Qin Wanwan and Jian Xingzhi chatted casually for a bit before returning to their rooms to begin preparing for tomorrow’s events.

Qin Wanwan mainly prepared things they would need after entering the labyrinth, while Jian Xingzhi busied himself preparing meeting gifts for Qin Wanwan’s parents.

After spending the entire night packing their universe bags full, they finally had some confidence about entering Xuanshan.

666 watched Jian Xingzhi bustle about somewhat helplessly, offering insincere praise: “Master, you don’t need to be so nervous, right? You… you’re quite likeable.”

“I don’t know if I’m likeable or not,” Jian Xingzhi hung the universe bag at his waist and pulled open the door to walk out. “But no one likes someone who’s beaten their daughter. This time I need to perform well so that when we return to the immortal realm, my father-in-law won’t hate me so much!”

“Ready?”

Seeing Jian Xingzhi pull open the door, Qin Wanwan and the others waiting outside turned to look. Jian Xingzhi patted his universe bag happily: “Ready!”

The group arrived at the foot of Xuanshan Mountain full of confidence. By this time, many people had already gathered around. Since only two teams were advancing to the semifinals, identity verification went very quickly. After confirming their identities, Luo Bufan briefly explained the rules to them and finally asked: “Any questions?”

“No questions.”

Qin Wanwan put her hands behind her back, answering very confidently.

Wonderous Words Venerable smiled and nodded: “This venerable also has no questions.”

“Good.” Luo Bufan raised his hand, and two light gates appeared before the two teams. “Please enter the labyrinth simultaneously.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Wanwan took the lead, rushing in with Jian Xingzhi and the others.

After charging through the light gate, they first encountered a fork in the road. Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan exchanged glances. Qin Wanwan took out four ropes, looking at them full of expectation: “This is the method I came up with last night.”

Everyone looked at the ropes. Qin Wanwan explained: “Last night I found the four longest ropes currently available. You tie the ropes around your waists, choose a path and run out. I can sense your positions and then draw a map, deduce possible routes. You run according to my instructions. Once you’ve run through all the dead ends, only the correct path will remain.”

“Good idea.”

Xie Gutang nodded and immediately said: “Then let’s tie them on.”

“Wait,” Jian Xingzhi stopped everyone, quite confident. “I have a faster method.”

Everyone looked at him together. Jian Xingzhi said with certainty: “I used to rob ancient tombs and often encountered labyrinths. There’s one method that works every time.”

“What method?”

Qin Wanwan asked curiously. Jian Xingzhi turned to look at the wall at the end ahead, full of confidence: “Just walk straight.”

“Just… just walk straight?”

Qin Wanwan was somewhat confused. Jian Xingzhi nodded and took the map from her hands: “Look, we’re currently in the west, and the exit is in the east.”

“That’s right,” Qin Wanwan didn’t understand. “And then?”

“We just keep walking east,” Jian Xingzhi drew a straight line on the map. “That’s it.”

Everyone didn’t understand. Jian Xingzhi looked at everyone: “Do you have any questions?”

“This is a labyrinth,” Cuilu couldn’t help herself and reminded him. “There are walls blocking—how are you going to walk straight?”

“Tear down the walls,” Jian Xingzhi said as if it were obvious. “Just tear down the walls to make a path, right?”

Everyone was stunned. After a moment, Xie Gutang frowned: “I remember the walls in labyrinths generally have special formations and can’t be torn down.”

“That’s because you’re not strong enough.” Jian Xingzhi waved his hand. “Labyrinths are just walls stacked up, or they’re illusions. There are only so many types of formations maintaining wall surfaces—I figured out methods for dealing with them long ago. Follow me!” Jian Xingzhi raised his hand and turned his head to look aggressively at the wall blocking their path. After rubbing his hands together for a moment, he rotated his hand in the air. A seal appeared in midair. He absorbed spiritual energy, gave a great shout, and rushed violently toward the wall!

Inside the labyrinth and outside the water mirror, everyone’s eyes widened.

After a moment, they heard a thunderous “boom.” The wall collapsed with a crash. Jian Xingzhi stood in the dust and turned to look at the dumbfounded group, beckoning them: “Come on!”

“This…” Luo Bufan looked at this scene in shock and turned to look at Liu Yuehua beside him. “Does this count as cheating?”

Liu Yuehua couldn’t speak for a moment. After a while, she said through gritted teeth: “Being able to tear them down is skill. Let’s just watch.”

After demolishing the first wall, Qin Wanwan and the others no longer doubted this method. Everyone followed Jian Xingzhi. He taught them the wall-demolishing seal, and all along the way when they encountered walls, they demolished them. Throughout the entire labyrinth, all they could hear was “rumble rumble rumble.”

They charged toward the gate unobstructed. After demolishing walls until there were no more walls to demolish, everyone looked up and saw a fork ahead. The wall directly in front had already been torn down by someone.

“This…” Nanfeng looked around. “This seems to be where we first came?”

No one spoke. Cuilu observed the surroundings for a moment and confirmed Nanfeng’s conclusion: “We seem to have come back again.”

Jian Xingzhi didn’t speak.

Qin Wanwan thought for a moment and took out the ropes again: “How about we still use some simple methods…”

“Don’t talk.”

Jian Xingzhi raised his hand and pressed down on Qin Wanwan’s hand. No one dared to make a sound. Jian Xingzhi closed his eyes and used his divine sense to distinguish the flow of spiritual power around them.

After closing his eyes to observe all the “qi,” he looked all the way to the end and discovered that the “qi” seemed to touch something and flow back from below.

“This space is cyclical.”

Jian Xingzhi opened his eyes and reminded everyone.

Xie Gutang immediately understood: “There’s a formation here. They’re not just using walls to change routes—they’ve directly changed the entire space?”

“It’s not just a formation,” Jian Xingzhi looked around. “This seems to be a special environment where the elements are extremely imbalanced. It’s inherently a cyclical space. They just happened to open a gate due east, giving us the possibility of getting out. Once the gate closes, we won’t be able to get out.”

“Elements imbalanced?”

Nanfeng didn’t understand. Qin Wanwan explained to him: “Everything in this world—time and space—is composed of elements. All elements need to maintain a balanced relationship to maintain the normal state that we ordinary people recognize. Once certain elements change, becoming extremely excessive or deficient, they’ll form states different from what we normally recognize.”

“Right now we’re trapped by an artificially set cyclical space formation,” Jian Xingzhi drew his sword and led everyone toward the position where the elements were flowing backward, his expression quite serious. “But this large space is naturally formed and cannot be opened by ordinary people. However, the only exit can be easily closed. If we let Wonderous Words Venerable reach the exit first—”

Jian Xingzhi raised his sword and fiercely struck where all the “qi” converged. The convergence point exploded violently, and a fierce wind rushed toward them. The enormous brightness made it impossible to open their eyes. After a moment, everyone landed on the ground and heard “rumble rumble rumble” sounds of walls collapsing nearby.

“It’s Wonderous Words Venerable demolishing walls!”

Cuilu identified the source of the sound and spoke urgently. At this time, Jian Xingzhi had already rushed forward, raising his hand to bombard wall after wall toward due east.

“He’ll definitely seal the exit!”

Jian Xingzhi said with certainty.

In this instant, everyone realized that if they let Wonderous Words Venerable rush ahead and close the labyrinth, it wouldn’t just be a matter of losing the competition—they might stay here forever, never able to get out again.

Realizing this point and hearing the sound of walls collapsing not far away, everyone’s hearts tightened.

Xie Gutang glanced at the seal in Jian Xingzhi’s hand and immediately memorized it. Then a seal also lit up in his hand, and he rushed toward the direction of the collapsing wall sounds!

“Brother Xie!”

Qin Wanwan turned around in panic. Xie Gutang’s voice was steady: “I’ll hold them off.”

With that, Xie Gutang had already blasted through the last wall separating them from Wonderous Words Venerable and slashed at him with his sword!

Wonderous Words Venerable wasn’t far from them—just three walls’ distance. Xie Gutang’s movements were already within his grasp. He raised his hand, and countless silver threads flew out. The people behind him seemed to be controlled by the silver threads, instantly drawing their swords and counterattacking against Xie Gutang!

Cuilu immediately joined the battle, instructing Qin Wanwan: “Follow Jian Xingzhi and go first!”

“We’ll wait for you up ahead!”

Qin Wanwan didn’t hesitate either. She rode on Nanfeng and chased after Jian Xingzhi, rushing forward.

But though they were fast, Wonderous Words Venerable’s movements weren’t slow either. Xie Gutang and Cuilu were held back by the puppets. Occasionally they could touch Wonderous Words Venerable, but his form was extremely fast, slipping away like a loach, his forward movement not falling behind at all.

Jian Xingzhi demolished a wall, Wonderous Words Venerable demolished a wall. Jian Xingzhi advanced one zhang, Wonderous Words Venerable advanced one zhang.

The two sides went back and forth with absolutely no time to catch their breath.

Qin Wanwan followed closely behind them. Soon she noticed something wrong.

Every time Jian Xingzhi smashed a wall, he needed to use spiritual power to blast through it. When the walls were blasted open each time, an extremely faint golden light would appear.

Jian Xingzhi couldn’t attend to such details, but Qin Wanwan keenly captured that small golden light.

She didn’t dare speak up to remind him. At this moment, Jian Xingzhi and Wonderous Words Venerable were competing for the final moment. If Wonderous Words Venerable rushed ahead and closed the gate, everyone would be trapped here forever.

But she remained concerned in her heart, constantly observing that golden light on the walls.

This was light from a formation. What formation had Jian Xingzhi touched? Was it protecting the wall structure?

Qin Wanwan didn’t dare slack off. She closed her eyes and began tracking where Jian Xingzhi’s spiritual power was going.

The first time, Jian Xingzhi’s spiritual power disappeared too quickly. The second time, the third time…

Qin Wanwan tried tracking several times. Finally, on the last attempt, she saw the golden light patterns for a brief moment—spiritual power flowing into the patterns. Though it was only the last small stroke, Qin Wanwan suddenly realized what this was.

This formation was identical to the one used in Ghost City to summon the Linglong Jade!

When Linglong Jade appeared, aside from coincidence, if deliberately summoned, it required enormous energy as guidance. Jian Xingzhi’s spiritual power hadn’t directly dissipated—it had flowed into this formation…

“Jian Xingzhi!”

Qin Wanwan suddenly reacted and shouted: “Jump up!”

As she spoke, she grabbed Nanfeng and leaped up. In that very instant, Jian Xingzhi’s fist shattered the last wall. A vortex-shaped gate appeared in the open space dozens of zhangs away, while golden light and vines rose from the ground simultaneously.

Warned by Qin Wanwan, Jian Xingzhi instinctively jumped upward. The vines breaking through the earth missed grabbing him by half an inch.

In midair, Jian Xingzhi flipped. Luoshui unsheathed, he rode his sword through the gaps between the violently surging vines trying to grab him, seized Qin Wanwan with one hand, raised his other hand to blast through the overwhelming vines, and dragged her rolling to a nearby position without formations. Looking up, he saw Xie Gutang and Cuilu still trapped among the vines. He raised his hand with a sword light, blasting open a path for them, and shouted: “Xie Gutang! Cuilu!”

Hearing his voice and seeing the path Jian Xingzhi had opened for them, the two immediately retreated to beside Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan. Just as they landed on the ground, they felt it shaking violently.

“This is…”

Cuilu was somewhat shocked.

The water mirror suddenly turned black. Luo Xingzhou, Liu Yuehua, and the others were stunned for a moment, then immediately stood up: “It’s Linglong Jade!”

But before they could leave their seats, black fog rose from the ground, and everything around turned into thick, viscous blackness.

“The Divine Lord says,” a mechanical voice came from the black fog, “everyone please remain calm and do not leave your seats. Violators—”

As it spoke, a youth running outside suddenly screamed. Green light shone around his body, becoming the only thing besides blackness that everyone could see.

He seemed to have his life force sucked away. His flesh instantly withered. In just the moment of his scream, he turned into a pile of white bones, scattering straight onto the ground.

“Will be killed without mercy.”

Outside the water mirror, chaos erupted. Inside the labyrinth, Jian Xingzhi and Qin Wanwan looked at the enormous formation on the ground. In the center of the formation, the earth split open like a blooming flower. Then light fell at the formation’s center. Wonderous Words Venerable looked at the formation with gentle eyes: “The last piece of Linglong Jade. With my spiritual power alone, it wouldn’t be enough to activate this formation without alerting Shangsui. I guessed you would demolish walls, so I specially hid this formation beneath the wall surfaces.” As Wonderous Words Venerable spoke, he turned to look at Jian Xingzhi. “Today I really must thank you.”

“No need to thank us!” Hearing this, Qin Wanwan immediately retorted. “We were just looking for Linglong Jade. Thank you for helping.”

“Heh.” Wonderous Words Venerable shook his head. “How cute.”

As he spoke, black qi gathered around his head, and a familiar aura faintly appeared above.

“My mother?”

Qin Wanwan immediately reacted. Jian Xingzhi squeezed her hand and said in a low voice: “You and Nanfeng leave first.”

Qin Wanwan looked up. Before she could react, she saw Jian Xingzhi suddenly draw his sword and slash at Wonderous Words Venerable, shouting: “Cuilu, Xie Gutang!”

Seeing this, Qin Wanwan rushed toward the gate without hesitation, summoning: “Nanfeng!”

Nanfeng grew large the instant Qin Wanwan called. Qin Wanwan threw herself onto him, and the two raced toward the exit. However, in that very moment, Wonderous Words Venerable raised his hand, and dozens of puppets appeared at the gate entrance, swinging their swords at Qin Wanwan. At the same time, his form shifted and he pursued Qin Wanwan.

Jian Xingzhi followed closely behind him. Just before he could touch Qin Wanwan, Jian Xingzhi’s sword slashed down, forcing Wonderous Words Venerable to dodge.

A thunderbolt carrying an upper realm technique crashed down. Wonderous Words Venerable urgently leaped away. Cuilu and Xie Gutang blocked the puppets on both sides. In the blink of an eye, Qin Wanwan had rushed out.

“Good.” Seeing Qin Wanwan ride Nanfeng out of the labyrinth, Wonderous Words Venerable’s eyes revealed a vicious glint. He looked up at the spiritual power gathering again in the sky and said coldly: “Shangsui, let your daughter go find you. In a while, I’ll come find you both.”

With that, he turned and rushed toward the center of the formation.

Jian Xingzhi followed closely.

When he appeared above the formation, the vines in it grew violently and wildly. Shangsui’s thunder also struck the ground simultaneously. Jian Xingzhi dodged the vines, Wonderous Words Venerable dodged the thunder, both rushing together toward the gradually condensing light at the formation’s center.

Cuilu and Xie Gutang fought those puppets inseparably. Just as they were about to turn back to help, Jian Xingzhi’s voice rang out: “Take this teleportation formation. Get out and wait for me. When the teleportation formation lights up, strike it with a final sword thrust.”

With that, a talisman paper swiftly came through the air. Xie Gutang grabbed it.

Jian Xingzhi infused his divine sense into his sword and fiercely swung it toward Xie Gutang’s direction!

The sword light illuminated the entire space, making it impossible to open one’s eyes. Over a dozen puppets turned to ash the moment they touched the sword light. Xie Gutang, holding the teleportation formation, leaped out through the vortex-shaped exit together with Cuilu.

The moment they leaped out, the sword light rushed to the entrance. After a thunderous boom, the two turned around together to see only a barren forest behind them—clean and empty.

Xie Gutang and Cuilu gasped for breath. Cuilu looked down at the charm in Xie Gutang’s hand: “What is this?”

“A teleportation formation.”

Xie Gutang swallowed, gripping the talisman paper with the formation drawn on it, his hands trembling slightly.

Cuilu didn’t speak. She thought for a moment and only said: “He locked both himself and the Evil God inside. The only way out is to break open a gap.”

“In this kind of place,” Xie Gutang added, “there are generally a yin side and a yang side. He opens one side from inside. We need to open the other side from outside.”

“So he told us to deliver the final sword thrust.”

Cuilu understood. Neither spoke.

Xie Gutang stared at the talisman paper, his mind full of what Luo Bufan had said to him last night.

“The barrier of the Realm of Life and Death has broken. Your master won’t last many more days. We don’t have time.”

“Why did we let you come? Because you cultivate the Wenxin Sword. For this kind of mission, there’s no one more suitable than you.”

“Gutang,” Luo Bufan reminded him, “you practice the Wenxin Sword. Wenxin Sword has no heart—you remember that, right?”

Wenxin Sword has no heart, so he wouldn’t be soft-hearted.

Therefore, he was the perfect choice to get close to Jian Xingzhi—and then destroy him.

He closed his eyes and thought of the thousand-mile glacier in the Realm of Life and Death, feeling his heart grow cold bit by bit.

He staggered to his feet and handed the talisman paper to Cuilu.

“Let’s go.” His voice was hoarse as he walked forward. “Go forward, find Qin Wanwan.”

After sending Cuilu and Xie Gutang away, Jian Xingzhi fought alone.

He and Wonderous Words Venerable both rushed straight for the Linglong Jade at the formation’s center. The thunder obstructed Wonderous Words Venerable’s speed, while Wonderous Words Venerable used vines to block him.

Just as the two were about to touch Linglong Jade, thunder struck down at Wonderous Words Venerable while vines rose from below attempting to pierce through Jian Xingzhi. Neither of them dodged or retreated. Jian Xingzhi allowed the vines to penetrate his abdomen, Wonderous Words Venerable was struck by the thunder. Both simultaneously grabbed Linglong Jade. Jian Xingzhi without hesitation used his divine sense to condense spiritual power and strike at Wonderous Words Venerable, snatched Linglong Jade, and swiftly retreated.

Wonderous Words Venerable cried out in pain and shouted angrily through gritted teeth: “Seeking death!”

With that, no longer caring about anything else, he drew his sword and chased Jian Xingzhi, slashing all the way.

Heavenly thunder struck toward him one bolt after another. But at the same time, countless black qi came from all directions, gathering around his body.

“Give me Linglong Jade!”

He shouted urgently. Jian Xingzhi didn’t engage him in combat, merely evading while exploring the flow of qi around them, condensing his divine sense on his sword.

His sea of consciousness hurt until his face turned deathly pale. He paid no attention, continuing regardless. Ordinary spiritual power simply didn’t have the ability to split open this space. This was also why he couldn’t leave either Xie Gutang or Cuilu here.

“Do you think they’ll save you?”

Wonderous Words Venerable realized what he wanted to do and laughed contemptuously.

He slashed off Jian Xingzhi’s hair tie with one sword. Jian Xingzhi’s long hair scattered. Wonderous Words Venerable’s second sword followed closely. Jian Xingzhi closed his eyes, sensing the direction of the airflow.

“They won’t. They’re just using you! Jian Xingzhi, in this world, you only have me!”

With that, Wonderous Words Venerable dodged another bolt of thunder and once again lunged at Jian Xingzhi.

In that very instant, Jian Xingzhi’s eyes flew open.

Found it!

He rushed toward the position where the airflow was calmest, raised his hand, and fiercely thrust his sword into the ground!

Dozens of light swords fell simultaneously, penetrating through his back.

Blood soaked his palm. He knelt on one knee on the ground, one hand gripping Linglong Jade, the other gripping his sword.

On the sword tip was spiritual power condensed from his divine sense, inserted into a talisman paper. The spiritual power broke through the airflow all the way, penetrating the space barrier. He spoke through gritted teeth: “Xie Gutang, deliver the final sword thrust!”

No response.

Jian Xingzhi frowned. He heard footsteps behind him.

Wonderous Words Venerable didn’t seem to be in a hurry. He walked toward him from behind unhurriedly: “Do you think you’re particularly great?”

“Xie Gutang,” Jian Xingzhi urged coldly, “Deliver the sword thrust.”

“Do you think you’re like Lin Yanzhi back then, sacrificing yourself for everyone, trapping me in his body, and others will save him?”

As he spoke, Wonderous Words Venerable walked to his side.

“Xie Gutang!” Jian Xingzhi’s hand gripping the sword trembled slightly. He lowered his head, his voice very small, very soft: “I consider both you and Cuilu friends.”

The other side had no response for a long time. He struggled desperately to keep open the passage he had created, just waiting for Xie Gutang’s final sword thrust.

Finally, he heard Cuilu’s voice.

“Sorry.”

Cuilu’s voice was very calm: “But we and you—we’re not friends.”

The moment the words fell, the aura on the other end of the teleportation formation instantly vanished.

Jian Xingzhi froze in place.

They had destroyed the teleportation formation.

Destroyed his only medium to get out.

“How pitiful,” Wonderous Words Venerable half-crouched down, raising his hand to place it on his shoulder. “You’ve been abandoned too.”

“Don’t believe it?”

Wonderous Words Venerable laughed and raised his hand with a point. A scene appeared in midair.

Jian Xingzhi heard the sound and turned his head. In the scene was Qin Wanwan riding on Nanfeng, racing wildly.

One hand clutched at her own neck, the other gripped Nanfeng. She lowered her body and raced through the forest.

She chased the heavenly thunder up Xuanshan. The higher she went, the more ice and snow there was. Until finally, ice and snow covered the entire mountaintop. She rushed to the entrance of a mountain cave.

There was clearly a restriction in front of the cave. Qin Wanwan flipped down from Nanfeng, formed the Jishan seal, and pressed it onto the restriction.

The restriction instantly disappeared, and the heavenly thunder also dispersed.

Qin Wanwan rushed madly into the cave, screaming: “Father! Mother! Where are you?!”

No response.

She rushed inside with Nanfeng, frantically pounding on the ice: “Father? Mother?”

She pounded for a long time, then stood somewhat dazed in the cave: “Where are you?”

Just then, she suddenly heard the sound of ice cracking behind her.

She whipped around to see the cracks in the ice block behind her gradually growing larger. Finally, it exploded with a boom, revealing a woman inside with closed eyes, sleeping.

The woman wore red clothing similar to Dunhuang Flying Apsara garments. One hand formed a seal before her body, the other hand held a thunder formation, raised level beside her head, as if casting a spell at someone.

She stared blankly at the frozen woman, watching her slowly open her beautiful, glamorous eyes.

“Wanwan,” a coughing male voice came from the side. Qin Wanwan turned around in a daze to see Taiheng in white clothing with a sword hanging at his waist, his face weak as he stood at the cave entrance.

The moment he saw the sword at Taiheng’s waist, Jian Xingzhi’s eyes flew wide open.

“Mas…” His lips trembled, disbelieving. “Master?”