NOVPUB"What are you trying to do?" Steward Fu, spitting out blood, struggled to speak.
"Fang Jiu, this is my Tianlun Sect’s territory, you should know what happens to those who betray the Junior Sect Master."
"You’re better off resting in peace," Xu Zimei said with a smile, raising his hands and annihilating Steward Fu in his palm.
"Lead the way," he turned to look at Fang Jiu and the others and said.
The faces of Fang Jiu and the others were all somewhat pale, unnaturally leading Xu Zimei into the attic.
Xu Zimei slowly rotated the floor beneath his feet, accompanied by a series of ’boom boom boom’ sounds.
A dark passage that seemed bottomless appeared below.
From the passage, faint and spine-chilling screams could be heard. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
"This was secretly built by the Junior Sect Master," Fang Jiu explained.
"Whenever he practices and wants to absorb the essence from others, it’s always done here."
"Lead the way," Xu Zimei said.
Walking into the dark passage, a wave of heat hit them head-on.
Wave after wave of heat brushed across their faces, with sparks faintly flickering in the darkness.
Halfway through the passage, the view started to brighten.
Ahead, the firelight illuminated the path behind, revealing several figures running wildly in the roaring flames.
Crying out as if they were about to be consumed by the fire, ultimately collapsing in the sea of flames.
"Have you been here before?" Xu Zimei asked.
"No, the Junior Sect Master doesn’t allow anyone in," Fang Jiu said.
"I’ve only seen him enter a few times by chance."
At the end of the passage, Xu Zimei could see the sea of fire ahead and feel the scorching heat.
The sea of fire was blocked by iron bars, which were glowing red hot.
There was a small door next to it. Da Zhi the monk stepped forward and found that the iron door was locked from the other side.
With several consecutive palms, he blasted the iron door onto the ground.
Walking through the small door, the view inside was much wider.
The raging fire surrounded the area, within which countless figures were being burned, screaming from within.
And in the central position of the fire, there was a platform.
A young man in a blue robe was sitting cross-legged on the platform, tendrils like tentacles emanating from around his body.
These tendrils attached to the bodies of those being burned by the flames, absorbing strength at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The flames appeared unusual, capable of thoroughly purging impurities from the human body, with the effect of cleansing the marrow.
Now, accompanied by Xu Zimei and his party entering, the youth’s body exuded an astonishing presence, slowly retracting the tendrils back into his body, and opening his eyes.
A glint of light flashed through his pupils.
"Fang Jiu, who let you come here," Gongsun Tianxun frowned and asked coldly.
"And who are they?"
Fang Jiu’s eyes dodged, failing to answer the question.
Instead, he looked at Xu Zimei and said, "Can you give me the antidote now?"
"There’s no antidote, what I gave you was just an ordinary pill," Xu Zimei said.
"Don’t lie to me, I’ve already led you to the Junior Sect Master," Fang Jiu still asked somewhat uneasily.
Xu Zimei smiled and did not reply.
He turned his head to look at Gongsun Tianxun and smiled, "Come with us."
"Who are you?" Gongsun Tianxun asked.
"That’s not important," Xu Zimei reached out his hand behind him toward Gongsun Tianxun.
Gongsun Tianxun let out a cold snort, his entire body soared into the air.
The roaring fire within the chamber transformed into a long dragon, attacking Xu Zimei.
Xu Zimei’s right hand swiveled, directly dispersing the dragon in his grip.
As the flames dissipated, a fist carrying a fierce wind enlarged before his eyes.
Xu Zimei snorted coldly, grabbed the fist in front of him, and then fiercely flung Gongsun Tianxun away.
With a "boom," Gongsun Tianxun’s body flew out heavily, slamming into the wall next to the secret chamber.
The secret chamber shook violently, as if on the verge of collapsing.
Gongsun Tianxun quickly got up from the ground and looked at Xu Zimei with a some urgency.
"Tianlun Four Skills," Gongsun Tianxun shouted coldly.
Spiritual energy around him suddenly burst into chaos, centering on him.
Four faces, each representing happiness, anger, sadness, and joy, began to condense around him.
"The myriad expressions of life, the four transformations of Tianlun," Gongsun Tianxun chanted softly.
His aura surged explosively, and countless tendrils spread out from around him.
These tendrils were so forceful they shattered the space around them with a bang.
"Die," Gongsun Tianxun roared.
Countless tendrils, melding with the four expressions of emotions, lunged at Xu Zimei.
Endowed with emotions, each tendril seemed to possess a life of its own, shrieking.
Laughing, weeping, and wailing, their sounds were ceaseless, echoing throughout the entire secret chamber.
Hearing these noises, everyone’s souls seemed to tremble, and they stood dumbfounded in place.
"A soul attack?" Xu Zimei murmured softly.
The eagle-eyed man and the burly giant behind him, before they could even react, were already pierced through by the tendrils.
They died instantly, beyond any hope of revival.
"An attack on both soul and body," Xu Zimei commented with interest.
Da Zhi the monk held his longsword, chanting sutras in a hushed voice, trying to shield his divine soul.
Meanwhile, Fang Jiu cowered in a corner of the secret chamber, petrified.
Xu Zimei watched the tendrils entwining and besieging him, unaffected in his divine soul.
From behind him, Tyrant Shadow flew out of its sheath on its own, unleashing endless Blade Qi, eager to sever these tendrils.
However, after absorbing the power of the emotions, the tendrils grew heads.
Each tendril, as if it were a living being, stretched out hands to grab onto Tyrant Shadow.
Tyrant Shadow was torn by the powerful tendrils, trying to be devoured.
Xu Zimei slightly lifted his head, a trace of Blade Intent flashing through his indifferent eyes.
The Blade Qi on Tyrant Shadow grew even more astonishing, flames blazed furiously, and Heavenly Thunder rumbled, spreading from the blade.
With a "clang," countless tendrils were sliced into segments and fell into the sea of fire.
Gongsun Tianxun, witnessing this scene, was horrified.
He immediately fled toward the chamber’s small door.
But Tyrant Shadow flew through the air, transforming into countless blade intents, landing right where Gongsun Tianxun was making his escape.
Looking at the curved blade in front of him, Gongsun Tianxun stopped dead, then turned around trembling to look at Xu Zimei.
"Let’s go with us, Young Master Tianxun," Xu Zimei smiled.
He turned to look at Fang Jiu, who was curled up in a corner.
He said, "Tell the whole Tianlun Sect that Gongsun Tianxun has been kidnapped by me. If they want him,
have Gongsun Hongtian come to the Yueyang Inn in the city tomorrow at noon to find me."
After speaking, Xu Zimei didn’t bother with Fang Jiu anymore. Together with Da Zhi the monk, they took Gongsun Tianxun, whose Vein Gate was sealed, and walked outside.
Gongsun Tianxun didn’t dare to play any tricks; his life was in Xu Zimei’s hands, so he could only leave the Tianlun Sect with Xu Zimei.
The journey was uneventful, and they returned to the inn.
