Chapter 353 – First Day's Strategy

It turned out that the Midnight Labyrinth truly lived up to its reputation as a Hidden Realm.

The situation here was exactly as Xu Xiayan had initially described—treasures could be found everywhere.

They had just entered, yet countless people had already made gains.

This efficiency fully deserved the description “treasures everywhere,” without any exaggeration.

Watching many Professionals fall into a semi-frenzied state—some digging soil, some chiseling walls, some even jumping into water, all scrambling to plunder the rare treasures here—Su Ming’s group showed no intention of joining in.

“Let’s go.”

Su Ming shook his head and spoke these words.

“Now?” Feng Qing’er instinctively responded, “Aren’t we joining them?”

Even as she said this, Feng Qing’er felt somewhat repulsed by the idea.

Chi Qian, Mu Yan, and Tong Xinyao naturally felt the same.

There was no helping it.

“I don’t want to go crazy like them,” Su Ming said irritably. “Besides, Xu Xiayan already warned us to move away from the entrance as quickly as possible after entering, to avoid being surrounded by Phantom Demons that detect anomalies.”

With his exceptional Spirit Sense, Su Ming could vaguely detect some demonic presences gathering in this direction.

Especially after the Professionals here began causing unrestrained commotion, the gathering speed of these entities had increased severalfold.

“This is a Hidden Realm, the Phantom Demons’ lair. Making such a racket will inevitably draw their attention,” Su Ming cast a pitying glance at the Professionals present. “This is just near the entrance, the first level. The real treasures are on deeper floors. This Hidden Realm only opens for ten days, and we must reach the deepest tenth floor within seven days. We have no time to waste here.”

The same logic was understood by more sophisticated Professional teams.

Su Ming noticed several high-Rank teams leaving without hesitation, following surrounding passages to other areas, clearly believing it unnecessary to stay and fight over trivial gains.

The true treasures lay on lower floors.

Remaining here not only offered meager rewards and intense competition but also risked being surrounded by Phantom Demon hordes—completely not worth the cost.

“Let’s go,” Su Ming repeated. “First, find the entrance to the next level.”

“Understood,” the women responded in unison.

Thus, Su Ming’s group quietly departed from the area, heading elsewhere.

……

As an inverted pyramid-structured labyrinth-type Hidden Realm, the Midnight Labyrinth not only featured complex terrain but also covered a vast area.

Particularly the largest first level—according to Tianfeng City’s detection department—was nearly half the size of Tianfeng City itself.

Moreover, true to its name as a labyrinth, the paths here were notoriously difficult to navigate.

Based on terrain maps, the Midnight Labyrinth consisted of ten levels. Though each level had different environments, they shared the same basic structure—countless intersecting passages connecting to chambers of varying sizes.

The passages crisscrossed intricately, leading to large and small chambers without any discernible pattern.You might be walking along and suddenly find yourself circling back to a chamber you’ve already visited.

You might be walking along and suddenly dart into a different passage.

This is a true labyrinth, using its environment, terrain, and complex structure to disorient your sense of direction, causing you to lose your way as you wander.

Venturing through such a convoluted place, if you don’t constantly pay attention to your surroundings and keep records or create a map, you might not even find your way back later. You could end up trapped here, forced to wait in despair until the ten-day time limit expires, vanishing along with this underground labyrinth, never to return to the present world.

Given this, when navigating such a place, it’s essential to avoid wandering aimlessly. Every time you choose a passage and arrive at a chamber, you must mark it on your map before taking the next step.

However, this place isn’t just filled with intricate paths and chambers—it also harbors species that pose a threat to life.

“Roar!”

“Roar!”

In the wide passage, a group of Phantom Demons, resembling a mix of tigers and wolves, suddenly burst forth. With savage and ferocious roars, they charged toward Su Ming and the others.

These creatures were brimming with demonic energy and potent bloodlust, each one an exceptionally powerful entity among the lower-tier Phantom Demons, comparable to a Three-Star Professional among humans.

Especially notable were the two or three leader-like Phantom Demons in their midst, their bodies two to three times larger than their counterparts. They glared menacingly at Su Ming’s group, searching for an opportunity to strike.

Without a doubt, these were mutants—Phantom Demons that had undergone evolution but failed, yet were far stronger than ordinary ones.

Such a horde of Phantom Demons suddenly launched an attack on Su Ming’s party, so abrupt and unexpected.

Fortunately, none of Su Ming’s companions were Mortals. They had all detected the Phantom Demons’ presence before the assault began.

Chi Qian, Mu Yan, and Feng Qing’er drew their weapons instantly and charged forward without hesitation.

“Thwack!” “Thwack!” “Thwack!”…

Feng Qing’er spun her fine-grade recurve Saber, plunging directly into the swarm of Phantom Demons. She darted back and forth like a swift gale, swiftly slicing the vital points of the demons that couldn’t react in time. They convulsed violently, blood blooming from their bodies as countless wounds were carved into them in an instant.

“Thud!”

Mu Yan, too, brandished her Thorned Whip. With each whistling crack of the whip, she sent the attacking Phantom Demons flying like balls, smashing them against walls or rocks, burying them under rubble and debris.

Chi Qian, gripping her Sword, transformed into a phantom herself. In a few leaps, she reached the mutants. As they snarled in shock and rage, her Sword gleams swept out like a torrential downpour, enveloping them completely.

“Slash!” “Slash!” “Slash!”

In the blink of an eye, the mutants were pierced through every part of their bodies by the storm of Sword gleams. Blood gushed out, and their agonized howls echoed through the passage.

“Twenty-First Form: Earth Prison.”

Tong Xinyao, positioned at the rear, didn’t stand idly by. Seeing the still considerable number of Phantom Demons ahead, she immediately cast a Spirit Art without a word, causing three circular arrays to spin in her small hands.Instantly, the ground trembled slightly as countless sharp spikes abruptly erupted, impaling one Phantom Demon after another, lifting them into the air like skewered meat.

The scene was truly unbelievable, especially considering the perpetrator was a mere fourteen-year-old girl.

Bang!

Su Ming wielded his Spirit Energy Gun, blowing the head off a Phantom Demon lunging at him. Ignoring the splattering blood, his gaze caught the brutal spectacle near Tong Xinyao, and his expression toward her shifted dramatically.

“Damn, I never knew this girl could be so savage?”

Su Ming was almost reevaluating his opinion of Tong Xinyao.

“N-No, it’s not like that…!”

Tong Xinyao hadn’t intended for this either. Seeing her Spirit Art cause such a gruesome scene and being stared at strangely by Su Ming, she grew flustered.

She didn’t want the Commander to think she was a bad kid! [○･｀Д´･○]

Bang!

Unaware of Tong Xinyao’s distress, Su Ming fired another shot at an oncoming Phantom Demon, the Spirit Power-imbued bullet shattering its skull and killing it instantly. He then aimed at distant Phantom Demons, steadily picking off the attackers one by one.

A group of high-Rank Phantom Demons were being unilaterally slaughtered under the assault of Su Ming’s five-member team.

Once the dust settled, everyone had a chance to share their thoughts.

“Commander, Sister Qianqian,” Feng Qing’er flicked the blood off her reverse-curved Saber and remarked, “The Phantom Demons here are indeed much stronger than those outside.”

“Mm,” Mu Yan nodded in agreement. “Even in the first group we encountered, there were already mutants, and not just one. It seems many Phantom Demons in this Underground Labyrinth have undergone evolution.”

“B-But this is only the first floor,” Tong Xinyao whispered, shrinking her neck. “Didn’t they say the Phantom Demons on the first floor are the weakest?”

That was precisely what made it terrifying.

According to Xu Xiayan, the lower floors housed increasingly powerful Phantom Demons.

If even the first floor already had evolved lower-tier Phantom Demon mutants—and they appeared in the very first group—what kind of enemies awaited on the floors below?

The thought alone sent shivers down their spines.

“Everyone, stay alert and avoid wasting stamina and energy unnecessarily.”

Su Ming furrowed his brows and addressed the group.

“It’s only the first day, and we’re just on the first floor. If we exhaust ourselves here, we might not be able to handle stronger Phantom Demons later. So, we need to avoid pointless battles.”

His words were met with understanding from the others.

Indeed, if they engaged in too many fights so early on, depleting their stamina and energy, they might be ill-prepared for formidable foes later.

Su Ming had made ample preparations. For today’s expedition, he had visited the Commercial Street in Dragonheart District with Chi Qian yesterday, stocking up on various alchemical potions from a specialized shop. These supplies were now stored in his backpack.

But it was only the first day, and they were still on the first floor. Their supplies and recovery items weren’t infinite. To be cautious and ensure they had resources for future battles, it was best to conserve wherever possible, lest they find themselves empty-handed when truly needed.”Our primary objective is to locate the entrance to the next level, followed by gathering resources along the way. Combat should be our last resort—avoid it whenever possible.”

Su Ming gave these instructions.

“For our subsequent movements, stealth shall take top priority. Yao Yao and I will use Spirit Sense to scout the path ahead and evade Phantom Demon hordes as much as possible.”

Upon hearing this, everyone complied without hesitation, following Su Ming’s directions.

(End of Chapter)