Ribery didn't resist, conserving every bit of his energy, and followed Soroyev and his group out of the prison.
The cold, damp tunnel was a dark, ominous black, exuding an indescribable terror. If you looked closely, you could even see darker, mottled spots on the walls, emitting a foul stench. These were probably drops of blood that had been splattered there, dried over the years, and stained the stone walls, obscuring their original color and leaving only a chilling dark brown.
This narrow and deep passageway has been stained with countless drops of blood and claimed the lives of countless people, which is why it looks the way it does today.
It was like Hell.
"Heh heh, Lord Frank, speaking of which, we've been working together in Twin Flag City for over ten years now, and we've always gotten along peacefully. But why did you immediately turn your back on us the moment King of Chambord arrived, joining that damned, stupid King and putting the sword to our old friends? That's just too unfriendly!"
Soroyev wore a Taunt smile, taunting Ribery with an air of complete control.
Ribery glanced at him and said in a low voice, "I only regret that I didn't persuade Lord Alexander to kill you, you treacherous old fat dog!"
A flash of anger crossed Soroyev's face, but instead of being angry, he laughed and said, "Why bother? That idiot King will be killed by His Highness the Crown Prince sooner or later. Hmph, that Alexander, doesn't he know who he is? How dare he oppose His Highness the Crown Prince? He's courting death. You're just following him so devotedly, you're only going to die together. For the sake of our past service, I'll give you one last chance. As long as you confess to the King of Chambord's crimes of treason, I will definitely persuade Lord Mataisen to spare your life."
"Ha, Lord Alexander is a powerful figure of our time. Who can do anything to him? You fat old dog, I, Frank Ribery, may not be a hero, but I would never be a groveling wretch like you, licking the ass of whoever feeds me!"
"You..." Soroyev's fat face could no longer contain his anger.
Unable to maintain his aristocratic wealth any longer, he viciously slapped and rubbed Ribery's mottled wounds on his back until streaks of blood oozed from the barely healing scars. Seeing the uncontrollable pain on the latter's face, he sternly said, "Fine, you fool, just wait to die. In a moment, you'll be like your twenty personal guards, suffering a fate worse than death!"
Ribery's expression changed. "What have you done to my brothers?"
At that moment, a look of dread suddenly flashed deep within Soroyev's narrowed eyes, as if he had thought of something extremely terrifying. He then grinned menacingly and said, "Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough."
After walking for about ten minutes, winding and turning, we should have exited the dungeon, but instead entered another, even more secluded place.
This is an extremely secluded stone palace.
Soldiers in gleaming armor stood guard on both sides of the main hall, their expressions wary as they stood along the roadside and in the corridors.
Hidden magical fluctuations emanated from all around, clearly indicating that traps were being laid everywhere.
Ribery remained expressionless, but his mind was racing. He memorized the route he had taken, the location of every building and intersection, and kept calculating in his mind. It was a pity that his fighting Dou Qi had been destroyed; otherwise, he could have easily escaped by now.
Entering the main hall, we walked deeper into the hall along the red carpet.
Ten minutes later, my eyes lit up.
This is the first time Ribery has been brought here in three days.
The hall was brightly lit on all sides, and a faint, sweet fragrance filled the air. There was no Bloody smell as I had imagined, nor any bloodstained instruments of torture. Instead, it was a rare peaceful scene. The walls were decorated with magnificent gilded ornaments, long bull horns, and withered deer heads. A screen more than twenty meters long, embroidered with scenes of warriors fighting on the battlefield, divided the hall into two sections. Ten beautiful maids in white dresses stood quietly in front of the screen.
On either side of the front half of the main hall, there were stone benches, and twenty officers dressed in black iron armor stood there. Each of them was from a powerful faction and exuded an aura of iron and blood. They were probably at the third or fourth Star Class of Dou Qi realm. Their expressions were solemn, and they looked at Ribery with a sympathetic gaze.
A table and chairs were placed directly in front of the screen.
Ribery's gaze fell on the person sitting on the stone chair in the very center.
Military Department envoy Mataisen.
This was a middle-aged man with an extremely burly build, slightly dark skin, an upturned nose, leopard-like eyebrows, and bulging eyes. His beard and hair stood on end, and he exuded an undisguised Bloody and ferocious aura. He was dressed in a black brocade robe and sat imposingly on a stone chair. His eyes were deep and his lips curved into a cruel smile as he looked down at Ribery with pity.
"The Crown Prince cherishes your talent and is reluctant to kill you, so I'm giving you one last chance. Will you talk or not?" Mataisen spoke slowly, his tone chilling, instantly lowering the temperature in the hall by several degrees.
"Hmph!" Ribery naturally knew what the other party wanted him to say, and simply sneered.
"Fine, you asked for it." Mataisen turned to the fifty-year-old man with a goatee and triangular eyes, who was sitting beside him as his equal and had been staring at Ribery with a strange look ever since Ribery entered the hall, and said, "In that case, Lord Alpha, the rest is up to you."
The old man with the goatee, Alpha, nodded and waved his hand.
Two water mages stepped forward, chanted for a while, and each waved their hands, unleashing a beam of sky-blue light that struck Ribery. Waves of tingling, comfortable sensation spread throughout Ribery's body, all the pain vanished in an instant, and the wounds left on his body from the previous torture were completely healed.
Ribery was slightly taken aback, wondering what trick his opponent was playing by healing him.
However, he still moved his body slightly to adjust his state.
The old man with the goatee and triangular eyes had a cruel glint in his eyes, like a cat toying with a mouse. He pulled a small jade bottle from his sleeve, weighed it in his hand, and said with a slightly regretful tone, "This is a bottle of purple divine potion. King of Chambord calls it the [ Full Rejuvenation Potion ]. He presented the formula to His Highness the First Prince, and the royal apothecaries concocted it. It is indeed miraculous. It can re-condense your crippled Dou Qi Star Vortex and restore your broken Dou Qi channels..."
After saying that, he simply tossed the potion at Ribery.
"Drink it, and your strength will be restored."
Ribery grabbed the small bottle, uncorked it, and sniffed it. The smell was right; it really was Lord Alexander's [ Full Rejuvenation Potion ]. Ribery had seen this miraculous potion during the siege a month ago. It could indeed bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded—an extremely rare, God Level potion.
Although he didn't know what trick the old man with the goatee was up to, Ribery didn't hesitate and drank the entire potion.
A surge of heat coursed through his body. Ribery could clearly feel the dozen or so broken main Dou Qi channels within him rapidly recovering. The Dou Qi Star Vortex within him, which had been destroyed, began to reappear like a small flame. Soon, the small flame became a raging inferno, and Ribery's body began to flicker with azure light, growing brighter and brighter. His aura surged wildly, eventually settling steadily at the peak of the Five-Star Class Peak.
Their strength has been restored!
Ribery felt the long-lost power within him, clenched his fists tightly, and was filled with a surge of heroic spirit. Three days ago, he had fallen into a trap, ingested poisoned tea, and lost his fighting ability, which led to his capture. This time...
He looked up, his tiger-like eyes flashing with a sharp light.
At that moment, Ribery made no attempt to conceal his murderous intent.
He relentlessly mobilized all his strength, his aura raging like Whirlwind in all directions. His gaze was fixed on the Military Department envoy, Mataisen, who sat on the stone chair. He slowly approached step by step, his Dou Qi aura blazing brightly, his killing intent bursting forth. He asked, word by word, "You bastard, speak! Where are my brothers?"
"Haha, hahahaha, hahahaha, don't worry, you'll find out soon enough." Facing Ribery, who had regained his strength, Mataisen sensed his opponent's inflated confidence and fighting spirit, but he laughed as if he had seen some unbelievable joke, his laughter filled with uncontrollable contempt and mockery.
Beside Mataisen, the weak, goatee-faced old man with triangular eyes also had a sinister look in his eyes, which was filled with excitement and cruelty.
At that moment, Ribery suddenly noticed that this strange old man only had one ear.
However, he didn't pay attention to these details.
"To catch the thief, first catch the king. Take down this Mataisen and force them to hand over their twelve brothers... It would be best if they were all safe, otherwise..." Ribery glanced around at the surrounding defenses, his heart hardening. If anything happened to those twelve guards, he would wipe out the entire city lord's mansion today and kill all the nobles in the city to Vengeance.
Having made up his mind, Ribery let out a loud shout and was about to burst forth...
Just then--
"Haha, done! Next one..."
A sudden, jarring sound came from behind the screen behind Mataisen in the main hall, echoing clearly in the void.
Second update.
Okay, I was originally going to combine the two chapters into one big chapter, but I had to deal with the hotel and sound mixing, which took up a lot of time. I haven't finished the big chapter yet, so I'll post a small chapter first to secure my perfect attendance this month. I'll continue writing, and there will be another chapter later tonight. I promise to update three times a month, so as not to disappoint everyone's enthusiastic support with red tickets, clicks, and rewards.
Unless absolutely necessary, I will stay up past midnight.