"So, now that I've blabbered on for so long, explaining in detail about how I ended up here," Xuhan used his chin to point at himself while he spoke, "how about you clear up some of my suspicions and explain how you ended up there." He gestured at where Qian Yun sat.

"Don't tell me my theories are actually entirely true and you've become a puppet of whoever has been suppressed here by the circle of laws, brother Yun."

Qian Yun silently contemplated what to say. After a moment, he smiled under his mask and answered,

"actually, you are not far off the mark."

"Eh?" Han Xuhan exclaimed while Mu Ran uncomfortably squirmed against his bindings.

"Eheheh..." Qian Yun laughed in a manner Xuhan was familiar with before standing up. With a flourishing bow, he pointed at himself stylishly.

"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Jin Tuyi, the holy child of the Holy Land of Laws, currently in a temporary vessel. My main body is about to finish up with some cleanup procedures. But worry not, once the procedures are over, you shall be acquainted with me quite intimately."

Han Xuhan felt goosebumps popping out all over his body at his last sentence.

Holy Child? Main body? Good heavens!

"You're saying that we'd become puppets like Qian Yun as well? Is the real brother Yun still inside you? Is he alive in any sense?" He asked.

"Ah, I wouldn't say puppets. It all depends on yourselves, to be honest. If your will is firm enough like your martial sister Yuen Zhou, you can certainly pull through with your mind intact. But I'd suggest not placing much hope on that method. Look at the bunch surrounding you. They certainly did not manage to pull through the ordeal."

Yuen Zhou's fists clenched upon hearing Qian Yun's answer. He could actually sense the transferred information in her mind!

Truly a talented young cultivator! She almost felt a habitual impulse to take him in as a disciple. But then she remembered that she was no longer the impressive figure of her past life.

A feeling of regret welled up in her heart. She missed the numerous talented disciples she had nurtured. This cultivator who had been sealed in this place would have been a fitting figure among them.

While Yuen Zhou dwelled amidst her strange thoughts, Mu Ran was the one who had received the greatest shock.

Surviving the onslaught of the corrupted parts of a filth's soul by relying on pure willpower? With her cultivation base in the lower rungs of the physique transformation realm?

Illogical! Even he himself did not have such ability!

Meanwhile, as Xuhan already knew that Yuen Zhou was quite overpowered, his shock wasn't particularly strong. He simply noted the information down mentally and continued their conversation.

"I don't believe you."

Qian Yun laughed, amused at Xuhan's denial.

"Why not?"

"Because everything I've said mostly stemmed from my imagination and some deductive reasoning. It's impossible for the real events to match them directly. I have a feeling that you're simply trying to avoid explaining where my misconceptions are by accepting everything I've said. Come on, man. At least before I spiritually die, can't you satisfy my curiosity?"

Han Xuhan felt greatly aggrieved.

What was this?

Was there a need to be an asshat and ruin the joyful exchange of critical information? Whoever had possessed Qian Yun's body, he must be a massive douche. In such climatic scenes, the antagonist was supposed to be the one revealing shocking plans and information. Why was he, a semi-protagonist, the only one playing that role?

"And why would I care at all about whether you die unsatisfied or not?"

Proving his suspicions true, Qian Yun said something that greatly hurt his feelings.

What was the point of me rambling for so long? Was it all pointless? I just wanted to know the hidden plotline. Was that too much to ask for?

Qian Yun, or more accurately, Jin Tuyi, was truly a rotten villain!

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Desolate feelings occupied Han Xuhan's heart. But then Qian Yun said something that made his eyes light up.

"I think your martial brother is more qualified to answer your questions. If you really want to know, make sure to ask him later, provided you survive the transfer of information from the soul shard designated for you."

Han Xuhan nodded to himself. Indeed, he had forgotten that Mu Ran had some ideas about what went down in the land of laws in the past. His soul grandpa seems to have some relationship with this place.

Qian Yun suddenly looked up at the sky and stood up in a hurry. The rest of the cultivators followed his gaze and noticed what had attracted his gaze.

The gigantic Seal of Myriad Laws in the sky was undergoing some changes.

Ever since its emergence, various parts of the seal had been rotating in various directions, creating law fragments after law fragments automatically.

But the seal seemed to have been affected by something. Every few seconds, it would shift from its initial state to an illusory form and tremble as if it was about to fall apart. The suppressive laws that had blocked everyone's ability to manipulate qi flickered out of existence moments later.

"Looks like something went wrong with brother Yun's plan. Wait a minute, why am I calling you brother Yun? You're not him. Calling you Jin Tuyi wouldn't exactly be correct either..."

Han Xuhan got distracted trying to think of a name for the guy possessing Qian Yun. No one responded to his senseless ramblings.

Qian Yun gravely observed the seal shifting about in the sky for a few seconds. Then he turned to look at the rest of the cultivators who now shared a fate similar to his current body.

"It looks like the three soul shards that failed to do their job have affected the main body. We need to act fast and forcefully purify the soul shards before the corrupted parts can take root again. Grab them."

Gesturing at the tied-up trio, Qian Yun rushed toward the platforms again. Before Han Xuhan and his martial siblings could react, they were half-carried, half-dragged toward the platform by their captors.

Ahead, on the platforms, Qian Yun carefully stepped around the law fragments carved on the metal slabs and seemed to be thinking deeply. Once their trio was brought over, he looked up at them.

"I'm going to activate the law fragments to open an entrance here. Better not try anything funny, or I'll make sure that none of you survive the transfer of information."

The rest of the cultivators surrounded the platform and pushed the three of them ahead, making them stand still on the slab where Qian Yun had started fiddling with the law fragments already.

Han Xuhan craned his neck backwards and whispered a question to Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou.

"Oi, you two, what are the plans?"

Mu Ran laughed derisively while Yuen Zhou stayed silent.

"Plans? What kind of plans can we even execute right now? If I'm not wrong, the 'being' inside that's controlling Qian Yun and the rest is an existence who might break past the soul reformation realm any moment. Do you think we have a chance to fight back?"

Han Xuhan cursed silently.

The soul reformation realm?

Why were they meeting such overpowered antagonists in the first arc? Is the author a sadist or what?

However, listening to Mu Ran's tone, Xuhan distinctly felt that he hadn’t given up all hope. Perhaps he still had a trump card to play during the critical moment...?

But Han Xuhan felt a bit daunted by their looming fate once Qian Yun managed to open the entrance to whichever hellhole he was planning to deliver them to. Mu Ran or Yuen Zhou might go scotch free even after confronting the being sealed inside the land of laws. But Han Xuhan's luck had always been on the worse side.

He did not feel like tempting fate.

So he cranked his neck and looked at Qian Yun. A slight smirk appeared on his face as he spoke.

"Hey, brother BB, can you answer a small question of mine? "

"Brother Bee Bee? " Qian Yun, who had been squatting over a bunch of law fragments, looked up at him, noticing the change in Han Xuhan's tone. The sudden appearance of confidence and mischief in Xuhan's voice gave him an ominous feeling.

"Ah, BB is short for Banished Brat. It's what I've decided to call you for now. I've got a question for you."

"...Ask away." Qian Yun sounded a bit annoyed at the juvenile insult.

"If you hate a certain somebody A LOT, but can't catch him because he is hiding somewhere, what would you do upon learning how to drag him out of his hiding place? "

The ominous feeling in Qian Yun's heart got stronger. Thoughtfully, he answered Xuhan.

"That depends on how much I hate him. And whether I have the ability to defeat him or not."

"Like I said, A LOT. And he's really, really weak," Xuhan answered.

"Then I'll definitely drag him out of his hiding place and beat him up," Qian Yun said succinctly.

"Ah, good to know. Thanks for boosting my confidence." Han Xuhan smiled behind his mask.

Instantly, he used the bit of qi that he had managed to reabsorb after the seal had malfunctioned to activate a law fragment inside his pocket.

"Teleport!" Han Xuhan shouted lightly.

For a second, the dizzy sensation of being teleported overcame his senses. But when he opened his eyes, he saw Qian Yun's smooth mask facing him, his body still in his previous position in front of the platforms.

"What the fuck- why didn't it work ?" Han Xuhan gasped.

"Did you think I am dumb enough to not restrict every type of law fragments that is not created by me? Let alone teleportation, without my permission, no law fragment within the land of laws can be activated. The moment my main body began its assimilation, I made sure of this," Qian Yun laughed bemusedly.

"You vile dick!" Han Xuhan growled.

Why were the bad guys so smart in this world of cultivation?

One second later, A crimson glow flashed around Han Xuhan's body, wrapping Mu Ran and Yuen Zhou together, after which all three of them disappeared on the spot.

"...." Qian Yun numbly stared at the empty space in front of him.

His chest felt stuffy.

What had happened just now?