Sure, here’s the translation:
The group continued to walk on the pitch-black void staircase.
With each step, the red mark would light up, turning the step beneath their feet into solid form. As they moved to the next step, the previous one slowly turned into a phantom shadow, eventually disappearing into the darkness.
They seemed to be stepping onto a heavenly ladder with no way back.
By now, they had been away from the platform where Cicia’s box was located for almost fifteen minutes, yet the end of the staircase was still nowhere in sight.
Additionally, the staircase sometimes spiraled upward and sometimes plummeted like a free fall for dozens of meters. The routes, flipping and turning upside-down, had become routine.
If it weren’t for the red mark constantly guiding their direction, they would even doubt if they had gone the wrong way.
Now, they arrived at a large loop of the staircase, alternating between upside-down and right-side-up. The gravitational field here was quite chaotic, even on the upside-down sections, there was no feeling of falling.
Halfway through this large looping staircase, Kaier suddenly questioned: "Why is my mark flying in a different direction from yours?"
Since Kaier was at the back, the others hadn’t noticed anything unusual before. They only turned to look when they heard Kaier’s voice through the Mind Ribbon.
Ten meters away, Kaier stood dazed on the original step, while the red mark in front of him was flickering in another direction.
At the same time, a corresponding staircase phantom shadow appeared in the direction where Kaier stood.
"Does this ticket actually have different routes?" Dox looked at Angel in puzzlement.
Angel had communicated with Cicia the longest among them, and surely knew more than they did.
However, Angel was also a bit perplexed: "I asked about the mark, and Cicia only said this is a rule of the other-dimensional space. Only those who possess a red mark can safely reach the exit. There was no mention of diverging paths along the way."
The Black Earl verified at this time: "I also asked similar questions, and the answers were not much different from what Angel said."
"What should Kaier do now? Should I go back and get him?" Dox asked.
Angel: "Once the mark is activated, it will keep moving forward. If you don’t believe it, try stepping back."
Dox had a strong spirit and directly stepped onto the previous step. Just like Angel said, the red mark did not flicker, nor did it retreat with Dox, remaining suspended in place.
And the step that Dox half-stepped onto became a non-existent phantom shadow.
Dox, being impulsive, thought it was only a few meters. He decided to pull Kaier over first... As for Kaier possibly losing the red mark because of this, Dox didn’t give it much thought, after all, if worst came to worst, he could just stash him in his Exile Space.
But just as Dox was about to dash towards Kaier, Kaier shook his head frantically, looking terrified.
Dox was puzzled, when suddenly he felt a chill in his heart.
Not only Dox, others present also felt something amiss.
"Speedy, quickly pull Dox back!" As soon as Angel sensed something wrong, he immediately instructed Speedy, summoning a powerful wind vortex, instantly pulling Dox, whose two feet had already left the step, back onto the staircase.
Back on the staircase, Dox was gasping heavily with a lingering sense of fear.
"What, what happened just now?" Dox asked in confusion while catching his breath.
However, none of them had seen any specific situation, only sensing something wasn’t right.
At this moment, Kaier’s voice came through the Mind Ribbon: "Shadow, when Red Sword Lord stepped out of the step, I saw a massive shadow rising from the void below."
"A massive shadow? It’s so dark here, are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?" Angel asked.
Kaier: "Absolutely not wrong, the color is completely different from the surrounding blackness..."
"Has the shadow disappeared now?" Dox was a bit worried that he was being watched by something foul.
Kaier: "As soon as Red Sword Lord stood back within the light source covered by the red mark, the shadow sank and vanished."
Upon hearing this, everyone understood why Angel said this red mark can only advance, not retreat.
Once you step back, you encounter this kind of unknown terror.
Angel: "Cicia mentioned there is danger in the void, but I didn’t expect the danger to come so fast. Once you leave the step, the shadow immediately looms overhead..."
Black Earl: "An other-dimensional space shouldn’t be so bizarre, and your void harbors Magic Monsters."
Angel: "Harboring Magic Monsters?"
Black Earl: "Besides harboring Magic Monsters, I can’t think of other existences. The design of this other-dimensional space is not right... I have a feeling there are secrets hidden deep in this void that are unknown."
Black Earl gazed into the dark void, a hint of exploration in his eyes.
"If there are secrets here, then the Hanging Jail Stairway probably also hides secrets... because its situation is similar to this place." Angel paused: "But even if there are secrets, they should be unrelated to our journey."
Angel’s curiosity for these "secrets" wasn’t lacking, but the secrets here likely relate to Hanging Jail Stairway, or high-level decisions in Naraku City, matters he couldn’t involve himself with at the moment.
Moreover, Angel didn’t want to cause unnecessary complications in this exploration.
"Indeed, it’s likely unrelated." Black Earl didn’t deny Angel’s statement: "We can leave it aside for now."
"Don’t bother with secrets now. However, Kaier’s situation is urgent, and requires focused attention." Dox said.
"What’s there to worry about? Wherever the red mark guides him, he should follow. Since Cicia said the red mark will lead us out of here, we will eventually meet again." Black Earl said softly at this point: "Besides, we might all have our own roads later."
Upon hearing Black Earl’s words, Kaier, who was furthest away, responded first: "Indeed, if there’s only one path, there’d be no need to buy so many tickets. Since each of us has a ticket, it likely means that everyone will have different paths."
"I’ll follow the red mark going forward." Kaier paused with a solemn tone: "Traveling alone."
Kaier spoke with firmness, making Dox contemplate and softly remark: "That’s good... traveling alone is actually commonplace."
"Not quite alone." Kaier scratched his head: "The Mind Ribbon is still connected, I’ll update you about any situation on my journey!"