Chapter 152: Wrong Again

Meanwhile, the Red Widow and Chang Daizi abducted Lu Fei, dragging him straight down to the gloomy dungeon the moment they entered Lonely Terrace.

Lu Fei could only curse himself for not dying sooner, thus allowing these wicked fiends to remain at large.

He spat, "Hmph, kill me if you will! Falling into your hands only proves my skills are inferior to yours, and I harbor no grievances in death."

The Red Widow flicked her wrist, hurling him into a corner. Before he could recover, two chains instantly bound his hands, while a tremendous suction force suddenly gripped his feet, rooting him to the spot.

Lu Fei struggled with all his might, only to find he could not break free by even a fraction. Anger surged to his brow, and he rebuked sharply, "What are you trying to do?"

The Red Widow clapped her hands with a cold, mocking smile. "What are we trying to do? Don't you find that question rather absurd?"

She paused briefly before continuing, "Didn't you just say that your skills are inferior and you harbor no grievances in death?"

"So what if I did?" Lu Fei struggled violently once more. Yet, the chains merely rattled loudly without yielding an inch.

Instead, his cultivation base dissipated by a fraction with every single struggle.

This realization sent towering, turbulent waves crashing through the depths of Lu Fei's heart.

The Red Widow glanced at him, a charming yet chillingly cold allure playing at the corners of her lips. "It's nothing."

She then turned to Chang Daizi and said, "Let's go."

Lu Fei froze instantly. Could it really be this simple? Remembering Mo Lin's death, a bitter, churning agony filled his heart...

Trapped like a bird in a cage now, he wondered if their sect leader and the others had reached Eight Winds Island, and whether they even knew he was still alive.

Once the two of them stepped out of the dungeon, Chang Daizi halted, turned sideways to look at the Red Widow, and asked, "Now, can you give me an explanation?"

She had a perfect chance to kill yet let it pass, and dragging the man back here was hardly without trouble.

Crossing her arms, the Red Widow leaned against the wall, casting a sidelong glance at the dungeon entrance. "Such a fine opportunity, and you didn't want it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know as well as I that the seven Seal-Breakers are not easy to find. We are holding back from killing Baili Sutu precisely for this reason. Aside from him, we can temporarily put the Zen Gate and the Southern Wandering Sea out of our minds, while the Demon Realm possesses a unique geography and can be dealt with later. Although the Literary Mirror Scripture leaves no trace, the Spring and Autumn Calligraphy lineage still lingers in the world. That leaves only the Demon Realm and the Soul-Guarding Gate. Word has it that the Demon Realm has already had a falling out with the Sea of Desire, which works to our advantage. That leaves the Soul-Guarding Gate as the most troublesome. Their physical constitutions are unique, and their very essence is extraordinary. However, breaking the seal requires the blood of a Seal-Breaker, and judging by the meager handful of people currently in the Soul-Guarding Gate, they clearly lack the person we need. So, who is their Seal-Breaker? Where could they be hiding?" Yet, if they could pre-emptively discover this person's hiding place, or something similar... Then this person would have nowhere to hide, and no matter the ends of the earth, they could not escape execution.

Chang Daizi's eyelids twitched slightly. "You mean to extract information from his mouth?"

The Red Widow nodded noncommittally. A chance this good shouldn't go to waste; using it might save everyone a great deal of effort.

"With this fellow's soul and body, would ordinary torture be of any use to him?" Chang Daizi frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping over the Red Widow as he tried to figure out what she was plotting.

The Red Widow gave her shoulders a seductive twist and swayed forward, pressing her slender index finger against his solid chest, backing him right up against the wall. "That's precisely why we need you."

With that, she cast a meaningful glance toward the dungeon entrance.

How could Chang Daizi not understand? "Is this what you had in mind?"

"What? Is it a problem?"

"No."

"Then let's begin." With that, her pointing finger turned into a shove. Chang Daizi leaned against the wall from the force, rubbed the spot where she had poked him, and turned toward the dungeon entrance. Reaching into his mouth, he expelled a multitude of brightly colored hues, blazing red and vibrant green.

Turning back to the Red Widow, he said, "It's done. Let's go."

Seeing that he had already acted, the Red Widow raised no further objections. Swaying her waist, she left with him.

Meanwhile, back in the dungeon, Lu Fei was enduring a living hell.

Initially, when the two of them left, it hadn't bothered him much. Even in his sorrow and despair, it was merely the realization that he might never see the light of day again. As for ordinary torture, he had no fear of it.

Therefore, when the dark dungeon began to crawl with swarms of brightly colored snakes, his heart did not panic. They were just creatures that made one's skin crawl from the sheer number of them.

Yet he never expected that these were no ordinary snakes. They were soul-devouring serpents whose venom could attack the spiritual consciousness, bearing a deceptively pleasant name: Flowers of Hell.

The name derived firstly from their dazzlingly vibrant colors, and secondly, naturally, from their terrifying nature.

No ordinary person could withstand their toxicity, and even souls could not escape. Once bitten, even if you forced your soul out of your physical body, you would still be poisoned just the same.

If they so chose, they could devour a soul piece by tiny piece, or they could bite without consuming. Either way, living would become far more agonizing than dying. Every single ounce of pain would be infinitely magnified and then multiplied exponentially.

Their uniqueness lay in the fact that they could consume the bitten person or soul, and their venom would cause a fate worse than death, yet they were not instantly fatal. In other words, simply put, this venom was designed purely for torture.

Lu Fei paid little attention at first, but soon enough, he tasted its true flavor.

How should one describe that agony? It was like entering a kaleidoscopic, surreal world of five colors and ten lights, yet every person and object that appeared was incomparably ferocious, inspiring sheer terror and panic.

Moreover, needle-like electrical pains periodically invaded his mind, his spiritual consciousness, and every single part of his body.

This was a genuine state of praying for death in vain, with no hope of survival, trapped forever in an endless cycle of unbroken agony.

At first, though Lu Fei's face was twisted in pain and his spiritual form was on the verge of tearing apart from his body, he had already prepared himself for the worst ever since his capture. He had resolved never to utter a single word about his sect, even if it meant death.

His resolve was admirable, but the enemy was simply playing with him to death. If the sole purpose was to take his life, the Red Widow would not have stopped Chang Daizi when the latter attempted to kill him earlier.

As the agony intensified step by step, even with Lu Fei's exceptional willpower, he eventually screamed in agony and passed out cold.

And the snakes writhing over his body only grew more numerous, dense and packed together, presenting a sight truly terrifying to behold.

Watching this scene unfold through the water mirror, the Red Widow praised inwardly: *Flowers of Hell, truly a name well deserved.*

She turned back with a cold laugh, looked toward the Bug, and said, "Aren't you going to give me an explanation?"

Leaning against the doorway, the Bug casually tossed his hair to both sides and replied indifferently, "Such a big deal. Why don't you just have someone send you a few more?"

Without waiting for the Red Widow to speak, he added, "Tell me, am I right?"

Seeing the Red Widow's anger flare up, Chang Daizi was unwilling to let internal strife break out right now. He immediately stepped into the conversation and said, "All right, making your point was enough. Care to explain what this is all about? Why kill the man for no reason?"

The Bug curled his lips in utter disdain and sneered, "It's simply because the apple of someone's eye couldn't sit still and happened to overhear things they shouldn't have. Fearing that certain people wouldn't have the heart to do it, Lord Bug simply played the good guy and did a good deed."

Hearing that the reason stemmed from this, even the Red Widow, accustomed as she usually was to acting tyrannically, found it somewhat difficult to swallow. Her face instantly shifted between shades of blue and white.

Chang Daizi said, "Since that's the case, we cannot blame the Bug."

He then turned to the Bug and said, "Things have reached this point, and since you've already killed them, let it end here. We didn't come out here for matters of pillow-talk. If we ruin the Master's grand plan, none of the three of us will be able to bear the consequences."

Though annoyed that the Bug had disposed of the person without consulting her, the Red Widow was not about to create a rift with the others over a few lowly attendants.

She waved her hand impatiently and said, "Fine. Since they broke the rules, they deserved to die anyway."

The Bug raised his eyelids. Seeing her concede, dragging the matter out further would only make him look unreasonable, so he shrugged and let the matter drop.

Noticing that the sky outside was beginning to pale and that the crowing of the golden rooster was not far off, Chang Daizi said to the Red Widow, "Now that you've finished watching the water mirror, what are your thoughts?"

Fingering the furnishings inside the room, the Red Widow walked as she spoke, "This is only the beginning. Tell the Flowers of Hell to be careful and not let them actually eat the man. We still need to extract leverage regarding the Soul-Guarding Gate's Seal-Breaker from him."

Hearing this, the Bug disagreed. "The Soul-Guarding Gate has always been different from other sects. Since this fellow is not even a core member, how could he possibly know such confidential matters?"

It wasn't that he purposely wanted to be contrarian; rather, it was an obvious fact. Precisely because of this, the Seal-Breaker of the Soul-Guarding Gate remained exceptionally mysterious. In his view, it would be better to strike against the Demon Realm first. No matter how one looked at it, the chances with Zhao Hongzhuang seemed much higher.

Chang Daizi remained silent for a moment before turning to the Red Widow. "What is your take? You're the one who insisted on sparing him, so you must give us a rationale."

Pulling back her hand and lowering her gaze, the Red Widow said, "You two only see the obvious while ignoring his inherent value."

"What do you mean?" Hearing this, the Bug immediately looked at Chang Daizi.

Chang Daizi shook his head, signaling him not to be impatient and to hear her out first.

The Red Widow instructed Chang Daizi to brighten the wick in the oil lamp, then reached up to lightly arrange her hair before speaking at a measured pace, "Hoping that he possesses the whereabouts of the Seal-Breaker is ideal, of course. But even if he doesn't, isn't this also a prime opportunity for us to eliminate the Soul-Guarding Gate?"

As soon as her voice fell, the Bug and Chang Daizi instantly cast aside their previous reservations.

The Red Widow's gaze swept over the two of them, and she picked up a cup of tea that had long since gone cold on the table, taking a slight sip. "No matter what, the few of us are bound to arouse suspicion. But certain people won't. Not only will they not be suspected, but they will also be far more useful than us."

Her words were extremely ambiguous and provocative, instantly draining the last remnants of the Bug's fragile pride and leaving him utterly limp.

Chang Daizi voiced his concern: "I understand your meaning. I'm just afraid this person will not allow himself to be used by us."

The Red Widow raised an eyebrow, set down her teacup, and said, "Is that Flower of Hell of yours just there to be looked at? Apply three parts of agony while he is awake, and seven parts when he faints and relaxes. With ceaseless stimulation morning and night, I don't care if his spiritual consciousness is forged of iron and steel—it will still crumble to dust. At that point, as we gently guide and tempt him, how do you suppose he will choose?"

Chang Daizi asked the Bug, "Do you have any different views?"

The Bug slowly shook his head. Putting personal feelings aside, the Red Widow's plan was indeed feasible. If successful, it would undoubtedly be a massive advantage to them.

"None," he replied.

"Very well. Since no one objects, I'm heading to the dungeon. Handle matters on the surface first." With that, she strode briskly out of the room.

Watching Chang Daizi leave as well, the Red Widow casually splashed the remaining tea onto the floor, conveniently and precisely soaking the instep of someone's shoe. Feigning surprise, she cried out, "Oh my, this dear sir, I truly am sorry. Do you think you should step aside and change those?"

Annoyed to exasperation by her acidity, the Bug looked down at his soaked shoe. Good grief, was she really sorry? She was clearly aiming right at him; out of the tea she claimed to have poured on the ground, two-thirds had landed squarely on him.

Baring his teeth, he said, "Sister Red, what kind of talk is that? What's a worn-out shoe? If you're willing, you can drench the whole lot of them."

No sooner had he spoken than the atmosphere, which had finally eased, instantly grew tense and bristling with hostility once more.

Feeling somewhat bewildered and failing to understand what went wrong this time, the Bug began quietly feeling his way toward the door frame to slip outside.

Before he could even step over the threshold, a fierce palm strike blasted him flying backward.

The Red Widow crossed the threshold in rapid strides, placed her hands on her hips, and scolded, "Who's wearing worn-out shoes, you bastard? Huh?"

"..."

Hearing this, the Bug felt his scalp tighten instantly. Disregarding everything else, he grabbed his hair and bolted away nimbly.

Good grief, he had said the wrong thing again...