Chapter 216

Pei Ji said, “Should I… laugh now?”

It’s so disrespectful!

Ning Ning instantly widened her eyes, “Wow, you are really too much!”

Pei Ji lowered his head, hearing her dissatisfied tone, and quietly let out a chuckle from his chest.

She opened her mouth, intending to say something more, but was caught off guard by the sudden light that pierced her vision.

After walking a few more steps, dim lights finally began to glow along the sides of the passage.

It was a narrow but long passage, with cold stones piled on both sides, reminiscent of a gloomy tomb. The further they walked, the wider and more open the path became, revealing its original appearance under the flickering light.

At the end of the passage was a large cave. As they moved deeper, the lights disappeared, leaving Ning Ning only able to see the endless darkness stretching in all directions.

And standing at the entrance of the cave was a familiar figure.

The silhouette, resembling a sword slicing through light and darkness, made her hold her breath and stop in her tracks under the overwhelming pressure it exuded.

Pei Ji stood in front of her with his sword drawn.

Well, well.

Judging by those familiar features and the smirk, how could Luo Yuanming be here?

“Surprised?”

Luo Yuanming stood in the crimson firelight, speaking in his usual refined manner, but his entire body emitted a murderous aura like a tidal wave.

He seemed amused, satisfied with the expressions on their faces, and finally curled his lips:

“You didn’t really think I wouldn’t notice something was up, did you? Zheng Weiqi’s mysterious disappearance, and those incenses burned by Luan Niang at midnight… She must have directed you to find this place, right?”

Ning Ning didn’t let go of Pei Ji’s hand and earnestly replied, “So you were lying in wait?”

Luo Yuanming, not expecting her response, laughed heartily:

“Zheng Weiqi’s disappearance was definitely to lure the Xuanxu Sword Sect to investigate. It was only a matter of time before this place was discovered. So I decided to wait here and catch you all at once—betraying me, that crazy woman! When I get back, I’ll kill her!”

Mentioning this, he finally showed some anger: “I trusted her so much… She must be after the mansion’s wealth! I knew it, a woman from that kind of place could never be any good!”

Ning Ning laughed dryly and didn’t dwell on the topic, instead continuing to ask, “You’ve been using women for soul refinement for many years, haven’t you?”

Regardless of era, villains might not always be endearing or charming, but they have one common trait: they talk a lot.

It makes sense, having done such things in secret for so many years, unable to boast or confess to others. When someone asks, it’s hard not to feel the urge to talk. Luo Yuanming was no exception, smiling smugly.

“That’s right.”

He said, smiling: “Years ago, I traveled through the desert at night and witnessed a demon sacrificing women. I stepped in to experience it and found it immensely satisfying… After returning to Luan City, I began my ‘cultivation.'”

He actually referred to such acts as “cultivation.”

Ning Ning abandoned her attempt to manage her expression, showing an obvious look of disgust.

“This world is full of orphaned girls. Even if they vanish suddenly, no one cares.”

Luo Yuanming reminisced for a moment before frowning: “I never personally capture people; I buy them from black market dealers—except for an idiot who once captured a farm girl with a living mother, ruining everything.”

After that incident, the Jucidial Court combined several missing person cases, and Luan City began a long period of vigilance.

“It’s really nothing, honestly. Think about it, those women had little purpose alive. Sacrificing themselves as offerings gave them some use.”

Luo Yuanming spoke as if it were the most natural thing: “And I, the Lord of Luan City, have countless achievements over the years. Trading their lives for my cultivation, what a bargain.”

Ning Ning felt nauseated, suppressing her discomfort as she coldly questioned, “Did you kill Song Xianning too?”

“Who told her to meddle? I didn’t want to kill her out of our marriage, but she kept pushing—an aristocratic lady’s body is weak; it wasn’t long before she died.”

Annoyed, he glanced at the two youths before him, eyes cold: “Your friends went through the other door? They’re likely doomed. You won’t be leaving today either.”

As he finished speaking, white light suddenly shot at them from all directions, swift as lightning, aiming straight for their faces!

The white light carried the power of the five elements, resembling dense rain in the dark cave. Luo Yuanming stood still amidst it, his smile growing.

Sword cultivators are best at killing above their level. If disciples under Tian Xianzi attacked together, he’d be no match.

But to eliminate them quietly, it had to be here, at the bottom of the well.

After much thought, he set this ambush, ready to catch them all.

The white light, dense as a web, surged forward, impossible to block with sword energy alone. Moreover, Luo Yuanming’s cultivation was higher than theirs, making it even harder to break through.

Ning Ning concentrated, barely managing to cut through a few beams. As the white light closed in, she saw a tall shadow cover her.

——Pei Ji was using his body as a shield, gathering sword and demonic energy into his blade, enduring the attack.

The intense impact felt like an upheaval inside, the immense force tearing through every bone and muscle, making him grimace and cough up blood.

“Pei Ji!”

Ning Ning cried out, smelling an overpowering scent of blood. Upon closer inspection, she saw blood seeping from his pale neck, spreading downward, hidden by his black clothes.

What lay beneath those clothes, she didn’t dare imagine.

Pei Ji slightly turned his head, his dark eyes showing no emotion, glancing back at her with a mix of reassurance and resignation, wiping the blood from his mouth and shaking his head gently.

He probably couldn’t even speak.

“Even if you can withstand this blow, so what! My cultivation—”

Luo Yuanming’s words were cut off as the two youths drew their swords again.

Sword energy shattered the still air, like sunlight piercing through clouds, stirring a whirlwind of murderous intent.

Sword cultivators.