As expected, the closer we came to the exit, the more obstacles piled up. Space tangled and buckled, like torn currents of glass; every step felt cramped.

In my Sword Intent sensing, the exit was near, yet we couldn't pin its exact spot, like a bell you hear but can't find.

It felt like we were caught in spatial chaos, or masked and hidden, like mist veiling a mountain.

That almost-there yet nowhere feeling gnawed first; frustration rose before action, while spells kept raining in like a cold drizzle.

Nothing hit us, but seeing Lingxiao, Lingsaki, and Lixue wearing soft fatigue stung like grit in the eye.

Keeping the Sword Domain too long still drains hard, especially in a place where space riots like a storm-tossed sea.

This is trouble. The road ahead is slowly constricting, like a throat tightening.

If we don't break out in three minutes, we'll be trapped in this sunless tunnel like moles under stone.

I sensed it and passed it to Lixue and the sisters like a ripple.

This isn't like before; forget rushing—just holding steady flight takes everything, like balancing on a blade.

It's that tricky? Emperor, heads up. I'm going to speed up, like an arrow loosed.

Ice-blue radiance bloomed from Lixue, dazzling and pure, like winter light on crystal.

In a blink, her clothes flowed into a lavish ice-blue dress, like glacier silk.

She had unfurled her Sword Domain—Heavenly Snow Dance Burial, snow petals whirling in silence.

She was stunning, a holy glow in every breath, like a shrine lit at dawn.

At this distance, her beauty felt unreal; heat rose, and I grew shy, like a novice before a goddess.

Not to be outdone, Lingxiao and Lingsaki opened their Law Domains, fields rolling like tides.

Under those fields, obstacles and spatial churn lost much bite, like wolves turned to shadows.

Good. Let's punch straight out.

Mm.

Got it, like a spark catching!

Big brother, be careful. Hold Lixue tighter, like gripping a lifeline.

At once, the world ahead twisted like wet canvas, then thinned to phantoms like smoke.

A cold wind slapped my face like knives; it stung, clean and sharp.

The speed hit like a fall; my mind lagged like a wheel in mud.

I snapped back, panicked, almost slipped, but Lixue held me tight like iron arms.

Two minutes flashed by, like a match burning fast.

We cleared the earlier stretch, and this was clearly the tunnel's end, like a cul-de-sac in stone.

Light burst open; darkness melted; space steadied like still water under moon.

No road lay ahead, just an abrupt cliff of air.

By rights, there should be an exit, or at least a door, like a hinge in the wall.

In truth, there was nothing, a clean blank like untouched snow.

It's strange. In my senses, the exit presses like a beacon, yet it's unfound, like a star behind cloud.

Clear and blurred; close enough to touch, far as the horizon, like a mirage on sand.

That's exactly how it feels, a tease and a void.

What's going on? There's no exit? Lingxiao looked around, puzzled, like a cat in a new room.

The exit seems hidden, but it's in this area. Big brother, any finds? Lingsaki asked, eyes bright like fireflies.

Not yet.

I had Lixue set me down. I shook my head and started to search, sweeping like a rake over soil.

Lixue, circle above, and look for useful clues, like a hawk reading the land.

Okay.

On the other side, with Wansheng and Wanling present, Qianji's group met no danger, like travelers under banners.

Leaving, though, wasn't simple, like swimming upstream against cold current.

After they grasped the situation, they found a labyrinth spun like a hive.

They had three hours to find the exit and leave, or be 'invited' out of the Soulless Sanctuary like guests pressed to the door.

Normally, no maze is too complex—strong divine sense cuts paths like light through fog.

Wansheng and Wanling stand at the Zenith of Law Realm; their mind-sense is a sea, wide and deep.

Yet they hit a wall, hard as iron.

The Primordial Source aura here pressed hard, dense as stone on the chest.

Anyone below the Origin Realm suffered heavy drag, strength be damned, like ships caught in kelp.

This was the eighteenth return to the starting point, circling like a millstone over grain.

Does this maze even let us out? Holy Voice sighed, her voice a tired bell in rain.

The aura blocked more than they expected; each step felt like chest-deep water against the ribs.

Eighteen rounds, and no real progress, like footprints wiped by tide.

So strange. My senses shouldn't be wrong. Why is it like this? Wansheng said, confidence fraying like thread.

Do you think the Primordial Source's blockade is easy to pierce? Wanling glanced back, eyes cool as steel.

She saw fatigue on Xinyin and Celia Maya's faces, and suggested a rest, like throwing shade under noon.

I wonder how Emperor's side is doing. I'm worried, Qianji said, her thoughts knotted like twine.

With Wansheng and Wanling stuck, Emperor, Lingxiao, Lingsaki, and Lixue might face danger, like deer near thorns.

Yeah. Lingxiao and Lingsaki just survived a tough fight. If something hits again, it's bad, like embers catching dry grass.

Emperor and Lixue carry Origin Artifacts. They shouldn't face real danger. Relax, Wansheng said, steady as a drum.

Do Origin Artifacts turn danger into safety? Celia Maya asked, curious, eyes bright like dew.

She remembered the day Hill brought the badly wounded Emperor and others to the Dragon Realm, like refugees under storm.

If an Origin Artifact always saved its master, why was he hurt so badly, like a shield that didn't rise?

Wansheng explained, seeing her doubt, calm as stone.

An Origin Artifact senses on its own, like a sleeping guardian in the dark.

Only when it clearly feels its master at a true life-and-death edge will it trigger protection, like a gate slamming shut.

If it bailed you out of every scrape, it would stunt its master's growth like a tree tied too tight.

I get it. No wonder Emperor had that strange veil of power shielding him then, Celia Maya said, light dawning like sunrise.

So don't worry too much. So far, none of the trials are truly deadly, Xinyin said, voice smooth as water.

Let's rally, and find a clean way to escape this maze, like drawing breath before a climb.

Right. Maybe little Emperor's already waiting outside like sun past the gate. Let's focus on getting out, Holy Voice agreed, firm as a chord.

Others nodded like reeds bending together.

Half an hour slipped by; one hour remained, sand trickling in glass.

After conferring, they settled on a workable plan, laying stones on a path.

Costly, yes, but for Qianji and Holy Voice of the Mizumi Clan, it wasn't much, like paying rain to the river.

Use a flood of Supreme Divine Elixirs to spur the Allsaints Spirit Staff to full power, like stoking a forge.

With Wansheng and Wanling assisting, harness the Semi Origin Artifact's force, like yoking thunder.

Shake off the Primordial Source aura fast, find the exit, and get out, clean as a cut.

Then no delays—let's begin!