As the figure drew closer, the s.p.a.ce between Tetsuya's brows wrinkled. This person seemed familiar but wasn't someone whose name instantly came to mind. Where had he seen him before…?

"You?" Tetsuya said, taken aback. He had finally placed the face before him but he was as puzzled as ever. He had already fought this person before and found his cultivation to be lacking compared to his own. He really didn't expect that this person would be able to last this long.

"Tetsuya of the Star-Cutting Sword Sect. We meet again." The opposing youth's voice was silky yet filled with ice.

Tetsuya's heart became unsettled but his expression did not change. Instead, he smiled lightly.

"You barely managed to throw off my mental attack last time, almost taking away half your life. Think carefully about what you want to do next."

As he said this, Tetsuya's unusual lilac eyes flashed threateningly. A killing intent rose from him. His heart was unwilling to accept that this person that he had dismissed was still in the Monster Mausoleum – and worse, this person seemed much more relaxed than even himself!.

After a moment, the youth standing opposite him chuckled. It was a soft and cold laugh that somehow made you feel like a mouse trapped under the paw of a leopard.

Tetsuya shook his head to dislodge the imagery. Just what on earth was giving him this impression? Even if the other had gained a few treasures since they last met, so had he! After clearing his mind for a bit, Tetsuya a.n.a.lysed the situation in front of him. This youth was clearly also heading towards the centre of the Underworld Labyrinth…

Tetsuya made a decision. Two tigers cannot share a mountain! This time he would not be so lenient and let the other party escape. His smile became warmer.

"What is your name?"

The silver-haired youth opposite him raised a pale hand to his eyepatch, tapping it lightly.

"You don't need to know who I am."

What happened next was incredibly strange and inexplicable to anyone who was watching the scene from the coliseum. The angle that the two young men were captured by was from an aerial view a tens of metres high in the sky, where the flying insect drone was hovering. As such the audience in the coliseum only saw the two youths stop to talk to one another. What they talked about was hard to discern due to the distance which they were recorded from.

There was a bit of antic.i.p.ation in the audience as the two youths greeted each other. Everyone wanted the top talent Tetsuya to show his powers again. No one in the coliseum thought for even a second that Star-Cutting Sword Sect's number two disciple would lose if they fought. Would his opponent simply drop to the floor, dribbling saliva from the sides of their mouths as they lost their minds, or would this youth resist and fight back? Even if he resisted ah, there was bound to be fountains of blood as his internal qi reversed due to the infernal nature of Tetsuya's illusion art.  

Those with good memory recalled that these two had clashed during the later waves of the Monster Mausoleum over a treasure, before they had entered the Underworld Labyrinth. The silver-haired youth had shown an above-average resistance to Tetsuya's mental arts but did not fight back. The exchange only lasted a few seconds but Klaus had stumbled a few steps backwards, a red stain appearing at the corner of his lips. Tetsuya was satisfied that his opponent had been thoroughly warned and did not pay him any more attention – there were treasures to be won, after all. He failed to notice the calculating look in his 'defeated' opponent's eye.

At that moment, the mirage high in the sky showed the two youths exchanging words.

Who knows what was said next, but the audience saw Tetsuya's shoulders suddenly stiffen. The silver-haired youth curled his lips, turned around and walked away. The Star-Cutting Sword Sect's number two disciple followed.

Tens of minutes later they entered a dark, twisted forest and the drone lost sight of them.

______

Owing to his Palladium Wind Nymph Sandals, Van was the person closing in on the centre of the labyrinth in all five battlefields. He sped calmly inwards. As he travelled further in he saw that the natural formations became denser, such that it was impossible to not accidentally b.u.mp into a treasure-filled place. The only problem was whether these places were easy to solve or extremely difficult.

A few hours of travelling later, Van saw a sight that honestly shocked him into silence. He rubbed his eyes to check if he was seeing the right thing.

About one kilometre ahead of him, a bustling town could be seen. He could vaguely see men, women and young children playing around in the town square. It was a bizarre sight after days spent struggling against the rock golems sent every day as evening came.

"How can there be people here?" Van asked himself, "This place should be called the Monster Mausoleum for a reason ah, that's why we fight against monster hordes on the daily. Just why would a human town suddenly appear here?"

Despite his misgivings, Van was very curious. He knew that apart from the other partic.i.p.ants there could absolutely be no other humans in the Monster Mausoleum. This meant that the entire town must be a construction - an illusion or array.

Van sent his spiritual sense out. The gossamer threads spread out but he couldn't see through the strange town even when he used his full power.

Van tucked his hands into his robes, "Guess I'll just have to go in and take a look myself."

Van said this, but actually the human town could not be avoided. The mental map he had made of the Underworld Labyrinth showed that the centre could only be reached by pa.s.sing through this area. The red-haired youth decided that this was definitely a trial set by the Underworld Labyrinth and did not think too hard.

He straightened his robes, patted off some of the dirt so he wouldn't look too much like he had just crawled out of a swamp and walked into the town.