Chen Tian and the others descended further through the passage. Chen Tian estimated their current depth to be several thousand meters underground, and yet it seemed to have no end. Chen Tian and Mu Yuan, along with others, spent an entire day navigating the passage before emerging into a massive, dilapidated city. Before the city stood a tombstone. Chen Tian approached it, and the inscription read: Tomb of Jing Yuan Ling!
Chen Tian recognized the familiar name. This was indeed her tomb. After all, she was from the精灵族 (Jing Ling Zu - Elf Race). This quest might be difficult. Chen Tian sensed the aura emanating from the tombstone, then opened his eyes and looked at it. He placed his hands on the tombstone, and it glowed brightly. When the light faded, Chen Tian had vanished from Mu Yuan and the others' sight.
"He, Mu Yuan, what just happened?"
"I'm not sure either. This guy is clearly a human class, so why can he trigger things of the Elf Race?"
"Never mind, let's go in and see what's there."
"Alright!"
The others paid no mind to Chen Tian; they couldn't control him anyway. Chen Tian was strong and didn't need their help. What puzzled them was why Chen Tian could trigger the Elf Race's mechanisms, especially since he was a human player. According to the game's design, this shouldn't be possible. It was utterly bizarre.
When Chen Tian regained his senses, he found himself in a pitch-black space. He had sensed something amiss with the tombstone earlier. The moment his palm touched it, this situation had occurred. Chen Tian was also confused about where he was. He drifted through the darkness, constantly searching for an exit. Chen Tian felt as if he were walking in circles; the surroundings felt familiar, again and again. A drop of blood flowed from Chen Tian's palm. This blood was grayish-white. After Chen Tian's stats were updated, his entire being had changed, including his blood. This blood was from the cosmic bloodline; Chen Tian was no longer like an ordinary person. As Chen Tian walked in the dark space, the grayish-white blood emitted a glow. Soon, Chen Tian walked back to where he had been, seeing the grayish-white blood. Chen Tian knew he was indeed walking in circles.
"It seems to get out of here, I'll need to use some methods."
Chen Tian sensed the surrounding space, which seemed infinitely vast with no boundaries. He couldn't keep going in circles. Who knew how much time would pass outside? Chen Tian directly opened his interface. A message popped up, surprising him slightly. He then murmured, "It seems this is your trial."
Chen Tian tapped on the screen with his finger, and soon the surrounding space lit up. The entire dark environment became bright. Chen Tian used his data manipulation ability to forcefully alter the composition and data of this space, changing it from its core. Light illuminated the entire area, revealing a massive wall before Chen Tian's eyes. Chen Tian looked at the boundless walls surrounding him, all interconnected in various arrangements.
"A maze?"
A smile crept onto Chen Tian's lips, filled with confidence. It was a maze, Chen Tian's specialty. The first game Chen Tian ever encountered was a maze game, so he was extremely familiar with them. This explained why he had been walking in circles earlier.
Darkness enveloped the maze, which Chen Tian hadn't noticed at first, but now he did. Chen Tian was confident he could escape the maze. However, he couldn't alter this maze; it was a trial, a test, and Chen Tian had no permission to interfere.
His data manipulation ability was useless here. This maze didn't belong to the game's scope but to reality. Chen Tian's data manipulation ability was sealed in the real world; he could only use it once his strength reached a certain level.
Chen Tian walked along the maze paths. The maze walls were immense. Chen Tian knew very well that the only way to escape this maze was to follow the normal method; other means were not permitted. Chen Tian left his own aura as he walked, turning left and right, continuously moving forward. The maze was vast. Chen Tian didn't know how long he had been walking and still hadn't escaped, which was rather strange. However, Chen Tian's own aura was still present. Relying on the aura he left behind, Chen Tian discovered he wasn't walking in circles. Chen Tian continued to press on, unsure of how large this maze was.
"This maze's design is too vast. It's like they intentionally don't want anyone to get out."
Chen Tian stopped, deep in thought. He had walked for nearly the range of a world and still hadn't gotten out. This was quite unreasonable! Chen Tian's mind ran through various scenarios of escaping the maze. A route map gradually became clear in his mind, and his mental calculations accelerated. After more than ten minutes, Chen Tian opened his eyes and moved his feet rapidly. The surrounding walls began to move. The faster Chen Tian moved, the faster the walls moved.
Chen Tian glanced back. As he turned his head, the walls quietly returned to their original positions. Chen Tian sensed something amiss and stared intently at the walls.
"It seems my guess was correct. The walls move with me. As for why my aura felt like it was in the same place, the opponent made me perceive the maze as unchanged, meaning I was still walking in circles."
Chen Tian instantly understood everything. Chen Tian moved, and the walls followed. Chen Tian stopped, and the walls returned to their original state. Of course, he didn't know if the situation behind the walls was the same. The entire maze gave Chen Tian an illusion of no change. The walls behind were constantly shifting, while his aura could only be left at fixed points. Chen Tian's perceived route was likely blocked by the walls, so he wasn't circling back to where his aura was, but constantly wandering within the maze.
Having figured all this out, Chen Tian looked up. What was she thinking? With such a design, let alone passing down an inheritance, one couldn't even meet the person. How could the inheritance be passed down? Chen Tian didn't dwell on it; he would understand everything once he met the person. Chen Tian once again embarked on his journey through the maze.
This time, Chen Tian walked slowly, observing the walls' movements. Chen Tian was looking for the key to breaking free from these movements.
However, to Chen Tian's disappointment, he couldn't find any patterns in their movements; their directions seemed utterly chaotic. Chen Tian fell into deep thought, and suddenly an image appeared in his mind.
"Chen Tian, look. This is the grand array I've newly researched. Don't let its simplicity fool you; it contains profound mysteries."
"I call this grand array the 'Yin Tian Da Zhen' (Hidden Heaven Grand Array). Even if the Heavenly Dao entered it, it would take some time to get out. The characteristic of the Yin Tian Zhen lies in its chaotic movement, creating any illusion based on its disordered motion, making those who enter stay inside indefinitely. Without the correct method, it's impossible to escape the Yin Tian Zhen. Moreover, the Yin Tian Zhen draws its energy from the heavens and earth. As long as this world exists, this formation will exist forever."
"I'll also tell you the correct method for this formation. If you encounter it in the future, be careful. Even as the God Lord, I can't guarantee you won't be trapped for thousands of years."
Scene after scene, image after image, surfaced in Chen Tian's mind. He snapped back to reality, and another scene appeared in his mind this time, a young man moving chess pieces on a board and explaining the method of breaking free.
"Chen Tian, the core of the Yin Tian Zhen is Heaven, Earth, and Man. In the world, Heaven, Earth, and Man are the three existences that maintain order, and it is precisely because of this that the world is colorful and diverse. Without the earth, living beings cannot move or obtain resources to survive. Without humans, the entire world would be like a barren wilderness. Without the rules and governance of the Heavenly Dao, the world would fall into chaos. To break this formation, the person entering it must forcefully shatter the positions of Heaven and Earth, and then shatter themselves."
"Only when the three positions of Heaven, Earth, and Man are shattered is there a possibility of escape. Of course, this is only the first step."
"Really, even after death, you're not settling down. You still managed to devise such a formation."
Chen Tian smiled with relief. How many of his friends from his past life still existed?
Chen Tian followed the description in his memory and soon found the locations he needed. To the front and back of Chen Tian's position were two immovable walls. Chen Tian swung his fists, and with a rumble! The walls shook slightly. Chen Tian was horrified. He had used his full strength with that punch. What material was this? So hard.
Even with 2% of his divine power, nothing from the Divine Spirit Realm could withstand Chen Tian's strength. This indicated that the material used to forge the walls was extraordinary, at least not from the Divine Spirit Realm.
Combined with that person's personality and origin, Chen Tian calmed down. His double fists had left only two fist imprints on the wall. Chen Tian's full-strength attack had only created a fist imprint a few meters deep. Chen Tian felt a headache coming on.
According to what he said, to break the Yin Tian Zhen, he needed to simultaneously shatter two immovable walls. He had to act together. Chen Tian estimated he could destroy a wall with a single punch, but that wouldn't work. He had to shatter both walls simultaneously, otherwise, the entire maze would change instantly, making it difficult for Chen Tian to find the walls again.
Heaven and Earth formed the world, and naturally, it could change its position. Chen Tian was currently moving within a world. To leave this world, he only needed to shatter these two walls simultaneously.
"What should I do?"
Chen Tian knew his own strength clearly. He could use both fists at once without any problem.
"Foolish host!"
The system's voice rang out, and Chen Tian's expression turned grim. This was the first time the system had called him foolish. Chen Tian retorted, "Where am I foolish?"
"Foolish host, don't you still have this system? Did you forget about me?"
"Ah! But what can the system do to help me?"
"Hmph, you foolish host, my abilities are beyond your imagination. Now, I will upgrade your strength to 4%. The remaining 2% of energy will be used to create a clone. You and the clone can attack simultaneously."
"System, you have this function too!"
Chen Tian exclaimed in surprise. He never knew the system had the ability to create clones.
"Host, don't be surprised. There's nothing this system can't do. However, after this, creating a clone next time will require you to travel to the myriad realms."
"Alright, hurry up."
Chen Tian understood the system's urgency. His strength shouldn't remain in this plane; greater planes awaited him. However, this was Chen Tian's hometown. Chen Tian wanted to resolve everything before heading to the myriad realms.
As for how to travel to the myriad realms, Chen Tian had no idea. The system had told him that someone would take him there when the time came.
Chen Tian didn't care at the time, thinking that someone would guide him. He would deal with his hometown first.
A figure identical to Chen Tian suddenly appeared beside him, with the same aura and presence. Chen Tian's strength and origin were perfectly matched; they were both Chen Tian.
Chen Tian looked at his clone and nodded. He swung his fists, one to each side. With two booming sounds, the walls exploded. Chen Tian's clone turned into light and merged into Chen Tian's body.
Chen Tian placed his hand on the ground beneath him. According to what he had been told, he now only needed to destroy the wall beneath his feet, and the first step would be complete.
Chen Tian slammed his palms down with full force. The ground cracked, and the fissures expanded, filling the entire maze. The walls collapsed.
Chen Tian stood in place. The entire maze had turned into a plain. Chen Tian walked on the plain, and the shattered wall fragments rearranged themselves to form a triangular pagoda.
"Chen Tian, remember, the second form of the Yin Tian Zhen is its true body. You need to enter it and reach the peak. That is the core of the formation. Destroy the formation core."
"Of course, the situation inside is even more perilous than the first step. Once you enter the Yin Tian Pagoda, it will activate its defenses. The method used in the first step will be ineffective. To escape the pagoda, you will need your own strength and confidence."
"Remember, do not touch the walls inside the pagoda, or you will trigger the guards."
Chen Tian recalled these words and was speechless, not knowing what to say. He was indeed someone who loved research.
He had researched such a complex thing. But how did this Yin Tian Zhen appear here? Wasn't this her grave?
Chen Tian was very curious. Two people who couldn't have cooperated in their previous lives, how did they place the Yin Tian Zhen in the same tomb?