Chapter 182: Sphinx

When Mu Yi and his group eliminated the seventh team, the mysterious old man's voice echoed throughout the secret realm.

"Begin the first circle contraction!"

As the voice fell, a transparent barrier began to contract from all directions, shrinking at a tremendous speed, and simultaneously, in three directions of the barrier, towering pillars of light rose up.

Anubis, the Sphinx, and the Underworld Serpent have descended!

"Damn!"

Mu Yi and his four companions' faces turned a shade pale; the barrier slipped past them and contracted forward, and worse still, the towering light pillars blocked their way.

"I'll go challenge it; you all rush through!"

The unlucky situation darkened Mu Yi's expression, and he shouted loudly.

"Here you go!" Vivian tossed Mu Yi a Silver Moon badge, "It can locate our position and direction; be careful yourself!"

Lily tossed Mu Yi several special cards, then summoned a giant eagle; the four rode the eagle straight toward the barrier, while Mu Yi charged forward, and within the light pillar a majestic figure appeared—it was the Sphinx.

Mu Yi took a deep breath, then selected five cards from his deck, preparing to meet the Sphinx's attack.

The rules of the secret realm instantly pulled the Sphinx and Mu Yi into a void arena.

Mu Yi inhaled again, adjusted his deck, inserting Lily's cards into it; although he intended to stall, at the moment the duel began, Mu Yi truly didn't want to lose.

"Then I'll start the duel!" The Sphinx swung its massive claw, leaving only five cards floating before it.

"The first round of the duel ceremony cannot involve combat; this round ends here!"

Before the Sphinx could act, Mu Yi had already initiated the duel.

"I remember you, the duelist who won in the Orisis Trial and launched a reckless challenge to cover your comrades. Truly commendable; now, at this moment, let you witness the might of the gods!"

"Sphinx, I challenge you to a duel!"

【Sphinx, LP10000】

"Place two more spells on the field!"

"Duel!"

The Sphinx looked at Mu Yi, nodded, waved its claw in the air, and yellow sand swirled as forty stone tablets materialized, hovering mid‑air.

"Then let me weigh your worth!"

"..." Didn't we agree on who challenges whom gets the first move?

Mu Yi's face darkened; what a privileged brat.

Mu Yi raised an eyebrow; during the trial he had indeed sensed presences other than Anubis, but he hadn't expected the Sphinx to be there as well.

As he spoke, a stone tablet floated horizontally, appearing in a covering state on the field.

At this moment the Sphinx's gaze locked onto the giant eagle; its twin wings beat, as if about to pursue.

Mu Yi could feel the divine pressure from the Sphinx; it seemed the deity's true form had manifested? That's absurd!

Fortunately they decided quickly; if they were all dragged into the duel, the whole team might be wiped out.

"First, summon a servant to assume a hidden state!"

【Mu Yi, LP8000】

"Draw a card!" The Sphinx waved its claw, and a fresh stone tablet appeared before it, apparently for drawing a card.

Mu Yi squinted, a bit surprised; he had expected the Sphinx to launch some over‑the‑top attack, but it seemed rather conventional.

"Now it's my turn!"

Mu Yi let out a light breath, drew a card from his deck and activated it.

"Summon Asura Warrior!"

With a nightmare‑like fierce gaze, a hulking warrior bathed in the barrier emerged from the crimson light, maimed and snarling, exuding waves of ferocity.

【Asura Warrior, ★★★★★】

"When an Asura Warrior is on the field, a second Asura Warrior can be specially summoned."

Another Asura Warrior rose from the crimson light.

"Activate the continuous spell card—Reincarnation Six Paths, choose Animal Realm!"

The field showed no visible change, yet countless phantoms appeared within it.

"Due to the Animal Realm effect, a second normal summon is allowed!"

"Activate the spell in hand, Ghost Gate Fragment, destroy two Asura Warriors, and normal summon Ghost Gate!"

A towering, indistinctly shaped gate appeared over the field, seemingly dividing it completely in two.

"Activate Ghost Gate's special effect, summon the Gate God Shen Tu!"

A deity clad in golden helm and armor, wielding a long halberd, appeared with an imposing demeanor.

【Shen Tu, ★★★★★★★★★★】

"Cover two faced-down cards!" Mu Yi glanced at the single remaining card in his hand, then gestured.

"Gate God, attack the opponent's faced-down monster!"

Shen Tu raised the halberd, his form turning into a golden beam, charging straight toward the Sphinx's side of the field, the halberd striking the stone tablets with thunderous force.

The Sphinx stared at Shen Tu, recognizing that the opponent's core was indeed a deity—and a formidable one—surprised that Mu Yi could summon such a being.

"Hmph!" As Shen Tu was about to attack the stone tablets, the Sphinx raised its claw.

"When you attack, you have stepped into the trap set within my domain—the Sphinx's Riddle!"

A trap card hidden in the back row flipped over, revealing a continuous trap.

When the opponent attacks, a riddle is presented for them to guess; a correct guess adds a counter and the battle continues, while an incorrect guess reveals the answer, adds a counter, and then destroys that monster.

Shen Tu was shrouded in mist, unable to strike the target Mu Yi indicated.

"Come, guess the riddle trial!"

The Sphinx laughed heartily and posed the riddle.

Who killed Osiris before he became a god!

Mu Yi's mouth twitched; he wasn't Lily, so who knows this kind of question!

He glanced at the chat channel, wanting to give it a try, Mu Yi typed the question in, hoping to apply for external assistance.

Unexpectedly, just a moment later, Lily sent the answer to Mu Yi.

"If you still can't answer, I'll deem your answer wrong!" The Sphinx shook its head, raised its claw, and was about to strike the door god Shentu,

"It's Set, Osiris's younger brother, the god of war, strength, desert, and storms!"

"Correct answer!" The Sphinx's claw halted in midair, then it announced somewhat dejectedly.

You actually know this kind of knowledge—truly surprising!

The Sphinx looked at Mu Yi somewhat curiously; riddles are the divine office it masters, each solution and failure becoming a source of its power, which is also how its ability manifests in the card.

Just as Mu Yi's Six Paths of Reincarnation do, this Sphinx's riddle embodies the core of that divine office.

A spark of ghostly fire hovered before the Sphinx, then the door god Shentu struck down again with a halberd; a lion‑human statue emerged from the stone slab, then was shattered by the blow.

The shattered stone slab instantly exploded, scattering across the ground.

End turn! Mu Yi glanced at the Sphinx's face‑down card on the field, then ended the turn.

Before you finish, I activate the spell on my field!

The Sphinx pointed at the face‑down card on the field; the card flipped over with a burst of thick black mist, as if power from the netherworld was being summoned from the underworld.

Continuous Trap—Underworld Calling

When a monster enters the underworld, you can pay 1000 LP to revive a destroyed monster during the opponent's end phase or your own main phase.

With my blood as the price, come back, my servant!

【Sphinx: LP 10000 → LP 9000】

The stone fragments that had just scattered across the ground gathered together again, forming a complete stone slab.

Next is my turn! The Sphinx raised its claw, and a stone slab appeared out of thin air in its hand.

Let's guess the riddle! The Sphinx threw a stone slab at the face‑down continuous trap card on the ground, starting the question‑and‑answer riddle session again.

The actively triggered riddle works similarly to the previous effect: a failed guess accumulates one counter and destroys one of Mu Yi's cards on the field, while a successful guess places one counter.

Who are Anubis's parents!

Mu Yi's mouth twitched; he repeated the old trick, applying for external assistance via the chat channel.

Lily lived up to expectations, once again providing the correct answer to Mu Yi.

It's Set and Nephthys!

Correct answer! The Sphinx seemed somewhat dejected; these involve secrets among the gods—where on earth did Mu Yi learn this from?

Mu Yi was also curious, but after learning that Lily had organized nearly a thousand pyramid mural stories and thousands of secret‑realm produced texts, his mouth twitched and he gave up further investigation.

The archmage's world is not something a mere mortal like him can set foot in; it's best to honestly find an archmage to rely on.

Seeing the faint light accumulating again before him, the Sphinx felt rather dejected; he liked guessing riddles, didn't mind being guessed, but being constantly guessed made it meaningless.

With my blood as the price, and then sacrifice the servants on the field as offerings! The Sphinx shouted, "Summon the highest‑rank servant in my hand, still keeping it in ambush!"

【Sphinx: LP 9000 → LP 8000】

As he spoke, the lion‑human statue he had set aside vanished amidst a whirlwind, offered as a sacrifice.

On the field, it was replaced by another face‑down monster.

Ambushing servant, reveal your true form!

In the Sphinx's summons, the covered stone slab opened, revealing a golden, massive sculpture with a huge sturdy body and a resolute visage, its countenance solemn, making one feel as if it were inviolable.

It is simply a miniature version of the Sphinx.

【Sphinx's Avatar, Ten‑Star】

When the Sphinx's avatar exists, it can conduct another riddle guess!

The Sphinx's expression turned solemn, staking its honor, it will pose the most secretive question.