Chapter 60 Don't bite me! There are so many people around, please don't bite my mouth...
"Just delivered? Let's take him."
This time, the masked man was much more well-trained than the part-time maids in the Ghost Market. He was decisive and efficient in taking people away. With a swish, heavy shackles were fastened to Fu Ming's wrists and neck.
Fu Ming knew that what they wanted were those with high cultivation levels. The disciples who had been chosen earlier were all quite powerful. They couldn't possibly let go of a Nascent Soul stage big fish like him and go after those Golden Core stage noobs.
He struggled symbolically for a few moments, and then the two men dragged him away like a lamb to the slaughter.
"Hurry up, hurry up," Fu Ming urged in his heart.
First, he told the Tianyan Sect disciples to run quickly according to the marks he left along the way. Second, his heart was still aching, and even though he wasn't dead, he suspected that Xiao Huaiyuan's condition wasn't good.
The maze twisted and turned; the further he went, the fewer people were locked in the cages, and the hotter the air became. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans dripped from Fu Ming's forehead, as if they were scorching his very soul.
The masked man was also very annoyed.
"Xinqiu, why is it so hot?"
"Bear with it, we'll be there soon. After a while, the adults will take us to the Land of Bliss, and then we won't have to suffer in this mortal world anymore."
Suddenly, the complex corridor, resembling an anthill, began to vibrate slightly, producing the sound of hard objects colliding.
Did you hear anything?
"It must have come from the pot. You can't use spiritual energy or true essence here. You can't bite through refined steel with your teeth, can you? I don't think even the Heavenly King himself could escape. Haha."
One is clueless, the other is unhappy—such classic cannon fodder remarks! Fu Ming rarely agrees with the system's吐槽 (tu cao, a Chinese internet slang term for sarcastic or critical comments).
However, if he couldn't use his true essence, then what was wrong with him? Feeling the true essence flowing smoothly through his meridians, Fu Ming decided to give the two hardworking people a big gift.
The two stopped in front of a half-open door.
"This person's waist is unusually thin."
The talkative one muttered something under his breath and then kicked Fu Ming in the waist, probably trying to kick him inside the door.
Just as they were about to succeed, the world suddenly spun before their eyes, and they landed on their backs. Heavy shackles flew off Fu Ming's wrists, binding their hands and feet together, and then they were quickly pulled backward and thrown into a filthy cage.
"I think you should wear these shackles yourselves."
"You're welcome."
An extremely irritating, frivolous voice echoed in their minds. To prevent them from screaming and ruining things, Fu Ming thoughtfully cast a silencing spell and a sleeping spell.
He used to not think much of such intimate words; a grown man wouldn't lose anything from being said a few times. But it wasn't until Xiao Huaiyuan repeated them in various situations that Fu Ming was forced to accept a lot of new knowledge.
Who would stare at a man's chest, waist, legs, and buttocks for no reason?
Is he really that attractive to homosexuals?
Puzzled, Fu Ming pushed open the door and nearly stumbled into a hole.
The two men called it a pot, and it truly was a pot. This place was a giant pit, hundreds of miles long and wide, its structure resembling a giant cauldron used for cooking meat. Two particularly prominent high platforms stood like upright ears, and a ring of copper and iron walls surrounded the boiling, red-oil-like lava. The smell of sulfur mixed with the smell of corpse oil was extremely pungent.
The billowing smoke from the lava disrupted Fu Ming's senses, but he remained absolutely certain that the person he was looking for was here.
He flew forward on his sword, and this time he could finally see more things. He saw thousands of chains pulling on the lava river, with many people hanging like cured meat.
No, some of them weren't even alive, but just a shrunken human skeleton or a dark brown human skin.
As Fu Ming walked through it, he became increasingly alarmed.
Xiao Huaiyuan, just hold on a little longer. If you really turn into dried meat, even the King of Heaven himself can't save you.
Fortunately, Xiao Huaiyuan did not turn into that shabby state.
He discovered that the chains were continuously drawing away the life force and spiritual energy from the suspended person, so he followed the direction where the spiritual energy was most surging, and sure enough, he found the right person every time he touched them.
Xiao Huaiyuan, bound like a rice dumpling, was considered handsome among the many ferocious-looking people. However, he was frowning, his eyes were closed, he was sweating profusely, his breathing was weak, and he seemed to have darkened his complexion.
As Fu Ming joined his four fingers and thumb together, he immediately cast a protective shield on his junior brother. Just as he was about to slash the chains with his sword, an unusual phenomenon occurred.
Suddenly, waves of magma several meters high surged up beneath their feet, and the crisscrossing iron chains tightened rapidly, emitting a piercing noise as they rubbed against each other. The chains also drew spiritual energy from the ground at an even faster rate.
Xiao Huaiyuan was hit the hardest and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
Fu Ming's situation wasn't much better. Several iron chains, stained with human oil, were pulled from the mutilated corpse and then stabbed at him from all directions, like the frenzied tentacles of an octopus. He swung his knife in a circle, wishing he could grow three heads and six arms.
Protecting himself was not difficult, but he also had to protect Xiao Huaiyuan and constantly infuse him with his true essence.
Sigh, rescuing my little brother from dire straits is such an exhausting task!
"Dear host, do male-oriented overpowered protagonist novels really treat their underlings like this? This seems like the treatment given to female protagonists ovo."
While Fu Mingteng was not disciplining it, the idle system came to cause trouble again.
"Shut up."
Fu Ming, who was about to press his lips to Fu Ming's lips and begin the dual cultivation technique, paused.
He said with dissatisfaction, "Don't say anything that's detrimental to unity, understand?"
This system speaks very rudely.
Then, something even harsher came: as Fu Ming struggled to save him, a sarcastic remark came from above.
The man said, "Hehe, there's no need to struggle anymore. Sect Leader Xiao is already deeply poisoned and there's no cure for him now."
"Who's playing tricks here!"
Fu Ming threw his sword towards the source of the sound, the sword's momentum as fierce as a white rainbow piercing the sun, yet it did not feel like it was cutting into a solid object.
He looked up and saw two masked figures with their hands behind their backs standing on the handles of the giant cauldron, looking down at him with an imposing air.
This time, Fu Ming recognized who it was. The one standing in front was that old man surnamed Yun. Most cultivators are either in their prime with thick black hair or have turned completely white due to the decline of their physical condition. It is rare to find someone with graying temples who is neither old nor middle-aged.
The person behind me, coincidentally, was also an acquaintance.
His knife had just pierced the illusion created by the Shadow Technique. The Shadow Technique is a niche school of thought that can only be used to show off its power in surprise attacks. Over the years, he has only known one person, Mo Shi.
Although Mo Shi was an elder for many years, he had been defeated by him in a challenge that was above his level before he left the sect, which shows how poor his combat power was.
Fu Ming did not believe that he could defeat Xiao Huaiyuan in a proper way. He must have used some treacherous scheme to cause his junior brother to slip and fall.
Fu Ming skipped over the old man surnamed Yun and went straight to him: "Elder Mo, just how much did this old man give you? To make you give up your good position as elder, poison Xiao Huaiyuan, and go through all sorts of trouble to lure him here?"
“A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on. Even a genius like you only made rapid progress after falling into demonic ways. I’ve heard that demonic cultivators have difficulty transcending tribulations. Why don’t you join the Lord’s camp as soon as possible? Perhaps you too will have a chance to become an immortal.”
Mo Shi, behind the mask, spoke in a sarcastic tone, and his next sentence made Fu Ming even more annoyed.
"However, I didn't know that you had secretly become involved with the sect leader."
Fu Ming clicked his tongue: "What 'flirting'? It's only right that I protect my junior brother. As for you, have you finished your gossip?"
With a snap, he suddenly snapped his fingers, unleashing his full power. His surging true essence, solidified into a tangible form, instantly transformed into a blade, shattering all the iron chains within a ten-mile radius.
As he took Xiao Huaiyuan with one hand, he also generously put a protective shield on all the other living people around him who were still breathing. The transparent spheres containing the people floated up like bubbles, and Fu Ming laughed loudly inside them, quite arrogantly.
This shows they are completely disregarding them; it's utterly unreasonable.
Mo Shi couldn't understand his intention in burning his true essence so recklessly, and frowned as he shouted, "This is Lord Yun's secret realm. If you want to forcefully break through, you should consider who the master is!"
Lord Yun didn't say anything, but watched Fu Ming with great interest.
Fu Ming knew, of course he knew.
Just as he could freely control the Grand Competition Secret Realm after taking control of the core of the Immortal Palace, the master of this secret realm could naturally crush outsiders as well.
But he wasn't betting on his own abilities, he was betting on the will of Heaven!
Since your secret realm is still within this world, how can it be exempt from the control of the Heavenly Dao?
"My merit points should be enough, right, system?" he checked in his mind again.
The system excitedly circled around in its mind's eye: "Enough, enough! And this time we can withdraw the rewards for completing the mission ahead of time, yay!"
That's good, he's been waiting for this day for a long time.
Fu Ming's long-suppressed true essence surged like a sea, and under this fortuitous opportunity, it finally underwent a qualitative change. The sharp and violent fire-attribute true essence gradually became more harmonious, and he felt that a certain invisible thick barrier had begun to shatter.
He raised his sword and pointed it upwards. The heavy roof of the fortress, like the lid of a furnace, was pounded and shook by his released true energy.
Above the deep lake where the fortress stands, thick, coal-ash-like clouds gather in the sunless and moonless sky. These clouds churn and swirl, nurturing the most terrifying tribulation lightning in a thousand years.
Before long, the constantly branching lightning, like a fallen giant tree, tore a crack in the secluded realm that never turned day or night, and then plunged straight into the lake.
boom!
Fierce lightning struck one after another, triggering a violent earthquake that caused the magma to sway like waves crashing in the ocean during a hurricane.
Fu Ming did not simply wait for the heavenly tribulation to unleash its power. He placed Xiao Huaiyuan inside a more solid bubble, while he himself floated up alone, slashing horizontally at the top of the fortress.
A single slash, or perhaps a slash composed of a hundred afterimages, cleaved a gap several meters wide at the seam of the cauldron. Instantly, rainwater and lake water transformed into a waterfall, cascading down and plunging into the boiling lava.
Just then, Lord Yun struck him in the back with a palm: "Fu Ming! I was going to let you go, but you're asking for it, so don't blame me."
In the Ghost Market, the old man was so weak that he had to control others to barely defeat Xiao Huaiyuan, but here, he possesses a strength at the level of laws.
Fu Ming was not afraid at all and took the blow head-on, leaving a deep purple bruise on his back.
Since you're already here, you might as well get electrocuted with me!
A hundred bolts of tribulation lightning simultaneously descended upon Fu Ming's head along the gap. Even though he had worked for the Heavenly Dao for so long, Fu Ming was still shocked and his whole body went numb.
Lord Yun, who was still in contact with him, was immediately electrocuted, his face contorted and his body emitting a burnt smell like roasted meat. After all, his true cultivation level was definitely not at the late stage of the Nascent Soul stage.
This is not only divine assistance, but also thanks to the help of modern physics. Fu Ming just raised his knife to attract lightning!
He struck while the iron was hot, plunging his longsword, crackling with lightning, into Lord Yun's heart.
The old man's mask finally fell off, revealing an ordinary, wrinkled middle-aged man's face.
"You... are useless. The great formation is complete, and my soul will live on forever... I will wait for you in the Ruins of Return."
Guixu? What place is that?
Before Fu Ming could even sift through his meager historical knowledge to find the place name, he felt another dagger being thrust at his back.
"Forbidden spells." A familiar, deep voice rang out, and a golden seal slowly rotated in mid-air.
Xiao Huaiyuan blocked Mo Shi's sneak attack for him. When did he wake up? Did he see his heroic figure as he slaughtered everyone?
However, seeing Xiao Huaiyuan's fragile state, as if he was about to faint, Fu Ming decided to wait until the situation improved before asking: "Alright, junior brother, let's go back and rest first..."
The tribulation was not yet completely over, so Fu Ming seized the opportunity to refine the tribulation lightning to temper his body, and in the process, he completely cleaved open the fortress, giving everyone a glimmer of light.
After finishing what he needed to do, Fu Ming finally had time to channel some spiritual energy into Xiao Huaiyuan, only to find that the guy seemed to have lost his mind, pouncing on him like a wolf and tearing and biting him.
Fu Ming broke down and pushed him away: "Wait, there are so many people here, don't tear my clothes or bite my mouth!"
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