"If that's really the case, it might not be a bad thing. Those who have been captured are truly living a fate worse than death," Wulu said with a bitter smile.

"Are those people being held in the Law Hall of Chang Chun Temple?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Are you thinking of rescuing them? Don't be foolish; they're not only captives but also bait. The reason the Wu Yue Sect hasn't killed them off immediately is to lure others into attempting a rescue. I've seen at least three different groups rush in to save them during this period, and not one has come out alive," Wulu shook his head.

"Why are you sticking around here then?" Hearing this, Yuan Ming dropped the subject and asked instead.

"I have to find the Blood Demon Ancestor. I became what I am now all thanks to him. If I want to revert to my original appearance, finding him seems to be my only hope," Wulu sighed with a sense of helplessness.

Upon hearing Wulu, Yuan Ming suddenly understood: the Wu Yue Sect must have been in contact with the Blood Demon Ancestor all along. Their previous order to capture Wulu was probably for the Blood Demon Ancestor's sake.

"Have you found any trace of the Blood Demon Ancestor?" Yuan Ming inquired.

"No, I've been staking out here for many days but have never seen the Blood Demon Ancestor show himself. However, I did discover something else that's worth more attention," Wulu said, his tone taking on a mysterious air.

"What is it?" Yuan Ming asked, curious.

"The Wu Yue Sect's objective in attacking Chang Chun Temple isn't just to crush the Cloud Desolate Alliance in one fell swoop; they have other schemes within Chang Chun Temple," Wulu stated.

"Tell me more," Yuan Ming urged, frowning.

"Didn't you sense the change when you got near Chang Chun Temple?" Wulu didn't answer directly but instead posed a question.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming concentrated on his thoughts, and after a moment, he hesitantly answered, "If there's any change, I feel that the spiritual energy at Chang Chun Temple isn't as rich as it used to be."

"Right, I've checked. Chaotian Peak, where the spiritual energy of Chang Chun Temple was most abundant, has been enveloped by a large array recently. As a result, the spiritual energy cannot overflow and spread, leading to the gradual thinning of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power around here," Wulu explained.

"Seizing the vast spiritual energy of Chang Chun Temple, what exactly are these fellows trying to do?" Yuan Ming's expression changed slightly as he asked.

"That is also what I'm most eager to figure out, aside from finding the Blood Demon Ancestor," Wulu said.

"Now that I'm here, let's take action together. Whether it's finding the Blood Demon Ancestor, rescuing those captives, or figuring out what the Wu Yue Sect is up to, succeeding in just one of these tasks would mean our trip here wasn't in vain," Yuan Ming declared with a resolute gaze.

"I was thinking the same," Wulu said with a smile.

"Wulu, you must have some special means of infiltration to uncover so much on your own, right?" Yuan Ming inquired.

"At the beginning of the conflict with Chang Chun Temple, several escape tunnels were secretly dug and teleportation arrays set up, most of which the Wu Yue Sect has destroyed. However, I was lucky to find a few hidden ones. It's through these tunnels I've been sneaking into Chang Chun Temple these days," Wulu nodded as he spoke.

"Being a Spoken Witch, the Divine Soul of the Wu Yue God is so powerful, and he never noticed you?" Yuan Ming was still somewhat incredulous.

"The battle to capture Chang Chun Temple was more horrific than you can imagine. The Wu Yue God expended a great deal, and rested after the battle. Now, it's the Venerables who are in charge of Chang Chun Temple. As long as I'm careful, it's not that easy to get caught," Wulu chuckled.

"So when do we act?" asked Yuan Ming.

"Chang Chun Temple's outer defenses are relaxed, but the inner defenses are tight. The night guards are especially vigilant, but at dawn, many sentries change shifts, which is actually the best time to infiltrate," Wulu explained.

"Alright, then let's make our move at that time," Yuan Ming nodded.

Afterward, the two discussed the details of the action plan and began to meditate separately, waiting for the time to act.

...

Inside Chang Chun Temple, Chaotian Peak.

This was a solitary peak standing apart from the contiguous mountain range. Though not the tallest within the Sect, its unique location, right at the convergence of the Spirit Vein, made it the peak where the Sect's spiritual energy was most abundant.

It used to be the cultivation ground for the Inner Sect Elders and Inner Sect Disciples, a place of scenic beauty and spiritual grace.

Now, the entire peak was shrouded in dark clouds, and a massive black cloud, thick as ink, capped the summit, as if draping a dirty hat over the peak.

From that dark cloud descended a curtain-like layer of black light, enveloping the whole of Chaotian Peak within it.

From a distance, the entire Chaotian Peak seemed enshrouded in black mist, fraught with an oppressive and gloomy atmosphere.

At the foot of Chaotian Peak, outside the layer of the black light screen, near a hastily-built Stone Castle, a few Wu Yue Sect Disciples who had just come on for the night shift were chatting leisurely, looking relaxed.

A young disciple with puffy eyes and gaunt cheeks, hugging a long spear, leaned against the Stone Castle's outer wall, yawning.

A companion teased him, saying, "You should know how to pace yourself, the female prisoners in the Water Prison can't escape; there's no need to play them all at once like a starving ghost. Why exhaust yourself daily?"

"Heh heh, you can't blame me for that, as those female prisoners are the ones begging for my company; I really can't be faulted," the gaunt disciple replied with a lewd grin.

"True, being tossed around by you is probably more comfortable than being tortured in the dungeons," another person added with a laugh.

"Ah, you're not wrong. Those pampered Sect Disciples do have a different flavor indeed..."

As they chatted enthusiastically, one of them looked askance and suddenly noticed that a black tree root had grown on the wall beside the emaciated disciple without anyone knowing when it had appeared.

He rubbed his eyes, feeling his vision blur, but he saw that the black tree root didn't seem to have grown out of the cracks in the wall. Instead, it seemed to have sprouted out of thin air.

"Hey..."

Just as he was about to speak up and say something, a black root had silently crept up his spine without his knowledge and just as he opened his mouth, it fiercely pierced into it.

"Mmm..." A muffled sound arose, and his eyes trembled before he stopped struggling.

At the same time, the others also stiffened, plunging into an illusion.

Soon after, the black vines that had reached out from the void entwined them all, pulling them into the stone castle.

Within moments, these individuals walked back out, expressions normal as if nothing had happened, and they returned to their original places, resuming their previous conversations.

Inside the stone castle, two more figures had appeared; it was, in fact, Yuan Ming and Wulu.

"With your ability to pierce through the void, we could have gone directly into Chaotian Peak. Why waste time turning them into tree-man puppets?" Wulu wondered. For a smoother reading experience, visit MV&LEMPYR.

"These people have their uses. Now is just the right time; let's go in and take a look," Yuan Ming said with a smile, without giving away too much.

After speaking, he faced the rear of the stone castle, toward Chaotian Peak, and stretched out his palm forward, transforming it into vines of the Undying Tree. Utilizing his mana, he deployed his divine skills, and swiftly opened a spatial channel on the wall of the castle.

On the other side of the passage, it directly connected to a cliff terrace halfway up Chaotian Peak.

The moment the channel was opened, a thick Demonic Qi emanated from within, causing Yuan Ming and Wulu's expressions to change drastically.

Both had actively absorbed Demonic Qi before, the other having it forcibly infused, so they were naturally familiar with this substance.

"Demonic Qi? How can there be such dense Demonic Qi inside Chang Chun Temple?" Wulu couldn't help but ask.

"Just wait here; I'll go have a look," Yuan Ming said and was about to enter the channel.

Wulu reached out to hold him back, earnestly cautioning, "Be careful."

Yuan Ming nodded, slipped into the channel, and the spatial passage instantly vanished.

On the midway cliff terrace of Chaotian Peak, Yuan Ming's figure descended from the void.

No sooner had he steadied himself, Yuan Ming felt the intensely dense Demonic Qi swirling around heaven and earth, its richness and abundance almost on par with what he had seen beneath Snake King Valley, but not quite.

Looking around, a shock grew in his heart.

If it weren't for the Great Array enveloping the entire Chaotian Peak, this Demonic Qi once leaking out could very well have turned the entire Chang Chun Temple into a Demon Realm.

Suppressing the doubts in his heart, he walked towards the top of the mountain.

No sooner had he arrived in the mountain forest from the cliff terrace than Yuan Ming discovered that all the vegetation here had withered away, ancient trees standing tall as if they had endured a cataclysmic wildfire, now reduced to charred remains.

The bushes and grass on the ground were also scorched, crumbling into ash with a light touch of his foot.

"What on earth happened?" Yuan Ming's puzzlement deepened.

Climbing swiftly along the mountain ridge, he hadn't gotten far when his eyebrows furrowed tightly, and soon he saw an ancient black tree, bent like a coiling dragon, not far ahead.

The ancient tree soared over several tens of meters; its canopy spread wide like a cover, laden with dense black leaves, life vigorously pulsating within them.

A Magic Cloud Tree had been planted here!

Yuan Ming's pupils shrank as he cautiously moved closer, circling the tree to check for embedded human bodies and heaving a sigh of relief upon finding none.

Without a doubt, this was the Wu Yue Sect's doing.

An unpleasant speculation occurred in Yuan Ming's mind, and he promptly spread his form, racing toward the mountain's summit.

However, he hadn't gone far before another Magic Cloud Tree appeared in his field of vision.

After that, more and more Magic Cloud Trees emerged, becoming densely packed near the mountain's peak, having been thoroughly planted.

Yuan Ming's confusion dissolved.

The Demonic Qi filling the mountain was a transformation from these Magic Cloud Trees.

Still, he didn't understand why the Wu Yue Sect would do such a thing.

He lifted his head to gaze at the thick demonic clouds hanging above the mountain's peak and proceeded to hasten his pace towards the top.