Chapter 541: The Maze Beyond the Crescent Gate
Everyone stood frozen in disbelief.
Just as they had suspected, this crescent-shaped island had been created by a Divine artifact. More than that, it had been formed by a Super Divine Artifact: the Ancient Moon Meteor Bow.
Just how terrifying did a weapon have to be to shape an entire island?
The girls immediately burst into excited chatter, their imaginations running wild. Even Jade, who was usually quick to hide her excitement behind mischief, couldn’t contain herself.
"Marcus, what do you think it looks like?" she asked eagerly. "What kind of powers do you think it has?"
Marcus could only smile wryly. "I honestly have no clue."
In truth, all he could do was hope for a miracle. Maybe the Crescent Moon Immortal Palace really was hidden somewhere inside the island. Maybe, against all odds, he’d stumble across the Ancient Moon Meteor Bow itself and walk away with a Super Divine Artifact... yeah, even he knew that was wishful thinking.
Still, Insight wasn’t finished yet. Marcus continued reading the information it revealed.
---
More than twenty thousand years ago, an ancient immortal known as Lamp-Lighter Daoist had accidentally discovered this hidden island beneath the sea. Sensing the tremendous spiritual energy gathered within the enormous cavern, he established the Crescent Moon Immortal Palace there as one of his secluded cultivation retreats.
He named the place Crescent Island and erected the stone monument at its entrance to mark its existence.
Then, during the great Divine War ten thousand years ago, Lamp-Lighter Daoist fell in battle, and Crescent Island slowly faded into legend.
Even if someone happened to discover it afterward, they still couldn’t enter. Before his death, Lamp-Lighter Daoist had sealed the Gate of Crescent Moon with an immensely powerful barrier. Without the proper method, forcing it open was impossible.
---
That was everything Insight could uncover. Marcus now understood the island’s history, but it still offered no useful information about what dangers lay ahead.
One detail continued to bother him, though. Silas the Wanderer had failed to pass through this gate two thousand years ago, yet the navy captain had somehow entered the island and even crafted the blue Sea Lion Key.
That meant the captain either possessed an extraordinary treasure or had found another way inside. Whatever the answer, he certainly hadn’t been an ordinary man.
Marcus pushed the thought aside. There was no point dwelling on it now.
"Let’s move."
As always, he sent his two Sea Demon Souls through the swirling blue portal first. The pair crossed without any resistance, and nothing attacked them from the other side.
Marcus nodded slightly. "Stay close to me. Don’t wander off."
The girls naturally gathered around him, and Marcus stepped toward the Gate of Crescent Moon.
The instant the blue Sea Lion Key touched the ancient gate, it radiated a brilliant azure glow. The barrier rippled gently before opening without the slightest resistance, allowing the entire group to pass through with ease.
The moment they crossed the threshold, the world around them changed. A long corridor stretched into the distance, its walls built from pristine white granite. Countless luminous crystals embedded throughout the ceiling bathed everything in bright, steady light, making the underground passage as clear as day.
What surprised everyone even more was the portal behind them. Although the entrance remained open, it completely isolated the ocean outside. Not a single drop of seawater seeped through the shimmering barrier.
As they stood inside the corridor, the penalties from fighting underwater began to disappear. Their suppressed attributes steadily recovered, and within another ten minutes, everyone’s stats would be back to their normal levels.
"So... what now?" someone asked. Marcus took out the treasure map, A Rich Man’s Wish.
The ancient parchment immediately displayed a clear route. Once someone entered the tomb, the path to the treasure became unmistakable.
After studying it for a moment, Marcus pointed farther down the corridor. "We follow this passage for about ten minutes. After that, we’ll reach a maze protected by an illusion array. If you don’t know the correct route, you’ll end up wandering in circles indefinitely."
He tapped the map. "Fortunately, the map marks the exact path. Once we’re through the maze, it’s just a little farther until we reach the treasure."
Amber blinked. "That’s it? It sounds almost too easy."
Marcus chuckled. "Finding the place is the easy part. Keeping the treasure is usually the hard part. If we can’t beat whatever’s guarding it, then none of the rest matters." The group nodded in agreement before continuing deeper into the corridor.
About three minutes later, monsters finally appeared. Three humanoid figures materialized ahead, their bodies formed entirely from swirling blue water. One carried a sword, another wore heavy armor and a shield, while the last held a staff crackling with water magic.
They almost looked harmless from a distance. Almost.
When they were roughly thirty meters away, Marcus activated Insight three times in quick succession.
—
Sea Warrior
Level: 60
HP: 42,000
A water elemental warrior created through Lamp-Lighter Daoist’s magic, drawing strength directly from the surrounding ocean. It serves as one of Crescent Island’s eternal guardians and attacks all intruders.
Traits:
Waterborne Recovery: Regenerates HP at an accelerated rate.
Skills:
Ocean Shimmer: Wraps itself in flowing water, increasing Defense by 10%.
Raging Wave: Sweeps its sword in a wide arc, damaging enemies within five meters and inflicting Slow.
Weaknesses:
Fire attacks deal increased damage.
Metal-element attacks have a higher critical hit chance.
—
The Sea Knight and Sea Mage possessed similar attributes and abilities, differing mainly in their combat roles.
’Just ordinary Level 60 monsters’. Marcus quietly let out a breath. Compared to the Blue-Eyed Sea Lions outside, these enemies weren’t much of a threat.
He summoned his pets. "Attack!"
The two Sea Demon Souls charged forward first, immediately activating Taunting Light to seize the monsters’ attention. At the same time, their passive Enfeeble reduced the enemies’ Attack and Defense by twenty percent.
With the front line secured, the rest of the pets, both Marcus’s and the girls’, unleashed a barrage of spells that flooded the corridor with brilliant flashes of elemental magic.
The battle ended almost as soon as it began. The Level 60 guardians barely had a chance to fight back before they collapsed into scattered drops.
Lily and Amber had already disabled the mercenary group’s shared experience because neither of them wanted to appear on the level rankings. As a result, all of that experience was distributed among everyone else instead.
The group advanced while casually collecting the coins and loot left behind, maintaining a steady pace without letting their guard down.
---
About ten minutes later, the corridor finally came to an end. Five separate passageways branched out before them, each disappearing into thick white mist that concealed everything beyond a few meters.
Marcus immediately recognized what they had reached: the maze, and hidden within it, the illusion array.