Ye Zi did not respond to Wang Ya, and there was not a single sound.
Wang Ya understood that Ye Zi would not help her; everything had to rely on her alone. Although this Labyrinth was perilous and turned into a death trap once triggered, it was not necessarily a certain death sentence for those with exceptional skills. Moreover, the pursuers were no fools; they would surely send advance teams to scout safe routes before the main force followed. Even if everyone who entered the Labyrinth died, the location of the Underground Palace had been exposed, and people would keep pouring in endlessly. They could chip away at it bit by bit until the Labyrinth was leveled. The idea of trapping all the followers behind with just one Labyrinth was a pipe dream!
She had led them here, so she had to trap them all here and cut off their path forward. Otherwise, with the relentless assaults from the Imperial Court and the Righteous and Evil Paths, the Feng Family’s territory would eventually fall into their hands.
Her previous plan had been to enlist Ye Zi’s help, using Ye Zi’s knowledge of the Labyrinth to eliminate them one by one inside it—killing however many came. But with Ye Zi refusing to act, she alone could not handle so many experts. The only way was to turn this place into a true deathtrap.
The rumbling from within the mountain grew louder, with debris constantly falling, and the booming sounds incessant. Even the noises of explosives rang out.
Old Tang saw that Wang Ya had no intention of leaving and was staring blankly at the sheer cliff face, lost in thought. He called out, “Wang Ya,” and reminded her, “We need to go. At this rate, the Labyrinth won’t hold them off for long.”
Zhang Qingshui steadied her mind, snapping out of her shock from seeing Ye Zi’s True Body. She said, “Wang Ya, if the Leaf Demon helped you, you might still have the strength to fight the main force behind us. But with just us few, it’s like throwing eggs at rocks. Let’s go.”
Wang Ya instructed Wang Cheng’an, “Dad, climb up along these roots. No matter what happens, don’t look back or worry about me.”
Wang Cheng’an asked in confusion, “Yaya, why?”
Wang Ya said, “Don’t ask. Just do as I say, and you’ll find Grandma.”
Upon hearing that he could find his mother, Wang Cheng’an immediately replied, “Oh, okay! I’m off then!” He climbed up the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower roots like a nimble monkey.
Wang Ya then took out a climbing rope, secured it firmly to the Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower roots, attached a descender, and slid downward.
Zhang Qingshui quickly instructed, “Old Tang, take Little Qi and follow Wang Cheng’an.”
Old Tang frowned and hesitated briefly before saying, “Little Qi, go with Wang Cheng’an.” Seeing Huang Qi unmoving, he urged, “Hurry! Wang Ya is going to intercept the pursuers in the Labyrinth. We’ll help and meet up with you later. She won’t abandon Wang Cheng’an.”
Huang Qi considered Old Tang’s words and found them reasonable, so she followed Wang Cheng’an upward.
All three knew that only the route Wang Cheng’an took was the truly safe path. From how he had led them out of the Labyrinth earlier, it was clear he was very familiar with the Labyrinth and this place. As for Wang Ya, she might lead everyone into danger, even a deathtrap.
Old Tang and Zhang Qingshui used descenders to follow behind Wang Ya, sliding down.
The beam of the Strong Flashlight was swallowed by the black mist, with visibility less than two meters. The Yin Qi here was extremely heavy, creating a suffocating sense of claustrophobia. The mountain shook even more violently, with booming, explosions, and the rumbling of heavy objects nonstop. Stones “swish-swish” rolled down constantly; a moment’s inattention could mean being crushed by falling rocks.
This root stretched endlessly downward, as if leading straight to the Youming Underworld.
Old Tang shouted loudly, “Wang Ya, where are we headed?”
Wang Ya yelled back, “The Altar!” As she spoke, her figure paused, fixed in midair, as she gazed at an arched stone door on the opposite mountainside.
This door was almost identical to the one they had entered via the Deep Pool and the cave: an arched gate with a platform of equal width outside, no carvings or decorations, only the characters “Youming” inscribed in seal script above the lintel.
Upon seeing these two characters “Youming,” Wang Ya broke into a brilliant smile. This was the Youming Valley of “Yellow Springs above, Youming below.” She secured her descender, Forming Seals with both hands, and gently pushed out a Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Seal Formula brimming with powerful Demonic Power!
The fiery red Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Seal Formula floated from her palm and struck the door. A ring of crimson light rippled out, and a vivid Other Shore Flower Mark bloomed on the door. The tightly shut gates slowly rose amid rumbling sounds. The Yellow Springs Other Shore Flower Seal Formula then hovered clearly at the entrance.
