The protagonist's limbs were spread apart, nailed to the left door by four sharp spikes, with blood gushing down the door panel. The patterns of the Taotie runes on the right door panel lit up one by one, turning into a strange blood-red color.

The ferocious Taotie seemed to come alive, exuding a strong bloody aura, baring its teeth and claws, as if ready to devour someone.

Due to excessive blood loss, the protagonist's face turned pale, lips darkened, and consciousness began to blur.

Yet he ignored his injuries, staring wide-eyed at Linglong, in utter disbelief.

The protagonist struggled to ask, "Why?"

Linglong was examining the Taotie runes on the right door.

Upon hearing the protagonist's words, she looked back curiously, "Why what?"

The protagonist couldn't accept it, "Why are you treating me like this?"

Linglong was stunned by his question for a moment, then naturally replied, "Of course, to obtain the Taotie in the hall!"

The protagonist said in disbelief, "But you said, the treasures of the world belong to those with fate."

Linglong nodded affirmatively, "That's right! There are only two of us here, if you die, wouldn't I be the destined one? So, this Taotie should rightfully belong to me!"

The protagonist: "..."

He looked at Linglong and suddenly said, "Are the Yin Soul Stone and Soul Nourishing Stone fake?"

Linglong nodded and casually said, "The Soul Nourishing Stone was just something I made up on the spot, but the Yin Soul Stone is real. It's rare, but all major forces have it. You can go out and ask around to find out."

At this point, Linglong paused.

"There's one thing I lied to you about, there are many rings made with Yin Soul Stone, not just yours."

"Ever since the Great Xia Dynasty was established by the Zhao family, the cultivation realm's atmosphere has changed."

"You've probably heard of it, that family is full of lunatics, how normal do you think the cultivation realm they manage could be?"

"Not only have people made rings out of Soul Nourishing Stones, but also tokens, necklaces, earrings, and I've even heard some have made Yin Soul Stones into private items."

"In short, there's nothing those lunatics and perverts can't make!"

The Soul Nourishing Stone is fake?

The protagonist exclaimed in shock, "Why did you say that then?"

Seeing that the Taotie runes needed a bit more time to fully activate, Linglong patiently chatted with the protagonist.

She smiled and said, "You want to be a well-informed ghost, right? Fine, ask anything you want, I guarantee to let you die with full understanding."

The protagonist took a deep breath and asked, "How did you know about the existence of the Arhat Ancestor Master?"

Upon hearing this, Linglong glanced at the ancient ring on the protagonist's finger.

She smiled and said, "You're wearing a Yin Soul Stone ring, I asked you how you knew about this place, and you said it was guided by a senior."

"Besides these, there's another crucial point!"

"Yes, just like now!"

"When you talk, you always subconsciously glance at that ring."

"If I couldn't figure it out from such obvious signs, I'd truly be an idiot!"

The protagonist suddenly froze.

He hadn't expected that it was his own behavior that exposed the Arhat Ancestor Master.

The protagonist took a deep breath and asked again, "Then how did you know the Arhat Ancestor Master was injured? Also, how did you know I wasn't sleeping well?"

Hearing these questions, Linglong found them uninteresting, "I did want to chat with you to pass the time, but if you're just going to ask dumb questions, I won't feel like continuing!"

Linglong lazily said, "Your dark circles are so heavy, your eyes are full of bloodshot lines, and you look listless, isn't it obvious you haven't been sleeping well?"

"As for how I knew that old monk was injured? Well, that's even simpler!"

"You carry that old monk's plaque with you, which means he's very useful to you, but you still can't sleep well, indicating he can't protect you."

"Someone who's useful but can't protect you, and you haven't thrown away the ring, isn't it obvious? The old monk must be injured!"

The protagonist: "..."

He stared at Linglong in shock, his pupils trembling, as if he'd seen a ghost.

He said in disbelief, "You figured out so much in such a short time? Are you human or ghost?"

"Is it hard?" Linglong tilted her head.

The protagonist remained speechless.

He returned to the initial question, "Why did you lie to me about the Soul Nourishing Stone? The Arhat Ancestor Master never intended to seize me!"

Linglong nonchalantly said, "Because I wanted to coax that old thing out of the ring!"

"Although I guessed he was injured, I wasn't at ease until I saw it for myself."

"I thought he was a formidable figure, but seeing his soul power isn't even as strong as the first rank of the Body Tempering Realm, what do I have to worry about!"

The protagonist took a deep breath, suppressing the dizziness caused by excessive blood loss.

"One last question." He gritted his teeth, "Did you plan to use me from the start?"

"I didn't specifically target you; you just happened to cross my path!" Linglong shook her head.

"The descriptions I saw in ancient manuscripts, when activating the Taotie Hall, the sacrifice was actually something else."

"The ancient books say that thing is Taotie's favorite food, but unfortunately, after researching for a long time, I couldn't find out what it actually was."

"However, in all the ancient texts I've examined, they consistently mentioned Taotie having another type of food, and that's humans!"

"In the ancient manuscripts, I read that when the Heaven-Facing Sect accepted Taotie as the Dharma Guardian Beast, one condition was to offer it ten people daily as food."

"Just when I saw you in the Monument Forest, I brought you along on a whim, just in case you were needed."

At this point, Linglong looked at the spikes on the door and proudly smiled:

"When I saw these spikes, I knew I guessed right."

"The position of these spikes happens to pin down a person's limbs, specifically for draining blood!"

"Besides the item mentioned in the ancient texts, human blood can also open the door to the Taotie Hall."

"See, doesn't that just make use of you?"

As Linglong spoke, the Taotie Rune was completely lit up.

Linglong's eyes brightened, she clapped her hands and laughed, "Alright, all the questions have been asked. You can rest in peace now, and I should go collect my Divine Beast."

After finishing, Linglong laughed and said to the protagonist, "If you're not dead by the time I come out, I'll have the Taotie eat you. That way, you'll at least feel somewhat involved, and your trip won't be for nothing!"

The protagonist opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but suddenly felt a surge of anger, and spat out a mouthful of black blood.

In his mind.

The protagonist weakly asked, "Master Ancestor, haven't you found a way yet?"

The old monk looked grave, "These spikes are problematic!"

No kidding!

The protagonist rolled his eyes weakly.

His blood was almost completely drained by these spikes.

How could he not know these spikes were an issue?

"Master Ancestor, what should we do now?" the protagonist asked with effort.

The old monk replied, "My soul power has weakened; I only have strength for one strike! Luckily, your neck is unharmed. In a moment, I will use my power to begin at your neck. Use your neck to move your upper body and try to break free from the spikes!"

Hearing this, the protagonist's spirits were suddenly lifted.

He forced himself to be hopeful, "Rest assured, Master Ancestor, I will fight to the death!"

Just as the protagonist regained his thoughts, he felt his head being pushed back forcefully, and his neck slammed heavily onto the spikes.

His body stiffened, and his eyes slowly turned toward Linglong, his face filled with despair.

Then, the protagonist saw Linglong looking at him with a radiant smile.

With blood foaming at his mouth, the protagonist struggled to say, "You, you..."

Linglong sweetly smiled, "I can also hear your conversation. Surprised?"

The protagonist: "..."

Linglong reminded, "I told you before, that old monk's soul power isn't even on par with a first-level Body Tempering Realm cultivator. Do you think a first-level Body Tempering Realm cultivator's secret communication would fool anyone?"

The old monk: "..."

Seeing the last point of the Taotie Rune light up, Linglong turned back and said, "Alright, this time I'm really leaving. Your name is Fajing, right? I'll remember you, goodbye!"

As she spoke, Linglong reached out to press on the Taotie Rune.

At that moment, a clear voice came from the direction of the Monument Forest.

"Dare to move, and I'll cut off your hand!"

Linglong instantly froze.

She whipped around and saw three figures walking from the Monument Forest.

Leading them was a tall, stunningly handsome man.

His build was well-proportioned, his muscle lines smooth, his skin delicate and fair, and his appearance exquisite.

Linglong took one look and was immediately stunned.

Zhao Yi, used to women staring at him like a wolf from being watched by Zuo Xiaoluo the entire way, glanced at the protagonist, then turned to Linglong.

"So this is the real female lead?"

Zhao Yi, curious, sized up the female lead but saw nothing particularly special about her.

The female lead's looks could only be considered above average; her features weren't ugly but certainly not stunning.

Her figure wasn't tall or short, not fat or thin, no points deducted but nothing remarkable either.

Zhao Yi understood.

No wonder the plot intended to prepare an appearance that would amaze the world for the female lead.

In terms of looks alone, this real female lead couldn't even compare to Su Qianqian, let alone the breathtakingly beautiful Xu Yue'Er.

The protagonist was surrounded by numerous beauties; it was indeed difficult for him to fall for the female lead with such looks.

The only thing that attracted Zhao Yi about the female lead was her eyes.

The female lead's eyes were the most restless Zhao Yi had ever seen in a woman.

Her pupils seemed to constantly flicker, as if her mind was always racing, who knows what she was thinking.

While Zhao Yi was observing Linglong, Linglong was also sizing him up.

Linglong was apparently someone who appreciated good looks.

Since Zhao Yi appeared, her eyes seemed glued to him, unable to tear away.

Ahem!

Zhao Yi found it hard to endure Linglong's fiery gaze.

Zhao Yi lightly cleared his throat, pointed at the protagonist impaled on the spikes, who was more inhaling than exhaling, with a face full of confusion, "What's going on here?"

Zhao Yi was truly unsure what was happening.

Wasn't this Secret Realm supposed to be a resource plot opened by the story's will for the protagonists?

How did the female lead put the protagonist in such a state?

Looking at the protagonist's miserable state, another moment later and he might have been killed by the female lead!

Could the plot have deviated again?

ps: Fourth update! Please bookmark, please keep reading!

pps: Damn, had something to do this afternoon, got delayed for a bit, couldn't finish one more chapter before midnight, don't wait, bosses, read it when you wake up tomorrow.

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