Chapter Twenty-Three: I Was Set Up-Sou o Rei do Submundo, e após a morte, experimento dez vidas de tribulações.(Dois grupos de imitação de tinta para o ritual de sepultamento aterrador)

After surveying the surroundings, Li Yan intended to leave, only to discover that the door to the hidden chamber had sealed shut at some point. Feeling a surge of irritation and confusion over the situation, he searched the area thoroughly, but found no other mechanisms to unlock the door. A sense of despair washed over him; he had not expected to be trapped so quickly. Yet, he refused to abandon hope and continued his search.

While he was looking, a dense swarm of tiny insects emerged from the ground and began to attack him. Li Yan glanced around and spotted some wood. He first tried to repel the insects with his energy, but they showed no fear, continuing to swarm around him. Some bolder insects even crawled onto his body. Frowning, Li Yan ignored them and quickly grabbed the wood, setting it ablaze. The insects retreated from his presence, and he let out a sigh of relief.

However, his troubles were far from over. Although the insects had vanished, he remained trapped. Desperate to avoid being left here to die, he tentatively shouted into the air, "Xue Huaiyuan, what exactly do you mean by this? Why have you locked me in here?" Li Yan had always suspected that Xue Huaiyuan was the one responsible, so he decided to confront him directly. If Xue Huaiyuan didn't answer, perhaps his shouts would at least draw the attention of someone outside. He called out several more times, but the silence remained unbroken.

No longer willing to wait, he attempted to force the door open with his energy. The door shuddered, but it wasn't enough. He poured more power into his effort, and the door cracked open slightly, but not wide enough for him to escape. The force of his energy colliding with the door triggered a new crisis: toxic mist suddenly filled the chamber. The fumes made Li Yan cough violently. He hurriedly covered his nose and mouth, but he had already inhaled a significant amount. Before long, the mist dissipated.

After the mist cleared, Li Yan began to retch violently. At first, he vomited the remnants of his last meal, but soon he was bringing up stomach acid, followed by strange substances he had never consumed. Dizziness and intense discomfort washed over him, and just as he felt himself losing consciousness, a familiar figure appeared—Xue Huaiyuan.

Seeing Xue Huaiyuan ignited a fury in Li Yan, but he lacked the strength to fight. He scrambled toward the slightly opened door, only to be seized by Xue Huaiyuan and dragged back into the chamber. Xue Huaiyuan bound the weakened Li Yan and began to slap him repeatedly. "I'll teach you for bullying me in the past," he hissed through gritted teeth. "I'll slap you to death!" Li Yan’s vision darkened; his face was swollen, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth before he finally blacked out.

When Li Yan regained consciousness, he found himself still in the chamber. The toxins had been purged from his body by his own internal energy. Looking around, he saw Xue Huaiyuan sitting nearby, sharpening a blade. The man was dressed in black robes, reminiscent of a Taoist garment but not quite identical. Beside Xue Huaiyuan sat a large basin filled with fresh, crimson blood, in which tiny insects seemed to be squirming. The sight made Li Yan nauseous.

Frowning, Li Yan stared at him and asked, "What exactly are you trying to do? I've solved so many problems for you—is this how you repay me with such ingratitude?"

Xue Huaiyuan laughed. "It is true you solved my problems, but you hit me every single time! I want revenge. But don't worry, I won't kill you today. Your death is scheduled for tomorrow."

Li Yan thought him a contemptible ingrate. Did he not deserve to be hit every time? Yet, the mention of his death being delayed until tomorrow struck him as odd, suggesting this wasn't truly a motive for murder. Li Yan remained silent, frowning as he plotted his next move. Xue Huaiyuan, assuming he had intimidated his captive, began to laugh, though he did not stop sharpening his blade.

Li Yan could not fathom why he, a man of such kindness, was destined to be killed. He secretly began to chant a spell to break his bonds, but to his shock, Xue Huaiyuan seemed fully aware of what he was doing. "Don't think you're the only one who knows these spells," he sneered, then cast a spell of his own upon Li Yan.

At first, Li Yan didn't understand the purpose of the curse, knowing only that Xue Huaiyuan wouldn't kill him today. As he carefully sensed his own body, he realized with dread that the spell had sealed off the majority of his energy. He couldn't even manage a low-level spell now. Despair set in—how many things had this man been hiding from him?

"Brother Xue, Master Xue," Li Yan said with a forced smile. "Could you please lift the curse? I didn't mean to hit you. I was wrong. I'll let you hit me, alright?" Li Yan hadn't intended to surrender, but after his failed attempts to break the seal, he had no choice but to feign compliance.

Xue Huaiyuan didn't reply but stopped sharpening his blade. He picked up the basin and forced Li Yan's mouth open, pouring the blood and insects inside. Li Yan struggled desperately; the thought of those insects crawling into his throat was repulsive. Bound and with his energy suppressed, he had no choice but to attempt to summon his weapon through pure willpower.

The long blade materialized, and Li Yan swung it at Xue Huaiyuan’s hand. Xue Huaiyuan cried out in pain as the blade sliced his hand, dropping the basin to the floor. When he tried to grab the weapon, the blade danced around him like a living thing, completely evading his grasp. Xue Huaiyuan was slashed several more times and finally retreated, trembling and too afraid to move. However, his eyes remained filled with malice. After a brief pause, he began to chant, and to Li Yan's horror, the blade turned, preparing to attack its own master.