Upon seeing the "Three-Eyed Envoy," he quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Seventh Envoy!"
"The sect leader ordered me to assist the six envoys in managing the offerings and to open the gate," Bai Xuan said calmly.
"Yes!" The guard dared not delay, opened the heavy stone door, and bowed, gesturing for the guard to enter. "The Sixth Envoy is already downstairs. Seventh Envoy, please come in."
"Um."
Bai Xuan responded lightly and led Qi Qi and Huo Yuwei into the room.
Inside the door was a downward stone staircase, its bottom invisible.
A cold, damp atmosphere wafted over, mixed with a faint smell of medicine and the sound of a child crying.
The cries were faint, like sobs made as if something had covered the mouth, but they rose and fell, heartbreaking to hear.
Qiqi's eyes instantly turned red.
She forced herself to calm down and followed Bai Xuan down the stone steps.
The dungeon is divided into three levels, each with dozens of cells.
The cell was very small, only three or four square meters, and contained one or two children.
Most of these children were between five and ten years old, dressed in tattered clothes, pale-faced, and with empty eyes.
Some of the children had strange tubes inserted into their bodies, from which flowed a dark green liquid.
That must be the drug that sustains their lives while imprisoning their souls.
“These bastards…” Huo Yuwei gritted his teeth, his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
Bai Xuan's expression was also cold, but he had to maintain the indifferent demeanor of the "Three-Eyed Envoy".
They went down to the third floor.
The guards here are more stringent, the cells are larger, and the children inside look even smaller, with purer soul energy fluctuations.
These should all be high-quality "offerings".
In the deepest part of the third level, they encountered the six envoys.
It was an old man wearing a spider mask and with a hunched back, who was writing something down in a notebook.
Upon seeing Bai Xuan, he looked up, his voice hoarse, "Seventh Brother? What brings you here?"
"The cult leader ordered me to assist you," Bai Xuan said. "Things have been unsettled outside lately, and the cult leader is worried about the safety of the sacrificial offerings."
"Hmph, unnecessary trouble." The Sixth Envoy seemed displeased. "I manage things here perfectly well; I don't need anyone else's interference."
"This is the leader's order," Bai Xuan emphasized coldly.
Upon hearing that it was the leader's order, the six envoys remained silent for a moment, clearly not daring to disobey, and compromised, saying, "As you wish. But don't cause me any trouble. These offerings are very delicate, and they can be damaged if you're not careful. If the leader blames you, I won't be responsible."
"Don't worry, I know what's important," Bai Xuan said, and began to "inspect" the cell.
Qiqi took the opportunity to observe her surroundings.
She discovered that each cell door had a complex lock array that required specific incantations and hand seals to open.
Moreover, the entire dungeon is shrouded in a huge array, and any forced breach of the door will trigger an alarm.
What's more troublesome is that some children have been marked with tracking tags, so even if they are rescued, they can be found very quickly.
It seems that rescuing these children is not as simple as just taking them out of the dungeon; all the restrictions must be broken and the tracking marks removed.
This will take time, a lot of time.
They only have sixty days...
No, it wasn't even sixty days.
They must act before the Netherworld Cult gathers all the offerings to complete the rescue operation.
Otherwise, once the ceremony begins, it will be too late.
"Have you seen enough?" the Sixth Envoy suddenly spoke, staring at Qi Qi. "Who is this little thing?"
Qiqi is too young. Even with the shape-shifting talisman, she still looks like a child.
They were just seven or eight-year-old children.
Bai Xuan said calmly, "My apprentice, brought to help."
"Medicine apprentice?" The Sixth Envoy took a few steps closer, his eyes beneath the spider mask scrutinizing Qi Qi. "Your aura is quite pure... How old are you?"
“Seven years old,” Bai Xuan said.
"Seven years old..." The Sixth Envoy suddenly reached out to touch Qiqi's face.
Huo Yuwei immediately stepped aside to block him, his tone respectful but firm, "Sixth Venerable Envoy, this child is timid and shy."
The sixth envoy's hand froze in mid-air, and he sneered, "Seventh brother, your follower has quite the nerve, daring to obstruct me!"
"It's only his duty to make Sixth Brother laugh," Bai Xuan said calmly. "This child is a pure Yin body that I finally found, and I'm preparing to offer him to the sect leader at the ceremony. He can't be harmed in the slightest."
Upon hearing "pure Yin body" and "offered to the sect leader," the six envoys withdrew their hands, their tone softening. "I see. Then you must take good care of yourself. A pure Yin body is rare; the sect leader will surely like it."
"nature."
After exchanging a few more perfunctory words and observing the layout of the entire dungeon and the children's imprisonment, Bai Xuan led the two away from the dungeon.
Back in the courtyard, the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That Sixth Venerable Envoy was terrifying," Qi Qi said, still shaken. "The way he looked at me was like he wanted to turn me into a little brat!"
"In the eyes of these people, children are nothing more than sacrifices to be killed or taken at will." A murderous glint flashed in Huo Yuwei's eyes. "These people have no reverence for life, only endless killing and malice. They don't deserve to live at all!"
Bai Xuan removed his three-eyed mask, his expression grave.
"The situation in the dungeon is more complicated than we imagined. Cracking those lock arrays and tracking marks will require a lot of time and effort. Moreover, when we operate, we must ensure that all the children are rescued in one go. Otherwise, if we alert them and make them wary, the remaining children will be in danger."
However, it would take a lot of time to remove those locking arrays and tracking marks.
They don't have that much time!
Qiqi sat in the chair, her little face serious as she pondered.
"Qiqi can research ways to break the Lock Formation and can also remove the tracking marks. But she needs to get close to each child, which is difficult. Besides, how are we going to get so many children out of Black Mist Valley?"
“This is a problem,” Huo Yuwei nodded. “More than eight hundred children are too big a target; it’s impossible to take them away quietly. Someone must be outside to meet them, and we need sufficient transportation and cover.”
A glint of light flashed in Bai Xuan's eyes, and he suddenly said, "Perhaps... we can use the Netherworld Sect to teach ourselves."
"What do you mean?" Huo Yuwei asked.
“The Netherworld Cult must have special channels and methods to transfer offerings to the altar,” Bai Xuan analyzed. “If we can infiltrate the transfer team or control the transfer process, we can rescue the child along the way.”
Qiqi's eyes lit up. "That's right! And when they move the children, they'll definitely lift some restrictions temporarily to make transportation easier. That'll be the best opportunity!"
“But this also means we can only act on the eve of the ceremony.” Huo Yuwei frowned. “The risk is too great; what if something unexpected happens…”
"Therefore, we need to prepare for two scenarios," Bai Xuan said. "On the one hand, we will study methods to break the restrictions and prepare for a forced rescue. On the other hand, we will investigate transfer routes and methods to find the best opportunity."
"Okay, let's do it this way!"
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