Invincibility starts when I see the BOSS health bar.

Chapter 1015 Torture
Upon hearing this, Diao Xiaohui's face immediately lit up with a bright smile, as if she had received some fun task.

Song Zhenrong's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but seeing that Fang Yu had already agreed, he had no choice but to swallow his words. However, the look in his eyes when he looked at Diao Xiaohui still carried a lingering worry.

Just then, Linghu Xiang, who had been silent all along, suddenly stomped her foot, her lips turned white, and without saying a word, she turned and left. Her figure quickly disappeared into the shadows around the corner of the corridor, leaving only a faint, refreshing aura that belonged to her after cultivation.

Fang Yu was taken aback by her sudden action and felt puzzled.

What's the fuss about?
Upon seeing this, Song Zhenrong's face flashed with a complicated expression. After hesitating for a moment, he hurriedly cupped his hands to Fang Yu and said, "My lord, I shall also take my leave now."

After saying that, without waiting for Fang Yu's response, he quickly followed in the direction Linghu Xiang had left.

Fang Yu stared at the direction in which the two had disappeared, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

However, he has no time to delve into these details right now.

In the courtyard, only he and Diao Xiaohui remained.

Moonlight shone on the girl's vibrant face, and her eyes sparkled with excitement and curiosity.

"What should we do next?" Diao Xiaohui asked impatiently.

Fang Yu withdrew his gaze, his thoughts returning to the main topic: "Let's go, let's go to Ding Hui's place first. You need to make some preparations."

Zhuge Shi... His initial, most unburdened choice flashed through his mind once again.

Unfortunately, this woman is difficult to control.

In comparison, although Diao Xiaohui needs to put in a lot of effort to protect herself, she is more proactive.

Having made their decision, Fang Yu led Diao Xiaohui through numerous courtyards towards the alchemy room deep within the mansion.

The closer you get, the stronger the medicinal smell becomes in the air, interspersed with faint humming sounds of arrays in operation.

Just as Fang Yu raised his hand to push open the wooden door, suddenly—

"what--!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream suddenly pierced through the door, so sharp it seemed to shatter eardrums, and sounded particularly eerie in the quiet night!
Fang Yu's heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, he pushed open the door with a loud bang! The wooden door slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

The moment the door opened, the scene inside, along with a stronger smell of medicine and a faint, acrid odor reminiscent of burning flesh, rushed out.

The first thing that catches the eye is the specially made stone bed in the center of the room.

Zhuge Shi was lying face down on it, his upper body clothing pulled down to his waist, his entire back completely exposed.

The skin was now covered with dozens of strange patterns that shimmered with a faint blue light, wriggling slightly like living things and penetrating deep into the skin.

The lines seemed to resonate with a fine needle embedded in several key acupoints near her spine, each flash of light bringing intense pain.

Zhuge Shixiu's beautiful face was contorted in agony. Her forehead, temples, and even the tip of her nose were covered in beads of cold sweat. She clenched her teeth tightly around a piece of cork, and suppressed, intermittent sobs escaped her throat.

She was like a fish out of water, struggling and writhing helplessly on the sticky board, yet she was bound by an invisible force and could not escape.

Beside the stone bed, Ding Hui was facing away from the doorway, holding a uniquely shaped engraving needle. Wisps of energy swirled around the tip of the needle as she focused intently on making the final stroke at the most crucial point in the center of Zhuge Shi's spine.

The sudden sound of the door being pushed open and the noise clearly interrupted her work.

Ding Hui paused, her hand holding the engraving needle stopping steadily in mid-air.

She slowly turned her head around.

When she saw that it was Fang Yu and Diao Xiaohui standing at the door, her face, which had been cold and even somewhat inhumanly indifferent due to her focus, melted like spring snow and instantly radiated an incomparably gentle and even joyful glow.

The speed of her change of expression and the naturalness of her emotional shift formed an absurd and horrifying contrast with Zhuge Shi, who was still suffering in agony behind her.

She casually tossed the engraving needle onto the workbench beside her, making a soft "clink" sound, as if it were just a child's toy rather than an instrument used to inflict torture on someone.

She walked briskly toward Fang Yu, her skirt fluttering slightly, completely shutting out the hellish scene on the stone bed behind her.

"My husband is back."

"Ah."

A short, low reply escaped from Fang Yu's nasal cavity.

His entire attention was focused on Zhuge Shi, who was trembling slightly not far away.

The air inside was filled with the bitter scent of herbs. The light was not bright, even somewhat dim, which perfectly outlined Zhuge Shi's pale profile and her disheveled appearance as she bit her lower lip tightly, causing it to bleed slightly from the pain.

Fang Yu had personally experienced Ding Hui's research and still felt lingering fear towards it.

His robust physique, forged through countless adventures and life-or-death experiences, far surpassed ordinary understanding, making him one of the few who could withstand Ding Hui's relentless and "abnormal" research intensity.

Those extreme methods that could shatter the meridians of an ordinary martial artist and cause their physical body to disintegrate, experiments on tearing and regenerating the human body, and even tests on the mental level, although accompanied by pain, always allowed him to recover directly after hovering on the edge of the limit.

But what about Zhuge Shi?
Fang Yu's gaze swept over Zhuge Shi's slender wrist, which seemed as if it could break at any moment, and her mere eight thousand health points.

With such a constitution, it would be easy for him to run into trouble under Ding Hui's command.

Especially when Ding Hui enters a state of research where she is completely absorbed in the pursuit of truth, she has no concept of "lightness" or "heaviness" in her approach.

She has only one standard: the limits of the data and the theoretical critical point that the research subjects can withstand.

"She really dares to let Ding Hui do it..." Fang Yu sighed silently in his heart.

A complex emotion swept through his mind. There was a hint of mockery for Zhuge Shi's overestimation of his abilities, but more so, it was an almost instinctive judgment based on the pure difference in strength.

All I can say is that Zhuge Shi is incredibly bold.

She never truly understood that this seemingly charming, even somewhat naive "Dr. Ding," when immersed in her research work, possessed "methods" and "weight" that could rival any form of torture, wielded by her delicate, fair hands.

Just as Fang Yu's thoughts were churning, Ding Hui precisely caught Fang Yu's gaze lingering on Zhuge Shi. "Husband," Ding Hui leaned closer, her voice soft, "did you gain anything today?"

She was naturally asking about Fang Yu's previous trip to track down "Gao Meng".

Fang Yu snapped out of his reverie at the question, slowly shook his head, and let out a long sigh tinged with a sense of defeat.

The sigh was exceptionally clear in the quiet laboratory.

“Gao Meng is extremely cunning,” he said in a low voice, “with exceptional vigilance and counter-tracking capabilities beyond expectations. My side… has already been exposed.”

He did not describe the exposure process in detail, which is not the point.

The key is the outcome, and the subsequent response.

“Following this path is probably impossible for me. We’ve already alerted them, and getting any closer will be as difficult as climbing to the sky.”

He paused briefly, then turned his gaze to Diao Xiaohui, who had come with him.

“I’m going to try a different approach,” Fang Yu continued, his tone becoming decisive, “I’ll have Diao Xiaohui give it a try.”

He was not unaware of the risks involved.

Gao Meng is a woman with a meticulous mind and great strength.

If it were a direct confrontation, Fang Yu was confident that he could take him down or even kill him.

But Diao Xiaohui is too weak. Once discovered, Gao Meng will show no mercy to her.

Given Diao Xiaohui's strength, she probably wouldn't even last one move against Gao Meng.

Even if she received the news and rushed to the rescue immediately, the time difference, even if it was only a few breaths, would be enough for Gao Meng to kill Diao Xiaohui several times over.

Therefore, safeguards are crucial.

“Take a look,” Fang Yu’s gaze returned to Ding Hui, his tone clear and pleading, “What can we do to ensure her safety? The primary goal is to guarantee her well-being. Secondly, we need to ensure she can contact me promptly so I can be informed and react immediately. Additionally, we need to give her enough time to escape. Not too long, just enough to hold out until I arrive.”

Upon hearing this, Ding Hui tilted her head slightly, revealing a thoughtful expression.

Those big eyes blinked, their gaze sweeping over Diao Xiaohui.

In just a moment, a knowing and confident look appeared on her face.

“That’s feasible.” She nodded, her tone relaxed, as if Fang Yu’s request was just a very simple little thing.

Diao Xiaohui, after all, was someone she had essentially 'made' happen. Her body contained the core components of a rare demon called the "Bloodstained Clone Demon." One of the most prominent characteristics of this demon was its tenacious vitality, possessing extremely strong abilities of splitting, regeneration, and disguise, especially in terms of survival and escape, where it had an unparalleled talent.

"It's unrealistic to expect Diao Xiaohui to achieve a qualitative leap in strength in a short period of time and be able to directly confront Gao Meng," Ding Hui analyzed, her thinking clear. "However, it's not difficult to simply activate and strengthen the bloodline components in her body that originate from the 'Bloodstained Clone Demon' and maximize her survival ability."

Within her vast and boundless knowledge base and diverse research findings, there are countless ideas on how to tap, guide, or even forcibly stimulate the potential of specific bloodlines. For her, it's more like an interesting experimental process.

"Husband, you can rest assured and leave this matter to me!" Ding Hui patted her rather ample chest, making a crisp sound, and confidently assured him, her face radiating a mixture of excitement and certainty. It was a confidence that she had absolute control over her own domain.

Fang Yu was naturally relieved.

He might find Ding Hui's research methods unsettling, but he never doubted the results she promised.

If she says she can do it, then she definitely can. It's just that the process... often tests the willpower of the person enduring it.

Just then, Fang Yu's gaze was once again drawn to Zhuge Shi.

Her body suddenly stiffened, then convulsed violently. Her eyes rolled upward uncontrollably, exposing large areas of white. Her breathing became extremely weak and intermittent, as if it would stop completely at any moment, making her appear as if she was about to "die".

Fang Yu's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't care less about discussing Diao Xiaohui's matter any further and quickly reminded her, "Ding Hui, quickly check on her!"

Ding Hui gave an "Oh," seemingly only then noticing Zhuge Shi's unusual state. Her face showed little panic, but rather a knowing calm.

She walked quickly to Zhuge Shi's side, picked up a fine needle, and ran it along the pre-arranged array nodes to finish the last bit of work that she hadn't completed earlier.

"laugh--"

Like a drowning person finally pulled to the surface, Zhuge Shi gasped sharply, his chest heaving violently, as if he had been forcibly pulled back from the brink of death.

She began to gasp for breath, greedily gulping for air, her entire body already soaked in cold sweat, as if she had just been pulled out of the water.

Ding Hui carefully observed the faint, slowly flowing array light beneath Zhuge Shi's skin and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, the array is operating quite stably within your body. The basic framework has been established."

The moment she finished speaking, the faint look of relief that had just appeared on Zhuge Shi's face was instantly frozen.

“However,” Ding Hui changed the subject, her tone as relaxed as if discussing the nice weather, “this is only the first step. The formation has only just begun to integrate with your meridians, and we still need a period of observation to see if your body has any rejection reaction or if it is compatible. In addition, there will be many minor adjustments and optimizations to be made later, probably… well, about seven or eight more adjustments like today.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Shi's face turned deathly pale, devoid of any color.

His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word. In the end, he could only nod with difficulty and almost imperceptibly to indicate that he understood and dared not object in the slightest.

Fang Yu, watching from the side, felt a pang of pity and couldn't help but interject, "Ding Hui, you... be a little more careful, or you might really kill her."

He wasn't particularly concerned about Zhuge Shi's life or death, but rather that the man was still useful and served as a crucial bridge to contact the mysterious "Nirvana Organization."

"What are you saying, my husband!" Ding Hui immediately pouted, showing a wronged expression. "I would never do such a reckless thing! I'm very gentle with Miss Zhuge, every step is carefully calculated, and it's definitely within the safe range! Besides, this was her own request. She felt that she wasn't strong enough, so she came to ask me for help." As she spoke, as if to prove her "gentleness," she stretched out her slender fingers and gently touched Zhuge Shi's arm.

Such a small touch sent a jolt through Zhuge Shi as if she had been electrocuted. Her body jolted violently, and she instinctively wanted to shrink back, but she forced herself to stay still, frozen in place, not daring to even breathe, let alone utter a word to refute Ding Hui's "gentle" argument.

Fortunately, Zhuge Shi himself broke the awkward and suffocating atmosphere.

She seemed to suddenly remember something extremely important. Suppressing her physical discomfort and inner fear, her voice trembled as she urgently spoke, "Young Master Diao! About...about joining the organization..."

(End of this chapter)