What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

The two left the pit and stealthily made their way along the edge of the ruins.

Under the dark red sky, sandstorms carrying gravel howled past.

The ruins stand like the jagged bones of a giant beast, casting irregular shadows.

Half an hour later, in the ruins of an ancient palace, which was mostly buried by collapsed boulders, Lin Yuan stopped.

The dome of the main hall has long been shattered, but the four thick load-bearing stone pillars still stand firm.

Two massive stones, each as tall as a three-story building, lean against a stone pillar, forming a natural, sealed cave between themselves and the remaining palace walls.

The entrance is so narrow that only one person can pass through sideways, but the interior space is surprisingly spacious.

It is dry, windless, and at a moderate temperature.

This place is extremely well hidden.

From the outside, it looks like a pile of collapsed rubble; no one would ever imagine that there's a hidden paradise inside.

"This place is nice." Lin Yuan looked around and nodded in satisfaction.

Jiang Huaiyue immediately took out array flags and array plates from her storage bag and quickly set up a concealment and warning array around the cave entrance.

After doing all this, she turned around and walked towards the white-robed female cultivator she had dragged all the way here.

She casually tossed the white-clad female cultivator, who was tightly bound by the ropes of the magical artifact, into a corner.

The female cultivator bumped and thrashed on the ground a few times before finally collapsing sideways next to a protruding rock.

Her moon-white dress was covered in yellow sand and mud, and her disheveled black hair covered half of her face, making her look extremely disheveled.

"Well……"

A soft groan came from the disheveled dress.

The female cultivator's eyelashes trembled, fluttering rapidly like butterfly wings, before she slowly opened her eyes.

Her vision gradually cleared from blurry.

The first thing that catches the eye is the rough rock wall overhead, and a few strands of dark red light shining through the cracks in the rock.

Then came the full view of the dark cave, with a fire burning in the corner to keep warm, casting a play of light and shadow around it.

Finally, her gaze fell on the figure a few steps away.

The man in the blue robe was facing away from her, taking out jade boxes one by one from his storage bag and arranging them neatly on a flat stone surface.

Memories flooded back like a tide.

Ambushed, trapped in a formation, bombarded by lightning talismans, bound by ropes, knocked unconscious by a single palm strike...

Those images flashed through my mind quickly.

The female cultivator sat up abruptly, her back pressed tightly against the cold rock wall, her whole body tense like a fully drawn bowstring.

She subconsciously tried to mobilize the magical power within her body.

It was as if his dantian was tightly locked by an invisible lock, and he couldn't muster even the slightest bit of strength.

She tried to move her arms again.

Her hands were bound behind her back with a magical rope that emitted a faint spiritual light. The rope would automatically tighten as she struggled. The more she pulled, the tighter it became.

His magic was sealed, his hands were bound, and he lost even the most basic ability to move.

The female cultivator stopped her futile struggle.

She stared coldly at Lin Yuan's back, her tightly closed lips forming a stubborn curve.

Those cold, clear eyes revealed undisguised arrogance and hostility.

Lin Yuan seemed to sense that sharp gaze.

He put down the jade box in his hand and turned around.

Eyes facing each other.

Lin Yuan sized up the female cultivator whose face was covered by a white veil.

Even when she was tied up like a dumpling and thrown into a corner, covered in dirt, she still tried her best to maintain an unapproachable and proud demeanor.

Those eyes are beautiful.

It was truly cold, and it was also truly stubborn.

He's somewhat like Lin Feilu, but with an added touch of unyielding wildness.

Lin Yuan thought to himself: Are all the geniuses of the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect so stubborn? Or is there a rule in the sect's educational policy that you are not allowed to back down after being captured?

He didn't rush to speak, but a thought occurred to him.

"ah--!"

The female cultivator let out a piercing scream, completely unprepared.

The pain came on so suddenly and so intensely.

It wasn't a physical injury, but a torture that felt like countless red-hot steel needles piercing the deepest part of the soul.

Her body curled up uncontrollably on the ground, convulsing violently like a shrimp.

Cold sweat instantly poured out of her pale face, soaking the white gauze and clinging it to her cheeks.

His clothes were soaked with sweat, and his moon-white long dress clung tightly to his body.

Fortunately, the hellish pain only lasted for a moment before it disappeared.

The female cultivator collapsed weakly to the ground. Her cheek pressed against the cold rock, her hair scattered messily across the floor.

She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving violently like a bellows.

The back of her dress was completely soaked with cold sweat, clinging to her skin and outlining the slender contours of her shoulder blades.

It took her a while to finally refocus her unfocused gaze.

A hint of fear, which could not be completely concealed, finally appeared in the cold eyes that looked at Lin Yuan.

Rather, it stemmed from the fact that the other party could subject her to this torment, worse than death, anytime, anywhere, without warning, and she had no chance to resist.

Lin Yuan looked down at her, his expression as calm as if nothing had happened.

"The effects of the Soul-Suppressing Technique are extremely unpleasant. If it lasts for a long time, you will lose control of your body, including but not limited to incontinence. Your soul may even suffer irreversible and permanent damage. If you're lucky, you'll become a cripple; if you're unlucky, you'll become mentally impaired."

"So you see, it's unnecessary."

The female cultivator's pupils visibly contracted when he uttered the words "incontinence".

But she quickly suppressed that fleeting moment of panic.

Lin Yuan straightened up and stood with his hands behind his back.

"The people of the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect risked exposing their identities to infiltrate the forbidden area of ​​another sect, and they did so alone. If this were discovered, it would be the fuse for war between the two sects. Your sect dared to take such a big risk, so there must be something going on. It's either a secret order from your sect leader or the personal motives of some elder. Either way, you are now alone in my hands."

Lin Yuan took two slow steps in the cave.

"Your sect will never know if you're alive or dead. Even if they did, they would never come here to rescue you. More likely, once they find out you've been exposed, they'll be the first to expel you from the sect in order to distance themselves from the situation. That's the fate of a suicide spy."

The female cultivator pursed her lips tightly, but her gaze flickered slightly.

Lin Yuan did not miss this detail.

"Cooperating with me is your only way to survive now." Lin Yuan stopped and turned to face her. "Tell me everything honestly about what happened in the underground passage. What did you take? What was the real purpose of this trip? Did anyone else from the Tai Xuan Immortal Sect infiltrate here? Tell me everything clearly."

"In exchange."

Lin Yuan held up three fingers.

"First, I won't kill you. Second, I won't hand you over to the Xuan Yin Sect to claim credit. Third, after the Crimson Forbidden Land closes, I will remove the restrictions on you and let you leave. Three ways to live, no deception whatsoever."

The female cultivator stared at his three outstretched fingers for a long time.

The cave was extremely quiet, with only the faint crackling sound of the burning spirit fire.

Then she slowly raised her head.

A hint of self-mockery flashed in those cold eyes, and her pale lips parted slightly as she spoke in a hoarse but still stubborn voice.

"You're dreaming."

She proudly raised her fair neck, slightly lifted her chin, and stared intently into Lin Yuan's eyes.

"Just kill me."

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow at their unyielding stance.

He turned his head and glanced at Jiang Huaiyue, who was silently wiping the magical artifacts in the corner.

"Kill you?" Lin Yuan squatted down, his tone unusually gentle. "What would I gain from killing you? It would be a great service to hand you over to the sect. Besides..."

"I'm not in a hurry." He stood up, turned and walked towards the stone platform filled with jade boxes. "We have plenty of time to talk."