Chapter 31 - First Floor: Labyrinth of Shadows P.1

The moment the door opened, it was as if a dam had broken.

The sea of gathered cultivators surged forth like a tidal wave, each group desperate to be the first ones to gain access to the interior of the Inheritance Tomb.

Unlike the rest however, Xin Jin and his group chose to wait patiently, as per their plan from the previous night.

In truth, they were taking the wisest course of action, since these situations were not first come, first served.

Instead, it was more accurate to view it as first come, first dead. Even if someone were lucky enough to find a valuable treasure, weapon, what have you, unless they possessed overwhelming power, they would simply be torn apart by the other greedy and savage cultivators.

After about 8 or so minutes, time which Xin Jin and the other took to casually chat, they finally prepared to move towards the entrance.

Coincidentally, Huo Shaoyang, Dong Zǐmò, and the other disciples of the Holy Dragon Fire Sect had also chosen to wait under the advice of Grand Elder Zǐmò.

Upon seeing him, Huo Shaoyang simply glared at Xin Jin for a brief moment, before simply turning away with an audible 'Hmph', and leading the sect disciples inside.

Xin Jin was intrigued by the others behavior for a second, but decided that Huo Shaoyang's mild change in temperament was irrelevant.

He just assumed that the latter had simply been given a thorough talking to by Dong Zǐmò about his fiery outburst yesterday, resulting in Huo Shaoyang choosing to act in a more low-key manner.

After watching the members of the Holy Dragon Fire Sect dissappear within the entrance, Xin Jin, Luo Mei, Gu Xian'er and company also headed for the large, ornately decorated double doors.

Once they were standing before the magnificent entrance, they noticed that it wasn't as simple as a door with a hallway, staircase, or other such things one might expect.

As it turned out, the doors were simply a cover.

A ruse.

The true entrance, which lie beyond the doors, was a swirling purple vortex.

"A portal?" Xin Jin mussed aloud as he considered what they were all looking at.

"It seems to be the case, Master." Acknowledged Lu Qiáng from the side.

Xin Jin rubbed his chin as he asked the System what she thought.

'Any opinions Jewel?'

[It appears to be a standard teleportation portal. There are no abnormalities that I can detect, so it should be perfectly safe to enter.] The voice of the System answered succinctly.

"Alright. Let's head in and see what we can find." Xin Jin stated after his brief pause.

A moment later they stepped into the swirling energy.

It was quite the experience for everyone as they felt like they entered a turbulent whirlpool that swept them away.

Less than a second later, Xin Jin appeared on the other side with a thump as he landed on his rear end in an inelegant manner.

The first thing he noticed after standing, besides the feeling of his skin buzzing like he had been slightly electrocuted, was the fact that he was now alone in a dark, cave-like tunnel.

"Well, shit..." He muttered in a self-deprecating fashion.

Xin Jin and the others had discussed a bunch of possible scenarios before entering into the Inheritance Tomb the night prior, and being separated was one of the most likely possibilities.

Still, he found it rather annoying that he was by himself right from the get-go.

"Fine. I just have to keep looking until I find everyone. Shouldn't be too difficult right?" He thought aloud.

With that in mind, Xin Jin took the only path available and began walking forward amidst the suffocating darkness.

After a few minutes of walking, Xin Jin found it quite difficult to see, even with his eyes that seemed to have gone through a qualitative change after he awakened his divine soul.

However, it was at this moment that he had a realization.

Hadn't he gained an ability specifically meant for his eyes?

Indeed. One of his first abilities, along with his passive growth, Qilins Gaze.

Xin Jin stopped in his tracks, closed his eyes, and focused his mind and Spirit Energy, willing the mysterious Innate ability to activate.

After a few seconds passed, He suddenly felt a pleasant warmth spread from the back of his eyes all the way to his pupils.

When Xin Jin finally opened them, what he saw was now much clearer, like the world was in 8k resolution. Unfortunately, the darkness that seemed as thick as the air itself, did not fully dissipate. It was however much better, like a deep shadow during sunset.

"Mmm, much better." Xin Jin commented to nobody.

"Aaah....!"

Just as he began his exploration of the tunnel he found himself transported to once again, the echo of a blood chilling scream reached his ears.

"Sigh...but of course." Xin Jin could only continue on, since the only other way was back to the dead end where he started.

With a wary yet determined gaze, he headed towards the direction of the earlier screaming.

Nearly 2 minutes later, Xin Jin turned a corner, and the relatively wide and tall tunnel opened up into a large chamber that was roughly 50x80 meters.

He suspected that this was where the scream came from, and he was right. The scent of blood was thick in the air.

After a brief survey of the surroundings, Xin Jin discovered numerous other cultivators near the center of the chamber, now corpses, their bodies torn to shreads by something monstrously sharp.

"Damn, what could possibly have done something like this?" He wondered as he knelt to inspect them.

Suddenly, Xin Jin felt a chill make its way down his spine, along with the feeling of being watched.

In less time than a heartbeat, before he could even process his situation, Xin Jin instinctively leapt sideways, rolling as he did.

The sound of something sharp, but not quite metallic, rang out from where he had just been as it made contact with the stone floor.

As Xin Jin reoriented his position, returning to his feet, a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"What in the hells is that thing..." He muttered as some type of...shadow creature...stood before him.

However, before he could get a good look at the creatures unsightly form, he watched it fade back into the darkness seamlessly.

"This...won't be easy..."Xin Jin stated solemnly as he drew his Grade 4 weapon, The Blade of Impermanence, as he prepared to defend himself against a beast that, although he could somewhat sense when it attacked, he was unable to see it as it had the ability to become one with the darkness.