Secret Corners Within the Sect

Long Zhanye endured the aching pain throughout his body and staggered to his feet from the dust.

He dusted off his clothes, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness for a moment before he could vaguely make out the outline of the bottom of the pit.

Not far ahead stood an old, heavy wooden door.

Its panels were tightly shut, its design ancient and simple, utterly out of place against the rough earthen walls around it.

Yet what truly seized his attention was the faintest sliver of light seeping from beneath the gap in the door.

The light was dim and yellow, but in this utterly unfamiliar underground darkness, it suddenly stirred Long Zhanye's curiosity.

He steadied himself and carefully shuffled toward the wooden door on legs that still felt weak.

The door's grain was rough, bearing the marks of time and the damp smell of mold.

Holding his breath, he brought his eye close to the narrow crack and strained to peer inside.

One glance made his breathing catch.

Beyond the door was not the cramped cavern or passage he had expected, but an astonishingly spacious chamber.

Old-fashioned lamps were set into the walls, casting a hazy glow across the room.

Rows upon rows of tall shelves stood neatly arranged inside, like some kind of exhibition hall.

There seemed to be many containers on the shelves, but the angle and lighting made it impossible to see what they held.

What kind of place was this? Why was it hidden so deeply beneath the sect?

Long Zhanye hesitated for a moment, but in the end, the eerie sight drove him onward.

He reached out, gently pressed his hand against the cold wooden door, and gave it an experimental push.

"Creak—"

The hinges let out a dry, drawn-out scrape that sounded especially piercing in the silence as the door slowly swung inward.

A wave of odors rushed at him, a mixture of old wood, faint lamp oil, and something indescribable, like medicinal fluid or preservative.

Long Zhanye stepped inside and instinctively lowered his voice as he asked:

"Is anyone here?"

His voice stirred a faint echo through the empty room.

"Excuse me... is anyone here?"

He raised his voice and called out again, his gaze swiftly sweeping the surroundings.

Other than his own breathing and heartbeat, there was no response. The place was completely empty.

Once he confirmed this, the taut string in Long Zhanye's heart loosened slightly, replaced by an even stronger curiosity and urge to investigate.

Only then did he have the chance to examine this mysterious space carefully.

The entire hall was a neat rectangle, quite expansive, covering no less than three hundred square meters by rough estimate.

Besides the door through which he had entered, there was one similar, tightly shut heavy wooden door on the opposite wall and each of the side walls.

He stepped forward to inspect them and found that all three doors were firmly secured with thick iron locks, their rust-covered bodies clearly having been there for many years.

Even when he peered through their cracks, there was only pitch-black darkness inside. He could see nothing.

His attention returned to the hall itself.

Five rows of tall, dark wooden shelves stood neatly arranged in the center of the hall.

Each shelf was divided into several levels, and every level held a transparent glass container, varying in size but regular in shape.

Long Zhanye approached the nearest row of shelves, his gaze falling upon those glass containers.

At first, he only took a blurred glance, but the instant his eyes truly focused and he saw what was inside—

Buzz!

The last trace of alcohol vanished from his mind. Immersed in some transparent, slightly cloudy liquid inside that container...

Was unmistakably a whole human hand!

The texture of its skin was still faintly discernible, its knuckles clearly defined as it floated in a motionless, rigid posture.

He abruptly turned to the container beside it. Inside was a foot.

The next one contained a forearm.

Farther over was a piece of skin that seemed to have been peeled off whole, spread flat and smooth.

His gaze swept over them in panic, his heart hammering madly in his chest, nearly crashing through his ribs.

A liver, kidneys, a twisted section of intestines, a heart that seemed to still retain the shape of a contraction...

All kinds of human organs and tissues had been categorized and meticulously placed within these cold glass containers.

Some of the organs he could not even identify, but they were undoubtedly parts of the human body.

Cold sweat instantly soaked his back, and icy beads of sweat formed on his forehead as well.

His stomach churned violently, and overwhelming nausea and fear intertwined, choking his throat.

What was this place?! How could such a horrifying "display room" be hidden beneath the sect? Where had these organs come from?

Could it be... could someone within the Body Sect secretly be dealing in human organs?!!

The terrifying thought flashed through Long Zhanye's mind. He no longer dared remain in this place for even a second!

His desperate instinct for survival overwhelmed all curiosity. Stumbling and scrambling, he turned and rushed for the wooden door through which he had entered.

He burst out of the earthen cave, not even sparing a glance back at the overturned stone and exposed entrance.

He simply fled with all his strength, tumbling and crawling toward his own quarters.

Only when the familiar path was once again beneath his feet did his pounding heart calm slightly.

What exactly was that?!

"Never mind that. I need to get back first!"

He quickened his pace and practically fled back to his quarters.

When he pushed open the courtyard gate, his breathing had yet to fully settle. Dust clung to his body, and his face was pale.

Elder Xu saw Long Zhanye's disheveled clothes, pale face, and the lingering terror still in his eyes.

He merely lifted his gaze slightly. Under normal circumstances, seeing him return late after drinking himself into such a state would surely have earned him a harsh scolding.

But now, Elder Xu's wrinkled face held only an almost helpless tolerance.

He quietly waited for Long Zhanye to approach before slowly sighing. "Zhanye... Grandpa Xu knows that in your heart... you are suffering."

"Your home is gone, and your body... sigh..."

Elder Xu shook his head, pain filling his eyes. "But don't lose hope. The sect... the sect will find a way. No matter what, we will make sure you... stay alive."

Yet this promise made Long Zhanye's heart tremble slightly. He lowered his eyes and silently nodded in response.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly looked up and asked with a trace of hope, "Elder Xu, my brother... does he know about what happened to me?"

Elder Xu slowly shook his head. "Your brother has spent all year running about outside, carrying out important sect duties. His whereabouts are uncertain."

"This news... probably has not reached his ears so quickly."

Mentioning his brother stirred complicated emotions in Long Zhanye's heart.

His elder brother, Long Zhantian, was five years older than him.

The Martial Soul he had Awakened was rather special: a pair of Truth-Listening Spirit Ears. Although his Soul Power cultivation was not among the best, he was still only a Spirit King.

Yet that Martial Soul granted him extraordinary hearing and insight. He was exceptionally sensitive to auras, movements, and even certain energy fluctuations.

This talent had made him an indispensable scout for the sect.

He was dispatched year-round to carry out all manner of difficult missions, seldom returning to the sect more than a few times a year.

Long Zhanye's childhood impression of his brother had mostly come from scattered words from elders and the occasional message sent back.

The time they had truly spent together was pitifully scarce.

After the agony of losing his home and family, this brother whom he rarely saw was the only blood relative he had left in this world.

Knowing that such a family member still existed somewhere far away, even if he was beyond the horizon and there was no telling when they might meet again, still brought a trace of comfort into his heart.