"Many thanks, Elder Qi!" Wu Yan expressed his gratitude as he took the key from Elder Qi's hand, "Elder Qi, I'll bring Xiao Mu out right away."

"Don't worry about it, time doesn't matter. You can take as long as you want, just don't disturb Jiang Mei and the others." Elder Qi waved his hand nonchalantly, leaning on his cane, unconcerned.

"Thank you, Elder Qi!"

Wu Yan thanked Elder Qi, then turned to Xiao Mu, "Xiao Mu, come with me!"

"Thank you, Elder Qi!"

Xiao Mu also expressed his thanks to Elder Qi.

"Xiao Xiao, you're too polite!"

Elder Qi's face was smiling as he gestured towards a red lacquered wooden door inside the hall, "Go on, follow Wu Yan!"

"Thank you, Elder Qi!"

Xiao Mu thanked Elder Qi again and then followed Wu Yan towards the door inside the hall.

Wu Yan switched to transmitting his voice, not wanting Elder Qi to hear, "Elder Qi's full name is Qi Xie, a Yin Spirit who attained Dao, and is one of the senior group members of our Task Group One. He was on the verge of breaking into the True God Realm, but his breakthrough failed because of the interference from the True Lords of the Five Elements and the Curse God during the critical moment."

"Even though the True Lords of the Five Elements and the Curse God were originally not as powerful as Elder Qi, and even together they were no match for him, it's a pity that Elder Qi fell victim to their joint scheme and failed his breakthrough."

"Moreover, they stole Elder Qi's Spirit Tablet and six parts of his soul, leaving only one soul and one spirit intact. As a result, Elder Qi's divine soul was incomplete, causing not only his realm to fall, but also the loss of his fighting ability. He became even weaker than an ordinary person."

"You don't need to secretly tell Xiao Xiao about me," Elder Qi's voice suddenly came, addressed to Wu Yan.

Wu Yan and Xiao Mu were startled at the same time, turning their heads in surprise towards Elder Qi.

Elder Qi was supposed to be incapacitated, so how could he hear Wu Yan's transmitted message?

The situation was too strange, giving both Wu Yan and Xiao Mu an unbelievable feeling.

"What Wu Yan said is true, I did fall into the trap laid by the True Lords of the Five Elements and the Curse God. However, to say that even together they were no match for me is clearly overestimating me. At that time, I couldn't beat them even when they joined forces," Elder Qi continued with a smile, addressing Xiao Mu, "Actually, I didn't fail my breakthrough, but was injured by their scheme. Xiao Mu, don't be misled by Wu Yan."

Wu Yan's face was slightly embarrassed.

Xiao Mu, however, did not see it as an issue. Elder Qi, as the person involved, certainly knew the situation better than Wu Yan.

"Yes, Elder Qi," Xiao Mu responded.

"Ah!"

Wu Yan suddenly let out a deep sigh and said sentimentally, "If only we could find Elder Qi's Spirit Tablet and his other souls, his strength would surely be restored to its former state."

"Difficult!"

Elder Qi shook his head while sitting on a chair, hands on his cane, "The things in the hands of the True Lords of the Five Elements and the Curse God, how could they be easy to take back? Not to mention we don't know where they've hidden my Spirit Tablet and the other parts of my soul. Even if we did, it's not something you can retrieve."

"Wu Yan, I'm old, and it's not worth it for you to risk your lives to save me. Remember, never, ever look for my Spirit Tablet and the other parts of my soul."

Elder Qi's expression became stern, his tone carrying a warning.

"Yes, Elder Qi," Wu Yan replied reluctantly, clearly unwilling.

Clearly, his agreement was only verbal; in reality, he wasn't giving up.

"I'm warning you, Wu Yan, if you want to die, that's one thing, but if a group member is killed because of me, even in death, I won't forgive you." Elder Qi seemed to have guessed Wu Yan's thoughts and abruptly shouted sternly.

"Elder Qi, calm down, please! Will it not suffice to listen to your wishes?" As soon as Wu Yan saw Elder Qi getting angry, he quickly softened his stance.

"Hmph! You'd better not be saying one thing to my face and doing another behind my back."

Elder Qi sighed, "Sacrificing group members for an old invalid like me is simply not worth it."

"Yes, yes, Elder Qi, you're right. Whatever you say, I'll do," Wu Yan replied, following Elder Qi's lead.

"Ah!"

Elder Qi shook his head with a sigh, leaning on his cane. He didn't question Wu Yan anymore, evidently feeling that further words would be futile.

Xiao Mu watched from start to finish, remaining silent throughout the entire interaction.

After placating Qi Xie, Wu Yan gave Xiao Mu a meaningful look and led the way toward the red door inside the hall.

The color of the wooden door was as vivid as blood, and it was only upon approaching it that Xiao Mu realized it was not painted red but was rather coated with blood.

This was a type of Spirit Blood, faintly radiant with Spiritual Energy, unquestionably extracted from Mutated Beings.

Below the Spirit Blood, the wooden door was inscribed with an Array Method that seemed to appear and disappear.

The Array Method was perpetually active, igniting the power of the Spirit Blood and continuously supplying a nurturing type of energy to the room behind the door.

Wu Yan's expression turned solemn, and he sliced his left hand at the pulse of his right wrist, severing the blood vessel and causing blood to surge outward rapidly.

Wu Yan immediately used his power to suppress the flow of blood and extended his hand towards something on the right side of the wooden door that looked like a square trough.

Releasing the suppression, the blood sprayed out instantly, flowing into the trough.

The gurgling sound of the flowing blood emerged from the trough, and the blood was transported inside the door.

Soon after, Wu Yan withdrew his hand, the blood flow already stopped, and the injury quickly healed. He turned his head towards Xiao Mu and said indifferently,

"Xiao Mu, offer some blood. A little loss of blood won't harm us."

Xiao Mu didn't ask why he needed to offer blood; in fact, he already had a vague idea of the reason. He walked directly to the square trough on the right side of the wooden door and made a cut on his wrist vein just like Wu Yan had.

With the wound appearing on his wrist, Xiao Mu mimicked Wu Yan and extended his hand over the trough, letting his blood flow smoothly into it.

"Hmm! Your blood is full of Spiritual Energy, even better quality than mine," Wu Yan noted perceptively with a light compliment.

Xiao Mu said nothing. He cultivated Dao Method Spiritual Energy and followed the path of Taoist Law. His blood naturally contained more Spiritual Energy than that of Martial Artists like Wu Yan, who followed a different path.

"All right!"

After a short while, Xiao Mu pulled his hand from the trough, stopped the bleeding, and instantly healed the wound with Life Force.

Continuing to bleed would affect him, so moderation was key.

"Come in with me!" Wu Yan said as he pressed the key he had received from Qi Xie against the door, seemingly activating an Array Method. The door released a faint Spiritual Light.

Wu Yan gently pushed on the door with his hand, and it opened.

Gesturing subtly to Xiao Mu, Wu Yan took the lead and walked through the door.

Xiao Mu quickly followed suit.

The door automatically closed behind them.

Xiao Mu felt a darkness envelop him as he entered a chilling world, filled with a dense Yin Qi and rich Spiritual Energy. It was similar to the Netherworld, yet distinct, as if a special terrain loaded with Spiritual Energy had been carved out of the Netherworld, much like the interior of a temple situated within it.

Wu Yan gestured for silence, placing a finger to his lips as he looked at Xiao Mu.

Understanding his signal, Xiao Mu nodded quietly, and Wu Yan stepped forward.

Following Wu Yan stealthily, Xiao Mu discovered that they were in a large room, clean and spacious, akin to a dust-free workshop in a factory.

The large room, however, was filled with one coffin after another.

Wu Yan quickly approached the foremost coffin, a vermilion one nourished by Spirit Blood just like the blood door, maintaining the spirituality within the coffin.

Wu Yan beckoned Xiao Mu to come closer.

Xiao Mu stepped forward and stood before the coffin.

The coffin's lid was made of glass, allowing a clear view of the inside.

The sight within the coffin gave Xiao Mu a slight shock.

It was a corpse, dismembered into countless pieces, each exuding a powerful Five Elements Power. This power clung to the surface of the corpse pieces without dissipating.

Clearly, the corpse's original owner had been harmed by the Five Elements Power of the Five Elements Sect, and the Sect member who inflicted the damage was evidently very strong. So much so that after the person was harmed, the Five Elements Power remained undispelled on the corpse.

The pieces of the corpse were stitched together with thread, barely outlining the face of its original owner.

Dressed in a red skirt, the identity of the corpse was undoubtedly that of a young woman.

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