Chapter 49: What a brilliant move!

How is he still here?

As soon as Yang Jie returned and saw the formation, his scalp went completely numb. He knew this man surnamed Zhang was no ordinary person and would not leave so easily.

Thinking of this, the returning Yang Jie hid in the dark shadows, not daring to move a single muscle!

When this Master Zhang gave him his first warning, he actually understood the other's meaning. The other party meant that he would not care about the lives of those scholars, provided that he did not provoke him. If possible, he would have liked to agree, but unfortunately, he simply could not.

Once activated, this divine temple could not be stopped. With the zombies leading the way, the temple would gradually establish a connection with the netherworld, drawing the passages closer together. As the ghostly yin energy grew heavier, the temple would be completely pulled into the realm of the netherworld, thereby achieving travel between the realms of yin and yang.

Such a supreme treasure was the key to his master's grand scheme, and naturally, no living witnesses were permitted to leave.

Once it was known that he had allowed living witnesses to escape, he would truly have no way out.

Unless he completely defected to the other side. Having served his master loyally for many years, and with his master's grand enterprise now nearing completion, how could he possibly abandon his allegiance just because of a threat from a person of unknown origins?

Yet that man surnamed Zhang was indeed formidable; he had no confidence that his illusions could hold out until the temple and the netherworld completely merged. Should the man employ some means to flush him out before that happened, he would be in deep trouble.

Therefore, after being threatened, taking advantage of a brief moment of respite, he had unhesitatingly used an illusion technique to replace one of the scholars and quietly slipped away through the passage. As long as he was not inside the temple, even if the man surnamed Zhang possessed boundless abilities, he could never get out. And once the temple overlapped with the netherworld, even a Grandmaster would die trapped within!

Yet he never imagined that he had been outwitted all along. He had no idea when that fellow had branded him with a mark. The moment he stepped outside, he was nearly captured alive. Fortunately, that little girl-like creature wasn't particularly smart; otherwise, had he truly been caught, he had long heard of the horrific tortures practiced by the imperial court's Court of Judicial Review.

Now he could only pray that the fellow could not see through his illusion.

Yang Jie held his breath, not daring to make the slightest movement. By now, the yin energy inside the temple had grown intensely heavy; by nightfall at the latest, the temple would completely merge with the netherworld. As long as he could hold out until then, this crisis would be averted.

"Brother, it's so cold..."

Inside the temple, the Fourth Miss cautiously hid behind Zhang Rui, not even daring to poke her head out to look. The entire family had no idea what was happening, knowing only that something terrifying lurked outside. The old matron kept complaining about why they always seemed to encounter such baleful and bizarre things lately.

They had run into such a fatal ordeal in that ghastly place called Fuchuan, and now, just as her dear son had returned to the capital for a promotion, they encountered this nightmare. Was the malicious heavens simply unable to bear seeing their family prosper?

"Milord..." Lin Bao looked at Zhang Rui, who had remained silent all this time, and finally could not help speaking in a low, cautious voice, "If this goes on, the brothers won't be able to hold out much longer."

For some inexplicable reason, the interior of the temple was growing colder by the minute. If things continued this way, even if those evil apparitions outside could not get in, their group would likely end up just like those scholars, turning into living corpses.

Zhang Rui glanced back. At that moment, those scholars were frantically inflicting pain upon themselves to keep awake, terrified of falling asleep. Yet even though their faces had been beaten and swollen into the shape of pig heads, they could not resist the overwhelming tide of sleep, and several of them had already drifted soundly off.

If this continued, indeed, none of them would survive.

"Well?"

Although the woman outside was far away, she seemed entirely able to hear everything spoken within. She smiled pleasantly and said, "Didn't Milord just invite this concubine to witness your methods?"

"Sorry to have kept you waiting..." Zhang Rui cast a slight glance toward the southeastern corner, a corner of his mouth curving into a smile.

Seeing this, a cold light flashed in the woman's eyes. He could still smile at a time like this? Could this fellow truly possess some means of escape?

That shouldn't be possible, though. This divine temple had been tested back in the day; even the Heavenly Mystery Immortal could not find a way out. How old could this brat possibly be? Could he really break apart an anomalous item bridging yin and yang?

Meanwhile, Yang Jie, still hiding inside the temple, felt goosebumps erupt all over his body, for he could clearly see that the man surnamed Zhang was looking right in his direction.

Could he see him?

Could it be true, just as that girl had said, that this man surnamed Zhang feared no illusions at all?

Then why hadn't he made a single move when Yang Jie quietly slipped away?

...

It was impossible... It must be a coincidence, definitely a coincidence. He hadn't seen him at all...

"Done with your stroll?" Zhang Rui asked with a smile.

Yang Jie: "........."

Lin Bao and the others were instantly startled, drawing their sabers and turning to look at the spot Zhang Rui was gazing at. But that area was completely empty; they could see nothing at all.

Outside the temple, the woman's brow furrowed slightly. Yang Jie's illusion technique had been bestowed by that person, and beneath the rank of the Nine Ministers, no one had ever seen through it. Could this young man possess the capabilities of a Nine Minister?

"Ten meters away in the southeast corner, take him!" Zhang Rui directly commanded Lin Bao.

Lin Bao did not hesitate. Even though he could see nothing whatsoever, in this desperate situation, he had no choice but to trust this mysterious magistrate.

As a fourth-rank martial artist, a distance of ten meters was nothing more than a single leap for Lin Bao. Seeing that the man genuinely spotted him, Yang Jie shrieked, desperately wanting to dodge, but how could a frail scholar possibly evade?

In the blink of an eye, he was tackled to the ground and then hoisted up by the collar like a helpless chick!

"Yang Jie?" The other scholars were stunned to see Yang Jie captured. Wasn't he dead?

Qi Xuan let out a long sigh of relief. His intuition had been right—there was indeed something wrong with Yang Jie!

Useless trash!

A cold glint crossed the woman's eyes, though she remained largely unperturbed, saying indifferently, "Is this Milord's method?"

"Not enough?" Zhang Rui smiled.

"Does Milord think this alone is enough?" The woman chuckled. "Is Milord certain you can pry open his mouth and lead everyone out of here?"

At these words, cold sweat poured down Yang Jie's back. He had failed in his task; if he were forced here to let these people go, there would truly be no hope left for his family. The goddess was warning him—as long as he endured through this single day, everything would be over.

Yes, this man surnamed Zhang could not possibly know that this temple could only hold out until nightfall. As long as he could survive the daylight...

"Milord, this humble subordinate knows a few prison interrogation techniques. Shall I handle him?" Lin Bao's eyes flashed with ferocity. While scholars holding official academic titles could not ordinarily be subjected to torture, the man had colluded with evil entities, and now that life and death hung in the balance, they naturally could not afford to care about such niceties.

"No need..." Zhang Rui shook his head, then walked right up to the captive: "I will give you one final chance. If you lead us out right now, this official can guarantee you won't die."

"Does Milord take me for a fool?" Yang Jie gritted his teeth and sneered. "You are merely a seventh-rank civil official. How could you possibly protect me?"

"Yet keeping us trapped here is also a dead end for you."

"At least I'm dragging a few down with me to pad the road!"

"You!!" Lin Bao and the others were so enraged they felt an itch to strike, secretly vowing to unleash every torture in the book upon him later!

"You have no desire to drag anyone down with you; you simply want to live," Zhang Rui sighed. "It seems my guess was correct. This temple shouldn't be able to hold out much longer. As long as you grit your teeth and endure until that moment, you will find a way to survive, am I right?"

Hearing this, Yang Jie felt a jolt of alarm, though he forced a rigid expression. "Since you know, it's not too late to surrender now. Just as Milord said moments ago, if you surrender now, I too can guarantee Milord's life!"

Zhang Rui laughed. "You are nothing more than a running dog. How could you possibly call the shots?"

"I can call the shots!" the woman outside frowned and said. "If Milord surrenders, this deity promises that neither you nor your family will die."

"This deity?" Zhang Rui turned back, his gaze deep and enigmatic. "Which venerable deity might you be? Lady Green Phoenix? Or perhaps... Lady Ghost Phoenix?"

"You..." A flash of icy light cut through the woman's eyes. Who on earth was this fellow? Did he truly know her origins?

...

"It seems it is you..." Seeing the look of astonishment on her face, Zhang Rui gave a slight nod, then asked with a puzzled tone, "However, since you were able to find a place like this, you must have been resurrected long ago. What are you gathering so many zombies for? What on earth is your ultimate purpose?"

At these words, the woman's expression grew increasingly frigid. This man knew far too much; come what may, he had to be left here permanently today!

"Yang Jie, as long as you hold out, I give you my word—both your name and your family's names will be entered into the Nether Registry!"

Overjoyed at these words, Yang Jie's resolve solidified instantly. Even if he were skinned and boned alive a moment from now, he would endure it. Once night fell, everything would be worth it!

The Nether Registry?

Zhang Rui's heart skipped a beat. Surely not? Those fellows could actually wield such a thing? Really?

Who on earth was pulling the strings behind the scenes? What exactly had happened within the netherworld? What on earth... was going on with this world?

"Milord, leave him to me!" Lin Bao flashed a grim, ferocious smile, preparing to act. He had figured it out as well: if Yang Jie refused to crack today, he and all his men would likely perish here.

"No need..." Zhang Rui shook his head. "No matter how horrific the torture, he will not speak."

"Since Milord knows, why not surrender now?" Yang Jie smiled. "I see Milord possesses formidable abilities. If you pledge allegiance to my master, you will surely be heavily rewarded."

"Do you know why this official saw through your clumsy illusion from the very beginning, yet deliberately allowed you to leave?"

"Was it not because Milord planted a mark on me, then had your subordinates set an ambush outside to capture me and force me to open the divine temple?" Yang Jie sneered. "What a pity, Milord's calculations were sound, but your subordinates weren't quite competent enough."

"Your brain really isn't working very well..." Zhang Rui looked at him with a peculiar expression. "If that had been my only purpose, I could have had my men capture and interrogate you right before you left. Why go to the unnecessary trouble of letting you escape outside just to have my subordinates catch you again? After all, once you got out, there was always the risk that you might actually get away..."

"Uh..." Yang Jie froze. Upon reflection, that was indeed true. If the sole objective was to capture and interrogate him, the other party had no reason to go through such convoluted steps.

"From the very beginning, I didn't consider interrogation to be the best method. Because in case you happened to be a stubborn die-hard, or your family was being held hostage by the people behind you, no amount of torture would likely work. Therefore, I had to find a foolproof method..."

Yang Jie's eyes widened as a heavy sense of foreboding welled up inside him.

"This young lady..." Zhang Rui produced a scroll and looked toward the cold-faced woman dressed in black outside, "You had better watch closely!"

With that, he unrolled the scroll. Depicted upon it was a divine temple—an exact replica of the very temple they were currently in, complete with a winding path drawn across it.

"A painted spirit?" The woman was startled, a similarly ominous premonition striking her as a sudden realization dawned: "Could it be..."

"Bring him, let's move!" Zhang Rui instructed Lin Bao. It was only then that Lin Bao noticed the path on the scroll was actually connected to Yang Jie's physical body.

"You..." For the first time, shock appeared on the woman's face. She had never imagined such a method could exist.

While others might not know the properties of painted spirit blood, she was well aware of them.

Painted spirit blood was an item of extreme yin and served as the ink for the world within paintings, capable of transforming into anything within that realm. When this man had left the painted spirit blood on Yang Jie at the start, and Yang Jie had fled outside in terror only to return, his transit had traversed space itself, forging a painted path across dimensions!

A brilliant method, truly a brilliant method!!!

"This concubine has opened her eyes today!" Seeing that stopping their departure was now impossible, the woman offered a graceful, pleasant bow. "This round goes to Milord. Until we meet again... farewell!!"