Kuki Shinobu carefully chose her words.
"I'm guessing Ningguang is someone who wouldn't let you leave the Chasm alive if she caught you snooping around secrets."
She sighed helplessly. "Boss, do you really know nothing about this world?"
Itto shot back, "Is it weird not to know? I'm a free Oni, you know."
Lumine stepped forward. "In that case, I'll do it."
Lumine knew her identity was unique, but she was also curious.
What would she see inside?
What was her greatest fear?
As she walked, she pondered, then activated the mechanism.
The interior of the door was pitch black. The moment Lumine stepped inside,
the door slammed shut behind her.
Mu Yang, Itto, and Yelan reacted quickly, attacking the door simultaneously.
But it was no use.
Mu Yang immediately appeared at the mechanism, attacking furiously.
Still, nothing worked—the door was sealed tight.
Paimon panicked. "How could this happen?"
"Mu Yang, calm down. Lumine will be fine," Yanfei said, coming over to reassure him.
Mu Yang stopped his assault. Of course, he knew Lumine was okay.
Protecting Lumine had always been his stance in the past.
If he appeared too calm, it might raise suspicions.
There were plenty of sharp minds present.
Mu Yang moved to Paimon's side. Both of them were close to Lumine.
Sticking together for comfort at a time like this was natural.
But Mu Yang's goal wasn't just that.
He wanted to see if Paimon would be the one to save Lumine.
Inside the door,
Lumine looked behind her—the door had vanished.
"The exit's gone. Looks like I can only move forward."
What appeared before her was a sky full of stars.
"This is… the Abyss?!"
"Could this be what I'm afraid of?"
Lumine found it reasonable.
After all, in her understanding, the Abyss had taken her brother, Aether.
And her knowledge of the Abyss barely scratched the surface.
She kept walking along the platform, feeling like it stretched on endlessly.
After a long trek, she finally saw a glowing patch of ground.
Lumine stepped onto it.
She found herself back where she started, but this time, she fell from above.
Hearing the splash of water behind them, the group turned around.
Paimon was the most shocked. "Whoa! Lumine, you're here! You scared me to death!"
Mu Yang ignored the group's concern for Lumine.
He was deep in thought.
From the moment Lumine went in, he had stayed by Paimon's side,
comforting the little one.
He didn't notice any signs of Paimon using any power.
Yet Lumine had come out.
Mu Yang definitely hadn't done anything himself, but aside from him,
no one else present had the ability to manipulate time and space.
And right now, Paimon looked extremely weak…
Though Lumine didn't know what had happened,
she held the weakened Paimon in her arms.
[What's up with Paimon?]
[Paimon's acting weird. Her time seems to pass faster than others, and now she's suddenly like this.]
[She was all lively before the Traveler went in. Could it be…]
[Was that glowing floor her doing?]
[With her strength that's weaker than a boar? (lol)]
In the end, the group couldn't find any clues about Xiao inside the door.
Nor did they find a way out.
Worse, they were confronted with things they didn't want to face.
Yelan analyzed the situation. "This domain gives me a bad feeling. It keeps changing, and it's targeting us specifically."
"What do you mean?"
Kuki Shinobu said she felt the same.
For now, it was best not to act recklessly.
They had come here chasing Xiao. But all they found was this strange door.
The things inside the door were bizarre.
Whatever the opener feared, the door showed them exactly that.
It was completely unnatural.
Shinobu continued, "And after all this, I'm starting to feel tired again. But fatigue shouldn't be stacking up in here…"
Yelan picked up. "It's probably not lethal yet. Otherwise, how do you explain us not starving despite not eating?"
Shinobu's words sparked a thought in Mu Yang.
He himself didn't feel anything, of course.
But it made him think of Paimon.
Could it really be that it wasn't Paimon's doing, and her exhaustion was just from the cumulative effects of time?
No time to dwell on that now. Mu Yang made a suggestion.
The state of this place was likely influenced by spatial changes.
To prevent sudden bursts of hunger or fatigue, everyone should eat and rest regularly.
The group agreed unanimously.
Mu Yang took the weakened Paimon. After this round of exertion,
he was no longer the weakest in the team.
Not that he ever was.
After relentless effort, the group finally found a small path.
They returned to the cave where they first fell, splitting up to rest.
Yelan wanted to scout around, but Yanfei stopped her.
"You haven't rested at all. Are you sure you're okay? This space is more dangerous than we expected."
"No problem. I'm used to high-intensity, high-precision work," Yelan replied.
Then, getting straight to the point, "You've got a new theory, don't you?"
"That obvious?"
"Reading people is part of my job."
Yanfei smiled. "Fair enough…"
But her thoughts were still preliminary and not fully formed.
Yanfei didn't say much more.
"I'll tell you once I've sorted it out."
"I've got some guesses too. I'll share once I confirm them."
[Alright, alright, everyone's a riddle master, huh?]
[Yeah, this is magic clashing with magic.]
[Only a riddle master can defeat another riddle master.]
Over on Shinobu's side, she was in charge of grilling food for everyone.
Itto was nearby, chatting excitedly with Ushi.
The Oni and the bull were griping about the door that threw beans at him.
Paimon's condition worsened.
She was now slumped in Mu Yang's arms, unable to speak.
She had no appetite either.
After a while, Yanfei called out from the resting area.
If Lumine and Mu Yang had time, they should come over.
Mu Yang didn't hesitate.
He handed Paimon to Itto and Shinobu, then followed Lumine's steps.
They headed to Yanfei.
Yanfei got straight to the point.
Xiao was fighting alone out there and was surely in great danger.
The fact that they could hear Xiao's voice earlier was likely the space deliberately guiding them.
Yanfei analyzed further and concluded:
The time and space in this underground domain were chaotic.
But since Xiao's voice could reach them,
they should be able to find Xiao using the same method.
Mu Yang agreed with the approach.
However, Lumine would have to handle the locating.
He couldn't afford too much energy expenditure right now—once used, he couldn't replenish it.
Definitely not slacking off.
Under Mu Yang's guidance, Lumine pinpointed Xiao's location.
Yanfei used a secretly learned technique from Yelan to break through the illusion.
The three pressed forward, and after some convincing,
Xiao followed Mu Yang's instructions and finally reunited with the team.
However, he wasn't in good shape either.
Covered in wounds and extremely weak,
he was only slightly better off than Mu Yang had been at the start.
At least he held on and didn't collapse into someone's arms…
Mu Yang remarked that collapsing was the real highlight.