Chapter 1655: Chapter 1650: Shackled by Suffering

Deep underground, the unreachable depths.

The sight of a dozen faces simultaneously changing expressions was truly fascinating.

Especially considering the previously tense standoff between the two sides.

"Good—"

Thus, Fu Qian wasted no time, watched the whole process without averting his gaze, and even offered a comment.

Though just a single word, the intonation was so ambiguous that it was hard to discern whether it was agreeing with Old Master Huang’s question or applause heard in a theater.

"I don’t know those two, but I have seen Huang Zhixun."

Fortunately, Fu Qian did not overly strain everyone’s nerves and soon provided an answer.

...

Though just one sentence, it carried enormous implications.

Especially when coupled with Fu Qian’s still calm demeanor, even the smiling faces of the team went rigid under the collective dismay.

"You know Blood Lion... When?"

This time, it was Sha Ming, whom Fu Qian had high hopes for, who broke the silence.

His voice, even rougher than before, revealed the gravity of his emotions.

"A long time ago."

Fu Qian replied cheerfully.

"Unfortunately, every time we met, he lacked the necessary awareness of his own situation."

...

"But Your Excellency is not the same... You probably already knew what I wanted to do earlier, didn’t you?"

Seemingly stirred by Fu Qian’s words, while Sha Ming retreated in contemplation, Elder Huang Leji did not disappoint and replied cooperatively.

And fittingly as the spokesperson of the team, he raised a question more relevant to the members.

"I don’t know, I was just sitting there resting."

Unfortunately, Fu Qian did not bother to maintain an air of mystery, plainly stating that he wasn’t as extraordinary.

"However, your disguise is not very clever. Few would willingly approach an old man, especially in such peculiar circumstances."

With a speech marked by age, the gaze Fu Qian cast on the surroundings bore the nostalgia of bygone eras.

"If the one approaching is also an old man, then there’s no problem."

Yet this time, the reply came from a strange voice.

Not only was the voice genuinely aged, but as he moved, his white hair swayed, embodying the demeanor of an elder.

Compared to Fu Qian’s current image, though this person seemed older, he was sharp and his eyes were fierce.

Indeed possessing profound depth, besides the one who perished tragically along with their beloved at the hands of the Evil Omen, Xi Yuan’s Huang Family unexpectedly had such a Sea-Calming Divine Needle.

As Fu Qian inwardly praised, the other was already walking leisurely with a lurking smile, stopping only when near.

"I am Huang Zhen, I must say Your Excellency’s demeanor is indeed extraordinary."

"Yet precisely because of this, I find myself a bit puzzled. Why, despite not even revealing your name, do you willingly bind yourself with us?"

While introducing himself, he gestured between himself and Fu Qian.

"I believe Your Excellency has clearly seen, the bonds established between everyone."

...

Bonds, indeed a fitting description.

Truly, having an elder in the family is a treasure, Elder Huang Zhen’s debut visibly dampened the mystery man’s arrogance, bolstering the rescue team’s momentum.

Even for Fu Qian, such an account warranted a slight nod.

He certainly saw it.

Amid the loud quarrel among the people, as Huang Leji took advantage of the situation to approach the final step naturally, something peculiar emerged in his perception, even in his view.

It was an ethereal chain, as if made of molten iron, directed straight at himself.

The other end converged with numerous other chains at a point.

Predictably, each one pointed to a member of the rescue team.

This occurrence lasted only a moment, unavoidable, unbreakable, as if the fundamental rule of this place.

Perhaps it is just that.

As the main force of the rescue team deeply penetrated here, gaining no insight would be underestimating their capabilities.

Though the group’s acting was decent, even emotionally engaging, as an academic worker, questioning why about everything was a habit as natural as breathing.

There was an anomaly detected immediately that Fu Qian never forgot—

Relative to the damage sustained, the team’s mental state seemed disproportionately poor, worse than even the digging crew’s demeanor.

This can be attributed to the factor of being trapped deeper, but let’s not forget the leader of this team was much stronger, boosting morale should not be a problem.

Yet before Fu Qian entered, even Old Master Huang himself, was repetitively questioning, an action essentially relevant only to emotional venting.

Something extra was troubling them, though Fu Qian couldn’t see it yet.

Thus, this was almost Fu Qian’s immediate interpretation.

From the journey here, it was apparent that numerous elements were beyond perception, hence relying solely on ranking superiority would be unprofessional.

In conclusion, due to these unknowns, Fu Qian chose to incite conflict casually.

...

The trio being named was not entering here for the first time, on one hand, allowing the team’s internal conflicts to erupt most efficiently, and on the other hand, such chaos suited those with ulterior motives to act.

Therefore, the changes now were indeed a result of mutual pursuit.

The special aspect is merely that the one with ulterior motives was not singular, but a group.

The subconscious collective action earlier bore a clear purpose—to get Huang Leji as close as possible without alarming Fu Qian into escape.

Indeed, in Fu Qian’s assessment, the appearance of the chain representing special bonds had extremely straightforward conditions, such as merely proximity to any person in this group.

And almost without needing thought, it was obvious that couldn’t be good.

Because besides dragging people down, it’s hard to imagine what could prompt such a harmonious enthusiasm.

"Sorry, we felt this was more conducive to communication."

As Elder Huang Zhen’s momentum reached its peak, Sha Ming softly spoke from afar, explaining the current situation with a much calmer tone, and why they had to act thusly.

"We don’t know what this is, but it’s clear that like other rules, it cannot be defied."

"Since leaving that mirror-filled place, it started appearing."

"On one hand, whoever comes close is incorporated into the link, while no matter how far away, it’s inescapable."

"Most crucially, once entangled, the changes in each person, whether destruction or rebirth, directly replicate to others."

"For instance now, Your Excellency, do you feel it?"

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