Xue Yueliang gently placed her hand onto the giant door, and without using any force, the door split, allowing one to see the entirety of the hall in one glance. The surrounding fog could not enter the room, making it seem as if a barrier was protecting it from the dampness of the outside.

Without hesitation, Xue Yueliang stepped inside and looked around, intrigued.

"I thought you would be more cautious." Sun Wei teased.

"There's nothing dangerous about opening a door." Xue Yueliang replied coldly and walked forward, the sounds of her footsteps amplified in the silent void. Although the fog around her had disappeared, she felt that her soul was still suppressed. Sun Wei and his companions followed after her, their footsteps all cautious except for Sun Wei's.

"It seems like we're the first here," Sun Wei said, happy that the only other competitor here was Xue Yueliang.

"I doubt that's true," Xue Yueliang said, but just as her words landed, the door opened up again, this time letting in a young man with a charismatic aura. He had the bearing that would cause people to follow him unquestionably, not because they were ordered to but because they felt safe around him. A natural leader, the Third Prince Mao Ya.

He was followed by two of his most trusted subordinates, the Lei Clan's Lei Fu and Mo Mei.

"Even the great prince of the Qinxia Kingdon was summoned here," Sun Wei laughed, "Glory to you."

Though his words appeared polite, a sarcastic undertone followed them but the only reaction he got was a faint smile.

"Wouldn't it be a shame if our good fortune was given to outsiders?"

"But you can't even keep your borders closed." Mao Ya shook his head and turned his gaze toward Xue Yueliang, causing her to politely bow, "Greetings, Your Highness."

"There's no need for the formality. You can just call me Mao Ya." He said, causing who he was to click in her head finally and a faint killing intent escaped her. Thankfully, it was blocked by her veil.

Straightening up, Xue Yueliang glanced at his features and was disappointed to see that he shared almost no similarity to Yao Niang. However, considering that he was from a different mother, it was not that strange.

The royal family followed a different system from the other clans in the Qinxia Kingdom, in which, if you wanted the surname of the royal family, it was something you had to earn through hard work and merit. Otherwise, your surname would be the name of the pavilion you were born in, marking your status and your mother's relationship with the king.

She did not know why this system was adopted, but if she were to guess, it would be one of the many ways sick parents raise powerful but troubled children.

"So it's the third prince. I had heard many things about you." She said politely.

"All good things, I hope," Mao Ya replied, "May I ask who this miss is?"

"She's Xue Yueliang," Sun Wei answered, "And she's travelling with me."

His defensive answer made her want to chuckle, but she suppressed her laugh, watching the tense atmosphere unfold. Before anything of note could happen, the door opened once again, and this time four stragglers entered.

Their auras were nothing of note, and their clothing showcased they had no background worthy of noting. Weaklings, or, in Xue Yueliang's vocabulary, prey. From watching the followers everyone else had brought along, she realised she did not have any cannon fodder coming along with her, now these losers arrived at the perfect time.

"Hei Yu?" Xue Yueliang prompted, and understanding her orders, Hei Yu opened his mouth wide, instantly sucking the four in.

"What are you doing?" Mao Ya asked alarmed, causing her to smile at him, "I just realised I did not bring followers. Don't worry, they are very much alive."

Attacking during such a tense time could start a battle, so she had to showcase that she had no ill intent toward him, at least not yet. She patted Hei Yu's shoulder, leading him to spit one out and swallow it right back up. From that brief instant, the two men were able to see that they were not injured at all, and in this startling stalemate, Zhong Xi's gulp became more audible than ever.

"I could store her for you." Xue Yueliang said to Sun Wei, compelling him to laugh, "I can't let a lady carry my baggage."

Cupping her hand to Mao Ya, Xue Yueliang walked toward the end of the hallway, which led to a flight of stairs heading down to the underground. The staircase was lined with azure flames that burst around, bringing a chill rather than the expected warmth.

A yin flame. Xue Yueliang looked at it with interest but decided not to touch it for the time being. If such a treasure was being used as a guide, then the real thing would be worth more.

"Lady Yueliang, why don't you let one of your new followers lead the way." Sun Wei asked.

"There's no danger yet," she replied offhandedly.

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, they were confronted with four identical doors. Although they appeared to be the same as the first one, Xue Yueliang felt a sense of danger. Retrieving one of her stowaways, Xue Yueliang examined him, an elderly man who was barely skin and bones, and if not for his cultivation at the third level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, she would assume he would take his last breath the very next second.

Even with the distance between them, she could smell the poisonous concoction he covered himself with, clearly showing that although he was old, he did not lack means.

"I thought you said there's no danger in opening doors," Sun Wei joked, causing her to ignore him. He talked too much.

"Old man, enter one of these doors." Xue Yueliang said after taking a drop of his blood.

"Why would I?" He shouted, his spit almost landing on her if not for the barrier she had formed. "You're going to kill me anyway, so just get it over with."

How uncooperative.

"Think of it like this, if you refuse to cooperate, you will die. If there is a treasure behind that door, then you get to live. You old people love idioms, then let me give you one; you should not give up until you reach the yellow river. Perhaps, all you wanted is behind that door."

The old man was unconvinced by her words but knew he did not have many options. Clenching his teeth, he placed his hand on the door and disappeared into the darkness.

She placed his floating drop of blood into her eye, leading it to dye her entire eye red, as she whispered, "Blood Moon Contaminates All."

Crimson Qi escaped her body and chased after the old man, and after being absorbed by his body, she was able to see from his point of view. Beyond the door, the darkness did not dissipate, as it made it so that he could not even see the tips of his fingers. His heart was beating crazily in his chest, audible to even his ears as his breath turned ragged, but he did not stop walking.

"I can't die here. I have survived for so long. I don't want to die." He murmured to himself, repeating it countlessly under his breath, shakily.

Under an incense stick's worth of time, he collapsed to the ground, vomiting mouthfuls of blood as his vision blurred, causing her to frown. She did not notice any physical attacks or pressure he could not handle.

Maybe it was a soul attack? She thought, but that did not make sense either, as they could not even access their souls here.

Her Qi in his body began to riot under her control, forcing him to get up again and drag himself forward. But as his panting grew more ragged, it made it obvious to her that he would reach his limit soon. Her connection with him was severed in a few more moments, indicating his death.

Facing the people behind her, she said, "He's dead?" The confusion in her eyes was evident.

Before anything useful could be said, she had a gasp as Zhong Xi covered her mouth. Although having an entirely red iris was startling, it did not warrant such a response.

Frowning, Xue Yueliang said, "You scare easily." Dissatisfied with her.

"What happened?" Mao Ya asked, and although she did not like him, she answered honestly.

"He was not harmed physically, and as he walked about, he began to hysterically talk to himself, then vomited a mouthful of blood. It could be that he saw some hallucinations, or he was under a soul attack. I honestly don't know."

The only two aspects that her technique could not witness were the soul and the mind. The soul was the foundation of an entire being, and the mind was inextricably linked to it, making it something she could not touch.

"Third Prince, she does not know what she is talking about. I suggest we check it for ourselves." Mo Mei interrupted, clearly unhappy with Xue Yueliang. Against her expectations, she had moved out of the way and gestured, "Go for it. I could always use more cannon fodder."

"You?!"

"Enough!" Mao Ya commanded, causing her to stand down.

He looked at Xue Yueliang apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, my subordinate is a little aggressive. She does not like to witness injustice. I hope you don't take it to heart." Xue Yueliang felt a slight discrepancy but did not pay it any heed, instead choosing to retrieve another human from Hei Yu. This time it was a youngster, about the same age as her, with wide eyes and innocent features. There was a strong smell of poison on him too, and with his weak cultivation at only the seventh level of the Qi Refinement Realm, he would die before the end of this day.

"Pick a door." Xue Yuelieng said, "Other than that one."

The boy looked timidly at her and followed her instructions, knowing he did not have a choice. This time there was no suspense in his entrance, as after only a few breaths of time, he was shredded to pieces by a colony of bats, leaving behind only a puddle of blood and discarded bones.

"How pitiful," she sighed. At least he took down the bats that killed him with his poison.

"He died, again?" Sun Wei asked.

"Yeah, I'll go through this door." Xue Yueliang said, following the same door he had chosen.

"But why?" Zhong Xi asked, "Aren't you looking for the safest path?"

Xue Yueliang shot her a disdainful glance and replied, "I'm looking for a danger I can understand."

"I'll go along with you," Sun Wei said hurriedly, entering right after her, rendering the crown prince and his followers speechless.

"What do you propose we do?" Mo Mei asked politely, hoping they would not take the same route as them.

"Let's go through there." Mao Ya replied, choosing randomly between the two doors left. Xue Yueliang had heard Sun Wei's proclamation of following behind her but was unable to hear his footsteps, allowing her to relax.

It seems like this door separates us, she thought. Glad that she could go back to being alone sooner than she had thought.

Quickly after she entered, she heard a bunch of wing flaps followed by squawking moving toward her; it was the colony of bats. Xue Yueliang summoned her Berserk Dragon Flame, forming hand seals as she created a barrier of flames around herself, scaring them from approaching her close. A daring bat neared her flames and was instantly burnt to a crisp, causing him to fall onto the ground.

She collected his beast core, and suddenly, a flash of light appeared in front of her eyes, startling her. That flash of light turned into a flat looking screen, fascinating her. Reading what was on the screen, she saw quite a few names with a number next to each of them, and although it did not say what the number was, judging from the 'one' near her name, it had to be the kill count. From the screen, she could recognise the people from the Qin Clan and to her surprise, the person at the first spot was a person she was very familiar with. It was none other than Li Hua.