Chapter 1135: A pleasant surprise in a sudden discovery (2/2)

“If it was me, I’d stay inside too!” Gu Qishao remarked.

Truthfully speaking, Bai Yanqing was more familiar with the maze and its share of secret switches. He would gain an advantage here.

“Just what did they use this maze for? What was the deal with that sea of fire?” Han Yunxi was curious. Monarch’s Peak had no such thing in its underground palace!

This reminded Long Feiye, who muttered, “Bai Yanqing’s very familiar with the switches here. How did he learn about them?”

The hive maze had a regularity to it, but the hidden switches within the maze were scattered haphazardly, As long as they didn’t overlap, it was perfectly possible to put them wherever one wanted. Yet Bai Yanqing knew about their locations and even pinpointed the locations of the amplifying rocks. Had he found them himself, or did someone tell him about it?

“He should have had a blueprint,” Gu Beiyue declared.

“Then it’s probably with him. We’ll still need to figure out a way to track him down,” Han Yunxi said helplessly.

Bai Yanqing was probably keeping a healthy distance from their group. Han Yunxi had tried for a long time but failed to sense Lil Thing’s existence.

Gu Qishao said, “How about this? Let’s start searching from this entrance and destroy every pathway and stone room that doesn’t have him! I refuse to believe we can’t force him out!”

What a...headstrong method!

Long Feiye rolled his eyes while Han Yunxi and Gu Beiyue resisted the urge to do the same. It was impossible to casually destroy things as they pleased. Suppose it triggered an unknown switch that screwed them over instead? Wouldn’t they end up as a joke to Bai Yanqing?

After some hesitation, Gu Beiyue proposed, “Your Highness, princess, this location is still dangerous and you’ve delayed your dual cultivation. Suppose we’re trapped inside the maze? Our efforts will all be in vain. Why don’t we…”

Gu Beiyue trailed off, but Long Feiye and Han Yunxi understood his meaning. Bai Yanqing wasn’t going anywhere, but hidden inside the maze to wait for them. Although they’d saved the hostages and had no more qualms against him, Bai Yanqing still held the advantage. He was very familiar with the inner workings of the maze, so if their group was trapped inside and missed the dual cultivation deadline, it’d be too late to regret anything. Rather than search for him, it would be more prudent to guard the exits until the two completed their cultivation. They weren’t worried even if this took a year and a half or more!

“Moreover, the princess’s delivery date is around the same time as the dual cultivation deadline. If this drags on, the princess might not be able to bear the Moye sword spirit,” Gu Beiyue added.

Dual cultivation took time. Long Feiye was the main cultivator while Han Yunxi was his support. It didn’t take her much effort, but subduing the Moye sword spirit and housing it in a brand new sword would take lots of work. Han Yunxi realized she had to consider the problem seriously.

Gu Qisaho was rather relaxed in comparison. He chuckled and said, “Then you three guard the exit while I deal with him myself!”

When it came to smarts, Gu Qishao was truly intelligent; when it came to stupidity, he was less dumb and more forgetful. Long Feiye and the rest didn’t even bother to roll their eyes this time, choosing to ignore him outright. This guy had definitely forgotten how he was trapped underneath the room of blades a while back. If they hadn’t discovered the room in time, he’d be spending the rest of his undying days in that dark and cold hole.

“Let’s get out of here first. Dual cultivation is more important,” Long Feiye decided.

Han Yunxi didn’t object. She gave one last glance at the dim tunnels before following Long Feiye outside. Gu Qishao was neither happy nor willing to agree, but leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. The bamboo crate made this position rather uncomfortable, so he shifted on his feet. Unexpectedly, his bamboo basket made a strange noise as it scraped against the wall.

Han Yunxi and the rest immediately looked back as Gu Qishao grew startled. This wasn’t the sound of bamboo, but…

“It’s a switch!” Gu Beiyue strode over to touch the wall. It didn’t feel particularly different, but he noticed something odd when he rapped against its surface.

“This isn’t made out of stone!” Gu Beiyue exclaimed.

Long Feiye knocked against the walls a few times before pressing against it gently. He discovered that the wall was similar to the wordless stele they’d encountered in the past--with an outer covering that resembled rock. Soon enough, he pried the “stone” wall away, revealing a round Xuan gold door.

“This doesn’t look like any kind of switch?” Gu Qishao muttered doubtfully.

“Right, it’s not a switch, but it does look like...some sort of secret alcove to hide away objects,” Gu Beiyue said.

Long Feiye searched for awhile but didn’t find any switch to move the Xuan gold door. He glanced at Han Yunxi as Gu Beiyue spoke up. “Princess, we’ll have to trouble you to try.”

Back at the Skypit, it was Han Yunxi’s blood that activated the Xuan gold door. Perhaps the same principle applied to this small patch of wall. Han Yunxi immediately bit her finger and smeared fresh blood against the surface. The liquid was quickly absorbed into the Xuan gold and disappeared.

“It took it in!” Gu Qishao rejoiced.

Han Yunxi waited anxiously. As expected, the round Xuan gold door began to rotate slowly. However, instead of opening up a door, it simply began to change form, creating bumps and recesses on its surface. Han Yunxi’s group circle around the object in stunned shock. Gradually, the sight before their eyes astounded the group, because the various bumps and shapes began to take shape.

This was a 3-D model of the maze!