"I don't know the specifics either. The ancestors of the Shade Clan once said that there was a treasure hidden in this Ghostveil Labyrinth, and only a fated person could obtain it. But tens of thousands of years have passed, and still no one knows what it actually is.
I see that your strength is impressive, so I want you to give it a try. I'll give you three days—if you find nothing, then you and Ivy can prepare for your wedding. I'll use this time to invite some of the more notable guests for your ceremony!" the Shade Lord said.
"So that's how it is. Thank you, Shade Lord, for giving me this chance. I can't guarantee I'll find the treasure, but I'll do my best! To be valued so highly by you, Shade Lord, I almost feel overwhelmed." Evan Chu said with a smile.
"Father, can I stay? I want to search the Labyrinth with Evan. Maybe we'll actually find something." Princess Ivy said at this moment.
"Ivy, you should come back with me. This Labyrinth isn't as simple as you imagine, and with your current strength, you can't stay here. I'm only letting Evan try because his power is exceptional. If you don't believe me, just ask him after he returns." The Shade Lord directly rejected Princess Ivy's request.
Princess Ivy was a little reluctant, but seeing the Shade Lord's firm attitude, she could only give up. At this point, Evan Chu said, "Ivy, just go back. Make yourself beautiful and wait for me to return."
Princess Ivy gazed deeply at Evan Chu and said, "You have to be careful. I'll obediently wait for you!" The always proud and stubborn Princess Ivy suddenly became gentle and docile, surprising many of the Shade Clan who were used to her willful ways.
Afterward, the Shade Lord and the others left, leaving Evan Chu alone in the Ghostveil Labyrinth. Looking at the ground, which had already returned to normal, Evan muttered, "This Ghostveil Labyrinth really is strange. I wonder what kind of treasure might be hidden here."
"Evan, if my guess is right, there's probably an illusion-type treasure in here. It might not do much for you, but it could be very useful for your Violet Thunder Fox. To get it, you'll have to enter the illusion realm within the Ghostveil Labyrinth." the Sword Spirit said.
"Getting into the illusion realm won't be easy. The Ghostveil Labyrinth is so huge—just searching for the entrance is a hassle." Evan Chu said.
"Try probing with your god-sense—you might be able to find it. Don't you have Jade Chu? Let her help you look; it shouldn't be difficult. The fact that there's an independent space here must be connected to that illusion treasure. If you can obtain it, the Ghostveil Labyrinth may finally reveal its true form." said the Sword Spirit.
Evan Chu felt incredibly lucky to have met the Sword Spirit and Jade Chu. Without them, he might still be a useless second young master in Flowing Cloud City, spending his days struggling to break through to the Xuanwu Realm by slowly absorbing Stellar Power.
Thinking of this, Evan couldn't help but recall Luna Chu and Xiaohai Chu, and also his maid Lily Lin, who had always served him—he wondered how she was doing. The memories were vivid, and a wave of homesickness rose in his heart.
But Evan quickly pulled himself back with a wry smile: "What am I thinking? Distracting myself at a time like this is really irresponsible." Then, speaking to Jade Chu inside his storage ring, he said, "Qing'er, help me check if there's anything unusual in the Ghostveil Labyrinth."
"Give me a moment. This place is so peculiar—I need to come out to use my god-sense properly." Jade Chu replied.
With a thought, Evan summoned the Wind-Binding Pearl into his hand. Immediately, a flash of cyan light appeared, and a little girl materialized before him.
This time, she wasn't bare-bottomed anymore, but wore her usual cyan dress. Her two ram-horn pigtails were tied up high, making her look lively and clever.
"Big brother, I'll help you check right now!" Jade Chu said as soon as she appeared.
A cyan glow flashed between her brows. She closed her eyes, scanning for a long time before finally opening them again, her face lit up with excitement.
"Big brother, I've found a very strange spot. There's some kind of restriction there, and I can sense a breath of life—like a child's—just a few dozen meters ahead." Jade Chu said.
"A few dozen meters away? There's nothing here except for some mist." Evan Chu looked at the empty space ahead and couldn't help but feel frustrated.
"You can't see it with your eyes—you have to sense it with god-sense. I only found it after probing for a long time; if you're not careful, you'll miss it completely. I never thought that little guy's hiding skills would be so good—almost fooled me too." Jade Chu said.
Half believing, Evan glanced at Jade Chu, then immediately expanded his god-sense, focusing on the spot she mentioned for a long time but found nothing. He couldn't help but ask, "Qing'er, are you sure it's a few dozen meters ahead and not a few hundred?"
"Of course I'm sure! My god-sense is really powerful. You need to completely calm your mind and sense slowly to find it. That little guy is very clever—I only found him after probing for ages. But he's set up a restriction, and with your current god-sense, you probably can't break through. Why not ask Sword Spirit Luna for help?" Jade Chu suggested.
"Qing'er is right. There's definitely a restriction here—it's probably the entrance to the illusion realm. Breaking it is actually easy for you, but for others it's extremely difficult. The restriction is formed from a wisp of soul force. Just locate it and use Soul Rend; with your current power, you should be able to break through." Sword Spirit Luna said.
Evan Chu immediately sat down and expanded his god-sense again, gathering his energy and focusing just as he had when sensing the elemental pearls before, carefully probing bit by bit.
Time flew by. After almost half a day, Evan finally saw that the so-called restriction was actually a faint wall of energy—almost nonexistent and impossible to notice without careful inspection.
With a clear target, Evan was delighted. He stood up and slowly walked toward the spot in his mind where the restriction appeared. He moved cautiously, knowing that if he struck the wrong place, the attack would be wasted.
Standing before the restriction, Evan reached out to touch it but felt nothing at all. He realized the barrier was intangible and couldn't be sensed by touch.
Slowly, Evan took out the Frostbane Sword from his storage ring and unleashed a Soul Rend toward the empty void ahead. A flash of cyan light appeared, and he felt as if his strike hit something solid—a sensation he'd never experienced with Soul Rend before.
Just as Evan was feeling puzzled, a childish voice suddenly sounded in his ear...