Super Gene

Creatures in the geno universe only had one soul, but Han Sen’s Sea of Soul held many beast souls. Since each silver sycee could only freeze one soul at a time, Han Sen used eight beast souls to neutralize the sycees.

Han Sen played with a silver sycee in his hand and stroked the blood kirin’s head. He looked at Mister White and said, “Which way should we head now?”

Mister White went silent for a moment. “I don’t know what these palaces are made of, but not even Fox Queen could force one open. We have to travel around the palaces using their installed teleporters. Each palace seems to possess four teleporters. The front gate and each of the side halls have a teleporter. The back hall has one, too. That means every palace has four exits. What we don’t know is how many palaces there are. I think there might be a way to find the right path to the leader’s hidden stash, though.”

“Well, you’re very good when it comes to calculations and restrictions, Mister White. You must have the answer.” Han Sen smiled.

“I have a few ideas, but I cannot be certain my assumptions are correct. We can give them a try, however,” Mister White said, then he turned to the back hall.

Crime followed Mister White, and Han Sen and the kirin brought up the rear. Just as Mister White had explained, the place was practically a maze. Han Sen wasn’t very good with these sorts of puzzles, and it would have been very difficult for Han Sen to find the Sacred Leader’s treasure by himself.

If he walked around aimlessly, he would probably never find the treasure. And if he bumped into Fox Queen, that one encounter could be the end of him.

Mister White teleported out via the back hall. When Han Sen stepped out of the teleporter on the other side, he found himself in a big hall. The hall was just like the one Han Sen had come from. There were many statues and paintings there.

Mister White made a calculation, and he went to the side hall’s teleporter.

Han Sen wondered just how many palaces there were. This maze was far too complicated for him to navigate by himself. Mister White made a calculation every single time they reached a new palace. It took them four hours to move through one hundred palaces, and they still hadn’t reached the end.

“How long is it going to take for us to reach the treasure?” Han Sen couldn’t help but ask.

Crime snorted in annoyance and said, “Do you think calculating the right route is easy? If it wasn’t for Mister White leading us down the correct road, we would be teleporting into the wrong palaces and exposing ourselves to a great deal of danger. It wouldn’t simply be a long trip, at that point. We would struggle to survive whatever trials those other palaces threw at us.”

“I wasn’t complaining. I was just wondering how long it will take for us to get to where the treasure is hidden,” Han Sen said in exasperation.

Mister White laughed and said, “If I’m guessing correctly, we’ll be reaching the first checkpoint soon.”

“What does that mean?” Han Sen asked. This was the first he’d heard about a checkpoint.

After thinking briefly, Mister White said, “Even with us going down the correct road, there will be a few defensive systems that we’ll have to bypass. For a treasure like this, there will be multiple protective measures in place. Our path is correct, yes, but we must also open the many locked doors to gain entry. I estimate that there will be four to seven of them. I don’t know exactly what form these ‘checkpoints’ will take, of course. The defensive systems will be a touch more threatening than actual locked doors. We have to tread carefully.”

After saying all that, Mister White returned his focus to the path ahead. Han Sen followed the man silently.

After going through another three palaces, Mister White arrived at a palace’s main gate. It was there that he told Han Sen, “If I’m correct, the next palace will be the first checkpoint of this maze. You are going to have to be a little bit more careful.”

After that, Mister White traveled through the light. Crime followed him, as well.

The bird’s nest was still sitting on Han Sen’s head, and he also summoned the gold Demon Bug King Bai Sema before walking through the light.

Just like before, Han Sen appeared in a palace after teleporting. This palace looked far different from the other hundred palaces they had visited, though.

This palace was circular, and the roof was shaped like a shield. A giant statue stood at the center of the hall, looking like some massive god that was clad in protective armor. Its head almost touched the roof above. Even though it was just a statue, the mere sight of it was terrifying. Looking at it made the observer want to submit to this deific figure, as if he was the center of the entire universe.

“Is this a statue of the Sacred Leader?” Han Sen wondered, as he observed the statue.

Fox Queen had told him that the Sacred Leader always wore armor, and no one knew for sure whether it was a man or a woman.

Mister White and Crime had stepped out of the teleporter, but they did not go forward. When Han Sen and the blood kirin caught up with them, Mister White said, “Although it looks safe, we still need to exercise caution. The correct exit here is the front gate. We will have to walk past the statue.”

Mister White stepped towards the statue, but Crime quickly ran in front of him. “I will ensure the path is safe for you first.”

Han Sen really admired Crime. There were not many people left in that day and age that could remain so loyal and committed.

Han Sen followed Mister White, while Crime led the way from ahead. As they approached the statue, the statue’s eyes suddenly lit up.

The eyes gleamed like lanterns, showering the entire statue with light. Han Sen’s group was suddenly standing in a spotlight.

But while the light was bright, it didn’t seem to be destructive.

“Hello children, welcome to my treasury,” the statue boomed. Han Sen jumped slightly.

“Don’t be afraid. This statue is only an extension of my will. It is not really me.” The statue then went on to say, “If you’ve made it this far, then that means I am already dead. The items here are now useless for me. I can give them to you, but first, you must pass a test. Only those that successfully pass the test will be allowed to claim my treasures. Anyone who fails, even if they are a deified being, will not be permitted to take so much as a single grain of sand.”

“What test?” Crime asked.

The statue’s voice was robotic. There were no emotional fluctuations in its tone, and it was impossible to guess its gender. It said, “This test is very simple. If you can break this, you will pass the test.”

After that, the statue moved. It reached out its hand and bent lower. It put an item in front of the group, then returned to its original position.

The statue’s eyes started to dim, and its appearance reverted to that of an ordinary statue.

Han Sen looked at the item the statue had placed in front of them; it was a forty-centimeter-long rock. It didn’t really look special in any way, and it was made from green stone.

Crime tried talking to the statue again, but the statue didn’t respond to his questions.

“Stop asking. It only has preprogrammed responses. Now that he is gone, there is nothing special about the statue,” Mister White said.