Outside, a few places were still burning due to the fire Gu Hai had set on the mountain. However, most of the blaze had been extinguished. While the fire could be easily extinguished, it was hard to scatter the smoke.
Churning smoke filled the entire Great Feng Mafia Family. Black clouds covered the sky while lightning flashed and thunder rolled. With the thick smoke, it appeared like the end of the world.
Given such an atmosphere, few cultivators were willing to come out. The Great Feng Mafia Family disciples had rushed off to investigate the fire while the rest returned.
Gu Hai took advantage of the thick smoke to go to the periphery of the Great Feng Mafia Family.
“Meng Tai told me that there is a secret tunnel in the Great Feng Mafia Family’s beast arena. He wanted me to fetch ten bronze masks and place them in the beast arena, then activate a ritual array there.” Gu Hai recalled Meng Tai’s instructions as he walked.
“Although I only exchanged a few words with this Meng Tai, based on his tone, words, and attitude, he is not someone who waits for things to happen. Does he want to use Yue Yao to threaten Li Wei? Does he want to put a mask on Yue Yao and force Li Wei to reveal the password to remove the mask?” Gu Hai wondered aloud as he walked.
Although Gu Hai did not quite like holding Yue Yao hostage, an unscrupulous method, this matter involved his life and death. Furthermore, he was not the one doing it, so he could only suppress the discomfort in his heart.
Gu Hai slowly made his way to the foot of a hill. Following Meng Tai’s instructions, he pulled out some plants and cleared some rocks, immediately revealing a small cave entrance.
“Indeed, this is the secret tunnel. Meng Tai is indeed not an easy person to deal with. Although the brotherhood was fine, he still left such a backup plan. It looks like he is not a kind soul, either. No wonder he did not hesitate to behead Yue Yao back then.” Gu Hai continued pondering this.
He entered the tunnel and headed into its depths. After many turns, he arrived at the end. Night Pearls hung around the place, providing light.
A wall with a handle greeted him there. He placed his hand on the handle.
Click!
A small door suddenly opened in the wall, revealing a large storehouse before Gu Hai.
Many Night Pearls also illuminated the storehouse. There were mountains of bronze masks in it. Gu Hai quickly collected ten and placed them in his compressed space.
Then, he searched the storehouse, following what Meng Tai said. Soon, he found a fixed hook on the wall.
“Is this the switch?” Gu Hai frowned as he looked at this hook.
Gu Hai reached out and gently turned it, as Meng Tai instructed.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The hook turned, giving off creaks.
Simultaneously, soft mechanical sounds rang out in the entire beast arena.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
When the Great Feng Mafia Family disciples heard the sound, no one bothered with it, although some people did frown slightly.
“Did you hear that? What is that sound? Should we go and check?”
“What for? It is raining so heavily. Stop causing problems.”
“Exactly. Come on, let’s go for a few more rounds. Place your bets!”
Gu Hai completed everything in the storehouse. Then, he returned to that small door and grabbed the handle.
Clink!
The small door closed once again as if Gu Hai had never been there.
Gu Hai retraced his original route, slowly moving along the tunnel until he came out.
After he exited the tunnel, he looked at the bronze masks in his hand, the one all the evil men wore, which prevented them from escaping.
“Next up is to do as Meng Tai said, place the masks in the beast arena’s spectator stands so that he can go and retrieve them?” Gu Hai said with a frown. “No, I cannot completely trust Meng Tai. He might not help me with his full effort. I cannot place all our hope on another person.”
After covering up the tunnel entrance, Gu Hai returned to the guest region to seek an apothecary.
“Sir, what do you need?” the apothecary’s shopkeeper asked with a smile.
“I’ll write out a list. Just help me gather these items. There will be ample compensation in spirit stones,” Gu Hai said.
“Alright.”
Gu Hai quickly wrote out a list.
“Huh? These things? These are just ordinary herbs. Their medicinal effect is too weak. Even if you put them together, they won’t be of much use. Sir, what medicine are you looking for? I can help you write a prescription,” the apothecary’s shopkeeper immediately said with a smile.
“There’s no need. Do you have what I want or not?” Gu Hai countered seriously.
“I do have them. However…” The apothecary’s shopkeeper showed an unsightly expression. After all, he could not earn much with these herbs, which were not even worth one inferior-grade spirit stone.
Clatter! Clatter!
Gu Hai took out thirty inferior-grade spirit stones and said, “These are for you. I’ll borrow your medicine cauldron.”
“Alright!” The shopkeeper quickly put away the spirit stones with a wide grin.
——
Four hours later, a transparent medicinal liquid slowly bubbled in the cauldron.
“Sir, what are you concocting?” The apothecary’s shopkeeper appeared confused.
“Don’t ask what you should not. Go out first,” Gu Hai said.
The shopkeeper showed an embarrassed smile as he left the concoction room.
The transparent liquid appeared thick and viscous, like oil.
Gu Hai took out a small brush and gently dipped it in the medicinal liquid. Then, he slowly brushed a thin layer of the liquid on the bronze mask. If one did not pay attention, one would not notice it.
After he applied the medicinal liquid and it dried, he carefully placed the masks in his compressed space.
Then, he left the apothecary and went to the beast arena’s spectator stands to hide the ten masks in different locations as per Meng Tai’s instructions.
After doing all that, Gu Hai searched around and hid.
——
Outside the Great Feng Mafia Family:
“Division Master Ding, why are you leaving so soon? I still have not played my part as the host yet.” Li Wei tried to urge Ding Rui to stay longer.
“There’s no need. Li Wei, there’s not much time. Every moment I remain here is one extra moment wasted. I need to find the dragon vein quickly.” Ding Rui shook her head.
“However…!” Li Wei still wanted to urge Ding Rui to stay longer.
“Alright, Don Li, you need to prioritize. I still have some important things to do in the First Song Sect. Take good care of the Great Feng Mafia Family,” the First Song Sect Master said while shaking his head.
“Alright. Since that is the case, let me send everyone off.” Li Wei could only settle for the next best thing.
“There’s no need. Just prepare the spirit stones. I’ll pick them up next time.” Ding Rui shook her head.
Ding Rui brought out a flying ship, and her subordinates promptly boarded. After that, they flew off quickly into the distance.
Now that Ding Rui knew where the dragon vein was, she did not want to delay at all. She wanted to go immediately and find the dragon vein.
After Li Wei sent off everyone with his eyes, his expression slowly turned stern. “Humph! Is my Great Feng Mafia Family only a money-making tool to you all?”
Although Li Wei felt angry, he could not do anything about it.
“Hey? That’s right. Where is Ding Rui’s martial nephew? I don’t think I saw him leave with them.” Li Wei suddenly recalled Gu Hai.
“Don! Don! Things are not good! Something terrible happened!” A Great Feng Mafia Family rushed over.
“What’s wrong?” Li Wei asked, raising his eyebrows.
“The madam…someone kidnapped her…!” that Great Feng Mafia Family disciple said with an unsightly expression.
“What?! What happened to Yue Yao? Who did it?!” Li Wei’s expression suddenly changed dramatically.
“I don’t know. That person looked like the previous grand…grand don!” that Great Feng Mafia Family disciple said with an unsightly expression.
“Who?” Li Wei glared.
“I…I don’t know. However, it looked like the previous grand…grand don! I…I…!”
Whoosh!
As Li Wei’s expression changed, he rushed towards the Great Feng Mafia Family.
——
Inside the Great Feng Mafia Family:
“Stand still!”
“You bastard! Let go of the madam!”
“Release the arrows!”
“Don’t hurt the madam!”
Things turned chaotic in the Great Feng Mafia Family.
Meng Tai had fled. He wore nothing on his upper body, exposing countless bleeding holes there. Traces of poisonous liquid seeped out of the bleeding holes. At this moment, he appeared weak.
Although Meng Tai managed to flee, he had been tortured for twenty years. He could not bring out the same level of power as he previously could.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
Meng Tai coughed while holding Yue Yao at his waist. Showing a ferocious expression, he flew towards the beast arena.
Yue Yao’s cultivation seemed to be sealed; she could not resist at all. She showed a wooden expression.
When Meng Tai suddenly captured her, her body trembled intensely, as though she feared Meng Tai. As she looked at Meng Tai, she showed a pained expression.
“Who are you?” Yue Yao appeared pained as she looked at Meng Tai.
“Yue Yao, you are indeed still alive. However, you only have one spiritual soul left, living like a walking corpse. What is the point of you continuing to live?” Meng Tai asked coldly.
“I’m Yue Yao. I’m Elder Brother Li Wei’s woman!” Yue Yao said woodenly, like a puppet, trembling all the while.
“Neither human nor ghost. This is all your own fault from back then. If not for that, why would the four of us be in such a state today? Humph! You’d better hope that Feng Ling is fine. Otherwise, even if you still have your mortal soul, I’ll rip it apart!” Meng Tai said hatefully.
“Feng Ling? Who is Feng Ling? That name sounds familiar!” Yue Yao held her head in pain.
“Feng Ling? Who treated you the nicest when you were young? Feng Ling let you have all the nice things to eat, gave all the nice clothing to you, treated you as though you were her actual sister, even like a daughter. What about you? You not only poisoned Feng Ling for the sake of some insignificant future prospect, but you even nearly killed her. A woman’s heart is the most vicious. You are the immature ingrate that we raised!” Meng Tai complained.
“I want to harm Feng Ling? Yue Yao wants to harm Feng Ling?” Yue Yao held her head in pain.
“Humph!” Meng Tai snorted coldly.
Amid an endless rain of arrows, Meng Tai flew to the beast arena.
At a dark corner outside the beast arena, Gu Hai showed grave expression. “Meng Tai is really fast. He actually managed to escape so quickly?”
Bang!
Meng Tai brought Yue Yao to one of the spectator stands, where he found one of the masks that Gu Hai left behind.
A suction came from his hand as he reached out, and the mask immediately flew over.
Bang!
Meng Tai immediately flung the mask to the side, placing it on Yue Yao’s face.
“There! Quickly save the madam!”
“Ah?! They entered the beast arena?”
“Oh no! That person placed a mask on the madam!”
“Hurry! Hurry! Turn off the beast arena’s ritual arrays!”
The Great Feng Mafia Family disciples clamored.
Meng Tai brought Yue Yao to the edge of the beast arena.
Bang!
Meng Tai crushed a particular wall in the beast arena with one punch, immediately revealing a circular stone. Then, he placed a hand on it.
Buzz!
Suddenly, large numbers of red energy ropes charged out of the beast arena’s ritual arrays. The red energy ropes knocked away the Great Feng Mafia Family disciples rushing into the beast arena. Some of the red energy ropes carried great force; one managed to cut a Great Feng Mafia Family disciple in half, splattering his blood in the air.
“Oh no! We can no longer control the beast arena’s ritual arrays!”
“We lost control! We lost control of all the ritual arrays!”
Countless Great Feng Mafia Family disciples cried out. The many red energy ropes seemed like whips of death, striking everyone.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a figure flew over in the air. The Great Feng Mafia Family’s Li Wei had rushed back.
“Meng Tai? Let go of Yue Yao!” Li Wei roared while glaring.
