Chapter 58: Labyrinth Pass

Creak—

“Don’t go!”

Xia Li, weak and breathless, reached out to grab Luo De as he walked away, her legs buckling beneath her as she nearly collapsed onto the ground.

Luo De quickly caught her; with a soft slap, their sweat-slicked skin stuck together.

“That’s enough—we still have to travel tonight.”

“Don’t—”

The effect of [Seductive Fluids] had taken hold; the half-dragon didn’t care anymore.

Reluctantly, Luo De forced her to drink a clarity potion.

Moments later.

“Oh my god… do you have beastman blood? I’ve never made a human male look this flustered before.”

As she spoke, she pulled her hot pants up from her knees.

“You’ll dirty your pants and boots,” Luo De reminded her.

Tally sometimes did this too—always needed reminding.

“Let me give you a bit of obscure knowledge, human,” Xia Li leaned against the broken wall, trying hard not to reveal her still-trembling legs.

She said: “Half-dragons have an internal switch; when closed, it prevents leakage. I read about it in Knowledge Evening News—an expert said it was an evolutionary biological mechanism developed by dragons to ensure fertilization success, and it’s been inherited by half-dragons too.”

“That’s a great piece of obscure knowledge… but don’t share it next time.”

These obscure facts gave Luo De a headache.

Xia Li chuckled softly.

Then she leaned out to check the nearby ruin—seeing that Gaima and Tally showed no reaction, she exhaled in relief.

“I won’t talk anymore—I need to rest. We still have to travel tonight.”

She pulled down her lifted shirt and covered the char siu bao.

“Go ahead—I’ll keep watch.”

“…Step away first. I’ll stand for a bit.”

“Alright, alright.”

Luo De walked toward the temporary camp’s ruin.

The half-dragon wasn’t bad.

Perhaps because of that biological mechanism, he’d had a remarkably novel experience.

Suddenly, his ever-open perceptual breeze returned an unusual fluctuation.

“Humans? Two fifth-rankers, early stage; the other eight are third- and fourth-rankers.”

Their behavior suggested they were searching for something.

No need to guess—they were definitely pursuit forces from Hot City.

“Pathetic.”

Luo De didn’t bother waking the others—he went alone toward them.

[Swift Shadow Step] remained a buff-type spiritual art, perfectly suited to the half-wolf’s style.

Phase One grants a ten-minute speed buff, roughly increasing Luo De’s speed by thirty percent—called [Swift Step].

Phase Two is an instant teleportation technique; based on proficiency, initially only three to five meters, but at peak mastery, up to twenty meters—called [Swift Shadow].

A mere three hundred meters.

Luo De, under [Swift Step] and enhanced by [Great Body Technique Boost], unleashed explosive force.

In the blink of an eye, he charged into the rear group.

And before they could react, he killed one.

“Who the hell are you?!”

In an instant—

Screams of terror, the sound of blades tearing through flesh and bone, erupted across the open labyrinth.

Ten minutes later.

Bodies littered the ground.

Luo De sat on a rock, wiping blood from [Sacrificial Blade] with a silk cloth.

“Gulam, deputy squad leader? A rank similar to a centurion… and he’s working with the Sacred Flame Squad?”

He’d interrogated a survivor he’d deliberately kept alive and gathered some information.

Worse, he learned Gulam had powerful patrons in Hot City’s upper echelons—that’s how a fourth-ranker could command fifth-rankers.

“Capturing demonic intelligent races? What are they planning… whatever. I’ll avoid Hot City on the return anyway.”

Luo De didn’t care.

The deeper they went into the labyrinth, the less likely the enemy would dare follow.

His spiritual breeze spread outward, returning to alert state.

“Hmm?”

Luo De suddenly sensed a presence rising from the pink ground.

Not the movement of a living creature—but a natural, creeping motion.

The presence burst from the earth and shot into Luo De’s arm at blinding speed—he didn’t even react.

Luo De’s face changed.

Then, instantly, a message appeared in his mind—he knew exactly what it was.

【[Hot City Open Labyrinth] Pass (Incomplete)】

“I received something similar at the Flawless Crystal Ground—is this a labyrinth trait?”

Luo De felt clearly: to complete the pass, he must please the labyrinth through slaughter.

Night fell.

The group set out again.

Like Hot City, the labyrinth’s night temperature was pleasant, cooled by evening winds.

But without the usual insect chirps and bird calls, it felt unnervingly silent and empty.

“Pass?”

Xia Li gazed into the distance and tossed three strange wooden shards, producing some unknown result.

She said it was a divination to avoid the high-temperature worms.

“Yes, but it’s still incomplete.”

“Try to complete it if you can—some people get one every year. It exempts you from many labyrinth rules, and some Windwalkers are friendlier to those who hold one.”

“Have you seen one?”

“A dozen or so. Many labyrinths favor those with potential, grant them benefits, then ask them to do favors.”

“Sounds like some kind of local boss.”

Xia Li laughed, slapping his shoulder.

Golem Gaima picked up the thread: “Many labyrinths are more human than you think. Newspapers claim they’re chaotic, mindless natural phenomena—that’s clearly nonsense.”

“Exactly. All those high-and-mighty experts draw conclusions from cold, sterile case studies—they’ve never even experienced it firsthand. Look, we’re here: the Guli Xian tribe’s Windwalker settlement.”

The group had traveled two hours.

Past the cluster of ruined houses, the number of steaming pits increased.

On a small hillside, the Guli Xian Windwalkers had built their settlement around dense clusters of steaming pits.

Here, recall Xia Li’s Labyrinth Rule Two—never listen to the faint whispers occasionally mixed into the geothermal steam.

But the Windwalkers believe those whispers are the labyrinth’s guardian’s commands, so most of them build their homes beside the steaming pits.

Xia Li entered the settlement to negotiate, carrying a large bundle of trinkets Windwalkers liked.

Soon after—

Two Windwalkers, nearly two meters tall, stepped out with the half-dragon.

It was Luo De’s first time seeing Windwalkers.

They had gray-black skin—not like flesh, but like coal cracked with fine fissures.

Their heads were tiny, dwarfed by their muscular bodies; otherwise, they were nearly identical to humans.

“Show them your labyrinth pass.”

Xia Li walked over and took Luo De’s hand.

The two Windwalkers bowed low, studied it carefully, then smiled on their coal-like faces.

They spoke a few incomprehensible words to Xia Li.

“Done. They’ll let us pass—and we can take their shortcut, saving time… your pass really came in handy.”

Xia Li grinned.

“Not as troublesome as you made it sound.”

Tally remarked.

Mother’s memories held no experience with Windwalkers—though she’d never attempt it herself, telling other sisters about it wasn’t out of the question.

“Guli Xian are the gentlest Windwalkers in the labyrinth. Wait till you meet the Lou tribe—you’ll see how truly extreme Windwalkers can be.”

Xia Li shook her head.

“By the way, they told me a group of aggressive land naga entered the labyrinth a few days ago.”

(End of chapter)