Liu Xing stood in the library, scanning the books at eye level. The titles of some of the books revealed the name of the sect. Before it was occupied by the Nether Lotus Sect, it was called the Bleeding Heart Sect. Since he was invisible and did not want to compromise his infiltration, he decided against taking any books down to read. Instead, he simply browsed the neatly lined-up titles in this section. There were no windows in the library, yet countless light gems studded the ceiling, brightening the room. An array formation regulated the temperature and kept the shelves clean. The facility impressed him. It was quite vast, with shelf after shelf neatly organized by topic. While some low-level demonic cultivators occupied the techniques section, the history section remained empty.

  He stood before shelves that, judging by the titles alone, chronicled the history of the sect.

  Bleeding Heart was the name of the founder. From the titles, he appeared to have been a wise and strong man. He had been a disciple of the Purple Moon Sect at one time but decided to become a monk before returning to the Wild Tide Region, his hometown. The library seemed to contain his full life story, and there were even several books authored by him. Liu Xing felt a spark of curiosity, but he decided this was neither the time nor the place to learn history. He had come looking for something immediately useful, but as it turned out, there was nothing here he could use.

  Liu Xing returned to the technique section, where several disciples of the Nether Lotus Sect were browsing the shelves. They didn't chat with each other. In fact, they searched with anxious expressions, as if they were being chased by a deadline, which they probably were.

  He walked past books and scrolls containing the Bleeding Heart Sect's techniques. Almost all of them were Base Grade. From what he could tell, some weren't even worthy of being called techniques. They were just exercises for manipulating qi or guides disguised as martial arts. It was quite disappointing. While the library itself was vast and neat, and the collection of history and philosophy books was abundant, the collection of techniques was shabby. No wonder the direct disciples hadn't bothered to bring these techniques out.

  Liu Xing left the library and visited the treasure hall across the room. The space was large, but the collection was sparse. Most of the racks stood empty, and while one or two swords capable of channeling qi remained, the selection was, once again, disappointing.

  "It's okay," Liu Xing muttered.

  Although he was still empty-handed, the time spent browsing the building hadn't been useless. Tide Walker had almost recovered completely. A little more time, and the shark would definitely become a great asset for the fights to come.

  [Outside, the sounds of battle and commotion raged, muffled by the walls until they arrived as mere murmurs in his ears. The tournament must have begun, and he imagined there were already people who had lost their chance to procure valuable treasures. After walking for a while, Liu Xing arrived at the edge of the building and spotted a staircase rising to the second level on his right. For a moment, he considered walking up to find Wuji Sanren and kill him. In the end, however, he decided to turn around and explore the first floor first.

  As he explored, he found many rooms. There were several clinics that smelled of herbs. They were all empty, but he suspected that, over time, these rooms would fill with people who were beaten black and blue.

  Liu Xing began planning his massacre of the demonic cultivators on the island. His first targets needed to be the disciples he had noted earlier, the ones currently holding the treasures that would help him subdue Wuji Sanren. He debated his next move. Should he target Wuji Sanren immediately or the other disciples? There were pros and cons to each option. Ideally, he would kill Wuji Sanren without creating a commotion. However, if he failed, people would become aware of his existence, even while invisible. On the other hand, if he targeted the disciples first, he would have the chance to strengthen himself by absorbing their qi, as well as acquire more techniques and treasures to use against Wuji Sanren.

  He explored more of the first floor and realized there were many secluded, untouched rooms. They were perfect for hiding corpses, which would allow him to kill silently for a time. The thought of murdering people and hiding their bodies like a serial killer made his stomach twist, but he crushed the feeling. He was weak. He needed to become strong as soon as possible, and since he had a gun that would facilitate that growth, it was logical to optimize it fully. Even if he knew it was morally wrong, he had already decided to show no mercy to these demonic cultivators. Killing them silently was the most logical and feasible course of action. Sooner or later, the disappearances would be noticed, but that was of no concern right now.

  Liu Xing finally arrived at the other side building. At the edge of the room, a staircase descended into darkness. An eerie wind blew from below, carrying shouts, whimpers, and cries from the underground. Liu Xing was about to step toward the dungeon to check on the prisoners of the Bleeding Heart Sect when footsteps approached.

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  He turned around. A man appeared. From his face, he looked young, like a teenager. However, he wore the black and red robe of the Nether Lotus Sect. His hair was made of green vines, and his eyes were entirely red, as if formed from blood. On his back, he carried a large sword sheathed in green vines, and the handle was gold and patterned with snake scales.

  Seeing the weapon, Liu Xing raised his eyebrows. He remembered that sword. It looked as if it were made of brown wood, but when activated, thorns sprouted on every surface. The thorns carried a potent poison that grew deadlier the more one channeled their qi. It was a valuable weapon, useful even to someone at the Sun Refining realm. He wasn't part of the first one hundred granted resources, but rather one of the lucky lottery winners.

  A moment later, Liu Xing noticed the man was holding a rope. As he pulled it, a person tied to the other end emerged from the corner. It was a servant wearing gray fabric that appeared to be men's clothing—pants and a long-sleeved shirt. However, the servant was a woman. Even dressed as a man with short hair, her smooth skin, filled chest, feminine face, and pretty eyes would not fool anyone. Perhaps she wasn't trying to fool anyone; perhaps these were the only clothes available to her. Both her hands were bound by the rope, and the demonic cultivator pulled her hurriedly, trying to make her move faster.

  "This is the way, right?" The demonic cultivator with vine hair and blood-red eyes pointed down toward the dungeon.

  "Y-yes," the woman nodded. "There's a secret passage inside that leads outside."

  "Good!" The demonic cultivator nodded, his lips twisting into a smile. "Show me the way, and as promised, I will set you and your lover free."

  The woman's lips trembled, but she nodded. She began to walk toward the stairs. Liu Xing took several steps to the side to make way for her. When the demonic cultivator passed him, Liu Xing contemplated killing him right then and there. The man licked his lips as he looked at the woman, as if a delicious meal stood before him. Still, Liu Xing reined himself in. He decided to understand the situation before acting.

  The woman descended the stairs, the demonic cultivator walked behind her, and Liu Xing followed.

  The stairs descended further. At first, gems studded the walls and illuminated the path, but the deeper they walked, the fewer the gems became. Eventually, sparse torches in wall holders provided the only light. The demonic cultivator grabbed one, and after walking for a full minute, they finally arrived at the underground level.

  As soon as they entered the dungeon, a foul smell assaulted Liu Xing's nose. The scent of rotten corpses, excrement, and disgusting sweat permeated the air. As he looked around, the source became obvious. Jails filled to the brim with prisoners surrounded them. Each cell was packed with people, leaving them no room to sit or lie down. Most were half-naked, their skin glistening with sweat and coated in mud, blood, and filth. Every eye pointed toward the man and the woman. As soon as the prisoners saw the robes, terror filled their gazes, and they clamped their mouths shut, terrified of drawing attention.

  The demonic cultivator snorted. "Why are you stopping? Lead the way!"

  The woman looked left and right at the prisoners, as if searching for someone. "M-my lover. She must be in this place. I-I will guide you to the entrance after you free—"

  Before she finished her words, the man snarled and tried to project his qi outward. It was a pathetic attempt. This man was merely at the Lock Opening realm, perhaps only at the fifth stage. The qi he projected felt like a tickle to Liu Xing. Still, the killing intent assaulted the woman, filling her with terror, and she hurriedly walked forward.

  Soon, they arrived at another stairway. This one descended further, and Liu Xing suspected that cultivators were held below. However, instead of walking down, the woman pivoted toward a wall.

  "T-there's a secret passage here. I know it because my master, one of the former elders of the Bleeding Heart Sect, liked to fool around outside."

  "I don't need that information," the demonic cultivator snarled. "Hurry and open it."

  "Yes!" The woman nodded and hurriedly touched the wall with her bare hand. Her fingers landed on a specific brick, and when she pushed it, a section of the wall slid aside. Once it fully opened, a narrow passage revealed itself. Several light gems illuminated the straight, long tunnel. If Liu Xing's calculations were correct, this passage would lead right outside the wall that surrounded the island.

  The man entered with a wide smile and pulled the rope binding the woman. She resisted the pull. "M-my lover—"

  "He's here." The man puffed out his chest, then licked his lips and yanked the rope. She resisted for a moment, but another wave of killing intent hit her, and she was helplessly dragged forward. Her eyes glistened with tears. As she walked, she looked back, hoping her lover would come to save her.

  Liu Xing was right behind her. While he was not her lover, he fully intended to help. He pointed his gun forward. However, the man decided her walking speed was too slow; he grabbed her by the waist, threw her over his shoulder, and began to run down the passage.

  "At last, freedom! Who cares about the Nether Lotus Sect! They can all be damned!"

  He moved forward rapidly. Liu Xing rested his finger on the trigger. But before he could pull it, as if the man crossed some invisible threshold, his body suddenly burst into flame.

  keep the lights on.