At this point, Lord Chen knew they had to be realistic. The probability of Cain reaching the Divine Star realm would be far lower if he can receive the least amount of benefits from the star platform.
As for forgetting past transgression and allying with Cain, Lord Chen's Divine Will could never accept. His Divine Will was forged with unyielding pride, standing on top of the heavens, looking down on every genius known to man!
How could his unstoppable pride be willing to bend to Cain? Even as he is a Divine Mortal from legends?
Lord Chen was not willing at all to become someone else stepping stone!
The same determination arouse within Lord Chao. He was a genius above geniuses! Allowing Cain to roll right over them would crack apart his Divine Will.
The two peak Divine Ruler geniuses held a fiery, fighting spirit. That is to resist this seemingly impossible-to-pass mountain that is Cloudsea Lee!
Cain was completely unaware of what kind of schemes were brewing behind his back.
But even if he were aware, such things wouldn't bother him in the slightest. His only thoughts focused on paving out a road for his group.
...
Deep in the starry maze.
At one section of the endless, twisty, turn maze was a peculiar sight.
It is widely known that anyone in the starry maze would be split from each other. The chances of coming across one other person aren't very high at all.
But in this section, two gorgeous young maidens were traveling together. Both of these young geniuses were the cream of the corp of the younger generation.
Complete, overwhelming nobility radiated from every fiber of their being. It generated a knee-bending presence. All lowly mortals wouldn't be fit to kiss their feet. Kneeling before them would simply be natural under the pressure of their Divine Auras.
Shocking of it all was the fact that both young women weren't Divine Decree Lords.
One was the ever-cold Lan Rui, an early stage Divine Ruler.
While the other was Amber, an absolute extreme stage Great Divine sea expert.
These women's cultivation wasn't high compared to all others. But the potential simmering deep within them was enormous.
Combined together, Amber and Lan Rui actually had a relatively smooth time traversing the starry maze. Their Spiritual Seas were heightened to their limits because of help from Cain's black lightning.
At the peak of their perception abilities and combined together, Amber and Lan Rui could more accurately perceive the highest Great Dao sensations.
There was a serene atmosphere permeating between the two. Not many words were shared, but the girls still had enjoyable travel with each other. The mystical link of cultivation silently grew between the two.
The duo's roads were straighter than what they traveled on their own. There weren't many twists or turns being taken.
Down from hallway to hallway, avoiding all traps that they can, the duo calmly walked.
When it seemed like several days has passed, a new change in scenery made Amber and Lan Rui stop dead in their tracks.
Their beautiful faces were slightly curled in confusion. Amber slowly muttered, "We've walked for so long, turned many paths, and jumped over every trap. Yet, only now do we see a dead-end?"
Indeed, hundreds of meters across from Amber and Lan Rui was a single dead-end wall. No other corridors were on the side. In fact, neither Amber nor Lan Rui had even detected any presence of a trap.
Numerous ideas flashed through Lan Rui's mind. She recounted all of her experiences and spoke a moment later, "From what I can fathom, we have been here for most likely half a month. From these days of continuous travel, not a single dead-end was presented to us. And now, we're hundreds of meters away from one. Could this possibly be?"
Amber lightly smiles. "That would sound almost too hopeful. And I have a feeling that ancient Heavenly Venerate wouldn't want to make things easy for us. This could be as much of a trap as a way out."
"Indeed." Lan Rui seriously nodded. "Then, shall we take our time to slowly explore this place? If we check every inch of this area, it may be possible to discover the secret without having to risk our lives or expand our energy."
A light chuckle escaped Amber's lips. "Now, that's a plan in favor of me. That crazed nut would've bulldozed right through this place and still come out on top."
"We're just playing into our strength. There's never a problem with being slow and methodical." Lan Rui had a wry smile.
The girls were just prepared to begin their slow scouting when four familiar life auras entered their detection range.
In that very moment, a voice full of endless vigor more intense than a boiling sun called out to them, "Ah! Hey, you guys! Sister Rui and Xun! The Heaven stars must be aligned if we all can meet up like this!"
A slight smile curled Amber and Lan Rui's lips. They turned around, flashes of surprise glinting in their eyes.
A group of geniuses was walking on a strange route as they got close to Amber and Lan Rui.
These four geniuses truthfully couldn't compare to others within the Starry Earth realm. Three of them only had Divine Star base cultivation while the other was only in extreme stage Great Divine Sea. Their cultivations couldn't really be counted at all.
However, there was a certain, indescribable presence exuding from these geniuses. It was a mystical sensation that couldn't be ignored. Even Divine Decree Lords would give these geniuses a second look over.
All of them had sharply refined Divine Wills. Each of them had tattered clothes, stains of blood on their face and body, and one could even spot beads of sweat drizzling down.
However, despite their battered state, none of these geniuses looked the least bit exhausted. They traveled for weeks on, in constant life-or-death situations, and still managed to trudge their way forward!
Naturally, these four were Xu Tao, Hu Wen, Jin Ya, and Yulong. Geniuses who managed to perform feats other Divine Star and Great Divine Sea geniuses can only dream of.
Lan Rui nodded, a hint of respect touching her eyes as she said, "It indeed must be luck we all can group up. From the looks of it, it seems that Martial brother and sisters have been through several trials while here."
"Mn. The legends really didn't hold back on this place. I truly believed I was going to lose my life multiple times, even with all my protections. Luckily, we weren't that separated from each other. We quickly put our heads together to survive." Jin Ya so casually explained. Her tone was still plain, as if the starry maze was just another trial any other cultivator can undergo.
While Xu Tao and Hu Wen had wry smiles. Xu Tao said first, "She says that, but really, we've been walking on the skin of our teeth this entire time. Thankfully, with Martial brother Lee's gift, it was enough for us to somehow skid away."
Hu Wen also added, "That's right. We really owe Martial brother another debt here. I would've quite this hellish maze long ago without you all."
"Hehe~! And now that we're high, things should be much easier to traverse. Speaking off, what were you two doing just standing right here?" Yulong curiously asked.
By this point, her whole group was just a few inches apart from Amber and Lan Rui.
Amber nudged her head towards the dead-end wall. She explained, "Just trying to figure out this dead-end wall. Out of this whole maze, this is the only dead-end we had ever encountered. It should be the same for you all, right?"
Looking down the corridor, Xu Tao, Hu Wen, and Jin Ya all nodded with inquisitive expressions.
Only Yulong twisted her brows as she stared down the corridor. The blood within her began to faintly churn. Her soul slightly quivers. Something was calling out to her. Magnetic, a sensation that's fall too pulling for her to ever write off.
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Before anyone could speak up, Yulong suddenly took a step forward in the dead-end corridor while saying, "Hey, do you guys trust me? Because...I feel something down here."
She didn't wait as she took slow steps down the corridor.
"Eh?" Everyone else briefly glanced at each other before shrugging.
As hyperactive as Yulong is, she is also very intelligent, far more so than the average genius. She could pick up on clues and context with only very little information. It wouldn't be like her to lead them astray.
They also trust her comprehension abilities enough to avoid any dangerous traps. After all, they all were keenly aware that Yulong is a monstrous talent belonging to the Heavenly Great Worlds!
She could honestly compare to the Divine Decree Lord in the future.
With Amber in the lead, the group slowly follows behind Yulong. In a few moments, they all ended up in front of the dead-end wall.
Yulong blinked her eyes. The sensation in her bloodstream and soul blazed with a fiery intensity! The calling became thousands of times stronger!
What felt like a majestic emperor was right beyond this wall. An emperor whose inborn will could summon all of its subjects with just a thought.
Light overflowed from Yulong's eyes. Her mind and body moved on instinct, her hand already touching the dead-end wall.
A single touch sent an intense electrifying shock through Yulong!