That disciple trembled violently before dropping to his knees with a thud.
He threw himself to the ground in terror, kowtowing repeatedly with dull thuds. Blood streamed from his forehead, yet he did not dare to stop.
His voice shook as he pleaded, "Senior Brother Pei... please... I beg you... don't make me go..."
Even as he spoke, he continued bashing his head against the ground until his scalp split and bled.
Pei Tianchen's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of impatience crossing his gaze.
With one hand resting behind his back, he frowned and looked down at the youth kneeling on the ground. Then, his face broke into a warm smile. Crouching, he helped the young man to his feet.
"Junior Brother, what are you doing? This is a rare, hard-won fortune. Would your senior brother ever harm you?"
As he spoke, he gently turned the young man around while helping him up.
Immediately after, Pei Tianchen wrapped an arm around the youth and gripped both of his wrists.
The young man seemed to realize what was happening. He struggled slightly, only to find Pei Tianchen's hands clamped around him like iron pincers, impossible to break free from.
Tears of sheer terror welled in the youth's eyes. He twisted his body desperately, shaking his head in horror. "Senior Brother... Senior Brother, don't..."
Pei Tianchen chuckled, speaking in an earnest, caring tone. "As cultivators of our generation, presented with such an opportunity right before your eyes, how could you be so cowardly? Look, your senior brother yielded this chance to you. You ought to be grateful..."
With that, Pei Tianchen forcibly dragged the disciple, slowly flying toward the longsword plunged into the stone pillar.
No matter how violently the young man writhed, he could not break free.
His wrists had already bruised into a dark, purplish black, clear proof of Pei Tianchen's monstrous grip.
Standing beside the stone pillar, Pei Tianchen's brow furrowed faintly.
Exerting strength in his hands, he instantly shattered the youth's wrists. The crisp, sickening crack of breaking bone rang clearly in everyone's ears.
Quite a few disciples felt their hearts tremble, their shoulders twitching involuntarily.
Pei Tianchen, utterly unaffected, kept hold of the disciple's hand and forced it toward the sword.
*Swish!*
The moment the youth's palm made contact with the hilt, his entire body stiffened.
A strange, eerie purple mist crept up his arm.
His eyes instantly rolled back into pure white. Within a single breath, every drop of his vital blood and flesh was drained completely!
A desiccated corpse collapsed instantly to the ground.
Pei Tianchen had already released his grip, watching the scene with indifferent eyes.
When he looked up at the longsword, his gaze burned with unmasked greed.
According to the Sect Master, this sword was very likely a fourth-grade weapon! Yet Pei Tianchen felt it was definitely not as simple as fourth grade.
He had never seen an immortal sword so powerful, though it felt a bit too... demonic?
Yes, demonic!
This was very likely a demonic sword worthy of the name.
From the beginning until now, six Tianhua Sword Sect disciples had touched this sword, and all of them had perished in an instant. Their souls were annihilated, their flesh and blood devoured.
With every death, he could sense the demonic sword's power growing a fraction stronger. At the same time, the sealing power upon the stone pillar grew that much weaker.
Li Guanqi and the others watched this unfold with detached gazes, each harboring their own thoughts.
*What a ruthless bastard.*
*He sends his own sect brothers to their graves without even batting an eye.*
Meanwhile, Li Guanqi quietly observed the situation on the field.
Over forty Tianhua Sword Sect disciples still remained. If they were discovered and surrounded now, every last one of their group would likely die here!
Fortunately, their psychological fortitude was exceptional, and so far, none of them had given away any flaws. They all put on terrified, trembling fronts, feigning uncontrollable fear.
Yet Li Guanqi also understood that this could not go on. Sooner or later, disaster would strike.
*I have to find a way to muddy the waters!*
Pei Tianchen slowly turned his head and fixed his gaze upon a female cultivator.
He pointed a finger and spoke softly, "You, step out."
Li Guanqi's eyes flickered, while the others beside him turned pale.
Noticing the direction of Pei Tianchen's gaze and finger, Li Guanqi quickly stepped aside.
The woman who had pushed him from behind earlier was now overcome with sheer horror. She scrambled backward in a panic.
"No... no, no, no... I don't want to! I won't go up there!!"
Pei Tianchen scoffed, "Foolish creature..."
*Bang!*
The jade pendant at the woman's waist suddenly shattered, and the distorted exit to the domain vanished instantly.
Pei Tianchen's voice remained calm. "Without my permission, no one leaves. If you want to live, do as you are told. Perhaps then you might survive."
A giant hand seized the woman, dragging her into midair before tossing her before the stone pillar to touch the sword once more.
"Aaaahhh—!"
"No! Save me! Please! Save me!"
Her eyes turned stark white, her flesh drained dry.
This time, the process was even faster. Pei Tianchen frowned slightly, then raised his hand to seize a disciple at the fourth-tier Mystic Immortal realm!
*Clang!*
A sword gleam flashed, instantly cleaving the spiritual palm apart!
The disciple vaulted backward. With sharp sword-like brows and starry eyes, his gaze burned with icy murderous intent as he snapped, "Pei Tianchen, you dare lay a hand on me?! Aren't you afraid the Second Elder will hold you accountable?!"
Pei Tianchen wore a mocking sneer. "The Second Elder? Heh..."
An ancient longsword materialized in Pei Tianchen's hand, and an explosive, tyrannical pressure erupted forth!
Peak fifth-tier Mystic Immortal.
*Swish!*
Before his afterimage could even disperse, a cold gleam flashed and was gone!
*Bang! Crack! Snap!*
The sound of a shattered blade rang out. Pei Tianchen gripped the disciple's head with one hand while thrusting his sword straight through the man's chest!
Leaning close, he whispered softly into his ear, "Didn't you know? Everyone who entered this place was meant to die... including you!"
The young man's eyes widened in sheer disbelief at what he had just heard.
*Spurt!*
He opened his mouth, but blood choked his throat, preventing him from making a single sound.
Pei Tianchen dragged the dying youth over to the stone pillar. Yet at that moment, the young man's will to survive surged violently, managing to hold out against the sword for several breaths before finally withering into a desiccated corpse.
Seeing this, Li Guanqi lowered his voice and instantly shouted, "Brothers and sisters, stop fooling yourselves into thinking he'll spare us! Let's strike together and kill him!"
The moment his words fell, Pei Tianchen's earlier whisper suddenly echoed throughout the entire altar space:
*"Everyone who entered this place was meant to die... including you!"*
It was unmistakably Pei Tianchen's voice, reverberating continuously above the altar.
Pei Tianchen's expression changed. His eyes narrowed as he glanced around, but he could not pinpoint who had spoken.
"Who is it?! Who is spouting nonsense?! How could I have possibly said that?!"
Li Guanqi paid no heed to his protests, allowing his voice to echo from every direction. "Kill him, take his jade pendant, seize the sword, and escape this place! When we get out, we'll just say he died in the secret realm!"
"If we don't unite and resist, every single one of us will die here!"
Li Guanqi's voice carried a strange, bewitching power.
As the words echoed, many began to stir, their gazes gradually turning vicious.
Rather than dying in such a humiliating manner, they might as well band together and fight back!
In an instant, more than forty cultivators erupted, charging madly toward Pei Tianchen!
Almost everyone moved at the same time. By now, they all understood the truth of their situation.
If they did not fight, they were dead!
Chapter 1610