Chapter 1 A Massive Undertaking

Only a well-organized, well-funded, and powerful organization could excavate such a massive space, decorating it like a secret base: hidden, secure, and reliable!

The first thing that came to Fang Yue's mind was the various sects.

However, the most top-tier sects that Fang Yue knew of were the likes of the Extreme Ice Sect and the Blazing Fire Sect.

Fang Yue didn't know if these two sects had the ability to plant such a contingency in Qingsi County.

But Fang Yue was sure that Ning Mansion had absolutely no connection to either of these sects.

Because this place was still under the jurisdiction of Qingsi County, a neutral zone within the Black Green Mountain Range. Neither the Extreme Ice Sect nor the Blazing Fire Sect would invest such a large amount of resources without securing the support of the Black Green Mountain Range first.

Unless... the sect had other, much grander, schemes?

Shaking his head, Fang Yue couldn't figure it out.

Earlier, when he jumped down from the iron gate, all the servants of Ning Mansion scattered and fled.

Fang Yue randomly targeted one of them and chased after him, only to lose him after a few turns.

The complexity of the terrain here was such that anyone unfamiliar with the area would quickly become disoriented.

Now that he had no one to guide him, Fang Yue could only rely on himself.

In any case, Lord Han and Lin Ling should be imprisoned here. He'd search every nook and cranny, find them, rescue them, and then leave, returning to Qingsi County. That way, his trip to Ningguang Mountain wouldn't be in vain.

That was what Fang Yue thought, and that was what he intended to do.

However, as he followed the road, navigating the intricate paths along a straight line, he was stunned when he reached the end of that line.

The end of the line was a large room.

The wooden door was tightly closed. Fang Yue tried to open it, but it was locked from the inside.

Silently taking two steps back, Fang Yue raised a foot and kicked.

Bang!!

Amidst flying splinters, a hole was kicked into the door.

Fang Yue expressionlessly reached through the hole for the handle on the inside, opened the door, and swaggered in.

Unlike the outside, where personal soul lamps were hung at regular intervals,

the room was very dark, almost pitch black.

However, on a cabinet just a few steps inside the room, sat a large personal soul lamp.

It was a structure similar to an oil lamp, except that it was fueled by burning the lifespan of the lamp holder.

He picked up the lamp and poured in his lifespan.

Chi!

The flame ignited, illuminating the surroundings.

With just one glance, Fang Yue froze on the spot, his pupils contracting violently.

This was a collection room. Rows of cabinets displayed the collector's… collections.

They were… human heads!

Each head was submerged in a pale green liquid, contained in a translucent jar, bobbing gently. It was probably a preservative similar to formalin.

Each head also had a label attached, recording the year and even detailed usage counts.

Some of the heads were incomplete, with only the cerebellum or eyeballs remaining, still submerged in the jars.

This made Fang Yue feel nauseated.

What the hell was this place!

Forcing down his nausea, Fang Yue picked up the nearest jar, which contained only a tongue, and carefully read the record.

"Human, female, seventeen years old, of cold constitution, damp taste, left ear containing [Mystic Element] 1.6%, barely suitable for medicinal use."

"Second extraction, refinement failed, brain removed, burned, cut open, added to ingredients, one cycle of three hours, no results, discarded."

"Third extraction, ear removed, mixed with ingredients, iced, dissolved, impurities removed, three cycles of seven days, no results, discarded."

"Fourth extraction..."

The cold lines of text seemed to be recording a simple laboratory experiment.

Fang Yue couldn't understand what the experiment was about, but from the words "seventeen years old" and "human," and the current state of the remaining tongue submerged in the jar, a nameless rage welled up in Fang Yue's heart.

"These… beasts!"

Fang Yue had a rough idea of what Ning Mansion's people were doing.

He was even afraid to look at the remaining jars, afraid that the next jar would contain Lord Han or Lin Ling's head. That was enough to make anyone want to go on a killing spree!

After briefly looking at the heads in the jars and not finding anyone familiar, Fang Yue left the room.

There were no clues he needed here, but he had made up his mind.

He would kill every person he found in this underground chamber!

Perhaps it was because he had been lost for too long, or perhaps the people of Ning Mansion had some special way of communicating.

After leaving the head room, Fang Yue wandered around for a while, just wasting time on the road.

Just when Fang Yue was annoyed and preparing to act like a "iron-headed baby," walking in a straight line and punching through any walls he encountered, a large group of fully armed martial artists, numbering over a hundred, suddenly appeared in the passage ahead.

They wore uniform armor, carried uniform spears, and moved in unison, looking well-trained.

Behind the spearmen stood five men with vacant eyes.

Their faces were contorted with bulging veins, and they wore white clothes like prisoners, with numbers on them.

Fang Yue squinted and carefully looked at the number—Type A, Number 18.

What did that mean? Prisoners?

Lord Han and Lin Ling had been captured, so they should also be prisoners.

He'd capture one alive later and ask where the prisoners were being held. Maybe he could find Lord Han and the others soon.

Fang Yue was quite happy to see the enemies come to him.

He was still burning with anger from the head room.

Before the spearmen could launch their charge, Fang Yue had already rushed forward.

One person against more than a hundred.

Despite being at a massive numerical disadvantage, Fang Yue charged without hesitation, a ferocious grin on his face.

"I have no qualms about killing you people!"

Like a wolf entering a flock of sheep, Fang Yue's methods were extremely cruel.

Amidst a series of explosions, the well-equipped martial artists were sent flying by Fang Yue, with no chance to retaliate.

These Third-Rate Houtian realm martial artists, barely at the beginning of their martial path, couldn't put any pressure on Fang Yue at all.

Other experts would have to consider the possibility of being injured when facing a large number of opponents.

Fang Yue charged straight in, letting them attack him. He abandoned all defense, focusing solely on beating them up.

With the Breath of the Night here, was he afraid of not being able to regenerate his health?

In a one-sided battle, all the martial artists were beaten to the ground, wailing and screaming.

But soon, Fang Yue silenced most of them forever.

"You! You! You…"

The survivors fled, using both hands and feet, while others were paralyzed with fear on the ground, unable to move.

After Fang Yue finished off these unlucky spearmen, the five prisoners who had been standing in the back stepped forward.

But this step…

Boom!!

Prisoner Number [Type A, Number 18] suddenly exploded into a cloud of blood mist, filling the entire space.

"System Notification: You have entered…"

"System Notification: You have been removed…"