Chi Changye forcibly separated the two individuals, and the sound of something being pulled out from someone's body made Gu Yao's scalp tingle. Xu Chen, who was observing from another space, burst into laughter at Gu Yao's embarrassed state.
Gu Yao really wanted to say, "What's so funny?"
Chi Changye covered up the provocative bodies with clothing. He looked at Gu Yao, who stiffly pointed at the taller and stronger guy and said, "I'll disguise myself as that guy."
Chi Changye looked at Gu Yao with a helpless and indulgent gaze, saying, "While the Nameless Body Refining Technique is effective, at this stage, it can't change your stature."
Gu Yao asked, feeling disappointed, "Can't I change my height?"
Changing weight or becoming slimmer might be possible, but altering height involves the issue of bone structure, which is more complicated.
Gu Yao felt frustrated and couldn't help but think that Chi Changye was intentionally teasing him. He reluctantly accepted the situation, raising his hands in resignation.
A playful gleam flashed in Chi Changye's eyes as he carefully observed the guy's face. He silently recited a technique, causing the muscles beneath the man's skin to move. To be honest, the image wasn't all that pleasant. It was like there were worms wriggling beneath the skin. Gu Yao was startled by the vivid imagination and quickly shook his head to dispel the thought.
After making a few more adjustments, Chi Changye finally managed to achieve about 80-90% similarity. He also made slight changes to his body shape. Gu Yao had no choice but to quickly transform himself into the appearance of another person - a delicate and soft-looking cultivator with a relatively low cultivation level. He couldn't help but feel that his original image was much more heroic. Were all those years of body refining in vain?
In truth, Chi Changye was also somewhat unaccustomed to seeing Gu Yao in this appearance. Thankfully, it was only temporarily borrowing someone else's appearance. They had to seize the time to accomplish their tasks. Their intention wasn't to immediately kill these two individuals but to extract more information from their minds. However, they were concerned that there might be restrictions imposed on their souls.
"Let me take a look," Xu Chen flew out from the spatial realm and used his spiritual power to explore the two individuals' minds. After a moment, he withdrew his senses. "You made the right judgment. There are indeed restrictions placed inside. I could forcibly remove the restrictions, but that would alert the person who set them."
"What should we do then?" Gu Yao asked. Without the memories of these two individuals, it would be difficult to navigate this place just by disguising themselves. They could easily be exposed.
Xu Chen and Chi Changye both looked at the kitten crouching nearby. Gu Yao also recalled the true identity of the kitten. Over the years, he had nearly mistaken it for an ordinary cat, but in reality, it was a beast named Hei Yan. It could devour flesh and blood, consume souls, and was adept at weaving illusions. It had a fearsome reputation.
"Little one, can you extract the memories of these two individuals without triggering the soul restrictions?" Gu Yao hurriedly asked the kitten.
The kitten meowed twice, as if bargaining with Gu Yao. Left with no choice, Gu Yao had to make various promises to satisfy it.
The cultivators who had fallen unconscious circled the scene a few times before the entire cat transformed into a black mist, enveloping their heads completely.
Gu Yao and Chi Changye waited on the side, while Xu Chen remained outside the spatial realm, watching the scene with great interest. He had only heard of the Black Yan Beast's name but never seen it before. If it could ignore the soul restrictions and extract memories, its ability would be the bane of those cultivators who attempted to control others through such means.
Gu Yao and Chi Changye had to keep an eye on the surrounding situation in case someone suddenly came to investigate and discovered the abnormality. However, those people seemed completely oblivious to the possibility of intruders, believing that the imprisoned cultivators sent in could never escape. They were solely focused on their own pleasure and revelry.
After fifteen minutes, the black mist began to shrink and finally condensed back into the form of the kitten. Its feline face had a satisfied expression. Xu Chen's heart jolted, and he asked, "Your little kitten swallowed the souls of these two individuals. What about the soul restrictions?"
Just moments ago, Xu Chen believed that the Black Yan Beast was the nemesis of soul restrictions. Now, his scalp tingled in unease. It wasn't just soul restrictions, even their souls could be food for the beast. For beings like them, it was their greatest nemesis.
Xu Chen felt that in the future, it would be better not to let Gu Yao bring the kitten into the spatial realm and to avoid revealing himself to it. Otherwise, if they were accidentally swallowed by it, it would be too late for regrets.
The kitten shook its head, as if a whole new world had opened up before it. It discovered that there was another incredibly delicious kind of food in the world. Its gaze towards Xu Chen became somewhat mischievous.
Xu Chen felt a chill run down his spine under the scrutiny of that gaze. He was about to say something when the kitten opened its mouth and spat out two black and blood-colored objects. Xu Chen changed his words and said, "Those are indeed soul restrictions. I'll teach you how to conceal them. The person who set the restrictions won't be able to perceive your identities in front of you."
Xu Chen pointed his finger at the heads of the two individuals, and they received some information. Xu Chen then retreated back into the spatial realm, not wanting to stay together with the Black Yan Beast.
The kitten looked regretfully in the direction where Xu Chen disappeared and then extended its claws to gently pat the bodies on the ground. Yes, they had transitioned from being unconscious to complete death. Two black Nether Flames landed on the bodies, digesting the information that Gu Yao and Chi Changye had obtained. They witnessed the final scene as the Nether Flames consumed the two corpses, and then these two cultivators disappeared completely from the world, not even leaving behind a trace of ash.
The kitten tilted its head and looked at Gu Yao. Gu Yao sighed and picked it up, rubbing its fur. The power was indeed terrifying, but as long as it was not overused, it was fine. Those two deserved their deaths.
Gu Yao then pinched the kitten's ears and said, "We're not done yet. Give me and Night Brother their memories."
"Meow?" The kitten seemed to grin, and then it gently tapped Gu Yao's forehead with its soft paw. It was less polite with Chi Changye and coughed up a cloud of black smoke towards him. Chi Changye couldn't refuse because the smoke contained extracted memories.
With no one to disturb them, the two of them comfortably digested the memories. There was a lot of random and miscellaneous content, but they managed to extract substantial information from it. It was almost dawn when the two of them finally opened their eyes simultaneously and looked at each other.
"You go first."
"You go first."
Both of them almost spoke at the same time. Gu Yao rubbed his temples and decided to go first. "This person is named Yu Dong. He is probably not a very important figure because, like us, he was a cultivator captured from outside. However, the person you impersonated chose to keep him here. Yu Dong is willing to do anything to stay alive."
Initially, Yu Dong was a eunuch, but later he followed Qiu Shengfei and caused the death of many people. Although he was initially forced to do so, we can't let him stay alive. If he does, Chi Changye and I will be exposed.
Gu Yao pressed his temples. This place was like hell, where people either died or turned black. Therefore, the best solution was to destroy this place as soon as possible. It would be even better if they could spread the news of the collusion with Changxian Sect.
Chi Changye reached out his hand, wanting to hug Gu Yao, but halfway through, he sighed and withdrew it. Gu Yao couldn't help but find this situation both bitter and amusing. He took the initiative and reached out to hold Chi Changye's hand. The two of them faced each other with unfamiliar faces, and then they wiped their faces together. "Let's exchange information and discuss what to do next," Gu Yao said.
"Okay."
Xu Chen was also listening from within the spatial realm. He didn't want Gu Yao to fall into such a place because then he would be trapped there as well.
The underground space here was like a dungeon, and there was not just one, but multiple sections. This was only Group A, there were also Groups B, C, and D. The spiritual power within the bodies of the cultivators sent here couldn't be activated, relying solely on physical strength. They had to constantly fight with the people around them, finding ways to stay alive. Those who couldn't hold on would only meet death, and after death, their bodies would be thrown into the forest outside to be devoured by the monsters within.
Could one leave if they managed to stay alive? That was just wishful thinking!
Those who survived had to undergo various experiments, which also caused the death of many cultivators. The ones who survived didn't necessarily end up with good results because many monsters living in the blood-colored forest were failed experiments—half-human, half-beast or half-human, half-ghost creatures, lacking even a clear consciousness.
The cultivator Gu Yao impersonated didn't know as much about the situation as Qiu Shengfei. So, upon hearing all this, he couldn't help but shudder. How many lives of cultivators had been sacrificed to fill this place? No wonder the forest is permeated with a strong smell of blood and an aura of hostility.
"What about Gu Yan? What's his situation? Is he still a normal human?"
Chi Changye rested his chin on his hand and said, "He should be considered one of the more advanced experiments. Those under his control are probably selected from the experiments here, completely manipulated by him, becoming his henchmen or conscious humanoid puppets."
At this point, Xu Chen spoke up, "Actually, this is somewhat similar to Corpse Refinement Technique, except one refines dead bodies while the other refines living beings.
Corpse refinement treats a corpse as a magical tool, refining it to be controlled for combat and self-protection purposes. Generally, the souls within the refined corpse have already dissipated. However, here, it seems like they're trying to imprison the souls within the bodies, even collecting the spiritual power within the dantian. They then use special methods to make them exist similar to refined corpses, albeit with a significantly shortened refinement process. These puppets not only possess the cultivator's original cultivation level but may even become stronger than before."
"If they have a certain level of consciousness, they can even actively cultivate. That would be a type of growth-oriented puppet."
"From what Chi Changye implies, the individuals behind this have grand ambitions. They not only want to create powerful humanoid puppets but also attempt to give these puppets characteristics of both humans and demons, creating beings that surpass the norm."
"These madmen have audacious ambitions. However, they will ultimately face self-destruction. They haven't learned from the lessons of the ancient Hundred Clans War. Now, they are impatiently wreaking havoc. The greater their sins, the more the heavens and earth will not tolerate them. Apart from lunatics, which sane cultivator would engage in such actions?"
Gu Yao agreed wholeheartedly with Xu Chen's words. Some humans often believed they were clever, yet they continuously pushed themselves towards self-destruction. This applies not only to the interstellar world but also to the world of cultivation. The evil aspect within human nature is vastly amplified in certain individuals.
In the interstellar world, there are people who want to embed the genes of the Zerg race into the human genome, attempting to acquire the Zerg's power and create powerful warships. However, this resulted in the destruction of the Interstellar Alliance, with uncontrollable monsters unleashed. How many members of the Alliance have died as a result?
It's unexpected to encounter a similar situation in the world of cultivation. Humans have their own advantages, and demons have their own strengths. Yet, there are people who try to possess both. However, the outcome will be the same as in the interstellar alliance, causing a backlash and unleashing demons. Countless cultivators may lose their lives as a result.
Humans must bear the consequences of their own creations.
"We still need to find a way to resolve this as soon as possible. The longer it drags on, the more it becomes uncontrollable, and more innocent cultivators will be sent here." In this place, cultivators are not seen as human beings but rather as materials in the eyes of some lunatics, just like that frail, sharp-voiced old man when they first arrived.
Chi Changye nodded, not only because of the reasons mentioned by Gu Yao but also because the longer it dragged on, the more likely they would be exposed, making it difficult for them to escape. They might end up in a situation similar to Li Changhui's.
One night passed, and it was morning, but the underground space remained dim. Several areas were illuminated by luminous stones. Chi Changye, based on his memory of Qiu Shengfei's appearance, called out the people locked in iron cages, just like herding livestock, and drove them into a large pool of blood, watching them sink in like dumplings.
This blood pool enhanced the physical strength of cultivators. However, the members of the Changxian Sect here did not utilize the blood pool themselves because while it stimulated physical strength, it also depleted the cultivators' vitality. The cost of exchanging for power was enormous, as it converted vitality into strength. But the puppets made from it no longer needed the cultivators' vitality. Only those who had a clear understanding of the truth would willingly jump in.
Li Changzhen and the others who had just been brought in felt a sinister aura from the blood pool. Not only were the other injured individuals in a daze, but they also had hollow, lifeless eyes, which filled them with fear. They were afraid that they would become the same in the future.
"The person who could drive them away was not willing to see them dawdling. When they arrived here, they no longer treated them as human beings. They fiercely whipped them with the whip in their hands and cursed, 'All of you, get down! If you don't want to get down, I will chop off your limbs and throw them down. What are you looking at? If you keep looking, I'll gouge out your eyes.'"
"Crack!"
With a whip, a cultivator screamed in pain, covering their eyes. Their eyeballs were split open and they fell into a pool of blood. Overnight and in the early morning, Li Changzhen and the others were filled with despair and forced to jump into the blood pool.
Gu Yao's hands trembled as he realized he had to act faster.
The toxicity in the blood pool was extremely intense. The first time someone entered, they couldn't bear the pain and wished to knock themselves unconscious by hitting the pool walls.
"Senior Chou, what are you thinking? Something seems different today. Could it be that you weren't satisfied with Junior Yu last night?" One person jeered at Chi Changye with an evil smile.
"It's nothing. When you stay in one place for too long, you get bored," Chi Changye replied casually. However, he couldn't quite imitate Chou Shengfei's temperament and decided to handle it calmly instead.