Chapter Two Hundred: Senior Brother, “Six’s” True Nature
The second level of the dark dungeon was filled with ghostly energy. Only a few blue oil lamps illuminated the corridor, making it feel like a realm of lost souls.
*Huala huala—*
The clashing of chains echoed through the corridor. The criminal cultivators imprisoned within opened their eyes and looked towards the dark iron bars of their cells. They knew they would have a new friend to talk to for the next few hundred years.
Two Sword Sect disciples at the Core Formation Stage escorted Xue Xinghai towards the interrogation room at the far end. Zhuang Yan followed behind.
After walking about a hundred paces and reaching the cell door, Zhuang Yan spoke to the two disciples: “You two may leave. I will interrogate him personally.”
“Yes, Master.”
The two bowed in salute. After Zhuang Yan and Xue Xinghai entered the room, they closed the dark iron door and set up a soundproof restriction on it with a talisman, so as not to disturb the other criminal cultivators on the same level as they reflected on their transgressions during the interrogation.
Xue Xinghai walked into the interrogation room and looked around. Seeing the torture instruments for cultivators’ bodies on the wooden table in the corner, he couldn’t help but purse his lips and say, “These torture instruments were all made by me.”
“Indeed.” Zhuang Yan nodded, picked up a small knife carved with talismans from the wooden table, and turned around. “What exactly happened today? Why were you captured by those three women?”
“The twenty-eight people on the roster you gave me, the one named Yun Shulong escaped. When I found him, he had already been captured by the Second Miss and Third Miss.”
“Yun Shulong? Yun Kun’s youngest son?”
“Yes.” Xue Xinghai nodded. “I was worried he might have said something that made the Third Miss suspicious, so I had to step forward. I originally intended to eliminate the Third Miss and Second Miss as well, but who would have thought…”
“Who would have thought?”
“Who would have thought that the male and female Foundation Establishment cultivators accompanying them were extraordinarily powerful?” He raised his left hand, which had been severed by Feng Yu Die, and said, “A cultivator at the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage severed the arm of a late Core Formation Stage cultivator with one sword?”
“Did they conceal their cultivation?”
“It doesn’t seem like it, but with silver hair, it’s very likely they possess Saint Emperor bloodline.”
“Saint Emperor bloodline?” Zhuang Yan frowned, recalling for a moment. “I heard that the Xuan Xing Sect previously accepted a disciple with silver hair. Could it be someone from the Xuan Xing Sect?”
“I heard that the Xuan Xing Sect’s disciple with Saint Emperor bloodline is a woman, but the person accompanying the Second Miss today was a man.”
“Then you mentioned two people? What about the other one?”
“That young lady uses the Leaf Shadow Sword Art. She might be an illegitimate daughter left behind by Yun Tian Shi. Moreover, at such a young age, her cultivation has already reached the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage. She should not be underestimated.”
Zhuang Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of disbelief, as if he thought Xue Xinghai had intentionally let himself be captured. He retorted, “Just two cultivators at the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage, and you couldn’t handle them?”
“I couldn’t see through the cultivation of one of them at all.”
“Who?”
“The youth accompanying the Eldest Miss. He used a Phantasmal Transformation Charm, so both his cultivation and appearance could be fake.”
Hearing this, Zhuang Yan’s eyes widened slightly. Although he hadn’t seen the two Mid Foundation Establishment cultivators Xue Xinghai mentioned, he had indeed seen Ye Anping.
However, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Ye Anping. He merely thought the youth was quite handsome.
If Ye Anping had truly hidden his cultivation and appearance using a Phantasmal Transformation Charm, then this charm must be a spiritual treasure.
There were only two possibilities for hiding cultivation with a spiritual treasure:
— Either their cultivation was too high, and an ordinary Phantasmal Transformation Charm couldn’t suppress it.
— Or they were simply too rich and disdained to use an ordinary Phantasmal Transformation Charm.
Thinking of this, Zhuang Yan felt something was amiss and quickly retorted, “If you couldn’t see through him, how did you know he was using a Phantasmal Transformation Charm?”
“He deliberately showed me the pendant,” Xue Xinghai replied with a pursed lip. “It seemed like he wanted to threaten me. That’s why I didn’t dare to act rashly at the time.”
“He deliberately showed it to you?”
“Yes.”
“Heh… Could it be that he was just bluffing?”
“Elder Zhuang, once you see that pendant, you’ll understand why I didn’t dare to act rashly. That’s no ordinary spiritual treasure. You probably couldn’t find anything like it even if you searched every treasure vault in the Southern Domain’s sects.”
“Oh?”
Zhuang Yan raised an eyebrow, not taking it too seriously. He felt Xue Xinghai was being overly dramatic. He waved his hand, using his spiritual power to move a stool from the edge, indicating for him to sit down, and asked, “Where are the things?”
“The organs of twenty-seven inner disciples have been stored in the secret chamber. Yun Shulong’s head was just taken away by the two people you brought.”
“How much more is needed?”
“Not much is left. The煞体 (Sha Body) is almost fully stitched. We just need one Blood Spirit Pearl.”
“I understand.” Zhuang Yan nodded and said, “Then you’ll have to stay here for the time being. Most of the other elders already know you’ve been captured and brought to the Heavenly Prison, so it’s not easy for me to let you go directly. I’ll arrange for your escape after some time.”
“Mm.”
Xue Xinghai shrugged slightly, then looked at the small dagger in Zhuang Yan’s hand and joked, “To enter the Sword Sect’s interrogation room but not experience any interrogation… it’s quite a regret.”
“Do you want to try?”
“No, thank you. I’d prefer to live a little longer.”
“Let’s go, we’re leaving…”
As soon as he finished speaking, two knocks sounded from outside the interrogation room door. Zhuang Yan was momentarily puzzled, but quickly came to his senses. It was likely another elder had arrived.
*Huala huala—*
He immediately formed a sword finger, and several chains in the corner of the room swiftly wrapped around Xue Xinghai, suspending him in the air by his hands and feet.
Afterward, Zhuang Yan walked to the door and opened it, only to see Yun Yiyi and Ye Anping standing outside, followed by a mature woman in golden Daoist robes.
“Hmm?” Zhuang Yan feigned surprise. “Third Miss, and Elder Hu? What brings you here?”
Yun Yiyi cupped her hands in salute. “Elder Zhuang, this matter concerns the lives of twenty-eight inner disciples, as well as two Inner Disciples. After thinking about it, I decided to observe the interrogation. As for Elder Hu, we met her on the road. She had nothing to do, so she came with us.”
“… …”
Zhuang Yan’s eyes twitched. He looked at Hu Tianyue behind them. If it were only Yun Yiyi and Ye Anping, he could have used his elder status to drive them away, but with Hu Tianyue present, it would be difficult for him.
Hu Tianyue looked at Zhuang Yan with a smile, took a sip from her wine gourd, and said, “Elder Zhuang seems to be in a good mood today. It’s rare to see you like this on weekdays, yet you’re personally handling an interrogation.”
“Elder Hu jokes. I was merely passing by today and saw the juniors in trouble, so I lent a hand.”
“No need for pleasantries. The Third Miss said there would be something interesting to see, so I followed her. Heh! Elder Zhuang, please continue. I’ll just watch from the side.”
“… …”
Hu Tianyue directly pushed past Zhuang Yan, who was blocking the doorway, clearing a path. Ye Anping and Yun Yiyi then also squeezed in, moved three stools, and sat down.
Ye Anping looked at Xue Xinghai, who was hanging in the air with no signs of interrogation, and wondered, “Elder Zhuang hasn’t started yet? That’s great, we can listen from the beginning too.”
Zhuang Yan’s eye twitched like a convulsion, but he was helpless. He had no choice but to close the door, pick up the small knife, and walk back to Xue Xinghai.
Xue Xinghai’s eyes widened: Elder Zhuang, you’re not going to do it for real, are you?
Zhuang Yan pursed his lips: Hu Tianyue is watching, what else can I do?
… …
