Chapter 19: Response

The plan had ended before it had even begun.

Right now, he couldn't even break the seal, let alone proceed to the next step.

All the scheming over these many days felt like a joke; the carefully laid preparations had ended before they could even be used.

The abnormal brilliance on the horizon stabilized, and the secret chamber returned to darkness.

Junior Brother Bai Ming grabbed his hair with both hands. "Hahahaha, hahaha."

"Why did it end up like this?"

A few star-like tears suddenly slid down the young man's face; his long-suppressed emotions erupted violently, venting out in a single breath.

Junior Brother Bai Ming punched the iron bars. "Can I not even get out of this prison cell door?"

Punch after punch, the iron bars rang out with a clanging sound, echoing through the empty secret chamber.

The punches became increasingly forceful, and Junior Brother Bai Ming's hands were covered in blood, but he didn't care; he just kept hitting the iron bars on his own.

The spirit root in his lower abdomen began to emit a warm sensation, as if comforting Junior Brother Bai Ming.

But this only made Junior Brother Bai Ming burn with even greater rage.

Trash, useless trash.

You can't even break this damn seal.

After the anger came a deeper despair; this failure meant there was no longer any possibility of escape, and he would live his entire life as a servant to Song Wanqing.

Junior Brother Bai Ming gripped the iron bars tightly. "No, I am not finished yet. I still have hatred for her. Since this spirit root can feed on emotions, then I am not finished yet."

Junior Brother Bai Ming closed his eyes, recalling the painful experiences of these past days; every instance of mental humiliation was followed by physical and psychological devastation.

No matter how many times he begged for mercy, looking as pathetic as a dog, that woman would never stop.

Everything now is caused by her; it is her fault that I am going crazy.

Why did it have to be me? Why did you have to torture me for no reason!

I hate her, I hate her so much; I wish I could kill her right now and cut her into a thousand pieces.

Thinking of the past physical and mental pain, Junior Brother Bai Ming's body couldn't stop trembling; phantom pains appeared in his brain, and the torture of schizophrenia seemed to emerge once again.

He held his head in his hands, lying on the ground like a dog, just as before.

Revenge, I want revenge!

I want her to know the consequences of torturing me; I want to return everything she has brought upon me back to her.

Junior Brother Bai Ming touched the spirit root in his lower abdomen, his eyes glaring with rage.

If you are truly the hope given to me by the heavens, then for heaven's sake, do your job properly!

I can give you everything I have.

As long as it allows me to take revenge, everything I am can serve as fuel for you to burn.

Devour everything I am, and respond to my hatred!

You useless spirit root!

Following his cry, the gentle warmth vanished, and a fierce, high temperature erupted in his lower abdomen and limbs, scorching Junior Brother Bai Ming's internal organs.

A surging flame ignited within Junior Brother Bai Ming's body, yet a trace of joy appeared on his face.

"That is it. Keep burning; everything I am will become your fuel!"

Dazzling firelight appeared in the dark secret chamber, illuminating the empty room brightly, and hearty laughter erupted from the center of the flames.

The raging fire burned for a full quarter of an hour, and the entire secret chamber was as bright as day.

The wild laughter gradually subsided, the ball of fire in the cell slowly dissipated, and a blurry figure appeared.

As the flames vanished, the young man's upright figure was revealed.

Ninth Level of Qi Refining.

Junior Brother Bai Ming felt the spiritual energy within him; he could now accommodate four times the amount of spiritual energy than before.

Under the miraculous effect of the spirit root, all three seals were broken, and the intricate patterns above his head turned into ash bit by bit.

Junior Brother Bai Ming punched and shattered the iron bars. "Alright, the plan begins."

… The back door of the Song Mansion.

Xiaoxue's face was filled with worry; it had been some time since the Young Miss formed her Golden Core, but Junior Brother Bai Ming had not yet appeared, and she didn't know what situation he had encountered.

Could it be that he was trapped?

The guard said with a smile, "Xiaoxue, you aren't worried about the Young Miss, are you?"

Xiaoxue did not deny it and nodded.

"What is there to worry about? In this Canglan City, who would dare disturb our Song family? Moreover, the Young Miss has astonishing talent, and with the Patriarch protecting her, the breakthrough is only a matter of time."

Xiaoxue gave a dry laugh. "I was overthinking it."

The guard leaned against the wall. "I know you are worried about the Young Miss, Xiaoxue, but where could there be any threat in this Canglan City? With that second-layer barrier in place, even a Golden Core cultivator cannot get in."

Xiaoxue was worried inside, but she still chatted idly with the guard.

A figure quietly approached them. Xiaoxue glanced over, and joy welled up in her heart; Junior Brother Bai Ming nodded slightly.

Xiaoxue smiled. "Guard Wang, what do you usually do?"

The guard was stunned. "What else could I do? Just guard the back door every day. It's incredibly boring; who would dare trespass into the Song Mansion? If it weren't for you, Xiaoxue, I would have died of boredom."

Xiaoxue nodded, listening to the guard complain.

Junior Brother Bai Ming seized the opportunity and quietly slipped away from behind the guard, leaving the first-layer barrier in the blink of an eye.

Junior Brother Bai Ming channeled his spiritual power and ran toward the direction of the city exit.

Thank you, Xiaoxue.

The guard grumbled, "Sigh, sometimes I really want to switch shifts for a few days."

Xiaoxue smiled softly and said nothing. After Junior Brother Bai Ming had been gone for a while, she secretly glanced toward the back door a few times.

On the pitch-black night, in the strange yet familiar streets, there were few people around, and hardly anyone lingered on the streets.

Flames floated under Junior Brother Bai Ming's feet. "It seems this must be the influence of the Golden Core formation."

No one around was perfect; it suited his wishes exactly.

At his pace, he would be able to leave the city in less than two hours.

If he could fly, half an hour would be enough, but flying in the sky was far too conspicuous. Unless it was a last resort, he would not use flying techniques.

Following the memories in his mind, Junior Brother Bai Ming chose the safest route, which was located near the Yuqing Sect.

Seeing Song family cultivators patrolling in the sky ahead, he quickly restrained his aura and leaned against the wall.

Junior Brother Bai Ming clicked his tongue secretly. "There are really a lot of patrolling cultivators."

This was already the third one he had encountered.

After waiting for a while, the Song family cultivators left, and Junior Brother Bai Ming hurried toward the route in the direction of the Yuqing Sect.

Half an hour passed.

Junior Brother Bai Ming left the Song family's sphere of influence and entered the outskirts of the Yuqing Sect's territory; he could clearly feel that the patrolling cultivators had decreased.

At this rate, he would be able to reach the outskirts of Canglan City in an hour.

A shout rang out.

"Hey, what are you doing there, acting all sneaky? Come with me."

What!

When restraining his aura, it was difficult to use his spiritual sense; he had been spotted by the naked eye.

Junior Brother Bai Ming realized this in an instant; he simply stopped restraining his aura, flames erupted under his feet, and he sped away. Utilizing his graceful movement technique, he quickly disappeared into the street buildings.

The Song family cultivator saw him clearly for a moment and was shocked.

How could he be wearing that outfit? Who exactly is he!

"No, I must capture him." The Song family cultivator took out a sound-transmission talisman. "Come to me quickly."

On the other side, Junior Brother Bai Ming had already escaped the field of vision of that Song family cultivator, but he still dared not be careless.

The entire Canglan City was the Song family's hunting ground; he had to escape in the shortest time possible.

Outside the Yuqing Sect, the area was sparsely populated; Junior Brother Bai Ming increased the use of his spiritual power, flames erupted under his feet, and his speed became even faster.