dagger from his lower back. As blood spurted, he staggered, bending to lift the Holy Light-scorched and now incredibly weak... Philip from the pile of dead bodies!

Then, he stumbled forward a few more steps!

“Sir, wake up! There are many corpses here; if you just transform them, I can fight to the death to get you out!”

But Philip, on Brockman's back, had already fallen unconscious, no longer able to transform the Undead. The young Homan, nestled in his ear, cried, “Papa, Papa, you're bleeding!”

“Never mind me, quickly check Uncle Philip's Undead aura!”

Homan wailed, “Papa, Homan's head still hurts, I can't feel any elements at all!”

Brockman's eyes closed for a moment, then snapped open. “Good child, you just keep sleeping. Papa will take both you and Uncle Philip home!” His gaze swept coldly over the bloodthirsty Papal Curia experts who were once again surrounding him, among them the very Battle God of War who had just injured him. Brockman suddenly laughed, “Ha, haha!” The Papal Curia forces were taken aback by his laughter, but within Brockman's Battle Soul, he urged, “Homan, don't sleep yet! Do you remember the Adams Secret Technique Papa had you secretly memorize last time?”

“Mhm, I remember. Last time, when Papa and Uncle Adams fought, you made Homan secretly memorize the elemental trajectory of Uncle's 'Green Mountain Rift' Secret Technique.”

Brockman had already re-engaged in combat, but the communication within his Battle Soul continued unabated. “Good that you remember, good that you remember!”

“Papa, you also said that when your Secret Technique and your twin brother's Secret Technique combine, their power is immense...” Young Homan seemed to grasp what his adoptive father intended, and cried out anxiously, “Papa, no! I only memorized the elemental trajectory of Uncle Adams's Secret Technique; I don't know its most crucial core. If you merge this half-move Secret Technique with Azure Tsunami, it will, it will Detonation!”

Brockman offered a tragic smile. “Homan, remember this: Papa is going to blast a path open for you. Follow the elemental trajectory, and take Uncle Philip to the territory of the Bone Golems. The Bone Golem King is one of us!” His shoulder seared by a ball of fire, he let out a muffled grunt and continued, “If it comes to the absolute worst, remember this: revert to your true form and tell the Papal Curia that you are a Tyran Beast! Understand?”

“Papa...” Homan wailed.

Brockman sighed deeply, his eyes wide. He reached out, extinguishing the flames on his shoulder, and activated his Secret Technique. He was about to sacrifice his own life to carve a path of survival for Homan and Philip...

Suddenly!

He felt something peculiar about the damage from the flame on his shoulder!

Just then, a voice transmitted directly into his mind. “Councilor, take the Grand Speaker and lean against the wall behind you. A tunnel will appear there. Once inside, follow the map I've imprinted on your shoulder. Ahead lies the territory of the Bone Golems, and the Papal Curia's forces stationed there have already been eliminated by me, using the Bone Golems—this is all thanks to your prior dealings with the Bone Golem King. Truly, before King Sean, anything can be bought with Gold Coins!”

“You're Number Three? The Number Three planted within the Papal Curia by the Eminence Project!” Brockman was ecstatic!

The voice continued, “If you see the Marshal, please apologize on my behalf, Councilor. Tell him that Number Three was inefficient, only realizing the Papal Curia's true intentions after entering Blade of Heaven Peak, and had no time to notify the Marshal. I could only use my authority within the Papal Curia to arrange a few escape routes...”

The voice abruptly ceased. Brockman looked around, but amidst the pervasive bloody slaughter, he couldn't discern who had spoken. The top three agents of the Eminence Project were absolute secrets of the Fiendkind, and even Brockman, as a Councilor, was not privy to their identities. Especially the legendary Number One; rumor among the Fiendkind claimed that not even Bonis knew their current identity!

Following the instructions, he leaned backward. Brockman vanished into the wall of the Labyrinth of Life...

He had escaped this ordeal, but it was far from over. Not long after, Du Chen arrived at the scene. Upon learning that this squad of Fiendkind soldiers had been annihilated, with only Brockman fleeing with Philip, he let out a cold laugh. Tyr, near his ear, stated, “At six o'clock, five *li* away, Brockman is severely wounded and cannot run fast!”

Du Chen addressed the Papal Curia forces still clearing the battlefield. “You all continue hunting down the Fiendkind. Don't worry about the Pontiff; His Holiness has already gained the upper hand. Tyr and I will pursue Philip!”

With that, the group continued, with Andy still leading the way, tracking Brockman.

Tyr felt his son's aura drawing ever closer, and his anxiety mounted. “Only three *li* left... one *li*... Francis, Brockman is now three hundred meters to your front-left! Unfortunately, he's blocked by the Labyrinth of Life's walls... Why have you stopped?”

Du Chen shook the map in his hand, offering a wry smile. “Any further, and we'll enter the Bone Golem territory. That's a place the Green Gourd Beasts dare not venture, so... I don't have a map for what's ahead, and I don't know which path to take!”

Tyr also froze for a moment, his large ears twitching as he urgently said, “Then we can capture a Bone Golem to ask for directions! They are merely Aberrant Beasts slightly stronger than Green Gourd Beasts!” Anxious for his son, Tyr acted immediately on his words. His supernatural ability not only entangled Brockman but also spread out comprehensively. “Wait here, I'm going to fully search for nearby Bone Golems...” A brilliant light flared from his body, and the full might of the Fallen Gods Aberrant Beast was unleashed!

A moment later, Tyr was slightly stunned. “Such potent Metallic Sonic Waves! Who, in this era, could wield Metallic Sonic Waves to such a degree... Is it Constantine resurrected, or Duhong, not dead?”