âIâm not in a rush to leave since you arenât going to pursue this matter. Let me take a look around,â Chu Feng said as he examined the inscriptions on the walls.
âHahaha!â The bald elder suddenly burst into hearty laughter. âYoung friend, I should introduce myself. I am Qin Changhong, the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sectâs Enforcement Hall Master. It has been 23937 years since I started cultivating, and I am currently at rank five True God level. My cultivation level is not particularly impressive in the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect, but I was still appointed to such an important position. Do you want to guess why?â
âWhy?â Chu Feng asked with a composed face.
âItâs because Iâm a cold-blooded person by nature. I am exceptionally talented in the art of torture.â The bald elder waved his sleeves, and countless torture tools appeared before his eyes. There were torture tools and all sorts of venomous insects, including a thirty-meter-long, maggot-looking creature that had many black legs reminiscent of a centipede.
âYoung friend, I know that youâre staying here not because you donât want to leave the hall but because you canât. You helped Xia Xingchen activate the formation in the stone hall. You must have been misled by Xia Xingchen.
âAs powerful as the formation in the stone hall is, it can only be activated with a token, and thereâs a limited number of them. Even the previous sectmasters of our Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect wouldnât wilfully activate the formation to cultivate, let alone the others.
âDo you know how Xia Xingchen got her token? She stole them. She stole our sectâs treasures, barged into our forbidden land, and activated the cultivation formation that only our sectmaster is allowed access toâthose are severe crimes that warrant execution.
âYoung friend, you donât want to be implicated in her crimes. As long as you help me disrupt this formation and force Xia Xingchen out, Iâll treat it as if I didnât see you here. I wonât hold you accountable for anything,â the bald elder said.
âXia Xingchen stole that token? I was unaware of that. She duped me! How do I terminate the formation?â Chu Feng asked.
The bald elder laughed eerily in response, revealing his yellow teeth. He looked at Chu Feng with freezing eyes as he said, âYoung friend, youâre making things hard for yourself.â
âIâm not lying to you! I really donât know how to terminate this formation. I donât think this formation can be terminated halfway through. You should know best as a member of the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect,â Chu Feng said.
The bald elder laughed once more. He raised his wrinkly hands to touch the floating torture tools floating around him as he said, âAccording to the stone hallâs record, if a junior helps with the construction of the formation as the formation core, the formation will be strengthened but it can also be terminated halfway through. Young friend Chu Feng, it looks like youâre trying to test my patience.â
The bald elder wrapped his fingers around a dagger filled with reverse spikes before walking up to Chu Feng. Without any warning, he plunged it into Chu Fengâs chest.
However, Chu Feng didnât let out a cry despite being stabbed by the dagger. Instead, he looked at the bald elder and mocked, âIt looks like your reputation precedes you.â
âIs that so? Weâll see about that,â the bald elder sneered with absolute confidence.
Two hours passed in a flash.
Xia Xingchenâs maid stared at the stone hallâs depth with shocked eyes.
A maggot-like monster clad in blood-red aura was inside the stone hall. Its body was filled with centipede-like legs, and every single one of them had shot outward to stab a tattered body.
The victim was none other than Chu Feng.
His body was covered in injuries after undergoing two hours of torture. His body should have already broken down given the extent of the torture he was being put through, but the bald elder had been healing his injuries while torturing him, making sure that he was conscious to perceive every last bit of the torture.
Even so, Chu Feng still refused to terminate the formation.
Jip jip jip jip!
The bald elder changed his hand seal, and the maggot-like monster raised Chu Feng up from the ground. Blood rained down from Chu Fengâs body. By this point, he looked more like a lump of meat rather than a human. Yet, he was still conscious.
âYoung friend, you sure can take a lot, but is it worth going this far for Xia Xingchen? Whatâs your relationship? Is she your master?â the bald elder asked.
âHehâ¦â Chu Feng sneered weakly. âOld man, I can kill you right now, but do you know why Iâm holding back?â
The bald elder naturally didnât believe Chu Fengâs words, but he played along and asked, âWhy?â
âItâs because you arenât worthy,â Chu Feng scoffed as he spewed his blood toward the bald elder, but the latter quickly dodged it.
âYoung friend, you speak tough words, but itâs meaningless when you donât have the strength to back it up. Youâre one tenacious bastard. I know youâre stalling for time, but all you have achieved is to hasten your death. You have worn my patience thin. Itâs time for you to die,â the bald elder said.
Killing intent flashed across the bald elderâs words, but Chu Fengâs subsequent words stopped him.
âWhat a pity,â Chu Feng remarked.
âWhatâs a pity?â the bald elder asked.
âItâs a pity Iâll have to use it on you.â
âYoung friend, I have no interest in conversing with you any further. You can keep your nonsense for King Yama in hell!â the bald elder scoffed as he unleashed his killing intent.
Boom!
The surroundings suddenly shook, and a powerful shockwave ravaged the stone hall.
Xia Xingchenâs maid was struck by the ripple and knocked heavily against the wall. Blood flowed from her seven apertures, and all of her bones were fractured. She only had a breath left in her.
Terror filled her eyes when she weakly raised her head to look at the hall Chu Feng was in.
The bald elder was lying on the ground, with a leg pressed down on his head.
It was Xia Xingchen, but her cultivation was no longer at rank three True God level but rank five.
âY-your cultivation?â the bald elder exclaimed in a panic.
âOld thing, arenât you looking for me? I am standing before you right now. What are you panicking for?â Xia Xingchen asked coldly.