Then... he suddenly seemed to be plagued, his expression terrified, unable to speak, his body uncontrollably moving towards the secluded forest.

This was naturally the old ghost taking action, and then Chu Xuan spent some time coercing and enticing, without even "resorting to torture," the chubby guy confessed everything, saying what should be said and even what shouldn’t.

For instance, when Chu Xuan asked about the Saintess, the chubby guy babbled a lot, even revealing Li Chengfeng’s deep feelings for the Saintess.

After listening generally, Chu Xuan found the chubby guy’s attitude a bit odd, "Why are you cooperating so much? Are you trying to trick me with fake information, lure me into a trap?"

The chubby guy shook his head desperately, grimacing, "Big brother, you managed to sneak into the Li’an Demon Sect silently, being stubborn would be courting death."

"Moreover, people in the demonic path like me don’t feel any allegiance to the sect. As long as you promise to spare my life, I’d do anything."

Chu Xuan thought it made sense, "What’s your status, you seem to know quite a lot."

"Just have a good father, similar situation to Li Chengfeng, but my dad is just a low-ranking elder with no power, no big backing."

"Which faction?"

"Of course, it’s the Sect Leader’s faction, otherwise, how could I command people on the main peak?"

"Alright, lead the way, I want to see the Saintess."

The chubby guy’s face went down immediately, cautiously saying, "I’ve said the location, can you...?"

Chu Xuan expressionlessly patted his face, "Don’t make me say it a second time, and don’t try any tricks, or you’ll die horribly."

The chubby guy wanted to cry but had no tears, he could only lead the way.

And during this process, he found the cold force within him lingering, he couldn’t speak, nor make extra moves, only walk.

Chu Xuan followed distantly behind him, letting him step into any traps first.

Since ascending the mountain, Chu Xuan always had the old ghost’s Divine Sense spread out fully, it could detect danger before him.

They thus walked intermittently, when they arrived near the Scripture Pavilion, dawn was breaking.

Chu Xuan wouldn’t let the chubby guy proceed further, as the Scripture Pavilion was a vital area of the sect; if a patrolling elder saw something suspicious, they’d be done for.

"When does the Saintess usually come out?"

"The Saintess generally doesn’t come out, unless it’s to make offerings at the Yama Palace, but today isn’t the set day, I don’t know if she’ll come out early."

Just then, they saw two streaks of light flying out from the Scripture Pavilion, one with a very familiar aura!

"Judging by the direction, they should be heading to the Yama Palace," the chubby guy recognized.

"Quick, take me there," Chu Xuan felt urgent, imagining what torments Qingqing might be suffering.

...

When they approached the Yama Palace, they narrowly missed bumping into Yao Yufei leaving.

The palace’s surroundings had patrols, not just Li Chengfeng, but also a sixth realm elder on duty, and many Demon Sect’s Hidden Guards.

Moreover, the Yama Palace had protective Arrays; such crucial places housing demonic seeds couldn’t be infiltrated easily.

"Big brother, I suggest you wait, typically the Saintess exits the next day," the chubby guy advised, mainly afraid of being dragged to death by this mysterious figure.

"What if she doesn’t come out?" Chu Xuan countered.

Qingqing was likely being devoured by the demonic seed, and although the palace was silent, his heart felt uneasy.

The chubby guy hesitated and tried reassuring him, "She will definitely come out, how could she not? Think about it, going now is a dead end, let’s wait for the right moment."

Even the old ghost, who’d been silent, reminded Chu Xuan, "He’s right."

If Chu Xuan were caught by the Li’an Demon Sect, the old ghost’s fate wouldn’t be better, and the sect’s methods for dealing with captives were much harsher than Chu Xuan’s.

Chu Xuan was silent, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, then wait for the perfect opportunity.

Unexpectedly, a hoarse scream echoed from the palace, like someone enduring extreme agony, having reached limits of endurance, and finally unable to withhold their cries.

Both Chu Xuan and Li Chengfeng’s expressions changed! They stared intently at the palace doors.

Inside the Yama Palace, it was unclear if Qingqing’s tolerance had waned due to lack of such pain for long or if the demonic seed was ravenously devouring after months, or both.

In any case, the pain Qingqing felt this time was stronger than ever; she should’ve adapted, yet this time, she couldn’t withstand screaming.

Sweat streamed from Qingqing’s forehead, face pale, desperately trying to endure, she told herself: be dignified, don’t let that woman look down on you.

But the demonic seed insisted otherwise, this pain couldn’t be endured, triggering instinctive reactions, only cries could slightly alleviate the piercing agony.

Thus, intermittent screams echoed from the Yama Palace, even the dark guards’ expressions shifted, thinking how intense must Saintess’s pain be for her who endured so much before to scream now?

Li Chengfeng gritted his teeth, clenched fists tightly, wishing he could rush in to rescue his beloved.

But ultimately, he relaxed his fists powerlessly, lowered his head dejectedly.