“Gui Qianshao is detained inside the dungeon of the Young Lord’s mansion. Rescuing her is within our capability,” Gao Yin stated. “However, it will require a massive sacrifice. Are you certain it is worth the cost?”
Inside Zhi Li’s mansion, elite martial artists gathered like clouds. The garrison comprised not only the top combatants of the Li faction’s eunuchs but also experts from the Black Ice Palace and the Hidden Island. Successfully extracting someone from such a stronghold would inevitably demand a heavy price.
During the previous ambush on Sauron, over a dozen Dragon Warriors from the Shadow Pavilion had been completely wiped out by the Yaozhou forces, severely damaging the organization’s core strength.
Thus, the critical question remained whether rescuing Gui Qianshao at such an immense cost was justifiable. If she were viewed merely as a beautiful woman, it was undoubtedly a poor trade, regardless of any potential intimacy between her and Sauron.
Sauron replied, “Through her, I can wrest the entire Linhai City from our enemies, and I can snap several of Zhi Li’s bones in the process.”
Upon hearing this statement, Grand Eunuch Gao Yin’s eyes lit up with brilliance as he declared, “Then we execute the rescue. No matter how great the sacrifice, we shall save her.”
Sauron continued, “Of course, a brute-force assault on the mansion would incur excessive casualties. We must devise a method to draw Zhi Li away from the estate, which will ensure that more than half of the elite guards accompany him out.”
Luring Zhi Li away from his residence appeared simple on the surface, but it was remarkably difficult to execute in practice.
This was due to the fact that Zhi Li’s lower body injuries had not yet fully mended, causing him to restrict his movements entirely to his mansion. He had gone so far as to ignore royal summons to court, remaining secluded within his estate for several months.
Sauron explained, “Upon receiving the report of my death, his primary objective became forcing Zhi Yan’s capitulation. Yet, over a month has elapsed, and we have issued no signal of surrender. It was precisely to apply pressure and test our resolve that Zhi Li ordered Gui Xingfu to launch the assault on Tianshui City. Tonight, we shall have Duke Zhi Ting invite Zhi Li out for a conference, explicitly stipulating that the meeting take place at a neutral venue.”
Gao Yin nodded, acknowledging the viability of the strategy.
Duke Zhi Ting represented both the King and Zhi Yan. Any movement from his side was something Zhi Li was eager to exploit, making it highly probable that he would accept the invitation.
“Should we inform Duke Zhi Ting that you survived and have returned?” Gao Yin inquired.
Sauron shook his head, replying, “No. Zhi Li is exceedingly sinister and cunning. If Duke Zhi Ting learns that I am alive, his demeanor might give away the ruse.”
“Very well,” Gao Yin agreed. “I shall return to the royal capital immediately to arrange the bait for Zhi Li.”
With that, Gao Yin took the lead, slipping back into the royal capital ahead of the others.
Half an hour later, Sauron, Zhi Yan, and Zhuang Zhixuan, operating under the cover of the Shadow Pavilion’s elite operatives, stealthily infiltrated the royal capital of Zhidu.
Inside the Young Lord’s mansion within the royal capital.
“Has Zhi Yan still not compromised or begged for mercy?” Zhi Li asked, reclining on a couch while dressed in loose garments.
The female Dragon Warrior, Jian Liu, knelt on the floor, shaking her head as she replied, “No, Your Highness. Furthermore, she has gradually ceased to react to my tortures.”
Zhi Li frowned, asking, “Is her resolve truly that unyielding?”
Jian Liu explained, “It is not that. She has fallen into absolute despair and actively seeks death, causing her to become completely numb to the physical torment.”
A muscle twitched violently in Zhi Li’s face.
Gui Qianshao was an absolute treasure of a woman, and he was genuinely loath to order her execution.
He had originally reasoned that as a coddled, aristocratic young lady, she would possess no tolerance for hardship. A minor taste of suffering should have broken her spirit, transforming her into a compliant songbird that he could enjoy at his leisure.
He had never anticipated that she would develop a fixation on dying instead.
However, he swiftly pushed these thoughts aside. A mere female was a minor distraction that must not interfere with his grand political designs.
Since she proved impossible to civilize, the alternative was straightforward, he would simply have her bound and subject her to repeated violations.
If she eventually broke and submitted, it would be ideal. Should she remain obstinate, he would thoroughly shatter her sanity, reducing her to a breathtakingly beautiful shell of a human being. While intimacy with a living corpse lacked flavor, she remained a peerless beauty nonetheless.
“Very well, suspend the physical torment and avoid leaving any blemishes on her skin. Nourish her body back to health,” Zhi Li commanded. “I shall require her services at any moment.”
“Understood, Your Highness,” Jian Liu replied, lowering her gaze to conceal the intense reluctance in her eyes.
Zhi Li closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting to Gui Qianshao’s striking face and voluptuous figure, which immediately sent a surge of heat through his veins.
Yet, a sharp, stabbing pang of pain shot through his lower anatomy right after.
On that fateful day, despite his swift reflexes, his manhood had been almost entirely severed, with a mere fifth of the tissue remaining attached amid a torrent of blood.
Although ice packs had been applied instantly and a master of medicine had stitched the severed organ back together within an hour, the recovery was fraught with complications.
Now, approximately a month later, the physical incision on Zhi Li’s body had fully closed, and the sutures had been removed two days prior.
The fatal complication, however, was that the organ remained completely unresponsive.
Moments earlier, he had directed his mistress, Jian Liu, to strike various provocative poses, igniting a raging fire within his chest. Despite this, his body failed to respond, yielding nothing but bouts of agonizing pain.
Consequently, even if he harbored the desire to violate Gui Qianshao at this moment, he lacked the physical capacity to execute it.
Once his body recovered completely, he intended to subject Gui Qianshao to absolute torment, avenging the ruin of his flesh.
At that juncture, Li Chenglian’s voice echoed from outside the chamber, “Your Highness.”
Zhi Li waved his hand, dismissing his mistress, Jian Liu.
The Grand Eunuch, Li Chenglian, stepped into the room and reported in a low murmur, “Duke Zhi Ting requests an audience.”
Hearing this, Zhi Li’s eyes flashed with absolute delight as he sat up abruptly.
The day he had been anticipating had finally arrived, his adversaries had finally lost their nerve and initiated contact.
Zhi Li’s maneuvers, ranging from deploying Gui Xingfu’s fleet southward to framing Sauron for treason, were orchestrated precisely to force Zhi Yan’s faction into total submission.
Now that a month had elapsed, the opposing side had finally cracked.
Zhi Li remarked with immense satisfaction, “Show him in.”
Li Chenglian countered, “He refuses to enter the Young Lord’s mansion. He insists on conducting the meeting at a neutral venue.”
Zhi Li’s eyes narrowed instantly. Given his deeply suspicious nature, he immediately began evaluating Zhi Ting’s true intent. Was this an attempt to lure him away from his stronghold to stage an assassination?
The notion of anyone attempting to rescue Gui Qianshao never crossed his mind. In his estimation, the girl was an abandoned piece discarded by all sides, possessing no value beyond her aesthetic appeal. Since Sauron was dead, a rescue operation was an absolute impossibility.
Therefore, his instinctive suspicion gravitated entirely toward a plot against his life.
He quickly discarded the absurd notion.
In the first place, the Shadow Pavilion lacked the military capacity to assassinate him within the capital. Secondly, even if he were to fall, Zhi Yan would remain incapable of ascending the throne.
“We shall proceed to the Yinglong Tower,” Zhi Li commanded. “Dispatch an advance force to secure the perimeter. Once I arrive, inform Zhi Ting at the last moment that he must enter the tower alone to meet me.”
“Understood, Your Highness,” Li Chenglian replied.
Half an hour later.
Escorted by a garrison of over a thousand warriors and dozens of top-tier martial experts, Zhi Li boarded his armored carriage, journeying to the Yinglong Tower to conduct the meeting with Zhi Ting.
The absolute instant his eyes fell upon Duke Zhi Ting, Zhi Li realized that his adversary harbored no clandestine plots whatsoever.
Since the report of Sauron’s death had circulated, Zhi Ting had lost a significant amount of weight, appearing as though he had aged a decade. His eyes were deeply sunken and ringed with heavy darkness.
Due to the rapid weight loss, his skin had not contracted uniformly, leaving his face covered in deep wrinkles beneath a disheveled beard.
The current Duke Zhi Ting cut an exceptionally wretched and broken figure.
Upon entering and taking his seat opposite Zhi Li, he remained entirely mute, staring blankly ahead.
“Duke Zhi Ting, you requested this conference yet choose to remain silent. What is the meaning of this?” Zhi Li inquired with a smirk.
Zhi Ting stared at Zhi Li for a long time before shaking his head, muttering, “My mind is a chaotic mess, I do not know where to begin.”
Zhi Li countered, “You do not know what to say, yet you summoned me here? Are you amusing yourself at my expense?”
Duke Zhi Ting replied, “I had no desire to come. It was His Majesty who commanded my presence, though I remain at a loss regarding what to negotiate.”
Zhi Li suggested, “Then allow me to initiate. Where is Zhi Yan?”
Zhi Ting answered, “She refuses to believe that Sauron is deceased. She has gone searching for him, and I have no knowledge of her current location.”
He then raised his gaze to look directly at Zhi Li, asking, “Was Sauron’s demise orchestrated with the involvement of Huai Bingyi as well?”
Zhi Li chuckled triumphantly, asking, “Does posing such questions at this juncture carry any significance?”
Zhi Ting stared intently at Zhi Li for a spell before lowering his head, murmuring, “Indeed, it is entirely meaningless now.”
Zhi Li pressed, “Uncle Zhi Ting, what is it that you desire? To maintain your survival and continue wallowing in luxury and privilege?”
Duke Zhi Ting shook his head, replying, “I have tasted every luxury this world offers, none of it matters to me anymore.”
He then looked up abruptly, stating, “I possess a vast fortune, an astronomical sum of gold coins, which I am prepared to surrender to you in its entirety. I am even willing to serve as your dog, executing whatever command you issue, provided you grant me a single concession.”
Zhi Li smiled arrogantly, saying, “Speak.”
Zhi Ting said, “Sauron is dead, meaning the Suo clan no longer poses a threat. You are free to dismantle Tianshui City, but I implore you not to extinguish the Suo bloodline entirely. Spare the lives of his elder sister and his daughter.”
Upon hearing this request, Zhi Li was caught completely off guard.
When Zhi Ting offered to surrender his entire fortune, Zhi Li had assumed the Duke was attempting to purchase his own safety. He had never imagined the man was bargaining for the survival of Suo Ningbing and Qinqin.
Zhi Li remarked, “Uncle Zhi Ting, since when did you become such a sentimental soul?”
Zhi Ting sighed deeply, saying, “The reason Sauron met such a tragic end is that he was dragged into my political orbit. Otherwise, his clan would not be facing total eradication.”
Zhi Li shook his head, countering, “That is impossible, Uncle Zhi Ting. You are permitted to live because you are nothing more than a harmless pig, your survival is irrelevant. Suo Ningbing may live for another ten days or so, given that I once desired to possess her. Once that period elapses, however, she must die. As for Sauron’s daughter, I intend to cut the grass and pull up the roots completely.”
Duke Zhi Ting’s voice turned hoarse as he cried, “She is a mere six years old! How can you bring yourself to harm a child?”
Zhi Li replied coldly, “Refraining from having her trained into a court plaything is already an act of immense mercy on my part. I intend to merely have her cut in half at the waist.”
The moment the words “cut in half” left Zhi Li’s lips, the image of the small, adorable Qinqin flashed through Zhi Ting’s mind, causing the hairs on his neck to stand on end.
When Fu Yan’er and Qinqin were journeying toward Tianshui City, they had stayed at the Princess’s mansion for a day, and Duke Zhi Ting had grown exceptionally fond of the little girl.
Learning that Zhi Li intended to subject a six-year-old child to such a horrific execution stripped Zhi Ting of all rationality.
“I shall kill you right now, I will kill you…” Duke Zhi Ting roared, lunging forward as he hurled his teacup directly at Zhi Li’s face.
However, the cup shattered into dust a foot before reaching Zhi Li.
An instant later, a finger pressed firmly against the back of Duke Zhi Ting’s neck, rendering him entirely immobile.
Zhi Li did not bother to draw his blade, opting instead to strike Duke Zhi Ting firmly across the skull with the heavy pommel of his sword.
*Thwack…*
Duke Zhi Ting’s face slammed violently into the wooden table, blood spurting instantly as one of his teeth snapped from the impact.
The table splintered under the force, sending him crashing heavily onto the floor, where he let out a series of agonizing groans.
Li Chenglian stepped forward, drawing his sword and resting the cold edge against the back of Zhi Ting’s neck.
“Do not execute him, keeping him alive offers far greater amusement,” Zhi Li instructed. “Cast him outside.”
Two eunuchs stepped forward, hoisting the bleeding Duke Zhi Ting and tossing him out of the tower.
The attendants from the Duke’s estate rushed forward to assist their master into his carriage, swiftly retreating back toward the safety of the ducal mansion.
While the conference between Zhi Li and Zhi Ting was unfolding at the Yinglong Tower.
Zhi Yan, Gao Yin, Zhuang Zhixuan, and over a dozen top-tier operatives from the Shadow Pavilion, all clad in black attire with matching cloth masking their faces, breached the perimeter of the Young Lord’s mansion.
Originally, there was no logical necessity for Sauron to accompany the strike team. However, if he personally extracted Gui Qianshao from her confinement, the psychological impact would be entirely different, carving an indelible mark into the depth of her soul.
It was a rather ironical turn of events. Zhi Yan and Lord Gao were undisputed masters within the human kingdom, ranking among the top three combatants in the Kingdom of Wrath.
Now, they found themselves forced to don masks to execute a prison break.
Although Zhi Li had taken a significant portion of his elite guards with him, the mansion still retained dozens of Dragon Warriors and over a dozen powerful spiritualists.
The exact instant Sauron’s group breached the compound, their presence was detected.
With formidable spiritualists guarding the estate, executing a silent infiltration was an absolute impossibility.
*Clang, clang, clang!* The brass alarms began to chime violently throughout the estate.
Hundreds of martial artists and thousands of soldiers began converging on their position like a swarm of hornets.
“Lord Gao, Zhuang Zhixuan, lead the Shadow Pavilion operatives and mount a direct assault toward the main hall, creating the illusion of an assassination attempt on Zhi Li. Draw every available expert away from our position,” Sauron directed, assigning the tactical roles. “Zhi Yan and I will penetrate the dungeon to extract Gui Qianshao.”
“Understood,” Gao Yin affirmed.
Sauron pressed, “Lord Gao, are you absolutely certain she is confined within the subterranean vaults beneath the western gardens?”
Gao Yin replied, “Without a doubt.”
Sauron cast a brief glance at Zhuang Zhixuan’s striking figure. She was currently clad in a priceless suit of platinum chainmail, rendering her virtually impervious to blades and spears, with her face concealed beneath a platinum visor.
“Maintain a tight position beside Lord Gao, avoid unnecessary engagements, and do not get injured,” Sauron instructed her.
“I am aware,” Zhuang Zhixuan replied coldly.
In truth, she remained entirely bewildered as to how she had inexplicably ended up participating in Sauron’s operations.
Sauron and Gao Yin exchanged a knowing glance, nodding in unison.
*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…*
Like fleeting shadows, the strike force dissolved into the darkness, launching their offensive.
Zhuang Zhixuan’s athletic and curvaceous figure shot forward like an arrow released from a bow string.
“Assassins! There are assassins!”
An absolute frenzy of panic engulfed the Young Lord’s mansion.
Countless torches were ignited, and every available expert surged toward the positions of Gao Yin and Zhuang Zhixuan.
*Boom, boom, boom…*
The defensive forces protecting the estate surged forward like a tidal wave.
Sauron and Zhi Yan exchanged a look, a trace of concern visible in their eyes.
In a tactical scenario of this nature, they must avoid becoming bogged down or surrounded at all costs. Otherwise, regardless of one’s martial prowess, they would eventually be worn down and hacked to pieces once their store of dragon energy was exhausted.
“Kill!”
Gao Yin, Zhuang Zhixuan, and the dozen elite Shadow Pavilion operatives formed a sharp arrowhead formation, covering each other’s flanks as they carved a path through the defenders.
Instantly, crimson blood sprayed through the air amid a chorus of agonized shrieks.
Gao Yin’s blade moved with the velocity of a phantom, claiming at least three lives with every passing second.
Furthermore, he executed his strikes utilizing the absolute minimum expenditure of dragon energy and physical effort. Before his advance, not a single opponent could withstand a single blow.
Despite being a woman, Zhuang Zhixuan’s swordsmanship was exceptionally fierce and brutal. A single downward cleave split an opponent entirely in two, unleashing a torrent of blood.
It was evident that she still harbored deep-seated resentment within her chest, utilizing this slaughter as an outlet to purge her emotions.
The elite defenders of the mansion proved highly cunning. They deployed the common soldiers and lower-ranking martial artists as cannon fodder to deplete Gao Yin’s dragon energy, while they themselves hovered in the rear, waiting to launch opportunistic ambushes.
In this manner, Gao Yin’s group carved an blood-soaked path toward the central hall.
The volume of corpses littering the ground swelled continuously, scattered haphazardly across the courtyard.
With every step forward, they left an untold number of dead in their wake, the stones painted thoroughly in crimson.
Yet, the volume of adversaries showed no signs of diminishing. Instead, the numbers swelled further until a force of several thousand troops completely encircled Gao Yin’s small band.
Seeing that Gao Yin and his companions had successfully drawn the entirety of the mansion’s garrison away, breaking line of sight, Zhi Yan murmured, “Move.”
Grabbing Sauron’s hand, she dissolved from her position instantly, moving like a ghost toward the subterranean prison beneath the gardens.
Along their path, though they encountered few high-level experts, they still ran face-first into sporadic patrols.
At this juncture, Zhi Yan unleashed an exceptionally terrifying display of spiritual offense.
Before the sentries could even register her approach, their bodies were instantly paralyzed in place. Zhi Yan would then materialize before them like a phantom, cleanly claiming their heads in the process.
Consequently, as they advanced, they terminated dozens of guards without a single alarm being raised.
In this unhindered fashion, Zhi Yan and Sauron reached the mansion’s gardens, locating the entrance to the dungeon based on their intelligence maps.
The entrance consisted of a solid steel door several inches thick, engineered to open exclusively from the interior.
Zhi Yan drew her Dragon Gold sword, cleanly carving an opening through the metal before dropping down into the darkness below.
“Beg for mercy! Cry for me!” Zhi Li’s mistress, the Dragon Warrior Jian Liu, was continuing her torment of Gui Qianshao.
Even though Zhi Li had explicitly commanded her to cease the torture, her intense jealousy regarding Gui Qianshao’s flawless face and exquisite figure drove her forward.
Inflicting pain upon Gui Qianshao had transformed into a profound source of gratification for her.
Presently, she was utilizing a long gold needle, targeting several of the most sensitive acupoints on the human body to drive the metal deep into the flesh.
Today, she targeted the points on the sole of the foot, driving the needle several inches deep.
Gui Qianshao’s entire body was convulsing from the sheer agony, leaving her incapable of even formulating a scream as her frame shuddered violently against her restraints.
Over the course of this month, she had experienced every single hardship she had been spared throughout her privileged life. She had existed entirely within the depths of hell.
The exceedingly malicious Jian Liu had refrained from leaving any visible scars on the surface of Gui Qianshao’s skin, yet every session of torment was calculated to bring her to the absolute brink of sanity.
Grasping the exposed end of the gold needle, she gave it a sudden, sharp twist.
The needle, moving like a burrowing serpent, vanished completely into the acupoint on the sole of Gui Qianshao’s foot.
“Ah…” Gui Qianshao let out a sharp, pathetic cry. A sudden wave of heat washed down her thigh, and she lost consciousness instantly from the sheer shock of the pain.
Jian Liu scooped up a bucket of piercingly cold ice water, hurl it directly into Gui Qianshao’s face.
Following a violent shudder, Gui Qianshao regained consciousness once more.
Staring at Gui Qianshao’s breathtaking face, Jian Liu remarked with venomous hatred, “Tomorrow marks the end of my opportunity to torment you. His Highness intends to relocate you to another facility to recuperate properly. However, I refuse to let you off so easily, I intend to make you experience a fate truly worse than death.”
With that, she retrieved a small porcelain vial from her robes.
“Do you know what resides within this vial? These are Blood-Sucking Demon Locusts cultivated by Yaozhou. This tiny container houses tens of thousands of them, so minuscule they are invisible to the naked eye. If I force them down your throat and into your stomach, do you have any inkling of what will transpire? Tens of thousands of these parasites will attach themselves to your stomach lining and intestines, engorging themselves on your blood until they swell larger and larger.”
Hearing this description, an expression of absolute, unadulterated horror manifested on Gui Qianshao’s face.
She did not fear the prospect of death, but this was infinitely more terrifying than demise.
Jian Liu’s face twisted into a demonic grin as she continued, “When that occurs, your body will waste away until you are nothing but a bag of bones. Eventually, your blood supply will prove insufficient to sustain them, and they will rupture violently through your flesh. Countless repulsive leeches will tear through your skin, leaving your internal organs reduced to a mass of mush.”
Gui Qianshao’s frame trembled uncontrollably as she shrieked, “Kill me! Just kill me right now!”
“How could I bring myself to kill you?” Jian Liu sneered coldly, removing the stopper from the vial before forcing Gui Qianshao’s jaw open.
Gui Qianshao closed her eyes in bitter agony.
“I cannot hold out any longer, I cannot wait… Sauron, regardless of whether you know I am confined here, regardless of whether you would come to my rescue, I simply cannot endure until then…”
Gui Qianshao had reached a definitive resolution, she would never allow that horrific scenario to unfold.
the exact instant those repulsive parasites were forced down her throat, she would immediately choose to terminate her own life, slamming her skull violently against the stone wall.
“Sauron, you absolute bastard, you hypocritical scoundrel. You refused to sleep with me, yet had the audacity to declare you never touched me, forcing me to depart this world with nothing but regrets…” Her thoughts were a chaotic mix of resentment and profound tenderness.
Jian Liu feasted her eyes upon Gui Qianshao’s breathtaking face and snow-white, flawless skin.
“My, my…” Jian Liu sighed in mock admiration. “Such an exquisite body. I am genuinely looking forward to the moment those tens of thousands of leeches rupture through your flesh.”
Her expression turned vicious as she tilted the vial, preparing to empty the unseen swarm into the girl’s mouth.
However, in the very next fraction of a second…
Her body was completely frozen in place, paralyzed by an invisible force.
Sauron and Zhi Yan burst into the chamber with lightning velocity.
Sauron lunged forward, snatching the porcelain vial from her grasp at maximum speed before securing the stopper tightly.
He then swiftly located the gold needle embedded in the sole of Gui Qianshao’s foot, extracting it cleanly before driving it with immense force directly beneath Jian Liu’s thumb nail.
“Ah…”
Jian Liu unleashed an exceptionally piercing, blood-curdling shriek.
“You are crying out far too early. There is an endless buffet of torment awaiting you in the days to come,” Sauron remarked coldly.
He then stepped forward, gathering Gui Qianshao’s pale, trembling frame into his arms, murmuring softly, “I am sorry, I arrived late.”
Sauron’s voice sounded so surreal, as if descending from the highest heavens, causing Gui Qianshao to wonder if she had slipped into a dream.
Then came the sensation of a warm, secure embrace.
Opening her eyes, she was met with Sauron’s deeply sorrowful gaze and his exceptionally handsome face.
She stared at him in utter disbelief, completely unable to process the reality before her eyes.
This… this truly was not a dream?
Sauron had actually come to rescue her? He had descended into the depths of hell to save her?
An instant later…
Gui Qianshao burst into a violent fit of weeping, burying her face into Sauron’s chest as she sobbed hysterically, “You absolute scoundrel, what took you so long? It hurt so badly, it hurt so badly, it hurt so badly…”