Zhou Jian was speechless after Qin Feng asked him a question.

Qin Feng released Leng Yuexi and the others from the Heaven-Stabilizing Pearl, including Shen Qianjun, Shen Mengying, and Deng Tianning, who had been knocked unconscious.

Of the 180 people who came, only Qin Feng and a few others remain.

Zhou Jian's heart sank again when he saw Deng Tianning being held captive. "Is there any hope for them?"

Qin Feng looked at Shen Mengying, Shen Qianjun and Deng Tianning as he woke them up and found that their eyes were bloodshot and their expressions had become somewhat wooden.

"I'll give it a try. I hope their souls are only temporarily clouded and their intelligence hasn't been erased."

Yin Tiantian asked curiously, "Then how do we do it?"

Leng Yuexi replied, "Since it concerns the soul, we must enter their dantian and see what's going on before we can make a decision."

Qin Feng nodded. "Xiao Xi is right. Wait for me, I'll go in and take a look."

After he finished speaking, his soul left his body and transformed into a beam of light that headed towards Shen Mengying's brow.

Qin Feng's soul entered Shen Mengying's Purple Mansion smoothly, marking his first time entering someone else's Purple Mansion.

Shen Mengying's Purple Mansion was much smaller than Qin Feng's, after all, their cultivation levels were very different.

Qin Feng looked around and didn't seem to find anything unusual, but when he looked at Shen Mengying's soul, his eyes narrowed.

Shen Mengying's soul was shrouded in a layer of black mist.

Qin Feng knew this was the work of the illusion, which relieved him. This at least proved that Shen Mengying was only temporarily deceived, not that her mind had been erased.

Once this layer of dark energy is removed, Shen Mengying will be able to wake up and find herself again.

Qin Feng tried calling out to her, "Mengying, can you hear me?"

Shen Mengying's soul showed no reaction; it was unclear whether she couldn't hear or couldn't react.

Qin Feng looked thoughtful. What should he do?

He imagined the scene where the phantom wanted to possess him.

He carefully reached out his hand towards Shen Mengying, and as his hand approached, the black aura surrounding Shen Mengying was continuously purified.

Qin Feng looked strange. It seemed that he had many secrets of his own, and he didn't even understand himself.

As the black aura gradually diminished, Shen Mengying's soul was revealed, though she was asleep with her eyes closed.

Qin Feng patted her face, "Mengying, wake up!"

Shen Mengying, still half-asleep, opened her eyes and was quite surprised to see Qin Feng.

"Hey, Qin Feng, why are you the only one here? Where is everyone else?"

Qin Feng looked her over and, finding nothing wrong, explained:

"They're all waiting for you outside. You and Old Shen have both been infected. Don't you remember what happened before?"

Shen Mengying suddenly woke up with a start and exclaimed in surprise:

"You've been infected? Are you saying I've been controlled too?"

I don't know either. I was so sleepy that I fell asleep, and I don't know what happened after that. When I woke up, I saw you.

Wait, something's not right. This is my Purple Mansion. Did I do something terrible?

Qin Feng shook his head. "Don't worry, nothing happened. You and Old Shen were taken into custody immediately."

Shen Mengying felt a wave of fear wash over her. "Thank goodness, I'll never do it again if this happens. By the way, how's my grandfather?"

Qin Feng smiled and said, "It's good that you're alright. Old Shen's condition is the same as yours, so he should be fine. I'll go see Old Shen now."

Then Qin Feng left, leaving Shen Mengying somewhat disheveled.

Qin Feng explained to Zhou Jian and the others, "The situation is alright, Shen Mengying is fine now. I'll go check on Old Shen now."

Zhou Jian and the others felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

Qin Feng had already arrived at Shen Qianjun's Purple Mansion.

Shen Qianjun's situation was similar to Shen Mengying's, but perhaps due to his higher cultivation level, the black aura surrounding him was even thicker. However, he was still dealt with by Qin Feng in the same way.

Shen Qianjun also woke up and quickly understood what had happened. Recalling the scene before he lost consciousness, he said apologetically to Qin Feng:

"Oh dear, this almost turned out to be a disaster. Luckily, young friend Leng had made arrangements in advance. I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you."

Qin Feng waved his hand, "It's all in the past now. Mr. Shen, you should be more careful next time. Please get some rest."

Qin Feng restored Deng Tianning in the same way.

After regaining his senses, Deng Tianning blushed deeply, feeling extremely ashamed. He had previously accused Qin Feng of talking nonsense, causing him worry, and even the Crimson Spirit Fruit no longer tasted good.

As a result, he became someone else's puppet, completely controlled by them.

If Qin Feng hadn't subdued him immediately, who knows what might have happened.

"Um, Qin Feng, I'm really sorry. I had no choice but to attack you."

Qin Feng waved his hand magnanimously, "It's nothing, it didn't cause any trouble."

Deng Tianning's lips twitched; something about what he was saying didn't sound right.

When Zhou Jian saw that Deng Tianning had regained consciousness, he asked with concern, "Tianning, how are you feeling now?"

Deng Tianning felt very ashamed. "Old Zhou, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

Seeing that Deng Tianning had regained consciousness, Zhou Jian was overjoyed. "It's good that you're alright."

Looking at the vast procession reduced to just a few of them, Deng Tianning's expression turned pained, and he sighed:

"Sigh, I thought I had discovered the Great Emperor's legacy, so I brought my disciples to explore for treasure, but I never expected it to turn out like this."

Zhou Jian was also heartbroken. "Alas, who could have imagined it? It really is a matter of fortune and misfortune. The only saving grace is that we didn't have to call all the disciples over."

Shen Qianjun was also deeply moved.

Yin Tiantian suddenly interjected:

"Don't lose heart, you two. There might still be disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect alive."

Didn't the junior brother ask that person a question before, asking if those disciples who failed the assessment were still alive? That person said it depended on luck.

"If we find their location, maybe we can save them."

Zhou Jian and Deng Tianning immediately perked up. Yin Tiantian was right; they should save as many as they could.

Qin Feng echoed:

“My senior sister is right. We can search carefully. Besides, this is the residence of the Great Emperor. There might be some good things waiting for us to discover.”

Qin Feng's words reignited everyone's interest.

Yin Tiantian said happily, "Then let's get moving and start the real treasure hunt without delay."

Zhou Jian said with some lingering fear, "We still need to be careful; there might be some kind of ambush."

Shen Qianjun looked around the hall they were in and shook his head. "You're being too optimistic. I think what we should be doing now is figuring out how to get out of this hall."

Upon hearing this, the others also looked around the hall and indeed, the hall had no other exits and was sealed off.

They arrived via teleportation using an array.

Qin Feng looked at Leng Yuexi, "Xiao Xi, can you figure out what's going on?"

Leng Yuexi leaped into the air, circled the main hall once, and returned to Qin Feng's side.

"There shouldn't be any problem. The area where the statue was located was the center of the formation. As long as we find the core of the formation, we can break it."

Qin Feng smiled upon hearing this, "Then I'll trouble you."