The two men, having arrived together, had no intention of splitting up. An expert at the peak of the Celestial Integration Realm like Le Wuya had been forced to self-destruct; Hai Tongtian had absolutely no confidence in facing Qin Li alone.

For a Martial Artist, losing all confidence in victory was a truly tragic thing. But this... was a reality both of them had to accept.

The two first scanned the entire Fairy Kiln with their incredibly powerful Divine Sense but found nothing out of the ordinary. However, they understood now that Qin Li must possess some treasure that concealed his aura, so they didn’t let their guard down.

Looking at the group of beautiful young women, their faces filled with terror, Hai Tongtian bellowed from mid-air, "Is anyone hiding here? Tell the truth, and I’ll let you go! If you dare to lie, I’ll drain every last one of you dry through Absorption!"

The two landed on the platform, their eyes boring into the terrified young women. Their immense auras pressed down on them without pause.

Under such pressure, any lie would be easy to spot.

Elder Wen, his face a web of wrinkles like deep ravines, squinted and said in a gentle tone, "We may not be good people, but we keep our word. As long as you tell the truth, we will do as we say and send you away from here!"

"Really?" Li Qin looked at the two men, her large, watery eyes filled with a pitiable innocence.

Instantly, the other young women stared at Li Qin in disbelief, their expressions a mask of pure fury.

A few of the young women couldn’t hold back and began to curse her. "You traitor! Our benefactor saved us, and you want to sell him out? You’re not human!"

"Sell him out? No. This old gentleman is clearly a man of great importance. He gave his word, and I believe him. He’s older than my own grandfather. He wouldn’t lie to us. Isn’t that right... sir?" Li Qin’s voice was soft and sickeningly sweet.

"Heh heh, of course, of course. We’ve lived for many long years. Why would we lie to you? Little lady, just tell us, where is that man now? As long as you’re right, I’ll send you away this instant. How about it? Our grudge is with him and him alone. We only want revenge!" Elder Wen’s voice grew even more gentle.

"Don’t you dare!"

"You traitor! To think we all trusted you!"

"Bitch!"

"All of you, shut up! Another peep out of anyone, and I’ll drain you dry on the spot!" Hai Tongtian bellowed.

At that, all the women fell silent, but they glared at Li Qin with enough hatred to eat her alive.

"You promise...?" Li Qin asked timidly.

"I promise!" Elder Wen raised his right hand, his voice solemn. "I swear I will not harm you. Now speak, little lady."

"Okay, I’ll tell you." A dim light flickered in Li Qin’s eyes as she bit her lower lip. "I didn’t want to sell him out. He saved us so many times, after all. But I want to go home. I really miss my mother and father... *sob*..." Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Elder Wen and Hai Tongtian were growing incredibly impatient. They wished they could just grab her by the throat and shake the answer out of her, but they knew that with young women like her, using force would only make them more defiant.

This was a lesson they had learned by heart over many years of practicing Absorption.

"Yes, I understand. I know you’re not a traitor. Believe me, even if you hadn’t told us, we would have found him eventually. You’re a good girl!" Elder Wen’s expression grew even more kindly.

"A while ago, he was here. He was severely injured and near death when he arrived and began to recuperate. He seems to carry some incredibly potent Elixirs, because despite such grave injuries, he recovered completely in just ten days or so!"

"Is that true?"

Elder Wen and Hai Tongtian exchanged a look, each seeing the pleasant surprise in the other’s eyes. They had figured that brat had a few treasures on him, but they never imagined he possessed Top-Grade Elixirs.

Furthermore, they both judged that the young woman wasn’t lying. They had been observing her expression the entire time. When people lie, no matter how genuine they seem, their eyes and mental fluctuations will always betray them with a slight change. And as she spoke, her mind showed not the slightest ripple!

"It’s true." Li Qin nodded emphatically. As if afraid they wouldn’t believe her, she pointed to a large cave off to the side. "He was recuperating in there back then!"

"And then what?" Hai Tongtian asked impatiently.

"Later, many people from the Celestial Palace came here. They... they wanted to use us for Absorption..." As Li Qin spoke, a flicker of fear returned to her eyes.

"Those animals!" Elder Wen cursed in a rage. His anger, however, stemmed from the fact that those damned animals had dared to make a move on *their* Tripod Furnaces, not from any sense of injustice for the girls.

Hai Tongtian cursed as well. "A pack of animals!"

The young women felt nothing but contempt for the two old men. ’You’re the real animals,’ they thought, ’a pair of decrepit old beasts!’

"And what happened then? The man killed them?" Elder Wen asked, finishing her sentence for her.

Li Qin nodded. "That’s right!"

"Serves them right!" A strange smile appeared on Elder Wen’s face. He boomed, "And after that? Where did the man go?"

"Two days ago, he said he was going to that Forest to find a big tiger. Oh, right, that was it. He wasn’t very specific, but he mentioned something about luring that tiger over for some reason..."

The moment Li Qin spoke, the faces of Hai Tongtian and Elder Wen contorted in horror. Hai Tongtian roared in terror, "That madman! Damn it, he’s a monster! The last two incidents... it must have been him! It had to be!"

"Obviously!"

Elder Wen’s face was also a mask of fear. With his level of strength, he stood no chance against the Golden Giant Tiger! When Paradise Celestial Palace was at the height of its power, it had been completely helpless against that terrifying Spirit Beast, let alone now.

"What should we do?" Hai Tongtian had completely lost any desire to use these Tripod Furnaces for Absorption. Improving his strength was important, and Absorption was certainly enjoyable, but his life was what mattered most!

Elder Wen narrowed his murky old eyes, calculating. ’Two days... If he’s not dead, he should be back soon. And that brat must think we’re still guarding the exit, so he’ll definitely lure the Golden Giant Tiger in that direction. When he doesn’t find us, if he manages to shake the Golden Giant Tiger, he’ll certainly return here! In that case... we’ll wait for him right here! Ahem... Heaven-Reaching Elder, you stand guard. My injuries still need a bit more time to heal. I need to perform Absorption first...’

Though Hai Tongtian felt resentful, he knew his strength was far inferior to Elder Wen’s. He could only say in a low voice, "Elder Wen, it’s best we don’t separate. What if these girls..."

"Heaven-Reaching Elder!"

Elder Wen’s expression immediately soured. "When I perform Absorption," he said, displeased, "I do not like having an audience!"

Hai Tongtian looked resentful. ’Go on and perform your Absorption, you old pervert,’ he thought. ’Absorb yourself to death, you lecherous old ghost!’ But he knew this was no time for internal strife. They were the only two left from the entire Paradise Celestial Palace. He, in particular, was the weaker one. If he had to face Qin Li alone, he wouldn’t stand a chance. He had no choice but to depend on Elder Wen.

He nodded at once. "Very well. How many do you plan on absorbing this time, Elder Wen? After you’re finished, I’ll take my turn. My injuries could also use some attention."

Elder Wen smiled faintly. "Easily arranged. Since Heaven-Reaching Elder also needs to perform Absorption, I shall just take one!" Elder Wen was well aware that although Hai Tongtian was dependent on him, he was still a Celestial Integration Realm expert. In the future, when the two of them entered the mortal world, there would be many tasks that required his help. It wouldn’t do to be too overbearing.

’At that time, I will be the Sect Leader of Paradise Celestial Palace,’ he thought. ’And Hai Tongtian... I’ll just make him a Grand Elder!’ 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

At that moment, the young women’s faces were masks of incandescent rage. Li Qin, in particular, stared at Elder Wen with eyes burning with uncontrollable fury. "You... you liar! You broke your promise! You clearly promised me..."

Elder Wen chuckled darkly and snatched up another girl. "I said I wouldn’t touch *you*, and I won’t," he said nonchalantly. "I am merely performing Absorption on someone else. You just need to wait here. When the time comes, I will of course let you go."

Li Qin collapsed to the ground, her face streaming with tears. "Benefactor! I’m so sorry! I’ve doomed you!"

"Pah!"

She was met with a volley of contemptuous spit from the other girls.

Elder Wen snorted with contempt. Tucking the girl under his arm, he walked toward the caves carved into the mountainside. As he approached, he squinted. As the Grand Elder of Paradise Celestial Palace, he naturally knew the purpose of each cave. He scanned the area and located one used for storing grain, which was almost never entered. Seeing a layer of fine dust on the ground at the entrance, he nodded in satisfaction and headed inside.

The girl tucked under his arm struggled with all her might, tears streaming down her face as she said weakly, "Th-that place is too dirty... Can we please not go in there?"

Elder Wen cackled. "No matter, no matter. In a moment, you will die at the peak of ecstasy. Whether it’s dirty or not will be irrelevant!"

"You shameless old bastard! You... you’re not a man, you’re a demon!" The girl screamed in a frenzy, cursing him without restraint—the clear sign of someone who had broken down completely upon realizing her fate.

This put Elder Wen completely at ease. His voice became incredibly gentle. "Curse away, curse away. You are about to make such a great contribution to me. It is only right that I endure a few of your insults. Only right!"

The inside of the cave was very dry. Hulled rice, immaculately white, was piled high like a small mountain, emitting a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Elder Wen released the girl, removed his long robe, and casually spread it over the pile of rice. Then he grabbed the girl and tore at her dress.

RRRIP! Her dress was torn, revealing a patch of skin as smooth and pale as fine jade.