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On the other hand, the pair of shield-armored warriors known as the Berry brothers understood Xi Luo's intention and advised, "Roland, don't make a fuss, Xi Luo doesn't mean it that way. Haven't you noticed something wrong with the surroundings? All the beasts are gone."

"So what?"

"You should know better as a thief. Look, over there, there are so many bloodstains, indicating that someone or a powerful Magical Beast has come all the way from there and entered the palace. And the monsters here should have all been scared away by it. With this level of deterrence, it must be at least a top-tier Sword Emperor or a creature close to a Super Magical Beast. That's why Xi Luo asked us to wait outside. If we don't eliminate the possible danger, once we encounter a strong confrontation in the narrow underground space, none of us will have a chance to escape."

"Oh... Ah, so that's the case, I'm sorry, Xi Luo, I didn't know, you will definitely forgive me, right?"

"Ah... Yes..."

"Great, then you go in quickly. If it's a Super Magical Beast, be sure to catch it for me. I haven't eaten Super Magical Beast barbecue yet. It's rare for Morova to become a Flame Sword Saint, just in time to barbecue for us..."

Xi Luo and his other companions could only look helplessly at this girl with nerves of steel. Having been together for a long time, they naturally knew that this girl had no malice at all, but her personality really should have made her a berserker rather than a thief. Why didn't her thief master expel her back then?

Morova suddenly spoke up, "It's not a Magical Beast."

"Ah?" The thief girl didn't understand for a moment.

"Judging from the traces of battle, the one who entered the palace is a human, the weapons are probably a fire-imbued blade and a light-imbued sword. There is only one fighter, using both sword and blade, but it's unknown if there are companions." Morova explained. He had been a mercenary since childhood and was more outstanding in tracking and judging traces than traditional hunters.

Immediately after, Xi Luo said, "Alright, let's go in. You should head to the top of that mountain and monitor the entrance of this palace. If there's no problem, we'll come out and call you later. If others come in and out, don't act rashly."

After arranging their companions, the two stepped into the palace. The scene along the way surprised them. In the past year, they had sneaked into the palace many times but had to retreat due to the blocking Magical Beasts and mechanisms. Now, the palace seemed to have been opened up into a broad road, with the corpses of Magical Beasts and shattered mechanical traps everywhere. Moreover, these were clearly not ordinary things. The Magical Beasts were not only generally above intermediate level but also often underwent special mutations, making them more vicious and bizarre. The mechanisms were so ingeniously designed as to be unbelievable. Even Morova, who had become a Sword Saint, couldn't help but be somewhat shocked by the ruthlessly ingenious designs. What puzzled the two young men even more was who could have created all this?

Passing through layers of the palace, the two followed the blood trail left by Chen Xuanfeng all the way down, finally catching up with the three people in front at a tall and heavy metal door.

To their surprise, the three people in front didn't look like adventurers at all. The youngest was a beautiful black-haired girl of only twelve or thirteen, dressed in a noblewoman's dress adorned with lace, with an innocent expression. Next to her was a pure and beautiful maid. The two looked as if they were enjoying tea and flowers in a garden, with no hint of adventure whatsoever. The only one who looked like a master was the black-haired young man holding a pair of uniquely shaped swords. He did have the aura of a master, but he seemed to have nothing but a robe, not even a backpack. That is to say, he didn't carry food or water, let alone the many tools and equipment necessary for adventurers.

Novices, rookies, foolish nobles, young masters, and ladies—in an instant, a series of judgments flashed through Xi Luo and Morova's minds. But the traces of battle they had seen along the way forced them to believe that the three people in front were the ones who had broken through the barriers and opened up the entire palace. So for a moment, both of them couldn't help but feel confused.

"Who are you?" As soon as they approached, the maid's voice came from the front.

Xi Luo didn't want to have a strange conflict with such opponents, even if he had a Sword Saint by his side. So he immediately said loudly, "We're adventurers, and we mean no harm. The lower level of this palace was first discovered by us a year ago. We just saw your traces of battle above and came down to take a look. Please rest assured, according to the rules of adventurers, you who opened the way forward have the first claim to the treasures of this palace."

Chen Xuanfeng had naturally recognized the two but pretended not to know and said, "So it's the 'Ice and Fire Adventure Team' that discovered this palace. Why are there only two of you? We saw your names when we bought the map at the guild. According to the rules of adventurers, those who discover major ruins have the right to conduct independent exploration for one year. Although it has expired now, you still have the right to freely explore, so please feel free to act."

"No need." Xi Luo smiled bitterly and said, "We spent a year and didn't make nearly as much progress as you have today. The mechanisms of this palace become more powerful the further down you go. We don't have the confidence to wander around, so we'll just follow behind you and take a look."

In fact, Xi Luo and his team had originally planned to use Morova's newly acquired Saint-level Power to forcibly break through the maze for exploration. But along the way, they found that the scale and precision of the palace far exceeded their expectations. If Morova really used force, even if successful, it would likely turn all the gains into ashes. Moreover, with outsiders present, it was better to keep Morova's Saint-level secret as confidential as possible. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, they decided to follow and see what benefits they could get. The only pity was that Morova's Super Magical Beast, "Flame Phoenix Feimi," although remembering some scenes of being with the Twelve Sages, was not a high-intelligence Magical Beast and was of no particular help in exploring the maze.

On Chen Xuanfeng's side, there were more plans.