Complete one practice method every day

Gu Yiqiu didn't believe it. He didn't believe that someone could suddenly become this strong, unless everything before was a disguise.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yue slowly shook his head: "I didn't have the leisure to do that. I just used some power that I wouldn't normally use easily."

"Normally... you're reluctant to use it?" Gu Yiqiu's eyes revealed deep doubt and confusion.

Is it some kind of secret technique that incurs huge losses and damages the foundation?

Chen Yue's breathing was steady and long, his face was normal, and although his aura was restrained, it was not released. He did not look weak after using a secret technique.

Chen Yue ignored Gu Yiqiu's question and leaned forward slightly: "You've finished asking your question. Now it's my turn."

"Why are the Divine Flame Sect and your Youquan Prefecture both crowding into this tiny Youlin County? You've even gone so far as to send a Marrow Refining Realm expert like yourself to personally oversee the operation. Is some extraordinary treasure about to appear here?"

This is the key point that Chen Yue has been unable to understand.

Youlin County is located in a remote area and has limited resources, especially in terms of martial arts traditions.

It just so happens that it can simultaneously attract two mysterious forces, the Divine Flame Sect and the Netherworld Palace, to invest so much of their resources.

Gu Yiqiu's lips twitched, as if he wanted to reveal a mocking sneer, but it appeared particularly ferocious and distorted due to the excruciating pain and weakness, and his voice was hoarse and intermittent:

"Heh...cough cough...why should I tell you?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yue showed no surprise or anger.

"You can choose not to tell," Chen Yue's voice remained calm, yet carried a chilling indifference. "But if you do, you will not leave peacefully."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Yue's finger flashed out like lightning, landing on an acupoint below Gu Yiqiu's ribs, a point connected to several sensitive nerves and meridians.

This technique, though not requiring much force, contains a subtle and masterful control.

"Well!"

Gu Yiqiu shuddered violently, as if he had been branded with a red-hot iron.

An extreme pain, a mixture of intense ache, numbness, and intense itching, as if countless fine needles were churning inside my bone marrow, erupted from that point and instantly spread to half of my body.

This pain is not just the pain of a physical injury, but strikes deep into the nerves, making one wish they could tear that piece of flesh off.

Even with Gu Yiqiu's willpower and endurance at the Marrow Refining Realm, he couldn't help but let out a short, miserable groan. His body convulsed violently and uncontrollably, veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his tattered clothes.

Chen Yue withdrew his finger and waited quietly.

He cultivated the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Cover, a top-tier body-refining divine skill, and his understanding of his own muscles, bones, blood, and acupoints was far beyond that of ordinary martial artists.

Later, through studying the art of nourishing the heart, my mental perception became extremely keen, and my grasp of the flow of Qi and blood and nerve responses in the human body became even more precise.

In addition, he had previously read many basic and unorthodox techniques and accumulated a vast amount of knowledge.

The torture used at this moment, though lacking specific techniques, is more professional and unbearable than many other forms of torture.

After a moment, the violent tremor gradually subsided.

Gu Yiqiu was panting heavily, his eyes unfocused, as if he had just crawled back from the edge of hell.

He glared at Chen Yue, his eyes filled with a mixture of resentment and fear, and hissed, "This is all... you think you can pry my mouth open? Hahaha... cough cough... damn it..."

Before Gu Yiqiu could finish speaking, Chen Yue had already used both hands simultaneously, his ten fingers striking several meridian points on Gu Yiqiu's chest, abdomen, waist, ribs, and even neck with dazzling speed.

Seven strikes in a row, each finger landing with a completely different force, angle, and penetrating energy.

Seven kinds of pain, penetrating to the bone marrow and striking the soul, were like seven blades of different shapes, simultaneously carving deep into Gu Yiqiu's body and consciousness.

"Holy crap!!!"

Gu Yiqiu's maniacal laughter and curses stopped abruptly, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

His whole body trembled, convulsed, and curled up violently. The veins under his skin throbbed wildly like earthworms. His face first turned purplish-red, and then turned ashen white.

He wanted to roar, to scream, to curse Chen Yue with the most vicious language, but the pain that exceeded his limits was like an invisible hand choking his throat, blocking all his voices, leaving him only to let out a "hoarse" sound from deep within his throat.

Chen Yue slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Guo Xun, who was slumped on the ground on the other side.

Although Guo Xun was seriously injured and on the verge of death, he was not unconscious. He had seen Gu Yiqiu's silent yet extremely painful condition.

This is one of the reasons why Chen Yue spared his life and did not kill him.

"Now, it's your turn."

Chen Yue's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Guo Xun's ears: "You can choose to answer my question, or..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Gu Yiqiu, who was still trembling silently and violently beside him. "Like him, carrying a bellyful of secrets and unspeakable pain, which one would you choose to walk this final stretch of the road?"

Guo Xun struggled to move his eyes. He knew that he was doomed today, and given Chen Yue's ruthlessness and methods, there was no way he would let them go.

But he didn't want to end up like Gu Yiqiu, suffering endless pain and torment.

That is more terrifying than death itself.

Guo Xun's throat bobbed, and he vomited a few mouthfuls of bloody foam. He spoke intermittently, "Youlin County has... has none of the treasures you mentioned. At least, we didn't come here for any treasures..."

"Then what are you doing in Youlin County?" Chen Yue pressed.

"Our Youquan Prefecture and the Divine Flame Sect... share the same goal."

Guo Xun, panting heavily, said, "Take this county town, perform a blood sacrifice on some of its inhabitants... and recruit the rest as followers to expand our power..."

"Blood sacrifice?" Chen Yue's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he suddenly understood.

In his previous life, Chen Yue lived in a world without ghosts or true martial arts. His understanding of cults was limited to bewitching people, accumulating wealth, and rebelling.

In this world with real power, the flesh and soul of the living have suddenly become another kind of resource.

Here, ordinary people, even low-level martial artists, are truly just materials in the eyes of certain beings.

"Your Youquan Prefecture has Marrow Refining Realm cultivators, and the Divine Flame Sect surely has no shortage of them as well. Given such strength, why not simply sweep through the county's major families with overwhelming force and take control of the entire city? Instead, you're secretly lurking and acting mysteriously, as if you're waiting for something?"

Chen Yue continued to ask questions, which had been troubling him all evening.

With his Marrow Refining Realm strength, he was already at the top in Youlin County. If two or three parties joined forces, they would be able to crush the local forces.

Guo Xun's face showed a bitter and helpless expression: "Old Gu and the others... were only secretly transferred here in the last few days."

Furthermore, blood sacrifices... cannot be performed arbitrarily; they can only be carried out under specific seasonal and celestial conditions, and...

Guo Xun's voice was even lower, "The more powerful the sacrifice, the higher its value. Martial artists from families within the county, especially the talented young disciples... are all excellent materials and should not be wasted on pointless battles."

The best course of action is to capture them all at once with minimal cost, and then sacrifice them all at the opportune moment.