Chapter 97 The Maze of Ancient Illusions
Chapter 97 The Maze of Ancient Illusions
Chapter 97: Chapter 97 The Maze of Ancient Illusions
The enormous ancient gate continued opening.
A deep rumble echoed through the surrounding space as the heavy stone doors slowly separated, revealing a mysterious world beyond them.
The surviving cultivators raised their heads.
Before them stretched an enormous underground maze.
Countless stone corridors extended into the distance, disappearing into darkness. The towering walls were covered with ancient runes that emitted a faint golden glow, illuminating portions of the passage while leaving other areas shrouded in shadows.
Massive stone pillars supported the ceiling, and strange formations flickered occasionally across the walls.
A cold breeze emerged from the depths of the maze.
It carried an ancient aura that made several cultivators instinctively tense their bodies.
"What kind of place is this?"
"An underground maze?"
"How enormous must this place be to exist beneath the ruins?"
Whispers spread among the survivors.
After enduring 3 days of terrifying pursuit during the first trial, none of them dared to underestimate the next challenge.
The first trial had tested their endurance and ability to survive under overwhelming pressure.
But this place felt different.
There was no open road, no visible destination, and no obvious direction in which they should proceed.
Only countless corridors awaited them.
Some looked almost identical to others, while several were partially concealed by mysterious mist.
A cultivator from one of the Holy Sects narrowed his eyes.
"I cannot sense the end of these corridors."
"Perhaps the maze is protected by a powerful formation," another cultivator suggested.
"Or perhaps what we’re seeing isn’t real."
The final remark caused several people to turn toward the speaker.
Before anyone could respond, the ancient voice resounded throughout the entrance.
"Survivors of the first trial, welcome to the second trial."
Its voice was as emotionless as before.
"The Maze of Ancient Illusions."
The moment those words echoed through the air, the runes covering the stone walls brightened.
"The second trial will last for 5 days."
"Your objective is to find the exit before the allotted time expires."
"Within this maze, you shall encounter illusions, misleading paths, hidden formations, and dangerous creatures."
"Your eyes may deceive you. Your spiritual senses may mislead you. Even familiar surroundings may conceal dangers you cannot immediately perceive."
The cultivators listened attentively.
"Participants may cooperate with one another. However, the maze may separate companions at any moment."
"Those who fail to reach the exit before the deadline shall be eliminated from the trial, transported outside the ruin, and lose 1 minor cultivation level."
The voice paused briefly.
"Remember this."
"What you see cannot always be trusted."
Silence descended upon the survivors.
Several cultivators exchanged uneasy glances.
If even their spiritual senses could be deceived, how were they supposed to distinguish reality from illusion?
A young man from one of the major forces frowned.
"Does that mean even our divine senses might be unreliable?"
No answer came from the ancient voice.
Instead, the enormous gate behind them began closing.
BOOM!
The sound reverberated throughout the entrance.
"The second trial begins now."
---
The surviving cultivators immediately moved forward.
Some entered together with companions from their respective forces, while others hurried into nearby corridors, hoping to gain an early advantage.
The Lin Clan youngsters remained gathered together.
Lin Qing stood at the front of the group, examining the maze carefully.
Lin Chen studied the glowing runes along the nearest wall, while Lin Yu observed the faint currents of spiritual energy flowing through the corridors.
Lin Jue crouched slightly to inspect the floor.
"The formations here are different from those we encountered during the first trial," he said.
Lin Chen nodded.
"I can sense traces of formation energy, but I cannot determine their complete structure yet."
Lin Mo looked down the nearest corridor.
"So, we simply choose a direction and keep moving?"
Lin Qing turned toward him.
"Not without examining our surroundings first."
Lin Mo shrugged.
"I was only asking."
"Then ask after you’ve looked around."
Lin Zhen chuckled.
"Brother Mo, perhaps you should leave the thinking to Brother Chen and Brother Jue."
"Who said I cannot think?"
"You did, indirectly."
"Lin Zhen!"
The brief exchange brought a little liveliness to the group, but none of them became careless.
They understood that the maze was likely to be far more complicated than it appeared.
Lin Qing looked at everyone.
"We’ll proceed together. Pay attention to the walls, the floor, and any changes in spiritual energy. If something feels wrong, report it immediately."
"Understood!"
The 10 youngsters entered the nearest corridor.
Behind them, the entrance slowly disappeared into the darkness.
---
The first stretch of the maze appeared relatively peaceful.
The corridors were wide enough for several people to walk side by side. Ancient runes illuminated the walls, and the floor was made from enormous stone slabs.
Occasionally, they passed alcoves containing broken statues or weathered stone tablets.
However, none of the objects appeared particularly unusual.
After walking for some time, the group arrived at a three-way intersection.
Three corridors extended before them.
Each corridor looked almost identical.
The walls were made from the same dark stone, the floor contained similar markings, and the faint golden runes were arranged in nearly identical patterns.
Lin Qing stopped.
"Let’s examine them before choosing."
Lin Yu closed his eyes briefly, sensing the spiritual energy in the surrounding area.
After several moments, he pointed toward the corridor on the left.
"The flow of spiritual energy seems slightly stronger in that direction."
Lin Chen shook his head.
"That alone may not be enough to determine the correct path. The formation could deliberately manipulate the flow."
Lin Jue approached the nearest wall.
"There are markings here."
He brushed away a thin layer of dust, revealing several faint symbols carved into the stone.
"They may be part of the formation."
Lin Chen examined them carefully.
"Perhaps. But we don’t know what they mean yet."
Lin Qing considered their options.
"We’ll take the middle corridor for now. Everyone, remember the markings at this intersection."
The others nodded.
Lin Haochen took a closer look at the surrounding walls, memorizing their arrangement before following the group.
They continued forward.
The corridor curved slightly before straightening again.
A few minutes later, they arrived at another intersection.
Lin Mo looked around.
Then his expression changed.
"Wait a moment."
He pointed toward the wall on their right.
"Didn’t we see that broken pillar earlier?"
Everyone turned.
A short distance away stood a damaged stone pillar with a crack running from its base to its upper section.
Lin Zhen stared at it.
"We did."
Lin Qing’s eyes narrowed.
"Are you certain?"
"Absolutely," Lin Mo replied. "I even remember thinking that it looked like someone’s head had been split open."
Lin Yu examined the surrounding corridors.
"Then we may have returned to the same intersection."
"But we never turned around," Lin Haochen said.
The group fell silent.
Lin Chen walked toward the damaged pillar and examined its surface.
After a moment, he pointed at the crack.
"Look carefully."
The others approached.
Although the pillar appeared identical to the one they had seen earlier, a small difference was visible near its base.
The crack on the previous pillar had extended toward the left.
This one extended toward the right.
Lin Jue’s expression became serious.
"An illusion?"
"Possibly," Lin Chen replied. "But we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. The maze may be changing its layout, or it could be creating false images of familiar locations."
Lin Qing looked down both corridors.
"Either way, we cannot rely on our memories alone."
Lin Yu nodded.
"We should record the spiritual-energy patterns around every intersection. If the surroundings change, we might be able to detect it."
"Good idea," Lin Qing said.
Lin Chen continued examining the pillar.
"The most important thing is not to assume that a familiar place means we’re standing in the same location."
Lin Mo scratched his head.
"This trial is already giving me a headache."
"Then try using your head more carefully," Lin Zhen replied.
Lin Mo glared at him.
Before he could respond, a strange sound echoed from the corridor behind them.
Flutter... flutter... flutter...
Everyone immediately turned around.
The sound came again.
This time, it was much louder.
Lin Qing’s expression changed.
"Prepare yourselves."
The youngsters released their spiritual senses and assumed defensive positions.
Something was approaching through the darkness.
---
A swarm of enormous bats suddenly emerged from the ceiling.
Their bodies were several times larger than ordinary bats, and their dark wings spread wide as they descended into the corridor.
Their eyes glowed with a faint red light.
There were dozens of them.
Perhaps even more.
They moved with astonishing coordination, weaving through the air as though guided by an invisible force.
One of the bats released a piercing shriek.
The sound reverberated throughout the corridor.
Lin Mo immediately covered one ear.
"What kind of creatures are these?!"
"Focus!" Lin Qing shouted.
The bats descended.
Lin Chen drew his sword, releasing a sharp streak of sword energy that forced several of them to retreat.
Lin Yu moved swiftly to the side, avoiding another bat that swept past his shoulder.
Lin Jue raised his hand and released a wave of spiritual energy, disrupting the formation of the approaching creatures.
The other youngsters joined the fight.
Lin Xuan attacked the bats approaching from the left, while Lin Yuexin and Lin Lian protected the group’s rear.
Lin Haochen created a defensive barrier to prevent the creatures from surrounding them completely.
Lin Zhen struck down a bat that attempted to dive toward Lin Mo’s head.
"Watch your surroundings!"
"I am watching!"
"Then watch more carefully!"
Lin Mo grumbled but immediately turned to intercept another attacker.
Despite the sudden assault, the group remained organized.
They did not waste energy chasing every creature. Instead, they protected one another while forcing the bats away from their formation.
Lin Qing watched the creatures carefully.
Something about their behavior bothered her.
They were attacking, yet their movements seemed strangely purposeful.
Rather than surrounding the group and attacking from every direction, they repeatedly swept toward the same corridor.
It was almost as though they were trying to drive the youngsters somewhere.
"Don’t chase them!" Lin Qing shouted. "They’re trying to lead us toward that passage!"
Lin Chen immediately understood.
The bats were not merely attacking randomly.
Their movements were directing the group toward a particular route.
"Everyone, hold your positions!"
The youngsters tightened their formation.
After several exchanges, Lin Chen released another wave of sword energy, forcing the bats to retreat toward the ceiling.
The creatures shrieked before disappearing into a dark opening farther down the corridor.
Within moments, the passage became quiet again.
Lin Mo exhaled.
"Finally. I was beginning to wonder whether this entire maze was filled with flying rats."
"They were bats," Lin Yu corrected.
"That doesn’t make them any less annoying."
Lin Qing ignored their exchange and examined the corridor the creatures had repeatedly attempted to force them toward.
"Something is there."
Lin Jue approached cautiously.
Near the entrance to the passage, several strange scratches were visible along the stone wall.
They were arranged in irregular patterns, but some appeared deeper than others.
Lin Chen crouched and examined them.
"These marks weren’t made by ordinary weapons."
Lin Haochen looked toward the darkness.
"Could they have been left by the creatures?"
"Perhaps," Lin Chen replied. "But look at their arrangement."
He pointed toward the scratches.
Several of them formed a rough pattern resembling the ancient runes they had seen at the intersections.
Lin Jue’s eyes narrowed.
"Could this be connected to the formation controlling the maze?"
"That is what we need to determine," Lin Chen said.
Lin Qing looked at the passage, then at the scratches.
"We shouldn’t enter blindly. Let’s examine these markings first."
The others agreed.
They had only just begun the second trial, and already they had encountered misleading corridors, suspicious formations, and creatures whose behavior seemed anything but ordinary.
The Maze of Ancient Illusions was clearly more complicated than a simple network of passages.
And they had only explored a small part of it.
---
Far away, in another section of the maze, several cultivators walked confidently through a stone corridor.
They belonged to different forces but had agreed to cooperate temporarily.
After several wrong turns, they believed they had finally discovered a route leading toward the exit.
One of them pointed ahead.
"Look! There’s an opening!"
At the end of the corridor stood an ancient stone archway.
Beyond it was what appeared to be a spacious courtyard illuminated by soft golden light.
The cultivators exchanged excited glances.
"Could that be the exit?"
"Let’s investigate."
They passed beneath the archway.
The moment they entered the courtyard, the corridor behind them vanished.
None of them noticed.
They were too busy examining their surroundings.
The courtyard contained several stone pillars, a dry fountain, and an ancient statue standing at its center.
Everything appeared peaceful.
One cultivator walked toward the fountain.
"This place doesn’t look dangerous."
Another nodded.
"Perhaps we’ve finally found a safe area."
Then a third cultivator suddenly stopped walking.
His face became pale.
"Wait."
The others turned toward him.
"What is it?"
He stared at the far end of the courtyard.
A figure stood beside the ancient statue.
At first glance, it appeared to be another cultivator who had entered the maze.
But something about the figure made him uneasy.
Its clothes were identical to his own.
Its height was the same.
Even the weapon hanging at its waist looked familiar.
The figure slowly raised its head.
The cultivator’s breathing stopped.
He was looking at his own face.
The figure smiled.
And in that instant, every light in the courtyard went out.