"It looks like we need to choose a direction," Silvermoon analyzed. "But how do we know which path is the correct one?"
"Perhaps there is no correct path," Rowan said thoughtfully. "Each path may lead to a different trial or treasure. The Storm King may have designed this place specifically to force explorers to make their own choices."
As the two discussed their options, the teleportation platform behind them suddenly lit up again.
Someone else was being teleported here.
"Careful." Rowan immediately became alert. "It could be someone from another team."
Soon, three figures emerged from the light.
To everyone's surprise, all three were familiar faces.
Amy, Thomas, and another member of the Wings of Freedom Exploration Group named Martin.
"Rowan?" Amy stared at him in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"I have no idea." Rowan deliberately put on a confused expression. "The teleportation process was too chaotic. I don't remember anything."
"And who is she?" Thomas noticed Silvermoon and immediately recognized her. "I saw her before in the Treasure Hunters' Alliance."
"My name is Silvermoon," Silvermoon introduced herself calmly. "During the teleportation process, we happened to be sent to the same place."
Amy studied Silvermoon carefully.
"I remember you. You're a scout from the Treasure Hunters' Alliance. But I'm curious. With the teleportation process being that chaotic, how did the two of you happen to end up together?"
The question made both Rowan and Silvermoon tense slightly.
They needed to come up with a reasonable explanation.
Otherwise, their identities might be exposed.
"It's strange, now that I think about it." Rowan quickly fabricated a story. "When the teleportation began, I felt someone pulling on me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Miss Silvermoon. We may have accidentally grabbed onto each other in the chaos."
"Yes." Silvermoon immediately played along. "Everything was so chaotic at the time that I don't even know how I grabbed him. Perhaps it was simply instinct. The instinct to survive."
Amy still had some doubts, but the current situation did not allow her to investigate the matter further.
More importantly, they needed to figure out where they were and how to reunite with the other members of their teams.
"There are five of us now," Thomas said. "That should be safer than moving alone."
"I agree." Martin nodded. "In an unknown environment like this, having more people is definitely safer."
Silvermoon, however, hesitated slightly.
She was worried that traveling with members of the Wings of Freedom Exploration Group would restrict her and Rowan's freedom of movement.
After all, their true mission was to mediate the conflict between the two great empires, not simply search for treasure.
"Miss Silvermoon, if you don't mind, you can travel with us," Amy invited her. "Having another companion is always a good thing in a place like this."
"Of course. I'd be happy to."
Silvermoon reluctantly agreed.
She knew that refusing the invitation would only make her look suspicious.
Thus, the temporary five-person team began exploring the underground labyrinth.
They chose a passage marked with the symbol of the storm, hoping that it would lead them toward an important area connected to the Storm King.
The passage was much longer than they had expected.
It took them nearly half an hour to reach the next room.
This space was relatively small, but its decorations were far more exquisite.
At the center of the room stood a massive crystal sphere.
Something appeared to be moving inside it.
"What is this?" Martin asked curiously as he approached the crystal sphere.
"Careful." Rowan immediately warned him. "Don't touch unknown objects recklessly."
However, the moment Martin approached the crystal sphere, an alarm suddenly rang throughout the room.
The runes on the walls began flashing with red light.
The floor also began to tremble slightly.
"Damn it. What mechanism did we trigger?" Amy said nervously.
Very soon, all four walls of the room began moving slowly.
The space gradually started to shrink.
If they failed to find a solution quickly, they would be crushed into meat paste.
"This is a compression trap," Thomas analyzed. "We need to find a way to shut down the mechanism."
The five immediately began searching for a solution.
Rowan used his mental energy to carefully scan every corner of the room, searching for hidden mechanisms.
Silvermoon focused on studying the runes on the walls, hoping to find a way to deactivate the trap.
"Wait."
Silvermoon suddenly noticed something.
"These runes seem to form some kind of code. Their arrangement follows a pattern."
"What pattern?" Amy asked urgently.
"If I'm not mistaken, these are basic rune formations based on the Laws of Storms," Silvermoon explained. "We need to activate them in the correct order."
"Are you sure?" Thomas questioned.
"If you make a mistake, we could die even faster."
The walls continued closing in.
They had very little time left.
Silvermoon took a deep breath and began activating the runes according to her understanding.
The first.
The second.
The third.
When she activated the fifth rune, the trembling of the room suddenly stopped.
The walls stopped moving as well.
The trap had been successfully deactivated.
"Thank goodness." Martin let out a long breath of relief. "You saved all of us."
"Miss Silvermoon, your knowledge is truly impressive," Amy said with admiration. "You have such a deep understanding of ancient runes."
Silvermoon smiled modestly.
Inside, however, she was slightly nervous.
The level of knowledge she had just displayed might have exceeded what an ordinary scout should possess.
She could only hope it would not arouse too much suspicion.
After the trap was successfully deactivated, the crystal sphere in the center of the room began to change.
The flowing substance inside gradually became clearer.
In the end, it formed the shape of a map.
"What kind of map is this?" Thomas moved closer to examine it.
"It looks like a layout of this underground region," Rowan analyzed. "It may be a guide left behind by the Storm King for those who came after him."
Indeed, the map inside the crystal sphere clearly marked the locations of the various passages and rooms.
It even indicated the functions of several special areas.
The most eye-catching location was a massive room marked at the center of the map.
The words written above it were:
Inheritance Chamber.
"The Inheritance Chamber?" Amy said excitedly. "That must be where the Storm King left behind his inheritance."
"If that's true, then we've really struck gold this time!" Martin was equally excited.
Rowan, however, noticed that the map also marked numerous dangerous areas.
Among them were locations labeled Trial Hall and Guardian's Hall.
Clearly, the road to the Inheritance Chamber would not be easy.
"We need to be careful," Rowan warned. "According to the map, we have to pass through many dangerous areas to reach the Inheritance Chamber."
"Risk and reward always go hand in hand," Thomas said. "Since we've already come this far, we can't miss this opportunity."
Following the directions provided by the crystal sphere, the five-person team chose the route leading toward the Inheritance Chamber.
They continued deeper into the underground labyrinth.
The passages gradually became wider.
The runes carved into the walls also became increasingly complex and exquisite.
A faint energy fluctuation permeated the air, causing everyone to feel an inexplicable pressure.
"The energy concentration here is much higher than before," Silvermoon observed as she walked. "It feels as if we're approaching some kind of important energy source."
"It may be because we're getting closer to the Inheritance Chamber," Amy analyzed. "Inheritances left behind by powerful experts usually emit powerful energy fluctuations."
Thomas nodded.
"And this energy feels very unusual. It carries both majesty and mystery. It really does feel like the traces left behind by a King-level Immortal."
Rowan maintained a calm expression on the surface.
Deep inside, however, he felt somewhat uneasy.
With his strength and perception, he could sense something dangerous hidden within the energy fluctuations.
The feeling was difficult to describe.
It was like a beast catching the scent of blood.
His instincts were telling him that danger was nearby.
"Everyone, be a little more careful," Rowan warned. "I have a feeling that something isn't right here."
"What isn't right?" Martin asked curiously. "Everything feels normal to me."
"I can't really explain it. It's just a feeling."
Rowan was unable to put his instincts into words.
"Either way, staying alert is never a bad thing."
After walking for another ten minutes, the passage suddenly opened up.
The group entered a massive circular hall.
The scale of the hall was greater than any space they had seen before.
Its diameter was at least two hundred meters, while its height reached an astonishing eighty meters.
But what shocked everyone was not the size of the hall.
It was the intense battle taking place at its center.
Two groups were engaged in a savage fight.
Every person's eyes flashed with a crazed red light.
Their attacks were completely chaotic.
They did not look like experienced warriors at all.
They looked more like beasts that had lost their minds.
Law attacks flew wildly through the air.
Blood splattered across the ground.
The entire scene was horrifying.
"Are those the Blazing Flame Battle Group and the Tide Exploration Team?" Amy exclaimed in shock as she recognized the warriors.
Indeed.
The two groups fighting in the center of the hall were none other than the Blazing Flame Battle Group and the Tide Exploration Team.
They had previously argued over the distribution of the spoils within the alliance.
But their current condition was clearly abnormal.
Every person's expression was twisted with madness.
Their attacks were completely merciless.
They fought as if the people on the opposite side were their sworn enemies.
"Captain Brad! Captain Morris!"
Thomas shouted loudly, trying to get their attention.
"What are you doing?"
But the warriors in the middle of the battle did not respond.
They seemed completely unable to hear the outside world.
They were entirely immersed in their frenzied slaughter.
"Something is seriously wrong with them," Silvermoon said as she carefully observed the fighters. "Their eyes, their movements, even their methods of attack. None of them look like rational human beings."
"Could it be because of their previous argument?" Martin guessed. "Maybe they really decided to fight each other."
"Impossible."
Rowan shook his head.
"Even if they decided to duel, they wouldn't fight like this. And look at their eyes. There isn't a trace of reason left in them."
Indeed.
The eyes of those warriors contained nothing but murderous madness.
There was no trace of rationality.
Their attacks also completely disregarded the consequences.
Many of them were fighting with the mindset of exchanging their lives for their opponent's.
This was nothing like a normal battle.
"We have to stop them," Amy decided. "We can't let them continue killing each other."
"Wait."
Rowan tried to stop her.
"The situation is still unclear. Rushing in could be dangerous."
But Amy had already charged forward.
Her sense of justice would not allow her to stand by and watch her companions slaughter each other.
Thomas and Martin quickly followed behind her, hoping to stop the insane battle.
"Stop! Everyone, stop!"
Amy rushed to the edge of the battlefield and shouted loudly.
"Have you all gone insane? Why are you attacking each other?"
Hearing Amy's voice, several of the warriors turned their heads.
But their eyes remained filled with madness.
One of the members of the Blazing Flame Battle Group suddenly launched an attack at Amy.
He did not care that she had come to stop the fighting.
"Careful!"
Thomas immediately rushed forward and blocked the attack with his weapon.
But something terrifying happened.
The instant Thomas came into contact with the crazed warrior, the expression in his eyes began to change.
The clarity in his eyes gradually faded.
A similar crimson madness began to flicker within them.
"Thomas?"
Amy noticed something was wrong.
"What happened to you?"
Thomas did not answer.
He suddenly turned around and swung his sword at Amy.
The killing intent contained in the blade was terrifying.
This was not a joke.
It was not a test.
He genuinely wanted to kill Amy.
"Thomas, have you gone mad?"
Amy hurriedly dodged the attack.
Her eyes were filled with confusion and fear.
Thomas was not the only one.
Martin began displaying the same symptoms.
His eyes gradually became crazed.
He began showing hostility toward everyone around him.
Rowan immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.
This was definitely not an ordinary conflict.
Nor was it simply a case of emotional instability.
Something far more dangerous was at work.
"Silvermoon, fall back immediately."
Rowan made his decision without hesitation.
He grabbed Silvermoon's hand and began retreating toward the edge of the hall.
"What happened?"
Silvermoon was confused, but immediately followed Rowan.
"There is something wrong with this place. Something seriously wrong."
Rowan explained as they retreated.
"Did you notice? Anyone who comes into contact with those crazed warriors begins displaying the same symptoms."
Silvermoon glanced back.
Sure enough, Amy was beginning to show signs of something abnormal.
Her eyes had become unfocused.
The weapon in her hand had begun to tremble.
It was as if she were desperately resisting some kind of influence.
"What is the mechanism behind this?" Silvermoon asked. "An illusion? A toxin? Or some kind of curse?"
"I don't know."
Rowan answered honestly.
"But whatever it is, we cannot allow it to affect us."
As the two continued retreating, Amy finally lost the last of her reason.
She let out a crazed howl.
Then she began attacking everyone around her.
That included her former teammates, Thomas and Martin.
The original battle between two groups had now transformed into a massive melee.
Everyone attacked everyone else.
There was no order.
No reason.
The smell of blood grew thicker in the air.
Screams and the clash of weapons echoed throughout the entire hall.
"We have to get out of here."
Rowan continued pulling Silvermoon backward.
"There must be some kind of mechanism in this hall affecting everyone."
"But our teammates..."
Silvermoon looked at Amy and the others as they continued their frenzied slaughter.
Her eyes were filled with worry.
-------------------------------
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