Yan Jin took a deep breath, centering himself after the intense battle. He turned toward the large stone door that loomed ominously at the far end of the arena. Its surface was engraved with ancient runes that glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with the veins of the labyrinth. As he approached, the stone door slowly creaked open, revealing a dark stairwell leading downward into the unknown.
Without hesitation, Yan Jin stepped through the threshold and descended the stairs, his boots echoing against the cold stone with each step. The air grew thicker as he moved deeper, the pressure of the labyrinth increasing with every level. It wasn't just the physical weight of the atmosphere pressing down on him—it was the presence of something dark, something twisted lurking below.
After a few minutes of descent, he emerged into a new level of the labyrinth. The space was much larger than before, the walls wider and more imposing. They pulsed with energy, thick veins of blood-like substance coursing through them, as if the entire structure were alive. The sound of the pulsating veins echoed throughout the chamber, creating an unsettling atmosphere that made Yan Jin instinctively tense because he was familiar with this energy it was corrupted energy.
The floor was uneven, littered with jagged stones and strange formations that resembled the organs of a colossal beast. Small pools of thick, red liquid dotted the ground, glowing faintly in the dim light. The walls themselves seemed to be breathing, expanding and contracting in slow, rhythmic waves, as if the labyrinth were a living, sentient entity.
The air was charged with an oppressive energy—thick, heavy, and tainted with corruption. It made the hair on the back of Yan Jin's neck stand on end. This level wasn't just another test. He could sense the twisted plasma cells lurking in the shadows, watching him, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Outside, the public watching through the City Lord's viewing screens was still in an uproar, their excitement at Yan Jin's previous display of skill and dominance in the arena still fresh in their minds. His speed, precision, and mastery over a mysterious movement technique had captured their attention, and now, all eyes were glued to his progress as he entered this new level. Murmurs of anticipation rippled through the crowd.
"What kind of guardian do you think he will get?" a spectator asked, leaning forward in his seat.
"It looks like this level is different," another replied, eyes wide with anticipation. "I have never seen, this part of the maze before"
Back in the labyrinth, Yan Jin's senses were on high alert as he ventured further into the twisted chamber. His hand instinctively went to his bow, his fingers grazing the smooth surface as he prepared for the inevitable confrontation. His echolocation technique helped him map out the chamber, giving him a mental picture of the space.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him rumbled, and from the shadows, a large figure emerged. It was humanoid in shape, but its body was grotesquely twisted and covered in the same pulsating veins that lined the walls of the labyrinth. Its skin was a sickly grey, and its eyes glowed with a crimson light that radiated pure malice. Its claws were long and sharp, dripping with a black ichor that sizzled as it hit the ground.
This was the guardian of the second level—a corrupted plasma cell that had evolved into a monstrous creature of pure evil energy. Its presence filled the chamber with a suffocating aura, the weight of its power pressing down on Yan Jin like a vice.
The crowd watching from Pine City held their breath as the creature made its appearance. Even the most seasoned warriors among the spectators could feel the intensity of the confrontation through the screens. "This thing... it's not a plasma cell" someone murmured. "It's corrupted energy. Yan Jin will have to use everything he's got to take this down." The term corrupted Energy brought panic in the mind of everyone watching.
Purple Spear Meng, watching alongside the City Lord, narrowed his eyes as he studied the creature. "This guardian is infused with a dark energy," he said quietly. "The vein has been corrupted we need to stop the trial now."
In a rush the City Lord, Purple Meng and the other elites immediately regrouped to discuss the safety measure to take. A corrupted vein meant that survival of pine City was at risk.
--
Yan Jin could feel the malevolent gaze of the creature bearing down on him. He didn't flinch. Instead, he took a deep breath, centering himself once more. He had faced dangers like this before—perhaps not in this exact form, but he was no stranger to fighting against overwhelming odds.
The creature roared, the sound reverberating through the chamber like a thunderclap. With a speed that belied its size, it lunged at Yan Jin, claws extended. Yan Jin reacted instantly, his body moving in sync with the Garuda movement technique. He sidestepped the initial strike, the creature's claws narrowly missing him by inches.
He felt the rush of wind as the creature's claws sliced through the air, but he was already drawing an arrow. In one swift motion, he fired, the projectile embedding itself in the creature's arm. The beast howled in fury, but the wound only seemed to enrage it further.
The crowd erupted in cheers, their excitement reaching a fever pitch as they watched the battle unfold. Yan Jin's movements were like poetry in motion, his body gliding through the chamber with grace and precision. Each arrow he fired found its mark, but the creature's dark energy made it resilient, its wounds healing almost as quickly as they were inflicted.
Yan Jin knew he couldn't rely on just his arrows to bring this thing down. He needed to find a way to disrupt its dark energy, to sever its connection to the corrupted plasma cells that fueled it.
Yan Jin's reflexes were razor-sharp. As the creature lunged at him, he sidestepped with the fluidity of the Garuda movement technique, his body twisting in mid-air to avoid the deadly strike. The creature's claws sliced through the space where he had stood just moments before, creating a burst of dark energy that exploded against the ground with a thunderous crash. Chunks of stone flew in all directions, and a cloud of dust rose up, momentarily obscuring the battlefield.
But Yan Jin was already on the move. He leaped into the air, his bow drawn in a single swift motion. The temperature around him plummeted as he channeled his ice energy into the arrow, the tip glowing with a pale blue light. He released the arrow, and it shot toward the creature with blinding speed.
The arrow struck the creature's arm, and an explosion of ice erupted upon impact. A wave of frost spread out from the point of contact, freezing the creature's flesh and sending shards of ice flying in all directions. The creature howled in pain, its arm encased in a thick layer of ice. For a moment, it seemed as though the ice would hold, but then the creature's dark energy flared, and the ice shattered with a deafening crack. The creature's arm was damaged but not immobilized, and it snarled in fury, its crimson eyes glowing even brighter.
Yan Jin landed gracefully, his feet barely touching the ground before he was on the move again. The creature was relentless, its speed and power matched only by its unyielding aggression. It launched itself at him once more, its claws swinging in a wide arc. Yan Jin ducked under the strike, feeling the cold wind of the creature's claws brush past his face. He responded with a rapid succession of arrows, each one infused with his ice energy, creating a barrage of frost-tipped projectiles.
The arrows struck the creature with precision, each impact generating an explosion of ice and cold that spread across its body. The air was filled with the sound of shattering ice and the creature's roars of pain and rage. But the creature was resilient, its dark energy fighting against the freezing cold, shattering the ice with bursts of raw power.
The battle became a deadly dance of speed and precision. Yan Jin moved with the grace of a seasoned warrior, his body a blur as he dodged and weaved through the creature's relentless attacks. His movements were fluid, almost ethereal, as he drew and fired his arrows with breathtaking speed. Each arrow was a perfect shot, hitting its mark and exploding in a burst of icy power. But no matter how many times he struck the creature, it kept coming, its dark energy refusing to let it fall.
Yan Jin could feel the strain of the battle, his muscles burning from the constant movement, his breath coming in short, sharp bursts. But he didn't let up. He couldn't afford to. The creature was too dangerous, too powerful to be given any quarter. He had to find a way to take it down, and soon.
The creature roared again, this time with an intensity that shook the entire chamber.