Chapter 405: Chapter 64: Interrogation from the Witch
Zhang Deming had certainly not forgotten about the other party. To be precise, his entire goal in relentlessly pressuring Guann Zhenzhen was to force out the one pulling the strings.
The moment Xue Su wavered, Zhang Deming spoke, "Law Order: Those in this place whose Heart Spirits are controlled shall have their mental defenses become especially fragile."
As Zhang Deming spoke, a dreamlike light emanated from his eyes. The unique Heart Spirit Power of his Heart Dream invaded in an instant.
Xue Su, whose gaze was vacant, froze on the spot.
In that instant, Zhang Deming pressed both hands to the ground.
Technique: Thorny Earth Spike!
Countless Earth Spikes erupted from the ground, impaling the motionless Xue Su where he stood.
Xue Su’s body stiffened. A flicker of clarity returned to his vacant eyes, and he met Zhang Deming’s gaze, which still shone with a dreamlike light.
At that moment, his face gaunt, like a candle in the wind, he revealed a smile of release. Looking at Zhang Deming, he whispered, "Thank you."
Zhang Deming paid him no mind. His eyes flashed as he took advantage of the man’s life flashing before his eyes at the moment of death, reading a great deal of information.
Immediately, ruby-like Vines began to sprout on Xue Su’s body. The Vines grew rapidly, swaying gently.
However, by the time Xue Su drew his last breath, he had only provided Zhang Deming with ten percent of his Vitality.
It only raised his reserves from seventy to eighty percent, a testament to how brutally the man had already been drained.
All the Vines completely devoured the dead Xue Su, dissolving into motes of light. Zhang Deming obtained a wristwatch.
Though it takes time to describe, only a few seconds had passed since Xue Su first blocked the attack.
As Xue Su vanished completely, the surrounding Space also dissolved into countless Runes, which then slowly crumbled away.
But Zhang Deming didn’t hesitate for a moment. He charged once more at Guann Zhenzhen, who had just managed to catch her breath.
Guann Zhenzhen’s face was pale; she was already at her limit. Facing the charging Zhang Deming, she cried out urgently, "Old ghost, if you don’t make a move now, don’t blame me for turning on you!"
Guann Zhenzhen’s words made Zhang Deming’s expression change abruptly. The reason he was in such a hurry to end things quickly was because he’d had a terrible suspicion.
Now, Guann Zhenzhen’s words seemed to confirm that suspicion.
"Sigh... You’re all so useless!"
A faint sigh echoed from the void. The voice was ancient and grating, as ear-piercing as iron scraping against metal.
***
「Half a month ago, beneath Huayue Academy in Huayue City.」
No one knew when it started, but a series of underground rooms had appeared beneath Huayue Academy. Not even the headmaster of the Academy was aware of it.
There were many rooms. One of them looked something like a dungeon—an ancient sort of prison cell.
However, its layout was not that of a holding cell, but of an interrogation chamber.
In the massive room stood three enormous wooden crosses, and nailed to them were three people.
That’s right. Not tied, but nailed.
The limbs and chests of all three had been pierced by pitch-black nails, pinning them to the wooden crosses.
The black nail in each of their chests was especially large. A faint black mist swirled around it, within which vicious ghosts seemed to roar and struggle.
The three of them were nailed up. Blood dripped from their bodies, down the black nails, and onto the floor. It then flowed back to the wooden crosses, soaking into the timber, before traveling back up through the nails and into their bodies again.
This endless cycle left the three of them extremely weak, yet it kept them barely alive. Coupled with the fact that all three were Great Cultivators of the Duality realm, they would not die anytime soon—not even for several months.
The trio itself was also quite interesting.
One was a young, bald Monk, but he wasn’t wearing a Monk’s Robe. Instead, he was dressed in the Ordinary, coarse clothes of a farmer.
Another was a young man in a scholar’s robe. He should have cut a dashing and elegant figure, but in his current wretched state, all elegance was lost. Still, a hint of his carefree spirit remained.
The last was a middle-aged man in a shabby Daoist Robe. He looked like the kind of fortune-teller you’d see on the street, carrying a sign and swindling people out of their money.
Despite being strung up like this, their auras so weak, they all still exuded an unyielding pride—even the fortune-teller.
Just then, the door to the room swung open. Guann Zhenzhen’s devastatingly beautiful face appeared in the doorway.
Seeing that face, a rare flash of hatred appeared in the eyes of all three men, including the young Monk in his coarse clothes.
Guann Zhenzhen walked into the room, looked at the three men, and said, "Have you three seniors made up your minds? Will you help me or not?"
The young Monk, Huineng, spoke with an indifferent expression, "Benefactor Guann, you should give up on that idea. It is impossible for this humble Monk to make a vow for you. Not in this lifetime."
The middle-aged man in the Daoist Robe, Hua Zhengyu, also glanced at Guann Zhenzhen. "It is impossible for me to perform such a divination for you."
But the young man in the scholar’s robe, Nangong Cheng, just smiled. With a roguish flirtatiousness, he said, "I don’t particularly mind. How about you spend a night with me? I’ll consider it."
Hearing this, Guann Zhenzhen looked at the young scholar Nangong Cheng, her eyes full of seductive charm. "Zhenzhen would like that too. I’ve never tasted the soul essence of a Duality Cultivator before.
"Unfortunately, Academician Qing Lian, you cultivate the Song of Heaven and Earth’s Righteous Qi. A wellspring of righteous energy resides eternally in your chest, guarding your true heart for all time.
"Zhenzhen wouldn’t want to try tasting your soul essence, only to be overwhelmed and have my own essence drained instead. I’d just become another Red Skull in your story, a mere concubine under your brush. Now that would be a classic case of suffering a double loss!
"Besides, you three are of great use to the old ghost. Zhenzhen wouldn’t dare casually make you a soul beneath my skirt!"
