The Trap is Sprung

A few minutes earlier, Nine Revolutions Maze…

Hu Long took deep breaths, feeling the cold mist brush against his skin. However, although it was cold in the depths of the maze, it wasn't the mist that was giving him goosebumps.

The towering canyon walls looming on either side of him were giving off immense pressure, thanks to the natural formation formed by the maze, but even this wasn't what commanded Hu Long's attention.

It was the heavy killing intent that made his hair stand on end. It was hidden, expertly dispersed so as to not tip off their prey, but to Hu Long's heightened senses, the feeling was palpable.

As if he could smell blood.

He shook his head, trying to steady himself. It was too late to get cold feet, now.

"Brother Hu, are you feeling alright?"

The gentle voice of Yao Chen beside him shook Hu Long from his thoughts, and he gave a sidelong glance before slowly nodding.

"... I'm fine, Brother Yao. Merely disoriented by the mist."

"Haha, don't worry Brother Hu, that's quite normal. You'll get used to it after a while."

Yao Chen smiled, his eyes full of kindness. His sincerity only managed to send a chill up Hu Long's spine, however, considering he was most likely a Great Void Sect spy. Were they all such convincing actors?

'Focus, foolish disciple.'

'I am focused, master. Don't worry, I'm ready for any sudden attacks.'

It had been a few hours, now, since they'd entered the maze.

Although carrying on like he wasn't in any danger was nerve-wracking, if the goal was to obtain proof that the Great Void Sect was targeting them, Hu Long could only wait until the trap was sprung before calling on Ryker.

Otherwise, they might not take action if they knew their prey had been tipped off.

"Everyone, stop!"

A sudden shout from Yao Chen brought Hu Long to attention, and he immediately summoned the emergency talisman into his hand.

"Brother Yao, what's the matter?"

Wang Mang walked over to where Yao Chen was halted, a concerned look crossing his face.

"Brother Wang, can't you feel that foreboding energy…?"

The two of them made a big show of reaching out with their spiritual senses, but Hu Long couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary besides the killing intent that had been present since they entered.

Was this some kind of signal to begin the ambush?

"Wait, this is-!"

Before Yao Chen could finish shouting, a burst of Yin energy erupted around them, the ground cracking and trembling as it spewed forth a green mist.

"Bone Breaking Miasma! Avoid it!"

The expedition team was already moving, scattering before the Bone Breaking Miasma.

Hu Long, too, took evasive action, though he noticed the corrosive gas conspicuously cutting off many of his escape routes, leaving only a small opening that led away from the team.

'So that's their plan, is it?'

The Bone Breaking Miasma, so named for its corrosive properties and its ability to instantly seep to the bones of those it touched, was a common poison used in traps, crippling for even Golden Core experts and still a nuisance for those in the Soul Wandering realm and above.

For Hu Long, however, it might as well be a passing breeze. After just a few days of body refining under Caelus and Ryker's guidance, his physical body alone was enough to resist the corrosion, not to mention if he actively circulated his qi to expel the poison.

Still, he could tell that this miasma wasn't one of the maze's traps but a technique brought forth by Yao Chen. And since his goal was to bait the Great Void out of hiding, anyways, he may as well play along.

"Little Hu Long! Be careful!"

He heard Wang Mang's shout from across the veil of miasma, but paid it no mind, leaping away through the opening Yao Chen had left.

The miasma rolled in behind him, completely cutting him off from the expedition team as he was forced to traverse a narrow path leading further into the maze. The path itself held numerous traps, as well, but with the aid of his Divine Sight, Hu Long easily avoided them.

'Any moment, now…'

Hu Long slowed down his pace, the poisonous fog behind him stagnating and coming to a halt.

He made a show of waiting for the miasma to disperse for a few minutes, before continuing down the path, looking for a more suitable spot for confronting the Great Void.

It was only until he came to a dead-end that he stopped. The path widened here to become a large, circular clearing, littered with natural stone pillars.

And in the center of the clearing he saw a dark-robed figure, standing perfectly still.

"I suppose this is an ambush, then?" Hu Long said. He rubbed the emergency token in his hand absentmindedly, waiting for them to make a move.

The assassin said nothing. A featureless mask hid their face, and their body was wrapped in black bandages, revealing no skin.

So it was only a slight rustling that warned Hu Long as they flicked a knife hidden in their sleeve towards him.

He swatted the knife out of the air with a qi-reinforced palm, before diving to the side. Two more knives whizzed past his head as he scrambled to take cover behind a nearby pillar, the cold stone calming his now pounding heart.

Even then, the ever-present killing intent pressed down on him, growing stronger now that those hidden observers no longer bothered to hide their intentions.

"... The intel is already dated, it seems."

Only after this brief exchange did the dark-robed assassin speak. Their voice was muffled by the mask and bandages, but it still carried a gentle and melodic tone.

However, there was no mistaking the malice hidden underneath.

"What exactly do you want?"

Hu Long called out from behind his pillar. Although his voice was steady, his hands were shaking, a small bead of blood rolling down his cheek where one of the knives had grazed him.

"Call your friend, Ryker. You should have some means of doing so, yes?"

"And if I don't?"

"Then perish."

Hu Long's eyes widened as he dived forward, rolling back up to his feet in time to see three knives neatly embed themselves into the rocky pillar, exactly where his head, neck, and heart had just been.

"Huhu, very interesting. It's a shame to get rid of such a talented Foundation Establishment seedling."

This time, another assassin in the same garb as the first walked into view, though this one's voice was gravelly and hoarse.

"You're already surrounded, boy, so just hurry up and summon your friend. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless."

"Heh, you might not be able to handle him."

Hu Long boasted as if he was stalling for time, but in reality, he had already crushed the emergency token in his hand.

As for how confident he was in Ryker's capabilities, he'd learned of the existence of Mini C and Bestie during the past few days, and how they boosted Ryker's combat prowess greatly.

When they were dealing with the Steel-Back Wraith, Mini C and Bestie were unfortunately unavailable.

Now, however, Ryker should be at full fighting potential, and after seeing what they could do, Hu Long believed it when Ryker said he'd taken down experts in the Nascent Soul realm.

"Hmph, a frog in the well. It seems you've gotten a big head after defeating that lowly Steel- hrkk!"

Before the gravelly-voiced assassin could finish his gloating, a familiar metal staff struck a thunderous blow to the side of his head, knocking him out cold onto the ground.

Right above him, a wiry arm holding the offending staff stuck out of a spatial distortion, before the rest of Ryker popped into existence, flourishing the Sturdy Iron Cudgel as he fell with a wild grin.

"Alright, who else wants some- woah!"

Before Ryker could finish *his* gloating, however, three flashes of steel assaulted him, aiming for his neck and both calf tendons and forcing him to twist his body in the air to avoid it.

A ring of metal sounded as he just barely parried the strike aimed for his neck, while the two strikes to his calves drew thin lines of blood as he twisted.

The gentle-voiced assassin also sprang into action at this time, throwing two more daggers before rushing at Ryker, a short blade in their hand.

Ryker swept the daggers aside with a swing of his staff and then thrust down, using it to suspend himself mid-air and block the assassin's blade coming from below. The air boomed as he kicked out at the assassin's head, but they were already gone, disappearing right before his eyes.

All this happened in the scant moments it took for Ryker to land. He slowly lowered himself to the ground from atop his staff, eying his surroundings warily.

'Phew, good thing I started 'borrowing' before I got here!'

Before they started their preparations a few days ago, Hu Long had informed him of the expert he'd sensed during their fight with the Steel-Back.

From this, Ryker figured his skill set would include a powerful spiritual sense technique, and he wasn't disappointed.

'Borrowing' from Hu Long right before he teleported in, the Divine Sight technique immediately caught his attention, and he activated it right as he entered the fray, an act which most likely saved his life.

[Very interesting. Even with the upgraded sensors, I still can't detect anything. I wonder what principles Hu Long's Divine Sight works on?]

Mini C's voice sounded in Ryker's head as he pored over the data from his brief exchange, unable to get any readings from the opponent.

As part of Caelus's modifications to the compad, the sensory systems received a huge comprehensive upgrade, including features like infrared vision and even being able to detect differences in atmospheric pressure within an area.

Their assassin's, however, managed to avoid the detection of all these systems, as if they didn't exist.

{Hmhm, this is the power of the Friend System! It can even beat Mr. Caelus's technology!}

Bestie crossed her arms and laughed triumphantly from Ryker's side, visible only to him.

"Well, don't let him hear you say that. He'll go for weeks without sleep trying to make something better."

Ryker grinned, too, though he was still on guard with the Divine Sight activated. His opponents were hesitating, which was fine by him.

All he had to do was stall for his sister's arrival!

'Heh, just wait for my sister to get here and beat you up!'