The quiet room was deathly still, like a grave.
The demonic talisman representing the " Qinghu " had its light completely extinguished, lying quietly in Zhao Y ehan's wrinkled palm like a cold, stubborn stone.
They've lost contact.
His most secret, most powerful, and most obedient trump card went missing when he needed to confirm the situation most.
For the first time, a crack appeared on Zhao Y ehan's usually placid face.
Qinghu was his most perfect creation, crafted using the Ancient Soul Fusion Method. With the strength of the Earth Realm Third Layer, its divine soul and demonic body were perfectly integrated. It was the ultimate force he used to suppress all dissenting voices at the Elders' Meeting.
The Bone-Eroding Abyss was his "factory".
Qinghu went missing, and Zhao Chengkong and Su Yu happened to be heading in that direction...
A terrible, unbelievable suspicion coiled around his heart like a venomous snake.
No, the secret of the Bone-Eroding Abyss must not be exposed!
Once those "failed products" whose minds have been extinguished and who only know how to devour are made public, Zhao Y ehan, along with the entire Soul Fusion Faction, will no longer be the orthodox branch vying for the Dao with the Soul Control Faction, but rather Outer Dao that everyone should kill!
The century-old reputation of the Heavenly Evolution Mountain Manor is about to be ruined!
After a moment of panic, came the instinctive decisiveness of a ruthless leader.
Zhao Y ehan flipped his hand and put away the discarded demon talisman.
Instead, there was a communication jade talisman carved entirely from blood jade, inscribed with more ancient and complex runes.
This is his greatest asset, and the source of his confidence to overturn the chessboard.
He infused the blood jade talisman with a wisp of Spiritual Qi mixed with his own primordial soul power, and the talisman glowed with a dark halo, as if connecting to some unknown and profound space.
Zhao Y ehan took a deep breath, his voice extremely low, carrying a hint of respect and trembling that he himself was unaware of.
"Sir, we... we might be exposed."
A moment of deathly silence.
Then, a detached, ancient voice, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, slowly emanated from the jade talisman, as if coming from beneath the ancient ice, causing the temperature in the entire quiet room to drop several degrees.
"It's alright."
Just two words, yet they carry an absolute power to calm people's hearts.
The sound continued.
"I will take action. Your task is to ascend to the position of Manor Lord and lead Heavenly Evolution Mountain Manor to even greater heights."
Zhao Y ehan's tense body relaxed instantly, as if he had found his pillar of support, and he quickly bowed in response.
"Yes!"
He straightened up, hesitated for a moment, and finally cautiously added a sentence.
"My lord, Chengkong is Kuojiang's son, and he is exceptionally talented. If possible... please spare his life."
The voice on the other end of the jade talisman paused for a moment, as if in thought.
"Good."
"Since they are of the Zhao Clan bloodline, I will naturally hold back."
As soon as he finished speaking, the light on the blood jade talisman quietly faded away.
The quiet room fell silent once more.
Zhao Y ehan slowly sat down, the panic on his face fading, replaced by a chilling coldness.
With a "big shot" intervening, all variables will be crushed.
Su Yu? Captain of the Demon Suppression Bureau Division?
They're nothing but ants trying to stop a chariot.
Meanwhile, at the deepest part of the Bone-Eroding Abyss.
The thick, almost black miasma was filled with an intensely nauseating stench of blood and decay.
Su Yu and Zhao Chengkong's figures, like two Soundless ghosts, landed on the edge of a ravaged swamp.
Su Yu remained calm, simply pointing ahead.
Zhao Chengkong's gaze followed the direction of his finger.
Then, his world collapsed.
A hundred meters ahead, a dozen twisted figures were gathered together, frantically tearing at the massive carcass of a monster.
That's not a demon.
They have human-like features, pale skin, and are covered with fine scales.
Its limbs were twisted at an abnormal angle, and its sharp claws were like knives, easily tearing through tough animal hides.
They have no facial features; their faces are smooth flesh, with only a huge mouth that splits from the left ear to the right, and each time it opens and closes, it brings out large chunks of indistinct flesh and blood.
Zhao Chengkong's breathing stopped.
His pupils contracted to their maximum size in an instant.
That's not a monster.
He saw it; on the wrist of one of the "monsters" was a worn red rope with a small safety buckle hanging from it.
That belonged to Junior Brother Li, an outer disciple; his mother personally begged for it for him.
He also saw the tattered hem of another "monster's" garment, which was the uniform blue skirt style of the female disciples of the Heavenly Evolution Mountain Manor, with a small orchid embroidered in white thread still remaining on it.
That was Junior Sister Zhang's habit; she always liked to leave marks on her clothes.
These... are all disciples of the Heavenly Evolution Mountain Manor!
Those fellow disciples who, according to the mountain villa's records, either "disappeared during training" or "went into qi deviation during seclusion"!
The "broad road" that Zhao Y ehan spoke of, which could lead the manor to glory, was actually turning his fellow disciples into these mindless creatures that only knew how to devour flesh and blood...?!
"Heh... heh..."
A hoarse sound, like that of a broken bellows, came from Zhao Chengkong's throat, and his body began to tremble violently uncontrollably.
An indescribable grief and rage, like the hottest magma, exploded within his chest!
He remembered his uncle's solemn instructions.
He recalled the ancestral precepts of the Soul Control Faction's predecessors, who protected the manor and their fellow disciples.
He remembered his responsibilities as the young master of the manor to his fellow disciples.
Now, what he saw was like a resounding slap across the face, striking his very soul!
"Puff."
Zhao Chengkong suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, not from being attacked, but from extreme anger that overwhelmed him, causing his blood and qi to flow backward!
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, and drops of bright red blood dripped from between his fingers, splashing into the mud at his feet.
The fighting has stopped.
Instead, there was a deathly stillness that was unsettling.
He slowly raised his head, and his usually gentle eyes were now blood red, burning with a hatred that could consume everything.
He didn't roar or howl; he simply asked, word by word, in an almost murmured, extremely hoarse voice.
"Zhao... Ye... Han..."
"This... is your answer?"
Su Yu looked at him quietly.
He could sense that the subtlety and tranquility of the Soul Control Faction in Zhao Chengkong was being replaced by something purer and more resolute.
A merciful sword, tempered by blood and fire, finally revealed its sharpest edge.
Zhao Chengkong slowly turned his head, his blood-red eyes looking at Su Yu. His voice was hoarse, but it carried an undeniable determination.
Brother Su.
"A blood debt can only be repaid with blood."
"Kill them all... leave no one alive."
"Hehe!"
" Kuojiang's son, are the people you speak of all your clansmen?"
Before Zhao Chengkong could finish speaking, a cold, indifferent laugh rang out in the arena.