Xiao Man fell silent. Even setting aside this person, Feng Mo Ran alone, and the people behind him, would not let her live in peace.
"You hide many secrets, and the reason no one has discovered them yet is because someone placed a restriction on you, concealing the secrets within your body." The sixth-generation sect leader pointed a finger at Xiao Man's forehead. "Once you break through to the Nascent Soul stage, the secrets within you can no longer be hidden. Do you think you will become an enemy of the world then?"
Xiao Man frowned. A restriction? What restriction was within her?
"The only secret within my body is the Myriad Poison Golden Body."
"Is it truly just the Myriad Poison Golden Body?" the sixth-generation sect leader asked softly. "Your clan's offensive power is the weakest, yet your offensive power is not weak at all."
"This proves nothing!"
"You might think it proves nothing, but that doesn't mean others do too." The sixth-generation sect leader said slowly. "Have you ever considered why your family was annihilated? Is your arrival here truly a coincidence?"
Xiao Man remained silent. Her life had indeed been filled with impossibilities, but she truly didn't understand the reasons behind them.
"You carry the aura of two Divine Transformation stage powerhouses, though very faint, I can still sense it."
How could there be the aura of two Divine Transformation stage powerhouses on her? She should only possess the residual aura of Elder Qin. How could there be the aura of another Divine Transformation stage powerhouse? She hadn't encountered any Divine Transformation stage experts besides Elder Qin, except for the person before her.
"Senior... how can there be the aura of two Divine Transformation stage powerhouses on me?"
"The restriction on you carries the aura of a Divine Transformation stage powerhouse. This person likely intended to protect you. And on your soul, there is a trace of a Divine Transformation stage powerhouse's aura, almost imperceptible. I cannot discern how it became attached to you, but for it to remain on your soul, it must be related to you by blood or a contract."
At that moment, the once vibrant Heavenly Shield Sect was under the assault of the Meteorite Rocks. Screams erupted everywhere. The sect disciples were helpless, either dying on the spot or struggling in agony. Xiao Man couldn't bear to watch any longer.
However, a scene unfolded that left her utterly shocked. The surviving disciples began to mutate, their living forms transforming into horrifying Hundred Corpses!
Xiao Man stood up in astonishment. "Hundred Corpses are people!"
"Hundred Corpses?" The sixth-generation sect leader looked at his mutated sect disciples, his eyes filled with pain. "What are Hundred Corpses?"
Xiao Man's finger trembled as she pointed at the disciples who had turned into monsters. "Ten thousand years have passed, and the Four Great Sects have issued an order for the Seven Sects to organize a hunt for Hundred Corpses every three years to earn spots in the trial grounds. I always wondered why Hundred Corpses were only found in the Eastern Peaks Forest. So, this is how Hundred Corpses are created!"
Upon hearing this, the sixth-generation sect leader's eyes blazed with fury. "Truly despicable! Even after my sect disciples have been reduced to this state, he still wants to hunt them down!"
"Senior, do you know Yu Ju?"
"I do, the Lord of the Demon Race," the sixth-generation sect leader replied. "Back then, the four great sect leaders joined forces to suppress him. Thinking about it now, it seems we were all manipulated, becoming blades for that person to eliminate his rivals."
"Does the Demon Race truly kill without mercy?"
"I... I don't know," the sixth-generation sect leader shook his head. "If it were in the past, he could have confidently said that the Demon Race killed without mercy. But now, seeing his own sect disciples in such a state, he is uncertain. Perhaps the so-called Demon Race are also just scapegoats, and these crimes were falsely attributed to them."
"If one were to release Yu Ju, how would it be done?" Xiao Man asked abruptly.
"You want to release him? Are you mad?" the sixth-generation sect leader immediately rebuked. "If he is released, the world will suffer untold misery."
"If he is released, won't that person's attention be fixed on him?" Xiao Man said softly. "Then I will have some time to breathe."
The sixth-generation sect leader fell silent. "Aren't you afraid he truly kills without mercy? Aren't you afraid that once you release him, the world will be plunged into suffering?"
"They say Hundred Corpses are monsters that kill without mercy and spread plagues. Are Hundred Corpses truly as rumored?"
"That's different."
"There is no difference. One is dead, and one is suppressed, both because they touched secrets they shouldn't have," Xiao Man said calmly. "Senior, I want to take a gamble. I bet that Yu Ju was persecuted."
"Even if he was persecuted, after being suppressed for so many years, can he still be a normal person? Moreover, he truly cultivates demonic arts!" The sixth-generation sect leader still wanted to persuade Xiao Man.
"Senior, this is my only way out," Xiao Man said calmly. "If the Four Great Sects are his lackeys, do you think I alone can contend with the Four Great Sects?"
The sixth-generation sect leader fell silent. After a long pause, he slowly said, "The method to open it is through the Four Great Inheritances!"
"In other words, one must gather the direct bloodlines of the Four Great Sects to open the seal?"
"For anyone else, it would be impossible to open the seal, but you can!" The sixth-generation sect leader suddenly pushed Xiao Man. "Go back, the inheritance is almost complete."
When Xiao Man opened her eyes again, she felt as if her body was about to explode. Immense energy continued to surge into her. Xiao Man had to quickly mobilize the spiritual energy within her body to convert the incoming power for her own use, otherwise, she would be torn apart by this surging force!
Just as Xiao Man thought she would be ripped apart by this surging power, the force within her body finally stabilized. Xiao Man breathed a sigh of relief, pushed open the lid of the stone coffin, and crawled out. Her clothes were no longer recognizable.
Xiao Man cast a rather disdainful glance at her clothes, found a pool of water to wash herself, changed into clean clothes, and looked for a way out. To her surprise, this was a dead end, and there was no way to exit. To leave, she had to retrace her original path.
Thus, as Xiao Man emerged from the cold pool, Lu Qing was about to descend to investigate. Seeing her emerge, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Previously, there was a person..."
"That was my enemy."
"Your enemy is him?" Lu Qing was somewhat surprised. While this person's cultivation was high, it wasn't exceedingly so. If he were to fight, he would still have a chance of winning.
"He is merely a pawn," Xiao Man said softly. "What I want to know is, who is the person behind him!"
Lu Qing pondered for a moment, then looked at Xiao Man. "The young man in red by your side seems to know him."
"Yue Ran?" Xiao Man narrowed her eyes. Yue Ran's identity was not simple, but she had never asked about it. However, being able to stand as an equal to the young master of the Mu family at least meant he was a young master from a noble family. Could the force behind Feng Mo Ran be a noble family?