I, who was turned into a woman by the Jade Maiden Master, want to rebel against the Heavenly Gang.

That night, the cloaked woman returned. She was attacked again. This time, two adjacent cells were coordinating their attacks… it seemed they had planned this joint operation during the day.

However, the ending was still the same... they were brutally murdered.

Qin Rufeng estimated that the cloaked woman's cultivation level was no less than Han Ying's, at least at the mid-to-late stage of the Golden Core realm.

Qin Rufeng is currently in the early stage of Foundation Establishment; even if he were to try to kill someone of a higher level, the leap would be too great. Moreover, the cloaked woman is clearly a jailer, and it's obvious that she wasn't the one who brought these people into this prison.

Therefore, the person behind this must be extremely powerful. We know absolutely nothing about him, so it's best to remain cautious for now.

The cloaked woman returned to Qin Rufeng's cell and delivered another pill. This time, however, she also brought in a bamboo slip along with the pill.

The bamboo slips were written on...

"When the bell tolls, the prison doors open. They are immediately closed when someone enters or leaves."

"The bell stops ringing, the cell doors close. You may enter or leave any cell without needing to register."

Um? What does it mean?

Qin Rufeng fell into thought...

The meaning on the bamboo slips is very clear: the prison door will open when the bell tolls, but will be immediately closed if anyone enters or leaves.

Once the bell stops ringing, the cell door will remain closed. Cells are not assigned; anyone can go in and out.

This time, Qin Rufeng also carefully observed the cloaked woman. He discovered that she was clearly of sound mind. When Qin Rufeng stared at her, she would raise her head.

Although she was wearing an eye patch, she seemed to still be staring at Qin Rufeng. Qin Rufeng looked away, pretending to be nonchalant, and the cloaked woman let out a chuckle.

This woman also harbors many secrets. Why is she wearing an eye patch? It can't be her master's task, can it? Her abdomen is swollen as if she's pregnant; what kind of martial art is she practicing?

And what is that odorless red smoke emanating from the pair of incense burners on her chest?

That night, Qin Rufeng closed his eyes to rest. After thinking about some things, he took a short nap, and when he opened his eyes, it was already dawn.

During the day, the cultivators in the prison cells were once again buzzing with discussion. Qin Rufeng's fox ears perked up as usual, listening intently.

Among all the nonsense, one point really caught her attention: the rule that the prison gates were always closed upon entry and exit explained one of their functions…

They can lock people in prison cells... and they can also lock people outside of prison cells.

This... is a bit terrifying to think about.

That evening, the cloaked woman appeared as usual. This time, no one attacked. She brought a third pill and another bamboo slip.

It says……

"The horns are sounding, for impending natural disaster!"

"The red sun is like blood, and I rest while gazing at the moon."

"The sound of waves surges, the tide rises from the wilderness;"

"Like the sun, fiery and blazing, the tide recedes, vast and boundless."

"The red moon dispels calamity, the Holy Mother relieves suffering;"

"I am imprisoned, but I will live a peaceful life."

This is crazy...

The information gradually increased. Qin Rufeng was now certain that he was in the Western District. Because at this moment, his and the other prisoners' situation was like that of lab rats being imprisoned and played with by a higher-ranking expert.

Does that mean... a battle royale is going to happen?

That night, Jiang Chun, who lived next door, was talking lewdly to Lu Baichuan through the cell door and was moaning like a sow all night long...

Qin Rufeng knew this woman wasn't stupid. She must have realized that prisoners had a chance to leave the cell, and perhaps even escape this place.

However, this opportunity requires competition. And competition among cultivators is killing.

So she has to use seduction to build up her team...

This is through the cage; if the cage were opened, she would definitely organize a lewd party.

The next morning, another heated discussion ensued... with all sorts of bizarre interpretations of the bamboo slips' contents.

Qin Rufeng felt that only the last sentence was somewhat reliable: one could live peacefully in a locked prison cell.

What also caught her attention was the penultimate line, "The red moon dispels calamity, the Holy Mother relieves suffering." The mark on the cloaked woman's forehead was a red crescent moon. Could this be the red moon?

On the fourth night, they still delivered pills and bamboo slips.

The contents of this bamboo slip caused Qin Rufeng to frown deeply...

"Fellow practitioners, listen to my words. Being trapped here means you are facing a calamity. If you wish to safely overcome this calamity, you must do the following..."

"First, never take any pills, never take any pills, never take any pills!!! If anyone takes any pills, then all those who refuse to take them must be killed. Do not show any mercy."

"Secondly, the area near incense is extremely dangerous, so fellow practitioners should stay away. If you are already near incense, remember not to let the incense go out."

"Third, the cocoon is safe. But please make sure the cocoon is intact and still. If the cocoon moves, escape immediately!"

Fourth, no one can be trusted. But if a non-human being is doing good to you, then it is not a problem to walk with him.

"Fifth, you will die if you don't practice dual cultivation."

After reading all this, Qin Rufeng felt like a million grass mud horses were galloping through his mind... especially the last one.

Chapter 91 Begins

What is this nonsense? We've really become guinea pigs! So, should we follow it? And what will happen if we don't?

Qin Rufeng looked at the bamboo slips again...

The first rule against taking elixirs goes without saying. Who would take elixirs of unknown origin? As for the other rules, their meaning is still completely unclear.

The previous two bamboo slips also contained a great deal of information. The second slip, in particular, seemed to foreshadow disaster.

Although Qin Rufeng hated being used as a guinea pig, she had witnessed the cloaked woman's killing spree.

Impotent rage won't solve anything. Now that their master's protection is gone, survival is the biggest challenge. Their current situation is clearly far more dangerous than that of the Mangshan Secret Realm.

Let's protect ourselves first and then think of a solution...

After calming down, Qin Rufeng read the three bamboo slips again and again.

The available information is scarce, and the most credible pieces are merely speculation.

After some thought, she decided that her next course of action would begin by clarifying two things...

The first thing to do is to verify the pattern of how the prison doors open and close.

This is clearly stated in the information given on the first bamboo slip. If it can be verified, then the statement in the poem on the second bamboo slip, "I am imprisoned, but I can live peacefully," is basically credible.

Because doors provide security; locking people inside also keeps other things out.

If the security of the door and the cell can be verified, then the authenticity of the rest of the poem on the second bamboo slip will be even more assured.

The second thing to figure out is what exactly this pill that was sent in is.

This is clearly a crucial factor. However, the similar rule on the third bamboo slip strongly discourages its use by emphasizing its importance three times.

As expected, there was still too little information...

After finalizing the general action plan, Qin Rufeng stopped thinking about it. Instead, he continued refining the Spirit Fox Fire and studying the Profound Yin Thunder Technique.

The next morning, the bells really did ring...

With a heavy rumble, the iron bars of the cell door opened.

However, Qin Rufeng did not rush out immediately.

According to the bamboo slips, the cell door would remain open for a period of time. Qin Rufeng decided to observe the reactions of the others after they left.

It was already noisy outside. It seemed that most people had already come out of their cells.

Jiang Chun and Lu Baichuan from next door finally met, and they called each other "Brother Lu" and "Sister Chun" affectionately.

Qin Rufeng felt there shouldn't be any problem getting out, so she stepped out of the cell. The moment she stepped out, the cell door closed immediately, much faster than when it had opened.

A moment later, the bell stopped ringing. Although some chose to remain in their cells, the majority chose to come out.

Qin Rufeng glanced at Jiang Chun beside him...

The woman wore a pearl-embroidered hair ornament, and her eyebrows and eyes were exquisite; she was quite beautiful.

She was dressed in a yellow robe. The collar was half-open, and her large breasts swayed back and forth, almost spilling out. Lu Baichuan's eyes drifted to the cleavage of her chest, which she pretended to cover up.

This woman has three parts of a scheming junior sister's demeanor and seven parts of a seductive and vulgar charm.

Looking at the person who came out of the cell on the left... she was also a beauty. Although age fraud was common in the cultivation world, she at least looked younger than Qin Rufeng, completely like a young girl.

The young woman was dressed in white, her hair tied up with a hibiscus-patterned crown. Her face was as white as jade, her eyebrows were arched to her temples, and her eyes shone like stars.

Qin Rufeng was quite surprised by her appearance, because she actually resembled his master, Liu Bailian, in some ways.

She simply lacked the imposing aura of her master. Though somewhat aloof, she was more like warm, smooth white jade than the icy beauty radiating coldness that her master possessed.

Because she resembled her master, Qin Rufeng glanced at the person a few more times. The other person keenly noticed Qin Rufeng's extra "attention" but was not annoyed. Instead, she bowed to her and left quickly without saying a word.

Qin Rufeng didn't care and continued to observe her surroundings. Then she noticed something strange... the female cultivator who had been executed by the cloaked woman with piercing was gone.

The long thorn that pierced her was still there, but only the base remained, like a tree stump. The upper part, along with the nun's corpse, had vanished without a trace.

Then look at this long spike that looks like an execution stake... it's hollow and has a texture like a cow horn.

Qin Rufeng dug it out and found that a large part of it was still buried in the soil. The thing was dark red in color, and the part buried in the soil was almost horizontal, only suddenly emerging from the ground when it was almost above the surface.

At that moment, a man's voice came from the side and said, "It looks like that cloaked woman's attack method."

Qin Rufeng thought to himself, "Do you even need to tell me? I went through all that trouble to dig this out, why aren't you doing anything about it?"

The man continued, "It's obvious that something emanated from that woman's body caused her to burrow underground and then emerge from the ground to kill that fellow Daoist."

"I believe this is an earth-elemental cultivation technique, but I don't know exactly what it is..."

After speaking, the man bowed to Qin Rufeng and said, "Fellow Daoist, you must have also discovered this clue. Why don't we investigate this matter together? Perhaps we can find a way to escape from this place."

Although Qin Rufeng wore a bamboo hat and a veil to cover her face, her stunning figure was impossible to hide. Like a delicate flower, even if she tried to be discreet, she was bound to attract all sorts of insects.

Qin Rufeng threw down the broken thorn, stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "I appreciate the kindness, but there's no need."

Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Chun stepped forward and said, "Hehe, fellow Daoist, you are mistaken. They may not have discovered any clues."

"I didn't quite understand what you just said, brother. Could you explain it to me in more detail?" As Jiang Chun spoke, she bent down and looked at the broken thorn with an air of seriousness, deliberately showing off her cleavage to the man.

The man smiled and said, "Alright, I'll explain in detail."

"Very well, let's come this way. Little sister Jiang Chun, may I ask your honorable name, brother?"

"I am Xia Yu, a leisurely person from Lianfeng Mountain."

The two chatted back and forth, quickly becoming acquainted. Jiang Chun's teammate +1...

They chatted amongst themselves, while Qin Rufeng had already left the crowd and headed towards the enormous, towering stone pillar in the center of the prison.

She attempted to travel by sword. Although the giant sword could be summoned, she could not control it, and it seemed that others were also complaining that the magical artifacts were ineffective.

Qin Rufeng then sheathed his greatsword and used the Flowing Light Instant Water technique. It turned out that the Flowing Light Instant Water technique was usable, apparently only restricted to flying magical artifacts.

To conserve spiritual energy, Ru Feng didn't activate the Phoenix Wings but instead used her movement technique to move quickly, but she stopped after traveling only a short distance.

Because there's no road left...

Ahead lies a deep ravine. Wide as a mountain valley, it plunges downwards into deep blue water. It feels somewhat like a volcanic crater, with a volcanic lake inside.

It's like Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain. Only, it lacks that breathtaking scenery; instead, a towering stone pillar rises from the deep ravine. From this angle, it looks more like a hot pot…

Qin Rufeng had several ways to cross the deep ravine without using any tools, but she wasn't in a hurry. After all, many people were eager to cross. This wasn't a sect's grand exam where winning first place was crucial for rewards. She decided to observe and let others pave the way first.

So she stepped back behind the crowd, making way for others to go first...

Chapter 92 Getting a maid for free?

Qin Rufeng carefully looked around and realized that the entire prison wall was carved out of the cells from top to bottom, just like a grotto complex.

In front of the cell was a spiral walkway, seemingly carved out of the ground. I was actually standing on this spiral walkway. If I followed the walkway up and down, I should be able to walk through all the cells.

However, there's no need for such trouble. Even without flying magic treasures, going up and down is not difficult for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

In the middle was a deep ravine, above which sunlight shone like a giant skylight. The massive stalagmites, like pillars reaching to the sky, had uneven surfaces, forming many platforms where one could stand and linger. Qin Rufeng had already noticed that some of these platforms held what appeared to be shrines.

Above the deep ravine, countless floating islands surround the towering stalagmite, which should provide a place to rest.

By this time, many people were using the floating islands to ascend, attempting to escape through the skylight. Some, with exceptional agility, were already close to the top in a short time.

But at that moment, a crimson cloud suddenly appeared at the top of the stone pillar. Those who were enveloped by the crimson cloud immediately screamed and fell, plunging into the deep ravine.