Jixun takes out a piece of paper.
He drew a two-dimensional map of the maze on it and then marked a route.
In the past three days, he had walked many circles in the maze. Besides recording the routes, he had also marked the activity areas of all the [Secret Keepers] he encountered.
While drawing, Season Search said, "There is already confirmed to be a [Secret Keeper] on this path. Once we go there, it will definitely attract its aggression. It will chase us. So we must run through the corridor decisively, without hesitation, and without looking back..."
This was also the greatest danger in the routes he had planned.
Chu Jiu was already used to Season Search's meticulous thinking and nodded without any objection, "Mm."
But Nan Jing, who was beside her, was already in awe.
If she had thought the "magic cube" idea was impressive before, now she was amazed by the solid puzzle-solving skills.
She watched as Jixun casually drew a precise maze route on the paper, something beyond what an ordinary person could do.
Previously, she had wondered why he didn't make any marks, but now she realized he had memorized everything.
Listening to the plan, Nan Jing's eyes widened with amazement. This guy, without saying a word, had considered everything.
Her sidelong glance at Jixun was filled with unspoken admiration.
This guy seemed to have done nothing in three days, but in reality, he had planned everything perfectly.
After he finished speaking, Nan Jing couldn't help but exclaim, "Mr. Jixun, did you memorize the entire maze?"
Jixun glanced at her and humbly said, "More or less."
Nan Jing thought of something and said, "But...what if, I mean, what if you remembered wrong, wouldn't it..."
Jixun smiled meaningfully.
Remember wrong?
Of course not.
From a puzzle-solving perspective, the current difficulty was not particularly challenging for him.
Even if he didn't have a photographic memory, remembering routes was basic in this kind of puzzle game.
Chu Jiu, hearing Nan Jing's uncertain tone, felt a familiar sense, as if she saw her past self.
Because in Room 407, she had many similar "silly" questions.
But the outcome always proved she was overthinking.
From the beginning, that guy had already considered everything.
She already knew what Jixun would say and directly said, "There are no what-ifs. We only have one chance."
Season Search smiled and nodded, agreeing, "Mm."
Indeed, there were no what-ifs.
If they couldn't take this risk, they couldn't leave this maze.
Nan Jing didn't say much after hearing this.
Jixun gave a final warning, "If, due to some unforeseen reason, we get separated, then follow this path, and we should meet again. If we encounter a Secret Keeper, follow the plan. Remember, never look at the monster, or you will be contaminated..."
Chu Jiu and Nan Jing nodded slightly, "Mm."
The three of them discussed briefly and then looked towards the corridor ahead.
After taking a deep breath, Jixun shouted, "Run!"
As soon as the words fell, the three figures disappeared rapidly.
Jixun's physical fitness was already extremely strong, and his sprinting speed was faster than sprinters in his previous life.
Chu Jiu was even more formidable; she carried the physically weaker Nan Jing with one hand and ran at full speed without lagging.
As expected by Season Jixun, when they reached an intersection, a terrifying pressure surged from a corner like a tide.
Chu Jiu sensed something and shouted, "It's coming!"
Jixun had already encountered a [Secret Keeper], so this feeling of the soul being drawn away was familiar.
It was that monster.
Normally, when sensing something abnormal, people would instinctively look. Nan Jing also instinctively wanted to look back, but remembering Jixun's warning, she shrank her neck and ran even faster.
The three of them couldn't afford to care about anything else and dashed through the passage.
The terrifying surge followed them like a tidal wave.
The ghost horse's "clop-clop" hoofbeats sounded like a death countdown, growing more urgent.
Its getting closer
The chilling terror, like an evil spirit blowing cold air on their necks, became more distinct.
Ji Xun had already put on the clown mask, his eyes sharp.
Chu Jiu, with her silver hair flowing, looked resolute.
Among the three, only Nan Jing had turned pale from the soul-deep contamination.
Seeing that the three of them were about to be caught, they still didn't stop, charging forward!
As they ran.
Suddenly, the surroundings opened up brightly.
It was as if they had burst from one face of a Rubik's cube into another, entering a completely new passage.
And the monster's presence behind them abruptly disappeared.
...
"Success!"
Ji Xun looked around at the completely unmarked corridor, instantly realizing they had arrived at a new passage.
A few seconds ahead of schedule.
At the same time, a notification appeared: "Entered hidden space, exploration increased by +20%, earned additional rewards."
Chu Jiu also sensed something and reminded, "The monster's presence is gone."
Only then did the three of them stop and breathe a sigh of relief.
Looking back, the corridor at the end of the maze was faintly moving, like gears in a precise machine, meshing and turning.
A magical scene!
Seeing this, the three of them paused in amazement.
So, this was the correct way to clear the [Great Graveyard Maze].
From this moment, it meant they had truly found hope of escaping the maze.
But before they could fully relax, Ji Xun's eyes caught the sight of bones in the passage, and he said, "Someone has been here?"
Nan Jing, being a spirit medium familiar with undead creatures, picked up the bones to examine them and confirmed, "The break marks on the skeleton are recent, about two or three days old. There are traces of frost magic. It should be the Frost Knight from the Governor's Mansion."
Hearing this, Chu Jiu also showed a puzzled expression.
They hadn't expected anyone else to be able to come here.
Ji Xun furrowed his brows slightly, thinking it was normal for the Governor's Mansion to have puzzle-solving experts.
But thinking carefully, two or three days ago?
Chased by so many monsters and not dead, with time to solve puzzles? How was that possible?
Ji Xun pondered but couldn't figure it out and decided not to dwell on it.
Thinking negatively, there could be an unknown number of enemies to watch out for.
But on the bright side, if someone had been here, the monsters might have been cleared out, making it safer.
The current situation might not be worse than expected.
Of course, Ji Xun believed that the people who entered three days ago might not still be alive.
Although this new area was different from the previous maze, according to the adventurer's notes, the dangers here were no less severe.
Moreover, the professional adventurer named "Yuri" didn't make it out alive, suggesting that finding the exit wouldn't be easy.
...
Thinking too much was pointless; the three of them still needed to find an exit.
Ji Xun's gaze moved from the skeletons to the surrounding stone walls.
Unlike the bare rock walls of the previous maze, this passage was decorated with various outlined patterns. There were tall humans, beast-headed monsters, various symbols...
The engraver's skill was remarkable, with simple lines creating vivid, immersive stone murals.
Ji Xun observed the carvings, noting down some symbols.
As he continued, he suddenly saw a symbol with an obvious mysterious meaning: ☾.
Not only this moon symbol, but many other mysterious symbols he had seen on the walls of the basement in the tailor's street!
"So, the evil ritual in the tailor's street really has a direct connection with the ancient Tarren Kingdom?"
Ji Xun grew increasingly interested.
The mysterious ritual on the wall seemed to point to an ancient secret from a distant past.
But why was this ritual depicted on the murals of the tomb's underground palace?
There were no historical records in Innocent City, and Ji Xun didn't know much about the world's history.
After a while, he still couldn't make sense of it.
...
Chu Jiu and Nan Jing, seeing him so focused on the murals, didn't disturb him.
The three of them walked and observed as they went.
But suddenly, a strange sound echoed through the corridor.
All three of them turned pale.
The sound of battle?
Someone was still alive!
Ji Xun's eyes flickered rapidly.
The sound seemed far away, but with the way it echoed, it wouldn't take long to catch up.
Ji Xun shouted urgently, "Move!"
The three of them rushed forward.
Before long, Chu Jiu sensed something and said urgently, "It's the [Secret Keeper]!"
Ji Xun, still running, asked, "How many?"
Chu Jiu's tone changed slightly, "Three."
But before she finished, after a few steps, her face changed dramatically, "Not good, there are more ahead of us!"
With monsters blocking the way in front and chasing from behind, a collision seemed inevitable.
The situation suddenly became very critical.
Ji Xun was also puzzled. With [Secret Keepers] around, how had anyone survived for six days?
But the current situation was clear: running further would definitely lead to trouble.
Ji Xun made a decisive choice and shouted, "Follow the plan!"
Chu Jiu didn't hesitate. Upon hearing this, she used her mental power to knock Nan Jing unconscious again.
Then she closed her eyes and sealed her hearing, saying one last thing, "I'm counting on you."
They had already discussed a plan in case they encountered [Secret Keepers].
By blocking their senses, they could reduce the chances of attracting aggression and curse contamination.
Ji Xun didn't delay, grabbing the two of them and diving into a dark corner of the corridor.
He quickly donned the clown mask and played dead again.
But this time, it wasn't just him; all three were pretending.
Thanks to their decisive action, within moments, the sounds of battle appeared behind them.
The clashing of swords and blades echoed through the corridor.
Ji Xun, hearing the commotion, was even more puzzled, "There really are survivors?"
Although it sounded like only one person, it was still incredible.
How had this person survived?
Before he could speculate further, he saw the person.
A Frost Knight in icy armor, likely having activated some secret technique, moved quickly. A cold, white aura of cursed flames surrounded him, warding off the encroaching black mist from behind.
Chasing him were three [Secret Keepers] on skeletal warhorses.
But judging by the knight's movements, he was exhausted, heavily wounded, and at his limit.
What surprised Ji Xun wasn't just this but also...the fact that this knight was directly fighting the pursuing calamities?
What was going on?
Ji Xun clearly remembered that the [Secret Keepers] attacked with mysterious curses, draining the soul and flesh of their victims.
But here, the Frost Knight was engaging in hand-to-hand combat?
How was he resisting such a terrifying curse contamination?
In the darkness, Ji Xun's eyes burned with intense curiosity. His intuition told him that this knight had discovered a special means to counter the monsters.
He didn't dare look at the [Secret Keepers], instead examining the Frost Knight closely, and quickly noticed something unusual.
The knight held a great sword in his left hand and a black suitcase in his right.
Even in such a dire situation, he hadn't discarded the suitcase.
What was in the suitcase?
Why wasn't it in a storage ring, but carried by hand?
A series of questions flooded Ji Xun's mind, but he realized one thing: the suitcase contained something to counter the monsters' curse!