"Are you referring to when he forcibly extracted energy from you?" Hao Yun asked.

"Yes. Although in my view, the actions of the Destroyer are not a problem, his actions have severely harmed my health and caused me a great deal of distress. So, I really want to figure out whether what he did counts as doing evil," Amu Zinen replied.

Alright! Amu Zinen's words were indeed quite confusing! Fortunately, Hao Yun could discern right from wrong, which helped him understand what Amu Zinen was trying to convey. In simple terms, as Mold Spirit Energy beings, Amu Zinen didn't consider the torment inflicted by the Destroyer upon himself as evil, because they exist for this purpose. However, at the same time, the Destroyer's actions caused serious harm to Amu Zinen, forcing him to re-evaluate the legitimacy of the Destroyer's actions.

With this in mind, Hao Yun changed his approach and asked, "Since you don't think the Destroyer's actions are bad, why resist then?"

"Because Black Gate forcibly took my power without my consent. Moreover, his methods were extremely cruel, causing me extreme pain and making me feel that my life was slipping away. Black Gate only wanted my power; he didn't care whether I lived or died!" Amu Zinen replied.

"In that case, why not willingly offer yourself to him? That way, you could avoid suffering and help the Destroyer grow again," Hao Yun suggested.

"No! That would mean being consumed by Black Gate, ceasing to exist. That's not what I want. Also, I'm not willing to help Black Gate grow again by sacrificing myself!" Amu Zinen said after a brief silence.

"So, you feel that the Destroyer's actions go against your wishes?" Hao Yun asked again.

Amu Zinen thought for a moment and then replied, "Yes, you could say that."

Facing Amu Zinen, who was still struggling to wrap his mind around things, Hao Yun felt somewhat helpless. However, at the same time, Hao Yun realized that Amu Zinen raising this question after repeatedly suffering at the hands of the Destroyer indicated that he was starting to question his ingrained, inherently evil mindset. Therefore, perhaps Amu Zinen's wavering thoughts could be a good opportunity to sow discord within the enemy ranks.

So, Hao Yun continued, "Alright! Since we're at least jailmates, let me give you a piece of advice!"

"What advice?" Amu Zinen asked.

"Whether you represent good or evil, everything should revolve around you. You should completely view everything from the perspective that benefits you. If you think something is beneficial to you, then it's right, it's good. Conversely, if someone does something to you, then they are doing something bad to you," Hao Yun said.

"For example, let's talk about us Mold Spirit Energies hunting down the Shrine Guardians under the guise of justice, indiscriminately besieging you all. Although our actions are just, the impact on you is destructive. So, from your perspective, we are the bad guys because we harm your interests. The same logic applies to what the Destroyer does to you. Otherwise, why would you stubbornly resist here?" Hao Yun continued.

Of course, Hao Yun didn't believe his statements were correct. However, if such reasoning could influence Amu Zinen's thoughts, then his objective would be achieved. Yet, after expressing these views, Hao Yun couldn't help but feel some worry. After all, Amu Zinen was fundamentally Mold Spirit Energy, representing pure evil. Therefore, while Hao Yun attempted to subtly encourage Amu Zinen to resist the Destroyer more strongly, he also feared whether his actions would inadvertently force Amu Zinen to confront his true nature and become more determined in supporting the Destroyer.

In the following days, the prison cell remained quiet. The Destroyer didn't come to trouble Amu Zinen, and Amu Zinen didn't speak to Hao Yun again. Hao Yun naturally didn't actively seek out Amu Zinen for conversation either, as the Thorny Cage, transformed from his Claw Form, continued to assault his protective shield incessantly. How long could he hold out? How could he escape from here? These were the questions Hao Yun was most concerned about. Thus, he paid no further attention to Amu Zinen's issues and instead immersed his thoughts entirely into the system, attempting to check once again whether his previous message had been successfully sent. Suddenly, due to an inexplicable feeling of exhaustion, Hao Yun's consciousness became blurred.

Hao Yun's consciousness quickly became clear again. He then saw himself busily working inside an empty house. With the flood about to spread, Hao Yun had to quickly prepare for flood prevention. However, to his surprise, the flood arrived faster and more fiercely than expected. The flood seemed to appear out of nowhere, instantly filling the entire house.

Hao Yun had to abandon the idea of holding onto this building and quickly climbed up the back slope along the roof's passage to evade the relentless attacks of this flood beast, which resembled a black mist. Finally, with two sharp daggers in hand, Hao Yun swiftly climbed the steep slope and successfully evaded the flood's assault.

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Just as the house was about to be mercilessly engulfed by the flood, Hao Yun suddenly heard a series of knocks coming from the tightly closed iron door on the roof. Hao Yun couldn't help but be surprised. Could there be someone else trapped in that house? Hao Yun was very certain that apart from himself, there was no one else in that house. Why would anyone else be trapped inside? Who could that person trapped there be? Hao Yun quickly pondered this question, and his uneasy emotions gradually reached their peak, making it difficult for Hao Yun to breathe normally. Finally, after a violent struggle, Hao Yun opened his eyes once again.

It turned out that the scene just now was just a dream. After all, Hao Yun was a semi-living spirit companion, so being in a state of tension for more than ten consecutive days inevitably made him feel fatigued, eventually causing him to fall asleep unknowingly. However, it was good to be able to take a short nap. With the help of his increasingly powerful physique, Hao Yun quickly shook off his fatigue during this brief rest and was once again ready to face the current crisis in full condition.

"Hmm... comfortable! Huh? What's this...?" Hao Yun sat up abruptly, about to stretch when he discovered a dagger gripped tightly in his hand.

"How did I take out this dagger? Good thing I don't have sleepwalking disorder, otherwise wandering around with a dagger would be too dangerous!" Hao Yun thought to himself, puzzled by why he had the countess's dagger in his possession. Since it was already out, he decided to inspect the cracks on its blade. Sure enough, the fissures were slowly widening.

"Hmph! Why are you resisting? Just obediently hand over your power to me! I promise to reserve a VIP seat for you inside me, so you can witness more great historical moments together with me!" The Destroyer's voice echoed from the adjacent cell, interrupting Hao Yun's thoughts. Frowning, he wondered why the Destroyer was back again.

What intrigued Hao Yun was that this time the Destroyer wasn't rushing to act against Amu Zinen; instead, he was earnestly trying to persuade Amu Zinen to submit. But no matter how the Destroyer tried, Amu Zinen remained silent. Nonetheless, Hao Yun wasn't reassured by Amu Zinen's silence. He suspected that Amu Zinen's quietude might be due to the Destroyer's intimidation and persuasion causing inner turmoil.

However, Hao Yun soon realized his concerns were unnecessary. The Destroyer, losing patience with Amu Zinen's silence, turned harshly and said, "Hmph! Stubborn fool! Let's see how long you can hold out!"

Over the next two hours, the Destroyer resumed torturing Amu Zinen. To Hao Yun's surprise, despite the force the Destroyer exerted while forcefully draining Amu Zinen's energy, not a single whimper escaped Amu Zinen's lips.

"Hmph! Surprisingly tough skin you have! But you won't last much longer! Enjoy these final moments of joy!" the Destroyer said indignantly.

Hao Yun could hear from the Destroyer's tone that he was greatly surprised by Amu Zinen's state today. At the same time, Hao Yun sensed a hint of weariness in the Destroyer's words. It seemed that in his attempt to strip Amu Zinen of his power today, the Destroyer had encountered strong resistance, resulting in minimal gains. This reassured Hao Yun somewhat, as it meant his persuasion of Amu Zinen had started to bear fruit. Amu Zinen had begun to fight back against the Destroyer's atrocities in defense of his own interests.

Thus, once the angry Destroyer left, Hao Yun cautiously called out, "Hey! Amu Zinen! How are you?"

However, Hao Yun waited for a while without hearing Amu Zinen's response. Then, after about another hour, Amu Zinen finally let out a weak, desolate sigh, "Ah..."

Following this, Hao Yun heard a series of chants akin to those emanating from the depths of hell. Simultaneously, he felt these devilish chants pass through the cell door and form an invisible energy barrier within his own cell.

Just as Hao Yun was still scratching his head, questioning whether he had imagined something, Amu Zinen's voice echoed once again in his ears, "Hoo! I just created an encrypted passage between us. Now, only we can hear our conversation. No one else can know what we're discussing!"

Hao Yun didn't quite grasp what Amu Zinen meant, so he furrowed his brow and teased, "Amu Zinen, you're quite the character! You're still alive?"

Amu Zinen responded with a weak, sardonic laugh, "Ahem... Thanks for the good words, I'm still alive. But time is running out, we need to speed up our conversation! Because I can barely hold on! I nearly exhausted all my strength fighting the Destroyer just now. So, when the Destroyer comes to torture me next time, I won't have the strength to struggle. The end is near!"

Hao Yun's heart clenched upon hearing this, knowing well that Amu Zinen wouldn't say such words unless he was truly on the verge. Despite his worries, Hao Yun couldn't resist teasing, "Hmph! Since you're so afraid of death, why didn't you agree to his demands earlier? At least then, the Destroyer could have kept a fragment of your soul to witness everything he does next."

"Pah! He wishes! I admit, the evil deeds of the Black Gate are so delightful to behold. His efforts to maim my appearance are quite fascinating. Because everything he does to me is what we villains should do, I don't oppose it. I even want to applaud and cheer for him," Amu Zinen said.

Hao Yun listened dumbfoundedly. He couldn't determine whether Amu Zinen's thoughts stemmed from being a fanatical follower of evil, supporting any wrongdoing—even if inflicted upon himself—or if it was due to Amu Zinen himself being psychologically twisted with a severe masochistic tendency. Regardless, Hao Yun found Amu Zinen's mindset not only disturbing but also incredibly dangerous.

Amu Zinen continued, "However, it's a pity. While I agree that my actions align with our definition of dark spirit energy, I must also admit you're right that villains have every right to refuse wrongdoing that harms them. Therefore, to safeguard my own interests, I've decided to say no to the atrocities inflicted upon me by the Black Gate. That's why I fought the Destroyer with all my might just now. It was during this resistance against the Black Gate that I found a slight loophole in his attempt to forcibly drain energy from me. Using this loophole, I managed to sneak into his mind and glimpse his true thoughts."

"What are the Destroyer's true thoughts?" Hao Yun perked up immediately upon hearing this.