"You want to turn her into a poison person?"
"Yes, I want her to suffer the torment of poison daily. I want her to wish she were dead, to regret what she's done!"
"Fine, I agree to your terms," Zang Xu said unhurriedly. "I agree to turn her into a poison person. From now on, she will stay by your side, obeying your every command, as docile as a dog."
"Disciple thanks the Sect Master," Qi Hong immediately knelt and kowtowed.
"Rise," Zang Xu shifted his body slightly, seeming unwilling to accept Qi Hong's bow. "You must remember, your status is different from that of the other disciples. You are far more noble than they are. From now on, don't kneel and bow so easily. Let others kneel to you; you do not kneel to others." SudaNovel.com
"It is only right to kneel to the Sect Master."
"You shouldn't even kneel to me," Zang Xu's voice was filled with complexity. Time was almost up. Tonight, under the full moon, would be the time to act. Once successful, they would no longer have to hide.
"Yes, Sect Master."
Xiao Man lay on the ground, feigning death. She had taken several palm strikes from Zang Xu. If not for the protective armor given to her by Ze Fang, she would have died long ago. She wondered where Ze Fang had gone, if he was safe.
Qi Hong sat beside Xiao Man, looking at her pale face with deep confusion in his eyes. If Shan Yun had told him that the Five Poisons Sect harbored ill intentions, he would never have believed it. But now, every move of the Five Poisons Sect made him suspicious. Though simple, he was not foolish. The Five Poisons Sect was indeed plotting something against him, but he didn't know what exactly. Perhaps, she would know!
Jun Fei Er, with Ze Fang in tow, moved as far away from the center as possible.
"Stop, stop quickly!" Ze Fang shouted.
Jun Fei Er stopped, leaning against a tree trunk, gasping for breath. They hadn't dared to stop along the way, all to get away from Zang Xu. They should have run far enough now.
"Xiao Qi, don't worry, I will protect you."
Ze Fang looked ahead, his eyes filled with shock. "This... this is the Myriad Demon Array."
"Myriad Demon Array? I think I've seen it somewhere before," Bai Chen caught up, saying with some uncertainty. What exactly was the Myriad Demon Array?
"We've been tricked. This isn't a secret realm at all; it's a massive sacrificial array!" Ze Fang took a few steps forward. A faint glow seemed to emanate from beneath his feet. The barely visible array. As time passed, the so-called secret realm gradually revealed its true form.
"What is this?" Jun Fei Er asked in shock. Complex runes appeared beneath their feet, seemingly ancient script. Though they didn't know its purpose, just hearing the name made it clear it wasn't something good!
"I understand, I finally understand!" Ze Fang's face turned pale. "They intend to use sacrifice to break the seal of the Land of Untamed and release Yu Ju. She's in danger!"
Ze Fang turned and headed back. He had to get to Xiao Man as quickly as possible.
"Xiao Qi, your father entrusted you to me. I can't let you go back."
"Don't you understand? We can't escape. The entire secret realm is a giant sacrificial array. Everyone inside is a sacrifice!"
"A sacrifice..."
"Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Jun Fei Er asked doubtfully. After all, Ze Fang was just a child. How could he know things that none of them had ever heard of?
"I'm not mistaken. Our only chance of survival lies in the ice plain at the center. That is the formation's eye. We must return to the central area, otherwise, once the array is activated, we will surely die!"
"But if we go back, we won't be Zang Xu's match," Bai Chen reminded him. Zang Xu was a peak Golden Core expert. Returning would just be sending themselves to their deaths. But if they didn't go back, there was no way out either.
"It's a dead end either way, why not take a gamble? Perhaps there's a glimmer of hope," Ze Fang analyzed calmly. "Perhaps my father has already found the key to breaking the array."
Bai Chen looked at Jun Fei Er. At this moment, Jun Fei Er was the one who could make the decision. If Jun Fei Er said they should go back, then they would go back.
"We're going back!" Jun Fei Er pondered for a moment and immediately made her decision. If this was truly a sacrificial array, then they had nowhere to run. Since they had nowhere to run, why not fight with all their might? Even if they were to die, they wouldn't let the people of the Five Poisons Sect have an easy time!
"Yes, Martial Uncle."
Ze Fang was deeply worried. Zang Xu must have gone after Xiao Man. Even with Xiao Man's myriad of skills, in the face of absolute power, they were just paper tigers. He could only pray in his heart that Xiao Man had not fallen into Zang Xu's hands.
At the center of the ice plain, the array began to emit light. Xiao Man swallowed the blood foam in her mouth, her dark eyes like the cold snow of deep winter, capable of freezing the person before her into an ice sculpture. Unfortunately, she was too severely injured. Even with her body's strong regenerative abilities, she couldn't move now.
"Can you move?" Qi Hong's voice came.
Xiao Man looked at Qi Hong. In her eyes, Qi Hong deeply disliked her. Zang Xu wanted to kill her, and Qi Hong should have applauded. But he had stopped Zang Xu.
"Are you afraid of death?" Xiao Man asked softly.
Qi Hong's expression immediately changed. He glared fiercely at Xiao Man. He was trying to save her, and she was threatening to kill him!
"If you're afraid of death, then find a way to escape." Xiao Man looked at Zang Xu, who was sitting not far away. "If I'm not mistaken, you are the true sacrifice."
Qi Hong's expression faltered. He was the sacrifice? How was that possible? He was the direct disciple of Elder Lu, how could he be a sacrifice? He knew very well what a sacrifice was, after all, Shan Yun had almost become one. It was Xiao Man who saved her then. But now, Xiao Man saying he was the sacrifice seemed utterly ridiculous.
"At the brink of death, you still want to sow discord."
"Am I really sowing discord?" Xiao Man asked softly. "Tell me, why did the Five Poisons Sect shower you with all sorts of good things? Have you ever thought about it?"
"Of course, they think I have good talent."
"Good talent?" Xiao Man felt an urge to roll her eyes, but she couldn't hide the disdain on her face. "If you're considered to have good talent, then are there any people in this world without talent?"
"You!" Qi Hong suddenly stood up, glaring angrily at Xiao Man.
"What is it?" Zang Xu's gaze shifted over.
Qi Hong gritted his teeth and stomped on Xiao Man's leg. Xiao Man winced in pain, wishing she could break Qi Hong's dog legs. "It's nothing, just wanted to bully someone I couldn't bully before."
Zang Xu's lips curved into a smile. This kind of personality was truly suited for them. Unfortunately, this brat was an excellent vessel, and they had searched far and wide to find a suitable person.
"Feel free to bully him," Zang Xu closed his eyes, continuing to activate the array. He wanted to speed up the process. This secret realm was the closest place to the Land of Untamed. Once Lu Yuan and the others opened the barrier to the Land of Untamed, he could activate the formation and rescue his Lord.