"What a failure, he calls himself the leader of the Eight Evils, yet he can't even catch a mere Sea of Qi realm Lu Yu." Xue Ming complained, leaning against the bed.

If the Asura Evil Ghost had caught Lu Yu, he wouldn't have to stay in such a place where there's nothing, who would want to be here?

Tap tap tap~ The sound of footsteps hitting the ground echoed, and Xue Ming quickly scrambled up upon hearing it.

"Is the High Priest Shaqian willing to see me?" Xue Ming asked as he heard the footsteps approaching his room while walking towards the door.

He opened the door and saw someone outside with a golden long feather in their hair. Xue Ming was slightly stunned; he hadn't expected it to be the Sand Envoy.

Feeling a sudden rush of joy, he thought to himself that the High Priest Shaqian must have agreed to meet him if the Sand Envoy was here to fetch him.

Although delighted, Xue Ming didn't slack off. He quickly performed the greeting gesture used among members of the Sand King's Hall and asked, "I am Xue Ming, greeting the esteemed Sand Envoy. Which Sand Envoy might you be?"

Lu Yu looked at Xue Ming and walked into his room. As Xue Ming saw the Sand Envoy approaching him, he subconsciously stepped back a few steps. Lu Yu took the opportunity to enter his room and casually closed the door.

Xue Ming's expression changed, not understanding why the Sand Envoy would close the door. Was it to avoid being overheard?

Not only did Lu Yu shut the door, but he also threw out the Little Forest Array's Array Plate. Once the Little Forest Array unfolded, no sound from inside the room would reach the outside.

Seeing Lu Yu toss out something that resembled an Array Plate, Xue Ming felt an ominous sensation creep into his heart, and he shouted harshly, "Who are you?"

"Who am I? Don't you recognize me?" Lu Yu replied using his own voice.

"Lu Yu!"

Xue Ming was shocked to the point of losing color. He would never forget Lu Yu's voice, but he never expected Lu Yu to appear before him in such a manner.

He quickly realized the situation, and his powerful survival instinct prompted him to unleash all his power instantly, not to fight against Lu Yu, but to dash towards a stone wall in the room.

As long as he got out of the room and caused a disturbance, the strong guards of the Sand King's Hall would appear immediately, making it impossible for Lu Yu to escape.

The distance between the two was a mere step, and there was no way Lu Yu would let him escape the room.

The power Xue Ming exploded with was shattered by a single palm strike from Lu Yu. The rampant flow of Spiritual Qi surged in the room, and various objects inside were destroyed by the overwhelming air currents.

Lu Yu transformed his palm into a claw, concentrating all his strength at the tips of his five fingers.

Crack~ The protective Spiritual Armor on Xue Ming's body emitted a crisp sound, forcibly torn open by Lu Yu's five fingers.

Bam! Lu Yu grabbed Xue Ming's Spiritual Armor and slammed him onto the floor, with a knee pressing against Xue Ming's spinal column.

The shoulder parts of the Spiritual Armor had already been deformed by Lu Yu's grip. Xue Ming felt as though his shoulders had been crushed by Lu Yu.

Under Lu Yu's overwhelming power, Xue Ming's spine made cracking sounds, struggling to bear the weight, at risk of snapping and shattering at any moment. Pain was etched across his face.

In a straightforward contest of strength, Xue Ming was no match for Lu Yu, even without the activated might of the Asura Evil Ghost's Divine Soldiers. Just in terms of raw power, he couldn't rival Lu Yu.

But combat is never simply about who is stronger.

While being suppressed on the ground by Lu Yu, Xue Ming didn't give up struggling. Within his body, Spiritual Power flowed, forming a complex Dharma Seal.

Lu Yu saw a blood-red light emanating from Xue Ming's body. The subdued Xue Ming seemed less resilient, like liquid slipping through his fingers.

Seeing this, a chilling Yin energy surged from within Lu Yu, dropping the room's temperature to several tens of degrees below zero as frost began to form on the walls and floor.

Frost spread over Xue Ming, freezing his liquified body into solid form.

Xue Ming sensed the change, becoming frantic. The Secret Technique he employed was Blood Escape, allowing him to liquefy and pass through any crevice, and even burn his blood to achieve extreme speed.

But now, before he could ignite his blood to accelerate his escape, his liquid form was starting to freeze into ice.

Realizing the dire situation, Xue Ming resorted to his last measure: transferring the blame for all the adverse actions against Lu Yu onto the higher-ups of the Iron Tomb, hoping to redirect Lu Yu's vengeance toward them.

He even expressed a willingness to betray the Iron Tomb to help avenge Lu Yu.

Xue Ming twisted his head 180 degrees to look at Lu Yu, just as he was about to speak, a flaming fist descended.

Sizzle sizzle~ pop~ The flames on Xue Ming's body crackled, occasionally producing explosive pops characteristic of burning fat.

The smell of charred flesh filled the room, prompting Lu Yu to wrinkle his brow and conjure a surge of Spiritual Power to intensify the blaze.

The stimulated Celestial Falling Bright Flame erupted with high temperatures, reducing Xue Ming's body to ashes in an instant.

With a wave of his right hand, Lu Yu commanded the Spiritual Power within the room to condense the ashes into a grey ball.

With a flick, he sent Xue Ming's remains into the floor, clapped his hands, took one last look around the mostly unchanged room, and then left.

To be honest, finishing off Xue Ming so easily felt a bit like letting him off. But given the current circumstances, there wasn't time to slowly deal with him.

After dealing with Xue Ming, Lu Yu briskly headed in the direction of Sha Ku.

Earlier, as he maneuvered through the underground palace, he roughly mapped out its layout. There were many expansive halls, each having its specific function.