Jiyan observed the surrounding stone walls and noticed that the patterns on the wall before him did not align with the others—there were subtle discrepancies. He stepped forward, pressed his hand against the wall, and suddenly exerted force. Instead of the expected shattering of the wall, it simply vanished.
"Indeed... an illusionary barrier."
A new passage appeared in the enclosed space, filling the group with relief. After a brief rest, they continued forward.
"Another domain..." Paimon had grown somewhat resistant to the sight of the faintly glowing entrance before them.
"We have to move forward. There's no way back now." Yelan stated the current situation. Jiyan glanced ahead, gripping a cyan spear in his hand.
Seeing this, Rover also prepared for battle.
This domain was vastly different from the previous one. The space here consisted entirely of floating platforms in all directions—up, down, left, and right—requiring mechanisms to traverse.
"Look, monsters!" Yanfei pointed at the cluster of creatures ahead. However, upon closer inspection, these monsters were unlike any they had encountered before.
Shrouded in dark energy, their blood-red eyes brimmed with ferocity, as if they sought to tear apart everything in their path.
"I've read about this in old texts. These monsters match the descriptions of the beast tide from back then," Yanfei said with concern.
The next moment, Rover moved.
Aether's eyes widened as he felt a gust of wind behind him, followed by the sudden clash of claws against metal, the ringing reverberating in his ears. He quickly turned to see Rover holding a blade in one hand, blocking the lethal strike aimed at him.
With his other hand, Rover raised a crossbow and shot straight through the monster's skull.
"Stay alert, everyone."
The monsters' extreme speed caught the group off guard, forcing them into a defensive stance.
Jiyan focused, his cyan spear radiating light as he leaped into the air. The dragon coiled around the spear surged toward its tip.
A dragon's roar echoed, accompanied by a fierce gale. Jiyan began swinging his spear to carve a path for the group, pulling most of the monsters together with his wind. Finally, the Havoc energy on Rover's blade ignited, and his semi-transparent wings materialized behind him.
A blinding slash of sword light tore through the horde of monsters, and their roars abruptly ceased amidst the dazzling violet light.
"That was too close. These monsters are far more dangerous than the ones above." Kuki Shinobu recalled the battle, a hint of lingering fear in her heart. There was no telling what else awaited them ahead.
"Centuries ago, did the Millelith who held their ground at The Chasm face enemies like these?" Yanfei pursed her lips, lost in thought.
After clearing the monsters, an illusionary figure appeared at the center of the platform—one that resembled Xiao.
Paimon flew forward and cautiously asked, "Xiao, are you okay?"
Rover frowned. He sensed fluctuations in time.
"You... stay away... don't come..." The figure's speech was fragmented, but its tone was urgent. Then, the illusion vanished, revealing two exits on the platform—one behind where Xiao had stood and another on the far right.
"That guy might be in this passage. We need to hurry and find him—he could be in danger." Arataki Itto was about to charge in headfirst but was stopped by Rover.
"Something's wrong. That illusion was created by artificially extracting a fragment of past events here. My guess is that Xiao was fighting someone, and someone else captured this moment to lure us into making a decision."
Yelan's frown deepened. She understood the gravity behind Rover's words.
"You're saying someone is trying to trap us here, right?"
Rover nodded, and the group fell silent.
After escaping the previous domain, they had encountered a "ghost wall." Now, after finally finding a way forward, they nearly walked into another trap.
At this thought, the temperature seemed to drop several degrees, as if unseen eyes were watching them from the shadows.
"Then we'll counter their moves as they come. Whatever they're planning, let them try."
Jiyan stepped forward, giving the group a reassuring look before leading the way into the other exit.
"Sure enough, Brother Rover and the people he invited are all so reliable."
Aether watched Rover's retreating figure, recalling the earlier scene, and felt an inexplicable sense of security.
...
"A door?"
Before them stood a protruding structure embedded between two rock faces, an odd sight in such a bizarre place.
A door in such a sinister location?
And there was still no sign of Xiao.
Arataki Itto examined it thoughtfully, then suddenly brightened as if struck by inspiration.
"I've got it!"
Everyone's attention turned to him.
"It's one of those rescue cabins! I've seen them in picture books—kind-hearted people build small shelters in dangerous places so those in trouble can rest inside. That guy must be in there, right?"
Kuki Shinobu facepalmed. She really shouldn't have expected too much from her boss. But the next moment, Paimon nodded in agreement.
"Ohhh, Bull-Chucker, you're actually making sense for once!"
Aether could only glance awkwardly at the others before pulling Paimon back, signaling for her to stop talking.
Sigh. These two really are a match made in heaven.