The cavern was alive with chaos.
From the very first moment the earth split and the golden-spiked beast emerged, the labyrinth had turned into a graveyard waiting to be filled. The ground trembled beneath its every movement. Each of its colossal claws could crush a war chariot into powder. Its hide shimmered with a sheen that looked as though it had been bathed in liquid sunlight for centuries, every scale reflecting divine light that dazzled the eyes and shook the hearts of cultivators.
The most frightening of all were the spikes on its back—dozens of long, jagged protrusions of shimmering gold that radiated a faint but undeniable divine aura. Just looking at them made cultivators salivate, because they weren't just spikes. They were treasures. Each one could forge a weapon sharp enough to cut through a Martial King's armor, or be ground into medicinal powder capable of pushing someone's cultivation through bottlenecks that should have taken decades.
And when a single droplet of the beast's blood hit the black stone floor with a sizzling hiss, eating through rock like molten steel, the madness began.
"ITS BLOOD!" one cultivator screamed, his voice half hysterical, half delirious. "Collect it! Even a single drop—!"
Another voice cut him off with crazed excitement. "The spikes! Grab the spikes! They're worth more than sect treasures!"
The crowd erupted.
War Blood Realm cultivators, the strongest in the outer gathering, launched themselves at the beast in a frenzy. Blades blazed, qi techniques exploded, and the cavern was instantly drowned in light and thunder. Spirit Accession Realm disciples, weaker but no less greedy, scrambled in behind, holding jars, gourds, even broken vials—anything to scoop up even a fraction of the beast's blood.
But the beast was no mindless mountain of flesh. Its roar shattered through the battlefield, a sound so fierce it made the air itself tremble. The force of it blasted dust and shards of stone from the walls, making ears bleed and weaker cultivators stagger back. Its tail lashed once—just once—and the result was catastrophic.
Like a mountain swinging through the air, the tail smashed into dozens of cultivators at once. Bodies flew, bones cracked, screams tore out and were cut short. Those struck were reduced to crumpled corpses against the cavern wall, their blood painting grotesque patterns across the black rock.
Still, no one retreated.
The smell of divine blood had driven every cultivator insane.
"Kill it!"
"Don't let the Crimson Fang dogs get the scales!"
"Silver Crane bastards, that spike belongs to us!"
The cavern descended into chaos. Rivals turned on rivals, allies betrayed allies. A disciple of the Dawn Lotus Sect, graceful as a swan, cut down a Golden Sparrow thief who had snatched a scale fragment from the beast's claw. A Crimson Fang brute smashed his clawed gauntlet into the shoulder of a Silver Crane cultivator, spraying blood as he claimed a piece of golden spike for himself.
It wasn't just a fight against the beast anymore. It was war.
And amidst that storm, Lu Mao stood still.
His lips curled upward, not in awe, but in mockery. "Idiots. Absolute idiots. They'll die fighting over scraps while the real feast waits untouched."
Li Xian stood beside him, her protective qi shimmering faintly in the chaos. Her beauty shone brighter than the beast's scales—eyes glowing faint gold, hair dancing like silk in the wind stirred by the beast's thrashing. Even in this madness, cultivators spared glances her way, their gazes filled with desire, jealousy, or envy.
She was a newly advanced War Blood Martial King, and the aura she radiated was undeniable. Strong enough to intimidate many, stunning enough to tempt them anyway. She was both threat and prize.
But her focus was on Lu Mao.
Her lips pressed together, her eyes narrowing. "You're not tempted?" she asked softly, her voice calm amidst the chaos.
Lu Mao's grin widened. "Tempted? Of course. Who wouldn't be? That hide alone is worth more than a sect's treasury. But…"
He tapped his chest. His inner world pulsed in answer.
The golden-black colossal vein that slumbered within him was no longer quiet. It throbbed, stronger and stronger, as though it were alive—no, as though it were furious. It screamed not for the beast, but for something deeper. Beyond. Toward the shadowy cave mouth behind the golden lizard.
His eyes darkened. "That beast?" He nodded at the golden-spiked monster. "It's not the treasure. It's bait."
Li Xian's brow furrowed, her aura flaring in instinctive protest. "Bait? That thing could slaughter a kingdom."
"And what do you think guards the true labyrinth, Senior Sister?" Lu Mao's tone was teasing, but his eyes were serious. The vein pulsed again—wild, urgent, painful. His instincts screamed louder than the beast's roar.
Without another word, he reached out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled. "Trust me. Let them fight like dogs. We're going deeper."
She resisted for a breath. Then she caught the certainty blazing in his eyes. Against her better judgment, something stirred in her chest. Jealousy earlier, irritation often—but now, something else.
She clicked her tongue, masking it. "Fine. But if you're wrong, I won't save you from being eaten."
He smirked. "Pfft. You'd save me anyway."
"You're insufferable."
"Always."
The two slipped away into the shadows, leaving behind the storm of blood and greed.
But they weren't the only ones.
Across the battlefield, Wei Quing of the Amber Viper Clan watched silently, his serpent-like eyes narrowing. Poison qi coiled around him like a hungry mist. He, too, saw through the madness. His lips curved into a thin, dangerous smile. "This lizard… it's a distraction."
Shock flickered in his gaze—hidden, buried deep. He knew something others did not. And with that knowledge, he turned, moving swiftly toward the cave paths.
Elsewhere, Chen Rong of the Dawn Lotus Sect darted through the chaos, his green robes flowing like waves. He sneered at the cultivators clawing at the beast's hide. "Idiots. A golden lizard? Only fools fight over scraps when the true prize lies beyond."
Two violet-clad figures moved elegantly at the edge of the madness. Lan Yue, seductive and smiling even in battle, brushed her hair from her face with lazy grace. "Bo Heng, shall we? I'd hate to stain my robes over scraps."
Her companion sighed, his treasured shield already humming with qi. "You're always too playful… but yes. Let's move."
They followed the same path, toward the caves.
And then he appeared.
The air shifted.
A single man walked forward, and the cavern seemed to bend around him. His qi was oppressive, heavier than most at his stage. War Blood cultivators stumbled backward instinctively, their faces paling.
Ji Qiang.
Prodigy of the Mystic Vein Sect.
His very blood carried a hidden lineage, whispers of Eternal Lotus heritage. The way his qi pulsed, strange and ancient, made even Martial Kings grit their teeth in discomfort.
Two War Blood cultivators stepped in his path, perhaps hoping to demand alliance. Ji Qiang didn't slow. His hand flicked, qi shimmering like flowing veins of light.
Two heads dropped to the floor before their bodies even realized they were dead.
The cavern fell silent for a heartbeat.
Then his voice—cold, sharp, dripping with disdain.
"Pathetic." His eyes swept across the battlefield, lingering only a moment on the golden beast. A sneer twisted his lips. "Fight like dogs. I'll take what matters."
And with that, he strode directly toward the same caves Lu Mao and Li Xian had vanished into.
The beast still roared, still thrashed, still killed. Cultivators still screamed and fought, blood still sprayed. But those with sharp eyes realized the truth.
The golden-spiked beast wasn't the true treasure.
The labyrinth beyond was.
One by one, the elites broke away from the madness. Wei Quing, Chen Rong, Lan Yue, Bo Heng, Ji Qiang. Each with their own ambitions. Each seeking not scraps, but the heart of the labyrinth.
And so, amidst the chaos of greed, the strongest slipped into the darkness, leaving the cavern a graveyard of corpses and a storm of blood.
Where the true game awaited.