Yuan Yuan looked at the young man beside him.
Li Chen nodded solemnly, his silver pupils widening as he began to survey their surroundings.
Yuan Yuan had not finished speaking.
Gu Shen gently raised two fingers.
The tiny sparks that had been hidden in the distant wind and snow suddenly lit up as if they were embers rekindled to life.
The device tasked with detecting Extraordinary Essence, along with the two reliable Spiritual Extraordinary team members, ensured the safety of the upcoming "maze mission" exploration.
The entire team entered the long and gloomy canyon entrance, bit by bit.
"Formation change—Formation Three!"
The twelve-member team slowly formed a single-file line.
The entrance to Snow Mountain Canyon appeared narrow from afar, but it was deceptively broad. Its "slenderness" was seen in contrast to the two thick mountain rocks. Upon entering the "maze," darkness enveloped them, and the entrance was wide enough for the twelve-person team to pass through shoulder to shoulder... but the deceptive perspective was precisely what was dangerous.
"Captain, I sense a very strong essence."
Li Chen’s expression was grave.
"The entrance to the maze is hiding a Black Hole; we must maintain our formation at all costs. Only the central path is passable... The areas enveloped by darkness are subject to ’law collapse,’ an unsolvable phenomenon. If we overstep, we may very well be swallowed whole, bones and all."
Yuan Yuan warned in a low voice.
The Investigation Corps and Gu Castle Fortress had spent nearly a decade gathering precise intelligence on the "maze," establishing numerous patterns, and the current entrance was one such "pattern point."
Everyone’s expression was serious as they cautiously followed the captain.
Gu Shen’s expression remained unchanged.
His dispatched "Chi Huo" returned with specific sensations...
He looked up at the entrance to the canyon on the snowy mountain.
Right where Gu Shen’s gaze landed, hiding within the infinite darkness was a massive Black Hole. This path was not as difficult as the Investigation Corps’ intelligence had suggested, as long as one could capture the outline of the Black Hole’s essence.
There were other areas outside the central line that were navigable.
Gu Shen said nothing, quietly following the team, taking the third position in the front.
Chi Huo sparks drifted slowly through the air. The phenomenon of order collapse in the "Old World" was nothing like the Disaster Realms and miraculous sites within the Five Continents. That vast Black Hole perched on the rock had grown for countless years, deeply rooted.
Even the usually voracious "Chi Huo" felt no appetite for it.
Gu Shen could sense Chi Huo’s aversion to this essence... It seemed his Chi Huo compared the "ancient essence" of this region with that inside the Five Continents.
The essence here tasted too foul.
Indeed, in an environment like the "Old World," these Black Holes could grow wildly without restraint, connecting shattered rules piece by piece. His "Chi Huo" didn’t know how long it would take to gnaw away just the edges, let alone reach the "core" – it was simply wishful thinking.
The "Old World" truly was a desolate wasteland.
Even though he could devour "essence," he could glean no advantage from such soil.
After entering Snow Mountain Canyon, the path was not complex; it was a straightforward line.
Before long, the darkness receded, and the "Black Hole," hidden who knows where, was gradually left behind by the team. Gu Shen looked back with a complex expression one last time at the enormous Black Hole.
"Brother Gu, do you feel unsettled?" Li Chen noticed this and asked with a smile.
Gu Shen smiled, "Yeah... it’s my first time seeing such a scene."
He didn’t dare say that his backward glance was one of regret and disappointment.
It truly was a pity... If the disordered laws coiling around that Black Hole ceased to exist, his "Chi Huo" would definitely have had a feast!
"The ’Black Hole’ in this maze is indeed considered ’a big one’."
Yuan Yuan spoke up; his hands resting on his swords, he was ready to enter a combat state at any moment. A subtle Sword Energy swirled around him as he spoke softly, "I’ve followed Captain Zhong Yuan on over a hundred missions, through countless Disaster Realms and Black Holes. I’ve seen a lot... Few missions can compare to this maze, which harbors such an intricate array of ’pattern points.’ Aside from their number, these ’pattern points’ almost all have been rated as ’highly dangerous.’
"...Highly dangerous?"
Gu Shen furrowed his brows.
"’Black spots’ and ’Black Holes’ also have levels. Like the one at the entrance just now, with not just a single layer of rules entwined around it. It’s considered ’highly dangerous’ since ordinary Angels Envoys can’t purify it," Yuan Yuan explained calmly. "It’s like the rating of Extraordinary Abilities; the rating of this kind of Black Hole is roughly equivalent to ’A Grade.’ Even if Lord Aluel came here with the token, he could only choose to avoid it, out of respect for its laws."
"Equivalent to A Grade..."
Gu Shen muttered to himself internally.
No wonder his "Chi Huo" was not interested in it.
The reason was the excessively high danger level—
Chi Huo didn’t want to, nor could it, consume it.
"By the way, ’Moon City Fortress’ is equivalent to an ’S Grade’ collapse point," Yuan Yuan said significantly. "The Empress’s decision to let it grow was not really a wise one... If it had been ’eliminated’ at first opportunity, Moon City would not have become what it is today."