C17 Maze Fortress

"What's our next move to find the Foundation Building Pill?"

Having dealt with the sandman, it was time to zero in on the main objective.

Immortal Sword Jiulong, as a beta tester, should have some insights.

Yet, Immortal Sword Jiulong looked utterly confused. "I have no idea."

"What about the beta test?"

"I told you, I was just a tester."

"But you've been here before, right?"

"Yes."

"So how do we get there?"

"I don't remember."

Wang Yipao: ...

Seriously, brother-in-law?

You just said you've been here.

"My knowledge of this place is sketchy at best, maybe even less than that. It was a beta test, no, a tester's period, and I wasn't the one who took the Foundation Building Pill. Plus, there were other factors involved. My memory of this area isn't as clear as you might think," Immortal Sword Jiulong offered his explanation.

"So you're saying you didn't jot it down in a notebook?" Wang Yipao eyed him skeptically.

Immortal Sword Jiulong: ...

The way you put it, it sounds like I'm the one at fault.

And since when does a tester carry around a notebook?

"My brother's an idiot."

"The captain's memory is like a fish's, only seven seconds long."

"That sounds like our captain."

Immortal Sword Jiulong: ...

Give me a break!

I'm the captain, for crying out loud. Why are you making me out to be a dunce?

I only let this place slip my mind because I was focused on remembering more important things!

Is it necessary to rib me like this?

"Let's just keep going the way we were," Wang Yipao sighed, wondering if he should have teamed up with the Dragon Monarch and his crew from the start.

He had the medicine, after all.

They would have surely agreed to help him.

But Wang Yipao dismissed the thought as quickly as it came.

"Hold on, this place looks familiar!" Immortal Sword Jiulong's eyes widened as he seemed to recall something.

"We can't go this way. This is..."

Ding! Immortal Sword Jiulong's team had entered the labyrinth fortress.

Immortal Sword Jiulong couldn't help but smile wryly. "This is where I got stuck for ages and missed the chance to get the Foundation Building Pill! That's why I said I only know about ten to twenty percent of it!"

"Attack!" commanded the Eldest Miss.

The team members snickered and lunged at their captain without a second thought, like wolves starved for prey.

"We had such a strong start, with an alchemist and everything. And now, because of your lousy memory, we're in this mess," they accused.

"You have the gall to admit you only remember a measly ten to twenty percent?"

"Hold on, I know where the exit is, it's just a bit tricky," Immortal Sword Jiulong pleaded, raising his hands in surrender.

"And hey, I'm the captain here! Is it right to strike your leader? What about respect?"

Immortal Sword Shui Jing shot him a fierce look. "I ordered them to. Got a problem with that, brother?"

"Nope," Immortal Sword Jiulong caved instantly.

"How long will it take to get out?"

"Four or five hours, maybe."

"Then let's just keep fighting. It's not like we have any chance at the Foundation Building Pill now."

Immortal Sword Jiulong: ...

Is this really my fault?

At that moment, Wang Yipao was intently focused.

Since entering the labyrinthine fortress, he'd been closely observing his surroundings. Recently, he'd uncovered a stone tablet buried in the sand.

The inscription read:

"Maze Fortress, where entrants despair and leavers rejoice."

"Yipao, what's caught your eye?"

"It's possible this maze is a shortcut to the Foundation Building Pill, or at least to something valuable at the exit. Otherwise, why inscribe such words?"

"I had the same thought, but when I left the maze, I found nothing but endless desert. This darn game promised opportunity, but delivered only peril, with no sign of fortune."

"Perhaps you exited through the entrance, not the true exit," Wang Yipao suggested offhandedly.

He then resumed probing the desert barriers, seeking the way out.

"Wait up, Brother Yipao, don't wander off. If you get turned around, I won't know how to guide you out," Immortal Sword Jiulong said, clearly worried as Wang Yipao moved ahead.

But his sister held him back. "Since the Foundation Building Pill is out of reach, why not follow him? The Secret Realm will vanish eventually, and there's no need for you to fret over our exit."

"Right, I mean, after four or five hours, what can I do, sis? Don't hit me—I'm not to blame here. You've got to point the finger at our parents! Memory's a natural gift, after all."

"Bro, I've got that all on tape. You can explain it to Mom and Dad yourself."

"Come on, aren't you my real sister?"

"Who else would bother recording your grating voice?"

Immortal Sword Jiulong: ...

He'd lost count of how many times he'd been left speechless since his arrival.

It felt like his sister's presence in Immortal Sword had sent his own status into freefall.

But, stuck here, he might as well wait and see if Yipao could pull off a miracle.

"Huh?"

Wang Yipao's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Did you find the way out?" Immortal Sword Shui Jing asked, surprised.

"Not sure, just stumbled upon something fun." With a flourish, Wang Yipao summoned the Demon Light and struck a corner of the desert barrier.

Barrier Sand Demon

Level: Fifth grade Qi Refining

"Can this even work?" Immortal Sword Jiulong's eyes bulged in disbelief.

"Captain, snap out of it. He's Mr. Pao, you're the seven-second fish. Think you can match that? The intellectual gap is massive."

"Spit it out! I last longer than seven seconds!"

"Captain, I'm starting to think you might actually be dumb."

"White dog, you're dead!"

After the team pummeled the Barrier Sand Demon, a gap emerged in the corner of the barrier.

"A dog hole..." Immortal Sword Jiulong couldn't help but say it out loud.

Which, naturally, earned him another round of thrashing.

Because now they had to squeeze through that very dog hole.

Wang Yipao had already made his way in.

"Sis, about this..."

"Get in!"

"But, sis, should people of our stature really be crawling through such a tiny opening?"

"Captain, we're going through a small hole, but you're headed for a dog hole. Get your facts straight," a teammate called out, grinning from ear to ear.

"White dog, just wait till I get there, I'm gonna make you pay!" Immortal Sword Jiulong was livid.

But eventually, prodded by his sister, he relented and crawled through.

"Let's move on and take down the next monster."

Wang Yipao had already set his sights on the next Barrier Sand Demon.

"Are we seriously climbing again?!"

Twenty minutes later,

The group emerged into a whole new realm.

Though still within the labyrinthine fortress, their latest excavation at the corner didn't yield another Sand Demon.

This time, they unearthed the Sand Demon King, a Boss Level adversary.

Level: Qi Refining Perfection

Skills: Burrowing, Sand Blast, Dragon's Breath

Description: A chance to drop a Foundation Building Pill

"Is it just me, or is this bug a bit on the larger side?"

Upon sighting the three-story-tall Sand Demon Bug King, Immortal Sword Jiulong couldn't help but comment timidly.

"What are you on about, Captain? It might drop a Foundation Building Pill! Are you blind?"

The Immortal Sword team members were on the verge of losing it. Their captain's priorities seemed utterly skewed.

"Ouyang Jue, if your eyes are of no use to you, perhaps you'd consider donating them to someone in need?" Wang Yipao quipped sarcastically.

The boss was already bearing down on them!

And you're still fixated on its size.

Quick as a flash, Wang Yipao lightly lifted his right foot.

"Take this! Sand Demon Bug King, face the Immortal Sword Captain's Shield!"

Immortal Sword Jiulong: ...

Jian Yipao, since when did you start playing these kinds of tricks?

But before he knew it, Immortal Sword Jiulong found himself propelled toward the Sand Demon Bug King by a swift kick from Wang Yipao.

"Nice move!"

"The captain should definitely be the one to tank."

"Go for it, Captain! We'll grab a bite and be right back to support you."

Immortal Sword Jiulong coughed up blood, "You guys are the epitome of heartless!"