An Uninvited Embrace

To be frank, Du Chen held no great interest in the fire-elemental Aberrant Beast. It was simply too formidable; capable of incinerating Dus into a gaseous state, requiring nearly ten days for his full recovery. Such immense power was something Du Chen preferred not to provoke. However, the Batuk Family could not tolerate a threat of this magnitude lurking within their domain, and with the issue now at his doorstep, Du Chen had no choice but to address it.

Du Chen plucked bunny-grandpa Snoopy from the Precious Lotus Scripture, tossing him to Liana. "Only Andy and Dus will accompany me. Liana, you and the others must stay here and remain vigilant. We don't know when Margaret might suddenly appear!"

Liana blinked. "When have I ever given you cause for concern?"

Du Chen chuckled, then roused Andy and headed towards the sea. Along the way, Dus's recount from a few days prior echoed in his ears: "Francis, that cavern below is a node of the Life Tree. That day, I instructed Arthur to wait outside while I descended alone. After a short trek, approximately a thousand meters underground, I detected a substantial thermal signature from a life-form. Fifth Brother, you're aware of my method for 'seeing' things; it was quite easy to 'perceive' it. The life-form was a colossal sphere, about ten meters high with a diameter of five or six meters, radiating an incredibly vast life-energy. I suspect it was either a spherical Aberrant Beast or an Aberrant Beast's Egg!"

"But just as I, your Fifth Brother, was about to proceed further, that damn Egg suddenly erupted in flames! The fire was so potent it could incinerate even the life-wall. But who am I, your Fifth Brother? With a flick of the Precious Lotus Scripture, I took advantage of the complex environment of the Labyrinth of Life to obstruct the flames, and then ran for my life! Not only did I escape, but I even had time to rescue Arthur on the way!"

These details had already been submitted to Old Man Yonker. It was only after learning this additional information that the Old Man specifically organized a fourth wave of exploration. Yet, unexpectedly, as soon as the search party entered the Labyrinth of Life, the Aberrant Beast unleashed its powerful flames once more, burning them so thoroughly that not even bone fragments remained! Left with no other choice, the Old Man had to summon the sole survivor, 'Francis.'

Approaching the coastline, Du Chen inquired, "Fifth Brother, tell me, is that flame's incineration speed faster, or is my Green Cloud speed superior?"

Fifth Brother grinned mischievously. "What, you want to go down and take a look at that Aberrant Beast? Let me put it this way: if you're fifty meters away from the flames, you'll definitely have time to escape. But if it sets fire near you… hehe, then you might as well wait for death!"

Could those flames truly be that swift?

Dus added, "Even then, the Labyrinth of Life's environment is helping you. The flames require some time to burn through the life-wall, giving you a window to evade. But if you were to confront that Aberrant Beast on an open plain, I'm sorry, you'd be on a Dead End."

Finally, Fifth Brother stated grimly, "I, your Fifth Brother, have personally witnessed Bonis's strength. Even Bonis, a Fourteenth-Floor Battle God who has gathered all five elemental essences, wouldn't escape those flames once targeted!"

Du Chen narrowed his eyes, remaining silent for a long moment.

"What, scared?"

Du Chen gazed out at the sea, a smile playing on his lips. "Upon hearing this, a coward would think of fleeing. But a clever person would think… if Bonis can't escape, then what about Margaret!? Dus, I'm starting to get interested in that Aberrant Beast!"

...

Just as Du Chen arrived at the sea to discuss the detailed exploration plan with Yonker, deep beneath the surface, on an unremarkable stretch of seabed, a silent army of over a hundred soldiers stood. Comprised entirely of women clad in milky-white form-fitting battle armor, each bore a two-handed greatsword on her back. One of them, with an ear pressed to the sandy seafloor, listened intently.

After a moment, she rose and approached a sedan chair at the center of the army. Through the palanquin's curtain, she spoke in a deep voice, "Marshal, a powerful burst of flames just erupted again within the underground Labyrinth of Life. Your subordinate has pinpointed its location—a thousand meters underground to the southeast!"

The person inside the palanquin seemed to be deep in thought, offering no response.

The female General continued, "General Sword Slave and Lord Dragonfinch are currently in Emerald City. Marshal, please instruct us: should we recall them and notify the Batuk Family, then enter the Labyrinth of Life through the lifeline at the northern end of Emerald City?"

The person in the palanquin hummed softly. "No need. This operation must not be revealed to anyone except yourselves. Is the lifeline the only way to enter the Labyrinth of Life?"

Besides the lifeline, were there other ways to enter the Labyrinth of Life?

Of course, there were!

Without a sound, the surrounding seawater suddenly began to swirl, instantly spiraling into a monstrous, roaring water dragon. After several rotations, gathering immense power, the water dragon abruptly twisted its head and charged towards the seabed. Meeting almost no resistance, this water dragon pierced through the sea sand, excavating a hole in the life-wall just large enough for the sedan chair to pass through!

The person in the palanquin spoke indifferently, "There's no need to worry about changes within the Labyrinth of Life. This Marshal will blast through the life-wall all the way. Lift the palanquin; we'll proceed directly to the source of the flames! First, use Soothing Water Divine Mist to conceal our presence, then once we approach the flame's origin, switch to the Water Concealment Formation for invisibility!"

The White-Armored Female Legion carried the sedan chair into the Labyrinth of Life. Strangely, despite a hole appearing deep beneath the sea, the vast seawater, which should have wildly poured in, merely continued to swirl at the opening, unable to penetrate the Labyrinth of Life in the slightest. Soon, shifting sands covered the entrance, as if nothing had ever happened.

Moments later, several figures appeared furtively on the same beach, enveloped in a faint mist.

Counting them, there were eleven in total. The old, yellow-toothed Bovin tutted in amazement, "Margaret is quite audacious, smashing her way through the Life Tree. Isn't she afraid of exhausting her battle qi before she even encounters that Aberrant Beast?"

Jamis sneered, "Blasting through the life-wall only requires Twelfth-Floor power. As a Fourteenth-Floor Battle God, how much battle qi could a mere life-wall possibly consume from Margaret?"

After speaking, the two exchanged glances and chuckled, then addressed the few people behind them, "We'll follow from a distance. When Margaret and that Aberrant Beast are locked in a battle of mutual destruction… hehe, we'll stab them in the back! But be warned, do not approach within five hundred meters of Margaret. Otherwise, even the Requiem Mist won't be able to hide us from her ears. While that Old Hag's perception can't compare to Dragonfinch's, you won't be able to hide from her at just a few hundred meters!"

The Requiem Death Knights pushed aside the sea sand and filed into the hole Margaret had opened. But when it was Xue Ji's turn, at the end of the line, she suddenly stopped, hesitating. "Lord Jamis, I… I think I shouldn't go in."

Jamis turned back, glanced at the troubled Xue Ji, pondered for a moment, then threw a rope to Number Nine. "Very well, you and Number Nine wait here. Number Nine, tie Xue Ji up!"

Number Nine Roland was stunned. "Tie her up?"

Xue Ji smiled. "Eighth Brother-in-law, Lord Jamis is doing this for my consideration. Should something unexpected happen to them and my master learns of everything, then if my master sees Xue Ji bound, I will have plenty to explain. And you, you can use Xue Ji as a hostage to bargain with my master, helping Lord Jamis."

Roland pursed his lips, then bound Xue Ji, watching the other Requiem Death Knights enter the Labyrinth of Life.

...

At the sea cliffs at the northern end of Emerald City.

Yonker frowned, asking, "Francis, do you truly intend to explore this cavern alone?"

Du Chen laughed. "Old Man, don't worry. I escaped once before, so I have an understanding of the situation. This time, even if things go badly, I won't die in there, right?"

Yonker was still somewhat reluctant to let Du Chen take such a risk. When Du Chen had just proposed going down alone, Yonker's heart had skipped a beat. In the past, if Francis died, so be it; apart from Annie, perhaps no one in the Batuk Family would care about his life or death. But now it was different; Francis was the inheritor of the savior!

Du Chen's thoughts were: an Aberrant Beast capable of threatening Margaret's life and death? Tsk tsk, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Could this Aberrant Beast be the 'fourth family' Liana had been searching for all along? Dus had said fifty meters was a safe distance, so couldn't he go down and simply talk to the Aberrant Beast from fifty meters away? If they reached an agreement, they could tackle Margaret together. If not, he'd just activate Green Cloud and make a swift escape…

Yonker took Du Chen's arm. "Francis, you are our guest, and I, this old man, have guaranteed your safety for this period. Very well, I will lead an elite Thunder Legion to accompany you!"

Du Chen waved his hand, his expression serious. "Old Man, your status is noble; how can you lightly risk yourself? Besides, Old Man, you've helped me immensely. This time, consider it my junior's effort for the Batuk Family!"

Without waiting for the Old Man to object, Du Chen transformed into a mist of water and plunged into the sea.

*Plop!* Watching the splashing water, Yonker frowned deeply. He hadn't expected this Francis fellow to have such integrity. It seemed he was the kind of lad who would go to great lengths for his friends and use any means necessary against his enemies!

"The entire First Army Corps of the Thunder Legion, deploy into the sea! Seal the cave entrance! Should the situation change, no matter who the opponent is, support Francis with the Thunder Martial Formation at all costs!"

Du Chen, in the seawater, heard the command and smiled, then flashed into the cave.

Andy, Dus, and Du Chen sat on the Precious Lotus Scripture. Upon entering the cave, they immediately used Nineteen to become invisible. This way, Du Chen didn't have to worry about the Aberrant Beast discovering them and burning them to ashes before any conversation could begin. As if a jest from the Goddess of Fate, this stealth also managed to hide them from Margaret, who had already entered the cave!

They quickly found the lifeline. As soon as they entered, Andy grimaced. "Oh, heavens, my dreams, my nose! The smell in here is terrible!"

The Aberrant Beast had released flames twice in total, each time incinerating a part of the life-wall. The smell and sight of a forest after a great fire… that was precisely what lay before Du Chen!

Everywhere his eyes fell, there were charred remains, some still emitting wisps of smoke, as if announcing a recent conflagration. However, the Life Tree's recovery ability was truly astonishing; it had not only quelled the flames, but fresh green shoots had already sprouted in some areas.

The Labyrinth of Life's changes were as unpredictable as ever. Du Chen marked the entrance with Sands of the Hourglass, scattering fine sand along the path to ensure he wouldn't lose his way in the enigmatic labyrinth. Thus, the group continued their descent.

Dus suddenly looked up, his expression serious. "Francis, that spherical Aberrant Beast is moving!"

"Can you determine why it's moving?"

"Hard to say. I haven't detected anything unusual in its vicinity. The Aberrant Beast just suddenly started moving, very slowly at first, but it's accelerating!"

Du Chen quickly touched his nose. "Judging by the Aberrant Beast's movement, is it evading something, or merely tired of one spot and looking for a change of scenery?"

This was crucial. If the Aberrant Beast merely wanted to change locations, that was fine. But if it was evading… Damn it, what kind of power could force this Aberrant Beast to flee in such a panic!

Dus closed his eyes, 'seeing' intently, then stomped his foot. "Damn it, the Aberrant Beast's life-signature has vanished! I, your Fifth Brother, can't perceive it at all!"

Top-tier experts being able to evade Dus's detection didn't surprise Du Chen; after all, Dus's specialty wasn't reconnaissance. But still…

With the Precious Lotus Scripture concealing their aura, Nineteen providing invisibility, and Green Cloud ensuring extreme speed, what was there to fear? Du Chen snorted, "Let's accelerate! To the place where it vanished!"

Before his words finished, the Precious Lotus Scripture shot through the Labyrinth of Life like an electric current, passing through several bizarrely appearing and rapidly closing passages. Just as Du Chen plunged into a spacious tunnel, Andy suddenly sniffed, his Battle Soul saying, "What a delicious scent… Andy's hungry!"

*Thump!* Almost simultaneously, Du Chen's Precious Lotus Scripture seemed to collide with something soft, like a piece of cotton cloth. The Lotus easily pushed through this 'curtain' and drilled into something… but when Du Chen focused his gaze, the tunnel was still empty! Had he just crashed into an air wall?!

At that very moment, over a hundred figures suddenly materialized in the tunnel, with a sedan chair in the center. Du Chen, quite unintentionally, had smashed directly into the palanquin's curtain and found himself inside! He looked up to see a woman in her thirties, dressed as a Martial General, seated within.

A sharp glint flashed in the woman's eyes. "Someone else is invisible, just like us! Saintess Legion, seal all entrances and exits!" With that, she waved her hand, reaching towards the spot where the curtain had been pushed open!