Chapter 356: Chapter 355: Getting Him to Talk
On the Divine Martial Platform, Shen Haoran paid no mind to the crowd’s astonishment. He turned to Luo Xiaowen and smiled, as if to say, ’See, Sister Xiaowen? I didn’t lie to you. I said I wouldn’t let him make a move, and he couldn’t!’
Seeing Shen Haoran seemingly showing off to her, Luo Xiaowen shot him a glare and turned her head away. Even though he had won the life-and-death battle, she had been worried sick about him. She wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily.
Seeing Luo Xiaowen pretending to be angry, Shen Haoran gave an awkward smile, then turned and walked over to Hua Zhiming. The man’s breathing was faint, his life hanging by a thread. Shen Haoran took a Healing Medicine from his Storage Ring and stuffed it into Hua Zhiming’s mouth. ’I still need information from him. It’s not time for him to die yet.’
After putting the Healing Medicine in Hua Zhiming’s mouth, Shen Haoran channeled his Spiritual Power to help him with the Refinement of the Elixir. A warm Medicinal Power flowed to every corner of Hua Zhiming’s body and began to repair his internal injuries.
GACK... After a moment, Hua Zhiming coughed up a mouthful of black blood, and the color returned to his face. He had at least been pulled back from the Ghost Gate and regained consciousness.
When Hua Zhiming woke up and saw Shen Haoran standing before him, a look of pure terror crossed his face. He nearly fainted on the spot.
"Hold it!" Shen Haoran shouted, seeing that Hua Zhiming was about to pass out again.
"I have a few questions for you. You’d better answer them honestly. Otherwise, you can just die right here," Shen Haoran said coldly, staring at Hua Zhiming.
"Die?" Hua Zhiming snarled. "Go on, kill me if you have the guts! My father is the City Lord of Divine Martial City, and my master is the Third Elder of the Hehuan Sect! If you so much as touch a hair on my head, I’ll make sure you die without a place to be buried!"
Hearing this, Shen Haoran’s brow twitched. "Are you threatening me?" he said quietly.
"So what if I am?" Hua Zhiming retorted, seemingly convinced that Shen Haoran wouldn’t dare touch him.
Seeing Hua Zhiming’s defiant expression, Shen Haoran extended a finger. A black flame ignited on its tip, and he pressed it directly onto Hua Zhiming’s thigh.
SIZZLE...
The terrifying heat of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian instantly seared through Hua Zhiming’s thigh. Not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound; the flame had instantly vaporized it.
"AAAAH!"
A bloodcurdling scream erupted from Hua Zhiming’s mouth, making the scalps of the Martial Artists in the square tingle with fear.
"Are you going to talk? If not, I’ll turn this leg of yours into barbecue," Shen Haoran threatened.
"You want me to talk? Dream on!" Hua Zhiming’s face was now pale, and thick beads of sweat dripped from his forehead. The pain in his leg made him wish for a swift death, but the venomous hatred in his eyes as he stared at Shen Haoran didn’t lessen in the slightest.
"Still got some spine, do you?" Seeing that Hua Zhiming was still not cooperating, Shen Haoran snorted coldly and pulled a pitch-black worm from his Storage Ring.
"I wonder if you recognize this," Shen Haoran murmured, toying with the fleshy worm in his hand.
"A Gu!" Hua Zhiming’s face paled. "I can’t believe you’re such a despicable, shameless villain! To think you’d use a Gu!"
"Me, despicable and shameless? No, no, no. Compared to your Hehuan Sect, this is just child’s play. Let me introduce you. This little guy is called the Sun-Devouring Gu. As its name suggests, it devours a person’s Yang Qi. If I were to plant it inside you, what do you think would happen? It would constantly feed on your Yang Qi until it bursts out of your body, and you’d cease to be a man! So? Care to give it a try?" Shen Haoran said, stroking the worm in his hand, the most wicked of smiles on his face.
Upon hearing Shen Haoran’s description, Hua Zhiming shuddered, and a cold sweat instantly drenched his clothes. As a disciple of the Hehuan Sect, he used a sinister Cultivation Technique. If his Yang Qi were to be devoured, it would be a fate worse than death.
"So? If you don’t agree now, this thing will be in your stomach in the next second," Shen Haoran threatened once more.
"Okay, okay, okay, I’ll talk! I’ll talk!" This time, Hua Zhiming didn’t resist, caving instantly.
Seeing Hua Zhiming agree, Shen Haoran put away the pitch-black worm and asked, "How many Elders does your Hehuan Sect have, and what are their cultivation levels? How many disciples, and what are their strengths?"
"Why are you asking about the Hehuan Sect’s strength?" Hua Zhiming asked, confused.
"Cut the crap. Just answer my questions. If you dare lie to me, I’ll stuff this in your mouth," Shen Haoran barked.
"Fine, fine! The Hehuan Sect has six Elders in total: three Inner Elders and three Outer Elders. The Inner Elders are all at the Tier Four Spirit Aspect realm, and the Outer Elders are at the Tier One Spirit Aspect realm. As for disciples, the Outer Sect has 301, all below the Spirit Marquis realm. The Inner Sect has 113, with the strongest at Spirit Marquis Peak," Hua Zhiming spilled everything he knew.
Shen Haoran fell into deep thought at his words. Seeing him contemplating, Hua Zhiming didn’t dare make the slightest move. The sight of the constantly wriggling black worm filled him with dread.
"Alright, last question. Has anything major been happening at the Hehuan Sect recently?" Shen Haoran asked.
Hua Zhiming sank into thought. After a moment, he seemed to recall something. "Yes! Our Inner Sect’s Grand Elder is holding a wedding in a month and a half!"
"Oh?" Shen Haoran’s eyes lit up as a plan suddenly began to form in his mind.
Seeing the eerie smile on Shen Haoran’s face, Hua Zhiming trembled and said timidly, "Can you... can you take that thing away from me now?"
"Of course," Shen Haoran replied with a slight nod. But then, he suddenly dug his fingers into the flesh of Hua Zhiming’s leg. The sharp pain made Hua Zhiming cry out involuntarily.
"Down it goes!" The instant Hua Zhiming opened his mouth to scream, Shen Haoran shoved the pitch-black worm inside and forced him to swallow.
"Ugh... AAH! Shen Haoran, you went back on your word! I’ll kill you!" Hua Zhiming clawed desperately at his own throat, trying to cough up the worm, but it was useless.
"Tch. Pathetic." Shen Haoran shook his head. "There’s no such thing as a Sun-Devouring Gu. That was just a regular worm covered in ink. It scared you this badly? Are all you Hehuan Sect people this cowardly and useless?"
’A regular worm!’ The words hit Hua Zhiming like a physical blow. A surge of blood rushed to his head, and he was so infuriated by Shen Haoran’s final sentence that he passed out.
