He was seen standing between two pagoda trees, taking out a jade tablet from his bosom. He chanted something, and after a moment, lifted a foot to step forward.

Suddenly, he was struck from behind by a great force. The disciple didn't even have time to groan before collapsing to the ground. The jade tablet fell from his hand into a slender, fair hand.

Zhou Yin took the jade tablet and stepped forward. Instantly, the scene before his eyes changed.

Yun Zong grabbed the disciple by the back of his collar with one hand and followed him in.

The originally lush, elegant scene transformed in the blink of an eye into a gloomy, dark room.

Iron bars stood all around, damp and decayed, emitting a nauseating stench.

It was clearly a prison.

Faintly, there came waves of low sobs and wails. The despair, desolation, and resentment in those voices almost made anyone who heard them want to cover their ears and turn tail.

That male disciple had once told his lover that he was the only one in charge here, and he only delivered meals, because this place was highly confidential. It was obvious that the fewer people who knew a secret, the better. Shangguan Han couldn't possibly station an elder here to guard it - that would simply attract undue attention. A low-level disciple like him was actually safer.

But few people didn't mean unrestricted access. Often in such places, there were even more restrictions and formations.

The scene before them didn't surprise the two. Yun Zong tossed the person aside, while Zhou Yin made a hand seal and threw out several talismans to probe if any formations had been set up.

Unexpectedly, this place really did seem to be just a prison.

When things are abnormally ordinary, there must be something strange.

Yun Zong's expression was grim, the Wuchang Blade already gripped in his hand. Although Zhou Yin didn't take out the Canghe Sword, every few steps, he would toss out a talisman.

After the open space at the entrance, they had to follow the passageway straight ahead, with iron bars on both sides separating many small cells, extremely narrow, airtight, and oppressively cramped.

The oil lamps on the walls flickered faintly. Although dim, at least they didn't need to light their own lamps.

By the weak light, the two clearly saw the situation behind the bars.

In each cell was confined a completely naked woman.

Those women had disheveled hair and vacant eyes. Their bodies were covered in bruises and even bloodstains. Seeing them, the women weren't shocked or afraid, only making hoarse laughing or crying sounds from their mouths, sending chills down the spine. Some huddled in the corner, trembling, not daring to even lift their heads.

Zhou Yin and the others walked to the end of the passageway and only then discovered that this prison went down three more levels.

Going down one more level, over a dozen demon beasts were locked up.

Those demon beasts had appearances so bizarre that "horrifying" couldn't even describe them. They had mouths full of fangs, bulging muscles, and sharp claws—they were precisely the demon beasts Zhou Yin and the others had encountered before in the desert inn, just slightly smaller in stature, seeming to be not fully grown.

Those demon beasts, upon seeing them, all bared their fangs and brandished their claws, wanting to pounce, but their limbs were restrained by spiritual energy and they couldn't move. They could only let out roars, their blood-red eyes full of resentment and venom. Screams and wails drifted up from below, intermittently.

The two of them had already vaguely guessed what was happening, but neither spoke, only continuing to descend to the next level.

Under the dim lamplight, the scene of humans and beasts mating was like the depths of hell.

The women were forced to crouch on the ground while the demon beasts panted heavily behind them, thrusting in and out. The bodies beneath were already twisted into strange shapes. The women's arms were unnaturally bent forward, unable to move, while their waists were tightly gripped by sharp claws digging into their flesh, bearing the impacts from behind. Only after a long while would they let out a moan that was nearly a scream, already at death's door.

No one would have imagined that above ground, there would actually be such a place. The reason Tianyan Sect dared to take such risks, even making enemies of the whole world, ultimately came down to the fact that the other party in the transaction, being from the Upper Realm, could give them sufficient benefits.

Such a deal was naturally very profitable, and the returns could be quite substantial. That's why Tianyan Sect was so ambitious, willing to risk the condemnation of the world. Conversely, if it weren't for experiencing a series of events like those at Lianyin Immortal Residence, and with the variable of Zhou Chen, even if Zhou Yin was clever, he wouldn't have been able to uncover the immense scheme behind this.

If they wanted to ruin Tianyan Sect's plot in one fell swoop, the best method would be to expose all of this.

But the problem was that formations were laid out everywhere here. With just the two of them, it was absolutely impossible to break the formations and lure the demon beasts out. Most importantly, once the demon beasts were no longer restrained, they would certainly kill these women first, and then the desired effect would be lost.

Yun Zong had clearly also considered this point. "Let's go out first and talk later. No need to startle the snake in the grass."

Zhou Yin grunted in agreement. The two of them, footsteps unceasing, returned to the top level and picked up the unconscious disciple, heading out.

With the jade tablet on them, they followed the same procedure the other party used to enter. But the moment their feet stepped out of the cell, both of their hearts sank.

The formation had changed!

The barrier was like an invisible wall, instantly blocking the two of them inside.

The surroundings were no longer the gloomy cells, but the locust tree grove they had entered earlier.

Locust trees, also known as ghost trees, had extremely yin properties. There was nothing better for setting up killing formations.

In the plaza, Shangguan Han, who had originally been sitting in a chair watching the competition with a smile, had a slight change in expression.

"Elder Li, come with me. Elder Xiao, stay and preside over things!" He said in a deep voice, abruptly rising and leaving.

Li Jiuzhang and Xiao Chengjun exchanged glances, knowing something must have happened.

What effect could two Core Formation cultivators produce by joining forces?

Most likely even a Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn't be able to withstand it head-on.

But Shangguan Han had put a lot of thought into this barrier before them.

He was well aware of the importance of this place, so he combined the power of three Nascent Soul cultivators to lay down this ingenious formation. Easy to enter but hard to leave, it was meant to trap and kill any trespassers inside. Moreover, besides Li Jiuzhang and Xiao Chengjun, none of the other Tianyan Sect elders or hall masters knew of this place's existence.

So even if Zhou Yin's Canghe Sword and Yun Zong's Wuchang Blade were combined, they wouldn't be able to do anything to this formation for the time being.

"Hehe, to have friends come from afar, but they turn out to be villains."

The locust trees ahead suddenly twisted, and Shangguan Han's figure abruptly appeared.

His expression was genial but his eyes were sinister.

"I wonder, fellow daoists, why you've abandoned watching the competition to come strolling here." His gaze fell on Zhou Yin as he smiled faintly. "Could it be that yesterday's duel with Wuji has caused you to resent us..."

His words cut off abruptly.

Because Zhou Yin and Yun Zong had leapt up almost simultaneously, the Canghe Sword and Wuchang Blade carrying the momentum of a thunderbolt, chopping down towards his head.

There was no doubt Shangguan Han had come to silence them. If Zhou Yin and the others wanted to make it out alive today, the situation before them was now a fight to the death.

Black mist and red light surged like tidal waves, rolling over to cover the sky and earth.

Shangguan Han didn't move an inch.

Li Jiuzhang suddenly appeared behind him. With a slight wave of his sleeve, a blank bamboo scroll hung suspended between the two sides, blocking the red light and black mist, then reflecting it back!

"The light of a firefly dares to compete with the sun and moon?" Shangguan Han let out a cold laugh. "Today, you will all leave your lives behind!"

A pair of hooks, white as mutton jade and beautiful as moonlight shining on magnificent buildings, appeared in his hands. Following the momentum of the Canghe Sword and Wuchang Blade's rebound, his figure ghostly and illusory like a wisp of light smoke, he drifted over at a speed the naked eye couldn't follow, going straight for the two men's faces!

Li Jiuzhang put away the bamboo scroll and leapt up, pouncing towards Zhou Yin first.

Zhou Yin reacted extremely quickly, retreating dozens of steps in succession. He resolutely flung the Canghe Sword towards Shangguan Han, then twisted his body to dodge, avoiding the rebound of the sword light. But in doing so, he was unable to split his attention to deal with Li Jiuzhang.

The palm wind arrived, penetrating his protective barrier.

One was merely at the early Core Formation stage while the other was at the early Nascent Soul stage. The gap between them was now laid bare.

In an instant, it was as if his internal organs had shifted, his whole body feeling like it was being torn apart, or as if raging flames had ignited to devour his entire being. Zhou Yin spat out a mouthful of blood, powerless to grab onto anything to steady himself. His body fell directly from midair.

He was still very conscious, but discovered he hadn't landed on a tree or the ground as expected. Instead, he fell into a warm embrace.

And there was a familiar, anxious voice.

"Ah Yin!"