Northwest corner
Ruan Qingyu withdrew her hand, stepped forward, and precisely pulled out the jade slip from the ashes.
The jade slip was inscribed with thirty points; this was the second jade slip with such a high score. It seemed the Gold-Eating Rat King was indeed valuable, and Ruan Qingyu felt a little better.
As she reached into the ashes and pulled the jade slip out, Jin Chengcheng frowned at first, then looked surprised.
"You're really lucky. When I came here, all I saw was a jade slip with points on it." She remembered glancing at it and seeing only fifteen points. She was suddenly relieved that the person from the Jade Gate hadn't actually stayed.
But once she gets back, she'll definitely find a way to get rid of that person.
Jin Chengcheng took a deep breath for a moment, then turned to look at Ruan Qingyu: "Where do we go next?"
Ruan Qingyu remained silent, only taking out the magic artifact for finding people and activating it. The black disc quickly rotated and pointed to the northwest direction.
"I found you using this just now, and now I can use it to find others." Smiling, Ruan Qingyu put the magical artifact away and pointed to the northwest.
The two then hurried northwest. However, unlike Ruan Qingyu who found her in a short time, they traveled for three hours without seeing anyone in the northwest.
The good news is that while Ruan Qingyu's luck was inconsistent when she was alone, it steadily increased after she joined forces with Jin Chengcheng, resulting in a considerable amount of jade slips being earned.
As they watched their names and Jin Chengcheng's names rapidly advance on the screen, both of them were very satisfied.
Another hour passed, and the two finally stopped at a conspicuous entrance to a maze. They looked at each other and both had their answer.
"No wonder I couldn't see anyone. There's a maze here." Jin Chengcheng frowned, her tone full of disdain.
Ruan Qingyu's ears twitched, and she asked with some surprise, "What, who is the maze related to?"
Upon being asked this, Jin Chengcheng, who had been complaining, immediately shut up. Then, remembering that she had known the person beside her for a long time, she awkwardly replied, "Who else could it be? That idiot Yangming. He's already reached the Golden Core stage, but he still gets lost just like he did when he was a mortal."
Upon hearing Yangming's name, Ruan Qingyu understood: "However, since the elders were able to put this maze here, it is obviously not an ordinary maze."
Moreover, although Yangming appeared somewhat simple-minded due to his robust physique, he was not the kind of tall, brainless person.
Hearing her say that, Jin Chengcheng was speechless. She rubbed her wrist and strode inside: "Let's go, maybe there are more points inside."
Ruan Qingyu followed closely behind, and after the two entered, the outermost wall of the maze quietly began to rotate, clearly indicating that this was a maze that could change itself.
The magical artifact in her hand dimmed, and Ruan Qingyu put it away, clearly indicating that she had found someone. However, there was only a wall in front of her, and turning the corner only led to the next passage.
Just as the two were wondering what was going on, a voice came from not far away: "Chengcheng? Is that you?"
The two exchanged a glance, and Jin Chengcheng quickly leaped upwards, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier just as she was about to cross the maze wall.
"It's me, Yangming, where are you?" Jin Chengcheng had no choice but to shout back, glaring hatefully at the sky above her head.
Yangming's voice grew louder again, and he even got closer.
"Chengcheng!"
Ruan Qingyu and Jin Chengcheng turned around and saw Yang Ming at the next corner. He seemed to be in better spirits than the two of them.
After the three reunited, Yangming was initially angry upon hearing about Jin Chengcheng and Ruan Qingyu's ordeal, and then he became furious.
"What's that guy from the Jade Gate's name? I'll go with you to visit him when we get back." Yang Ming, who usually seemed very honest and even a bit dull, looked unusually serious at this moment.
Seeing his expression, Jin Chengcheng didn't seem to care: "The Jade Stone Sect isn't a big sect anyway, I'll just ask an elder for help."
Jin Chengcheng always had her own ideas about her own affairs, but Ruan Qingyu accurately saw the dark light in Yangming's eyes, clearly indicating that the guy from the Jade Gate was not going to make a comeback.
Ignoring the undercurrents between the two, Ruan Qingyu asked, "So that's why you came in?"
Upon hearing Ruan Qingyu mention the maze, Yang Ming nodded: "I used a magical artifact, saying that I could find you in this direction, so I came here."
Suddenly, all three fell silent.
"It seems there are other people inside." Ruan Qingyu turned her head and looked into the depths of the maze. Flying was not allowed here; one could only enter on foot.
It was obvious that the elders were deliberately making the disciples rely on their brains? With this thought in mind, Ruan Qingyu and the other two walked towards the passage ahead again.
The reason the three were so obedient was not that they hadn't considered turning back, but when they turned around, they saw a completely different path than before.
"This maze is like it's alive." Yangming looked at the surrounding walls, which were still static at the moment, but once they left the wall, it would definitely start to change.
Jin Chengcheng frowned: "If only my senior sister were here, she used to love exploring mazes." Thinking of Liu Yan, whom she hadn't seen for a long time, she sighed.
Ruan Qingyu gave up on making markers and focused on moving forward. However, she remained vigilant, not believing that simply walking out of the maze meant success.
The three had different expressions. Yangming stood at the front, subtly shielding the other two behind him. Jin Chengcheng's long whip constantly flashed with golden light, capable of being used instantly in case of an emergency.
Ruan Qingyu, on the other hand, always had a golden-red flame burning in her eyes, which added a touch of warmth to her indifferent expression.
After a long silence, Wutong quietly spoke up: "Miss Ruan, the zither music has returned. There are indeed no demonic beasts or other traps in this place."
Hearing what Wutong said clearly, Ruan Qingyu was somewhat surprised. Was it really just about escaping the maze to win? Thinking this, Ruan Qingyu quickened her pace.
This drew sidelong glances from Yangming and Jin Chengcheng, who couldn't help but walk even faster.
Soon, the three of them suddenly smelled a strong stench of blood. Ruan Qingyu's expression turned cold, and at the next bend, she covered herself with a layer of spiritual energy.
As she rounded the corner, she immediately saw a motionless figure lying in the center. The person was lying on their side, their head turned to the side, the bloodstains on the muddy ground deepening the stain.
"Liu Feng?" Yang Ming, standing behind her, was stunned and called out the name that everyone was very familiar with.
Sensing the other's weakened aura, Ruan Qingyu took out a healing pill and quickly put it into Liu Feng's mouth. She then gently channeled her spiritual energy into the wound on his abdomen, quickly stopping the bleeding.
She reached out and checked Liu Feng's neck, confirming that his pulse was still there, before letting out a sigh of relief. Her subsequent actions were much rougher; cultivators are generally strong and robust, and after confirming the injuries weren't serious, she simply shoved the entire contents into his mouth at once.
Jin Chengcheng and Yang Ming stood guard to prevent any accidents from happening in the maze. Half an hour later, just as the group was considering whether to carry Liu Feng along, the person on the ground slowly woke up.
Liu Feng coughed violently and slowly opened his eyes. He first saw the azure sky, then turned his eyes to look at the figure beside him.
Upon seeing Ruan Qingyu, he grinned, "I didn't expect you to save me." He had thought that Ruan Qingyu might be indifferent to his injury, given his past harsh words.
After coughing a few more times, Liu Feng finally noticed Jin Chengcheng and Yang Ming on the other side: "Where's my sister?"
Yangming, who was seen, shook his head: "We just met in the maze, we didn't see Senior Sister Liu."
Liu Feng was somewhat distracted, and after a long while he murmured, "It really is a maze. No wonder I wandered around for so long without getting out."
Jin Chengcheng squatted down curiously: "Tell me, how did you get so badly injured?"
She paused for a moment and then said, "It's a good thing my senior sister isn't here, otherwise she would have felt sorry for you seeing you like this."
When asked about himself, Liu Feng coughed again. Ruan Qingyu, unable to bear it any longer, stuffed another pill into his mouth.
Along with the pill, a warm spiritual energy entered Liu Feng's body, perfectly relieving his internal injuries.
Sensing the changes within his body, Liu Feng's expression softened for a moment as he gazed intently at Ruan Qingyu. He then recounted everything that had happened to him, leaving the expressions of those present somewhat complicated.
This was because Liu Feng was the most unlucky one. Although he was the first to find the points jade slip after entering, he soon encountered cultivators from other sects, who happened to have found teammates as soon as they entered.
Not knowing what the jade slip looked like, and being competitors, they naturally chose to fight Liu Feng.
As for Liu Feng, he is undoubtedly a talented genius, and once the jade slip is in his hands, he will not hand it over.
Despite being outnumbered three to one, he fought and retreated, and upon seeing the maze, he entered without hesitation. However, his injuries were too severe, and he fainted after reaching the innermost part of the maze and not seeing any pursuers.
"You've gone to such lengths to get ten points? Are you out of your mind?" Jin Chengcheng glared at him. The group was as close as siblings, and she couldn't stand seeing him act foolishly.
His reputation is already bad, and he's still so stubborn at the competition. Jin Chengcheng can foresee that this person will get a scolding when they find Senior Sister Liu Yan.
These people really knew each other well. Liu Feng smiled, his face was pale, but his eyes were very bright: "I'm begging you, don't tell my sister about this."
His gaze fell on Yang Ming and Jin Chengcheng, who immediately turned their heads away. He smiled and then looked at Ruan Qingyu.
Seeing this, Ruan Qingyu said calmly, "It's none of our business if you don't recover well on your own."
Sensing that his strength had been largely restored, Liu Feng suddenly sat up. He sat cross-legged, slowly closed his eyes, and focused on circulating his internal energy.
Seeing this, the three knew he was healing himself, so they didn't say anything and remained on guard.
Half an hour later, Liu Feng's face regained some color, and his previously pale lips became rosy. He slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze showed a renewed strength.
"Let's go." Seeing his expression, Ruan Qingyu turned around and took the lead into the maze.
The remaining three exchanged glances and then followed behind her. As they moved, Liu Feng glanced at the light screen that was still visible even inside the maze.
Seeing that Ruan Qingyu's name was still on the leaderboard, he couldn't help but laugh: "It seems you took quite a few jade slips on your way here."
"Nonsense, we're participating in this sect competition precisely to get a ranking!" Jin Chengcheng rolled her eyes at Liu Feng. She hadn't dared to say anything to him earlier because he looked so miserable, but now that he was all better, she naturally reverted to her previous attitude.
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