72: Chapter 72 The strongest strategist's analysis was as fierce as a tiger, but...

The chip crumbs on Pei Duo's fingertips hadn't been rubbed off yet when the smell of disinfectant in her nose instantly turned into the smell of dust.

"Alert!"

Xu Mo's voice sounded at the same time as the landing.

The Special Operations Bureau's Chief Tactical Instructor reacted extremely quickly. He didn't have time to confirm the environment, instinctively shielding the still-stunned Pei Duo behind him while gripping the [Cain's Refuge] in his right hand.

Lin Sa's muscles tensed, and she gripped the 'blood kiss' dagger in return. Her originally gentle eyes became sharp.

"This is..."

Pei Duo rubbed her eyes and finally saw the scene before her.

On the barren plain, a massive hill suddenly rose from the ground.

Its shape strongly resembled a giant skull half-buried underground.

The hollow eye sockets were deep and dark, and its open 'lower jaw' was the entrance to a bottomless giant cavern.

What was even more fatal was the thing at the cave entrance.

A giant owl, comparable in size to a dump truck, stood atop the skull.

Its eyes, burning with eerie green ghost fire, were staring down at the three 'ants' that had suddenly spawned.

"Hiss--!!"

A piercing shriek echoed across the barren plain.

"Why have the living trespassed into Xibalba's territory?"

The owl actually spoke human words, its voice grating and filled with malicious coldness.

"This is the realm of the dead; the living are forbidden entry!"

Following this roar, Pei Duo's live stream automatically reactivated.

Since the previous 'God War' forced a broadcast interruption, global audiences had been left hanging to the extreme.

The moment the signal resumed, the online viewer count instantly surpassed the one billion mark.

The bullet comments erupted like a tsunami, filled with terror and fervor.

[ (IP: Sun Never Sets) Good heavens! This atmosphere is all wrong! The oppressive feeling is so much stronger than the vampire incident! This bird looks trouble! ]

[ (IP: USA) Heh, they just got lucky and won once. This time it's Xibalba from the Maya Pantheon! I heard this place is incredibly mysterious; the Dragon Country people are doomed this time! ]

[ (IP: Dragon Country) Although I don't know what happened last time, I believe in the quality of our national team! Great God Xu Mo, charge! ]

[ (IP: Japan) The broadcast was interrupted last time, who knows how Dragon Country won? They are facing them head-on right at the start this time. I bet they won't last more than a few seconds! ]

Cold sweat trickled down Xu Mo's temples.

The pressure emanating from the owl was more than a whole tier stronger than the Gods Chosen One Mateo from the Aztec Pantheon last time.

This was definitely a genuine mythical creature!

"Don't move."

Xu Mo lowered his voice, firmly restraining Lin Sa who was attempting to communicate, "Don't provoke the gatekeeper. We are in their domain right now."

He quickly pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose, his gaze sharp as lightning, rapidly scanning the surroundings in an extremely short span of time.

His brain worked at full speed, the countless mythological materials he had crammed over the past two days reorganizing and analyzing in his mind.

"The situation is not good."

Xu Mo spoke extremely quickly, "If my judgment is correct, this is 'Xibalba' from maya mythology, which is the maya underworld."

He pointed at the skull-shaped cave entrance.

"That cave is called the 'Mouth of Terror' in mythology, the mandatory path to enter the underworld. And that owl is the messenger of the Xibalba gods, as well as the executioner responsible for harvesting souls. It's best not to startle him; if a god appears, it will be very disadvantageous for us."

Pei Duo asked, "Then what should we do? It's completely bare around here, and there's no other path."

"No, there is a path."

Xu Mo suddenly turned around, his back to the terrifying cave entrance, pointing towards the other side of the barren plain.

There was a narrow canyon where the cold wind howled.

And at the end of the canyon, a fork in the road was vaguely visible, with four roads of different colors extending into the unknown darkness.

"Look over there."

Xu Mo's eyes burned, as if he could see through the mist:

"The Aztec and maya civilizations share the same origin. The god from the Aztec side was likely destroyed by His Majesty last time. This time, it is highly probable that the Maya Pantheon has set up a certain-death revenge scenario. If we follow the plot and enter the cave, we will be trapped like turtles in a jar."

He pointed to the canyon and explained:

"That is the 'Canyon of Trembling,' rumored to have echo walls capable of driving people insane."

He then pointed to the distant, blurry intersection:

"That is the 'Labyrinth of Lies,' also known as the famous four-colored crossroads. Red, White, Black, Yellow—only one is the path to life; the rest are all certain-death traps."

Xu Mo took a deep breath and made his final tactical judgment.

"The clear logic for clearing an s-rank instance has never been brute force; it's survival! We must do the opposite—do not enter the cave. Instead, we will traverse the Canyon of Trembling in reverse, crack the Labyrinth of Lies, and finally force our way across the Triple Styx to forcibly escape the instance!"

This rigorous and clearly structured hardcore analysis stunned not only Pei Duo and Lin Sa but also the audience in the live stream.

[ (IP: Dragon Country) As expected of the Strategist! That brain works so fast! ]

[ (IP: Japan) Searching to death... So it's reverse thinking! I have to admit, this commander from Dragon Country has something, but I bet he won't make it past that canyon. ]

[ (IP: Germany) Calm, knowledgeable, decisive. This man named Xu Mo is indeed a top-tier strategist. ]

Xu Mo turned his head and stared at Pei Duo: "Your Highness, is that qiankun bag still there?"

Pei Duo subconsciously nodded and touched the purple cloth bag at her waist: "It is."

"Excellent."

A glint flashed in Xu Mo's eyes; it was the confidence of a chess player about to make a move.

"Since this is an underworld instance, we will use magic to defeat magic."

"The Canyon of Trembling is a soul attack? We'll use the 'Soul Calming Bracelet' to withstand it! The Labyrinth of Lies is an illusion? We'll use the 'yin-yang mirror' to clear the path and shatter all falsehoods! As for the Styx River later..."

A cold smile curled the corner of Xu Mo's mouth as he pushed up his glasses: "We have the 'boat of oblivion,' which is the flagship of the Eastern Underworld! I'd like to see if the water in this barbaric land dares to sink it!"

The logic was clear, the equipment matching was perfect—it was practically bringing max-level divine gear to stomp newbies!

At this moment, Xu Mo's aura projected him as being eight feet tall; everything was under control.

Hearing this, Lin Sa twirled her dagger in a beautiful flourish, her tone also relaxing: "It doesn't sound like a dead end then."

"Then let's move!"

Xu Mo let out a low shout, straightened his collar, and took the lead in turning around.

The three of them turned their backs to the terrifying skull cave, shared a knowing smile, and faced the cold, howling canyon with the tragic heroism of 'If I don't enter hell, who will,' preparing for a desperate sprint.

Just as the three began to move their legs, preparing to rush toward that only 'path to escape'...

A very familiar, lazy, casual, and even slightly confused voice suddenly drifted out from behind them, from that terrifying skull cave:

"Hey? Where are you three going?"