Having successfully infiltrated the deep, dark corridor, Qi Yun didn’t delay for a moment. He once again transformed into a wisp of Pure Qi and rapidly drifted toward the depths.

He didn’t know how long the chaos outside would last; he had to race against the clock.

The corridor was surprisingly long, sloping downward the entire way. The surrounding walls were cold and damp, with only sparsely embedded Luminous Stones providing a faint light.

Even moving at full speed, it took Qi Yun a good ten minutes before he felt the space ahead suddenly open up, as if he had reached the end.

But just as he prepared to rush out of the corridor in one final push and enter the more open space ahead...

A hoarse, dry voice, like sandpaper grating, abruptly rang out in the dead-silent darkness:

"If you want to die, just keep moving forward."

The voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an inexplicable authority.

Qi Yun’s heart clenched, and the foot he had raised froze in mid-air.

His eyes narrowed slightly. He swept his Divine Sense forward like a tide, but it vanished without a trace, as if blocked or absorbed by some invisible force, leaving him unable to perceive the situation ahead.

Not daring to be careless, Qi Yun raised his hand and shot out a ball of bright Nanming Demon Fire.

The firelight leaped, instantly dispelling the darkness and illuminating the scene before him.

It was a stone chamber of about seventy or eighty square meters, its four walls bare, making it appear quite crude.

However, the scene in the center of the chamber was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.

A tall man was suspended in mid-air, his limbs bound by black iron chains as thick as a child’s arm, forcing him into a spread-eagle posture.

The major vital acupoints on his body, and even his joints, were densely pierced by long, thin Golden Needles.

Even his eyelids had been pierced and sealed shut by Golden Needles, the blood long since congealed into dark scabs.

And yet, despite this gruesome state in which his five senses should have been completely lost...

This person had accurately sensed Qi Yun’s arrival and issued a warning!

Qi Yun’s sharp gaze swept over the wretched man before shifting to a spot a short distance behind him.

Strange patterns faintly flowed across the ground there, aligning with the faint resonance he felt from the Jade Talisman in his hand.

The core node of the Xun Position Earth Vein was located inside this very chamber.

But he had to enter to activate the Jade Talisman and record the coordinates.

As thoughts raced through his mind, Qi Yun suppressed his doubts and spoke:

"Thank you for your warning. Judging by your appearance, you seem to have been harmed by treacherous people and imprisoned here.

"If you can tell me what dangers lie within this room, perhaps I can devise a way to free you in exchange. What do you say?"

However, the suspended man let out a hoarse, unpleasant chuckle, thick with ridicule:

"Heh heh... Can the words of someone from the Wuji Holy Sect be trusted?

As soon as these words were spoken, the aura around Qi Yun turned cold and sharp, and killing intent flashed in his eyes.

’My identity has been exposed. This man absolutely cannot be left alive!’

He subconsciously prepared to use Magic to kill the man and silence him.

"Wait!" The man seemed to sense Qi Yun’s killing intent clearly and immediately spoke to stop him, his tone tinged with a hint of amusement.

"Not very old, but your bloodlust is quite strong. Ready to attack at the slightest disagreement... interesting.

"Fine. On account of you genuinely preparing to kill me just now, I’ll tell you."

He paused, then got straight to the point:

"A Profound Gold Seven-Aperture Disc has been set up in this room.

"The moment you step within three paces of the door, the Profound Metal Qi will be triggered. It will seal your seven apertures—your eyes, ears, mouth, and nose—along with every pore on your body. Your True Qi will stagnate, your flesh will stiffen, and you will become a lifelike golden statue.

"This is a Dharma Disc personally set up by a Great Perfection Qi Refining Cultivator.

"With your level of Cultivation, you’d be walking to your death. There’s no way you could possibly break through it by force."

Hearing this detailed description, Qi Yun felt a chill. He temporarily suppressed the urge to attack.

’It seems he’s willing to cooperate.’

"You’re telling me all this because, in the end, you still want me to rescue you, right?" Qi Yun asked, cutting straight to the point.

"No shit!" the man replied, his words crude and direct. "Looking at the goddamn state I’m in, do you think I enjoy being here?"

"But the problem is, I can’t even get into the chamber. How am I supposed to save you?" Qi Yun pointed out, his gaze flickering.

"Simple!" The man seemed to have been waiting for this question. "You don’t need to come in.

"Just stand outside the door and use your abilities to knock out the three main needles: the one in my Chest Acupoint, the one in my Dantian and Qihai Acupoints, and the one on my Baihui Acupoint.

"Once those three are gone, I have my own way of breaking this damned Profound Gold Seven-Aperture Maze Disc!"

Hearing this, Qi Yun was stunned for a moment before a meaningful smile spread across his face.

"Forget it. Since it’s so difficult and the risk is too great, I suppose I’ll just have to do without the coordinates for this Xun Position."

Qi Yun said this in a flat tone, then actually turned and began walking unhurriedly back down the corridor.

His steps were composed, as if he really was about to leave.

One step, two steps, three steps...

He covered more than a dozen meters in an instant, but the chamber imprisoning the mysterious man remained deathly silent behind him, with no attempt to stop him.

’He’s not calling out? Is he really not going to stop me?’

Qi Yun’s brow twitched imperceptibly as he wondered,

’Could it be that helping him pull out those needles is truly the only way to get inside?’

Just as he was hesitating, wondering whether to turn back and test the man again, an idea suddenly struck him as he realized a key point.

The man’s perception was extraordinary. Even tortured to such a state, with his five senses supposedly sealed, he had still been able to accurately identify him as a Wuji Holy Sect Disciple.

He must have some special method for perceiving his surroundings.

’In that case, he must also be able to "see" that I haven’t actually gone far and am just putting on an act.’

At this thought, a cold smirk touched the corners of Qi Yun’s lips.

He immediately activated his Breath-Concealing Bead to its full potential while pushing the Invisibility effect of his Gathering Form and Scattering Qi to its absolute limit. His entire being seemed to dissolve into the shadows and air of the corridor.

Even the faintest trace of his aura disappeared.

Sure enough, the moment he concealed himself, an extremely faint, startled whisper came from the chamber below:

"Huh?"

Although the sound was quiet, it was exceptionally clear in the dead silence.

Qi Yun’s internal smirk widened.

’Just as I thought!’

’You old fox, still trying to bluff me?’

The silence from the chamber didn’t last long.

Soon, the hoarse voice sounded again, this time laced with clear temptation.

"Kid, out there! If you save me, I can grant you a heaven-sent opportunity! How about it?"

Qi Yun remained silent, as still as a statue.

When there was no response, the voice grew anxious and upped the ante:

"A secret treasure map that leads directly to the Foundation Establishment Dao!

"Countless rare Spirit Medicines and Magical Treasures!

"If you get it, your future path in cultivation will be smooth and unimpeded!"

Only his own echo answered him in the corridor.

The man had clearly lost his patience, his tone now laced with exasperation.

"Come back! Damn it! I’ll tell you how to safely disable the Profound Gold Seven-Aperture Maze Disc!

"You won’t have to risk pulling out the needles!"

Only then did Qi Yun casually emerge from the shadows, his hands tucked in his sleeves and a faint, unreadable smile on his face. He had been standing by the door the entire time.

"If you had been this frank from the beginning, we could have saved ourselves a lot of trouble, couldn’t we?"

"You...!"

The man was choked with anger. If his body weren’t restrained, he would have flown into a rage, ready to tear Qi Yun apart.

Left with no other choice, the man explained to Qi Yun in detail how to disable the Profound Gold Seven-Aperture Maze Disc.

The method was ingenious; it wasn’t a brute-force attack.

Instead, one had to simultaneously vibrate three inconspicuous stone bricks at the entrance with a specific frequency. This would temporarily disrupt the Dharma Disc’s energy flow and open a safe passage.

Qi Yun followed the instructions, flicking three subtle streams of True Qi from his fingertips that precisely struck the targets.

VMMMM!

With a soft hum, the faint light of the Magic Patterns flowing within the chamber flickered and paused.

The dangerous aura around the doorway abruptly vanished. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Qi Yun first performed a quick divination with his fingers before cautiously taking a step. As expected, he entered the chamber completely unharmed.

Without pausing, he immediately took out the Task Jade Talisman.

He pressed it against the most active point of the Earth Vein node he had sensed and activated it with his full power!

The Jade Talisman instantly lit up with a soft, steady glow.

It began to copy the location’s precise coordinates.

"A Vein-locating Talisman?" The suspended man’s earlobe twitched as he once again precisely sensed Qi Yun’s actions and the nature of the Jade Talisman. His hoarse voice held a trace of surprise.

"Is the Wuji Holy Sect... finally making a formal move against the Yellow Springs Netherworld?"

Then, he let out a low, strange laugh.

"Hehehe... In that case, kid, we can be considered allies now.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

"Let me go, and I’ll help you deal with those bastards from the Yellow Springs Netherworld. How about it?

"There’s strength in numbers!"

"Of course... that would be wonderful."

A deeply sincere smile spread across Qi Yun’s face as he nodded.

He then walked over to the suspended man, calmly taking in his wretched appearance.

The next instant, Qi Yun formed a sword-finger. An incomparably sharp Sword Qi erupted from its tip, wreathed in the searing, sinister Nanming Demon Fire!

Without the slightest hesitation, he thrust that finger straight toward the man’s unguarded Sea of Consciousness, aiming for the point between his brows.

His intent could not have been clearer.

A single, fatal blow, meant to obliterate both body and soul!

’You know who I am and you still expect me to let you go?’

’Killing him, feeding him to the White Bone Skeletons, and sucking his bones dry... that’s the proper way to do things.’

’For him to still have such abilities after being tortured like this, his Cultivation must be extraordinary. He’ll make for a fine "experience pack"!’

...