Xu Qiye, utterly distraught, clambered to his feet, intending to return to his temporary room.
However, as he approached his dwelling, he was stopped by several guards of the Jiang Clan.
"Stop! This is the residence of a distinguished guest of the Divine Firmament Immortal Dynasty. Who are you?" a guard barked coldly.
"I am Xu Xiye, and I live inside..." Xu Qiye quickly said.
"Xu Xiye?" The guard sneered. "There is no such person in the Divine Firmament Immortal Dynasty anymore! The Second Princess has severed ties with you; you are no longer a person of the Divine Firmament Immortal Dynasty. Hurry and leave!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Qiye felt as if struck by lightning, utterly despairing.
He knew he had nowhere left to go.
He could only wear a bitter expression and slink away from the area.
Walking aimlessly through the Jiang Clan's ancestral land, Xu Qiye's heart was filled with confusion and resentment.
All his plans had failed; not only had he failed to get revenge on the Xu Family, but he had also lost Shen Luowan's protection, and now he didn't even have a place to stay.
Just as he foresaw a complete darkness ahead.
Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a secluded purple figure not far away.
This furtive figure was stealthily sneaking into a highly secretive palace complex.
Xu Qiye looked closely; the figure was Xu Yang!
Ever since Jiang Ye's Divine Soul had invaded him, Xu Yang had lost contact with him.
Now, Xu Yang's appearance in such a hidden place made Xu Qiye extremely puzzled.
He had moved around the Jiang Clan's station and had never seen this place before.
The palace complex before him had an extremely luxurious architectural style, and the Spiritual Qi was so dense it almost materialized.
Clearly, it was an important place for the Jiang Clan.
Perhaps it held some precious treasures, or some important secrets?
"Why would Xu Yang appear here? Wasn't he controlled by the Jiang Clan?" Xu Qiye's heart was full of questions.
"Is this some secret place of the Jiang Clan?"
"Xu Yang is sneaking around in the Jiang Clan; is there some hidden secret?"
An even bolder idea emerged in Xu Qiye's mind: "Xu Mang was attacked by someone from the Demonic Path... it must be related to the Jiang Clan. And Xu Yang suddenly appearing here must be connected to Xu Mang's previous attack! Perhaps I can investigate this matter..."
"If I can find evidence here of the Jiang Clan colluding with the Demonic Path, wouldn't I be able to turn the tables?"
"Regain Shen Luowan's trust, and even restore my status..."
At this thought, Xu Qiye's gaze became sharp as lightning, cold and profound.
He quickly concealed his aura and form, sticking close to the rock columns, quietly following behind.
That palace complex was hidden deep behind a purple-gold divine tree, with a withered well serving as its entrance.
Xu Yang leaped down, his figure disappearing into the thin mist at the bottom of the well.
Xu Qiye followed closely, jumping into the well.
The withered well was deep, its walls covered in damp moss, emitting a faint scent of decay.
Xu Qiye held his breath, his figure falling like a ghost.
The bottom of the well was filled with swirling, smoky mist, chilling and eerie, as if even one's Soul would be frozen.
Xu Qiye landed silently, his spiritual power contained like water. His gaze was deep as he looked at the winding, secluded path ahead.
This place had clearly been set with layers of Restrictions; space was distorted, making it difficult to project spiritual senses. One could only proceed step by step, firmly on the ground.
He followed Xu Yang's tracks all the way to the end, only to be surprised to find a massive stone hall ahead.
The hall's door was ajar, emitting a faint bloody glow.
He swallowed, slowly stepping into the stone hall, his footsteps growing heavier.
The air was thick with a strong scent of blood, a sickeningly sweet odor mixed with a hint of putrid decay, as if the grievances of centuries-old spirits whispered and wailed there.
Xu Qiye frowned, a look of shock in his eyes.
He quickly followed the scent with his gaze.
In the center of the palace, a massive bronze cauldron stood silently.
Above the cauldron, demonic runes intertwined, emitting a chillingly evil aura.
But what shocked Xu Qiye even more was that around the giant cauldron, more than a dozen shriveled corpses lay scattered.
They looked as if all their blood had been drained, leaving behind only a layer of thin, withered skin.
Their faces were contorted, their eyes filled with despair and terror, as if they had endured unimaginable suffering before death.
"What... what's going on?" Xu Qiye's face instantly turned pale.
He quickly searched for Xu Yang's figure.
But in the entire palace, apart from these nauseating corpses and that crimson, sinister giant cauldron, there was no trace of any other living being.
"Where's Xu Yang?"
He carefully examined the ground but found no signs of a struggle. The mummified corpses seemed to have appeared out of thin air.
"What exactly is this place? Why would the Jiang Clan hide so many corpses here?" Xu Qiye's heart was filled with doubt and unease.
On the ground, a partially destroyed mummified corpse still wore its robes—the grey Daoist robe Xu Yang used to wear.
A terrifying thought surfaced in Xu Qiye's mind, sending a shiver down his spine.
"No... impossible!"
Xu Qiye's heart was shattered with shock, when suddenly a thought surfaced: "Xu Yang was just bait; this is a trap!"
He vaguely sensed that he might have fallen into an extremely dangerous predicament.
Just as Xu Qiye was filled with doubt and apprehension, faint footsteps suddenly echoed around him.
He spun around abruptly but found no one there.
"Who?" Xu Qiye growled, looking around nervously.
However, the surroundings were utterly silent.
"Am I just this nervous?" Xu Qiye frowned, feeling a hint of unease.
He had a persistent feeling that someone was watching him from the shadows.
Just then, he caught a faint, sweet, cloying scent. This fragrance was elusive, yet it carried an intoxicating allure.
"Not good! It's a debilitating incense!" Xu Qiye's face changed. He immediately held his breath, trying to block his sense of smell.
However, it was already too late!
That sweet, cloying scent had silently invaded his body.
He felt waves of dizziness, his internal spiritual power began to solidify, and his limbs became somewhat weak. He wanted to use his Cultivation Technique to resist this debilitating incense, but he found his consciousness beginning to blur.
"Was a trap set here?" Xu Qiye's heart jolted. He wanted to leave this strange place immediately, but he found his body was no longer under his control, and he softly collapsed to the ground.
Just as his consciousness was about to completely sink, a slightly playful voice sounded in his ear.
"What a fool, actually delivering himself right into our hands."
Immediately after, a young and familiar figure appeared in Xu Qiye's line of sight.
It was a young man dressed in a black robe with Dragon patterns, handsome in appearance, but with eyes as cold as blades.
It was Jiang Ye, the Divine Son of the Jiang Family!
"Jiang... Jiang Ye!" Xu Qiye used his last ounce of strength, painstakingly uttering two words, before completely falling into unconsciousness.
Jiang Ye looked at Xu Qiye lying on the ground, a cold curve on his lips.
He slowly walked to the bronze giant cauldron, gently stroking the ferocious demonic runes on its body, a demonic glint flickering in his eyes.