Several days later.
Northern Plains, the Cave of Madness.
"Liu Guanyi, we've been waiting for you for quite a while!" Bushi Xian came personally to the first level to receive Fang Yuan and Chu Du.
The three conversed as they made their way deeper.
Fang Yuan noticed that the route this time had shifted slightly compared to his last visit.
"Have the demonic voices been more frequent lately?" Fang Yuan asked.
"They have indeed grown more frequent. That's why our path must constantly change as well. When the demonic voices rise, they cause the Dao Traces to go into disarray. Not only do they drive the wasteland beasts mad, but they also reshape the terrain itself," Bushi Xian explained.
After a short while, they encountered Pangshan.
Pangshan roused from his sliver, cracking open a sliver of his eye: "So we meet again, Brother Chu."
His relationship with Chu Du seemed to be quite good.
Then he turned his gaze to Fang Yuan: "Brother Liu, I've already heard of your abilities. After we set the Pact of Madness, we'll have a proper chat."
Fang Yuan asked, "How do I enter into this Pact of Madness with you?"
"You'll need to go down to the third-to-last level. I'm not very mobile, so I won't be accompanying you." Pangshan's explanation was vague — essentially explaining nothing at all.
"Follow me," Bushi Xian said, continuing to lead the way.
The three immortals pressed onward, descending ever deeper. The further they went, the more circuitous the route became. Sometimes the straight-line distance was remarkably short, yet they had to detour in a massive loop.
"Trust me — taking the long way around here is actually faster than going in a straight line," Bushi Xian said with a smile.
Chu Du nodded as well and advised Fang Yuan: "When we get down there, try not to be too shocked."
Fang Yuan couldn't help but feel a growing sense of curiosity and anticipation.
A while later, passing through a cavern, Fang Yuan set foot on the third-to-last level of the Cave of Madness.
Before his eyes lay a dazzling panorama of radiance.
Every imaginable color — a kaleidoscope of hues — glowed faintly from the stones, the soil, the vegetation.
Fang Yuan drew in a sharp breath: "These... these are all Dao Trace halos! Only quasi-Ninth Transformation immortal materials can emit this kind of Dao Trace light. The Dao Traces here are astonishingly dense. Doesn't that mean every patch of soil, every stone wall, is equivalent to quasi-Ninth Transformation immortal material?!"
Bushi Xian laughed heartily: "Brother Liu, that's a fair point. But these immortal materials have their Dao Traces thrown into chaos. They're useless."
Chu Du looked at Fang Yuan's stunned expression and smiled: "When I first came here, I was just as shocked as you."
Bushi Xian's smile faded slightly: "The Dao Traces here are so dense that it's no longer just a matter of emitting light. They've formed something akin to a battlefield killing move. Walking here will be incredibly arduous. Brother Liu — why don't you try it for yourself?"
Fang Yuan quickly shook his head: "Bushi Xian, if you say so, I naturally believe you. There's no need for me to test it."
Bushi Xian glanced at Chu Du and smiled: "Brother Liu is far more sensible than a certain someone. Back in the day, that certain someone refused to believe me and insisted on charging straight in. I tried my best to dissuade him, but to no avail — and that certain someone suffered a miserable defeat."
Chu Du rubbed his nose and admitted frankly to Fang Yuan: "Bushi Xian is talking about me. That injury took me a full three years to recover from completely. Don't underestimate this Dao Trace zone — it's layered with dangers at every turn, perilous at every step! Let me teach you a trick: try to stick as close as possible to the Dao Traces that align with your cultivation path. That way, the resistance you face will be minimal."
Bushi Xian nodded: "That's exactly right. I'm a Law Path Gu Immortal, so I try to walk where Law Path Dao Traces are strongest."
"And I primarily cultivate Strength Path, so I need to gravitate toward the Strength Path Dao Traces here. That means from this point on, we can't help you — you'll have to forge your own path, Brother Liu," Chu Du cautioned.
Fang Yuan nodded.
Bushi Xian stepped forward first: "I'll go ahead so Brother Liu can observe carefully."
Fang Yuan focused his attention and watched.
With each step Bushi Xian took, he proceeded with meticulous caution. At first, he covered ten steps with ease, his movements even carrying a certain elegance. But after ten steps, it became noticeably harder. After twenty steps, his movements grew stiff, as though an invisible crushing force was pressing down upon him. After thirty steps, beads of sweat appeared clearly on Bushi Xian. At step forty-two, he stopped for the first time, panting heavily. He turned back to Fang Yuan: "Brother Liu, did you see clearly?"
Chu Du burst into laughter: "Bushi Xian! Stop pretending — you clearly can't hold on any longer, and you're just asking Brother Liu to cover up your embarrassment."
Bushi Xian, his shortcoming exposed publicly, said with mingled shame and anger: "Very well, Chu Du — let's see how many steps you can take in one go! Whether you can match my distance!"
Chu Du snorted coldly: "You think I'm afraid of you? Watch closely!"
Before his words had even faded, he strode boldly into the Dao Trace zone.
At first, his speed was even faster than Bushi Xian's — he moved with the stride of a dragon and the step of a tiger, his momentum making Bushi Xian's expression darken.
But soon, Chu Du misstepped. The Dao Trace light beneath his feet erupted violently, and he let out a muffled grunt. His powerful frame shuddered violently, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood on the spot.
Hit by such a devastating blow, his momentum instantly evaporated. Without pausing, Chu Du endured the pain and continued onward, now leaving one careful footprint at a time, his pace reduced to that of a snail.
In the end, he managed thirty-eight or thirty-nine steps. On the fortieth step, he finally had nothing left to give.
His breath gave out.