He admitted it? He actually admitted it?

When Xueyin had blurted out that question, it was almost completely subconscious. She hadn’t even thought she could get an answer, much less an affirmative one.

In just this moment, she was stunned.

The next instant, a voice that carried laughter yet was tinged with slight coldness interjected.

“Why is Senior Sister Xueyin here?”

It was “Lian Zhao,” or rather Jian Chou, who emerged from the torture chamber across the way during this silence, her gaze falling on Xueyin.

For some reason, being looked at by her seemingly calm gaze, Xueyin couldn’t help but shudder. She didn’t know whether she had heard the conversation between her and Xiao Mou from next door, nor did she know what kind of thoughts were turning in her head as she looked at her now.

A sense of absurdity suddenly arose in her heart.

Xiao Mou actually liked Lian Zhao?

In front of Jian Chou, Xueyin fell into a strange, prolonged silence, her gaze wandering back and forth several times between the man and woman before her, until she finally laughed out loud.

As if she had heard some incredible joke.

Qu Zhengfeng pressed his lips together and stood to the side without speaking, while Jian Chou slowly frowned.

But Xueyin didn’t explain why she was laughing either. When she looked at Jian Chou again, it was with a different kind of almost mocking admiration: “Junior Sister Lian Zhao truly has excellent methods. Admirable, admirable…”

Jian Chou looked at her without responding.

Then she turned her gaze to Qu Zhengfeng, or rather “Xiao Mou,” her voice carrying a kind of malicious insight: “Senior Sister has nothing much to say, just wishes Junior Brother Xiao that his heart’s desires come true.”

Having said this, she didn’t explain anything either, turned around and left.

The relationship between Xueyin and Lian Zhao was terrible, and with the recent dispute in the opposite torture chamber, she naturally couldn’t be bothered with even the most superficial courtesies.

She came quickly and left quickly, soon disappearing without a trace.

Only then did obvious wariness appear in Jian Chou’s eyes. She walked in and asked Qu Zhengfeng: “Xiao Mou likes Lian Zhao?”

So she had heard everything.

That made sense.

When Xueyin came, she hadn’t hidden her tracks at all, not to mention that Jian Chou’s cultivation far exceeded hers. If he could detect Xueyin’s arrival early, so could Jian Chou naturally. Hearing that conversation was perfectly normal.

Qu Zhengfeng’s palm loosened slightly, and the soul-hooking cord that had been condensed scattered cleanly. He smiled and replied: “There should be some fondness, but it can’t be explained in a few words—it’s rather complex.”

Upon hearing this, Jian Chou fell somewhat silent.

She had only searched Lian Zhao’s soul, but clearly understood what kind of person this female cultivator was and how she conducted herself. She was even clearer that Lian Zhao had no awareness whatsoever of Xiao Mou’s feelings, so naturally it was even more impossible for her to develop any special feelings for this person she had grown accustomed to bullying.

Lian Zhao didn’t like him.

“The King of Xiang has dreams, but the goddess remains indifferent.” She thought for a moment and sighed softly. “Though this Xiao Mou has some suffering, I fear there’s no destiny between them.”

Qu Zhengfeng glanced at her and smiled faintly: “It should be so.”

Though this matter was somewhat incredible and quite intriguing, it was ultimately someone else’s business. Both Jian Chou and Qu Zhengfeng still had more pressing matters to attend to, so after these few exchanges, they quickly changed the topic.

Jian Chou’s gaze fell on Lu Xiangleng, who was bound to the stone pillar.

Seeing the blood stains and wretchedness on her body, her previously relaxed brow furrowed tightly: “What happened?”

“I revealed our identities to her. Knowing she has a past with you, I naturally had no intention of doing anything. But she herself saw very clearly and knew deeply that having entered this situation, even acting had to be convincing, so she asked me to be heavy-handed. She’s a medicine woman from Baiyue Valley, skilled in alchemy and medical poison arts. When this situation passes, she will naturally be safe and sound.”

After all, severe interrogation without injuries wouldn’t make sense.

Qu Zhengfeng explained the whole situation to Jian Chou.

Jian Chou’s complexion grew somewhat dark.

Lu Xiangleng had already fainted, her beautiful face completely pale. Even in unconsciousness, she frowned slightly, as if enduring some unspeakable suffering.

White clothes stained with blood—a shocking sight.

“His Majesty the Sword Emperor is truly no ordinary person, able to maintain such composure and strike so ruthlessly even against such an innocent woman.”

Jian Chou went over to check Lu Xiangleng’s pulse.

At the same time, a gentle and substantial spiritual power flowed from her fingertips, traveling along the meridians to the ancestral aperture at Lu Xiangleng’s brow, wrapping around her spiritual platform and divine soul, protecting them securely.

Qu Zhengfeng watched her actions from the side, also glancing at the unconscious Lu Xiangleng, only saying: “The one who isn’t ordinary should be your Fellow Daoist Xiangleng.”

“…”

Jian Chou turned to look at him.

Qu Zhengfeng’s face was calm, but his eyes were like the deep sea in night, revealing nothing yet with undercurrents stirring: “Physicians have benevolent hearts, hanging their pots to save the world, naturally respected by people, with no particular fault. But benevolent hearts and great love are not something ordinary people can possess. She sees all beings as equal, loves people without distinction—to humans, this seems heartless. In the vast universe, it’s almost like the Heavenly Dao, not the same as humans. Unfortunately, in this mundane world, those who are not the same as humans are often outcasts.”

And outcasts—

If they don’t excel and become strong enough to contend with the mundane, they will ultimately be harmed by it.

Jian Chou and Lu Xiangleng were quite compatible, but she didn’t understand her particularly well. Over these years, though Qu Zhengfeng was the lofty Sword Emperor of Mingri Xinghai, he had always been in Jiushijiu Zhou and might not know less than she did.

For him to say such words, there must be a reason.

But Jian Chou gazed at Lu Xiangleng before her, remembering how in the hidden realm of Qingfeng Nunnery, when crossing the river, her heartless nature had strayed toward the emotional path. After a moment of silence, she didn’t pursue questions with Qu Zhengfeng, only saying: “Being different from others isn’t necessarily bad. Each person has their own path—seeing oneself clearly is enough.”

Qu Zhengfeng didn’t respond.

Seeing that Jian Chou had left protective measures on Lu Xiangleng to ensure her safety, he walked out of this crude torture chamber, saying: “It’s time to investigate the watchtower.”

Jian Chou nodded and quickly followed.

The two of them naturally wouldn’t really stay here all night interrogating these two acquaintances, Xie Buchen and Lu Xiangleng. Their focus was entirely on taking this opportunity to investigate the watchtower’s situation.

The entire garrison was like a massive underground maze.

Countless corridors connected to different directions, dividing different areas where different ghost clan cultivators were stationed. But where exactly the watchtower was located remained a mystery.

Fortunately, both Jian Chou and Qu Zhengfeng were powerful cultivators, and in this garrison, only Lord Chu Jiang’s cultivation could compare to theirs. So without much effort, the two easily concealed their forms and investigated most of the garrison, finally stopping in a corridor where the underground earth force and yin essence were most concentrated.

The watchtower extracted earth force and yin essence, covering the surrounding area.

So logically reasoning, the place underground with the most abundant earth force and yin essence should be where the watchtower was located.

The two exchanged glances, both first extending their spiritual consciousness to investigate this corridor. Finding nothing unusual, they proceeded into it.

But neither expected that after just a few steps, they would sense something wrong!

Their forms, which had remained completely concealed throughout their journey without any exposure, began to faintly appear in this corridor under the oppression of the overly concentrated earth force and yin essence! The deeper they went, the more obvious it became!

In this corridor, at this place closest to the watchtower, all things in the world could hide nothing, nothing could disappear without a trace!

Both Jian Chou and Qu Zhengfeng felt alarmed and frowned.

But aside from this, no other dangerous changes occurred, as if this was merely a side effect of the watchtower.

The two considered the strength of the others in this garrison, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately felt that opportunities like this were rare and shouldn’t be missed. They decided to take the risk and venture deeper into the corridor.

There wasn’t a single ghost soldier along the way.

The entire corridor seemed like a passage to some unknown space, giving people a sense of narrow confinement.

Jian Chou said: “No guards, no defenses along the way—this watchtower must have formidable aspects, at least not fearing destruction by one or two people, and not worrying about being easily stopped. It seems our trip is more likely to return empty-handed.”

How could Qu Zhengfeng not understand such logic?

But he didn’t speak, only continued forward with Jian Chou, frowning.

After less than half a moment, their forms, which should have been in a concealed state, were completely revealed, no different from usual. The corridor had also reached its end.

What appeared before them was actually a terrifying abyss!

Stone walls jutting with chaotic rocks had been soaked by earth force and yin essence concentrated to the extreme, presenting the gray-black color unique to the Extreme Domain’s common black jade.

A massive white stone pillar rose from the bottom of the abyss, reaching straight up to the ceiling of this underground space!

The pillar was spiraled with countless ancient, completely unrecognizable symbols that flickered with a faint dark golden glow.

Endless earth force and yin essence gushed forth from the bottom of the abyss!

They were like a raging, powerful storm, swirling around this stone pillar, scattering in all directions, then seeping into the ground, filling the evil soil of the Extreme Domain near Ghost Gate Pass…

Who could imagine seeing such a magnificent scene in the silent underground?

Even the strongest spiritual consciousness couldn’t penetrate through this storm.

Just standing at the edge of this abyss, Jian Chou couldn’t help but feel as if she might be swept into this storm and torn to pieces.

This was the Ghost Gate Pass watchtower.

Just as Jian Chou had expected when coming, with just this one look, they both knew that under such a magnificent storm of earth force and yin essence, they were completely powerless and could change nothing.

Anyone who went down would meet only death.

Unless they obtained some key item—

Jian Chou’s shocked gaze withdrew, slowly returning to calm and rationality, then fell to the ground beneath her feet, the edge of the abyss.

No lines, no formations, only two grooves.

Both were half-moon shaped, set opposite each other, forming a circle. Currently, both grooves were empty, with only two thin stone holes punched precisely in the center of each groove, extremely deep, seeming to lead to a bottomless abyss…

Qu Zhengfeng sighed deeply: “It seems we need a ‘key’…”

“Command token? Where would I have gotten any command token!”

A voice full of anger and dissatisfaction rang out in the depths of the great hall, creating echoes. Lord Chu Jiang, dressed in deep black royal robes, stopped his agitated pacing and stood at the top of the steps, looking toward the blue vortex floating in mid-air.

“They say the eight Yama Kings are equals, but when has he ever truly regarded us? They say the Ghost Gate Pass battle is crucial and even sent me to guard this place, but I only have the upper string command token to open the watchtower!”

The blue vortex fell silent upon hearing this, and only after a moment did an somewhat aged voice emerge, obviously more composed than Lord Chu Jiang, only asking: “Is the lower string command token in his own hands?”

“Who knows?”

Lord Chu Jiang’s face still looked young. In past years, due to recovering from injuries, he had been absorbed in cultivation and rarely concerned himself with outside affairs, but this was merely appearance. At this moment, recalling recent events, his eyes were filled with sinister gloom.

“You probably don’t know yet—he also sent one of his chief judges to supervise the army.”

“Chief judge?” The blue vortex connected to someone far away in the Eight Directions City. Hearing this, he was slightly startled. “Zhang Tang?”

“Besides that corpse-face, who else could it be?”

Lord Chu Jiang was obviously displeased, his agitated footsteps that had just stopped beginning to move again on the steps.

“This clearly shows he has suspicions and doubts.”

“So what if he has suspicions and doubts? That Zhang Tang is indeed annoying, but in the current situation, if you don’t make things difficult for him, he naturally won’t make things difficult for you. After all, you’re a Yama King and he’s just a judge. Even if our schemes are exposed, he won’t settle accounts now—at the very least he’ll wait until this battle ends. By then, who’s strong and who’s weak will depend on heaven’s arrangement!”

That voice showed no concern at all and even advised Lord Chu Jiang.

“There was an accident at the Snow Domain’s new secret location—they were ambushed and even lost the Houtu Seal because of it. An inauspicious start. He’ll have plenty of headaches in this battle. Just be patient and endure, and get through this assignment somehow…”

Lord Chu Jiang only felt stifled in his heart. He let out a cold laugh, glanced at the vortex, but ultimately agreed, then waved his hand to disperse the blue vortex.

The vast hall fell into cold silence.

He stood at the height of this hall, gazing into that deep darkness for a long time, his eyes suppressing a restlessness that could barely be contained…

In the watchtower corridor.

Jian Chou and Qu Zhengfeng carefully studied those two grooves, confirming they were related to opening and closing the watchtower. The two thin holes below the grooves connected to the formation buried by the earth force and yin essence storm below the abyss.

They couldn’t break into the storm, nor did they have the “key” to open and close the grooves, but they were unwilling to return empty-handed.

So after studying for a while, Jian Chou decided to do something.

This watchtower was, at its root, merely a formation that extracted earth force and yin essence and then scattered it. The “key” concerned “extraction”—they had no key, but this didn’t mean they couldn’t interfere with the “scattering” aspect.

She set up a formation using black jade.

In a place where earth force and yin essence were so abundant, let alone the power of hundreds of pieces of black jade—even tens of thousands of pieces would be like a drop in the ocean here, unable to attract anyone’s attention.

Qu Zhengfeng’s research in this area was mediocre, so he didn’t interfere.

Jian Chou said: “The formation is limited, and the power of black jade is also limited. I also don’t dare to borrow the earth force and yin essence here too blatantly, so setting up this formation here is better than nothing. At most, it can isolate this watchtower from the outside for a moment—perhaps it might come in handy at a crucial time.”

After all, no one knew what the future situation would be.

They had no clue about what this “key” for opening and closing the watchtower was, or whose hands it was in. Naturally, they should do whatever they could for now.

Only when arranging the formation near its end, when it was time to place the final seven pieces of black jade as formation eyes, Jian Chou kept a watchful mind. She didn’t leave them near the watchtower, but went all the way to the entrance of this corridor, lightly tapping the stone wall to create seven dipper-shaped grooves.

She placed the black jade pieces one by one inside.

Qu Zhengfeng stood by the wall, feeling her thoughts were extremely astute: “Placing them here—the most dangerous place is indeed the safest…”

Before his words were finished, his brow suddenly furrowed.

Jian Chou became alert almost simultaneously!

They were already at the corridor entrance—going out further would be the normal corridors for the ghost soldiers and cultivators stationed here to travel. At some unknown time, a patrol of ghost soldiers had actually approached from another connecting path!

At this moment, under the watchtower’s earth force and yin essence pressure, they couldn’t conceal their forms, nor could they use instant movement or teleportation in such an unstable situation. If they forced their way out, they would collide directly with this patrol!

Terrible!

Both felt their hearts sink. As the saying goes, “If you often stand by the river, how can you not get your shoes wet,” and “If you walk the night road too often, you’ll eventually encounter ghosts.” Before deciding to investigate, they had already considered facing such a crisis, but they hadn’t expected that after going smoothly all night, they would encounter this at the final crucial moment!

The footsteps were close—there was no time to think.

Jian Chou looked at the seven grooves knocked into the wall that she hadn’t had time to disguise properly, then glanced at Qu Zhengfeng standing by the wall. In a flash of inspiration, she unhesitatingly pulled him in front of her, making him stand with his back against the wall. But this only covered six of the filled jade holes, leaving one pit exposed at his side.

She frowned and could only raise her palm to press against it herself.

The patrolling ghost soldiers arrived at the corridor entrance the next moment. They had only been doing routine duty, glancing inside, but unexpectedly saw two figures pressed extremely close together!

Alertness and wariness immediately arose!

The leader almost instantly gripped the magical artifact in his hand and shouted: “Who are you—”

Jian Chou calmly turned her head, revealing Lian Zhao’s alluring and enchanting face. Her petal-like moist lips parted slightly, and in her dark, seductive eyes, a few hints of serpentine danger showed through.

Thus, the word “people” that hadn’t yet left his mouth was swallowed back along with the sudden tightening of his throat.

Everyone stared blankly at the scene before them.

It was Lian Zhao and that consumptive ghost Xiao Mou.

The position these two people were in right now…

Lian Zhao naturally had her usual soul-stealing appearance, wearing loose black robes, but her pale hands were already extended—one palm pressed against the stone wall beside Xiao Mou’s neck, while the other hand’s slender index finger rested on Xiao Mou’s waist, hooking that two-finger-wide leather belt!

Xiao Mou wasn’t making any movements.

He just stood there, as if pressed entirely against the stone wall, wearing simple white robes with an equally pale complexion, looking handsome yet sickly, his thin lips tightly pressed.

He looked no different from usual, but in everyone’s eyes, they felt he was currently enduring something, giving them an indescribable feeling…

Actually, there was no need to see more.

Just Lian Zhao’s slender, casual finger was enough to make people’s imaginations run wild, speculating about what had happened before and after this action, and what would happen next…

The patrol of ghost soldiers just thinking about it felt their mouths go dry.

Jian Chou raised her eyebrows at them: “Something wrong?”

The entire patrol was startled—how could they remember their earlier question? They only hurriedly denied: “No, no, no, no, nothing wrong, nothing wrong. We’re, we’re disturbing you, disturbing you…”

Speaking thus, they all retreated with apologetic smiles.

Only after retreating to the corridor on the other side did the scene they had just witnessed linger in everyone’s minds, as they sighed with complex feelings: “They all say that consumptive ghost Xiao Mou always gets bullied, but we never knew it was this kind of ‘bullying’…”

…

Inside the corridor.

Crisis resolved.

Jian Chou secretly breathed a sigh of relief. After the group of ghost soldiers had gone far, she moved her palm away from Qu Zhengfeng’s neck and withdrew her finger from his waist belt, stepped back to create distance between them, then apologetically said: “My apologies for the offense.”

Offense?

This was the first time hearing a female cultivator say this to a male cultivator, especially the first time hearing a female cultivator say this to himself.

Qu Zhengfeng’s held breath was released as she stepped away.

His face was calm now as he only said: “Your acting seems quite natural and skilled.”

“Practice makes perfect.”

Jian Chou didn’t deprecate herself too much. She bent down to pick up some stone chips from the ground, intending to cover the formation eyes from earlier, but after filling just one, her movements stopped.

Qu Zhengfeng looked at her: “What is it?”

Jian Chou gently curled her fingers, gripping those stone chips tightly, turned to meet his gaze, but dark glimmers flashed in her eyes as she suddenly said: “You have the Houtu Seal, I have Yi Xian Tian. If we two joined forces and struck simultaneously, could we instantly capture Lord Chu Jiang?”