"Using the blood pool to transform the body is just the first step. After soaking in the pool for a while, iron cages descend from above in the underground space. Each cage holds a monstrous creature that is neither human nor beast. Some have human heads but are on all fours, with sharp teeth protruding, roaring and repeatedly striking the cages."
"The cultivators who appeared numb during their immersion in the blood pool now tremble all over, their eyes showing a mixture of madness and despair. Even Gu Yao's hands cannot stop shaking. Watching these scenes of a human purgatory, one would not just go insane by being a part of it, but even from witnessing it too often. One's mind would be left with the mad voice: 'Quickly destroy this human purgatory.'"
"Chi Changye silently stands in front of Gu Yao, but cannot block out the screams and cries that reach his ears. At this moment, someone from behind screams: 'No - monsters! I don't want to go in!'"
"Gu Yao turned his head and saw the cultivators who came with them being driven into cages and engaged in a desperate battle with the monsters. Either the monsters or the cultivators would die, and if a cultivator died, their flesh and blood would become food for the monsters, torn apart and swallowed whole.
Chi Changye furrowed his brows slightly and said, 'Let them watch for a day first, and tomorrow they can enter the arena. At least they will be mentally prepared, so as not to waste these people and fail to produce enough quantity.'"
"How did Senior Qiu become so lenient and soft-hearted? Fine, fine, I'll go along with Senior Qiu's decision. For now, spare them. Let them all keep their eyes wide open and see. Want to stay alive? Only by killing the monsters can they survive; otherwise, don't even think about leaving this place," the person holding the whip sneered.
Li Changhui and the others sat down on the ground, looking shocked and terrified at this hellish scene. Before coming here, they had no idea that such a place existed on the vast Qiandao continent, let alone its connection to Changxian Sect.
Chi Changye paid no attention to the mockery from that person. In fact, how many cultivators who stayed here could maintain a normal mindset? They had long twisted and distorted their character.
The brutal slaughter continued until one side perished, and the strong smell of blood once again filled the underground space, making people nauseous. However, each cultivator laughed exuberantly.
Another day passed, and this place repeated the monotonous and cruel scenes of purgatory. Fresh subjects were occasionally brought in, and those who could endure would be sent out. However, what they gained was not freedom but another round of purgatory.
Just as they were about to finish their work, the celestial dome above opened again, and a few more cultivators descended. Chi Changye and Gu Yao went to inspect and sent them into the cages.
The people lying on the ground groaned in pain, unlike yesterday, they all had injuries today. Some cursed and complained, saying that the people above were just looking for trouble and causing them trouble.
As Chi Changye and Gu Yao approached and saw the people on the ground, their pupils contracted, and they exchanged a glance. Together, they reached out and grabbed two of them, dragging them towards the direction of the cages. They then put these two individuals together with Li Changhui and the others and returned to their resting place without exchanging any words with the others. Both of them went back to their own rooms, and it was only then that Gu Yao showed a shocked expression. "I shouldn't be mistaken, right? Those two individuals just now were Lou Huaijing and Ying Muqing, weren't they? Aren't they disciples of Changxian Sect? How did they end up here?"
Chi Changye shook his head and said, "In Qiu Shengfei's memories, there were indeed disciples of Changxian Sect who were thrown in here. They were either abandoned or someone used their identity and status to attack their opponents and throw them in here. But..."
"But what?" Gu Yao asked.
Chi Changye continued, "Do you know the identity of Lou Huaijing? He has a Nascent Soul ancestor behind him who places great importance on him. Now, he has ended up here. Does his ancestor know about it? Furthermore, Lou Huaijing has a major enemy in Changxian Sect, the only son of the Sect's sect leader, Hong Ming. Hong Ming never likes Lou Huaijing and often targets him. If it weren't for Lou Huaijing having a Nascent Soul ancestor, Hong Ming would have killed him long ago."
Gu Yao's heart sank. "Are you saying that it's Hong Ming's doing? The sect leader of Changxian Sect must be involved with this place as well, right?"
It is definitely related. Even if Lou Huaijing didn't appear, Chi Changye knew that the actions of these Changxian Sect members couldn't escape the eyes of the sect leader.
Hong Ming is also a lunatic, similar to the previous Di Feng. He actually targeted the bloodline descendants of the Nascent Soul elder of our sect. His audacity knows no bounds.
"Have you figured out what to do?" Xu Chen spoke up from within the space.
Gu Yao and Chi Changye looked at each other, their eyes flashing with determination. Chi Changye coldly said that if they were going to do it, they should do it ruthlessly and thoroughly. They should go big and let them see what it means to bring disaster upon themselves and become unable to live!
"I know a formation called the Heaven's Punishment Array. Originally, with my abilities, I wouldn't be able to set up such a formation. But with you, Xiao Yao, it's different. For the Heaven's Punishment Array to work, the cultivators in the center of the formation must simultaneously undergo tribulation. I believe the situation here will make the heavenly tribulation even more intense."
Xu Chen clapped his hands in the space. "Heaven's Punishment Array, I like it. To think that such a legendary formation would have a day in the mortal realm. Let me witness the descent of heaven's punishment!"
Many cultivators would know about the Heaven's Punishment Array. However, who would be imprudent enough to set up this formation? This formation could make the heavenly tribulation multiply tens of times more intense. It was impossible for the cultivator in the center of the formation to survive. So, unless someone wanted to perish along with their enemies, who would be so desperate? Additionally, it required a cultivator proficient in lightning techniques to set it up.
Gu Yao also knew what he had to do and said, "Then I'll quickly refine the pills and make sure to imbue them with golden cores."
That's when the heavenly tribulation will descend.
"Okay, let's act separately and try to set up the formation as soon as possible."
Chi Changye turned to leave and find suitable locations for the formation. Gu Yao stopped him and told him to bring the little cat along. The little cat could at least accompany Chi Changye and provide him some comfort. Chi Changye agreed, set up a formation in the room, and prevented others from entering. This way, Gu Yao could concentrate on pill refining.
After Chi Changye left, Gu Yao focused on pill refining. The pills used for core formation were almost depleted, but fortunately, there were enough spirit herbs in the space for him to refine pills. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to convert the Foundation Establishment stage into the Golden Core stage.
And when they were refining in the western region before, they obtained many monster beast inner cores. Monster beast inner cores can also be used for pill refining. Refining pills using the inner cores of beasts with Golden Core strength is more effective than using Heavenly Origin Pills. However, this method can easily bring about aftereffects for cultivators. Forcing cultivation using this method can affect their future practice. But now, Gu Yao doesn't need to consider these issues at all. On the contrary, the stronger the energy contained in the pills, the better.
Gu Yao focused solely on refining pills. Only by doing so could he be of the greatest help. In addition to the pills used for core formation, he also prepared detoxification pills since the cultivators who were brought in had their cultivations suppressed and needed their internal toxins removed.
After finishing the refining process and checking the pills, Gu Yao realized that there was no movement outside. It was Xu Chen who reminded him that Chi Changye had come back briefly. However, Gu Yao was deeply engrossed in pill refining at that time and didn't notice, so Chi Changye went to attend to his own matters again.
Walking in the corridor with the pills, Gu Yao noticed that the cultivators in the surrounding rooms were all in a deep sleep, some even had smiles on their lips as if they were having pleasant dreams. "Is this the doing of the little cat?" Gu Yao asked.
Xu Chen replied, "It should be. Let these people enjoy some sweet dreams."
Just as Chi Changye was dragging someone over, he saw Gu Yao coming out and said, "These two are Lou Huaijing and Ying Muqing. Let's treat them first and gain some extra help."
These two individuals were more favorably regarded by Gu Yao and Chi Changye within the Changxian Sect. There were others like Yan Yuanjing as well. Although the sect leader of Changxian Sect was involved in this incident, it couldn't be said that every single member of the sect was guilty and deserved to die. Gu Yao believed that the majority of them were unaware of the situation.
"Alright." Gu Yao helped to take the two of them into a room, immediately took out pills for them to consume, and examined their conditions. It was evident that the person who had attacked them had been extremely ruthless, wanting to render them powerless and exploiting them by sending them to such a place.
"Cough..." Lou Huaijing woke up first, his brows still furrowed as he had experienced intense pain before losing consciousness. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a magnified face with a somewhat sinister expression. "Who are you? Where am I?"
Just after the poison was detoxified, Lou Huaijing's voice became hoarse. Gu Yao explained, "I'll tell you who I am later, but I know who you are. You were calculated and sent here by your fellow sect members, right? Do you know why you were sent here? It's to turn you into reanimated corpses, manipulated and controlled by others. And it's likely connected to your own Changxian Sect. Many of the people involved in these activities here are disciples of Changxian Sect."
Lou Huaijing's face showed shock and disbelief as he struggled, "That's impossible! Changxian Sect would never engage in such wicked and evil acts. You don't need to falsely accuse them."
Gu Yao sneered, "Then who do you think brought you here? Let me guess, was it done by Huo Ming's people? Does Huo Ming alone have the ability to create such a place and dare to bring you here to be turned into a reanimated corpse? Don't worry, you'll know if what I'm saying is true or false when we go out later."
While Gu Yao spoke, Ying Muqing also woke up without moving, silently listening. After Gu Yao finished speaking, Ying Muqing opened his eyes and looked over, "Are you Master Gu? Only Master Gu would use top-quality pills to save people." Lou Huaijing once again showed surprise and looked at Gu Yao in disbelief. Could it be that all of this is true? If this person is really Gu Yao, there's no way he would deceive them with lies.
"Take me out and let me see for myself. I want to see it with my own eyes."
Gu Yao could see that Lou Huaijing was already shaken. It was understandable since he had grown up in the sect and couldn't easily accept the darkness and disgrace hidden within it. Lou Huaijing thought that Huo Ming's behavior was already despicable enough, but he never expected that someone could be so wicked.
"It's best not to startle the people here, or else we won't be able to escape at all. We need to recover as soon as possible and preserve our strength to fight the enemy."
More people were being brought in, including a group led by Li Changhui. Gu Yao didn't have time to pay attention to Lou Huaijing and quickly went to save them.