The group of four did not enter through the main door of the pavilion either. They also climbed in through a window.
They avoided the proper path, all preferring the small way, unwilling to bear the pressure of walking the right road, believing the small way to be the shortcut.
And people are conformist by nature. A place that one person finds safe, others will generally also find safe. This is conformity in judgement.
After the group crept through the interior passage of the pavilion into the palace, they immediately headed for what felt like the safest place to hide.
Yu Qing and his two martial brothers, hiding behind a platform, panicked instantly. They were not fools. How could they not notice someone approaching, let alone a whole group?
Yu Qing could not help asking, “Who?”
The other side was also startled. Nie Pinlan subconsciously asked as well, “Who?”
Ning Chaoyi directly pulled out a fluorescent stone to illuminate the area, and immediately saw the three of them squatting together like they were defecating.
The three martial brothers, huddled on the ground, were exposed completely and clearly.
Of course, the three brothers also saw clearly who had arrived.
They had harmed these people so badly earlier, then quickly shaken them off and run away first. They had never expected to meet under such circumstances. What a twist of fate.
Nan Zhu was already wearing an expression of extreme awkwardness, the very picture of a guilty thief.
Seeing Nan Zhu, Nie Pinlan’s face indeed turned black in an instant. She was about to erupt on the spot.
Right at that moment, there was a splash from the pool, and a hand gripped the edge.
Yu Qing quickly pointed with both hands separately, one at the fluorescent stone in Ning Chaoyi’s hand, the other at the reaction over by the pool.
The newcomers were also startled. At this point, most of them were like startled birds. Any abnormality meant fright.
Ning Chaoyi quickly doused the light of the fluorescent stone, plunging the area back into darkness. The group immediately crouched down and hid behind the platform, sharing the same nest as the three martial brothers, temporarily setting aside their previous grievances.
In the pool, a hand faintly hooked over the pool’s edge, and then a head slowly emerged. A person lifted a leg in the water, climbed onto the pool’s edge, and with great effort crawled up onto it. Then, as if having exhausted all his strength, he rolled off the pool’s edge and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
The glow of a nearby fluorescent stone on the ground illuminated the iron mask on his face.
Seeing it was Iron Mask, Ning Chaoyi and the others were all shocked, not knowing how this man had ended up inside the earthly spring.
They all believed Iron Mask had been forced to enter. No one thought he had gone in of his own accord.
“Are there others here?” Bai Lan suddenly whispered a question to Yu Qing.
Daring to speak? Yu Qing was speechless, but still whispered back, “I don’t know. I didn’t see anyone.”
Bai Lan immediately leaned in and whispered into Nie Pinlan’s ear. Immediately after, the two women suddenly stood up and flew out together, pouncing directly at Iron Mask, who was collapsed on the ground.
Yu Qing and the others were greatly alarmed, but they quickly realised the two women were taking advantage of Iron Mask’s weakness, striking while he had little ability to resist.
Still, it seemed incredibly bold. After all, Iron Mask’s cultivation level was right there. The two sides were simply not on the same level.
Everyone could sense that these two women had, in some way, thrown caution to the wind.
And Iron Mask, lying on the ground gasping, indeed sensed them. He abruptly pushed himself up with force, wanting to make some reaction, but he truly had not recovered. A figure flashed past, and a sword in Nie Pinlan’s hand was already pressed against his neck.
Bai Lan swiftly moved behind him, striking repeatedly at his body, placing heavy restrictions on him. Still not reassured, she grabbed one of Iron Mask’s wrists and felt his pulse, keeping constant watch over the movements inside his body. The moment she detected anything amiss, Nie Pinlan, who was coordinating with her, would certainly slit Iron Mask’s throat.
A fluorescent stone appeared in Bai Lan’s hand. Her first reaction was to rip the iron mask off the captive’s face.
Iron Mask’s true appearance was finally exposed before their eyes. An older man, average-looking, but with considerable presence.
By the light, Yu Qing and his two martial brothers also saw Iron Mask’s true face clearly.
But so what if they saw clearly? Their level was not high. They did not know any Upper Profound realm cultivators at all.
Bai Lan had already asked, “Who are you?”
Iron Mask glanced left and right, seeing clearly who had made their move. He immediately sneered, “You two have some nerve, daring to act against me.”
Slap! Bai Lan delivered a fierce slap, letting him know exactly what having nerve meant.
A clear palm print appeared on Iron Mask’s face. His expression instantly darkened.
Bai Lan asked again, “Who are you?”
Iron Mask was silent for a moment, then replied, “Su Hou, Island Lord of Panlong Island.”
Slap! Bai Lan delivered another slap. “Nonsense! The Island Lord of Panlong Island is human. You are a demon.”
Blood appeared at the corner of Iron Mask’s mouth. He stuck out his tongue and licked it.
Nie Pinlan said, “I don’t care who you are. Where are the hostages you took?”
Iron Mask glanced sidelong at her again. “Will you believe me if I tell you?”
Nie Pinlan immediately pressed her sword against him. “Speak.”
Iron Mask answered quite readily, “Those from the Yin Kingdom are all locked up in the imperial prison of the Yin Kingdom’s capital.”
Nie Pinlan’s face showed shock and doubt. “How could the imperial prison help you hold people at will? One false word, and I’ll chop you up!”
Iron Mask said, “I told you, but you don’t believe me. Then you choose. Tell me where you want me to say, and I’ll say it.”
At these words, Bai Lan flew into a rage again, raising her hand to deliver another slap.
Iron Mask swept her with a cold glance, his eyes flashing with vicious light.
Bai Lan, who was holding his wrist, instantly changed expression. She detected the abnormality inside his body and immediately cried out, “Not good…”
Before her slap could even land, Iron Mask had reversed his grip and seized the wrist of the hand holding his.
Nie Pinlan was greatly alarmed. Her reaction was quick enough. She did not give Iron Mask a chance to change the situation. The sword in her hand instantly sprang like a bowstring, its light slicing toward his head.
Thud! A fine head tumbled and flew away.
What was eerie was that no blood sprayed from the severed neck of Iron Mask.
His action of gripping Bai Lan’s wrist did not stop. With a crack, he cleanly snapped Bai Lan’s elbow. At the same time, a kick swept out like thunder.
Being pulled by someone, Bai Lan had no way to dodge. She could only muster all her cultivation to resist this strike. However, the gap in their cultivation levels was too great.
Under normal circumstances, how would an Initial Profound cultivator dare to engage in close combat with an Upper Profound cultivator? That would be courting death.
Bang! The sound of ribs breaking came out. Bai Lan also coughed up blood and flew out. Blood sprayed madly from her shoulder.
That arm of hers was still in Iron Mask’s hand. The arm had separated from her person, torn alive from her body by the headless Iron Mask.
And although Iron Mask’s other hand had been unable to block the sword edge that severed his head in time, after losing his head, he grabbed the sword blade and twisted it upward.
The opponent’s cultivation level was too high. Nie Pinlan could not withstand this direct confrontation. Her body instantly lost balance.
She did not even want the sword anymore, quickly letting go, intending to flash away and flee.
But the arm torn from Bai Lan’s body had already whistled through the air and smashed toward her. Bang! It struck her face squarely.
The instant it struck, that arm exploded and shattered. And her face also seemed to distort violently in that instant, blood spraying from her mouth and nose, her hair instantly coming loose and scattering.
Even mustering all her cultivation to resist was useless. Her entire body was still sent flying, crashing to the ground and instantly losing almost all movement, only her eyes rolling back weakly.
On the other side, Bai Lan still had a bit more movement, gasping, coughing up blood repeatedly. Her eyes stared at Iron Mask, who stood there without a head, full of disbelief and unwillingness.
Yu Qing and the others, hiding in the shadows watching, were also dumbstruck. What the hell? His head was chopped off, and not only did he not die, he could still attack as normal?
One by one, they applied “Blue Enchantress” to their eyelids and saw a layer of evil qi shrouding Iron Mask’s severed neck.
Iron Mask stood in place, making no further moves to attack.
But his upper body seemed to be expanding, like a flower about to bloom.
Rip, tear. His upper garment, unable to contain it, split open. Several shadows popped out, and two mushroom-like growths also seemed to emerge from his neck area.
Yu Qing and the others, observing from the shadows, were already staring with eyes wide as if seeing a ghost. They saw that Iron Mask’s back had actually grown two more pairs of arms. Added to the original arms, that made six arms. Even more terrifying was that two more heads had grown out.
Iron Mask, his body now considerably enlarged, shook his newly grown two heads and moved his six arms. A faint layer of evil qi shrouded his body.
After briefly adapting, he walked forward, bent down, and with two hands picked up his own severed head. He placed it back on his neck properly, and the wound rapidly healed.
Soon he released the hands holding it. The reattached head could already move freely. The wound on his neck gradually disappeared without a trace.
The hair on the original head was neatly combed. The two newly grown heads, however, had dishevelled hair, exuding a sinister and evil aura.
His six arms spread open. All three heads opened their mouths together, tilting their heads back and letting out a suppressed “Haa” sound, whether of sorrow or excitement. A faint evil qi floated around his body.
This scene of three heads and six arms, indescribably sinister or nauseating, made Yu Qing and the others watching from the shadows shudder with horror.
“Mm…” Nie Pinlan, lying on the ground, suddenly let out a muffled groan, seeming to recover slightly.
Iron Mask immediately walked over. The sword taken from Nie Pinlan was still in his hand. He walked over and stood before Nie Pinlan, then returned the sword to her.
Only the way he returned it was not very good. He casually threw it down, plunging it into Nie Pinlan’s head, pinning her skull to the ground.
Nie Pinlan’s body twitched and convulsed a few times, then went still. Her face pressed against the ground, eyes wide open, her own blood slowly soaking her face, a look of dying with grievance.
On the other side, Bai Lan was still gasping and coughing up blood on the ground. Iron Mask did not neglect her, turning and walking toward her.
Bai Lan tried several times to push herself up and leave, but her upper body clearly felt as if it had been broken at the waist. She had no strength to support her entire body. Seeing that her life was hanging by a thread, and knowing her life could not be saved, she did not know what she thought of. She suddenly turned her head and looked toward where Yu Qing and the others were hiding. A strange, cold smile flashed in her eyes.
She forcefully swallowed the blood in her mouth, then suddenly shouted with all her might, “A Shiheng, save me!”
Yu Qing, hiding in the shadows, was startled by her shout, almost jumping out to curse her. How was this asking him to save her? This was clearly trying to drag him down with her. Truly, she would not let him go even in death.
And it was not just him. The people hiding with him were all caught off guard. They understood. Bai Lan’s shout had sold them out.