One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

squeak-

As the two heavy wooden doors, symbolizing the face of the Tang Clan, were forcefully pushed open, the hustle and bustle outside seemed to be shut out by an invisible wall in an instant.

Inside the dimly lit hall, the air was so thick it was suffocating.

The furnishings here are simple and old, and each pillar bears the marks of a hundred years, as well as the coldness and ruthlessness that belong to the assassin family.

At the end of the main hall, on those steps.

Tang Miaoxing, the current leader of the Tang Clan, was sitting upright in a grand chair.

He did not get up.

But those cloudy yet sharp old eyes were now fixed on the figure standing against the light at the doorway.

His hands gripped the armrests of the chair tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force, and the veins on the back of his hands bulging like writhing earthworms.

He's forcing himself to stay upright.

Even from a distance of tens of meters, Zhang Chulan could still clearly feel the old man's faltering yet desperately maintained posture.

That was the last vestige of dignity for an ancient sect.

"call……"

Zhang Taichu stepped over the high threshold, his footsteps making a clear sound as he walked on the dark blue-green floor tiles of the main hall.

Da, da, da.

The sound echoed throughout the hall, each beat seeming to resonate with the rhythm of Tang Miaoxing's heartbeat.

Zhang Taichu did not speak immediately.

He simply stood with his hands behind his back, like a discerning onlooker, casually surveying the layout of the hall. His gaze swept over the weapon racks on both sides, over the portraits of the patriarchs on the walls, and finally slowly landed on Tang Miaoxing on the high platform.

"She's sitting quite high."

Zhang Taichu stopped at the bottom of the steps, tilted his head back, and a half-smile curled at the corner of his mouth:

"What's wrong? Your legs are too weak to get up?"

These words were like a sharp thorn, mercilessly piercing the dignity that Tang Miaoxing had painstakingly maintained.

Tang Miaoxing's eye twitched violently.

He took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound steady and strong:

"Zhang Taichu".

"I know you're strong."

"I saw it too. My traps can't trap you, and my human wall can't stop you."

"Even within the entire Tang Clan, there is probably no one who can rival you."

At this point, Tang Miaoxing paused, a hint of desolation creeping into her voice:

"If it's about killing someone, you can do it now."

"Kill this old man of mine, then kill all the disciples outside, and the Tang Clan... will be finished."

"Gatekeeper!!"

Upon hearing this, the Tang Clan elders who rushed in roared with fury and rage, their eyes wide with rage.

"Shut up!"

Tang Miaoxing slammed her hand on the armrest and shouted a stern rebuke to the crowd.

He looked at Zhang Taichu again, a strange glint flashing in his old eyes:

"But if you've come for the truth of what happened back then..."

"If you've come because of Zhang Huaiyi..."

"Killing won't solve the problem."

Zhang Taichu raised an eyebrow, a hint of interest on his face:

"Oh?"

"You mean, only living people can speak?"

He took a step forward, and the oppressive aura instantly intensified.

"But in my opinion, the mouths of the dead are sometimes more honest than those of the living."

"I am not ignorant of the methods of soul-searching and spirit-seizing."

Tang Miaoxing's face turned pale instantly, but he was clearly prepared.

"That applies to ordinary people."

Tang Miaoxing gritted her teeth and said, word by word:

"But regarding the Thirty-Six Bandits, regarding the Jia Shen Rebellion, regarding Zhang Huaiyi..."

"These secrets have all been sealed."

"If you forcibly search the soul, you will obtain nothing."

"Only when we are willing to tell you will you know everything you want to know."

Zhang Taichu narrowed his eyes, looking at the old man on the stage who was clearly playing mind games.

He smiled.

"That's interesting."

"so what?"

Zhang Taichu spread his hands:

"You want to negotiate with me?"

"No."

Tang Miaoxing slowly shook his head and finally stood up from the chair.

At that moment, the air of defeat that had been hanging over him vanished, replaced by a desperate determination, the madness of a gambler betting everything.

"This is not about negotiating terms."

"It's a bet."

"A bet?" Zhang Taichu tilted his head.

"That's right, risking your life."

Tang Miaoxing looked down at Zhang Taichu, her voice becoming low and hoarse, as if possessing some kind of magic:

"Zhang Taichu, didn't you boast that you were invincible?"

"Didn't you treat my Tang Clan as nothing?"

"Then do you dare to take a single move from my Tang Sect?"

At this point, Tang Miaoxing's eyes became incredibly fervent, even carrying a hint of morbid excitement:

"Back then, your senior brother, that big-eared scoundrel Zhang Huaiyi, died from this very move!"

"He was also a truly outstanding person, with profound and all-encompassing cultivation."

"But in the end, he still couldn't pull through."

"This move is called—"

"Dan Shi!!"

boom!!

Upon hearing these two words, Zhang Chulan and Wang Ye, who were standing behind Zhang Taichu, suddenly changed their expressions.

Especially Wang Ye.

The thermos in his hand crashed to the ground, spilling scalding hot tea all over the floor, but he was completely unaware.

"Dan...Dan Shi?!"

Wang Ye's voice changed tone, and he suddenly rushed forward, staring intently at Tang Miaoxing:

"You mean... that infamous deadly poison, the Pill Devourer, which specifically targets Qi Refiners?!"

"That legendary, colorless, odorless, incurable, and incapable of consuming all primordial Qi once it enters the body... the Pill Devourer?!"

Although Zhang Chulan didn't quite understand the intricacies of the situation, seeing Wang Ye's expression of utter disbelief, he knew things were in serious trouble.

"Old Wang, is this thing really that powerful?" Zhang Chulan asked urgently.

"It's not just powerful! It's taboo!!"

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Wang Ye's forehead:

"That's the Tang Sect's most powerful technique, and also the universally acknowledged 'Invitation to Death' in the world of supernatural beings!"

"It's not poison; it's the nemesis of Qi!"

"No matter how high your cultivation level is, as long as you are a Qi cultivator and have Qi within your body, this thing is your death warrant!"

"It will use all the Qi you've painstakingly cultivated as nourishment, slowly consuming it until you're completely drained!"

"and……"

Wang Ye swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly:

"It's said that this thing... has no solution."

Those who are hit will surely die.

Hearing the words "unsolvable," Zhang Chulan felt a chill run down his spine.

He suddenly looked at Tang Miaoxing, his eyes filled with shock and anger:

"You old fool! You're trying to frame my martial uncle?!"

"Negative?"

Tang Miaoxing sneered, her gaze never leaving Zhang Taichu's face:

"This is an open conspiracy."

"Zhang Taichu, since you look down on my Tang Clan, since you think my Tang Clan has no one to rely on."

"Then do you dare try that move that took Zhang Huaiyi's life back then?"

"As long as you can withstand the pill's bite and survive."

"I, Tang Miaoxing, representing the entire Tang Clan, not only recount everything Zhang Huaiyi did back then, but I also kowtow to you in apology, willing to be killed or tortured without complaint!"

"But if you don't dare..."

Tang Miaoxing's lips curled into a mocking smile:

"Then please leave."

Even if you raze the Tang Clan to the ground, even if you kill us all.

"That secret will rot in our bellies and go to hell with us!"

A deathly silence fell over the main hall.

It's a big gamble.

Tang Miaoxing gambled away all the secrets and dignity of the Tang Clan, and also his own life.

And the bargaining chip is Zhang Taichu's life.

He was betting that this arrogant man would jump into this deadly trap for the sake of that secret and for that invincible pride.

"Master Uncle! Don't listen to him!!"

Zhang Chulan grabbed Zhang Taichu's sleeve, his eyes red with anxiety:

"This is reverse psychology!! He's trying to trick you!!"

"That Dan Shi thing must be incredibly evil to have killed my grandfather!"

"We don't need to take this risk!"

"At worst, we'll tie him up and interrogate him slowly! I refuse to believe we can't get him to talk!!"

Wang Ye nodded repeatedly, his expression solemn:

"That's right, Old Zhang is right."

"Master, in numerology, this Dan Shi is an ominous sign and a violation of the natural order."

"Never act impulsively!"

The two men stood firmly on either side of Zhang Taichu, afraid that he would agree in a moment of impulse.

however.

Faced with the two people's dissuasion and Tang Miaoxing's aggressive gaze.

Zhang Taichu's expression remained unchanged throughout.

even.

There was also a hint of... expectation in his eyes?

"Oh……"

A soft laugh broke the heavy atmosphere.

Zhang Taichu reached out and gently brushed away Zhang Chulan's hand that was gripping his sleeve.

"A provocation tactic?"

He looked at Tang Miaoxing, shook his head, and gave her the look of someone watching a clown putting on a great show.

"You overestimate yourself."

"You're overestimating your Tang Clan."

Zhang Taichu slowly walked a few steps forward and arrived at the very center of the main hall.

There was a huge Tai Chi carpet laid out there.

"Only the dead can keep secrets?"

"Those who are hit will surely die?"

"Is there no cure?"

Zhang Taichu repeated these words while letting out a series of sneers:

"joke."

"There is never any absolute dead end in this world."

"The so-called invincibility, the so-called sure kill."

"It's just because the people you've encountered before were all a bunch of useless trash."

Done.

To everyone's astonishment.

Zhang Taichu lifted his robe and sat down cross-legged in the center of the hall.

He sat casually and relaxed, one hand supporting his chin, the other gently tapping his knee.

That posture.

This doesn't look like a life-or-death gamble at all.

It's just like an old man waiting for dinner in his own backyard!

"Master Uncle!! You..." Zhang Chulan was so anxious he almost jumped up.

"Shut up and watch."

Zhang Taichu rebuked without turning his head.

Then, he raised his head, his deep eyes flashing with a chilling light, and stared directly at Tang Miaoxing on the stage:

"Since you've been hyping this thing up so much..."

"Since this is what we sent away that big-eared thief back then."

"Then this humble Taoist priest..."

Zhang Taichu licked his lips, a chilling, maniacal laugh spreading across his face:

"I really want to try it and see what it tastes like."

"bring it on."

He beckoned to Tang Miaoxing with his finger, his tone utterly contemptuous:

"Bring out your most treasured possession."

"I'll be waiting."

Looking at Zhang Taichu, who sat imposingly in the center of the hall, his entire body riddled with weaknesses.

Tang Miaoxing was stunned.

He had imagined countless possibilities.

He had considered that Zhang Taichu might refuse, become furious, or try to bargain.

But that was the one thing he never expected.

The other party agreed so readily, so... eagerly.

That look in his eyes.

We were really just waiting for one dish.

A surge of anger, a feeling of extreme humiliation, welled up in Tang Miaoxing's heart.

it is good!

very good!

Since you're courting death, don't blame me for being impolite!

Tang Miaoxing took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in her heart, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes.

"What courage!"

"Since Master Zhang has such an interest, then our Tang Clan..."

"I promise you won't be disappointed!!"