Chapter 1004 - 89: Then Let’s Compete

Chapter 1004: Chapter 89: Then Let’s Compete

"You don’t seem like someone from the Wuhua Domain, so why bother about who I am?" Mu Qingge smiled slyly.

She kept the murderous intent towards Mu Tianyin deeply hidden because she knew it wasn’t the right moment to kill him yet.

Firstly, if a fight broke out here, the one to benefit would be the Wuhua God Emperor.

Secondly, she wanted to kill him using her true identity, with the Linglong Spear, and do it openly, rather than using a false face.

Mu Tianyin’s eyes narrowed, showing ferocity and a hint of killing intent.

When the killing intent surfaced in his eyes, Mu Qingge playfully reminded, "Sir, let me remind you. Before you act, think clearly. You can kill me to silence, but are you confident that you can finish me off with one strike? If you can’t kill me in one strike, I will surely counterattack for survival, and that will alert the maze guards. By then, neither you nor I will be able to leave here peacefully. The final outcome might attract the Wuhua God Emperor, and neither of us will escape!"

Her words gradually dispelled the killing intent in Mu Tianyin’s eyes. He snorted coldly, "You make some sense."

"Of course," Mu Qingge replied with a smile.

"But how do I know you won’t stand in my way?" Mu Tianyin’s voice took on a dangerous edge again.

Mu Qingge sneered inwardly, ’Of course, I’ll stand in your way. You’re here for what I’m here for. Should I let you have it?’

"What brings you here, sir?" Mu Qingge asked calmly.

Mu Tianyin’s expression darkened, his features tensing.

Mu Qingge remained relaxed and smiled; her ordinary face was enhanced by her smile, making it seem not so ordinary anymore. "Since you don’t wish to say, then forget it. I don’t know your purpose, and I don’t want to share mine with you either, so let’s just wish each other well and good luck."

"What if what I want happens to be what you want too?" Mu Tianyin pressed, unwilling to let her go easily.

If he could kill her directly, Mu Tianyin wouldn’t bother wasting words with this ordinary-looking woman. However, she was right; if a fight ensued, neither would benefit.

’This woman must possess some skill to break into the Nine Curves Maze at this moment. If she weren’t capable, she wouldn’t dare intrude into the Divine Emperor Palace of the Wuhua Domain. Seems like we’ll have to pretend not to see each other as she suggested,’ Mu Tianyin calculated internally.

"If that’s the case, then let’s see who gets there first." Mu Qingge continued to smile, appearing much more relaxed than Mu Tianyin’s grim demeanor.

Mu Tianyin’s eyes were fixed on her, seemingly trying to see through her.

After a moment, he squinted and sneered coldly, "Fine, then let’s see who’s faster. This time I’ll spare you; next time we meet outside, I will kill you."

With that, he stepped forward, chose a path, turned, and disappeared into the distance.

Watching him leave, Mu Qingge chuckled coldly to herself, thinking, ’Next time we meet, I will kill you, for Yuanyuan, Jiang Li, the Linglong Spear, and to avenge myself. All debts must be repaid in full with interest.’

Mu Tianyin left, but Mu Qingge remained standing there.

Earlier, when Mu Tianyin was among the crowd, she hadn’t noticed his right arm.

Just now, she clearly saw that right arm she had severed cleanly in the Cold Inch, burned to ashes, somehow reappearing on Mu Tianyin’s right shoulder.

No! That’s not right.

Mu Qingge recalled that when Mu Tianyin walked towards her, she could discern that the right arm was slightly larger than the left, appearing a bit awkward, and the fingers were hidden under a glove.

’A grafted arm!’ Mu Qingge’s eyes sparked as she arrived at the conclusion.

Mu Qingge squinted slightly; that arm emitted a brutal aura, as if it contained an uncontrollable violent power, demanding her attention.

Whose arm was it, and what kind of power did it hold?

Those questions swirled in Mu Qingge’s mind. She realized that upon meeting Mu Tianyin again, her heart could now remain calm.

The confrontation just now could have ended differently had she not maintained control.

This encounter with Mu Tianyin was just the beginning, not the end.

Mu Qingge remembered their previous agreement with Mu Tianyin. Compete to see who’s faster!

Confidence shone in her eyes as Mu Qingge turned and chose a path entirely different from Mu Tianyin’s.

While walking, Mu Qingge couldn’t help but wonder... If Mu Tianyin later discovered that the person he met in the Nine Curves Maze was her, would he rage enough to want to kill himself?

’Too foolish!’ Mu Qingge sighed internally.

However, Mu Tianyin managed to get here without alerting the forbidden techniques and guards, which surprised and intrigued her.

"Could it be that he also understands array formation restrictions?" Mu Qingge muttered to herself.

But she quickly dismissed the question.

At this moment, the focus wasn’t Mu Tianyin; it was about finding a way out of this Nine Curves Maze, entering the Little Leaf Pavilion, and verifying if the Fragmented Scripture from the Divine Strategy Lower Volume was indeed in the Wuhua Domain.

Gathering her thoughts, Mu Qingge looked up to the sky.

The night has already faded, daytime is gradually emerging, and the time she has left is very limited; she can’t afford any delays.

Mu Qingge quickened her pace and continued to explore the Nine Curves Maze.

Suddenly, she stopped abruptly.

In her mind, something seemed to flash quickly, too fleeting for her to grasp.

"What is it?" Mu Qingge asked herself, frowning.

Why... why, in such a complex maze, are there obvious trap-laden forbidden techniques, along with the arrangement of guards taking shifts?

The previous doubts resurfaced in Mu Qingge’s mind.

This time, there was an additional question, which was, why are those guards stationed in dead-end alleys instead of the crucial intersecting positions within the maze?

Wait!

In Mu Qingge’s mind, images of the maze guards she passed by appeared. Suddenly, she noticed something strange.

She realized that in the places guarded by those sentinels, their standing postures followed a certain array formation, but the direction they faced was uniform.

Moreover, that uniform direction seemed somewhat eerie, as if they were guarding something.

A wall, what’s there to guard?

Suddenly, a bright light burst in Mu Qingge’s eyes. What she couldn’t understand seemed to become clear instantly. ’Yes, it’s just a wall, what’s there to guard?’

Mu Qingge’s lips curled slightly. Sometimes, the existence that defies logic is itself a flaw!

With a plan in mind, Mu Qingge no longer hesitated. She remembered that not far from here, there was a post of maze guards. Her guess would soon be verified.

Mu Qingge followed the route in her memory, and soon saw a group of maze guards, apparently unchanged from when she passed by earlier.

Mu Qingge hid in the shadows, not rushing to come out.

She calculated in her mind, ’Suppose the wall they’re guarding is a door. And that door can lead to Little Leaf Pavilion. Then in this Nine Curves Maze, how many such guards are there? From what I’ve passed by....’

Mu Qingge recalled carefully, arriving at an answer.

’Five places!’ A dark gleam flashed deep in her eyes.

Mu Qingge suddenly closed her eyes, releasing her divine sense, using it in place of her feet to quickly investigate the whole maze.

In the time of a stick of incense, her divine sense withdrew. Mu Qingge opened her eyes and already had a clear grasp of how many teams of guards were in the maze. She even saw Mu Tianyin still traversing the maze.

’Twelve places!’

In the Nine Curves Maze, there were a total of twelve guard posts.

Why twelve?

A bold idea emerged in Mu Qingge’s mind.

’If my previous supposition is correct, each guarded place hides a door, and if the door is opened at the right time, one can enter Little Leaf Pavilion. If opened at the wrong time, either it won’t open, or the door hides a deadly trap... then, which door corresponds to this time?’ Mu Qingge calculated in her mind.

The twelve guard posts quickly made her think of the twelve hours of the day.

Her bold thought was that each hour corresponds to a different door opening. If she can accurately deduce which door can be opened at this hour, she can enter Little Leaf Pavilion!

’Let me regard the entire Nine Curves Maze as a forbidden technique, a big array!’ Mu Qingge closed her eyes again, and a map of the Nine Curves Maze appeared in her mind. This map was freshly gathered through her divine sense exploration. There may be some deviations, but it won’t affect the overall situation.

The appearance of the Nine Curves Maze gradually cleared up in her mind. Then she outlined the positions of twelve guard posts on her mental map.

Suddenly, she opened her eyes, a fierce and dazzling brilliance burst from her eyes.

Isn’t she somewhat lucky?

Mu Qingge’s lips curled into a slight smile. If her calculation method is correct, and the Wuhua God Emperor arranged the array according to the sequence of hours in the array formation, then the door that can be safely opened at this hour to enter Little Leaf Pavilion is precisely the one before her!

Mu Qingge wanted to laugh aloud in her heart, but her cautious nature restrained this excitement.

Because it was all still speculation. Whether it’s correct or not must be verified through experience.

If her prediction is correct, she can get to Little Leaf Pavilion before Mu Tianyin. If wrong, she could provoke these guards or even attract the Divine Emperor.

What to do? To gamble or not?

Mu Qingge pressed her lips tightly, eyebrows furrowed slightly but had made a decision in her heart! ’I’ll gamble!’