Without a doubt, the Night Sailing Ship was a very dangerous place. And in this situation, with an unknown cultivator ahead and not knowing whether others might enter behind them…

So the moment she passed through the array, Jian Chou’s vigilance instantly heightened to the extreme.

Familiar spatial fluctuations surged for just an instant.

The next moment, Jian Chou saw nothing but black—yes, black, not darkness.

This dungeon shown in Five Elements Eight Trigrams Tower’s intelligence was actually built entirely of deep black stone bricks, with surfaces that had no luster whatsoever.

Even with illumination stones floating in mid-air, their light seemed completely swallowed by the four walls.

That gloomy, bone-chilling atmosphere gave even Jian Chou, who had already experienced the Extreme Domain journey, an extremely uncomfortable feeling.

On the ground beneath her feet was a circular totem.

It was actually a black centipede, coiled like a giant python in a circle, but that eyeless head was positioned at the very center of the totem!

As if…

Facing those who entered, facing Jian Chou!

Hiss!

That feeling was truly like having a basin of cold water poured over one’s head. If Jian Chou hadn’t already seen quite a few inconceivable things, she would probably have shivered at this moment!

This Night Sailing Ship!

Initially, when passing through those arrays earlier, it had looked at most like a demonic sect, but aside from people’s dress and appearance, it wasn’t really different from ordinary sects.

But ever since seeing that eerie statue in the main hall, Jian Chou had vaguely sensed something unusual. At this moment, she felt an indescribable sense of danger creeping into her heart.

She couldn’t help but furrow her brows, almost instinctively leaving the area where this totem was located, barely managing to reduce that feeling somewhat before examining what lay ahead.

This should be the dungeon entrance.

Behind Jian Chou was a wall that seemed to have no passage; before her was a narrow, elongated corridor. Every three zhang, an illumination stone floated, extending all the way to the deepest part.

Several cultivators wrapped in deep black cloaks drifted through the passage like phantoms, apparently on patrol.

These people’s attire was identical to the cultivators Jian Chou had seen outside Night Sailing Ship’s main gate, only their cultivation was much higher—they were all early Nascent Soul stage.

Troublesome.

Jian Chou almost immediately assessed the situation: the arrays recorded in the jade slip ended here, and ahead would inevitably be fraught with countless difficulties. Not to mention these several Nascent Soul stage cultivators.

Although she was now middle Nascent Soul stage and confident in her considerable combat strength.

But confidence wasn’t arrogance.

Fighting one against many would ultimately be very difficult, especially when everyone was in the same major realm.

However…

Where had that four-fingered cultivator gone?

When Jian Chou entered, she was at most only three or four breaths behind him.

Logically, this cultivator should be near Jian Chou right now. But looking around, she couldn’t find any trace of this person.

Could he also be using some special concealment technique like herself?

Jian Chou couldn’t be certain.

But thinking that there might be a cultivator with higher cultivation than herself existing not far from her surroundings, she didn’t dare act rashly. She simply held her breath and concentrated, stopping in place without moving, carefully observing.

Everything seemed normal.

It wasn’t until a full half quarter-hour later that she noticed something on the deep black wall two zhang ahead seemed to twist slightly.

Like water waves distorting light and shadow.

It was that person!

A judgment based entirely on intuition!

Although she couldn’t see any details of clothing or body shape, couldn’t even see the direction of the other party’s movement, Jian Chou had no doubt the other party had gone forward.

Having already reached this point, there was no reason to retreat.

So in this instant, Jian Chou, who had remained motionless for so long, unhesitatingly and quietly followed.

She believed that even if she couldn’t see now, before the next array, this person would definitely reveal their traces: because the other party’s concealment technique was definitely not without flaws.

Otherwise, how could they have exposed a hand in the main hall earlier?

In the gloomy dungeon corridor, everything was deathly silent. Those patrolling cultivators walked with their feet off the ground, making no sound whatsoever.

The entire dungeon emanated a kind of oppressive terror.

In the instant of brushing past those patrolling cultivators, even Jian Chou’s usually calm heart couldn’t help but rise to her throat.

But fortunately, not one person detected any abnormality.

She passed through these people without incident and continued forward for about thirty zhang when some faint dark silver lines suddenly appeared on the ground, deeply embedded in those black stone bricks, as if merged into one.

Thus, Jian Chou knew: the sixteenth array had arrived.

At this point, the walls on both sides were no longer empty.

Starting from some section, a long, faint shadow had appeared on the left wall, vaguely showing the pattern of a centipede’s segmented body.

It came from behind and extended all the way toward the other end of the corridor, as if without end.

Perhaps because this pattern was really too faint, it wasn’t until stopping before the array that Jian Chou suddenly noticed it. That vague unease rose uncontrollably again…

But the four-fingered cultivator who had entered ahead of her seemed not to notice, or perhaps he had noticed but didn’t think there was anything wrong.

In front of the silver lines of the ground array, light and shadow twisted again.

That slender four-fingered hand reached out from the void, still showing no hesitation as before, quick as afterimages, pointing toward the array diagram!

How was this possible?!

Seeing this, Jian Chou could hardly believe her eyes: this four-fingered cultivator, like herself, had surely only reached this array moments ago.

The sixteenth array had no record whatsoever in Five Elements Eight Trigrams Tower. How could he possibly break it directly without thinking?!

Not simple.

This person’s background was definitely not simple.

Looking at the other party’s cultivation, it was only late Nascent Soul stage, slightly higher than herself. Yet now he could directly break the array when she hadn’t even figured out what this array entailed—

Either he was a super expert in the Way of Arrays, or he had obtained the array-breaking method from elsewhere!

Jian Chou pondered, but her gaze never left that hand moving like afterimages.

The array diagram’s orientation and construction, every point where the other party’s finger wandered and connected within the array, and the related changes triggered in the array were all recorded in her heart one by one.

The more she watched, the more shocked she became.

The more she watched, the brighter the extraordinary light in her eyes!

Before her was already a terrifying grand array!

The array was extremely complex and powerful. If accidentally triggered, it would be enough to pulverize any cultivator below the worldly realm, body and soul completely destroyed!

But this person’s array-breaking technique precisely dissolved each change just as it was triggered!

Too marvelous!

If not for the current circumstances being really inappropriate, Jian Chou would have had the impulse to step forward for instruction and discuss the principles of arrays!

Such a pity.

Jian Chou sighed with regret in her heart while clearly memorizing this person’s array-breaking technique.

Just ten breaths later, the silver light emanating from the array suddenly brightened once before gradually dimming, like fading color, gradually becoming the same deep black as the ground.

The array disappeared!

Array-breaking successful!

That four-fingered hand immediately withdrew, retracting into that void of twisted light and shadow, instantly returning to normal—

He should have entered.

The array’s dissolution was surely only temporary.

Jian Chou couldn’t see the other party’s figure but could guess their actions. At this moment, as skillfully as in the main hall earlier, she directly rode the wind and entered!

The sixteenth array, passed!

What appeared before her was still a seemingly endless corridor. But perhaps because of this mysterious four-fingered cultivator’s presence, Jian Chou suddenly felt that finding Zuoliu was very hopeful.

Just to see…

Whether there would be an opportunity to “snatch from the tiger’s mouth.”

Like an invisible shadow, she silently followed the person ahead who was likewise concealing their form, slowly approaching the depths of the dungeon, their “destination.”

But everyone in Night Sailing Ship remained completely unaware.

Not one person knew that uninvited guests had already arrived.

Deep in the dungeon, in a stone chamber with walls on all six sides.

A cage made of black iron sat right in the center, with a somewhat lean cultivator sitting cross-legged inside. His robes were dirty, his face was dirty, and there were some bruises.

Knowing someone stood before him, he still kept his eyes closed, not even lifting his eyelids.

“I heard you were just a small rogue originally, but now you’ve developed some backbone.”

A sneer sounded—it was a female voice.

This female cultivator had a slender figure and unremarkable features, with a long scar across her left cheek. She paced in front of the cage.

If Jian Chou were here, she would probably immediately recognize her as the female cultivator from that large ship last time.

One hand behind her back, the other toying with a sharp, delicate mandarin duck axe, this female cultivator spoke. Seeing Zuoliu still had no reaction, she finally stopped, bent down, and looked at Zuoliu through the cage.

“You’re at least a genius who advanced to Nascent Soul in sixty years. How can you be so tactless at this point?”

Zuoliu still didn’t speak.

So the female cultivator sneered.

“We’re just chatting, asking you to talk about what happened in Qingfeng Monastery Hidden Realm back then. Is it really that difficult? You should know that in two days you’ll be sent to White Silver Tower for auction.”

“You have no sect or faction, you’re neither a Kunwu cultivator nor a Yashan disciple. Even if something earth-shattering happened inside, what can’t be said?”

“If you speak now, perhaps our hall master will change his mind and spare you?”

“…”

Zuoliu still didn’t answer, but after hearing these words, he finally raised his head and glanced at this female cultivator, his eyes full of mockery.

But this female cultivator obviously had no understanding of Zuoliu.

Seeing his reaction, she thought her persuasion had worked and her eyes lit up: “You want to speak?”

Want to speak?

Zuoliu looked at her and finally couldn’t suppress his inner nature. He rolled his eyes like a dead fish and sneered: “Is Night Sailing Ship out of people? They sent an idiot like you to interrogate me?”

“…”

In this instant, the scarred female cultivator froze, completely unable to process the meaning in Zuoliu’s words!

But when she realized what that sentence meant, her face immediately alternated between green and red: “You! You—”

Since she had cultivated to late Nascent Soul stage, who had dared to curse her to her face like this?

Even the hall master treated her with courtesy!

This prisoner actually…

Actually dared to curse her!

“Do you want to die?!”

Zuoliu was naturally born with a reckless temperament. Even though these sixty years had been hard, his nature hadn’t changed at all.

Hearing this threat, he only raised his shackled hand and used his finger to dig at his ear.

“I do want to die. Do you dare kill me?”

“…you bastard!”

The female cultivator almost exploded with rage upon hearing this, couldn’t help but burst out with profanity!

Don’t think Zuoliu was being arrogant—Night Sailing Ship really couldn’t kill him now.

This person might be the only witness to the Qingfeng Monastery Hidden Realm incident back then. With Kunwu and Yashan’s relationship being so delicate now, it was like adding fuel to a fire ready to burn!

If this rogue’s mouth could really spit out some shocking news…

What a great opportunity that would be?

This was what the hall master considered, and why he wouldn’t kill Zuoliu.

But as the interrogator, the female cultivator had long wanted to cut Zuoliu into pieces and feed him to dogs, but she couldn’t kill him, mustn’t kill him!

Frustrating!

The mandarin duck axe in her hand trembled along with her emotions. The female cultivator pressed her lips tightly, ultimately couldn’t stand Zuoliu’s attitude, and directly slapped the cage!

“Hum!”

A sheet of dark red light immediately emanated from the black iron cage, then drew into countless threads that fiercely stabbed toward Zuoliu’s body!

“Mmph!”

In this instant, heart-piercing, bone-corroding pain suddenly spread, as if wanting to grind Zuoliu’s entire being to pieces. Though he gritted his teeth and didn’t cry out, cold sweat immediately fell like rain from his head!

The female cultivator watched coldly, turned the mandarin duck axe in her hand, expressionless: “Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit! I indeed can’t kill you, but dealing with you is more than sufficient. Think clearly yourself—when it comes time for the White Silver Tower auction, things won’t be under Night Sailing Ship’s control anymore. You don’t actually think that Kunwu or Yashan elites would come to rescue a small character like you, do you?”

All manner of suffering afflicted his body, and Zuoliu’s entire form curled up in spasms.

He could hardly hear this female cultivator’s voice clearly, but that last sentence struck like a sword.

Yes.

He was indeed a small character, a small rogue, with no background, no sect or faction. Insignificant, and throughout his life, he had only cared about preserving his own life…

How could giants like Kunwu and Yashan pay him any attention?

Only…

He would never forget that female cultivator in moon-white robes, the gentle manner and appreciative gaze when she handed him that Yashan token.

“Are you going to speak or not!”

“But I really don’t know anything…”

On Zuoliu’s face, contorted with pain, a smile suddenly bloomed, and the mockery in his voice remained unchanged.

Even if Kunwu wouldn’t come to rescue him, even if Yashan wouldn’t come to save him, even if no second person in all of Shijiu Zhou would know, even if he might never have the chance to hold that token and pay respects at Yashan…

So what?

In that moment, he had already told himself—

I, too, am a disciple of Yashan!