Bai Ting and the others quickly walked back to Lin Xiaoxiao’s side after hearing that, looking in the direction she was pointing.
On one side of the tunnel they had originally exited from, a narrow opening, just wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side, had appeared at some unknown point.
“No way…”
Yan Kuan unconsciously swallowed, walked forward, raised the fluorite in his hand, and illuminated the opening.
Yan Kuan squatted on the ground, pressing his hands against it, feeling the flow of the Earth Element around him.
A few seconds later, he walked back to the others, saying with a strange expression,
“It’s not a hole, there really is a path…”
Bai Ting and Han Badou exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of confusion in each other’s eyes.
Not only Lin Xiaoxiao and Yan Kuan, but they two were also very sure that when they first passed through this place, this path definitely did not exist.
“Yan Kuan, did you find any marks left by Ba Dou on your side just now?”
“I didn’t on my side, what about you guys?”
“We didn’t either…” Bai Ting shook his head.
The few of them exchanged glances, all realizing that things were getting tricky.
“Could it be an illusion? When did we fall for it?”
After Lin Xiaoxiao calmed down, she manipulated the Cold Steel Flying Daggers to circle rapidly around them.
If they were in an illusion, the Cold Steel Flying Daggers might pass through certain scenes, or they might mysteriously encounter obstacles in empty spaces.
Understanding Lin Xiaoxiao’s intention, the others raised the fluorites in their hands as high as possible, illuminating the space.
They watched the four Cold Steel Flying Daggers spin high up, colliding back and forth against the walls repeatedly, yet still no desired scene appeared.
Lin Xiaoxiao even manipulated the daggers to fly into several tunnels.
A minute later, all the daggers returned to Lin Xiaoxiao’s hand.
Han Badou looked at Lin Xiaoxiao’s expression, and without even needing to sense her emotions, he already guessed the result.
“I can’t detect any abnormalities, so it might not be an illusion.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Ting took out a “Demon-Breaking Pill” from his ring. This was a pill they had purchased at the camp, and its effect was to help the user break through illusions.
He had hoped that if Lin Xiaoxiao could identify the problem, they might be able to save this “Demon-Breaking Pill”.
But if it wasn't an illusion, the situation seemed to only get stranger. Bai Ting thought for a moment and finally took the “Demon-Breaking Pill” in front of everyone.
The moment the pill entered his mouth, Bai Ting felt a sudden clarity in his mind, and his eyes were covered with a faint golden light.
After the effect took hold, Bai Ting’s body moved. Arcs of electricity appeared at his feet, and he quickly ran into several tunnels.
After running less than ten meters into each tunnel, he would exit and then enter other tunnels in sequence, trying to find the marks Ba Dou had originally left on the wall.
When Bai Ting exited the last tunnel, he continued to scan the surrounding environment.
Finally, he returned to the group, his expression grave, shook his head, and said to Han Badou,
“It’s confirmed, it’s not an illusion, and there are no signs of violent damage on the stone walls. The marks you left have indeed disappeared.”
Han Badou nodded, indicating that he understood, but he did not reply, seeming to be deep in thought.
“Why don’t we just pick a path and try it? Just waiting around isn’t a solution.”
Seeing that Han Badou remained silent, Lin Xiaoxiao voiced her thoughts.
“It’s better to be cautious. Given the current situation, assuming all subsequent marks will be ineffective, we might go deeper and deeper, and then we’ll have even less chance to escape.”
Bai Ting rejected Lin Xiaoxiao’s idea. At a time like this, the most taboo thing was to act rashly out of desperation.
“Then how about we just dig a path upwards? We’re underground anyway, so going up can’t be wrong, right?”
“That would be too dangerous. The underground structure here isn’t that stable. Once damaged, it’s very likely to cause a tunnel collapse, and then we’d all be buried alive here.”
It was clear Lin Xiaoxiao was a bit anxious, so Yan Kuan quickly comforted her.
“Xiao Xiao, don’t worry, let’s think of a solution first.”
Lin Xiaoxiao was about to say something more when she noticed Han Badou suddenly spoke.
“I just calculated the distance we walked to return to this spot, it’s about sixty meters. The length of the rope retrieved from where it broke to my waist is roughly the same. Logically, there should be a broken rope end nearby.”
“But not only is it not here, I didn’t see it in the tunnels I entered just now either… You mean…” Bai Ting seemed to understand Han Badou’s deduction.
“Yes, two possibilities.”
“First, the place we are in now is not the fork we passed on our way here. Our sense of direction might have been disturbed, so not only did we not return to the original spot, but we went deeper. This also explains why there are no ropes or marks here, and why a fourth path appeared.”
“Second, the one who broke the rope not only took the rope but also used some means to create all this in front of us. After all, both the disappearance of the rope and the marks are to trap us here, and the purpose is consistent.”
Han Badou analyzed calmly. If it were before, he would have leaned towards the first possibility.
But since the Great Disaster, the emergence of the ability system had already overturned previous perceptions.
Even if there really was some ability that could change the terrain, he wouldn't find it surprising now.
“It’s easy to verify which possibility it is. We just need to go back along the tunnel we just exited. If we find the rope, we continue forward. If we can return to the initial fork, then it’s the first possibility. If not, then it’s the second.”
Bai Ting was the first to understand Han Badou’s meaning. He was already looking at the tunnel they had previously exited from.
Yan Kuan and Lin Xiaoxiao also had an epiphany after listening to Han Badou’s analysis.
Given the current situation, returning along the path they had just exited seemed to be the best choice.
“Yes, but there are still risks. Even if it really is the first possibility, can we still trust our sense of direction now? Is this path really the one we exited from?”
Han Badou smiled bitterly. Considering this possibility, they might plunge into another completely unfamiliar tunnel, and the situation could be even worse then.
“It’s okay, Ba Dou. Since we have a plan, there’s no need to worry so much. Not trying anything won’t make the situation better. Let’s go back through this path.”
Bai Ting spoke at the right time. He understood Han Badou’s concerns, but the situation was special, and if there was hope, they had to try.
“That’s right, Ba Dou, don’t worry, we have to try anyway.” Yan Kuan and Lin Xiaoxiao also expressed their agreement.
The few of them reached a consensus, so they walked together towards the passage in their memory.
“Wait!”
Just as one foot had already stepped into that tunnel, Han Badou suddenly shouted.
Bai Ting and the others turned to look at him, finding that he had stepped back a few paces and was looking in another direction, the direction of the fourth new tunnel that had appeared out of nowhere.
Han Badou looked at everyone and said with a strange expression,
“I detected an energy reaction.”
“It’s that Nine Star…”