As Lu Li led Ye Ran down the long passage, two disciples on guard duty immediately stepped forward as they entered the underground palace.
One of them barked aggressively, “Who are you people? What are you doing—”
Before he could finish, Lu Li flicked his hand and released an attack. Blue flames erupted on the leading disciple. In an instant, before the disciple behind him could even react, he had been reduced to ash.
“The… the demon lord!”
The remaining disciple froze for a moment, then let out a frightened cry and scrambled backward.
But he had barely opened the stone door behind him when Lu Li appeared before him. A flash of sword light later, the disciple’s head was separated from his body.
“Senior brother, is it too dangerous to storm in so openly?”
Ye Ran looked at the corpses on the ground and the still-open stone door, her face creased with worry.
This underground palace seemed far from ordinary. It must have taken great effort to build, which meant its defenses would be formidable.
If they couldn’t escape in time before the sect leader arrived, Lu Li’s identity might be exposed.
“I want them to know I’ve returned.”
Lu Li pushed open the stone door before them.
Ye Ran was about to say something more when his voice continued:
“Besides, the entrance is already sealed. Lingxu can’t get in. He can only watch helplessly as centuries of work are destroyed before his eyes.”
With that, Lu Li led Ye Ran through the stone door.
The disciples inside, having heard the commotion, were already on high alert. The moment the two stepped through, attacks came raining down from all sides.
But the moment those attacks neared Lu Li, an invisible force stopped them, sending them flying back toward the disciples who had launched them.
In an instant, more than half the surrounding disciples lay dead.
Ye Ran, who had just drawn her sword, froze.
If she wasn’t mistaken, every single one of those disciples had a cultivation level above Nascent Soul—and yet they couldn’t withstand a single move from Lu Li.
It seemed that all this time, in order to hide his identity, Lu Li had been holding back significantly.
Ye Ran quietly put away her sword and felt the tension in her chest ease.
The remaining disciples, seeing this, fell into chaos. As Lu Li advanced step by step, they retreated in terror.
“Alert the city lord!”
Someone’s shout steadied the panicking disciples.
One of them quickly produced a transmission stone to contact Yuan Bai. But the moment it flickered to life, a ball of blue flame struck it, shattering it.
Meanwhile, outside the entrance to the underground palace.
Yuan Bai and Lingxu stood anxiously watching a group of disciples work to break through the formation.
Just then, the transmission stone at Yuan Bai’s waist lit up. His face brightened. He quickly took it and brought it to Lingxu.
“Someone’s contacting us!”
“Excellent!”
Lingxu snatched the stone from his hand. “What’s happening inside? Where has the demon lord reached?”
His tone was urgent. But no sooner had he spoken than the transmission stone went dark.
Lingxu froze for a moment, then hurled the stone away in fury.
“Unbelievable! This must be the demon lord’s way of showing off.”
“Now isn’t the time for anger. It seems the demon lord is nearing the center of the palace. It will take time to break through the barriers. We need to think of a way to stop him.”
Yuan Bai’s expression was equally grim, but he remained more level-headed than Lingxu.
“Don’t worry. He’s still far from the center. And even if he reaches it, he won’t be able to get inside. The creation we’ve spent centuries cultivating is no pushover.”
Lingxu gradually calmed down as well. Looking toward the entrance of the underground palace, his gaze slowly turned venomous.
Inside the palace.
In mere moments, Lu Li had dispatched the disciples on guard, cutting them down as easily as slicing vegetables.
Every time Ye Ran tried to help, the moment she drew her sword, Lu Li had already finished off everyone.
Soon, they made their way down through the palace and arrived at a spacious stone chamber.
The chamber was very empty, as if it contained nothing at all.
But the more barren it seemed, the more cautious they needed to be.
“Senior brother, isn’t this place a bit off?”
Ye Ran gripped Lu Li’s sleeve. But no sooner had she spoken than countless formations lit up on the ground around them.
Then, pale blue flames rose from the formations.
These flames were very similar to the Blazing Spirit within Lu Li. The moment they appeared, they exuded an overwhelming pressure.
“Senior brother, what are these—”
Before she could finish, skeleton after skeleton emerged from the formations.
These skeletons also glowed with pale blue flames. As they advanced, Ye Ran began to feel as if she could barely breathe.
“These are the remains of the Lu family.”
Lu Li pulled Ye Ran behind him. With a raise of his hand, he shattered the nearest skeleton, then spun around to block an attack from another behind him.
“What’s going on with them?”
Ye Ran could sense that the flames on these skeletons were extremely similar to those on Lu Li—almost identical to the Blazing Spirit.
But the Blazing Spirit was inside Lu Li. How had Lingxu and Yuan Bai gotten hold of it?
As she puzzled over this, Lu Li’s voice continued:
“These people were once struck by the Blazing Spirit’s power. Lingxu collected their corpses, refined them into puppets, and temporarily gave them the ability to control the Blazing Spirit.”
As he spoke, one of the skeletons raised its hand and launched an attack.
The attack looked exactly like the one Lu Li had used against the disciples earlier.
Though Lu Li dodged in time, pulling Ye Ran with him, a flicker of flame grazed the edge of his robe.
“Then what do we do now?”
Ye Ran’s expression grew serious.
She had been relieved when the disciples posed no threat to Lu Li.
But now, these skeletons could singe his robe—and there were many of them. As soon as he destroyed one, another appeared.
It made her uneasy.
“It’s fine. I killed them once. I can kill them again.”
Lu Li glanced at the scorched edge of his robe. With a flick of his hand, his sword flew forward and pierced the skull of the nearest skeleton.
The skull shattered, and the skeleton collapsed.
But the sword didn’t return. Instead, it multiplied into hundreds of blades, attacking the surrounding skeletons.
In an instant, half the skeletons were gone.
But the formations continued to operate. Another wave of skeletons emerged—even more than before.
“Why do they keep coming? How many are there?”
“Several hundred people died in the Lu family estate back then. We’ve seen less than half so far.”
Compared to Ye Ran, Lu Li remained much calmer.
He swept his gaze over the surrounding skeletons and waved his hand. A wave of deep blue fire surged outward.
The skeletons were instantly engulfed, their pale blue flames consumed by the deeper azure.
Then, the skeletons collapsed, along with those still emerging, all reduced to ash.
Only when the formations gradually faded and finally disappeared did the surrounding flames die out.
“Senior brother, are all those skeletons dead?”
Ye Ran stared at the now-empty underground palace, still not fully processing what had happened. Her body remained tense, her hand still gripping her sword so tightly that her knuckles were white.
It wasn’t until a slender hand covered hers and gently pried her fingers loose that she finally relaxed.
“They’re gone. Lingxu underestimated the power of the Blazing Spirit. He thought having something similar would allow him to defeat me. It was foolish.”
After helping Ye Ran put away her sword, Lu Li shot a stream of spiritual energy at the wall beside them.
Golden patterns spread across the wall, forming a complex design.
Still reeling from the shock of what she had just witnessed, Ye Ran looked up at Lu Li blankly.
“The outside world says you were severely wounded in that great battle, senior brother. Are you fully recovered now?”
“It’s… somewhat better.”
After giving this ambiguous answer, Lu Li led Ye Ran toward the now-open wall.
And Ye Ran knew that Lu Li rarely expressed uncertainty. His reply made her heart grow heavy.
“What does ‘somewhat better’ mean? Can’t you give me a straight answer, senior brother?”
She grabbed Lu Li’s arm, stopping him from moving forward.
Turning back, Lu Li saw the worry on her face. He patted her head and smiled.
“Can I tell you when we get back, junior sister?”
“Alright.”
Given that now wasn’t the right time, Ye Ran agreed.
Still, considering how many people Lu Li had just killed without showing any sign of weakness—and even having the energy to tease her—he was probably fine.
Ye Ran relaxed a little and continued following him.
But the moment they approached the open wall, faint screams echoed from inside.
Hesitation flickered across Ye Ran’s face.
Had someone else broken in?
As she wondered, Lu Li led her through. The scene inside lay clear before her eyes.
Beyond the wall was a massive stone chamber. In its center was a fire pit, burning with pale blue flames. Chained to the stone walls around it were many people.
They were covered in wounds, some deep enough to see bone. A few had entire arms reduced to skeletal remains.
All of them, without exception, had pale blue flames burning on their bodies.
Though the Blazing Spirit could no longer kill them, it kept them in constant agony—a fate worse than death.
Seeing this, Ye Ran understood.
The sect leader had been secretly using these people for experiments, trying to find a way to fuse with the Blazing Spirit.
That way, he could later seize the spirit from Lu Li and claim it for himself.
It was a monstrous act.
More villainous than any villain.
For a moment, Ye Ran wondered if she had the wrong script. As things stood, Lingxu seemed more like the real villain.
While she stood frozen in shock, Lu Li waved his hand and shattered the fire pit before them.
The moment the blue flames disappeared, the flames on the chained people blazed even brighter.
The screams intensified, wrenching at Ye Ran’s heart.
“Senior brother, can’t we save them?”
“Even if we did, they wouldn’t live long. It’s kinder to give them release.”
The flickering flames reflected in Lu Li’s eyes, making his expression distant.
Outside the underground palace.
A crack finally appeared in the solid formation. One of the disciples immediately turned and ran toward Yuan Bai.
“It’s open! City Lord, it’s open!”
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