Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

But those crimson eyes, like burning stars, held undisguised vigilance and scrutiny as they suddenly looked up at the "benefactor" who had saved her from the abyss.

Against the dim light filtering through the dungeon entrance, she could see who it was.

He was dressed in black, with an upright posture and a handsome face that carried an unchanging calm and profundity.

His eyes were as cold as an ancient, icy pool, devoid of the fervor of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress, or the frivolity of appreciating beauty; they held only an all-knowing indifference and a composed control over the entire situation.

He stood there as if the filthy dungeon were merely his courtyard, where he had just casually brushed away a fallen leaf.

His gaze swept over her nearly naked body, but remained calm and unmoved.

Powerful, reserved, and unfathomable.

Yan Lingji instantly concluded: He's more dangerous than Ji Wuye!

In that instant of scrutiny, the crimson in Yan Lingji's eyes suddenly turned deep and eerie, like the hottest vortex, threatening to suck in one's soul!

An invisible spiritual wave, carrying both extreme allure and intense heat, silently enveloped Qin Chuan like a fine spider web.

She wanted to test and even control this mysterious "benefactor" as soon as possible!

However, the fiery allure that even Ji Wuye feared and that could make countless men fall for her struck Qin Chuan like an invisible ice wall when it touched him within a foot of his body!

Qin Chuan's eyes remained completely unmoved.

His gaze pierced through the eerie flames, looking directly into the depths of Yan Lingji's soul.

An invisible pressure, colder than millennia-old ice and heavier than mountains, instantly reversed and pressed back!

Yan Lingji was struck as if by a heavy blow. She let out a muffled groan, her body swaying involuntarily. The eerie red light in her eyes dimmed instantly, like a candle flame extinguished by cold water, leaving only shock and a trace of pain!

Her fiery charm was so easily and completely crushed, and she even suffered a backlash!

"Stop your little tricks." Qin Chuan's voice was as cold as the wind from the deepest hell. "One more time, and you're dead."

The word "death" carried absolute power and will, striking Yan Lingji's heart like a heavy hammer. She had no doubt that the other party would keep their word!

Her face was slightly pale, and the flames in her eyes flickered violently, filled with resentment and horror, but even more so with fear of being suppressed by absolute power.

Her outward gentleness vanished instantly, leaving only a cold wariness.

She finally realized that the man before her could not be seduced by any charm; his will was as firm as a rock and unbreakable!

Qin Chuan seemed to have anticipated her reaction, and took off his large black outer robe, tossing it aside casually.

The robes unfolded like a curtain of night, precisely covering Yan Lingji's body, insulating her from the cold air and temporarily concealing the suffocating spring light.

Qin Chuan's voice was calm and even, as if the mental clash had never happened.

Yan Lingji wrapped her black robe tighter, feeling the lingering warmth of her body and the chilling warning in the fabric.

She stood barefoot on the ground, water droplets dripping from her hair.

Her earlier attempt and subsequent crushing defeat made her completely abandon the idea of ​​using seduction.

She raised her head, looking directly into Qin Chuan's unfathomable eyes, her voice hoarse with stubbornness: "Who are you? What do you want?"

Qin Chuan got straight to the point, his voice deep and clear, carrying an undeniable power: "I saved you because you, your master Tianze, and the remaining power of Baiyue are useful to me."

His gaze, sharp as a sword, fell upon Yan Lingji's suddenly contracting pupils. "I have no interest in so-called treasures."

Yan Lingji was taken aback; this answer was unexpected.

The treasures of Baiyue are the target of countless people's covetousness, yet this person casually dismisses them?

Qin Chuan continued, his tone carrying the certainty of a controller: "Tianze is the crown prince of Baiyue, the core that unites you remnants. His hatred, his power, and the various abilities of your followers are what I value."

He took a step forward, an invisible pressure approaching like a mountain, yet he precisely avoided Yan Lingji, allowing her only to feel that unfathomable power: "Be loyal to me."

The voice was not loud, but it pierced the soul: "I will help you rescue Tianze, give you the chance for revenge, and give you the power to establish a foothold outside of the Nightfall and Xinzheng."

He looked directly into the flames dancing in Yan Lingji's eyes, his words resolute:

"Tell me, where is Tianze being held by Bai Yifei? This is your only choice, and your only chance."

This is a blatant recruitment, cold and powerful, carrying an undeniable will.

It's not a transaction, it's a command to submit, just disguised as an "opportunity".

Yan Lingji's heart pounded violently.

Their goal was to subdue the entire remnant of the Baiyue people?

It's not about using them, it's about complete control!

This shocked her even more than coveting treasure, and even gave her a strange sense of oppression.

"Loyalty?" Yan Lingji's voice was filled with mockery and instinctive resistance. "The Baiyue people are only loyal to their own masters!"

"Tianze's fate is in your hands," Qin Chuan's voice was as cold as iron. "Swear allegiance to me, and he lives. Refuse, or delay..."

His gaze swept over the old nobleman's corpse on the ground, his unspoken meaning clear.

Yan Lingji's fingertips dug deeply into her palm.

She could sense the absolute power and coldness in Qin Chuan's words.

This man is not joking; the power he has displayed is enough to support his ambition.

Saving Tianze, revenge, a foothold... these words tempted her like poison.

But the price is the loss of freedom and submission to a more powerful and ruthless being.

"Time is limited, Yan Lingji," Qin Chuan's voice urged. "The minions of the Nightfall will detect any changes here at any moment. Tell me your answer. Will you lead Tianze and your companions to gain new life and the power of revenge, or will you watch them, and yourself, be utterly annihilated?"

He stretched out his hand, his palm broad and his knuckles distinct, and stopped in front of Yan Lingji.

This is no longer an invitation, but more like a rope thrown into the abyss: to grasp it means the hope of survival and revenge, and also the complete belonging.

Yan Lingji's gaze lingered on that hand for a moment before returning to Qin Chuan's face.

The flames in her eyes burned and struggled fiercely. In the end, her worry for Tianze's life, her desire for revenge, and her almost desperate understanding of the powerful strength of the man before her overwhelmed all doubts and resistance.

She took a deep breath, as if using all her strength, and a resolute yet humiliating light flashed in her crimson eyes.

She didn't take his hand; instead, she braced herself against the ground, wrapped her black robe tighter, and stubbornly stood up.

The soaked black robe clung to her body, outlining breathtaking curves, with water droplets dripping from the hem.

She stood before Qin Chuan, her head slightly raised, her voice hoarse and heavy: "Master... Tianze is imprisoned in the 'Frosty Marrow Ice Prison' deepest part of Snow Robe Fortress, personally guarded by Bai Yifei!"

She revealed a secret hidden deep within her heart, a secret more important than life itself: "I'll take you to him! But you must guarantee his safety!"

This was her final bottom line.

"Very good." Qin Chuan withdrew his hand, his tone calm yet carrying an air of complete control. "His safety is guaranteed by my power. Your loyalty will be proven from this moment on."

He turned around, his black robes fluttering, "Come with me. Your fire should be directed at the real enemy."

He didn't look at Yan Lingji again and walked straight to the dungeon exit.

Yan Lingji gazed at his tall, straight back and quickly followed.

He did not stop walking past the several corpses on the ground that had died instantly.

In the firelight, her crimson eyes swept over the frozen faces, leaving only cold indifference and a heavy sense of having to bow down for survival and revenge.

As Bai Feng emerged from the dark and damp dungeon passage, he saw Yan Lingji, dressed in Qin Chuan's outer robe and barefoot, and his eyes flashed with amazement and surprise. He immediately bowed his head and said, "My lord."

"Let's go," Qin Chuan said succinctly, "to Snowclothes Fortress."

Yan Lingji's gaze lingered on Bai Feng for a moment, but she remained silent.

The three quickly blended into the night.

Yan Lingji wrapped her black robe tightly around herself, her bare feet treading on the cold stone path. She looked up at the waning moon obscured by dark clouds and took a deep breath of the free, cold air.

Finally...it's out!

She looked at the figure in black ahead, her eyes filled with a complex and solemn expression, carrying an indescribable heaviness.

To save Tianze and the last remaining flame of the Baiyue people, she chose to submit to this unfathomable power.

Ahead lies Snowcloth Fortress, a den of dragons and tigers, and the new master we must confront.

The path to revenge seemed to have a glimmer of hope, yet it was also shrouded in a deeper shadow.

Qin Chuan walked at the front, the night wind ruffling his clothes. He sensed the burning, heavy, and complex gaze behind him, and his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

The clues from the Fire Rain Agate point to Baiyue. To reunite Nongyu's family, they need to find Li Kai. Tianze and his Baiyue remnants, who possess unique skills and harbor deep hatred, are the sharpest and most suitable tools to tear apart Ji Wuye's night and stir up trouble in Xinzheng.

Yan Lingji was the first fulcrum he used to grasp this sword.

The night in Xinzheng grew even deeper.

A blood-red storm, aimed straight at the heart of the night, is silently engulfing the Snowcoat Castle, a symbol of coldness and death, following their footsteps!

Chapter 24 Blood-Clad Marquis? Dead!

Xueyi Fortress outside Xinzheng City resembles a pale behemoth lurking in the cold night, its entire body constructed of cold, hard white stone, gleaming with a pale luster under the thin moonlight.

The fortress was filled with a chilling atmosphere; an ordinary person would feel their blood freeze after stepping inside for only a short while.

Qin Chuan, Bai Feng, and Yan Lingji, like three shadowy figures, silently infiltrated this fortress that symbolized death and cold.

Bai Feng knew the layout of the Nightfall stronghold like the back of his hand, avoiding layers of sentries and traps, while Yan Lingji, with her keen sense of cold air, guided the way to the core area.

Qin Chuan walked with ease, his aura restrained to the extreme, as if he had merged with the frigid environment.

They eventually stopped outside an unusually spacious yet extremely cold inner fortress hall.

The heavy, icy gate was ajar, and a chilling aura wafted out, mixed with a faint, sweet scent of blood.

The scene inside the hall, seen through the crack in the door, was chilling.

In the center of the hall, a huge ice throne stood atop it.

Marquis Bai Yifei, dressed in his signature blood-red robes, with snow-white hair and a face so handsome it was almost otherworldly, was lounging lazily on his throne.

Before him, a young and beautiful girl was imprisoned in mid-air by an invisible chill, her pretty face contorted with fear, and tears freezing into ice beads on her cheeks.

Bai Yifei extended a pale, slender finger, its tip wreathed in an eerie red light, and was drawing out strands of scarlet blood from between the girl's eyebrows from a distance!

The bloodline contained the girl's life essence, which he absorbed into his body. A sickly blush appeared on his pale face, and he let out a satisfied sigh.

The girl's life force was visibly fading, her life force flickering on the verge of extinction.