Chapter 542: Hidden Core of the Illusion Mist Maze
Marcus stopped at the entrance to the maze and immediately activated Insight.
Ever since it had been upgraded, Insight could analyze not only monsters but also the surrounding environment. Combined with his absurdly high Luck stat, its success rate had become remarkably reliable. The information surfaced almost instantly.
—
Illusion Mist Palace: A high-level formation created by Lamp-Lighter Daoist by combining an enormous maze with the Illusion Mist Array, placing it before the entrance to the Crescent Moon Immortal Palace.
Without knowing the proper method, players below Level 80 cannot pass through this formation. Even players above Level 80 would, under normal circumstances, spend at least two or three days wandering inside before finding the exit.
Weakness: Wind-element abilities. A sufficiently powerful gale-type skill or a Divine Artifact capable of summoning a great windstorm can disperse the mist and weaken the formation.
—
Marcus couldn’t help muttering under his breath.
"Damn..."
Level 3 Insight really was incredible. It hadn’t just identified the formation, it had even revealed its weakness.
Not that he actually needed it.
The A Rich Man’s Wish treasure map didn’t reveal the maze’s complete layout, but it did trace a winding route through it. As long as he followed the marked distances and turns precisely, they would eventually emerge on the other side.
Even without the map, though, Marcus could have walked through this maze as if it weren’t there.
The reason was currently perched atop Blackie’s head, its feathers shimmering with a beautiful seven-colored glow.
His Divine Beast, the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle.
Its passive ability, Eagle’s Vision, allowed Marcus to share the eagle’s eyesight, letting him survey the surrounding terrain and effortlessly navigate even the most complicated mazes. The scouting range was based on the eagle’s level multiplied by two.
His eagle had already reached Level 43.
Like all of his pets, it had also triggered Pet Growth upon reaching Level 30, dramatically increasing its strength. Marcus still remembered the system notification as clearly as if he’d seen it yesterday.
Ding!
[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. Your pet, Seven-Colored Divine Eagle, has reached Level 30 and successfully triggered Pet Growth. HP +1000, MP +1000, Attack +1000, Defense +1000, Movement Speed +3. All passive skills have been enhanced. New skills learned: Whirlwind Shield, Wind-Dance, and Eagle’s Body.]
The boost had been nothing short of absurd.
After Pet Growth, Eagle’s Vision had become even stronger, extending its range to three times the eagle’s level. At Level 43, Marcus could clearly observe everything within nearly 130 meters. Eagle’s enhanced eyesight could even detect stealth abilities that would normally fool higher-tier players.
The passive skill, Seven-Colored Radiance, had improved as well, increasing all of Marcus’s attributes by twenty percent. If the eagle triggered Pet Growth again in the future, that bonus would climb to thirty percent, enough to rival the effects of his Dragon’s Crest Divine Artifact.
The three newly acquired skills were equally impressive.
Whirlwind Shield: Active. Summons a rotating barrier of wind around its master, increasing Defense by 10%.
Wind-Dance: Active. Surrounds its master with flowing currents of wind, increasing Dodge by 10%.
Eagle’s Body: Passive. Grants its master +2 Attack Speed, +3 Movement Speed, and +10% overall Speed.
Marcus smiled to himself. No wonder it was classified as a Divine Beast.
The Seven-Colored Divine Eagle possessed almost no offensive abilities whatsoever, but its support capabilities were extraordinary. In terms of overall usefulness, it was arguably even more valuable than Blackie.
Activating Eagle’s Vision, Marcus looked into the dense white mist blanketing the Illusion Mist Palace.
The fog itself didn’t actually disappear, but through the eagle’s supernatural eyesight, it may as well have. Every wall, every intersection, every dead end, and every hidden turn became perfectly clear. Even the thick granite walls no longer blocked his borrowed vision.
To Marcus, the enormous maze had become little more than a winding corridor.
"Follow me."
Without the slightest hesitation, he led everyone into the maze. As they advanced, more guardians materialized from the mist.
Sea Warriors, Sea Archers, and Sea Mages.
The monsters emerged one group after another, but Marcus welcomed them. They were nothing more than free experience points.
His Shadow-Stained Gryphon King and Chloe’s Cloud-Mist Gale Steed continuously stirred powerful gusts through the maze. While they couldn’t completely disperse the formation, they pushed enough of the surrounding mist aside to keep visibility comfortable for everyone else as they moved forward.
Half an hour later, they had already traversed roughly half the maze.
For an ordinary Level 80 player, covering the same distance would likely have taken ten hours or more, assuming they didn’t become hopelessly lost first.
Then Marcus suddenly stopped.
’Wait... What’s that?’
Using Eagle’s Vision, he noticed something concealed beyond several thick granite walls roughly eighty meters to their right. There was a square chamber, perhaps fifty square meters in size.
At its center stood three white stone pillars arranged in a triangular formation, each carved with intricate ancient runes. Waves of white mist continuously flowed from the pillars in steady pulses, spreading outward to feed the endless fog throughout the maze.
Orbiting each pillar was a fist-sized triangular white crystal that looked as though it had been condensed directly from clouds. They slowly circled the pillars like tiny satellites.
Marcus’s eyes lit up. That had to be the heart of the Illusion Mist Palace, the very source of the illusion mist.
And those floating crystals... They definitely weren’t ordinary objects.
After finishing off the last five monsters nearby, Marcus lowered his weapon and turned toward the girls, unable to hide the excitement creeping into his voice.
"I think I found the core of the maze. Want to take a look?"
"Hell yes!"
The answer came back almost instantly, everyone sounding even more excited than Marcus himself.
At some point, the little troublemaker Jade had abandoned her Twin-Winged Water Demon Cat and climbed onto Blackie’s back beside Marcus instead. Curled comfortably against him, she tilted her head up with a bright, mischievous smile dancing across her face.
"Let’s go, Marcus," she said eagerly. "Who knows? Maybe there’s a bonus treasure waiting for us."