In the darkness, Bai Shuo drifted in and out of consciousness. She felt herself being lifted and carried for some distance before being thrown down roughly. The stone floor bruised her, and she winced, struggling to open her eyes. Suddenly, a surge of spiritual energy was injected into her forehead, jolting her awake. She was about to cry out when a hand covered her mouth. Startled, her wide eyes softened when she heard a familiar voice whisper beside her.
“Master, don’t be afraid. It’s me.”
It was Mumu! Bai Shuo’s eyes filled with emotion as she turned her head to see her young disciple holding her in his arms, hiding together in a shadowed corner.
“Master, don’t make a sound.”
Not far away, masked Yiren guards were carrying the unconscious disciples of the celestial and demon clans, throwing them one by one onto the ground.
“Mumu, are you alright?” Bai Shuo whispered in surprise.
Fan Yue nodded.
“Then why did you pass out in the hall earlier?”
“I couldn’t beat the Yiren King,” Fan Yue replied candidly. “I was afraid you were in danger, so I pretended to faint to save you.”
Of course! Bai Shuo silently thanked her lucky stars. She had nearly forgotten—though Fan Yue had lost his memory and most of his spiritual power, he was a demigod. Even if he had consumed that little bit of refined Heart Fire wine, or even an entire Wu Tong Heart Fire, his spirit platform wouldn’t be harmed.
“Shh, Master, look.” Her disciple pointed toward the distance.
Under the moonlight, Bai Shuo turned to look and felt a chill run down her spine.
They were inside a massive stone hall, towering a hundred feet high. In the center of the hall was a blood pool, surrounded by unconscious celestial and demon disciples. Floating in the pool was a creature with a human body and a serpent’s tail—the same monster she had seen that night.
Four stone pillars stood around the pool, each engraved with intricate runes. At that moment, Bei Chen, Nan Wan, Chong Zhao, and Mu Jiu hung from the pillars, bound tightly by chains formed from dark energy that emitted from the runes.
The terrifying scene made Bai Shuo’s scalp prickle. So, the Yiren King really had colluded with an evil spirit? No, with the dense aura of malice pervading the stone hall, it was clear that this was not a recent development. The Yiren King himself was the greatest evil! What was he planning to do with so many captured celestial and demon disciples?
After the last celestial disciple was thrown down, the Yiren guards left the stone hall, their footsteps fading into the distance. Bai Shuo seized the moment, darting from her hiding place and rushing over to Chong Zhao.
“A-Zhao! Bei Chen! Mu Jiu!” Bai Shuo called out loudly, but they remained unconscious.
“Mumu, is there any way to wake them?”
Fan Yue moved his palm, directing a few streams of spiritual energy onto the foreheads of the three. Disliking Nan Wan, he ignored him, as Bai Shuo hadn’t called his name.
With the infusion of spiritual energy, Chong Zhao, Bei Chen, and Mu Jiu slowly opened their eyes.
“What the heck is this place?” Mu Jiu exclaimed the moment he opened his eyes, realizing he was suspended mid-air, shackled in the eerie stone hall.
“Shut up! Keep it down! This is the Yiren King’s secret hall.”
Mu Jiu quieted, closing his eyes and gathering spiritual energy in an attempt to break free from the chains. But as soon as he gathered his energy, a sharp pain stabbed through his spirit platform, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“What’s happening? My spirit platform… it’s fractured? Damn that Yiren King—what poison did he use on me?” Mu Jiu’s face filled with horror. A fractured spirit platform meant he’d never progress in cultivation again—worse than death for him!
Bei Chen and Chong Zhao tried gathering their energy as well, only to suffer the same fate, each coughing up blood, their faces as pale as Mu Jiu’s.
“Stop gathering your energy! The Yiren King made you drink Heart Fire Wine, and now the third Wu Tong Heart Fire is inside your spirit platforms!” Bai Shuo hurriedly explained.
“What? The Heart Fire is in my spirit platform?” Mu Jiu looked at Bai Shuo, suspicious. “But you drank the wine too—why are you and your disciple unaffected?”
“My disciple and I haven’t formed spirit platforms yet,” Bai Shuo replied with a shrug.
Mu Jiu was speechless. “You’re unharmed—then get over here and rescue me!”
“Yeah, yeah, stop being so impatient!” Bai Shuo snapped, then turned to Chong Zhao. “A-Zhao! I’m coming to save you.”
“Unbelievable! Ignoring loyalty for romance, are you?” Mu Jiu rolled his eyes so hard they almost disappeared.
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