With both arms broken and his body slammed to the ground by Fu Yiran, Hua Dongsheng lay there groaning, unsure how many bones were shattered. Nevertheless, hearing Sikong Yan's brutal orders sent a chill racing up his spine, jolting him to full awareness.
A wave of terror spread from his tailbone upward, leaving him scared beyond measure. He couldn’t help but shout, "Wait, wait!"
Surprisingly, Sikong Yan actually stopped upon hearing the desperate plea.
Hua Dongsheng, feeling as if he had clutched his last straw of salvation, barely had time to savor his glimmer of hope before he heard Sikong Yan say, "I almost forgot. Don’t rush to feed him to the dogs. Skin his face first. It’ll come in handy later."
Hua Dongsheng felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss.
Fu Yiran acknowledged the order and began dragging Hua Dongsheng out.
"Wait! Wait!" Hua Dongsheng snapped back to his senses and summoned the last of his strength to shout, "Don’t kill me! I’m the sect master of the Ghostbane Association! Whatever you want, I can give it to you!"
Sikong Yan appeared to have lost interest entirely. This time, he didn’t even bother to turn his head.
Frantically scanning his surroundings for a lifeline, Hua Dongsheng’s eyes finally settled on the Four Elders. A glimmer of hope lit up in his gaze as he shouted, "Elders, save me! Save me!"
Song Wenxuan, Luo Menghan, and Han Linsheng acted as if they hadn’t heard him and followed Sikong Yan. Only Wang Yuegui, with an inscrutable smile on his face, began walking toward Hua Dongsheng.
"Ha... ha..." Hua Dongsheng panted heavily, straining his body forward and forcing a feeble smile onto his lips. "Scarlet Cloak... My lord Scarlet Cloak, save me..."
Fu Yiran frowned, fixing his gaze on Wang Yuegui. "Old vulture... what are you planning to do?"
Wang Yuegui walked over and patted Hua Dongsheng’s cheek. "Ke ke ke... Let’s give him an anesthetic first. If his face creases from the pain, it’ll make it hard to the skin properly."
Fu Yiran nodded. "You’re always meticulous."
Hua Dongsheng’s smile slipped from his face.
His desperate screams filled the hall, gradually fading as Fu Yiran dragged him out the door.
Sikong Yan approached the jade couch on the platform, carefully running his fingers over every inch of it, as if caressing a beloved lover. The Four Elders stood silently below, merely watching.
Before long, servants entered the hall one after another, escorting all the women out. Fu Yiran also returned, quickly walking to Sikong Yan’s side and saying, "Young master, it’s done. Hua Dongsheng has been temporarily locked in the dungeon."
With everyone gone, the hall now felt noticeably empty, leaving only Sikong Yan, Fu Yiran, and the Four Elders.
Han Linsheng, the Adjudicator of the Hundred Ghost Tower, seemed to lose his patience. He stepped forward and said, "This is already the main hall of the Hall of Killing Intent. So... where is the token?"
"Token?" Sikong Yan didn’t even turn his head as his fingers traced the jade couch. "You have the audacity to ask me for the token... Do you even realize what this place is? And yet, you allowed Hua Dongsheng to commit such vile acts here."
Song Wenxuan finally spoke up. "Hua Dongsheng is still the nominal sect master. We’ve endured for years, but it wasn’t our place to interfere with his actions... Besides, the Hall of Killing Intent is the sect master's residence. It’s beyond our authority."
"No, that's where you are wrong." Sikong Yan placed his palm on the phoenix head carved on the left side of the jade couch.
Click. A soft mechanical sound echoed, and the jade couch began to split open in the middle. From beneath, a translucent crystal coffin, emanating a cold mist, was slowly lifted into view.
Sikong Yan’s voice carried a chilling tone. "This is Teacher’s mausoleum..."
Song Wenxuan, who had never trained in the martial arts, was so shocked that he fell to the ground on his rear.
Han Linsheng’s mouth hung open, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
The old vulture, Wang Yuegui, widened his eyes and murmured, "How... how is this possible..."
With a loud plop, Luo Menghan fell to his knees, his gaze fixed on the crystal coffin. "Master... Master... what have we done..."
"Ah!" Fu Yiran’s eyes turned bloodshot. Letting out a roar, he charged toward the hall’s exit. "I’ll make sure Hua Dongsheng dies a horrible death!"
"Come back," Sikong Yan said coldly.
Fu Yiran immediately stopped in his tracks.
Sikong Yan stepped forward and gazed down at the person inside the crystal coffin.
The crystal coffin was entirely transparent, offering an unobstructed view. Even the gray-white strands of hair on the person inside were clearly visible. The figure’s face was aged, likely past eighty, but their expression was serene, with a faint smile at the corners of their lips, as if mocking the ignorance of the living.
The person had sharp brows and bright eyes, indicating they must have been strikingly handsome in their youth. However, their lips were black, and dark veins and blood vessels were visible from their jawline to the exposed skin of their neck, evidence of a fatal poison consumed before death.
"Teacher..." Sikong Yan murmured softly.
Seemingly tired of standing, Sikong Yan sat down beside the crystal coffin, resting a hand on its lid. His gaze softened as he looked at the person inside and began to speak slowly. "Only Teacher and I knew about this."
"In truth, the Hall of Killing Intent is nothing more than a massive coffin. Located atop the highest peak, facing the sea with mountains at its back, its feng shui configuration resembles that of an imperial palace. Beneath the hall lies a frigid abyss, ensuring that a body buried here can be preserved for ten thousand years."
The Four Elders finally regained their composure and immediately knelt on the ground. Hearing this, Luo Menghan asked, "When was this structure built? We were always by the master’s side back then. How is it we didn’t know of such a thing?"
Sikong Yan’s gaze didn’t shift in the slightest as he replied coolly, "This tomb existed long ago. It wasn’t built at Teacher’s command. After slaying Yan Zhengui, the master accidentally discovered the mechanism here and came to understand its history.
"At the time, Yan Zhengui’s deceased wife was buried here. Realizing this was a rare treasure of a burial site, the master couldn’t bring himself to destroy it. That’s why he changed his mind and didn’t burn this place down back then."
"Later, my teacher was betrayed by the court, but he had long anticipated such a day. He calmly took poison and passed away. Only then did I realize how far-sighted he was to have prepared a way out so long in advance."
Sikong Yan reached into his robe. "To deceive the court, I found a substitute to bury in Suantian Shrine, then collected his remains and brought them here for burial."
Sikong Yan extended his hand, holding an ebony plaque. He gently placed it on the coffin lid and whispered, "Master, it has returned to its rightful owner."
The Four Elders looked up together and saw the ghost-head plaque engraved with a flamboyant script: "It's better to return home."
Sikong Yan’s eyes half-closed as he swept his gaze over the four below. This time, the Four Elders moved as one, bowing deeply to the ground. "Greetings, Young Master."
Sikong Yan took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice. "Everything is ready, we are only missing the final piece of the puzzle. Han Linsheng, investigate all the locations of our branches. I need to know where the Transcendence Stone went after Forsaken Phoenix stole it!"
"The Transcendence Stone!" Wang Yuegui abruptly raised his head, staring at Sikong Yan in disbelief. "You... you want to..."
A fervent light glimmered in Sikong Yan’s eyes as he grinned. "You got it... The legendary Transcendence Stone that can bring the dead back to life! Ha! I’m going to let Teacher live again... and let him personally reclaim what the Chen family owes him!"