From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 102 Trapped in the Maze, Finding the Way

As consciousness returned, I felt a wave of dizziness, as if I had been spun around in a washing machine and then vomited out. When I finally opened my eyes, I found myself in a dark, narrow passage, the walls shimmering with an eerie green light, like some kind of unknown mineral. I struggled to get up, my back burning with pain, indicating I had fallen quite hard.

"Where...am I?" I leaned against the wall, cautiously looking around. A damp, rotten smell filled the air, making me very uncomfortable. I vaguely remembered seeing a stone door before I was sucked into the spatial rift...Could this be...a maze?

A chill ran down my spine as I immediately thought of the guardian beasts and the menacing treasure hunters. Rather than confront them head-on, it would be better to find somewhere to hide. The maze, though dangerous, might help me shake them off.

With that in mind, I followed the passage forward. The passage was winding and twisting, with forks in the road every few steps, making it quite confusing. I carefully chose my path, afraid of ending up in a dead end.

Suddenly, a slight tremor came from the ground. My heart skipped a beat, and I stopped abruptly. I saw the stone bricks in front of me begin to shift, revealing sharp spikes. I gasped; thankfully, I reacted quickly, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

This maze was indeed full of traps! I became even more cautious, walking with extreme care. In addition to the spikes on the ground, huge rocks kept falling from above, forcing me to remain constantly vigilant and avoid these deadly threats.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, I felt completely lost. All the passageways around me looked exactly the same, and I couldn't tell which way was which. I tried leaving marks on the walls, but I quickly realized that these marks were useless because the passageways were constantly shifting and changing, and the paths I had taken earlier might have already disappeared.

Just when I was about to despair, I suddenly heard the sound of fighting in the distance. A thought flashed through my mind—could it be other treasure hunters? I held my breath and cautiously made my way towards the direction of the sound.

Rounding a bend, I saw a wide cave ahead. In the center of the cave, several figures were engaged in fierce combat. I immediately recognized one of them as Youyue; she was entangled in a fight with a burly man. I didn't recognize the man, but the evil aura emanating from him sent a chill down my spine.

I hid in the shadows, afraid to make a sound. Their battle was fierce; the sounds of clashing weapons and roars echoed through the cave. I noticed a passage on the other side of the cave; perhaps I could sneak over there when they weren't looking.

Just as I was about to act, I suddenly felt a cold gaze fall upon me. Startled, I whirled around, but saw nothing. Was it just my imagination?

I dared not delay any longer and immediately ran towards the passage. I had only taken a few steps when I heard a sinister voice behind me: "Trying to run? Not so easy!"

I stopped abruptly and turned around... The Blood Demon's figure darted out of the cave, his scarlet eyes fixed on me, a cruel sneer curling at the corner of his mouth: "Little girl, do you think you can escape my grasp?" He was surrounded by black mist, like a demon from hell, which sent chills down my spine.

I dared not linger and turned to run. The passage was dimly lit, and I could only discern directions by the faint light. Behind me came the heavy footsteps of the Blood Demon, like the urgent drumbeats of a death knell, each one pounding against my heart.

I was panting heavily, my lungs felt like they were going to explode. Damn it, how could this maze be so big? I cursed, running forward as fast as I could. Suddenly, my footing gave way, and I plummeted downwards.

"Ah!" I cried out in surprise, falling heavily to the ground. When I came to my senses, I realized I had fallen into a trap. The bottom of the trap was covered with sharp stones, and I had several cuts on my body, blood soaking through my clothes.

I struggled to climb up, but found the trap walls to be completely smooth, offering no foothold. I looked up and saw the Blood Demon standing at the edge of the trap, looking down at me with a mocking smile.

"Now let's see where you run!" He grinned maliciously, condensing a ball of black energy in his palm and slamming it down at me.

I closed my eyes in despair, awaiting death. However, the expected pain did not come. I opened my eyes in confusion, only to see a flash of silver light, and the Blood Demon's attack was blocked.

Youyue appeared at the edge of the trap at some unknown time. She held a long sword, the blade of which was pointed at the Blood Demon, her eyes as cold as frost.

“Your opponent is me,” Youyue said coldly.

The Blood Demon's gaze shifted to Youyue, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes. He sneered, "Youyue, you'd better not meddle in other people's business!"

“Everyone is qualified to compete for the treasures in the labyrinth.” Youyue met his gaze without fear. “If you want to get it, you must first get past me.”

The two clashed again, their sword energy crisscrossing, black mist billowing, and the entire trap trembling. Taking advantage of a lull in their fight, I desperately searched for a way to escape.

Suddenly, I noticed a loose stone brick in the corner of the trap. A thought struck me, and I immediately crawled over and pushed the brick forcefully. The brick made a dull thud and slowly moved aside, revealing a narrow opening.

Without hesitation, I squeezed into the opening and crawled along a dark passage. The passage was filled with dust and the stench of decay, making me feel suffocated. I dared not linger, desperately crawling forward, hoping to escape this dreadful place as soon as possible.

After climbing for what seemed like forever, I finally saw a glimmer of light ahead. Overjoyed, I quickened my pace. When I emerged from the cave, I found myself in a spacious hall. The hall was filled with stone pillars, each carved with strange patterns and emitting a faint glow.

Before I could even take in my surroundings, I heard a commotion. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of people walking towards the hall. Leading them was a burly man with a fierce face—it was Chief Huang.

"Search! You must find that girl!" Chief Huang roared, his voice echoing in the empty hall. "Whoever finds her will be richly rewarded!"

His men immediately scattered and began searching the hall. My heart tightened, and I quickly hid behind a stone pillar… “Found her! The girl is there!” a sharp voice suddenly rang out.

My heart was pounding like a drum. Damn it, we'd been discovered so quickly! I pressed myself tightly against the stone pillar, holding my breath, afraid to make a sound. Chief Huang and his men strode menacingly toward me, violently knocking down the stone pillar and destroying everything around them, like a pack of crazed wild beasts.

"Little girl, you can't escape!" Chief Huang grinned maliciously, approaching me step by step. I clenched my fists, my heart filled with fear and despair. Was I really going to die here today?

Just then, a tremendous tremor shook the ground, and the stone pillars in the hall began to sway violently. Debris rained down from above, making me dizzy. "What's going on?" Chief Huang exclaimed, quickly regaining his balance.

"Chief, it seems someone has triggered a trap over there!" a subordinate shouted, pointing to the other side of the hall. Dust billowed up, and the sounds of traps activating echoed everywhere, clearly indicating that someone was causing a ruckus there.

"Which blind fool dares to ruin my plans?" Chief Huang roared. "Go and see, arrest them all!" Some of his men immediately ran towards the direction of the commotion.

A thought flashed through my mind: this might be a chance to escape! Taking advantage of the moment when Chief Huang was distracted, I quickly darted out from behind the stone pillar and ran towards the other side of the hall.

"Don't let her get away!" Chief Huang noticed my actions and immediately led the remaining men to give chase. I ran for my life, the footsteps behind me relentlessly pursuing me; I felt like my lungs were about to explode.

I ran into a narrow passage, the walls on either side covered with strange symbols that shimmered mysteriously in the dim fluorescent light. I had no time to ponder the meaning of these symbols; all I wanted was to escape Chief Huang's pursuit as quickly as possible.

The passage was riddled with traps, which I carefully avoided as I ran. Behind me, I heard the painful cries of Huang's men; they had apparently triggered quite a few traps as well. This chaotic situation, ironically, gave me a brief respite.

I was getting more and more tired, and my steps were becoming heavier and heavier. I felt like I was about to give up when I noticed a fork in the road ahead. I hesitated for a moment, then chose the left path.

I continued running along the passage, and suddenly I noticed that the symbols on the wall were becoming increasingly dense, and seemed to follow a certain pattern. A thought struck me: could these symbols be the key to solving the maze?

I stopped and carefully observed the symbols on the wall. They were of various shapes; some resembled characters, some pictures, and some some kind of mysterious incantation. I tried to connect the symbols, but found that they seemed to have no meaning whatsoever.

I felt a wave of frustration. Had I been wrong? Were these symbols not the key to solving the maze at all?

Just as I was about to give up, I suddenly noticed a special symbol. This symbol was different from the others; it emitted a faint golden light, as if it possessed some kind of magic. I reached out and gently touched the symbol.

Suddenly, I felt a powerful force surge into my body, and images flashed through my mind, like a map of a maze. A surge of joy filled me; it seemed I had guessed correctly—these symbols were indeed the key to unlocking the maze!

I closed my eyes, carefully sensing the map in my mind, trying to find the right path. Just as I was concentrating on my study, a chilling aura suddenly came from behind me… “Found you.” A cold voice rang in my ear. The icy voice was like a venomous snake's hiss, sending shivers down my spine. I whirled around, only to see the Blood Demon's deathly pale face inches away, his crimson eyes gleaming with greed.

"Little girl, obediently hand over your discovery!" he rasped, reaching out his withered hand to grab me.

I instinctively leaped backward, barely dodging his attack. Damn it, he caught up with me so quickly! I cursed inwardly, rapidly forming hand seals and unleashing a fireball towards the Blood Demon.

The Blood Demon scoffed disdainfully, casually scattering my fireball spell with a wave of his hand. "A mere trick!" He flashed forward and pounced on me again.

While dodging the blood demon's attacks, I continued to observe the symbols on the wall. The symbols appeared chaotic, yet they subtly revealed a certain pattern. A thought flashed through my mind—could these symbols…

"Don't waste your energy, just obediently accept your death!" The Blood Demon's attacks grew increasingly fierce, and I barely had a chance to catch my breath. His claws tore through my sleeves, leaving several bloody marks.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the pain. I couldn't give up; I had to find the exit from the maze! While fending off the blood demon's attacks, I focused my attention on the symbols on the wall.

I discovered that these symbols did not exist in isolation, but were interconnected. They were like a complex array, with each symbol being a component of the array. I tried arranging these symbols in a certain order, and a complete pattern gradually emerged in my mind.

"What are you doing?" The Blood Demon seemed to sense my intentions and his attacks became even more frenzied. His claws, carrying a sharp gust of wind, struck at me again and again.

I dared not be distracted and could only barely parry his attacks. My spiritual energy was being depleted, and the wounds on my body were multiplying. I felt that I was about to collapse.

Suddenly, I noticed the symbols on the wall began to flash, emitting a dazzling light. I was overjoyed; it seemed my deduction was correct! I sped up my deciphering, arranging the remaining symbols according to the pattern.

Just as I was about to complete the deciphering, the Blood Demon suddenly roared, his body swelling up and radiating a terrifying aura. "You won't succeed!" he roared, launching his final attack on me.

I strained with all my might to arrange the last few symbols. Just then, the symbols on the wall suddenly burst forth with a blinding light, engulfing both me and the Blood Demon.

After a dizzying spin, I found myself in a completely new space. It was a spacious hall with various patterns carved on the walls, and a huge altar in the very center.

Before I could even take a closer look, I heard a voice in my ear: "Welcome to the center of the maze..."