Xuan Tian stood in front of a barrier. It was right outside the Eastern Palace. The barrier radiated with power—strong enough to be seen even by non-cultivators.
They didn't even bother to hide it. Arrogant bastards. They're blatantly challenging ICEB.
Xuan Tian could only shake his head. Unfinesse. One of Jing Xue's words. He'd probably file this under "classic stupidity."
Xuan Tian heard steps behind him. He immediately hid away behind a pillar.
A patrol group passed by.
Xuan Tian noticed they have Lingxu tokens hanging on their waists. He had been seeing those tokens on the patrolling groups. None of them were from different sects. The Alliance was supposed to have other sects too. But apparently, for tonight, Lingxu didn't want to risk it.
Xuan Tian smirked. Perfect. I'll see if they've learnt their lesson.
He vanished for two breaths and appeared again. A token in his hand.
He put the token closer and closer to the barrier.
And the barrier rippled subtly, almost unnoticed.
And they still using the same method like five years ago.
Xuan Tian was a little bit disappointed.
He entered the barrier, stealthily.
From the detailed map he got, the dungeon was located in far westside corner of the Eastern Palace. Xuan Tian was heading there. Along the way he noticed there are more patrol groups than it was outside the barrier.
Just a few metres from the prison building, Xuan Tian stopped and scanned the surroundings. The door was guarded by 2 groups of six cultivators. All of them are at least Mid Immortal 1. Just like most of ICEB Enforcers.
They are really ready to face ICEB head-on.
Not only the ones guarding the door, but there were few groups of cultivators hiding in the shadows, waiting for ambush. All of them have Lingxu token on their waists.
At least half of Lingxu are here.
Xuan Tian snickered. If it were anyone else, they would have had difficulty entering the dungeon—but this was nothing to Xuan Tian.
He slowly turned invisible and entered the building with no difficulty.
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The dungeon was dark and humid. Judging by the putrid stench that clung to the air, it was clear this place had seen frequent use—for torture, imprisonment, and suffering.
How come it smells like this? Xuan Tian didn't understand.
The floor and prison cell walls were smeared with bloodstains and human waste. Some of the torture devices still held scraps of flesh.
This is not some makeshift prison!
It was common for royals to have a space within their residences to detain or punish staff. But this wasn't some temporary holding cell. This was inside the Eastern Palace—the Crown Prince's residence.
Not only was it a fully equipped prison, complete with torture tools, but it was the state of the prison that surprised Xuan Tian the most.
The Crown Prince was said to be kind, wise, and brilliant. He was often praised as the perfect heir. People of the Wusheng Empire worshipped him almost as much as they worshipped Mu Cangtian.
Something's not right with the Crown Prince.
Xuan Tian continued cautiously. Even though he was invisible, it didn't mean his physical body had become ghost-like. He could still bump into walls, tables, or patrolling cultivators.
The cells were empty. As he reached the inner section of the prison, he found a space clearly used for torture. What he saw made his heart stop.
Fresh blood stained several of the torture devices. Drops of flesh and blood still trailed along the floor. Someone had just been tortured—then dragged back to their cell.
Xuan Tian felt his chest tighten. If it was really Bai Xunli who was tortured… she must be barely hanging on.
Urgency surged through him. I need to find her quickly! He pushed his senses forward, searching for Bai Xunli.
Found her! A second later, unease twisted in his chest. She's really barely alive. But… she's moving? How?
Xuan Tian frowned. Based on all available evidence, Bai Xunli should be barely conscious. Sitting up—let alone moving—should be impossible.
The next second, a loud alarm was sounded. Shouts and footsteps were heard. It was like the whole sect was there.
Xuan Tian reacted instantly. He dashed to where Bai Xunli was. If she was really in the middle of running away, and got caught again, her life would be over. He couldn't let that happened.
His journey forward was getting more difficult. He met with a lot of cultivators, heading the same way.
Xuan Tian navigated among the cultivators like a snake, faster than the rest.
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Bai Xunli was indeed moving, but her movement was sluggish. She had just been sent back to her cell after being tortured for hours. She was in and out of consciousness, fighting to stay awake—to flee.
Her cultivation was sealed by Jian Wushuan. He had come dangerously close to destroying her Immortal Core. The only reason he hadn't done it yet was because he wanted to do it in front of Han Zhaofeng.
Right now, she was like a regular human—very weak and fragile. Easy to subdue. Easy to torture. In the seven days she had been imprisoned by Lingxu, she had been subjected to daily torture. The torturer wasn't always Jian Wushuan. In fact, he only came by to ensure her cultivation remained sealed.
Lingxu cultivators took turns torturing her. Sometimes, they healed her with spirit energy—just enough to keep her alive. They used her as both experiment and practice.
Today's session had been especially brutal. Bai Xunli was barely alive. She had decided to end her life when they returned her to her cell. Today was going to be her last day anyway. Ending it now was better than being executed in public. At least she would die on her own terms.
But when she was going to do it, someone opened her cell door and said, "Captain Bai, I am here to save you. I'm sorry I came too late."
Bai Xunli thought the voice and eyes were familiar, but her vision had been impaired ever since they started dousing her in brine every few days.
Then, the alarm sounded. Loud—so loud it made her ears ring.
She could feel her rescuer tense. Bai Xunli knew they were in trouble. Her rescuer was alone, and she was in no condition to fight. They would never make it out alive.
Bai Xunli made a decision.
She grabbed her rescuer's sword and tried to slit her own throat. She was stopped just in time. The blade left a thin cut on her neck—another wound among many.
"Captain Bai! What are you doing?! We need to move!"
Bai Xunli looked at her rescuer. "Thank you, Savior. But in my condition, we won't make it out alive. I will not be captured by them again. Dying here is the better option. Please… let me do it."
She spoke with a raspy voice and a shaky breath. Her strength was waning. Her consciousness was slipping. She couldn't delay any longer.
However, before either of them could act, they were surrounded by Lingxu cultivators.
"ICEB bastard! You're finally here! You're dead!"
"Dead!"
"Dead!"
Shouts rang out from all directions.
Someone in the crowd shouted, "Attack!"
And they moved.