Lin Chun struggled to sit up and glanced at the octopus leg. Seemingly recalling the previous monster, he hesitated before finally not taking it.
"I need to recharge some energy. I don't know if there'll be anything else to eat," I said with a smile. "It might look disgusting, but it actually tastes quite good..."
Lin Chun was still reluctant.
"Imagine those stranded on a deserted island or in a desperate situation; they even have to drink their own urine. What's this compared to that?" I said with a smile, then took a bite of the roasted octopus leg.
After a few bites, Lin Chun seemed to have regained some strength.
"How do you feel now?" I asked.
"I feel... strange," Lin Chun chuckled. "Because the situation was so urgent earlier, I felt like I was about to die. I accidentally swallowed a mouthful of ink..."
Hearing this, I paused slightly, and only then did I understand why he had unleashed such terrifying power earlier.
So, it was a matter of life and death.
"What did it feel like when that power erupted?" I asked.
In terms of current cultivation strength, my abilities were definitely far beyond Lin Chun's.
Yet, I had never experienced such a situation.
Moreover, I had basically mastered all the martial arts and techniques they practiced.
After all, I currently possessed three attributes, and I didn't know if I could have other attributes later on.
"It felt incredibly powerful..." Lin Chun recalled. "However, I could also feel that my body seemed to be somewhat out of control..."
I slowly nodded. Such immense power would surely come with certain side effects, and this so-called side effect was likely the inability to control one's body.
"Do you feel anything unusual in your body?" I continued to ask.
"No..." Lin Chun shook his head. "I just feel a bit tired..."
"That's because your Shepherd's Power has been completely depleted," I said with a smile. "But as long as there's nothing wrong with your body, then there's no need to worry about anything else..."
Lin Chun nodded and didn't say much.
After dealing with these matters, we both rested at the spot for another half day. Once we confirmed that our Shepherd's Power had fully recovered, we headed towards where the octopus monster had been, walking over.
The octopus monster had already turned into fragments, revealing a door behind it.
We stepped forward, expecting the environment inside to be different from before. However, after entering, we discovered that the passageway inside was virtually unchanged from before.
Still within the maze.
"Let's just do it the old way," I said helplessly. Without a map, we could only rely on luck, trying one by one, testing as we went.
And so, the two of us continued to navigate the maze.
It wasn't until the twelfth time we returned to the location of the octopus monster that Lin Chun started to lose patience.
We rested there for a while, ate a bit more, and then set out again.
After spending nearly another half day, we finally arrived at a new path.
As we stepped inside, I could clearly feel a change in temperature ahead.
"Hurry up and go forward!" I said without a word and quickened our pace.
After bypassing two intersections, we finally reached the front. The moment I saw the situation inside, even with my composure, I couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Before us was a vast expanse, the size of a basketball court.
Honestly, I was somewhat puzzled. The area where we had fallen earlier was indeed large, but considering the width limitations of the walls constructing the maze, how could such a large space be cleared?
What surprised me most, however, was that this vast area wasn't solid ground but lava!
Billowing lava erupted with flames periodically. The terrifying heat made both of us sweat profusely, even standing at the entrance.
"This..." Lin Chun looked at the lava. The current situation was indeed very awkward. If we wanted to jump across, it was clearly impossible, yet neither of us could fly.
To reach the door on the other side, we had to cross this layer of lava.
Our bodies would undoubtedly be unable to withstand the terrifying temperature of the lava. Even with our cultivation of Shepherd's Power, it was impossible.
At least, not with our current strength.
"Perhaps this place wasn't meant for us?" Lin Chun asked.
I exhaled slowly, a multitude of thoughts racing through my mind. Elder Yu had warned me that this place would be very dangerous.
But at the same time, it was also a place where one could rapidly improve their strength.
Looking at it this way, what Lin Chun said didn't seem entirely unreasonable.
"So what if it wasn't meant for us?" I smiled. "As long as we can get through, that's all that matters!"