Upon hearing Chu Nan's persuasion, Zhi Tianping barely suppressed his intent to kill, but when his gaze fell upon Wang Wang and Wang Qiu, it made the latter shudder involuntarily.

"Speak clearly, what's going on here?" Chu Nan looked at Wang Wang and Wang Qiu, his eyes deep and searching.

Like himself, these two also intended to infiltrate the ranks of the Sect Alliance under a disguised identity.

However, their tricks were clearly a bit rough, as they were discovered by the elders of the Infinite Sword Sect just upon entering the premises.

If Chu Nan hadn't intervened, Wang Wang and Wang Qiu would have certainly had their identities exposed, facing a grim outcome.

Wang Wang continued to look at Wang Qiu, a struggle flashing in his eyes, but eventually, he bit his teeth and argued, "Senior, we are really just passing loose cultivators, we..."

Before they could finish speaking, Chu Nan had lost patience and walked step by step towards Wang Wang, revealing his true face, "Like you, I have also disguised my appearance. Do you really think your disguises can fool me?"

Chu Nan slashed forward with his sword, the dazzling sword light making one's heart race.

Seeing Chu Nan make his move, Wang Wang instinctively shielded Wang Qiu, trying to block the strike with his body.

Swish~

"Ah!"

The sword light flickered, and Wang Wang let out a miserable cry, "I never thought I'd be so ambitious, only to die here today, how sad, so sad!"

After speaking, Wang Wang fell into Wang Qiu's arms, crying out in pain, "But even if I die, my spirit will live on, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Wang Qiu shoved Wang Wang aside, "Stop pretending, you're not dead!"

Wang Wang staggered and fell, eating dirt.

Hastily getting up, he found himself without any wounds and couldn't help but show a look of joy, then suddenly touched his face.

He widened his eyes to look ahead, seeing a tattered human skin mask hanging from the tip of Chu Nan's sword.

Chu Nan curled his lips into a smile, "So this is your true face, it looks ordinary, why disguise it unless you're afraid to let people see?"

Wang Wang's true face was just an ordinary person's, the only differing feature was a character for guilt marked at the corner of his eye, extremely conspicuous.

Seeing his true face exposed, Wang Wang quickly covered his cheek, changing his previous demeanor and sternly saying, "Do what you will with us, but there's no need to disgrace us!"

Chu Nan, showing puzzlement, looked at Wang Qiu behind Wang Wang, then without waiting for a response, slashed out once more.

The sword light flickered, and another human skin mask was torn apart.

This time, however, it was Chu Nan's turn to be stunned.

As Wang Qiu's disguise was ripped away, what was revealed was the face of a delicate young woman.

Skin like creamy jade, eyes like precious stones, willow-leaf brows showing a hint of tenderness, and her red lips unavoidably stirring one's soul.

But the character for guilt at the corner of her eye, like Wang Wang's, was the only flaw on her face.

Chu Nan, in an incredulous tone, said, "I didn't expect you're actually a woman. Now, I'm even more curious about your reasons for infiltrating the Sect Alliance's bases."

When something unusual happens, there must be something odd. He had a vague feeling that these two carried a big secret.

Wang Wang stood guardingly before Wang Qiu, saying, "What exactly do you want to do? If you intend to hand us over to the Qin Kingdom, you might as well kill us now!"

Wang Qiu's eyes shimmered with a mist, but her gaze was very determined.

Seeing their determination, Chu Nan found himself in a difficult position. People who fear death are easy to deal with, but he truly had no way to handle those not afraid to die.

At this moment, Chu Nan looked towards Zhi Tianping and noticed the latter's face showing a thoughtful expression, then asked, "Senior, what are you thinking about?"

Zhi Tianping looked at Chu Nan, hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Do you see the guilt character on their faces? This is the Ink Punishment, essentially a curse, once inflicted, its effects are passed down indefinitely through descendants!"

"The Ink Punishment has been recorded since before the separation of the two realms, used during the times when battles between kingdoms in the Celestial Crossing Realm were rampant, as a way to punish martial artists guilty of heinous crimes."

Upon hearing Zhi Tianping's words, even Chu Nan was a bit surprised.

What grave sins did these two or their ancestors commit to warrant such a vicious punishment?

"Senior, can you guess who these two might really be?" Chu Nan speculated that not many were subjected to the Ink Punishment, and as the Zhi family was once a strong race in the Imperial Capital, they might know much that he didn't.

Zhi Tianping once more showed a contemplative expression, looked around at the bone-strewn Corpse Bone Mountain Range, and finally said, "Their appearing here during these tense times might indicate a connection with the Corpse Bone Mountain Range itself."

"The Corpse Bone Mountain Range was once a very critical battlefield during the Qin Kingdom's unification of the Celestial Crossing Realm, when the strongest fighters were at most ninth level of the Cloud Sea Realm, yet no fewer than five ninth level Cloud Sea Realm warriors fell here!"

Chu Nan's mind was somewhat shaken; translating to current terms, it meant five ninth heaven martial artists died on this battlefield, which was terrifying.

After the separation of the two realms, all capable warriors fled the Celestial Crossing Realm, leaving behind only those too weak to cross the realm.

For reasons unknown, they were affected and could never break past the Cloud Sea Realm, unable to reach the next realm.

The Ninth Heaven Secret Technique only appeared after the Qin Kingdom united the Celestial Crossing Realm.

Then Zhi Tianping continued, "Though the Ink Punishment is a major humiliation, it is not a punishment just anyone could suffer from."

"Only powerful forces would qualify to face the Ink Punishment. Thus, the family to which they once belonged must have been extremely prestigious, perhaps descendants of one of the warriors who died in this mountain range at the ninth level of the Cloud Sea Realm."

"By investigating who fell here in the past, you can determine whose descendants they are."

"Once you know this, understanding their reasons for coming here won't be difficult."

After speaking, Zhi Tianping looked at Wang Wang and Wang Qiu with interest and said, "To be honest, I'm also growing a bit curious about you two."

"After all, following the Qin Kingdom's unification, the Ink Punishment almost vanished, and most with such bloodlines have died out, yet your lineage has persisted all these years, there must be a secret!"

Upon finishing, Zhi Tianping produced a storage bag, placing both Wang Wang and Wang Qiu inside it.

This was a storage bag specifically for storing living beings, very valuable.

Chu Nan, seeing this, did not stop him.

Zhi Tianping said, "I'll keep an eye on them for now. After we repel the Sect Alliance, we'll thoroughly investigate who they really are!"

"I agree." Chu Nan nodded.

The Corpse Bone Mountain Range was an ancient battlefield, filled with bones, persisting for thousands of years, perhaps truly hiding some fortuitous encounter.

After capturing Wang Wang and Wang Qiu, Chu Nan immediately ordered Feng Wuling, "Let's go, take me to the base's gathering point. I want them to know Chu Nan's mother sect isn't something to mess with!"

Feng Wuling looked at Chu Nan with resignation, yet he did not resist at all.

He was only at the Divine Illumination Realm and could not resist Chu Nan of the Cloud Sea Realm, much less Zhi Tianping of the Second Heaven, so he had to comply.

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