God Slayer: Make Up for the Past

Torches flickered, their dim light dancing on the maze's stone walls, outlining distorted and bizarre patterns, as if left behind by some unknown creature from ancient times. The air was filled with a damp, decaying smell, nauseating. From the depths of the maze, faint, eerie sounds emanated, like the whimpering of wind, or the whispers of some creature, echoing in the silent passages, leaving one's hair standing on end.

"This place... is really uncomfortable." Chu Feng held the torch tightly, feeling the strange atmosphere around him, and couldn't help but whisper.

Pan Yue pushed up his glasses and glanced at the strange lights flickering on the surrounding walls. His expression was solemn: "Be careful, there are strange things everywhere in this place."

Archaeologist Ma followed them carefully, leaning on a crutch, with excitement flashing in his cloudy eyes: "The structure of this maze is so exquisite, and the wisdom of the ancients is truly amazing!" He seemed to be completely unaware of the strange atmosphere around him, immersed in the excitement of the archaeological discovery.

Zheng Shouren followed Archaeologist Ma with a gloomy face, glancing at Chu Feng from time to time, his eyes full of dissatisfaction. He had originally opposed this expedition, believing that Chu Feng was too reckless and would put all of them in danger.

They walked along the winding passage. The structure of the maze was extremely complex. Each passage looked exactly the same, like a huge maze. Chu Feng stopped from time to time, carefully observing the patterns and runes on the wall, trying to find some clues.

"Wait!" Chu Feng suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on an inconspicuous protrusion on the wall in front of him. "This looks like a mechanism."

He reached out his hand carefully and gently touched the bulge.

With a light "click" sound, a sharp arrow suddenly shot out from the wall, brushing past Chu Feng's arm and nailing into the opposite wall. Chu Feng was unable to dodge, and the arrow scratched his arm, leaving a shallow bloody mark.

"Hiss..." Chu Feng gasped, clutching his injured arm. Bright red blood trickled down between his fingers, glaring in the firelight.

"Chu Feng!" Pan Yue hurried forward to check on Chu Feng's injuries. "Are you okay?"

"It's okay, just a little scrape." Chu Feng shook his head, his face a little pale.

At this moment, several dark shadows emerged from the depths of the maze, emitting a terrifying roar and rushing towards them...

"I knew it!" Zheng Shouren pointed at Chu Feng, his tone tinged with anger and a subtle hint of fear. "Your recklessness will kill us all! I told you not to come here, but you insisted!" The firelight reflected on his face, making it look particularly grim, amplifying his fear and twisting it into an almost frantic accusation.

"Zheng Shouye, calm down!" Pan Yue stood in front of Chu Feng and said in a calm tone, "Now is not the time to assign blame. We should first find a way to deal with the danger in front of us."

"Deal with it? How should we deal with it? Get torn to pieces by these monsters?" Zheng Shouren was so excited that he pointed at the dark shadows that were getting closer and closer, his voice trembling. "It's all because of him! If he hadn't messed with the mechanism, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

Pan Yue frowned. He felt Chu Feng had been a bit impulsive this time, but Zheng Shouye's aggressiveness made him feel a little unhappy. "Chu Feng was just careless..."

"Accidental? This is not a simple 'accident'!" Zheng Shouye interrupted Pan Yue harshly, "This concerns our lives!" His eyes were full of fear, but he stubbornly transformed all the fear into accusations against Chu Feng.

Chu Feng remained silent, allowing Zheng Shouren to roar. He clutched his injured arm, feeling the warmth of his blood, but his eyes remained remarkably calm. He wasn't enraged by Zheng Shouren's words. Instead, he observed his surroundings with even greater concentration, particularly the wall where the mechanism had just been triggered.

The shadows moved with incredible speed, closing in on them in an instant. Tall and slender, they crawled on all fours like wild beasts, emitting blood-curdling roars. Their eyes gleamed a dark green in the firelight, like demons from hell.

"Be careful!" Pan Yue shouted, pulled out the dagger he carried with him, and rushed towards one of the black shadows.

Chu Feng took a deep breath and focused his attention on the mechanisms. The touch he had just made made him feel that the triggering of the mechanisms wasn't completely random; there seemed to be some kind of pattern. He carefully observed the patterns and symbols on the wall, as well as the distribution of the mechanisms, his mind rapidly calculating.

"Click, click..." The sound of the mechanism turning rang out again, and more sharp arrows shot out from the wall, flying towards them like dense raindrops.

Night watchman Zheng dodged in panic, looking utterly awful, while archaeologist Ma clutched his cane tightly, trembling.

Although Pan Yue was agile, he still found it difficult to withstand such intensive attacks.

At this critical moment, Chu Feng suddenly said: "Three steps to the left, then turn right!"

Although Pan Yue was doubtful, he followed Chu Feng's instructions without hesitation because of his trust in him. He quickly moved three steps to the left, then suddenly turned right and hid behind a sunken stone wall.

"Swish, swish, swish..." The sharp arrow passed by them and hit the opposite wall.

Then, Chu Feng quickly said a few directions, guiding Pan Yue and archaeologist Ma to successfully avoid subsequent attacks.

"Incredible..." Archaeologist Ma looked at Chu Feng, his eyes full of surprise and admiration. He didn't expect that at this critical moment, this young night watchman could analyze the situation so calmly and find a way to crack the mechanism.

Chu Feng ignored the gaze of archaeologist Ma. He was still concentrating on observing the surrounding environment, looking for the exit of the maze.

The sharp arrows stopped firing, and the dark shadows temporarily retreated back into the depths of the maze.

There was a tense atmosphere in the air and the silence was eerie.

Suddenly, the horse archaeologist pointed to a wall deep in the maze and said excitedly, "There seems to be something there!"

Everyone followed his gaze and saw what seemed to be an ancient map engraved on the wall...

The map on the wall was more of an abstract mural than a map. Its mottled colors and blurred lines resembled a child's scribbles. Archaeologist Ma squinted, one hand resting on his cane, the other gently stroking the rough surface. His fingertips traced the raised lines, and he muttered to himself, "Strange... so strange..."

"Have you figured anything out, Professor Ma?" Pan Yue asked, his tone hinting at urgency. The maze was cold and damp, and the air was filled with a rotten smell that made people feel extremely uncomfortable.

"The markings on this map are... very vague," archaeologist Ma frowned. "They look like some kind of ancient hieroglyphics, but I've never seen anything like it..." He paused, his finger hovering over a spiral symbol. "If my guess is correct, this represents..."

Before he could finish his words, a chilling roar echoed from the depths of the maze. The ground shook slightly, and the shadows reappeared, faster and more numerous than before.

"Damn it!" Zheng Shouren's face turned pale and his voice trembled. "They are coming again!"

"Pan Yue, cover me!" Chu Feng shouted, his eyes determined. He gripped the dagger tightly in his hand and took the initiative to face the shadows.

"Chu Feng, be careful!" Pan Yue reminded. He knew what Chu Feng was thinking, but his heart was still full of worry.

Chu Feng moved nimbly, weaving between the shadows to attract their attention. He was not acting rashly, but deliberately creating an opportunity for Pan Yue.

Pan Yue calmly observed the creatures' movement patterns, searching for their weaknesses. He discovered that, despite their extreme speed and powerful attack power, they seemed to be afraid of bright light.

"Chu Feng, use a torch!" Pan Yue shouted loudly.

Chu Feng immediately understood what Pan Yue meant. He raised the torch in his hand high and waved it towards the dark shadows.

The firelight illuminated the maze, and also the hideous faces of those creatures. They screamed sharply and retreated, as if they dared not approach the fire.

"They are afraid of light!" Chu Feng shouted in surprise.

Pan Yue seized the opportunity and quickly rushed to a black shadow, stabbing the dagger in his hand accurately into its eye. The black shadow let out a shrill scream and fell to the ground, motionless.

With this discovery, Chu Feng and Pan Yue worked together even better. Chu Feng was responsible for attracting the shadow's attention, while Pan Yue looked for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.

After a fierce battle, they finally repelled these mysterious creatures temporarily.

"Huh..." Chu Feng let out a long sigh and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"What on earth are these?" Zheng Shouren asked in shock.

"I don't know," Pan Yue shook his head, "but they are obviously not ordinary beasts."

Archaeologist Ma was still immersed in studying the map. He pointed to a fork in the map and said, "According to my guess, we should go this way."

Everyone looked in the direction his finger pointed and saw two forks in the road ahead, which were almost identical, with no obvious differences.

"Two roads..." Chu Feng muttered to himself, an ominous premonition coming to his mind.

"But..." Pan Yue hesitated and pointed to another road, "What if..."

Chu Feng stared at the two forked roads, his eyes gradually becoming deeper. He stretched out his hand and pointed at one of them… "Take this one."