Meanwhile, in a spacious underground area beneath the inn, Li Tan and Lin Cui were closely moving forward. To be precise, Lin Cui was slowly walking ahead, blocking Li Tan’s path.
“Can’t you walk any faster?” Li Tan impatiently asked, as he was about to bump into Lin Cui’s back by moving slightly faster.
“This is the hideout of those kidnappers; they have the advantage of darkness while we are exposed. Do you want to die early?” Lin Cui disdainfully replied, her voice making the corridor seem even quieter, as if echoing the old saying, “When something reaches its extreme, it will rebound.”
Upon hearing this, Li Tan helplessly sighed, having once again forgotten that Lin Cui was unaware of his spiritual powers. In fact, Li Tan had already used his spiritual force to clearly understand the layout of the area below.
This underground space was somewhat large, containing cells, living quarters, alchemy rooms, and several oddly purposed rooms, making it a luxurious hideout for a faction.
However, there were some rooms that Li Tan’s spiritual force couldn’t penetrate, likely due to special construction materials. If Xue or people from the mysterious faction were here, they would definitely be inside these hidden rooms, which were Li Tan’s targets.
As long as the opponents inside were not stronger than those at the innate cultivation level, Li Tan at least had ways to escape unscathed, so he wasn’t overly worried.
He refocused his attention and clicked his tongue.
“Exposed while they are in the dark?
Not necessarily.”
“Arrogant fool, I won’t bother with you. Just behave yourself; kidnappers won’t indulge you like your father does,” Lin Cui shot back, glaring at Li Tan before turning around and continuing forward. Li Tan said nothing more, silently using his spiritual force to monitor the doors of the rooms he couldn’t inspect.
With a tap, they reached the bottom of the stairs. Lin Cui swallowed hard and pushed open the outermost door, revealing a long staircase.
They briefly exchanged words and decided to split up, at Lin Cui’s insistence. Naturally, everything was actually under Li Tan’s control.
While Lin Cui aimlessly wandered around, Li Tan directly made his way to the several suspicious rooms.
The first room was an interrogation room, empty. The second was locked tight, likely a treasure house, which presumably wouldn’t have anyone inside. The third was strange; various bottles and jars were placed on the table, emitting a stench even Li Tan found unbearable. He casually took a small porcelain bottle and left.
Only one room remained. Unsurprisingly, Xue and the people who had abducted him would be inside.
Li Tan readied the qi within his body for immediate use and swiftly pulled open the door.
“Who’s there!”
At the moment the door opened, a hoarse voice exploded, followed by a rapid, invisible qi blade rushing forth. Calmly dodging to the right, Li Tan narrowly avoided it, leaving a deep mark on the wall outside.
“What a disgusting smell. Finally caught you bastards, like rats in the gutter.”
Li Tan’s icy voice rang out as he entered the room and closed the door behind him, scanning the surroundings with his eyes and immediately freezing.
The room, apart from the entrance, was empty, but filled with qi, making it easy to deduce its purpose as a martial arts training room.
At this moment, there were three people inside the training room.
Li Tan, who had just entered, his eyes carrying a barely perceptible murderous intent; the black-robed old man who had sent the qi blade, his face full of rage; and Xiaoxue, dressed untidily and lying unconscious on the floor.
“Practicing sexual cultivation techniques?
Old man, you should know this is strictly forbidden throughout the entire Jiuzhou region.”
“Where did this brat come from to ruin my plans? Hmm, you’re Li Tan?”
The two locked eyes, and the old man’s expression suddenly became very strange, his brows knitting tightly together, clearly showing apprehension.
Just two days ago, he had followed Li Tan into the Zui Xian Domain, witnessing the horrifying scene of him instantly killing a monstrous beast, almost exposing his own trail.
Li Tan’s sudden appearance was a shock, leaving the old man momentarily at a loss, but being a cultivator at the innate level, he quickly regained his composure to analyze the situation.
“How did you find this place?”
The old man was puzzled, confident in his organization’s secrecy, yet Li Tan stood right there, slapping his confidence away.
A traitor?
Impossible! No one could possibly bear the consequences of betrayal! Such thoughts flooded his mind.
“Hehe, I have to say you guys did a great job hiding your trail, but there’s no such thing as a perfect plan.”
Li Tan shifted his gaze to Xiaoxue.
“This little girl is Lin Cui’s personal maid. Understand now? It was your greed that doomed you.”
The old man was intelligent and instantly grasped the situation, his expression turning stormy as he angrily spoke.
“That good-for-nothing failure,” Li Tan smirked coldly.
“Let me guess. You colluded with the second elder Lin family’s faction, promising to help them eliminate Lin Long. Lin Ge knew you were a perverted old man controlled by lust, so he figured since Lin Long would soon be dead anyway, he wouldn’t fear Lin Cui’s retaliation and simply offered this girl to you as tribute. Am I right?”
The old man’s expression became even more ominous, his eyes brimming with murderous intent.
“You sure know a lot. But knowing too much isn’t a good thing. Originally, I planned to let those useless men kill you, but now it seems I have to do it myself. Hehehe, you should feel honored to die by my hand.”
As he finished speaking, the old man’s figure instantly vanished. With a faint sound, Li Tan’s hair slightly lifted, and the old man ghost-like appeared behind him.
“Die!”
With steel-hard claws aimed at Li Tan’s head, he struck downward.
“Not bad, speed exceeding the innate limit.”
Li Tan’s voice lightly echoed in the training room. He didn’t move an inch, yet the old man’s fierce strike inexplicably missed Li Tan’s head entirely, hitting thin air.
No one noticed a brief flash of golden light emanating from Li Tan.
Spiritual Storm! A common application of spiritual force, one that Li Tan had mastered to perfection, transforming the mundane into the extraordinary.
But the old man couldn’t possibly know this, so he widened his eyes in disbelief.
Several more sharp whistling sounds followed, as powerful claw attacks relentlessly came, yet he strangely couldn’t touch even a single strand of Li Tan’s hair.
“Pfft, damn it, this kid is not normal.”
The old man grew tense. He had been unable to budge Li Tan, who appeared completely devoid of any cultivator’s aura, looking just like an ordinary person.
The implications were clear enough.
Li Tan was stronger than him, or he possessed some terrifying treasure.
The old man leaned toward the latter.
Therefore,
“I don’t know what treasure you have on you, but it won’t save you from me!”
As his words rang out, a terrifying ripple appeared. The old man’s expression turned hideous, his entire body’s qi surging toward his right hand.
This was a martial technique different from magical arts—one with area damage. In such a confined space, there was no way to dodge.
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