Fairy, don't let your golden finger chase after me!

Chapter 31: Fox of Extraordinary Wealth! You've Amazed Me!

After resolving the minor incident involving Gu Ziyue's martial arts competition, Dong Mo, following the guidance of the system map, safely led Xiao Bai and Gu Ziyue back to the maze array.

"Okay, we've found that array plate you two were talking about."

Gu Ziyue pointed to the array plate in the distance, hands on her hips in a captain's pose: "Tell me, what exactly do we need to do next to get out of this damned maze?"

Xiao Bai said with difficulty, "Miss Ziyue, actually, the young master and I had already studied this array plate before you woke up."

"But we haven't been able to find a way to activate it; all we know is that it's the key to controlling the entire maze."

Upon hearing this, Gu Ziyue couldn't help but complain in a low voice.

"Hmph... Humans are just humans, so useless."

Although Gu Ziyue spoke softly, Dong Mo heard her clearly.

Then a thought arose in his mind that he wanted to tease Gu Ziyue, so he pretended to be heartbroken.

"Alas... to tell you the truth, this maze array plate was originally sealed by my ancestor Xiao Hongchen."

"As long as the seal of my ancestors is still intact, we don't need to rack our brains to solve any puzzles. We can simply walk out of the maze without any trouble."

"I don't know which idiot just now accidentally broke the seal on the array plate, making us wander around in circles like this."

"Hmph! If I find out who did this, I'll make that guy pay."

As soon as Dong Mo finished speaking, Gu Ziyue, who was standing next to him, suddenly froze as if she had been frozen in place, her face blank.

Even her head, which had been held high, shrank back like a frightened ostrich.

Because she knew perfectly well that she was the one who carelessly destroyed the seal on the array plate...

"Uh, that..."

Gu Ziyue coughed twice, her voice suddenly losing its previous confidence, and her gaze drifted guiltily towards the cracks in the floor tiles beneath her feet.

"Actually... I don't think the seal on this array plate was necessarily broken by someone."

"Think about it, how many years has this seal been in place..."

"Xiao Hongchen is over a thousand years old. Maybe it just broke down due to disrepair?"

Seeing Gu Ziyue's guilty look, Dong Mo's lips curled up even more.

Gu Ziyue felt uneasy under his gaze and quickly turned around to walk towards the array plate, pretending to study the maze array plate in front of her.

"Well, anyway... let's figure out how to use this thing to get out of the maze!"

Gu Ziyue reached out and pressed her hand on the array plate.

However, the moment her fingertips touched the blue runes on the array plate, she felt a stinging pain.

A copper needle as thin as a hair sprang from the surface of the array plate and precisely pierced her finger.

Then a drop of crimson blood seeped from the fingertip and dripped into the center of the array plate.

"Buzz..."

As the array plate emitted a buzzing sound, the originally dim runes, like dazzling starlight, spread outwards in concentric circles, emitting a dazzling purple light.

The entire altar began to tremble violently, and billowing light mist surged from the cracks in the stone bricks beneath Dong Mo and the other two's feet, completely enveloping and swallowing their figures.

A moment later, the white light dissipated.

Xiao Bai rubbed his eyes and looked around blankly.

The maze-like brick walls that surrounded them had vanished. In their place lay a vast cavern, with a jagged dome of stalactites overhead.

Before them was a long, narrow covered bridge, at the end of which was the bronze palace that she and Dong Mo had seen earlier when they were nearing the exit of the maze.

"Are we... out?"

Upon hearing Xiao Bai's incredulous words, Dong Mo silently surveyed his surroundings and nodded.

"Yes, it should be out."

On the other hand, Gu Ziyue, who was standing next to her, didn't realize what was happening at first.

It wasn't until she overheard Dong Mo and Xiao Bai's conversation that she belatedly realized that her drop of blood had inadvertently sent them out of the maze.

Gu Ziyue paused for two seconds, then put her hands on her hips, puffed out her chest, and said triumphantly to Dong Mo.

"Hmph... Did you see that!"

"You were able to escape the maze entirely thanks to me, the captain!"

Gu Ziyue's tail was practically wagging in the air, her eyes gleaming with pride: "Come and worship me!"

Dong Mo glanced at her, reached out, and gently rubbed the top of her head.

"Hmm~ Good, good~ All of this is thanks to Princess Gu Ziyue, who is both beautiful and intelligent."

Dong Mo's tone was completely devoid of emotion, almost like he was reading aloud a text in a monotone.

Gu Ziyue was initially delighted, but she quickly sensed the perfunctory tone in Dong Mo's words and immediately became furious.

"Hey... what's with your attitude?! And you're not allowed to touch my head!"

Dong Mo withdrew his hand and glanced at her, unable to help but mutter to himself.

When I played games before, how come I never noticed how silly Gu Ziyue was?

It feels just like Jiahao...

But then he thought about it again. In the original story, every time this demon princess was defeated by Feng Ling Shuang, she would relentlessly shout, "I'll come back to get revenge on you," just like Team Rocket and Big Bad Wolf. It seemed... quite silly indeed.

However, she has few lines in the game and doesn't interact much with players in private, so players only perceive her as very cool and mysterious...

But upon closer examination, you'll find that the only difference between this girl and Jiahao is that her combat strength is genuinely formidable in the story, while Jiahao is all about showing off...

Gu Ziyue clung to Dong Mo, constantly protesting.

Dong Mo chose to ignore this and carefully examined the palace in front of him.

The entire palace was built against the mountain, with bottomless abysses on both sides of the corridor.

A faint, eerie wind howled upwards from the abyss, accompanied by the faint, intermittent sound of copper bells.

At the end of the corridor, a magnificent bronze palace stands tall and imposing.

Most of the palace buildings have fallen into disrepair and collapsed, but even from the outline and scale of the ruins, one can still see how magnificent it was in its former days.

The palace's raised, gabled roof was covered with metal tiles bearing the patina of dark green bronze, each tile engraved with ancient and obscure runes.

Huge metal chains hung from the roof of the palace, with copper bells at the ends ringing eerily in the cold wind.

The sound was like a funeral song from ten thousand years ago, or a solemn lament.

As Dong Mo was examining the bronze palace before him, a system pop-up window for the Purple Nether Sword suddenly appeared in front of him.

[Purple Nether Sword: Master! This is it! The sacred-grade elixir left behind by our old master is in this palace!]

Upon hearing this, Dong Mo's spirits lifted, and he immediately waved to the person behind him.

"Miss Ziyue, Xiaobai, let's go!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Ziyue was taken aback at first, but then she quickly followed after her.

Looking at the bronze palace at the end of the covered bridge, Gu Ziyue thought to herself with excitement.

Ah...that's great! This must be the Kunpeng Bronze Palace recorded in our clan's ancient texts!

What I'm looking for is inside!

Dong Mo and his group quickly stepped onto the covered bridge.

Dong Mo led the way, followed closely by Gu Ziyue, while Xiao Bai stayed at the very back of the group.

Dong Mo and Gu Ziyue walked smoothly to the end of the covered bridge, one after the other, when a muffled sound came from behind them.

"Hmm!"

Dong Mo turned around in astonishment and saw that Xiao Bai behind him seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not move forward an inch.

"Young Master, I think... I can't make it through."

Gu Ziyue wrinkled her nose, leaned forward to sniff, and then said with certainty, "It's the smell of the barrier."

She scratched her head, looking puzzled.

"Hiss... That's strange. The clan's records have never mentioned any kind of barrier here."

[Purple Nether Sword: Ah! I remember now, before the old master left this secret realm, he seemed to have set up a selection barrier around this palace. He said that only those who could reach this point during the Foundation Establishment stage were worthy of receiving his inheritance.]

Upon seeing this, Dong Mo's heart sank. Xiao Bai's current cultivation level was at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, which meant that Xiao Bai was destined to be unable to pass through this barrier.

The road ahead is one that Dong Mo must walk alone.

Dong Mo walked to the barrier and apologized to Xiao Bai.

"Sorry, Xiao Bai. Senior Xiao Hongchen seems to have set up a restriction here, only allowing Foundation Establishment cultivators to pass. Please wait here for us for now, I'll be back as soon as I get the item."

Xiao Bai's expression changed slightly, his lips moved, but he ultimately lowered his eyelashes and whispered his instructions.

"Then... young master, please be careful."

"Don't worry, Miss Dong Bai!"

Gu Ziyue casually came over, hooked her arm around Dong Mo's neck, and grinned at Xiao Bai.

"I will protect your young master for you!"

Xiao Bai looked at Gu Ziyue and couldn't help but think to himself.

It's precisely because of you, you vixen, that I'm even more worried about Young Master Dong Mo's safety!

Having considered this, Xiao Bai unfastened the Purple Nether Sword from his waist and handed it to Dong Mo: "Young Master, the secret realm is dangerous. Please take my Purple Nether Sword with you for self-defense. Be careful."

Dong Mo took the sword and nodded to her.

"Okay, I understand..."

After saying this, Dong Mo turned around and walked towards the palace with Gu Ziyue.

Xiao Bai stood at the end of the covered bridge, watching Dong Mo and Gu Ziyue's receding figures, his fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes.