Chapter Thirteen: Dividing Squads and Factions

The crowd looked up at the scene before them, feeling undeniably overwhelmed. Amidst this shock, the sight of the ancient palace rolling within the sea of clouds weighed heavily upon their hearts.

Along the stairway leading to the ancient palace, pillars of fire exuding an archaic aura stood at regular intervals. Fanned by the wind, the flickering flames seemed to possess a hue reminiscent of fresh blood. The light illuminated the entire path of the stairway, yet Ye Yu and the others clearly observed pools of blood-colored liquid beneath the lamp pillars and in the shadows untouched by the light.

As the group slowly ascended, they continued to spot these pools of crimson liquid wherever the lamplight failed to reach.

"So disgusting, this blood-colored liquid." Qu Zheng covered his mouth with his right hand, clearly nauseated by the sheer volume of the substance.

When the group reached the top, Huang Hong’s expression changed abruptly. He hurriedly spoke, "Look there! It seems someone is lying on the ground."

"Let's go and take a look," Ye Yu said, his brow furrowing as he lowered his voice. At this moment, everyone had to be cautious, fearing that any carelessness could lead to an unimaginable attack.

They approached the position Huang Hong had indicated. When they finally saw the figure lying beneath a rock, their expressions shifted instantly.

"Holy cow! It’s a pile of bones!" Qu Zheng couldn't help but exclaim. His sudden shout made the others shiver, nearly startling them out of their wits.

Ye Yu examined the remains. The skeleton, still draped in a tattered cloak, had clearly been dead for some time. The bones were marked with numerous deep gashes caused by a blade. The assailant had been a master of swordsmanship; each strike had carved into the bone with such precision that, though the wounds were slight, they were enough to render the victim powerless against the attack.

"Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong" let out a sound of surprise. He crouched down to examine the skeleton’s right hand, which was tightly gripping a crumpled piece of parchment. He reached out, intending to retrieve it.

"Don't move yet," Ye Yu said, his face grave. "It is clear that danger lurks here. It is highly possible that the culprit uses a sword to attack. While I cannot say for certain if they are still hiding on these stairs, it is best to be careful."

The immersive atmosphere of "God's Lament" weighed on them like a giant stone pressing against their chests. Ye Yu glanced at Tan Cong, who understood perfectly. With a slight nod, Tan Cong stepped away, brandishing his staff. In the blink of an eye, he summoned several totems, forming a circle to enclose the group.

"In this environment, the traditional Shaman class is certainly more stable," remarked "Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong." Although he played a more offensive Shaman build, he respected the traditional path. In the late stages of the game, this class was rarely targeted in combat; with the support of various totems, a traditional Shaman could remain in an invincible position.

"Alright, the defense is set. We won't be hit by any hidden attacks," Tan Cong said to Ye Yu, his left hand glowing with a circular totem that sustained the barrier.

Ye Yu nodded and carefully pried the parchment from the skeleton’s grip. The moment he removed it, the remains crumbled into a pile of ash.

Ye Yu smoothed out the parchment. Although the writing was blurred, the contents were still legible.

This place was named the "Taishan Ancient Palace," a temple dedicated to evil rituals. Anyone who set foot on its stairway had entered the rite of the palace. If one could not unravel all the mysteries of the ritual or defeat the Taishan Ancient Guards protecting the palace, they would be trapped here forever, unable to leave.

After reading the note, everyone shivered. They exchanged glances, stunned by the high level of difficulty the game designers of "God's Lament" had implemented.

"Listen, this is 'God's Lament,'" "Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong" said. "If we don't follow the instructions on this note, our characters might never be able to leave. And if we can't leave, we'll have to delete our characters and start over, which would put us far behind the rest of the 'Xuantian' server." He spoke from experience, having been trapped in similar dungeons before.

Ye Yu fell silent, looking up at the Taishan Ancient Palace in the distance. The palace, churning within the sea of clouds, radiated a majestic aura, yet it was hard to believe it served as a site for evil rituals.

"Since that’s the case, we have to assess the situation. We’ve reached a point of no return. The palace has two entrances; perhaps it would be better for us to split up. To balance our formations, one side will have to be short one person. What do you think?"

Ye Yu's suggestion gave everyone pause, but it was logical. If they all entered the same path, they would be abandoning the other, and if something went wrong, they might all be trapped.

"Let’s split up," Luo Feng said calmly. "This isn't a standard dungeon; we just need to get out as quickly as possible. I’m sure we’ll meet up again at the end."

"Do you, as a String-class player, have enough supplies to handle this? If not, you'll have to buy them cross-server," "Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong" asked Ye Yu. "How long can our current supplies last?"

In "God's Lament," managing hunger and negative status effects was crucial. They had been conservative during the previous skirmishes, but now, supplies would be the deciding factor.

"Don't worry, our supplies are sufficient to get us out of this hellhole," Ye Yu replied. "We'll deal with negative buffs if they arise. For now, minimizing unnecessary consumption is our priority." He turned to the others and added, "I suspect these two paths correspond to two different methods of exit."

He pointed to the patterns above the entrances. The left side depicted a sea of clouds with an ancient, question-mark-shaped seal in the center. The right side featured the outline of a ferocious monster, clearly indicating that the path involved combat.

"I’m not good at puzzles," Huang Hong said, raising his hand. Ye Yu smirked, "Do you intend to just kill monsters for the rest of your gaming career? That’s going to hurt your completion rate for future challenges."

"At least in other games, my win rate in such modes is never below eighty percent," Huang Hong retorted.

"Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong" gave a bitter smile and raised his hand. "I’m not good at puzzles either, so I’m definitely in the combat camp with our Gunner friend."

Luo Feng stepped forward, his face full of anticipation. "I actually have a deep interest in puzzles—you know I prefer them to fighting."

"I’m more interested in the fighting side," Luo Wei added.

Qu Zheng moved to Luo Feng's side. "I’d rather save my energy for fighting. Puzzles suit me better."

Ye Yu nodded and looked at Tan Cong. "Since one side will be short a person, it won't be perfectly balanced. Cong, where do you want to go?" After a moment of thought, Tan Cong looked at Ye Yu, who nodded before he could speak. "I'll choose the puzzle path to balance the teams, and you can support the combat team."

"You jerk, you knew I was going to choose the combat team before I even opened my mouth," Tan Cong laughed.

"Familiarity breeds understanding, haha!"

The teams were set. The combat path on the right would include Huang Hong, Luo Wei, Tan Cong, and "Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong." The puzzle path on the left would have Ye Yu, Luo Feng, and Qu Zheng.

"By the way, kid, are you actually good at puzzles? I never noticed," Ye Yu asked, frowning. He knew Qu Zheng well—the guy was erratic, and his lack of focus could easily derail them.

"Uh... well! Hehe, I usually just use brute force to clear levels, so I guess I'm a total newbie at puzzles. But you have to have faith in me, right?"

Qu Zheng spoke with an air of absolute confidence, making his argument sound perfectly reasonable.

Ye Yu’s expression shifted, but for the sake of the team, having Qu Zheng with them was better. While the Hidden class had the advantage of penetrating physical and magical defenses, its weaknesses were glaring. Without Tan Cong, the Hidden class's survival rate wasn't guaranteed, and they could easily become a burden.

The groups stood before their respective entrances, taking a deep breath. They had reached the threshold, and surprisingly, there were no traps. Ye Yu still wondered why the skeleton had died where it did, but the lack of immediate danger eased their nerves.

"Do you think these patterns are trying to trick us? What if my path is actually the puzzle one and yours is the combat one?" "Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong" joked.

Ye Yu rolled his eyes. "In that case, I'll give you one last chance to switch before we go in."

"No thanks," "Bei Jiu Kun Ying Xiong" said with a grin, stepping into the combat path. As the four of them entered, Ye Yu heard Huang Hong’s voice drift back: "The command is up to you, Shaman King. If you get us killed, you're a dead man."

"Now I'm starting to regret choosing the combat path. You're putting all the pressure on me! That’s not fair!"

Ye Yu and the others burst into laughter. "Alright, let's go."

"Right."

The three of them stepped into the puzzle path, their figures gradually vanishing into the shadows.

"The previous path was lit by lamps," Ye Yu remarked, "but this ancient passage is incredibly dim. The light from outside can’t reach the depths."

Ahead lay pure darkness, accompanied by a bone-chilling wind. Ye Yu could still faintly see patches of dried, congealed liquid on the walls and in the cracks, making the atmosphere feel even more eerie and treacherous.

Nearly two quarters of an hour later, the sound of dripping water echoed through the passage. The acoustics were so strange that Ye Yu and his companions couldn't tell if the drips were coming from ahead or behind them.

"Third brother!" Qu Zheng whispered. Ye Yu nodded in response.

Qu Zheng had already drawn his daggers, a faint aura flowing around him. Ye Yu’s hands glowed with purple light, his eyes flashing with a cold, sharp intent. Luo Feng was surrounded by a crystalline green airflow, the light from the three of them barely illuminating the oppressive darkness.