Please be my partner.

"But, a month later, one of the team members actually escaped alive from the Cave of Ten Thousand Souls. Although he was already insane at the time, he was carrying a treasure in his hand, a legendary..."

"The other side of the flower!"

Chapter 697 The Red Spider Lily and Infiltration

"The Red Spider Lily?!"

Mellen's expression shifted slightly, revealing a hint of emotion.

The red spider lily is a legendary treasure, said to possess the power to connect with the underworld and allow one to be reborn.

It is important to understand that in the cultivation system of the immortal realm, even if one becomes an immortal or even a true immortal, it does not mean eternal life. One still needs to face the tribulation of the Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man. If one can overcome it, one can prolong one's life for a while longer. However, the next Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man will become more and more ferocious. If one cannot overcome it, even an immortal will fall into the mortal world and become a handful of dirt.

The only difference is that immortals are trapped in the immortal realm and can only struggle with their own strength. They usually die after experiencing the five signs of decay of heaven and man. True immortals, on the other hand, can travel to different universes, absorb different rules into themselves, gradually change themselves, and wash away the shackles left on them by the immortal realm.

Of course, not all true immortals have the opportunity to completely escape the five signs of decay in the celestial realm; at the very least, they must become Dao Lords and completely absorb everything about themselves.

Even a true Dao Lord cannot guarantee true immortality. Only by breaking through to the Dao Lord level, taking the ultimate immortal flower a step further beyond the impossible, condensing it into a Dao Fruit, and achieving the position of Dao Venerable, can one truly achieve great transcendence, great freedom, and great carefree existence.

Therefore, the red spider lily, which can give one a second chance at life, means that all the shortcomings encountered in previous cultivation can be remedied; it means that one can find a new foundation and support; it means that when death is inevitable, one can have a second chance...

Such temptation would tempt even a true immortal, let alone an ordinary one. No wonder the Myriad Souls Cave has gathered three demon kings and four evil demons, a total of seven true immortal powerhouses.

No wonder Treasure Pavilion dared to sell a million spirit stones with just one piece of news.

After listening to Bai Xingxing's story, Mellen closed his eyes and pondered for a long time, during which Bai Xingxing did not disturb him at all.

Although the red spider lily is precious, it is not as important to Mellen as he imagined. After all, he is already very satisfied with this life. If he could go directly to the top of the universe, that would be the best, and he would not need to start over.

However, such a priceless treasure could certainly be exchanged for many valuable items, so if given the chance, there's no reason not to try and acquire it.

Suddenly, Mellen opened his eyes and asked, "You said before that this was caused by the survivor of that adventure team from seven years ago, who brought out the Other Shore Flower back then? How can you be sure that there are more Other Shore Flowers in the Ten Thousand Souls Cave?"

Bai Xingxing immediately understood what Mellen was asking and explained, "What that person brought out was a red spider lily, and only a few petals. The red spider lily is in an immature state. Only when the spider lily turns white does it have the ability to help people reincarnate."

"Legend has it that once the red spider lily is born, it is initially a sea of ​​flowers. When it matures, the sea of ​​flowers withers, and only a single white red spider lily remains."

Mellen nodded as if he understood, and said, "So, for the past seven years, those seven great demons have been waiting for the Red Spider Lily to mature? How much longer until the Red Spider Lily matures?"

Bai Xingxing smiled wryly and said, "Guest, you've stumped me. How could a mere manager of a small branch of the Treasure Pavilion know the specific details about a legendary item like the Red Spider Lily?"

"Moreover, the guests seem to have misunderstood some things. We only know that there are spider lilies in the Cave of Ten Thousand Souls, but we don't know exactly where they are."

After thinking for a moment, Bai Xingxing added, "Perhaps the seven demons know, or perhaps they don't."

Mellen frowned and asked, "What do you mean?"

Bai Xingxing explained, "Ever since the seven great demons sealed off the Ten Thousand Souls Cave seven years ago, they have continuously sent their subordinates into the Ten Thousand Souls Cave to investigate. Even though they suffered heavy losses, they never stopped. Therefore, this pavilion suspects that they may not have located the location of the Other Shore Flower."

"Aren't there survivors?" Mellen asked curiously.

Bai Xingxing said with a wry smile, "Back then, the survivor was crazy and nobody paid any attention at first. By the time someone with knowledge confirmed that he was bringing out petals of the other shore flower, the survivor had already disappeared without a trace."

"Perhaps someone found the survivor first and forced him to reveal the location of the Red Spider Lily Sea, but because the Red Spider Lilies are not yet mature, they have held back."

Regarding the speculation surrounding White Star's last sentence, Mellen remained noncommittal.

The most urgent and important task is to find a way to enter the Blood Sea through the Ten Thousand Souls Cave. If there is no other way, then abandon this path and go to other entrances.

Thinking of this, Mellen asked bluntly, "If I want to enter the Cave of Ten Thousand Souls, does the Treasure Pavilion have any way to help me?"

"The guest wishes to enter the Ten Thousand Souls Cave?" Bai Xingxing hesitated.

Seeing this, Mellen said bluntly, "Manager Bai, please speak your mind."

Bai Xingxing sighed and said, "Guest, esteemed guest..."

After hesitating for a moment, Bai Xingxing said with a wry smile, "Actually, it's quite simple. As I just mentioned, the seven great demons have been ordering their subordinates to enter the Ten Thousand Souls Cave for the past few years in order to search for the location of the Other Shore Flower Sea. In particular, they don't just search on the outer perimeter of the Ten Thousand Souls Cave; they have to go deep into the very bottom. This is practically a life-or-death gamble; every time it's a matter of life and death."

"At first, the seven demons' subordinates were intimidated by their power and dared not disobey. But over time, even the most loyal subordinates became disloyal. Then the mercenary model came about, in which the seven demons' subordinates recruited people to explore the Ten Thousand Souls Cave."

"The subordinates of the Seven Great Demons are not righteous people. Their method of hiring people is not to pay them to help, but to arbitrarily capture cultivators with a certain level of cultivation, put restrictions on them, and throw them into the Ten Thousand Souls Cave to be used until they die."

"Although this method reduced the casualties of those subordinates, over time, fewer and fewer cultivators were willing to come to the Ten Thousand Souls Cave, which greatly slowed down the search progress, naturally provoking the seven great demons to fly into a rage."

"So, in the end, it turned out to be the way it is today..."

At this point, Bai Xingxing showed a hint of embarrassment before continuing, "Some merchant guilds, including our Treasure Pavilion, regularly provide the Seven Demons with some... manpower to help them explore the Ten Thousand Souls Cave."

Mellen remained calm, fully aware of the true nature of these so-called 'hands'. She knew that slaves existed in the Celestial Realm, and due to the existence of some evil magic, once enslaved, it was very difficult to break free from their control.

Moreover, the Treasure Pavilion is a chamber of commerce, not a charity, so it's impossible for them to do business at a loss. Since they provide manpower for the seven demons, it must be because there are enough benefits to be had.

However, this was irrelevant to Mellen. He said, "Since such channels exist, why would Steward Bai find it difficult?"

Bai Xingxing said, "The 'people' we provide are all safe, and this is written into the transaction contract. If the guests enter the Ten Thousand Souls Cave intending to cause trouble, it will put us in a very difficult position."

Mellen nodded and said, "I see. Actually, my purpose in entering the Ten Thousand Souls Cave was very simple. I wanted to go to the Blood Sea, but unfortunately I encountered this incident, and I didn't want to waste several months going to other entrances to the Blood Sea."

"All I need is for the Treasure Pavilion to help me enter the Ten Thousand Souls Cave. I can guarantee that I won't do anything else unnecessary."

Bai Xingxing said with a wry smile, "This...this..."

Mellen said decisively, "I'll add more money!"

"..."

Three days later, a flying boat bearing the sign of the Treasure Pavilion sailed into Linzong City.

Inside the Treasure Pavilion, Steward Bai sat facing a lion-headed, human-bodied monster.

The lion-headed monster laughed and said, "Manager Bai, the men you brought this time were really timely. If it had been any later, you probably wouldn't have seen me."

Bai Xingxing exclaimed in surprise, "It's that serious?"

The lion-headed demon waved his hand and said helplessly, "It's not that serious, but you know my king's temper, sigh..."

Bai Xingxing remained silent. Although he had the backing of the Treasure Pavilion, he still knew the rules about what could and could not be said, otherwise he would not have been able to sit in the position of branch manager.

The lion-headed monster was well aware of Bai Xingxing's caution, but he didn't take it to heart. After chatting for a while and waiting for his subordinates to finish taking stock of all the new recruits, he laughed heartily and took his leave.

The lion-headed monster, along with his men and the 'goods,' arrived at the foot of Iron Lion Mountain. After simply locking up the 'goods,' he left.

Mixed among the 'goods', Mellen's gaze remained calm.

Mellen didn't completely disbelieve Bai Xingxing's words, but she didn't entirely trust them either. At the very least, one should always be wary. For example, everyone here treated as merchandise was controlled by secret magic, while Mellen wasn't. Even if Bai Xingxing said it was just for show and she wouldn't actually cast a spell on Mellen, it wouldn't matter.

Finally, Mellen spent extra money to learn this control technique, and then used it on himself to create a disguise.

As long as he didn't have any backup plans, Mellen was confident that he could escape unscathed even if he faced the Golden Lion King, the ruler of Iron Lion Mountain.

After the lion-headed monster left, Mellen and his companions were separated into groups of ten and imprisoned in various caves. Mellen's group consisted of people with blank expressions and lifeless eyes, who had clearly given up hope for the future. Mellen naturally didn't bother to get to know them.

A few days later, a group of ferocious monsters drove them out of the cave, and then they saw the lion-headed monster.

The lion-headed monster began a long speech, which essentially said that they needed to go to a secret place to explore. If they could return alive, they would be set free. In return, once inside the secret place, they had to follow orders and do whatever they were told, without disobeying any commands.

Next, the lion-headed monster used a secret control technique to inflict painful punishment on the group, thus establishing its authority in advance.

Because they are both controlled by the same secret method, the control terminal is placed on a piece of jade for convenience, which is also for the convenience of both parties.

With this combination of kindness and severity, the cannon fodder finally showed some initiative and were no longer as lifeless as before.

However, Mellen knew that the lion-headed monster's promise to set them free if they returned alive was a lie. According to the Treasure Pavilion's statistics, this group of people would not live more than three months.

However, Mellen was no savior, so these things were irrelevant to him. His only goal was to enter the Ten Thousand Souls Cave and then find a chance to escape once inside.

Of course, it would be best to slip away unnoticed and without arousing any suspicion. Firstly, it would avoid alerting the seven demons and causing additional complications; secondly, it would be in accordance with the promise made to Bai Xingxing not to bring trouble to the Treasure Pavilion.

After the lion-headed monster finished speaking, he began to assign teams. One by one, the monsters came to these cannon fodder with jade stones in their hands.

A strange-looking monster with rabbit ears and a steel fork appeared before Mellen and his companions. The rabbit monster's eyes were bloodshot, flashing with madness, and its gaze toward Mellen and his companions was filled with deep malice.

Upon approaching, the rabbit demon raised the jade stone in its hand without hesitation and activated a torture technique. The group of people immediately collapsed to the ground in agony, and Mellen was no exception.

After tormenting him for quite a while, to Mellen's surprise, the rabbit demon showed no sign of stopping. It seemed that his actions were not to establish his authority, but simply to...enjoy the fun?

Suddenly, a cold snort rang out, containing a power that shook the very soul. The rabbit demon, who had been watching Mellen and the others struggle in agony with an excited expression, immediately collapsed to the ground, hastily stopping the torture. He looked at the lion-headed demon who had uttered the cold snort, and quickly put on a fawning expression.

The lion-headed monster said with a stern face, "Little rabbit, you're not satisfied with my assignment?!"

The rabbit demon kowtowed repeatedly, shouting, "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!! How could I dare to be dissatisfied? I am extremely satisfied!"

The lion-headed monster's expression softened slightly. He snorted and said, "If I see you being negligent again, I'll twist your head off and braise it for a snack!"

At this point, the lion-headed demon's eyelids twitched, and he carefully examined the plump rabbit demon, seemingly considering the possibility of 'braising it as a snack with wine'.

The rabbit demon's eyebrows twitched, feeling as if the ominous star of death had already shone upon his brow. He hurriedly assured his master, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely venture deep into the Ten Thousand Souls Cave during this exploration mission and guarantee to find some fine treasures to present to Your Majesty!"

The lion-headed monster then calmed down and turned to leave.

Once the lion-headed monster was far away, the rabbit demon breathed a sigh of relief, but the mocking laughter coming from the side only made him angrier. Even so, he dared not continue to torment the cannon fodder assigned to him.

Led by the lion-headed demon, the group quickly arrived at the outer edge of the formation. The lion-headed demon waved his hand and cast a series of spells, instantly opening a gap in the blood-red formation.

Upon entering, the first thing you see is a huge, sunken basin with holes of varying sizes. These holes are deep and dark, and you can faintly hear the wind blowing up from below, as if they contain the sorrow and wailing of souls.

There are seven strongholds set up by the seven demons on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Souls Cave. After arriving at the stronghold of the Golden-haired Lion King, the lion-headed demon waved his hand and ordered the lesser demons to lead the cannon fodder to explore the Ten Thousand Souls Cave.

As for the lion-headed monster itself?

Naturally, one can comfortably wait for the results outside.

Those lesser demons and cannon fodder who entered the Ten Thousand Souls Cave only had two possibilities: either they would come out alive or they would die inside. So there was no need to worry about them escaping.

Chapter 698 Entering the Cave of Ten Thousand Souls, an Unexpected Secret

After entering the Ten Thousand Souls Cave, the group quickly dispersed.

After walking downhill for a while, the rabbit demon that Mellen and his companions were following took out a map from its bosom. Mellen took the opportunity to glance at it and found that it was full of crooked and messy scribbles, which he couldn't understand at all.

The rabbit demon was well-prepared. After gesturing at the map for a moment, it began to lead Mellen and the others onward.

The rabbit demon would occasionally stop along the way. Although he moved very discreetly, Mellen could clearly see that he either left marks at key intersections, erased previous marks, or replaced previous marks with new ones.

In addition, the rabbit demon would occasionally write and draw on the map.

Clearly, this rabbit demon is not as simple as it seems.

After walking for several hours, the rabbit demon stopped and suddenly turned around, looking at Mellen and the others with a twisted gaze that was a mixture of madness, excitement, greed, and other emotions.

He murmured unconsciously, "Finally... finally gone... Scream... Howl... Hahaha... Hahahaha..."

As the rabbit demon muttered to itself, the cannon fodder collapsed to the ground in agony, clearly because the rabbit demon had used the forbidden torture function.

Hearing the screams of the cannon fodder, the rabbit demon became even more excited, seemingly deriving great pleasure from them.

A few minutes later, just as Mellen frowned slightly, seemingly unwilling to continue acting.

The rabbit demon seemed to have vented his twisted emotions a little, panting heavily as he shut down the torture. It was clear that he had expended a great deal of effort in the process.

Someone cried out in a hoarse voice, "Why? Why are you torturing us for no reason? We've always followed orders and haven't resisted at all!"

This is something that puzzled everyone, including Mellen. They were indeed cannon fodder, but shouldn't their role be to protect them from the dangers on the exploration route? If the goal was to establish authority, they had already done a good job. There was no need to continue like this. Continuing to torture them pointlessly would only backfire.

The rabbit demon revealed a twisted smile upon hearing this, and said maliciously, "I love seeing you scream in agony! Hahahaha!!"

Hearing this nonsensical answer, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, but Mellen understood that this rabbit demon was probably on the verge of going mad.

Perhaps it was because he had explored the Cave of Ten Thousand Souls too many times, experienced too many near-death experiences, and was also seemingly possessed by a pollution that could drive people mad, or perhaps it was some other reason.

In short, the rabbit demon is now on the verge of madness, which is why it is acting erratically.

Mellen shook his head inwardly, feeling there was no need to stay any longer. The only thing that still held a slight interest for him was the homemade map in the rabbit demon's hand.

Although Mellen's goal is the Sea of ​​Blood, and all he needs to do is keep going deeper, understanding the map might save him a lot of time.

With this in mind, Mellen didn't rush to leave. Instead, he continued to follow the group, silently memorizing the route while observing the rabbit demon and analyzing his method of drawing the map of the Ten Thousand Souls Cave.

For the rest of the journey, the rabbit demon didn't take any chances and instead had the cannon fodder take turns scouting ahead.

Burning Soul Flames, Yin Soul Winds, Ghostly Wails... these common dangers within the Ten Thousand Soul Cave began to appear one after another.

Some of the rabbit demons were recorded on the map, while others seemed to catch even the rabbit demons off guard. Whenever a new danger appeared, he would immediately record it.

They continued their descent for about a day. Although none of the cannon fodder, including Mellen, had died yet, they were all injured to varying degrees, and their morale had plummeted. They were practically moving forward in a daze.

By this time, Mellen had basically figured out the map in the rabbit demon's hands and memorized it.

Just as Mellen was preparing to create an accident, silently wiping out the entire team and erasing all traces of himself...

"Buzz!~"

Some vibrations, not particularly intense but clear enough, suddenly rang out from not far away.