The glow surrounding Ye Chui and the others came from Aqua’s “Purification Radiance”. This radiance greatly hindered the Maze Lamp smoke. Immersed in it, one felt as comfortable as soaking in a hot spring…
The side effect was possibly becoming an idiot.
So Ye Chui did not want to linger in the mist. He wished to break the Maze Lamp illusion quickly. He led everyone forward in one direction. At the same time, he had Guni watch Green, preventing the Aqua-“blessed” Green from doing anything foolish.
Moments later, he noticed something wrong. He saw a fallen follower, killed by other followers’ holy words.
“We have been circling in place. But the Maze Lamp’s power cannot create an illusion world from nothing. This smoke only confuses our senses.” Ye Chui understood what it meant.
“Lord Xis, you are clever. Yes, this is the Maze Lamp phantom beast’s power. Since its creation, no one has ever escaped its maze. Magic, faith power, sword aura—none can discern direction in my maze. Naturally, you cannot either. I respect you, but since you intend to kill His Majesty, I can only trap you in the maze forever.” Maze Lamp Dapra’s voice echoed near and far in Ye Chui’s ears.
“Let me tell you something.” Ye Chui surveyed the surroundings. Now that the followers were dead, Ye Chui no longer needed to hide his identity. He removed everyone’s disguises. “Actually, I am not Xis. I am the president of the Star Empire’s top guild, Ye Chui. Do you know what omnidirectional means…”
“Eh!?” Before Dapra reacted, Aqua beside Ye Chui suddenly exclaimed in surprise, face full of disdain. “I thought someone else summoned me this time. I was quite happy inside. How is it you again? Tch! Wasted all my effort pretending to be profound.”
Ye Chui: “…”
This big sister had stayed quietly as a light bulb (literally) since summoned. Ye Chui thought she sensed the urgency and was dutiful. Turns out she was faking!
She truly had the talent to make anyone want to punch her the moment she spoke…
“So it is you. I have long heard your name. It seems the Star Empire wants to invade our Tidal Empire. Then I cannot let you leave.” Dapra’s voice came, now colder. He apparently thought Ye Chui acted on the Star Emperor’s orders against the Tidal Empire.
“I am here to save the Tidal Empire.” Ye Chui said. Revealing his identity, he originally wanted to say that for him, nothing was impossible. Lost direction? No problem.
He waved his hand. A black compass appeared in it.
The compass from the Black Pearl.
“What is this? Let me see.” Aqua was drawn, leaning her face close.
“Stay back.” Ye Chui pushed Aqua’s face away. He had planned a cool demonstration for Dapra of breaking the maze. Aqua’s interruption ruined it. With his other hand, he lightly waved, summoning a bucket. He placed it on the ground. Then he led everyone in one direction, eyes fixed on the compass.
Leisha immediately understood Ye Chui’s plan.
“That compass can always locate any item on the Black Pearl, from the hull to a drop of rum. So by following it, we can determine direction, unaffected by the maze!”
“Exactly.”
This was Ye Chui’s intent. By always walking away from the pointer’s direction, they could proceed in a straight line and exit the illusion.
The compass in his hand was no ordinary item. Its function came from divine power in the pad. Even after the Sea Angel swallowed the Black Pearl, it could locate it. A mere Maze Lamp phantom beast was nothing.
Along the way, he continuously retrieved small items from the Black Pearl, placing them on the ground to mark direction. He led everyone in turns and bends. “Left… direction changed, right instead. Keep right. Front and back reversed, go back…”
Though they went left three steps, right three, forward two, back two, in reality, they walked a perfectly straight line!
Soon, Ye Chui felt an obstacle ahead. “Guni!” He glanced at her. Guni held possibly idiot-acting Green with one hand, swinging her vibranium greatsword with the other. Boom! She blasted a large hole in the wall.
Behind seemed a servant’s quarters, also filled with mist. Ye Chui continued using the compass method, advancing and smashing through walls.
The mist seemed to thin somewhat.
Finally, after Guni smashed another wall, blurred scenery appeared ahead. Ye Chui’s pad magic guide book could finally detect the surroundings, no longer a blank white. They were in the eastern part of the Zenith Palace rear bedrooms. They had diagonally crossed the entire Zenith Palace, smashing a path…
Ye Chui spotted a flickering red dot on the map. It must be Dapra. He instantly vanished, using [Divine Might Void] to teleport to the red dot hundreds of metres away. Appearing, he saw Dapra panicking, trying to escape through a window, still holding the white lamp.
This Dapra was real, not illusion.
Ye Chui instantly cast a stun spell, knocking Dapra unconscious.
When he returned carrying Dapra to Leisha and the others, the white mist had dissipated completely, gone without trace.
“So the Maze Lamp phantom beast is just that. What ‘no one ever escaped’.” Green said smugly. It was meant as praise, but from now idiot-struck Green, it felt off.
“This place is so luxurious. Perfect as our Axis Cult headquarters…” Aqua looked around joyfully.
“This is the empire’s imperial palace. I warn you, no mischief!” Ye Chui said, sweating.
“Tch!” Aqua looked disappointed, eyes glancing at the path Guni had smashed straight through. Her gaze… truly punchable.
He discovered Aqua had enemy-idiot summoning talent and ally-enraging buff…
He directly lifted Dapra and handed him to Aqua. “He is yours. Con him into your cult. When I return, I want him an idiot.”
“Relax. The Axis Cult welcomes anyone. I guarantee his baptism… Wait, what do you mean ‘want him an idiot when I return’?” Aqua roared angrily.
Ye Chui had already hurried off with his companions.
In the maze, escaping required exposing his identity, so he simply did not hide from Dapra. But he needed to frame Bishop Xis. If he killed the Emperor, Dapra might cause trouble. Ye Chui did not want to kill him. Since Aqua was here, hand him over.
Guided by the magic guide book map, Ye Chui’s group reached the innermost room in the Zenith Palace rear bedrooms. The Emperor was there.
Creak—
The heavy door slowly opened.
It was already evening, but this room was especially dark. Windows blocked. A thick bloody scent permeated. When Ye Chui summoned a flame to illuminate, shock appeared on his face. Leisha, Celty, Green, and Guni shivered.
The vast room was empty except for a bed deepest inside.
On the bed lay a woman bound by red iron chains. Chains connected to walls all around, like a giant spider web. Red runes on the chains emitted dim light.
The bound woman appeared extremely weak, body indescribably thin. Blood qi continuously rose from her. The room’s red walls seemed dyed by her blood.
Some power constantly drained her life. She was like prey caught by a spider, life hanging by a thread.
The Emperor, dishevelled and wretched, stood before the bed, greedily absorbing the blood qi.
The woman was undoubtedly the Empress.
Fiorre’s sister.
The Empress controlled the ancestral god power the Emperor drew from the Puppet Graveyard. She was the key restricting him. To gain that power, the Emperor madly treated the Empress this cruelly. Ye Chui had learned from Bishop Xis and followers that their method to open the Puppet Graveyard involved the Empress as key and the Emperor’s channel. Bishop Xis built an altar array to extract her witch phantom beast power. But Ye Chui had not expected such cruelty. The Emperor needed to absorb the blood qi to gain witch clan power.
Bishop Xis spared Fiorre probably as backup. If the Empress died, Fiorre would replace her as sacrifice!
“The Empress is your wife after all. How can you bear such cruelty.” Ye Chui said, suppressing anger.
“She is merely the shackle imprisoning me. I never felt anything for her…” A hoarse voice came from the Emperor. He trembled, turning to face Ye Chui’s group. His eyes had turned blood red, even shedding bloody tears. But the tears brought no sadness, only ferocity. “The Puppet Graveyard’s power is mine. No one can take it!”
“Sorry, I disagree.” The Puppet God Jarvis’s figure appeared beside Ye Chui.
