So Liu Jinghong's cloud boat was confiscated as spoils of war, and the six members of the team were all neatly captured and taken back to the Wu Clan's lair, um... and there was also a drunken old man named Wang Sheng who was completely unconscious.
Chu Hongluan was pretending to be unconscious, but she secretly opened one eye halfway to observe her surroundings.
emmmmmm.
Well, even though it's called a lair, it can't really be considered a den.
Why do the Witch Clan, one of the nine major sects, still live in caves?!
Chu Hongluan was confused and greatly shocked.
The territory of the Witch Clan was a desolate wasteland. The grass and trees looked as if they had been corroded by something, and they were all dead beyond any hope of survival. Poisonous snakes were coiled everywhere on the decaying bushes and withered branches, their beady eyes staring menacingly at the group of outsiders who had been carried in, hissing and flicking their tongues.
"Put them together!"
With the high priest's command, the six people, except for Gu Chunxiao, were all thrown into a dark, dingy cave like rag dolls. The iron gate was bolted shut, and no one paid them any attention afterward.
This must be the prison cell.
As for Gu Chunxiao, she was placed under house arrest in the small cave where she used to live, guarded by a Nascent Soul stage protector, four Nascent Soul stage believers, and twenty Golden Core stage believers.
They poured their hearts and souls into raising and nurturing the Holy Maiden, using the full resources of their clan. There are countless ways to kill silently, so the fact that she didn't come back on her own can only mean that she didn't want to.
The Holy Maiden of the Witch Clan has actually harbored thoughts of betrayal!
How dare she!
Of the thousand children, she was the only one who survived to the end.
This is the blessing of the chief god Raius Apophis!
She's so blessed, yet she doesn't even realize it!
Let's go hungry for a while.
That night, darkness fell.
Inside the cell, a crisp click rang out. Chu Hongluan calmly removed her thumb to free her hand from the shackles, then clicked it back on.
These shackles are engraved with runes that seal spiritual power, so they can only be opened from the outside and cannot be broken from the inside.
Chu Hongluan wondered to herself, "Why doesn't it hurt much to have my thumb removed?"
Without thinking, she slapped the shackles on her other wrist and shattered them.
Chu Hongluan released several of her companions one by one. When she saw the old man Wangsheng, who was still snoring loudly, she ignored him for the time being.
With a wave of her hand, several fluffy heads huddled together, ready to obey her commands.
"Have you noticed? The number of venomous snakes in the Witch Clan is outrageous, and not only are they numerous, but each one has also gained sentience. Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because beneath this mountainous region occupied by the Witch Clan lie eleven top-grade spiritual veins!"
"Hiss—eleven veins!? And they're top-grade spiritual veins? Our Heavenly Mystery Pavilion only has one!"
"How big is the Tianji Pavilion's territory? Our Southern Region is a place where every inch of land is precious and livable. But the Western Region is vast and sparsely populated, and the Wu Clan is located in a remote area with no borders. I'm afraid they have occupied all of these tens of thousands of miles."
"But the problem is, I can't sense any spiritual energy from the veins!"
"Shh—don't make a sound, listen to me. The Wu tribe regards snakes as guardian deities, so they use ancient formations to create a link between the spiritual vein and the snake pit, imprisoning the power in the spiritual vein and focusing solely on nurturing the venomous snakes."
"Then what about their own cultivation?" Qiao Yue asked.
Chu Hongluan remained silent for a moment, her eyes dark and unfathomable. After a long while, she slowly replied, "They throw children of the right age into snake pits. They make them fight with tens of millions of venomous snakes and devour each other. The children who survive are called snake pigs. Like snakes, they can absorb spiritual energy to cultivate and will be accepted by the witch clan."
Song Nanhe's heart clenched; Chunxiao, she...
Chu Hongluan looked him straight in the eye and stated very seriously: "Chunxiao can become a saintess, and she will only suffer more than you can imagine."
Song Nanhe's jaw was clenched tightly, and his usually smiling eyes were tinged with blood.
“Chunxiao didn’t have a good life before, so we have to get something back for her. What I mean is: I want all eleven spiritual veins.”
Chu Hongluan's eyes and brows exuded an unyielding coldness, and her tone when she spoke these words left no room for doubt.
Is it crazy?
Crazy.
But no one would think she was spouting nonsense.
They had never seen the full extent of her potential.
"Song Nanhe, go find out where Chunxiao is being held. If you're sure she's not in danger, don't rescue her yet. Come back and meet up with us."
"yes."
"Qiao Yue, Li Dazhuang. You two need to find out the distribution of guards in the Wu Clan's territory and their shift change times. Be careful and prioritize safety."
"yes."
"Liu... Senior Brother, come with me to find the location of the snake cave."
"good."
"Two hours later, we met up again in the cell."
"yes!"
"You old fool."
"..."
"Don't pretend, I know you're awake."
Wang Sheng reluctantly sat up, pulling at the shackles on his hands.
"what?"
"We'll have to trouble Elder Wangsheng to brand each of us with a divine sense imprint. If anyone approaches the cell, let us know and we'll return immediately."
While obediently imprinting their consciousness on them, Wang Sheng muttered to himself, "Hmph... Call the elders when you need something... Call the old man when you don't... You've really mastered the art of exploiting free labor..."
Chu Hongluan pretended not to hear.
"See you later, old man."
"......"
The five men each accepted their tasks and disappeared into the night.
Holding Liu Jinghong, Chu Hongluan used the Heavenly Divination Technique to dart around the vast mountainous area, searching for the so-called snake den.
When their spiritual energy is insufficient, they hold hands and take a walk away from people.
Once you've fully recovered, you can continue your upward climb.
Since their last drinking session, the two have basically confessed their feelings for each other, and now they're all cuddling and pulling at each other without feeling awkward at all.
"Strange, we've searched this entire area. Such a large snake den should be easy to spot. How come we can't find it?" Chu Hongluan was completely baffled, her brows furrowed. "Is there anywhere we haven't been?"
Under the moonlight, Liu Jinghong's eyes were filled with her, his affection so intense it was almost overflowing, completely disregarding any motivation to search for the snake's lair. Hearing her question, he casually replied, "I've been to all the places except for one large cave that I haven't explored."
Which large cave?
Liu Jinghong blinked. "You said that large cave surrounded by about a hundred formations within formations might be the high priest's residence, so we didn't go near it."
Chu Hongluan had a flash of inspiration, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"That's possible! Nobody says a snake pit can't be in a cave! Nobody says a high priest can't live with snakes! What if she really is that twisted?! Let's go! Let's go take a look!"
Liu Jinghong nodded, her eyes full of doting affection.
He skillfully reached out and put his arm around her waist: "The word 'gan' (干) signifies the shifting of stars and the changing of the seasons."
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