All the people in the backyard had been transported to the independent world.
Upon landing,they couldn't help but feel shocked and amazed by the place around them.
They had previously been in the backyard of a store, then suddenly transferred to a barren, yet vast, land. Zhang Yong held a token in his hand and raised it high.
For a moment, the earth seemed to split open, and a large building rose up. It contained a large academic square and multiple rooms on the sides
Zhang Yong pointed to the building behind him and ordered,"You can go rest now. Training will begin tomorrow."
Everyone nodded and moved in groups towards the living quarters,each person choosing their own room.
Zhang Yong turned and walked away quietly,with Su Ming following behind him. They arrived at a slightly remote area
Zhang Yong waved his hand and released a set of flags onto the ground
Su Ming squatted down and looked intently at the array."What kind of array is this?" Zhang Yong answered confidently,"It's a transportation array," and immediately pointed to the eight trigrams section of the array.
A hint of confusion appeared on Su Ming's face."But didn't the Thief King tell us that transporting people isn't possible until a month in the outside world? So what's the value of this?"
Zhang Yong turned and started walking to another area."You said it yourself: if it's for people. I modified it slightly. It doesn't transport living beings. Transporting plants and non-human objects will be much easier."
Zhang Yong raised his hand,and a shovel immediately appeared. He threw it to Su Ming and pointed to a spot some distance away. "Dig in that area. Don't ask; you'll see for yourself later."
Su Ming looked at the shovel and had no choice but to start digging
As per Zhang Yong's request, the two dug deep pits, which took half a day to complete. Zhang Yong patted his clothes to dust them off and looked towards the system's storage window.He walked to the first pit, and water flowed directly from the system window into the pit"I didn't expect this much Water from the Yin-Yang Ice-Fire Well , Good thing I brought it with me."
The pond filled to the brim,and the pool was separated into two parts that didn't mix: one side was milky white, the other fiery red.
Su Ming looked on in astonishment and reached his hand towards the pool."Wow, what kind of water is this?"
Zhang Yong quickly slapped Su Ming's hand before it could touch the water."You idiot, don't touch the water! It's hot enough to melt gold. Do you want to lose your hand?"
Su Ming was shocked upon hearing his words.Capable of melting gold—the heat must be extremely high. He had almost lost a hand there"How did you get it if it's so hot?" Zhang Yong smiled and moved towards the other pit."That's because I have a special physique that protects me from this heat. So don't you dare go near it. I'll set up a defensive array around it later." Zhang Yong stood at the second pit and threw the Spring Origin into its center.It immediately pierced the ground there, and water erupted from the center of the pit. Su Ming watched with an awestruck expression."This is amazing. So now what?" Zhang Yong took out a bag and handed it to Su Ming."Now, we plant the seeds. Remember when I told you we needed resources? The Spring Origin and the Yin-Yang Ice-Fire well are beneficial for herbs, so—"
A thought lit up in Su Ming's mind,and he understood what Zhang Yong meant. "Treasures like these will accelerate the growth of the herbs, and since the time flow inside this small world is faster than the real world, they will grow even faster."
Zhang Yong nodded in agreement.Then suddenly, a voice came from the side. "Hmm,these treasures are truly unique. I didn't expect you to possess something like this." The Thief King was shocked seeing the effects of the Yin-Yang Ice-Fire Spring water, as the land beside it, once barren and desolate, had instantly turned green
Zhang Yong laughed mockingly."You really don't know about this. This water can create immortal herbs."
Su Ming's face instantly paled,just as the Thief King's would have if he had a body.
Su Ming grabbed Zhang Yong's shoulders and would have shaken him to death if his body weren't tougher than rock."Zhang Yong, take back what you said now! Immortal herbs is a title given to ninth-grade herbs. A treasure like this would make the entire continent hunt you down."
Zhang Yong pushed Su Ming's arms away and said with an annoyed expression,"And why do you think I put it in this small world? Come on, do the work as I told you."
Su Ming sighed and reluctantly began planting the herb seeds. At the same time,when Zhang Yong finished his part, he turned towards the Thief King. "Hey, you. I have something for you."
He walked towards Zhang Yong.He didn't like the way Zhang Yong addressed him, but literally, his soul was in his hands.
If Zhang Yong decided to destroy his soul, he could do it with just a thought. "What is it?"
Zhang Yong pointed to the building he had created and said,"See those people there? I want you to teach them a cultivation technique."
The Thief King wanted to strangle Zhang Yong at that moment.A person's Cultivation technique was their most important secret, and normally, one could only pass it on to their disciples or bloodline.
But what could he do?
He reluctantly softened his attitude and,with a heavy sigh, nodded in agreement. "Fine, I will teach them the technique."
Zhang Yong's eyebrow rose upon seeing his obedient response."Well, I guess I should torture you a little."
The Thief King screamed upon hearing that."Why the hell?! I did what you asked!"
Zhang Yong replied calmly,"You have the arrogant demeanor of a king. How can you obey me so readily? This means you are planning something. So I'll torture you just in case you think of rebelling."
Zhang Yong made the hand seal,and the Thief King began writhing on the ground in pain.
He couldn't understand anything anymore. If he chose to rebel, he would be tortured. If he agreed, he would also be tortured. He realized in his mind,
'This person is insane!'
The next day, Zhang Yong gathered everyone in the academic square. He stood in front of them with his hands behind his back. "Alright, since everyone is here, we will start with the basics. You need to build a solid foundation. So, go run ten laps to that hill three kilometers away."
Even after he made this announcement,not a single person changed their expression; their looks were serious. Their gaze made Zhang Yong feel as if he were looking at battle-hardened veterans.
Those were not the eyes of people ready to back down.
Zhang Yong immediately pointed for them."Start now."
Everyone bowed slightly and immediately went running. Zhang Yong directly took Kuro out from the storage space and ordered quietly,"Follow them. Although I'm sure they won't cheat, watch them for a while."
Kuro nodded and flew off to monitor them from above.
During this time,the Thief King appeared to the side and looked at Zhang Yong with a hint of surprise. "I thought you would have them train directly or lock them in some place and just make them practice."
Zhang Yong laughed lightly."Your answer is close. But I want them to have a good foundation. Also, I have a plan for them."
On the other side, at the foot of that hill, Su Ming stood in front of a table with cups of water on it. This was not ordinary water. Earlier,when preparing that table, Zhang Yong took out a bucket of water and placed a Foundation Building Pill inside it, which dissolved, thus diluting it.
The Foundation Building Pill,as its name suggests, strengthens the body and bones and enhances a person's foundation. Until now, the others' bodies were injured due to much torture and beating.
After checking their condition at that time, it wasn't critically life-threatening, but previous injuries, if not treated, could become worse.
Therefore, if they ate the pill directly, it might harm them more than help them.
So, they diluted it. Their bodies would change slowly thanks to that, and it wouldn't be a threat. The Thief King shook his head with some understanding."I see. Actually, when I taught them the cultivation technique, I noticed there are some talents among them. Some has a mid-grade physique. You should nurture such talents."
Zhang Yong looked at him out of the corner of his eye and said,"Talent is meaningless if not utilized. Thief King, take care of the medicinal garden. That is your task. As for other things, leave them to me."
The Thief King disappeared immediately before Zhang Yong could do something unexpected to him
Zhang Yong laughed mockingly at that. At the same time,he headed to one of the rooms and opened it. "Sorry for keeping you waiting."
In front of him,a man sat on a chair behind a table, his hands shackled, his eyes gleaming with hatred "What do you want, you monster?"
Zhang Yong smiled gently."Wonderful. I see you still intend to resist. I would have been sad if you had surrendered from the beginning."
The man moved his hands,the sound of shackles clinking. "Hah, as if I would talk."
Zhang Yong smiled slightly,somewhat happy. He approached the man and looked at him deeply. "Well, as you wish. I have ways to make you talk."
The man laughed scornfully."You think you scare me? If you plan to deprive me of any food and water, know that I'm already trained to resist things like thirst and hunger."
Zhang Yong shook his head with some understanding."Hah, I was planning something different, but that's a good idea. I'll probably use it someday."
The man looked puzzled,his face showing a 'What the hell is this person thinking?' expression.
But Zhang Yong was still smiling. Zhang Yong clapped his hands."I have an idea. Why don't we play a game?"
The man felt a kind of shock upon hearing that.Wasn't he a prisoner? Who plays games with their prisoner?
Zhang Yong took out his pistol,opened the cylinder, and took out the bullets. Beads of sweat began to form on the man's forehead."What do you intend to do?" Zhang Yong reloaded the cylinder and raised the pistol."You don't want to tell me anything, so why don't I just kill you? But before that, and because I'm bored, let's play a game. Have you ever heard of Russian Roulette?"
The man swallowed nervously and muttered,"Russian Roulette?"
Zhang Yong raised the pistol and spun the cylinder."An easy game. There is one bullet and six empty chambers, and two people. You can shoot the other person once, but if you choose to shoot yourself, you can shoot the other
The loser is the one who dies first." Then he raised his pistol towards the man. "Do you want to go first?"
The man watched in dread and said,"Does this mean you will free my shackles to play?"
Zhang Yong mocked,"Of course not. Tell me, do you want to shoot yourself or me?"
In a trembling voice,the man said, "Shoot you," but he smiled because he thought Zhang Yong wasn't stupid enough to harm himself. But Zhang Yong raised the pistol and shot at his own head
With a "Click!" the shot was empty. Zhang Yong smiled slightly."It seems I'm lucky. Now it's my turn. I wonder if I'll be lucky again." Zhang Yong raised the pistol to his head again and pulled the trigger.The shot was empty. "Good.You know what this means." Then Zhang Yong raised the pistol towards the man's forehead, smiling. Click! The shot was empty,and the man let out a heavy breath.
Then he looked at Zhang Yong and said, "F-fine, this time, shoot me."
Zhang Yong was a little surprised but didn't object
He raised the pistol and fired
Click!
It seemed the man's heart was about to stop."Hehe, now, do it." Zhang Yong raised the pistol,smiled, and fired at his own head. Click!
The shot was empty.At that moment, his face instantly paled because now only two shots remained. If Zhang Yong chose to shoot himself, there was a fifty percent chance he would die based on whether the chamber was empty or loaded.
The stakes were becoming dangerous. Zhang Yong raised the pistol towards his head."Well, it's my turn." The man closed his eyes and prayed in fear that this shot would be loaded.
However,Zhang Yong shot at his own head, and Click! It was,for the man, like the sound of hell's door opening for him.
Zhang Yong didn't hesitate either and raised his pistol, aiming it at the man, smiling. "Well, this is the end of our little game."
Bam! Zhang Yong fired,but the bullet didn't penetrate his head. Instead, it pierced the man's ear. As the gunshot echoed in the room,the man's eyes widened in shock.
Blood began to flow from his pierced ear, staining his dark hair crimson. He tried to clutch the wound with a muffled sound of pain,but the shackles on his hands hindered him. Zhang Yong smiled stiffly,lowering the now-empty pistol with a satisfied expression. "So, tell me what I want."
The man laughed coldly."It will take more than cutting off my ear to make me talk." Zhang Yong approached him and pulled his hand forward."Well, if you won't tell me, then I'll enjoy my time." Zhang Yong grabbed his wrist and forced him to spread his five fingers on the table. Zhang Yong took the dagger and began stabbing between his fingers at a high speed while Zhang Yong laughed in a horrifying manner,seeming to enjoy it.
The rhythmic sounds of the dagger hitting the table immediately increased until Clash! Zhang Yong intentionally hit the dagger on his index finger,and the man immediately jumped up screaming. Zhang Yong turned the blade and cleanly severed the finger.The man let out a muffled scream. Zhang Yong grabbed the finger and forced the man to open his mouth."Since you don't want to talk, why don't we stuff your mouth with fingers? You might start 'talking about your actions' then, idiot"
Zhang Yong put the finger in the man's mouth and forced him to swallow it while he seemed on the verge of choking. Zhang Yong grabbed the dagger,unconcerned about his condition. "Well, the next finger. I wonder which one it will be?" Zhang Yong grabbed the dagger again and began stabbing rapidly a second time before the man screamed,"S-stop!"
The man's eyes,which had known hatred a short while ago, were now desperate and terrified.
The taste of that look was delicious. Zhang Yong immediately stabbed the man's hand,pinning it to the table so he couldn't free it. "So,will you confess and tell me what I want?"
The man immediately nodded."Yes, but on one condition: release me."
Zhang Yong pulled out the dagger and stabbed his other hand as well."Do you think you're in a position to negotiate? Fine, I promise you that if you tell me what I want, I will let you leave here."
The man shook his head."I don't trust you. I want you to swear a Heart Oath."
A Heart Oath is an oath where a person stakes their heart as collateral.It places an invisible chain on the person's heart, which will only be removed upon fulfilling the oath.
If the oath is violated, the person's heart will explode. There is another type of oath, the Heavenly Oath, but its punishment is different. If violated, heavenly lightning will strike you until it destroys your soul and body.
And there was a lot of other ways to make the same oath using some tools but they weren't available right now
Zhang Yong smiled calmly.As expected, the man thought he would die if he was no longer of any use. "Fine, but you will also swear a Heart Oath to tell me everything I want."
The two swore simultaneously
"I swear by my heart that I will allow you to leave here."
"I swear by my heart that I will tell you everything you want."
Zhang Yong turned over his palm,and a small red skull appeared in his hand. It was the same skull that the boy's blood had been dripped onto. "First,what is this skull?"
"It's called a Blood Skull.It's useless for ordinary people, but for people of the Blood Path, they can use it to enhance their cultivation."
"How many of these skulls are there?"
"Nine were made in total,but we only have seven."
"Next question,who is your leader?"
"His name is Feng Qing.He is a Blood Path cultivator. He forces us to capture orphaned children to torture them, then kill them, and make the skull swallow their blood."
"Why exactly children?"
"Because the skull's requirement is the blood of a desperate person filled with hatred.Children's emotions are easily affected, and they don't have much resistance when captured, making them the ideal, easiest target to obtain blood from."
"This means you have killed a number of children as well."
The man's face paled upon hearing that."Yes, I have."
He couldn't deny it since Zhang Yong wanted to know. According to the oath, he was obliged to answer.
Zhang Yong turned around and took a deep breath.He had to keep his composure at this moment.
If he let his anger erupt and killed the man by accident, he would end up killing him unintentionally, and his own heart would explode as a result "Alright,where is your leader's location?"
"He is located twenty Li northeast of Maple Leaf City."
Zhang Yong turned and was about to leave the place when the man shouted,"Wait, what about your promise to release me?"
Zhang Yong smiled and glared at him from the corner of his eye."I said I would. I didn't say when."