Chapter 31: The Maze Cave

After a short sprint, Shen Chen arrived at the cave he had passed earlier. Wang Yue was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing that Shen Chen was injured in multiple places, with blood flowing, Wang Yue quickly darted out from the weeds, took a few steps forward, and supported Shen Chen.

"Brother, are you okay?!"

Wang Yue's eyes were red, his facial muscles twisted in anger, and his teeth were grinding.

Seeing Shen Chen's severe injuries, Wang Yue could easily imagine the bloody battle he had just experienced. It was regrettable that he couldn't join in the fight against those bastards.

"I'm fine, just some superficial injuries. How about the preparations you were asked to make?"

Shen Chen waved his hand lightly. In his previous life, he was a street thug who had cut many people and been cut himself many times. Although the injuries were not light, they were within the range of what he could endure.

Moreover, the current situation did not allow him to fall. As long as the enemy was not eliminated, even if he had only one breath left, Shen Chen would fight to the death and would not retreat at all.

"Alright, I've almost figured out the cave's layout. As you predicted, this cave is indeed bottomless, and it's pitch black inside."

Wang Yue nodded and said, "Moreover, the cave is interconnected in all directions, like a maze. If it weren't for your foresight in having me leave marks along the way, I might have gotten lost in the cave!"

"A maze... perfect for clearing out Lin Hai's remaining forces..."

Shen Chen stroked his chin, his expression cold.

Although the scene in the valley was brutal, it was clearly not enough to completely eliminate Lin Hai's subordinates. Moreover, Lin Hai probably had people waiting at the exit of the Eagle Sorrow Gorge. This time, even if he returned and brought the inner disciples, the situation would still be grim.

However, Shen Chen was not worried; he already had a plan.

"Wang Yue, you stay at the entrance and observe secretly. If Lin Hai brings people, immediately enter the cave and create a disturbance to lure them in. Then, while moving around, keep making noise to lead them in circles. I'll go into the cave to recover and figure out the layout. Later, I'll find opportunities to assassinate Lin Hai's people one by one. Got it?"

"Alright!" Although Wang Yue was slow to react, he wasn't stupid and quickly understood Shen Chen's plan, nodding heavily.

"Hisss... Hisss... Hisss, Ah—"

A few moments later, the cave echoed with low roars and muffled shouts.

Wang Yue looked towards the entrance, swallowing hard, "Brother Chen is really tough, to do this kind of thing alone..."

He knew what Shen Chen was doing. His brother could even reset broken ribs by gritting his teeth, showing incredible willpower. If it were him, he wouldn't have the courage.

...

After a period of anxious waiting, about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, there was finally some movement nearby, and footsteps could be heard.

"They're coming..." Wang Yue peeked out from the weeds and saw a group of people approaching from a distance.

It was Lin Hai and his group.

"Sure enough, as Brother predicted, that guy brought more people!"

Many of the people Lin Hai brought this time were ones Wang Yue hadn't seen before, not among the dozen inner disciples who had surrounded him and Shen Chen.

Clearly, Lin Hai had brought some of the people guarding the gorge entrance.

Without hesitation, Wang Yue followed Shen Chen's plan and quietly entered the cave behind him.

Estimating the time it would take for Lin Hai's group to approach, just as they were about to get close, Wang Yue suddenly raised his axe and fiercely struck the rock wall beside him.

"Crack!"

The sound of the rock breaking spread instantly, causing the mountain to shake.

"Senior Brother Lin Hai, something's happening over there!"

With such a loud noise, it was impossible for Lin Hai's group not to notice. A moment later, Lin Hai led a dozen people to the cave entrance.

"Hiding inside... and making such a big noise, you really have a lot of tricks up your sleeve..."

Lin Hai looked into the cave with a dark expression, sneering. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes and face were dirty, far from his usual elegant appearance. His handsome face was now filled with resentment and disarray.

He knew that Shen Chen was trying to use a trick, but Lin Hai was not afraid. They had almost searched the entire valley, and even if the boy hid inside and remained silent, they would eventually find him.

"Senior Brother Lin Hai, this guy is cunning and deceitful. Could it be a trap? Should we just go in like this..."

An inner disciple looked at Lin Hai with some trepidation. He was the only one who survived the madness of the iron-armored rhinos. The other dozen inner disciples were either killed on the spot or were being chased by the rhinos. Thinking about the previous scene, it felt like a nightmare, and he didn't want to fall into Shen Chen's trap again.

In fact, not just him, but the other inner disciples, after hearing about Shen Chen's actions, were also reluctant to provoke that killing god. They thought he was cunning and ruthless, more terrifying than the King of Hell.

However, due to the pressure from Senior Brother Lin Hai, no one dared to voice their thoughts.

"Of course we have to go in. Being timid would just fall into that boy's trap!" Seeing that the people he brought were already timid before entering the cave, Lin Hai was furious and shouted.

However, he then suppressed his anger and reassured everyone, "Don't worry, there won't be any fierce beasts inside. Otherwise, that boy wouldn't be alive now. Alright, leave four or five people to guard the entrance, and the rest, follow me into the cave!"

With that, Lin Hai led the way into the cave, and the other inner disciples, seeing this, had no choice but to follow, despite their reluctance.

...

Following the direction of the noise, Lin Hai and his disciples delved deeper into the pitch-black maze cave, getting closer to Shen Chen and Wang Yue.

"Hmph! Shen Chen, even if you have wings, you won't be able to escape this cave today. I will crush your bones and scatter them, avenging my previous humiliation!"

Feeling the hateful aura getting closer, Lin Hai's face was filled with resentment, and a cold, murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

Previously, Shen Chen had tricked and killed most of his men, which drove Lin Hai to the brink of madness, making him want to eat Shen Chen's flesh and drink his blood.

On the other side, Shen Chen was also highly tense. He had a strong desire to kill Lin Hai. The people Lin Hai brought had already been reduced by half, significantly narrowing the power gap.

As for how to deal with this force, Shen Chen had already made a plan.

"This cave is pitch black, and the terrain is like a maze. Having more people doesn't necessarily give a significant advantage," Shen Chen's lips curled into a cold smile, "On the contrary, I have unexpectedly opened my head meridians, making my perception as sharp as that of a peak Blood Fusion Realm martial artist. Combined with the Shadow Fox Steps, I feel quite at home here!"

While Lin Hai was trying to hunt him down, in fact, Shen Chen was also planning to kill him here!

"Swoosh, swoosh..."

Just as Shen Chen was thinking, suddenly, a presence quickly approached from behind.

"Already so fast!"

Shen Chen was startled and, without hesitation, moved his wrist to stab backward with his sword.

He didn't expect Lin Hai's group to find his position so quickly. According to his previous estimation, it would take Lin Hai at least half an hour to find him in the maze-like cave.

However, just as the sword tip was about to strike, Shen Chen sensed something and quickly retracted his move, stopping the powerful strike.

"Who?"

Shen Chen called out. The figure approaching from behind was familiar, seemingly Wang Yue, and he almost injured him.

"Wait, wait, wait, it's me, Brother! Don't attack!" It was indeed Wang Yue. Hearing Shen Chen's voice, he quickly identified himself, fearing being injured by Shen Chen.

Initially, seeing a figure in the distance, he thought it was Lin Hai's group, and he swung his axe without hesitation.

However, Wang Yue practiced a strength-based technique, and his movements were not as agile as Shen Chen's. After Shen Chen's quick reaction, Wang Yue had no choice but to defend himself, using his heavy axe to protect his vital points in a panic.

Fortunately, Shen Chen's perception was sharp, and he quickly retracted his move, avoiding a conflict between brothers.

"How could it be you?" Shen Chen was speechless. He turned and approached, using the weak light in the cave to see Wang Yue's face, feeling a headache.

They hadn't even engaged Lin Hai's group, and he almost fought with his own people, which was embarrassing!

"Brother, I followed your plan and kept moving around the cave, making noise, but I didn't attract Lin Hai's group. Instead, I ran into you first," Wang Yue was also extremely frustrated, "All because of this pitch-black cave, it almost made me dizzy!"

"It's fine, follow the original plan. Continue making noise nearby, and I'll find ways to assassinate those guys one by one!" Shen Chen patted his shoulder and was about to leave.

However, after a few steps, he turned back, looking at the somewhat bewildered Wang Yue, frowning, "This won't work. The visible range in this cave is less than ten feet. I'm fine, but you might not have the eyesight. In the chaos, we might end up hurting each other. We need to find a solution!"

The encounter just now reminded Shen Chen that while staying together was fine, once they separated, it would be hard to distinguish friend from foe in the cave.

His original plan was for Wang Yue to attract Lin Hai's group and lead them in circles, while he picked off the isolated ones one by one. However, after the incident, Shen Chen realized there were some issues.

Besides the risk of misidentifying and injuring each other, there were other problems, such as how to determine the position of Lin Hai's main force in the chaos. Even with his sharp perception, he would be at a loss.

If these issues weren't resolved, the operation would not go smoothly. Shen Chen, who was always confident in his intelligence and experience, was now somewhat at a loss.

"Hehe, Brother, I have a solution!" Unexpectedly, Wang Yue suddenly smiled. Seeing Shen Chen's worry, he had a sudden idea and quickly pulled out two silver bells from his pocket, handing them to Shen Chen.

"This..."

Looking at the two delicate silver bells in Wang Yue's hand, Shen Chen was initially surprised, but then, his sharp mind quickly connected the dots, and he laughed, "I didn't expect you to be useful in a critical moment. Alright, let's do it this way!"

As he spoke, Shen Chen quickly took one of the silver bells and tied it to his waist. Then, the two separated again. In the cave, besides the noise Wang Yue was making, there were also faint sounds of the silver bells.

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