Hearing Liu Buli's words, the man was indeed startled. However, even in his fear, he had no opportunity to change anything.
Lu Wuming, once he began to act, had no intention of letting anyone live. He attacked with all his might, and it wasn't long before the cultivators surrounding him were almost completely torn to shreds.
As for Liu Buli, his attack style was always completely different from Lu Wuming's. His long sword danced, and more and more lotuses appeared on the ground. Although the man resisted incessantly, the long swords extending from the lotuses left more and more marks on his body.
In the end, he had nowhere left to hide, and was completely trapped in a sea of fire.
His body was scorched with the smell of burning, and then he recovered to normal in pain. Even after recovering, his body could not escape the sea of fire, so he was subjected to another round of burning and roasting.
Lu Wuming had actually experienced this situation before.
In his memory, in that distant, almost forgotten past life, when he fought Shen Muzhi, the opponent had used a similar method, making him acutely aware that immortality was not necessarily a good thing.
And at this very moment, the man trapped in the flames by Liu Buli clearly had the same thought. In the beginning, he had insulted Liu Buli, spewing vulgar threats. But by the fourth time he was scorched and roasted, the man's voice had become hoarse, and his tone carried a hint of pleading.
He said he had made a mistake, that he had been blind.
He repeated, earnestly, over and over, that he should never have harbored improper thoughts about Liu Buli.
Whether he truly felt this way, Liu Buli wasn't entirely sure. However, what Liu Buli did know was that the man was in so much pain that he couldn't bear it any longer, so if he were to ask him questions now, he might get some of the answers he desired.
With this in mind, Liu Buli withdrew some of the lotuses surrounding the man. He looked into the man's eyes and smiled lightly, "You don't need to be so nervous. I just have a few questions for you. If you answer them properly, I can guarantee that I won't let you continue to suffer like this."
He said this, but the fiery vines entwined around the man did not lessen at all. The man knew very well that this was Liu Buli's assurance. After all, he hadn't gotten the answers he wanted yet, and it would indeed be incredibly foolish to let him go completely.
However, as the area of burning decreased, the feeling of pain also lessened a bit. The man took two deep breaths. At least this situation was somewhat bearable for him.
So, after a moment of silence, when the pain had slightly subsided, he nodded to Liu Buli. Without even giving the other party a chance to ask, he had guessed the content of the questions and proactively asked, "You want to ask me how I became like this, right?"
"It seems you are quite intelligent. I like intelligent people; at least communication is easy," Liu Buli nodded with a smile.
As soon as he said this, an overly intense gaze came from beside him.
Turning to look, Lu Wuming stared at him with eyes full of alarm.
Liu Buli immediately pressed his temple and added, "When dealing with others, I prefer intelligent ones. Because I don't want to have too much interaction with them, if something can be explained in one sentence, I'm unwilling to say it a second time. But when it comes to you, if you're a bit foolish, I'm also happy. Because your foolishness is cute, so don't be upset. Keep an eye on the enemy. If you let him escape while I'm talking to you, then I won't find you cute anymore."
Liu Buli understood Lu Wuming too well.
Upon hearing his words, the expression on Lu Wuming's face immediately returned to normal. Moreover, his gaze was immediately fixed on the man.
He was now like a hungry wolf that had spotted its prey. If the man showed the slightest sign of wanting to escape, he would pounce immediately and sever his throat without hesitation.
Liu Buli was very satisfied with his prompt response.
He gestured towards the man again, indicating that the man could begin to narrate the answer to the question he wanted to ask.
Perhaps because the stimulus of pain was truly effective, the man was silent for only a moment before he began to speak the truth. "It wasn't just me. Those people who were just killed were also encountered by us in the secret realm. They were from the Ghost Clan. He was incredibly strong, I felt he was on par with you. In short, we had no way to deal with him. We thought we were going to die then, but to our surprise, he didn't kill us. Instead, he made us a request. He said he was conducting research, and we could be his research subjects. In return, he would give us a way to live, provided we could walk that path ourselves."
The man paused here.
As if recalling the painful experiences he had endured before, his face turned pale again. He pursed his lips, and after a considerable struggle, he continued, "Actually, when we first entered the secret realm, there were many more people with us, about three to four times the current number. However, after encountering the Ghost Clan and hearing his proposal, and then attempting to be his research subjects, only a few of us survived."
According to his account, the Ghost Clan forcibly injected their blood into their bodies. Less than half of those who could fully accept the other party's blood survived. And among those who survived, those who possessed such powerful regenerative abilities were even rarer.
"But after surviving, we discovered that our various physical abilities had indeed improved immensely. My cultivation was never this high before, and I was very afraid of death. Now that I'm sure I won't die, I thought I must be invincible..."
When the man said this, his expression was extraordinarily awkward. He even lowered his head, not daring to look at Liu Buli's face.
However, Liu Buli was not bothered by his state. It was understandable for the weak to become arrogant after gaining power; he didn't find anything to mock.
After pondering for a moment, Liu Buli asked, "Even though you would die if your head was cut off, why did you think you were immortal? Such a huge weakness was exposed, and you didn't notice it?"
Hearing his question, the man looked confused instead.
He looked at Liu Buli blankly and shook his head, saying, "No matter who it is, they would die if their head was cut off. That's what the Ghost Clan who gave us the blood said. Is there a problem with that?"