Seeing that even the Darkfiend Old Devil — a man who wouldn't even show face to the Nine Soul Sacred Clan — was kneeling before Master Yin Ren, Princess Xiaoxiao's face turned deathly pale.
She realized something in an instant.
Without a word, a barrier talisman appeared in her palm, and a teleportation force surged forth.
Snap—
But suddenly, a withered hand seized her wrist.
At the same time, a tremendous wave of barrier power forced its way into her arm, traveling down to her palm and violently disrupting the formation within it.
"Princess, where do you think you're going?" Master Yin Ren asked with a grin.
"Just who exactly are you?" Princess Xiaoxiao demanded, her voice tight.
"Don't be afraid, Princess. As long as you behave yourself, this old man won't do anything to hurt you."
With those words, another surge of barrier power erupted forth. A barrier formation enveloped Princess Xiaoxiao, binding her in place.
In that moment, both her barrier power and her martial force were sealed. Though she wasn't physically restrained, she was now no different from an ordinary person — with no chance of escape before Master Yin Ren.
After handling her, Master Yin Ren turned his gaze toward the Darkfiend Old Devil.
"Well? Did you get it?"
He didn't even bother letting the Darkfiend Old Devil stand. He simply issued the question from his lofty position, clearly long accustomed to this dynamic. No matter how fearsome the Darkfiend Old Devil's reputation might be, in his eyes, the man was nothing more than a subordinate.
Hearing this, the Darkfiend Old Devil actually broke into a cold sweat.
"Don't tell me you failed."
Fury immediately blazed in Master Yin Ren's eyes.
Upon seeing this, the Darkfiend Old Devil dropped his other knee to the ground. Not only was he kneeling on both knees, but he prostrated himself flat against the earth.
"My lord, that old fox from the Zhuge family was too cunning."
"The Zhuge family wagered the lives of their entire clan. I thought they were going to drag me down with them in a fight to the death, but it turned out to be a teleportation formation."
"They sacrificed their entire clan to teleport
"But my lord, the Zhuge family head is still alive. If you were to interrogate him yourself, perhaps he would reveal where Zhuge Feiluan is hiding."
As he spoke, the Darkfiend Old Devil produced a spherical barrier formation. It floated into the air, then burst open with a muffled boom.
In the next instant, countless figures materialized across the void.
Seeing that sky full of figures, even Princess Xiaoxiao's breathing quickened in shock.
Every single one of those densely packed figures was a member of the Zhuge family — but now… they had all become corpses, and their deaths were exceedingly gruesome.
There was still one alive: the Zhuge family head. But his condition was even more wretched than that of his deceased clansmen.
The Darkfiend Old Devil reached out and seized the Zhuge family head, dragging him over.
"Old scum of the Zhuge family, speak — where did Zhuge Feiluan go?"
The Darkfiend Old Devil gripped the Zhuge family head by the throat and snarled the question.
The Zhuge family head was extremely weak, but he ignored the Darkfiend Old Devil entirely. Instead, his gaze fell upon Master Yin Ren.
"You…"
"So it was you people?"
Upon seeing Master Yin Ren and Princess Xiaoxiao, the Zhuge family head suddenly grew agitated. Seeing the Darkfiend Old Devil kneeling on the ground, he had already pieced together roughly what had transpired.
"Family Head Zhuge, don't use the word 'you people.' This matter has nothing to do with Young Friend
"But it does indeed concern this old man," Master Yin Ren said.
"So you at least have the nerve to own up to it."
"Yin Ren — when did I ever do anything to wrong you, that you would exterminate my entire clan?"
Though the Zhuge family head's voice was weak, his fury was unmistakable.
"Brother Zhuge, after all your years roaming the martial cultivation world, how could you ask something so foolish?"
"If you had simply handed over the treasure willingly, your Zhuge family need never have suffered this catastrophe. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for failing to recognize a good offer when you saw one."
"Besides, the deaths of your Zhuge family clansmen are all on your own head. How can you blame me?"
"Tell you what — tell me where Zhuge Feiluan would go, and I'll not only spare your life, but help the Zhuge family rise to glory once more."
As he spoke, Master Yin Ren walked over to the Zhuge family head's side.
"Pah—"
"You beast. Use whatever tricks you have."