"Whoa, there's even a skull pyramid," Li Nian remarked as she looked at the mountain of bandit corpses. "Are those three hanging up there the leader-level figures?"
Snowy Owl shrugged. "I don't know either, but those three were the toughest fighters, so I'm guessing they were the most heinous criminals. After all, if you pick the wrong career path... the greater your ability, the greater the harm you cause."
"Of course, saying they could fight is relative. For ... it was just the difference between one slash and two."
As Snowy Owl spoke, Li Nian nodded.
High Mountain sighed from the side. "I personally don't think this was necessary, but... these people really did bring it on themselves. There are even more disgusting scenes inside the stronghold—we won't go in and look."
"What is it?"
Li Nian asked curiously.
High Mountain said in a low voice, "We found a child's hands and feet in a pot..."
"And it wasn't because of a famine. On the contrary, their warehouse was fully stocked with grain—so much that they even brewed dozens of jars of wine," Snowy Owl said flatly. "So these people's deaths weren't enough to make up for their sins."
Li Nian looked at them and dropped her smile. "If that's the case, then you did well, but not well enough..."
She stared at the piled-up and hanging corpses—most of them killed with a single stab through a vital point.
"You killed them too quickly. They died way too easily... No matter how you arrange their corpses after death, you can't punish them anymore."
Seeing High Mountain, Snowy Owl, and Seagull all staring at her with strange expressions, Li Nian spread her hands.
"That look you're giving is a bit hurtful, like it's wrong for to have normal morals and hate child-eating villains..."
"Just because I'm a mber of the 'Free Alliance' doesn't an I'm a deranged monster, alright?"
Hearing Li Nian say this, the three of them visibly softened toward her.
Lin Yu was also sowhat surprised.
"Didn't expect Li Nian to smooth things over on her own..."
It seed that although Li Nian appeared carefree and acted casually, that didn't an she didn't understand priorities.
And Snowy Owl answered Li Nian's question.
"After all, ti was tight. Besides the necessary interrogations, we really didn't have ti to punish them further..."
"Of course, hanging them here wasn't to desecrate corpses—it was a 'warning.' After all, there's more than one group of bandits in these mountains."
High Mountain nodded. "In a society like the Prison Mountain Realm, this thod can indeed intimidate so criminals."
Li Nian suddenly understood. "So that was the reasoning behind it."
But hearing Snowy Owl's words, Lin Yu had a different thought.
"That's a bit odd... There are very few spider threads and spider demons around here. In other words, we should be in an area where that spider demon has very weak control. Looking at the distance, this place is about the sa as Fuyuan Mountain—there should be native demons here."
"Why haven't these corpses attracted any demons to destroy and eat them?"
Shen Bingmiao's information had never ntioned that demons only eat living people—in fact, if martial artists from the jianghu fought in the wild and one died, the blood energy from the corpse would quickly attract demons to devour it.
High-level powerful demons might disdain doing this, but many demons weren't much different from wild beasts.
In fact, even if there were no demons, there should still be wild animals, right?
After being exposed to the sun for half a day, these corpses showed no signs of being gnawed or damaged.
"It's really strange—you should have left for a while, yet these corpses are still perfectly preserved, and there aren't any demons roaming nearby. Why is that?"
Lin Yu raised the doubt in his mind.
And hearing Lin Yu's words, Snowy Owl imdiately reacted.
"Now that you ntion it, it really is a bit strange. This place is so far from the Chen Family Fort at Twin Saw Mountain—that spider demon shouldn't have the ability to clean out all the demons and wild beasts... It's already past noon, so why hasn't any demon co to scavenge?"
"This is suspicious. We should be careful," High Mountain said seriously as he scanned the surroundings. "Although when we first arrived in this Fire Hell, it was relatively safe, this 'dungeon' has way too many sudden incidents. Those spiders that suddenly appeared at Twin Saw Mountain already proved that... after all, Twin Saw Mountain was supposed to be safe too. So it's entirely possible that this place has gone from safe to unsafe."
High Mountain's suggestion was acknowledged by everyone.
And just as they were on high alert, a hearty laugh suddenly ca from inside the stronghold.
"Ha ha ha ha, there's no need for you chivalrous warriors to worry. The reason these corpses haven't been disturbed is that there are no demons or wild beasts on the surrounding peaks—I've cleaned them all out."
The voice ca before the person was seen, its full-bodied tone echoing through the mountains, making Lin Yu and the others turn to look.
Soon, they saw an old Daoist priest erge from deep within the stronghold. He wore a green Daoist robe, his hair was streaked with white, and he had long eyebrows and a long beard. Although he was clearly advanced in years, he still carried an immortal aura and stood tall and straight.
His steps were light, and he walked extrely fast, almost as if he were flying close to the ground.
Snowy Owl looked at the direction he ca from and spoke warily, "Old Daoist, stop right there—you're coming from the bandits' lair. Are you their friend?"
"Who are you? State your na imdiately!"
The old Daoist glanced at Snowy Owl, stopped in his tracks, and spoke with a smile. "This female lay disciple carries such a fierce killing intent... You've misunderstood . I have nothing to do with these bandits. I hail from the Taiqing Sect, the leader of the Daoist sects. I live in seclusion in these beautiful mountains—how could I ever associate with such riffraff?"
Snowy Owl remained vigilant. "From the Taiqing Sect? How do you prove it?"
Even when questioned by Snowy Owl again, the old Daoist didn't get angry. He simply spoke once more. "Naturally, I'll prove it through my martial arts skills and true qi!"
With that, the old Daoist drew the long sword from his back and, from a distance, slowly demonstrated a few techniques. His moves were balanced and gentle, clearly resembling orthodox martial arts.
Then, he let out a clear shout, held his sword while forming a hand seal, his Daoist robe billowing, and exhaled a mouthful of pure energy.
"Di! The Heavenly Lord above, a Taiqing disciple requests permission to perform the technique!"
The pure energy swirled in the air, transford into two wisps of blue smoke, and then suddenly dispersed.
A cool breeze brushed across their faces, dispelling the heat of the Fire Hell.
"The Qi Transforming Clear Breeze Technique," Old Zheng said softly. "He's indeed a legitimate disciple of the Taiqing Sect... In the Prison Mountain Realm, this sect has a relatively reliable reputation."
Lin Yu nodded and repeated Old Zheng's words. "The Qi Transforming Clear Breeze Technique—you are indeed a true disciple of the Taiqing Sect, Reverend."
Upon hearing this, the old Daoist looked delighted and clasped his hands toward Lin Yu. "Lay disciple, you have excellent judgnt. I thought this move would only serve to prove my identity. I never expected you to even recognize the technique I used—truly remarkable insight..."
Lin Yu was about to exchange a few polite pleasantries in return when the old Daoist's next words made him and the other five Players all perk up.
"—No wonder Xie Chong's incomplete remains are in your safekeeping!"
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