After a flash of white light, Su Xi and the others soon felt an intensely hot aura approaching, as if they had fallen into a furnace.
Although curious about where they had ended up, all they could see was light, and nothing else. They had no idea what this wave of heat was.
The long-distance teleportation array left everyone dizzy, preventing them from recovering for a long time.
"Buzz~~"
At the same time, a strong fluctuation buzzed in their minds.
It felt as if something was being repeatedly struck against them.
Before the uncomfortable sensation in their bodies could subside, they soon felt their heads growing heavy, and then all consciousness was lost.
When they finally regained consciousness, Su Xi was about to check what had happened to herself, only to find that she was already bound tightly and utterly unable to move.
Feeling the restraints on her body, Su Xi tried with all her might to break free.
However, despite her great effort, the bindings remained completely still, showing no reaction whatsoever. It was as if these restraints were a part of her, rather than external objects.
???
Upon feeling the restraints, Su Xi's mind instantly cleared.
She had clearly been in the teleportation array; how had she ended up like this?
Su Xi carefully surveyed her surroundings, a look of confusion on her face, trying to understand what had happened.
What in the world is this?
She was tied to a pillar, surrounded by darkness. Not far away, Ouyang Chu Ge was also bound to another pillar, and other people were similarly tied to various posts.
These people had their heads bowed, seemingly still unconscious.
"Ouyang Chu Ge?" Su Xi called out, trying to wake him.
Hearing Su Xi's voice, Ouyang Chu Ge quickly regained consciousness.
Seeing the scene before him, his heart was filled with confusion.
What was going on?
Why had they been captured?
Why had they been brought here?
What did these people want to do?
These three questions intensified his bewilderment.
Just as Su Xi and Ouyang Chu Ge were about to discuss what was happening, they suddenly saw a person appear before them, looking at them with a half-smile.
This person wore strange clothing and had a perpetual smirk on his face.
It looked like a smile, yet also like no expression at all. As he walked, there was a sound of bones clacking.
As Su Xi and Ouyang Chu Ge tried to discern the identity of this person, he suddenly untied one of the bound individuals from the rope.
Just as Su Xi and Ouyang Chu Ge were unsure of what the person intended to do, they saw him directly extract the nascent soul from the still-unconscious person and then begin to chew on it ravenously.
"Crunch, crunch, crunch!"
A series of chewing sounds echoed.
In the dim room, these sounds were exceptionally grating to everyone's ears, and a shiver of horror instantly coursed through their bodies.
This guy must be a monster.
Su Xi watched the scene before her, a wave of confusion washing over her.
She didn't feel fear, only bewilderment.
Eating was one thing, but why eat in such a disgusting manner?
After finishing his meal, the person quickly walked away with a leisurely gait, completely disregarding Su Xi and the others.
Once he was gone, Su Xi turned her gaze to Ouyang Chu Ge and asked, "How are you feeling?"
Ouyang Chu Ge shook his head, saying with a hint of helplessness, "My cultivation is completely sealed. I can't use any of my powers at all."
He didn't know what was wrong with his body, only that he felt weak all over, as if poisoned.
Hearing Ouyang Chu Ge's words, Su Xi smiled, "As long as you're not injured, that's good. You may not have your powers now, but that doesn't mean I don't."
Just as Ouyang Chu Ge was wondering what Su Xi meant, he suddenly saw the ropes binding Su Xi snap inch by inch, and then she walked over to him.
Seeing Su Xi walk so easily up to him, Ouyang Chu Ge was filled with confusion.
Why did Su Xi still have the power to break free?
This made no sense.
Upon witnessing this, the others also became excited.
Their powers were all sealed, and they had no way to break free. Seeing that Su Xi could, a surge of hope ignited within them.
If Su Xi could escape, then perhaps they could too.
"Save me!"
"Save me!"
"Save me!"
...
Suddenly, a chorus of voices rang out.
At this moment, Su Xi's head felt like it was splitting from the clamor of the crowd.
"Quiet," Su Xi commanded sternly, scolding the noisy group.
Being so loud could easily attract attention. Once discovered, escaping would become even more difficult.
Facing the monster from before, Su Xi had no confidence that she could handle it.
Upon hearing Su Xi's words, the others immediately fell silent, not daring to utter another word.
For them now, escaping was far more important. Arguing wouldn't cost them anything.
Otherwise, if they were discovered, their nascent souls would be eaten, and there would be no hope.
After silencing the others, Su Xi untied Ouyang Chu Ge and gave him a pill.
This pill had a restorative effect, helping their bodies to rebuild their cultivation. Therefore, after taking the pill, they would quickly regain their powers.
The others looked at Su Xi expectantly, hoping to be saved as well.
Given the chance to live, no one wanted to die.
Seeing all this, Su Xi pondered for a moment and decided to proceed with rescuing everyone.
The situation ahead was uncertain, so having more allies would increase their chances of escape. She wasn't worried about these people turning against them midway.
As long as they weren't foolish, they wouldn't do such a thing.
After taking Su Xi's pills, the others quickly regained their cultivation.
With their powers restored, they instantly felt their confidence return, and a smile they couldn't describe appeared on their faces.
Their regained confidence fueled an unwavering killing intent in their eyes.
Having endured such fear for so long, they could no longer tolerate it. If they didn't seek revenge, they would be mocked in the future.
Seeing this, Su Xi knew the opportunity had arrived.
"Do you still remember how you came here?" Some questions needed to be clarified now. Otherwise, they might suffer losses as soon as they stepped out.
They had been brought here directly after arriving through the teleportation array, which indicated that those involved possessed unusual methods.
Upon hearing Su Xi's question, the group exchanged glances, none of them knowing what had happened.
They had also been brought here immediately after emerging from the teleportation array, not even knowing what had transpired.
Everything felt like a dream to them.
Su Xi's expression became solemn upon hearing their words.
The fact that none of them knew what had happened was itself very abnormal.
Even if their supercomputer had malfunctioned and calculated the coordinates incorrectly, it was impossible for so many people to have all misremembered their coordinates.
The only explanation was that this group had been ambushed.
Just as everyone was discussing how they had ended up here, they suddenly heard footsteps approaching again.
The rhythmic "drip, drip, drip" of footsteps immediately captured everyone's attention and heightened the tension.
They were all extremely nervous, unsure of what to do.
For them, the most important thing was to escape.
However, the sound of footsteps now signaled one thing: they had been discovered.
The footsteps soon stopped, and the person who had been walking also halted.
He saw that so many people had broken free from his control, yet he showed no panic, his lips curling into a smile.
Yes, he was still smiling.
Perhaps, in his mind, these issues weren't problems at all, so there was no need to worry.
Noticing this, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "You have two choices now: either go back obediently, or be eaten by me."
"Hmph, do you think you can defeat all of us by yourself?" There is strength in numbers, and the crowd felt empowered and emboldened.
At this moment, they believed that by acting together, they could definitely escape.
With only one person on the opposite side, it was impossible for him to stop them.
Li Hu heard someone question him, but instead of arguing, he simply raised his hand into the air.
"Buzz!"
A slight sound ensued, and then the person who had just spoken instantly fell silent. His nascent soul appeared in Li Hu's hand as if out of thin air.
Li Hu sneered, then put the still-struggling nascent soul into his mouth.
"Crack."
He began to chew ravenously, as if savoring something incredibly delicious.
At this sight, silence fell over the surroundings. Experiencing Li Hu's power at such close range made everyone's scalps tingle.
This was a decisive victory.
They had not expected Li Hu's cultivation to be so formidable, capable of achieving such a feat, nor had they expected to witness such a terrifying scene.
The person who had died was of similar cultivation to them. The fact that he had died so easily meant that they themselves would surely have no chance of survival.
In Li Hu's hands, their fate was inevitably failure.
Instantly, the confidence they had built up vanished completely.
Seeing such bizarre methods, Su Xi showed no fear, but rather a hint of understanding.
She hadn't been entirely sure of the situation before, but now she was quite certain.
Li Hu saw Su Xi smiling and looked surprised. "What are you laughing at? Have you been scared witless?"
Su Xi looked at Li Hu and asked without backing down, "If I wanted to die now, could you kill me? A mere trick, and you dare to use it to deceive people."
Su Xi looked at Li Hu and uttered words that shocked everyone.
She had observed very carefully and understood that this was all Li Hu's ploy, and it wasn't as powerful as it seemed.
The reason he had to devour nascent souls periodically was merely for some unknown secret.
Hearing Su Xi's words, Li Hu's expression became extremely grim.
Why was this woman so clever? How could she have discovered his secret?
Now that Su Xi had said as much, if he didn't act, he would ultimately lose face.