Chapter 332: Spacetime Maze Corridor

Underfoot was a semi-transparent surface, like glass-paved ground, through which one could faintly see deeper, more chaotic seven-colored flowing light surging and roaring below.

Above, a rotating expanse formed of countless minute spacetime runes makes up the 'starry sky'; these runes flicker unpredictably, emitting chaotic spacetime fluctuations.

The air is filled with a strange feeling, as if time here has lost its linear flow, and the concept of space has become vague.

Wang Ping could even faintly 'hear' some extremely weak and fragmented sounds coming from different spacetimes:

The lingering notes of immortal music, the roar of gods and demons, the shouts of cultivators, and even… an infant's wail and an old man's sigh?

"Spacetime Maze Corridor," Wang Ping realized. This is likely a special area formed by severe disorder of the spacetime structure inside the Immortal Palace, connecting different spatial fragments and possibly mixed with projections of past spacetimes and some possible future fragments.

No wonder everyone who enters gets randomly transported to different places.

He dared not be careless in the slightest. His Chaos Domain had already been deployed, but here the domain was clearly suppressed and interfered with, its range shrinking to three zhang around him, and its edges constantly eroded by the chaotic light and shadow from both sides, requiring him to continually inject spiritual power to maintain it.

Extending his divine sense also felt like sinking into a mire; its range was greatly limited, and the information received was chaotic and mixed, making it hard to discern truth from falsehood.

He must pass through this area as quickly as possible, find a relatively stable spacetime node, or locate clues to meet up with other companions. Staying too long in this Spacetime Maze Corridor, who knows what could happen—losing direction, being swept into spacetime turbulence, or even encountering strange entities trapped in spacetime rifts.

Wang Ping chose a direction; his intuition told him that the spacetime fluctuations there were slightly weaker, and he began to proceed cautiously.

He stepped extremely lightly, trying as much as possible to avoid touching the ground and the unstable light and shadow on both sides.

At the same time, he pushed the perception of his Chaos Nascent Soul to the extreme, striving to distinguish the difference between 'order' and 'chaos' contained in the surrounding spacetime fluctuations, seeking a possible path.

After advancing about a hundred zhang, the corridor seemed endless, and the light and shadow on both sides grew increasingly volatile.

Suddenly, the 'Immortal Court Grandeur' manifested in the left-side light and shadow collapsed abruptly into pure darkness; within that darkness, a pair of icy, indifferent eyes, as if made of pure 'void,' snapped open, gazing at Wang Ping inside the corridor!

The instant that gaze swept over him, Wang Ping's hairs stood on end, and an extreme chill, stemming from life's instinct and as if seeking to erase his very existence, instantly engulfed his whole body!

His Chaos Domain violently fluctuated, actually emitting a strained humming!

"Not good! It's the 'Ancient Shadow' in the spacetime projection! It contains the lingering thoughts of ancient powerhouses, possibly mixed with the aura of the Return to the Void!" Wang Ping's mind rang with alarm bells, knowing he absolutely could not let that 'gaze' lock onto him.

He let out a low shout, pushing the Divine Refining Technique to the extreme; the 'Seal' character divine glyph in his Sea of Consciousness blazed with light, stabilizing his divine soul, while he swiftly waved both hands!

"Five Elements Divine Light, protect my true form!"

A sheet of condensed five-colored radiance burst forth from around him, actively moving toward the 'gaze' of that void light!

The all-encompassing nature of the Five Elements Divine Light came into play here, forcibly differentiating, dissolving, and assimilating part of that void gaze which carried the 'erasure' intent!

Although it could not completely neutralize it, it greatly reduced the threat.

Wang Ping seized the moment, pushing off with his feet, his body shooting forward like lightning, instantly escaping the range of that void eyes' 'gaze'.

Only after rushing out several tens of zhang did that heart-pounding chill gradually subside. He looked back with lingering fear; the darkness and those eyes had vanished, and the light and shadow shifted into other scenes.

"Phew! Just a gaze left over from a spacetime projection who knows how many tens of thousands of years ago, and it has such power!" Wang Ping's face turned slightly pale, his spiritual power consumption considerable.

This gave him a more intuitive understanding of the terror of the Void-Suppressing Immortal Palace.

He dared not pay too much attention to the overly realistic or eerie light and shadow on either side, focusing instead on the path under his feet and the faint differences in spacetime fluctuations ahead.

Along the way, he suffered several similar 'Ancient Shadow' attacks: sometimes a phantom of a broken spear pierced through the light and shadow, carrying an undying fighting spirit and lethal aura.

Sometimes a shrill wail of vengeful spirits directly struck his divine soul; and once, a solidified 'Time Amber' appeared out of nowhere ahead in the corridor, inside which an unknown ferocious beast, lifelike and exuding a terrifying aura, was frozen, as if it would break free at any moment!

Wang Ping managed to avoid or hard-resist these threats only by relying on the protection of his Chaos Domain, Five Elements Divine Light, and the 'Seal' character divine glyph, barely succeeding each time.

Besides these active or passive dangers, the Spacetime Maze Corridor itself is full of strangeness.

Wang Ping once felt he had advanced a long way, but when he looked back, the starting scene seemed not far off, as if he were treading in place.

Again, several times, he clearly took only a single step, yet the scene before his eyes suddenly changed, as if he had crossed a great distance.

What's more troublesome, fragments drawn from his own memories or subconscious could be stirred by the disordered spacetime force, projected onto the light and shadow on both sides, interfering with his judgment.

If not for his steadfast Dao heart and the Divine Refining Technique guarding his divine soul, he would likely have already been lost in this true-false-indistinguishable, spacetime-confused maze.

After an unknown period of travel, Wang Ping felt his spiritual power greatly depleted, and his divine soul somewhat fatigued.

Just as he was considering whether to find a relatively 'calm' area of light and shadow to rest a moment, the scenery ahead finally changed.

The corridor seemed to have reached its end; ahead appeared a relatively open space, a circular platform paved with many-stabilized milky-white jade stone.

The platform is about a hundred zhang square, with three stone statues of sword-wielding immortals, each about ten zhang tall, ancient in style but already badly damaged, standing in the center.

The statues are arranged in a triangle, as if they originally guarded something, but now the center position is empty.

At the platform's edge, three relatively stable passage entrances leading in different directions can be faintly seen; inside the passages the light is dim, making the deep scenery unclear.

And on the opposite side of the platform, facing the direction Wang Ping came from, hover several dozen bubbles of various sizes, made of disordered light and shadow.

These 'bubbles' are as fragile as soap bubbles, inside which faintly wrapped are some blurry scenes—apparently other cultivators who entered the Immortal Palace, struggling, fighting, or exploring in different spatial fragments!

Wang Ping saw inside one of the 'bubbles' Cang Xuan located in a grim 'Sword Tomb' filled with countless broken swords, battling several phantoms condensed from pure sword intent, sword qi crisscrossing, starlight brilliant. In another 'bubble,' Yu Liuli sat cross-legged with a pained expression in a palace filled with decadent music and pink mist, the Immortal Sound Bell atop her head flashing rapidly, evidently resisting a strong illusionary assault.

In another, smaller 'bubble,' You Ying's form had almost completely vanished, leaving only a barely detectable fluctuation, lurking in a ruin filled with shadows and bones; ahead seemed to be a door emitting treasure light...

"It seems we are each in various 'fragments' or 'trial' spaces connected by this Spacetime Maze Corridor."

Wang Ping understood in his heart. This platform seems to be a 'hub' or 'relay point' of the maze.

Those three passages may be the routes leading to deeper, more core areas of the Immortal Palace.

And those 'bubbles' are merely windows to observe the conditions of other companions, but only observation—seemingly unable to directly interfere or communicate.

He was about to step onto the platform, carefully choosing a passage, when another change occurred!

At the platform's center, the three damaged stone statues of sword-wielding immortals, without any warning, simultaneously 'came to life'!

It was not the statues moving; rather, large amounts of viscous substance, like black asphalt, gushed from the statues' hollow eye sockets and cracks in their broken bodies!

These black substances quickly gathered in the air, twisted and deformed, ultimately condensing into three monstrous entities, fierce in form, existing between substance and illusion!

They have a roughly human outline, but their heads are twisted, covered with constantly opening and closing eyes and fang-toothed tumor-like growths; their bodies are formed from endlessly flowing darkness and shattered light and shadow, their arms like twisted tentacles ending in claws that flash with cold light.

They have no feet; their lower half is a tumbling mass of shadow. A terrifying aura mixed with resentment, madness, distortion, and an instinctive hatred of all ordered existence instantly filled the entire platform!

"Could this be… an 'Illusory Demon Spirit'?" Wang Ping recalled having seen a similar entity described in a fragment of the Chaos Immortal Scripture he had previously browsed.

This is not a true living being, but rather formed from vast negative emotions, shattered obsessions, twisted Dao rhythms, in special environments (such as disordered spacetime or sealed places), after long ages of sedimentation and mutation, combined with certain residual energies, like the 'Return-to-Void Killing Qi' exhaled from the Immortal Palace's suppression, forming this strange existence!

They lack clear spiritual intellect, possessing only the instinct to devour living beings' essence and to pollute and twist all 'order'; they are one of the most dangerous 'special products' when exploring ancient ruins!

Moreover, the aura of each of these three Illusory Demon Spirits before him is comparable to that of a cultivator at late Nascent Soul stage!

More importantly, they were born here, in tune with the chaotic spacetime environment, making them extremely hard to eradicate by conventional means—unless one can simultaneously crush their core 'Twisted Dao Rhythm' and the 'Negative Energy Source' that sustains their existence!

As soon as the three illusory demon spirits took shape, their countless eyes locked in unison onto the sole 'order' presence on the platform—Wang Ping!

They emitted a silent, soul‑piercing shriek, waving their twisted talons like three black bolts of lightning lunging at Wang Ping from three directions!

Wherever they passed, even the platform's sturdy jade stone floor was corroded, leaving hissing black marks!

"Good timing!" Wang Ping's eyes narrowed, knowing there was no escape. He drew a deep breath, suppressed the fatigue of his long journey, and instantly brought his state to peak. Against such a strange foe, ordinary Five Elements arts would likely be limited.

He did not immediately unleash the Five Elements Divine Light to clash head‑on; instead, he swiftly retreated while rapidly forming hand seals with both hands.

In his mind flashed the deeper application concepts of chaos power from the second volume of the Chaos Immortal Classic, along with the principle of the Return to the Abyss divine ability.

"Since you are born of twist and chaos, I will embrace chaos and draw forth a hint of 'termination' intent—let's see who is closer to the origin!"

Wang Ping gave a low shout and pressed his hands forward!

"Chaos Domain—All Phenomena Return to the Abyss!"

This time he did not simply use the Chaos Domain for defense or dissolution; instead, he shifted its nature toward the Chaos Immortal Classic's description—closer to a chaos that both embraces all things and can terminate all things.

The domain's murky gray light instantly deepened slightly; within its range, light propagation seemed to slow and twist, as a strange Dao rhythm of all things returning to primal states and moving toward 'termination' spread throughout.

The three illusory demon spirits charged into this altered Chaos Domain, and their speed instantly stalled!

The darkness and fragmented light flowing over them seemed to meet their nemesis, becoming sluggish and dim, with some parts even drawn in, assimilated, and dissipated by the domain's 'termination' intent.

For the first time, a look akin to astonishment and pain flickered across their countless eyes—if one could call it an expression.

Evidently, Wang Ping's altered Chaos Domain, infused with a hint of the Return to the Abyss principle, had an unexpected restraining effect on such entities!

Chaos embraced their disorder, while that hint of 'termination' intent accelerated their already highly unstable existence toward its end!

"Howl!" The demon spirits emitted a more frenzied silent roar, madly channeling power to break the domain's bounds, their black talons desperately tearing at its edges.

How could Wang Ping let them succeed? He joined his sword fingers; the Jianmu seed cradled by his Chaos Nascent Soul twitched slightly, sending out a thread of pure vitality and spatial stabilizing power into the domain, making it tougher.

At the same time, he lifted his left hand, and blazing crimson‑gold solar true fire surged forth, forming three roaring fire dragons that lunged at the three demon spirits!

The utmost yang and rigid solar true fire is likewise a bane of yin‑evil chaotic things; the fire dragons coiled around the spirits' bodies, emitting intense crackling burns and billowing black smoke!

The demon spirits struggled in greater pain, but their core 'Twisted Dao Rhythm' was extremely tenacious, unable to be fully refined in a short time.

One of the demon spirits even swelled violently, its body bursting open to spew large globs of viscous black pus reeking of foul odor and potent mental contamination, shooting toward Wang Ping!

Wang Ping gave a cold snort, waved his right hand, and an icy‑blue Yin Extinction Cold Surge swept forth, instantly freezing the black pus in mid‑air, whereupon the Chaos Domain's power decomposed it. At the same time, his mind stirred again!

"Yin Wood Divine Thunder, purge!"

Several azure‑green bolts of lightning struck down from nowhere, precisely hitting the cores of the three demon spirits at the points where, via the Chaos Domain, he sensed the greatest concentration of twisted energy and Dao rhythm!

Lightning and fire intertwined, the cold surge invaded, and the altered Chaos Domain continued to wear them down!

The three illusory demon spirits let out despairing wails; their forms rapidly collapsed and dissipated, ultimately becoming three strands of pure black flow brimming with chaotic resentment, and three small, ever‑shifting‑color orbs containing the 'Twisted Dao Rhythm'.

Wang Ping dared not be careless; he carefully used the Five Elements Divine Light to completely sweep away and purify the three resentful black strands. As for the three orbs of 'Twisted Dao Rhythm,' he pondered and did not destroy them outright.

The Chaos Immortal Classic mentions that such a 'Dao trace' condensed from extreme negativity and chaos, if properly handled—for example, repeatedly tempered and refined with higher‑level chaos power—

Perhaps one could extract fragmentary insights on legislation concerning 'chaos,' 'twist,' and 'void' contained within it, which might aid in perfecting the Chaos Dao and understanding another aspect of the Return to the Abyss—though of course the risk is also extremely high.

He cautiously wrapped and sealed the three orbs layer by layer with chaos spiritual power, placed them into a specially made jade box covered with sealing talismans, tucked the box into a corner of his Qiankun One Qi Bag, and left them for future study when his cultivation advances.

Having dealt with the three illusory demon spirits, Wang Ping caught his breath, having expended nearly half his spiritual power. He dared not linger on the platform, took a few Return‑to‑Origin pills, and while quickly regulating his breath, walked to the platform's center to carefully examine the three passages.

Each passage entrance was veiled by a thin curtain of light that blocked sight and spiritual sense. The left curtain was dark gold, faintly emanating a sharp, lethal aura; the middle was azure‑green, exuding abundant vitality and wood‑spirit energy; the right was a sheet of chaotic gray, its ambience indiscernible.

"Metal, wood, chaos (or unknown)..." Wang Ping mused. Considering his cultivation of chaos‑five elements and the Jianmu seed's wood nature, perhaps the middle or right passage would benefit him? Yet the left passage's sharp aura might also relate to the Geng Metal Key or Cangxuan's sword Dao.

He glanced again at the floating 'bubbles': Cangxuan was locked in bitter combat at the Sword Tomb, Jade Liuli was deep in an illusion, and Yin Shadow lurked near the treasury… for now none could break free. It seemed their reunion could only be postponed.

Just as Wang Ping weighed his options, the phantom of the Yin‑Yang Dual Keys on his chest, together with several Immortal Keys in his Qiankun One Qi Bag, simultaneously emitted a faint directional throb—pointing precisely to the right‑hand passage whose chaotic ambience was indiscernible!

"Immortal Key guidance?" Wang Ping's heart stirred. Immortal Keys are objects that open the Immortal Palace; perhaps they still sense certain important areas within it. Since the Keys point rightward and their ambience resonates with his own chaos…

He hesitated no longer, regulated his breath a moment, waited for his spiritual power to recover slightly, then resolutely stepped forward and entered the right‑hand chaotic gray passage's light curtain.

The light curtain rippled like water, swallowing his silhouette.

The platform returned to silence; only those floating 'bubbles' remained, silently reflecting scenes from other spatial fragments, like a series of mute eyes gazing upon different fates.

What Wang Ping did not know was that shortly after he entered the right‑hand passage, the dark‑gold light curtain of the left‑hand passage on the platform also trembled slightly.

A blood‑soaked figure, yet with a more condensed sword intent, stumbled out—none other than Cangxuan, who had just broken free from the Sword Tomb fragment!

He glanced at the battle scars and lingering chaotic aura on the platform, then at the three passages; his gaze finally settled on the middle azure‑green passage, his eyes brightening slightly as if he sensed something, and without hesitation he stepped inside.