Chapter 764: The Awakened 3

But more than anything, it was dangerous.

‘Maybe I should just slip away?’

Shen Bai was weighing the feasibility of this plan.

But just then, something unexpected happened.

Around the Artifact Refining Conference, hundreds of figures suddenly soared into the air, charging straight for the Molten Rock Guard.

At the same time, Shen Bai heard a shout.

“Kill the Molten Rock Guard and save our comrade, Ke Xiaoran!”

Shen Bai: “?”

‘Wait, did they just say Ke Xiaoran?’

‘Aren’t I Ke Xiaoran right now?’

‘When did I become their comrade, and why do they want to save me?’

Shen Bai found the whole thing rather bizarre.

As he was pondering this, the battle erupted.

Seeing this disturbance, some of the more clever attendees of the Artifact Refining Conference immediately prepared to use the chaos as cover to escape.

When others saw them fleeing, they began to follow suit.

By now, the hundred or so newcomers were locked in a deadly battle with the Molten Rock Guard.

From time to time, people fell.

The fallen included both members of the Molten Rock Guard and the rescuers.

Shen Bai’s vision blurred for an instant, and then a middle-aged man wielding Double Hooks appeared before him.

“Brother Ke, you’ve suffered enough, pretending to have recovered all this time. Come on, let’s get you out of here,” the middle-aged man said, tearing a Molten Rock Guard in half with one of his hooks.

Shen Bai stroked his chin, his mind racing as he pieced together the cause and effect of the situation.

It seemed Ke Xiaoran had been faking his recovery and had contacted others like him, planning to use the Artifact Refining Conference as an opportunity to escape.

And all these people believed the Forbidden Land was a sham.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Shen Bai decided to go with the flow and follow this group to see what was happening outside.

With this thought, Shen Bai nodded and drew Cold Moon from his waist.

An impossibly precise blast of Blood Red Sword Qi shot out, piercing through more than half of the Molten Rock Guard.

The middle-aged man’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting Shen Bai to be so powerful.

With half of the Molten Rock Guard gone, the burden on the rescuers was immediately lightened.

Before long, they soared into the air with Shen Bai, flying toward the outside world.

Sect Leader Situ stared at the scene of devastation, then at the fleeing Shen Bai, utterly speechless.

The General was still alive but covered in wounds. A streak of Blood Red Sword Qi had struck his body but had been blocked by his fiery red armor.

“Sect Leader Situ, your Artifact Refining Sect has truly produced a fine specimen. The escape of one of the ‘mad’ is a grave matter. You must come with me to the City Lord’s Mansion and let the City Lord decide your fate.”

Upon hearing this, Sect Leader Situ sighed and nodded. “Please, General, lead the way.”

Things had come to this; he had no other choice.

Refusing meant death. Going might offer a sliver of hope for survival.

Shortly after, some of the surviving Molten Rock Guard began to clear the battlefield, while Sect Leader Situ followed the General toward the City Lord’s Mansion.

…

「City Lord’s Mansion」

The temperature here was even more scorching than elsewhere, and the architectural style was more in line with that of the Molten Rock Forbidden Land.

At this moment, a tall, middle-aged man in a fiery red robe sat upon a throne.

Below, Sect Leader Situ knelt on the ground, trembling, his face a mask of terror and fear.

Not far from Sect Leader Situ, the General’s corpse was still warm.

Just moments ago, after the General finished reporting what had happened at the Artifact Refining Sect, the City Lord had become overcome with rage. With a single palm strike, he had killed the very General who brought him the news.

The decisiveness of the act sent a chill through Sect Leader Situ’s heart.

Flames erupted from the top of the City Lord’s head, scorching his long hair red. He roared, “Situ Zhen, the Magma Core was destroyed because of your Artifact Refining Sect! Do you admit your guilt?”

Situ Zhen trembled all over. “This humble one admits his guilt! I beg you to spare my life, my Lord City Lord!”

Even as the leader of one of the most prominent Artifact Refining Sects in Molten Rock City, he was like an ant before a great tree when facing the City Lord.

All he dared to hope for now was to keep his life; he wouldn’t dare ask for anything more.

The City Lord spoke slowly, “Do you know why I haven’t killed you?”

Sect Leader Situ shook his head. “This humble one does not know.”

“Your Artifact Refining Sect’s techniques are superb. You can arm the Molten Rock Guard, which is of great use to Molten Rock City.”

The City Lord continued, “It is for this reason that I have spared you. However, while the death penalty may be waived, your punishment is inescapable. I will give you a chance to atone for your crime.”

A look of immense joy appeared on Sect Leader Situ’s face. “Please, my Lord, tell this humble one what to do! As long as it is within my power, I would go through fire and water without hesitation!”

To be allowed to live and even atone for his crime was an incredible stroke of luck for Sect Leader Situ.

The City Lord said coldly, “The one who was rescued is a disciple of your sect. From what I know, the Artifact Refining Sect possesses a method for finding people—one specifically for tracking its own members.”

Sect Leader Situ froze for a moment, but he quickly understood what the City Lord wanted.

‘He plans to use the Artifact Refining Sect’s tracking method to find them. Not just the ‘madman’ from my sect, but all the others who suffer from the same ‘madness’.’

‘At this rate, he means to catch them all in one fell swoop.’

Sect Leader Situ lowered his head. “This humble one will certainly cooperate and help Your Lordship resolve this trouble with the ‘madness’.”

The City Lord nodded. “These ‘mad’ people are utterly detestable. I was merciful enough with them, only requiring that their illness be cured. But they have gone too far. There is no longer any need to keep them alive.”

From the doorway, two soldiers entered the hall. One of them carried a sack.

Once inside, the soldier immediately opened the sack and dumped out its contents.

Severed heads rolled across the floor. Each one wore an expression of terror and despair, a clear sign of the immense suffering they had endured before death.

Sect Leader Situ recognized some of the heads. They belonged to people who had recently been afflicted with the ‘madness’. There was also the head of a young girl who had only contracted the illness today—and she was from the Artifact Refining Sect.