Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The disciples of the Cold Mountain Sect and the Mountain Tiger Hall were trapped in the blood river with rotting flesh and eroded bones.
Even though they wished they were dead, they could only endure the endless pain.
Apart from the blood river, they were trapped in the fortress. Zhang Dongyun, the Fortress Lord, was controlling their perception of the outside world.
They would see whatever he wanted them to and would be unable to see whatever he did not want them to.
Zhang Dongyun had free control over the blood river that the old bloody shadow demon had left behind.
When he looked at the blood river, he pondered for a moment before a black mist appeared and enveloped him.
As the black mist dispersed, Zhang Dongyun’s appearance changed.
He had transformed from a handsome young man into an old man in black.
Although people would be unable to see his facial features due to the layer of black mist on the old man’s face, they would be able to sense that he was ominous and terrifying.
Zhang Dongyun nodded in satisfaction.
At first glance, he looked like a sockpuppet suitable for doing dirty work.
With this look, he appeared before all the prisoners in the blood river.
All of them were shocked to see the old man in black suddenly appear in front of them.
Due to the torment in the blood river, all of them were on the brink of madness and numbness.
In addition to the old bloody shadow demon, the appearance of the old man in black made everyone uneasy.
They did not know what painful tortures were awaiting them apart from the blood river.
“May I ask… are you the lord of this place, Senior?” The one-eyed young man of the Cold Mountain Sect spoke with difficulty. “We have mistakenly entered this place with no intention of offending you. We hope that you will be merciful and forgive us, Senior.”
Zhang Dongyun, who was portraying the old man in black, answered unhurriedly, “Just like Bloody Shadow, I am loyal to the lord of Chang’an Fortress.”
The one-eyed young man endured the pain. “I hope that Senior will help us put in a few good words before the lord…”
“What kind of person do you think the Fortress Lord is? Do you think he will ask about your affairs?” Zhang Dongyun said in an indifferent tone.
The one-eyed young man was at a loss. “Senior…”
“The Fortress Lord ordered Bloody Shadow to capture you for punishment but to spare your lives. This is his magnanimity.”
Zhang Dongyun, disguised as the old man in black, said slowly, “What to do with you is a matter for us underlings.”
He looked around. “Bloody Shadow went out under other orders, so you were handed over to me to dispose of. In other words…”
After saying that, Zhang Dongyun waved his hands.
Everyone rose slowly from the filthy blood river and was free from the torment of the blood water while being suspended in the air.
“… All of your fates lie in my hands.”
The old man in black smiled slightly.
From his smile, everyone could see the bloodthirstiness and madness in him.
Below them was the blood river that had caused all of them to be scared out of their wits, and they could fall back into the river at any time.
Compared to the blood river, many were more worried that the old man in black would do something else to torment them.
As though enjoying the fear of the crowd, the old man in black then slowly said after a while, “The Fortress Lord is magnanimous, and I should follow his footsteps. Since all of you have been punished, I can spare you…”
All of them were delighted to hear that.
However, Zhang Dongyun added, “But you must pay a price for leaving this place alive.”
The prisoners’ emotions fluctuated sharply.
Many of them looked indignant, thinking that Zhang Dongyun was playing cat and mouse with them.
“How can we serve you, Senior?” the one-eyed young man calmly asked.
“I fancy nothing on all of you, but some things in this world are more precious than treasures,” Zhang Dongyun said with a smile. “Tell me what you know. I will release whoever provides the most valuable information.”
With a thought from him, dozens of black mists separated the people in front of him so that they could no longer hear each other.
“Think carefully. Don’t make anything up or leave anything out, or you won’t be able to leave.”
The old man in black, whom Zhang Dongyun incarnated into, appeared before the one-eyed young man first.
“I am Hui Tianyu, a disciple of the Cold Mountain Sect at the southern foot of Dragon Ridge.” The one-eyed young man took a deep breath. “I excavated a spirit jade fetus with those from my sect outside this fortress earlier.
“However, the spirit jade fetus transformed into a human. A senior might have used it to reincarnate. After that, we were separated. I do not know where that senior is now.”
The old man in black did not express any opinion and just quietly looked at the young man in front of him.
The gleam in Hui Tianyu’s only eye dimmed a little. He pulled himself together and added, “Our sect has always worshipped the Forgotten Truth Temple as the alliance leader. We make monthly offerings and are blessed by its leadership.”
Forgotten Truth Temple… Zhang Dongyun combed through Evil Emperor Ming Tonghui’s memories. He had some impressions on this name, but merely the name.
Zhang Dongyun now still needed to verify the Evil Emperor’s memories about the people and places he knew.
After all, Ming Tonghui had been living in seclusion in the White Cloud Abyss for thirty years ever since the incident in the immortal ruins.
The people and circumstances from that time might have changed.
Zhang Dongyun needed to update himself on the relevant information.
He was interrogating Hui Tianyu and the rest because he wanted to understand what the outside world was like now.
This would aid him in developing Chang’an Fortress and his search for the other fragments of the immortal ruins.
With the Impenetrable Fortress System around, he could tell whether these people were telling the truth.
“Besides the royal family, the highest powers in the current Eastern Tang Dynasty are known as the Three Courtyards, Four Daoist Schools, Five Martial Arts Sects, and Six Clans. The Forgotten Truth Temple is one of the Four Daoist Schools.”
Hui Tianyu added, “It preaches actively in Longbei County and is powerful.”
By introducing all of this to him, he was not putting on an empty show of strength and bringing out his backing with the intent to frighten Zhang Dongyun.
After he introduced the background of the Cold Mountain Sect, he introduced the Mountain Tiger Hall.
“The two most powerful sects in Qinzhou Prefecture of Longbei County are our sect and the Mountain Tiger Hall. We often clash on various fronts, and no one has been able to do anything about it in the past few years.”
As Hui Tianyu spoke, he observed the old man in black’s expression.
“The backing that the Mountain Tiger Hall is looking for is the commander stationed in Longbei County, the Great Xuanwu General of the Eastern Tang Dynasty. It is also connected to the Eastern Tang Dynasty’s officials in countless ways…”
Commander…
An army of soldiers…
When Zhang Dongyuan heard this, his heart moved slightly, but he remained expressionless as he quietly listened to Hui Tianyu’s explanations.
Hui Tianyu could not see any change of joy or anger on the face of the old man.
He did not know what was going on in the other party’s mind, so he could only rack his brains as he tried to recall valuable information.
After seeing that Hui Tianyu could not provide any more information, Zhang Dongyun said dully, “You have a nice attitude, but we still have to see how the others perform before we know if you stand out among them.”
The light in Hui Tianyu’s only eye became firm. He said in a low voice, “May I ask if you need someone at your disposal, Senior? I am willing to serve you faithfully and risk my life. Please give me a chance!”
Thanks to the Impenetrable Fortress System, Zhang Dongyun could tell that he was speaking the truth, which surprised him.
However, he did not answer right away but smiled nonchalantly and disappeared, leaving Hui Tianyu alone in the black mist.
Then he examined the rest.
All of them tried to recall as much useful information as possible and report it to Zhang Dongyun.
Hui Tianyu had the most structured and detailed report among them.
Then…
Zhang Dongyun released someone.
It was a disciple of the Mountain Tiger Hall.