Ch. 784 - Dual Assault

“What do you want?” Butler Fu coughed up blood, struggling to speak.

“Fang Jiu, this is the Heavenly Bond Cult, you should know the consequences of betraying the Young Master.”

“Just rest in peace,” Xu Zimo smiled and raised his hands, crushing Butler Fu in his palms.

“Lead the way,” he turned to Fang Jiu and the others.

Fang Jiu and his companions looked pale as they awkwardly led Xu Zimo into the building.

He slowly rotated the floor beneath his feet, and with a series of loud rumbles, a deep, dark tunnel appeared below.

From the passageway came faint, chilling screams.

“This was built secretly by the Young Master,” Fang Jiu explained. “He uses it for cultivation when he wants to absorb others’ essence.”

“Lead ahead,” Xu Zimo said.

As they walked into the dark passage, waves of heat blew against their faces, with sparks flickering in the dark.

Halfway in, the tunnel began to brighten.

The firelight ahead illuminated the path behind them. In the blazing flames, several figures ran frantically.

They wailed, as if being consumed by fire, and eventually collapsed in the sea of flames.

“Have you been here before?” Xu Zimo asked.

“No, the Young Master never allows anyone inside,” Fang Jiu said. “I’ve only seen him enter a few times by chance.”

At the end of the passage, Xu Zimo saw the sea of flames and felt its searing heat.

An iron fence blocked the fire, glowing red from the heat.

Next to it was a small door. Monk Great Wisdom stepped forward and found it locked.

With several palm strikes, he blasted the iron door to the ground.

Inside, the space opened up considerably.

Surrounded by raging flames, countless people screamed as they were burned alive.

At the center of the flames stood a tall platform.

A blue-robed youth sat cross-legged atop it, and from around his body stretched out tendrils like tentacles.

These tentacles latched onto the burning bodies, absorbing energy at a visible speed.

This fire clearly wasn’t ordinary, it cleansed the impurities within the body and had the effect of refining one's marrow.

As Xu Zimo and the others entered, the youth retracted the tentacles and opened his eyes.

A sharp light flashed through his pupils.

“Fang Jiu, who told you to come here?” Gongsun Tianxun frowned and asked coldly.

“And who are they?”

Fang Jiu avoided his gaze and didn’t answer.

Instead, he turned to Xu Zimo and asked, “Can I have the antidote now?”

“There is no antidote. What I gave you was just an ordinary pill,” Xu Zimo replied.

“Don’t lie to me. I brought you to the Young Master,” Fang Jiu said, still uncertain.

Xu Zimo just smiled and didn’t respond.

He turned to Gongsun Tianxun and said, “Come with us.”

“Who are you?” Gongsun Tianxun asked.

“That doesn’t matter,” Xu Zimo said, reaching toward him.

Gongsun Tianxun snorted and rose into the air.

The flames in the chamber roared, transforming into a dragon that charged at Xu Zimo.

With a wave of his right hand, Xu Zimo scattered the dragon.

As the flames dissipated, a fist carrying fierce force appeared before him.

Xu Zimo snorted coldly and caught the fist, then violently hurled Gongsun Tianxun away.

With a loud crash, Gongsun Tianxun slammed into the chamber wall.

The entire chamber shook, as if about to collapse.

He quickly got back to his feet and stared at Xu Zimo with a grave expression.

“Heavenly Bond Four Arts!” Gongsun Tianxun shouted.

With him at the center, spiritual energy around him began to surge violently.

Large faces embodying joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness materialized around him.

“The myriad states of life, Heavenly Bond Four Forms!” he chanted.

His aura exploded. Countless tentacles spread out, violently shattering the space around them.

“Die!” Gongsun Tianxun roared.

The tentacles merged with the four emotional faces and lunged at Xu Zimo.

Now filled with emotion, each tentacle seemed alive, shrieking wildly.

Laughing, crying, wailing, the sounds echoed throughout the chamber.

Hearing them, everyone felt their souls tremble, stunned in place.

“Soul attack?” Xu Zimo muttered.

Behind him, the eagle-eyed man and the burly one didn’t even have time to react before being pierced by the tentacles, instantly killed.

“A dual assault on soul and body,” Xu Zimo said with interest.

Monk Great Wisdom held his longsword and softly chanted scripture, trying to protect his soul.

Fang Jiu cowered in a corner, completely paralyzed with fear.

As the tentacles closed in, Xu Zimo remained unaffected.

The Shadow Tyrant behind him flew out of its sheath, unleashing a torrent of blade energy to cut through the tentacles.

But the tentacles, strengthened by the emotions, sprouted heads.

Each one seemed alive, reaching out with hands to grab Shadow Tyrant.

The blade was pulled at from all sides, as if about to be devoured.

Xu Zimo looked up slightly. A flash of blade intent appeared in his cold eyes.

The blade energy intensified. Flames surged, and thunder rolled along the blade.

With a metallic ring, countless tentacles were severed and fell into the sea of fire.

Seeing this, Gongsun Tianxun was terrified.

He ran for the chamber’s side door.

But Shadow Tyrant flew ahead of him, transforming into countless blade shadows that blocked his path.

Facing the curved blade before him, Gongsun Tianxun froze, trembling as he turned to face Xu Zimo.

“Come with us, Young Master Tianxun,” Xu Zimo said with a smile.

He turned and looked at Fang Jiu, curled up in the corner.

“Tell the entire Heavenly Bond Cult, Gongsun Tianxun has been kidnapped by me. If they want him back, Gongsun Hongtian must come to Sun-Moon Inn in the city by noon tomorrow.”

With that, Xu Zimo ignored Fang Jiu, and he and Monk Great Wisdom led the sealed Gongsun Tianxun out of the sect.

Gongsun Tianxun didn’t dare resist. His life was in Xu Zimo’s hands. He could only obediently lead them out of the Heavenly Bond Cult.

The journey out was smooth, and they returned to the inn.

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