"Stop! You must have been deceived by that witch Ling Chu Nian. I swear, as long as you don't kill me, I'll give you anything you want." Jiang Kui's legs trembled with fear as he raised his hands in surrender.
"How dare you speak that way? Jiang Kui, I don't recall ever holding a grudge against you, yet how have you treated our Ling clan?" Ling Chu Nian grabbed Jiang Kui by the throat, tightening her grip bit by bit until his face turned purple, then abruptly released him.
"I was just following orders from above! They told me to ostracize you. This really has nothing to do with me. Look, I'm just a dungeon guard with no real power—how could I possibly harm you? I'm truly innocent!" Jiang Kui wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"I have no interest in your grudges or grievances. You'd better actually rescue my companions, or I guarantee that after tonight, you'll never see this beautiful world again."
Ye Lanshan watched Ling Chu Nian, finding her strange. Though she didn't know what scheme lay beneath, why would she be afraid?
"You lead the way. Take me to the prisoners." Ye Lanshan pointed at Jiang Kui, ordering him to guide them.
"Alright, alright, I'll lead the way, just don't kill me." Jiang Kui was on the verge of tears. What terrible luck had befallen him today, running into such a group of strong warriors breaking into the prison?
Ling Chu Nian stood to the side, hesitation flickering in her eyes, but after a moment of deliberation, she said nothing.
"Wait, the things ahead won't be easy to handle." The previously vanished Mu Xin Lian drifted back, her expression grave, clearly having encountered a formidable enemy ahead.
"What's up ahead?"
So the dungeon wasn't easy to breach. It seemed these people were just bait to lower their guard, with the real challenge lying beyond.
"Two Xuan Emperors ahead, and a divine beast that looks tough to deal with." Mu Xin Lian's sharp gaze swept over Ling Chu Nian as if suspecting her.
Ye Lanshan turned to ask Yue Shu, "If that's the case, can you and Mu Xin Lian hold off one Xuan Emperor?"
"Of course. Leave it to us." Though Yue Shu's face was pale, he showed no panic, as if the Xuan Emperor didn't faze him.
"Good. Ye Yutian, the other Xuan Emperor is yours."
Ye Lanshan's tone toward Ye Yutian wasn't as kind, but deep down, she trusted him completely.
"As for the divine beast, I'll handle it." Ye Lanshan curled a sinister smile. Since they'd come this far, it would be a waste not to summon Huo Feiyan back.
"Alright."
Everyone seemed to forget about Ling Chu Nian and the others, marching straight ahead.
Ling Chu Nian remained silent, following them quietly, so still she might as well not have existed. Even Jiang Kui, being dragged along by Ye Lanshan, muttered a word or two, but Ling Chu Nian said nothing, her footsteps so light they were barely audible.
A sudden attack came, and Ye Yutian yanked Ye Lanshan aside to dodge it.
"So you're the ones daring to break into the dungeon?" A man in blue and a woman in red stood before them—a perfect couple.
"I didn't expect you to be so democratic here, assigning a couple to work together." Ye Lanshan glanced at the man, then scrutinized the woman, her gaze flickering between their faces.
"Who are you, to have the audacity to barge in here?" The woman in red frowned. Though she looked young, she was actually several hundred years old.
Cultivating mystic power and immortality shared a common principle: the higher the level, the longer the lifespan.
Those at the Xuan Emperor level could live over two thousand years, their aging slowed by their cultivation. So, despite their youthful appearances, they were ancient monsters who'd lived for centuries.
"I don't know about others, but my courage has always been immense. I'm not here for any other reason—you've captured my companions without cause. Shouldn't you release them?"
Ye Lanshan wasn't intimidated by the aura they exuded.
"You—" The man in blue seemed gentle and refined, but in truth, he was irritable and quick to anger, fond of crushing others with his pressure.
Ye Lanshan saw the ground beneath her feet crack, yet she stood unbowed like a bamboo, refusing to yield no matter what.
Ye Yutian sensed the pressure he released and stepped forward, shielding Ye Lanshan behind him. The relief was immediate.
But Ling Chu Nian and Jiang Kui suffered. Ling Chu Nian barely managed with her sword for support, while Jiang Kui was flattened to the ground, unable to rise.
Even Yue Shu broke into a sweat under the pressure.
"So you refuse to release them? Then we'll have to force our way through."
Ye Lanshan began summoning Huo Feiyan, but her face paled instantly. She could sense the connection but couldn't summon her. What was happening? How was this possible?
"What trick are you pulling? Believe me, I can make you melt beautifully in flames in the next second." Ye Lanshan grabbed Ling Chu Nian by the collar and lifted her.
"What are you talking about? I—I don't understand. I'm genuinely helping you. Why else would I risk bringing you here?" Ling Chu Nian blinked innocently, stammering as if she truly knew nothing.
But did she really? Ye Lanshan wasn't about to take her word for it. She'd clearly seen that cold, sinister glance earlier.
"I know you're up to something, so I'll have to trouble you to wait here for now."
Ye Lanshan slapped a immobilization talisman on her. She knew it wouldn't hold her long—being a cultivator herself, Ling Chu Nian would know how to break it—but she only needed a moment.
"Ying Hua Rong, come out and fight." Even without Huo Feiyan, she had Ying Hua Rong, also a divine beast. Though evolved from an ordinary mystic beast, it was no pushover.
"Oh, I haven't slept enough. Can I go back to sleep after the fight?" Ying Hua Rong rubbed her sleepy eyes, looking utterly lazy.
"Of course." Ye Lanshan cast another cold glance at Ling Chu Nian, a single look that sent chills down her spine.
The battle turned bloody and brutal, with Ye Lanshan gradually losing ground. Yue Shu and the others were on the verge of collapse.
Mu Xin Lian, despite her thousand-year-old ghostly powers, couldn't gain the upper hand, though the woman in red couldn't touch her either.
But Yue Shu was suffering. As a human, frail and sickly, and outmatched in strength, even with Mu Xin Lian's help, he was still being suppressed.