After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

A cool, clear female voice pierced the corridor, carrying a sense of condescending scrutiny, and reached every corner of the monitoring room.

Upon hearing this, the masked man's fury instantly subsided, replaced by deep apprehension. He immediately suppressed his raging aura, turned to the side, and bowed his head, displaying utmost respect.

"Sect Master."

Just two words confirmed Lin Ping's suspicions.

The person behind the plot to set up the killing formation and imprison Shen Aoxue in the Southern Frontier Building is none other than the leader of the Blood Shadow Pavilion.

Lin Ping stood upright, his expression calm and composed. He raised his eyes and looked into the depths of the dark corridor, speaking softly: "Hiding his head and tail, not daring to show himself, the Blood Shadow Pavilion Master is nothing more than this."

The corridor was silent at its deepest point, save for the soft, chilling female voice that echoed once more, carrying a hint of amusement and an air of unwavering control:

"A hidden dragon lying in wait, concealing its strength in the city, is indeed surprising. I wanted to see how long you could keep up the act, but unfortunately, my subordinates are useless and can't hold their temper."

"Let's leave it at that for today, Lin Ping. We'll meet again someday. I will uncover all the secrets you hold within me."

The moment the words fell, an invisible, immense pressure vanished, and the chilling aura that had enveloped the entire building disappeared without a trace.

The masked man's face darkened, knowing that the sect leader had already stopped. He stared intently at Lin Ping, the excruciating pain from his severed arm still throbbing, his eyes filled with resentment and ruthlessness.

"Next time we meet, I will cripple your cultivation and take your life!"

Lin Ping's lips curled into a cold smile, and with a slight step, he appeared in front of his opponent in an instant.

It moved so fast that it was just a blur, giving the opponent no chance to react.

"Next time?" Lin Ping's voice was slightly cold, carrying an absolute air of overwhelming confidence. "I spared your life today to give face to your sect leader. If you don't know what's good for you, then you'll be annihilated on the spot."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and lightly slapped out.

The seemingly light palm strike carried a restrained yet powerful internal force, striking the man's chest with pinpoint accuracy.

boom!

A dull thud resounded.

The masked man was struck as if by a heavy hammer; his body trembled violently, and he coughed up a mouthful of black blood. Several cracks appeared on his pale shaman mask.

He flew backward and slammed hard against the corridor wall, his body mangled and bloody.

Before he could get up, Lin Ping coldly glanced at him and said, "Get out."

The man dared not linger. Enduring the excruciating pain of impending death, he scrambled to his feet, not daring to utter another harsh word. He turned and rushed into the dark corridor, fleeing in a disheveled state and disappearing in an instant.

The monitoring room returned to complete calm, the lights stopped flickering, the monitoring screens returned to normal one by one, and the piercing electrical noise disappeared completely.

Lin Ping withdrew his gaze and looked down at Xiao Wu, Yuan Qi, and Zhu Ming, who were still slumped on the ground.

With a flick of his finger, three strands of warm spiritual energy precisely entered the three people, instantly dissolving the Blood Shadow Pavilion's soul-capturing illusion.

A few seconds later.

Xiao Wu was the first to wake up, groaning and slowly sitting up, rubbing his throbbing head, his eyes filled with confusion.

"Ugh... My head is spinning, how did I fall asleep?"

Yuan Qi and Zhu Ming also woke up shortly afterward, both looking dazed and confused, with no memory whatsoever of the life-or-death danger they had just faced.

Xiao Wu glanced around and then at the clock on the wall. He realized that his shift had already passed, but there were no abnormal alarms, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Strange, I remember hearing some strange noises just now, and I felt cold all over. Was I hallucinating from drinking too much?"

Yuan Qi shook his head, looking confused: "Me too, I'm all dazed, I can't remember anything."

Zhu Ming rubbed his temples and hesitated before speaking, "Something's not right. I think I woke up once in the middle of the night and vaguely saw people fighting inside the house. It was really noisy."

Lin Ping leaned back in his seat, his expression indifferent, and his tone casual and perfunctory: "Don't overthink it. It's just that the local liquor was too strong, and you guys were just having a bad dream."

"So it was just a dream!" Xiao Wu was completely relieved, grinning with a wry smile. "No wonder it felt so real, this wine was really strong."

The three of them had no suspicion whatsoever, assuming it was just a drunken nightmare. After a few words of banter, they composed themselves and continued to stand guard.

The night was calm and uneventful.

Before we knew it, it was six o'clock in the morning. The night shift ended, and all the building security guards went home.

The other security guards swiped their cards and left, scattering away from the building.

Lin Ping deliberately slowed his pace, his gaze fixed on the location where he had discovered the dark passage the previous night, having already made up his mind.

Last night was too rushed to investigate the secrets behind the iron gate. Today, with no one around after get off work, I can quietly return to find out where the core of the Southern Frontier Suppression Array is hidden and figure out the layout of the Blood Shadow Pavilion, so as to rescue the trapped Shen Aoxue as soon as possible.

He pretended to walk out of the building, and once the security guard at the entrance looked away, he immediately turned back and planned to quietly circle back to the basement.

But as soon as they reached the side entrance of the building, they were stopped by two property management staff members dressed in black overalls.

The two men were serious and spoke in an unquestionable tone: "This is a security guard. After get off work hours, no one is allowed to linger in the building. Everyone must leave immediately and is not allowed to stay, work overtime, or return without permission."

Lin Ping paused, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

In the past, security personnel would occasionally linger for a moment after get off work and no one would question them, but today the control is so strict.

He tentatively said, "I forgot something in the monitoring room. I'll just go up and get it and leave in a few minutes."

"No, the entire building is to be cleared today. No one is allowed to remain without special permission. Violators will be reported and held accountable." The property management staff were firm and showed no room for compromise.

Looking at the two of them, so meticulous, Lin Ping was momentarily at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Without a doubt, this was the work of the Blood Shadow Pavilion, deliberately sealing off the building to prevent any possibility of investigation and perfectly concealing the entrance to the secret realm.

Left with no other choice, he could only follow the flow of people and turn around to walk out of the building.

Since we cannot investigate, we can only wait and bide our time.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

It was Lin Ping's turn to work the night shift again.

As night fell, the entire commercial building was brightly lit, yet an invisible sense of oppression permeated the air.

Lin Ping changed into his security uniform and went to his post as usual. Xiao Wu and the other two arrived at their posts early as usual, and the four of them were on duty as usual.

When it was late at night and no one was around, Lin Ping used the excuse of inspecting the equipment room on the basement floor to leave the monitoring room alone and head straight for the location of the hidden iron gate that he remembered.

He walked steadily, his eyes sharp, staring intently at the familiar direction ahead.

This is it!

Three days ago, a heavy iron gate stood here, behind which was a dark passage leading to the Southern Frontier Secret Realm and connecting to the core of the Suppression Array.

But at this moment, there was nothing in front of me.

Where the iron gate once stood, only a smooth white wall remains. The wall is clean and tidy, without any trace of door frame splicing or wall dismantling. It is perfectly natural, as if it has been like this since ancient times.

Lin Ping stepped forward and lightly touched the wall with his fingertips. It was cold and hard, a real solid wall, not an illusion.

His eyes suddenly darkened, and he instantly understood.

Enchantment!

Only a concealment barrier set up by a top martial arts master could be so seamless.

Ordinary people, and even ordinary martial arts practitioners, will have their vision obscured by the barrier, and will only ever see the walls, completely unaware of the existence of the entrance to the secret realm.

Only those with cultivation at his level can vaguely sense the faint aura of the remaining formation here.

Clearly, the Blood Shadow Pavilion had detected his probing actions and moved the array's core overnight, closing the barrier entrance and completely sealing off the passage.

Lin Ping turned around and went back to the monitoring room, where he happened to run into Xiao Wu and his two companions who were out patrolling.

Seeing him standing in the basement corridor lost in thought, Xiao Wu casually asked, "Brother Ping, what are you looking at? Is there a problem in the server room?"

Lin Ping remained calm and casually probed, "It's nothing. I remember there used to be an iron gate here, where did it go?"

Xiao Wu looked completely bewildered and shook his head repeatedly: "An iron gate? Where is there an iron gate? The basement only has equipment rooms and power distribution rooms, it's all walls from beginning to end, there's never been any iron gate!"

Yuan Qi chimed in, "That's right, Brother Ping. I've been working on this building for two years, and the layout of the basement has never changed. It's all walls, with no extra doors. A commercial building isn't a residential complex; why would they install doors in such a dead-end corner?"

Zhu Ming nodded emphatically: "Absolutely not. We patrol every day, there's no way we could be wrong. Brother Ping, are you sure you didn't get the location wrong again, or are you seeing things?"

The three spoke with certainty, without a trace of falsehood, their eyes filled with genuine doubt.

The last glimmer of hope in Lin Ping's heart vanished completely.

really!

The barrier blocked the perception of ordinary people, not only obscuring their vision but also altering their inherent understanding of the surrounding environment.

The Blood Shadow Pavilion's mastery of formations far exceeded his expectations. This time, by shifting the formation's core and sealing the entrance, the difficulty of finding a breakthrough in the Southern Frontier Secret Realm has increased exponentially.

A chilling glint flashed deep within his eyes.

Blood Shadow Pavilion laid out defenses at every step, secretly devising plans, imprisoning Shen Aoxue, setting up a killing array, and repeatedly testing and provoking his bottom line.

This debt will be settled sooner or later.

Seeing his silence, Xiao Wu chuckled and teased, "Brother Ping, have you been too tired lately? You seem to be having hallucinations. Go home and get some rest after your shift tonight."

"Hmm." Lin Ping responded calmly, gathering all his emotions and regaining his composure.

The four of them returned to the monitoring room together and continued their duties.

As night deepened, the entire building fell into complete silence.