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Qingcheng Mountain, deep in the back mountains.

The dungeon of the Qingcheng Sect is hidden inside the mountain and is surrounded by thick rocks, like a cage isolated from the world.

At the entrance, there are two huge rusty iron doors. Faint light shines through the gaps in the iron doors. It is the only light source in the dungeon, but it can only illuminate a very small area.

Inside the dungeon, there was a damp and foul smell, a disgusting mixture of blood, sweat and feces.

The walls were covered with mosses, which shone with an eerie luster in the dim light. The ground was uneven, covered with puddles of varying sizes, the water in the puddles was turbid and emitted a pungent smell.

In the dungeon, there were various torture instruments, such as spiked iron whips, red-hot irons, and sharp bamboo sticks...

Lin Zhennan was wearing a ragged robe, which was once neat and tidy, but now it was stained beyond recognition with blood and dirt. His hair was scattered all over his face, covering his face which was distorted by pain. His hands were hung high by heavy iron chains, which deeply penetrated his wrists. Blood kept dripping down his arms. His toes barely touched the ground, and every breath was accompanied by severe pain.

Mrs. Lin was also tied up by chains, leaning against the wall, trembling weakly. Her hair was disheveled, her face was covered with tears, and her eyes were filled with despair. Her clothes were torn, revealing scars on her shoulders and arms, which were marks of whipping and burns from branding. Her lips were chapped, and there was a trace of blood at the corners of her mouth, which was from biting her lips when she was tortured.

Hong Renxiong and Hou Renying stood in front of them, their sinister smiles revealing a cruelty.

Hong Renxiong held a spiked iron whip in his hand, which was dripping with blood, and had a sneer on his face. Hou Renying stood aside, with a sinister look in his eyes, holding a red-hot iron in his hand, the heat from which continued to rise, making a "sizzling" sound.

"Lin Zhennan, let me ask you again, where is the Sword Manual of Exorcism?"

Hong Renxiong took a step forward and swung the iron whip in his hand. The iron whip drew an arc in the air, making a "whoosh" sound.

Lin Zhennan raised his head and looked at Hong Renxiong with a mocking smile: "You bunch of despicable villains, don't even think about getting any information from me."

"Humph, you're pretty tough."

Hong Renxiong snorted coldly and whipped Lin Zhennan with the iron whip in his hand. The iron whip hit Lin Zhennan's body hard, bringing a splash of blood. Lin Zhennan's body trembled violently and uttered a painful groan, but he still clenched his teeth and did not make a sound to beg for mercy.

"Brother Hong, why waste your time talking to him? Just use the soldering iron. I don't believe he can handle it."

Hou Renying said coldly from the side, with a cruel light flashing in his eyes.

Hong Renxiong nodded, handed the iron whip to Hou Renying, and then took the branding iron from him. He slowly walked towards Lin Zhennan, the heat from the branding iron blowing in his face, burning Lin Zhennan's skin painfully.

"I'll give you one last chance, will you tell me?"

Hong Renxiong held the branding iron in front of Lin Zhennan and asked viciously.

Lin Zhennan closed his eyes and did not answer. His face was covered in sweat and his body was shaking with pain.

Seeing this, Hong Renxiong's eyes flashed with ruthlessness, and he suddenly pressed the branding iron on Lin Zhennan's shoulder.

A sizzling sound was heard, and a burning smell filled the air. Lin Zhennan could no longer hold back and let out a shrill scream that pierced the entire dungeon.

"No~~" Mrs. Lin was heartbroken when she saw this scene. She struggled desperately and wanted to rush over to protect Lin Zhennan, but she was tied up tightly by the iron chain and could not move. With tears in her eyes, she shouted loudly: "Let him go, torture me if you want!"

Hong Renxiong and Hou Renying ignored her cries and continued to torture Lin Zhennan. Lin Zhennan's body was covered with wounds, and blood stained his clothes and the ground of the dungeon. But he still stubbornly gritted his teeth and resisted, not revealing the whereabouts of the Sword Manual of Exorcism.

"It seems like you really don't want to talk anymore." Hong Renxiong panted and stopped what he was doing. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, looked at Lin Zhennan, and sneered:
"But it doesn't matter. I have plenty of time. I will torture you slowly until you tell me."

Hou Renying said, "Lin Zhennan, you'd better tell us the whereabouts of the Sword Manual of Exorcism. This way, you and your wife can suffer less."

Lin Zhennan's eyes were filled with hatred: "Do you think you can threaten me like this? You're dreaming! Even if I die, I will not let you get the Sword Manual of Exorcism."

Hou Renying's expression changed slightly, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes: "Okay, very good. Since you are so ungrateful, don't blame me for being rude."

He turned around and handed the whip in his hand to the disciple behind him: "Keep beating him. I want to see how long he can hold out."

Mrs. Lin looked at this scene with despair in her heart. She knew that it would be difficult for the couple to walk out of this dungeon alive today.

"Zhennan, we are not afraid of them. Even if we die, we will die together." Mrs. Lin said softly, her voice trembling slightly, but full of determination.

Lin Zhennan nodded. He looked at Madam Lin with tenderness and guilt in his eyes: "Madam, I'm sorry. I have implicated you."

"No, I don't regret being with you." Mrs. Lin shook her head, and tears blurred her eyes again.

"Hahaha~, you two are really a loving couple..."

Hou Renying looked at Lin Zhennan and his wife sinisterly, turned his head and winked at Hong Renxiong, who understood and a lewd smile appeared on his face.

"You, what do you want to do?"

Mrs. Lin looked at Hong Renxiong's eyes, her heart skipped a beat and she couldn't help but shrink back.

"Mrs. Lin... guess, hehehe~~?... Who is it?!" Just then, a chaotic sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the dungeon, followed by a few short and sharp screams. The sound was particularly clear in this closed space, making people feel nervous. Hong Renxiong and Hou Renying looked at each other, and a trace of vigilance flashed in their eyes.

"what happened?"

Hou Renying frowned and unconsciously clenched the sword in his hand.

Hong Renxiong did not answer, but put down the iron whip in his hand and picked up the big knife beside him. The other Qingcheng disciples also acted quickly, surrounding Hong Renxiong and Hou Renying, unsheathing their weapons and taking defensive postures. Everyone's face was full of tension, and their eyes were fixed on the entrance of the dungeon.

With a "bang", the dungeon door was pushed open by a huge force, making a dull sound.

As the door opened, a gust of cold wind rushed in, giving everyone goose bumps.

A masked man in black flashed in like a ghost, his footsteps were light but carried an inexplicable sense of oppression. Every step he took seemed to lower the temperature in the dungeon a little bit.

Hou Renying shouted, "Who are you? How dare you break into the Qingcheng Sect dungeon!"

He stared at the man in black, trying to find flaws in his actions.

The man in black did not answer, but just raised his head slightly, revealing a pair of cold eyes through the thin black cloth, scanning everyone present. His eyes swept across everyone's faces one by one, without any feeling. When his eyes fell on Lin Zhennan and his wife, he paused slightly, and at that moment, there seemed to be a subtle fluctuation flashing, but it soon returned to calm.

Seeing this, Hong Renxiong was filled with anger. How dare someone be so bold in the territory of Qingcheng Sect? He brandished the sword in his hand, roared, and used the move of "Splitting Mountains and Cutting Waves". The blade, accompanied by the whirring sound of the wind, slashed directly at the head of the man in black. The blade flashed in the dim dungeon, as if it was going to split everything in front of it in half.

The man in black sneered, and turned his body slightly, easily avoiding Hong Renxiong's attack. His movements were as smooth as flowing water, without any drag. Then, he punched out with his right fist, and the wind of the fist whistled, piercing Hong Renxiong's chest. The speed was so fast that Hong Renxiong didn't even have time to react.

Hong Renxiong only felt a black shadow flash before his eyes, and a sharp pain came from his chest. He looked down and saw that the black-clothed man's fist had hit his chest heavily, and blood instantly flowed from the corner of his mouth. Hong Renxiong's eyes were wide open, full of disbelief, as if he couldn't believe that he was hit so easily by the other party.

"you you……"

Before Hong Renxiong could utter a word, he fell straight down, his body hitting the ground, splashing blood. His eyes were still open, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"You are so bold!"

Hou Renying was shocked when he saw Hong Renxiong being killed in an instant. His body trembled slightly, and the long sword in his hand also shook. He knew that the man in black in front of him was no ordinary person, and he was probably not his opponent. He gritted his teeth, swung the long sword in his hand, and performed the "Songfeng Sword Technique" of the Qingcheng School. The sword moves were continuous, the sword shadows flickered, and he attacked the man in black.

The man in black was not in a hurry. He took staggered steps and moved freely among the sword shadows. Although Hou Renying's swordsmanship was sharp, it seemed a little clumsy in front of the man in black.

Suddenly, the man in black paused, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he quickly raised his left hand, grabbed Hou Renying's wrist with a "dragon-catching hand" and twisted it hard.

With a "crack", Hou Renying's wrist was broken and the sword fell. Hou Renying screamed and fell backwards. His face was full of pain and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

The man in black took advantage of the situation and kicked Hou Renying hard in the chest. Hou Renying's body flew out like a kite with a broken string, hit the wall hard, and then slid down, his life or death unknown. His body left a long blood mark on the wall, which was particularly shocking in the dim light.

The Qingcheng disciples were filled with fear when they saw their two brothers being killed in an instant. They trembled and held their weapons less tightly. They looked at each other and saw the intention of retreating. Some even began to retreat secretly, trying to stay away from this scary man in black.

The man in black did not give them any chance to breathe. He rushed into the crowd like lightning. For a moment, screams were heard everywhere. The Qingcheng disciples fell to the ground one after another, lying in all directions. Some were groaning in pain, while others were already dead.

In just a few minutes, the man in black killed Hou Renying, Hong Renxiong and all his disciples. The dungeon was filled with a strong smell of blood, which made people want to vomit.

The man in black stood alone in the center of the dungeon, still surrounded by the murderous aura of the bloody fight. He slowly raised his head and looked straight at Lin Zhennan and his wife, lingering on them for a moment, as if examining something, and then strode towards them.

Lin Zhennan held on and said, "Who are you? Are you also trying to get my Lin family's Sword Manual of Exorcism? I really don't know what the Sword Manual of Exorcism is. My Lin family's Sword Manual of Exorcism has been passed down from generation to generation, and it is all oral, without any sword manual."

The man in black heard this, his eyes flickered slightly, but he did not answer immediately. He walked forward, stretched out his hand, and calmly placed it on Lin Zhennan's pulse. His fingers were slender, with distinct joints. The moment his fingertips touched Lin Zhennan's wrist, Lin Zhennan instinctively shrank. The man in black focused on feeling Lin Zhennan's pulse. After a moment, he knew what was going on. Although Lin Zhennan had many injuries, his life was not in danger yet.

The man in black hesitated for a moment, then suddenly laughed, with a hint of sarcasm in his laughter: "So, you are unwilling to tell me."

Lin Zhennan took a deep breath, straightened his back, and said, "I had expected that the senior would use force on me. Not to mention that my Lin family does not have the Sword Manual of Exorcism, even if we do have it, we will never tell anyone no matter how others threaten or bribe us. Since I was captured by the Qingcheng Sect, I have been tortured every day. Although my martial arts skills are low, I still have some tough bones."

The black-clothed man raised his lips slightly, revealing a faint smile, and said, "You boast that you have a strong character and can endure torture. No matter how the Qingcheng Sect's bully forces you, you always refuse to reveal anything. If your Lin family does not have the Sword Manual of Exorcism, then you don't reveal it, but it's just because you have nothing to reveal. It's not a question of whether you are strong or not. However, I know that you do have the Sword Manual of Exorcism, but you just won't hand it over no matter what."

Lin Zhennan did not respond, but just watched the black-clothed man's every move quietly, secretly guessing the purpose of this mysterious man, but the other party's behavior and words made him confused.

After a while, the man in black stopped, sighed softly, and said, "I think you are really stupid. Chief Escort Lin, why do you refuse to hand over the sword manual? This sword manual is of no use to you. In my opinion, the sword techniques recorded in this sword manual are mostly mediocre. Otherwise, why can't you even defeat several disciples of Qingcheng Sect?"

Lin Zhennan felt nervous after hearing this, but he remained calm and said, "Yes, Senior, you are right. Don't say I don't have the Sword Manual of Exorcism. Even if I do have it, this ordinary swordsmanship can't even protect my life and property. How can you take it seriously?"

"Hehehe~~, 'Yin pole produces evil, yang pole turns to emptiness; the sword moves in an unconventional way, the inner demon is the pivot. Abandon the form to pursue the meaning, cut off delusion and retain the truth; if one thought is not extinguished, all methods can ward off evil'... hence the name: Exorcism Sword Technique."

The man in black chuckled, but his words exploded like a bolt from the blue in Lin Zhennan's mind. He felt dizzy and at a loss.

(End of this chapter)