"Xuantian Temple?"
Ling Nan, the one in the lead, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his body couldn't help but tremble. He cursed, "Why is it this damned place?!"
Burke Rose was puzzled and asked, "Ling Nan, do you know this so-called Xuantian Temple?"
"Naturally, I do!" Ling Nan said in a deep voice.
"My master was also a recluse back then, and he died at the hands of Xuantian Temple. My master told me during his lifetime to never provoke Xuantian Temple, or the consequences would be dire."
Burke Rose shivered.
To be so feared by an S-class powerhouse, one could imagine how terrifying Xuantian Temple was.
"Isn't this Xuantian Temple just an ordinary Taoist temple? What's so scary about it?" Su Xiao asked, his face also puzzled.
Ling Nan said word by word, "You don't understand. Xuantian Temple is a newly risen hidden force in the past hundred years. It is said that this Xuantian Temple is the most evil force, bar none! Even our Black Blood Organization is far inferior to Xuantian Temple."
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.
Ling Nan said with deep sorrow, "If we fall into the hands of Xuantian Temple, we'll probably die here."
At this moment.
Ding Ling, who was standing at the entrance, heard Ling Nan's words and suddenly turned his head to say meaningfully, "Die? You won't die, you'll live perfectly fine."
As the words fell.
A gust of wind blew out from the mountain gate, causing Ling Nan and the others to smell an extremely foul odor of blood.
Several S-class powerhouses couldn't help but feel nauseous, showing how bloody it was.
"Let us go!"
"If our organizations find out that Xuantian Temple is doing such evil deeds, you will definitely face joint retaliation from all the major organizations."
"That's right, you can still turn back now."
"..."
Ding Ling and a group of Xuantian Temple disciples completely ignored their clamor.
Two disciples wearing the same black Taoist robes walked out from the mountain gate. Upon seeing Ding Ling, they clasped their hands and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Ding!"
Ding Ling grunted, "Lock them all up. I'll go prepare."
"Yes!"
A total of sixteen S-class powerhouses were brought into Xuantian Temple.
Ling Nan gazed at the layout inside the cave and found that the cave walls were covered with dark bloodstains, which looked like they had been there for years.
This mountain cave was hundreds of meters long and sloped downwards the entire way.
About ten minutes later, these people were brought to the end of the passage, where there was a large, flat open space at the bottom of the mountain. A stronger smell of blood entered their nostrils. Around this open space, there were nine mountain caves.
One of them was the path these people had entered through.
As for the remaining eight mountain caves, no one knew what was inside, but they could vaguely hear beast roars coming from them.
It was bone-chilling.
The disciples of Xuantian Temple had pale skin, a sickly pallor, which was related to their long-term lack of sunlight.
"Hey, where exactly are you taking us?" Blood Wolf saw Ding Ling walking alone into the innermost cave, but Ding Ling did not give any response.
Not long after.
The Xuantian Temple disciples led the sixteen powerhouses into the cave on the right. After traveling for several hundred meters, these people appeared in a huge underground space. When they saw the things in this space clearly, they all opened their mouths wide, their eyeballs almost popping out.
This space was like a skyscraper, with small holes carved into the rock walls, resembling the nests of ants.
Ling Nan's face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth, "I know, they are going to lock us up in this dark, sunless hellhole."
"Why are they doing this?" Burke asked.
No one could answer.
Footsteps came from the cave behind them. Soon, everyone saw Ding Ling appear before them again, but this time Ding Ling was holding some instruments, seemingly containers for holding liquids. Amidst their curses, Ding Ling walked up to Ling Nan, who was cursing the most fiercely, "Let's start with you then."
Ling Nan's tendons in his hands and feet had already been severed, leaving him completely powerless to resist.
"What are you doing?"
"If I fall into your hands, you might as well kill me with one blow!"
"Why make me suffer humiliation?"
Ding Ling was not affected at all. He took a short knife and walked up to Ling Nan, lightly slitting his throat. Fresh blood sprayed out from his neck, and Ding Ling conveniently took a container to collect the blood.
After collecting 400cc, Ding Ling took medical equipment and stopped Ling Nan's wound.
Ling Nan was almost driven mad. He roared, "I finally understand why they say your Xuantian Temple is the embodiment of evil. So you've been raising various powerhouses and taking their blood. What you're doing goes against nature, and you will face divine retribution."
"Noisy." Ding Ling struck Ling Nan unconscious with a slap and ordered the Xuantian Temple disciples to tie Ling Nan up and imprison him in a solitary cell on the mountainside.
The rest of them were so scared they were half dead, constantly shouting.
Ding Ling had the Xuantian Temple disciples knock everyone unconscious to avoid disturbing his blood-taking process.
Half an hour later.
Ding Ling instructed the Xuantian Temple disciples to lock everyone up in the prison. Then, carrying more than a dozen bottles of blood, he headed to the main hall of Xuantian Temple. The main hall was located in the innermost of the nine mountain caves. After walking for more than a thousand meters along the cave, the scene opened up before them.
The end of this mountain cave was a magnificent underground palace, comparable in scale to the Forbidden City.
Due to Ding Ling's special status, no one dared to stop him along the way. After passing through nine great gates, he finally arrived at the main hall of Xuantian Temple.
Upon reaching the entrance of the main hall, Ding Ling knocked on the door.
"Master, I'm back."
Not long after.
An old voice came from within the main hall, "Come in."
Ding Ling cautiously pushed open the door and entered the eerie and somber main hall, then knelt before the eighteen steps.
At the end of the steps was a golden chair.
On the chair lay a dying old man, emaciated to the bone, with two sunken sockets in his eyes and only a dozen white hairs left on his head.
If an ordinary person saw this old man, they would be terrified out of their wits.
Because the old man looked like a fierce ghost.
On either side of the chair stood two black figures whose faces were unseen. These two figures were absolutely loyal to the master of Xuantian Temple, and they also made Ding Ling feel wary.
"Master, your disciple has collected the fresh human medicine. Please take it." Ding Ling presented more than a dozen bottles of blood with both hands.
The old man waved his hand.
A black figure walked down the steps and took away the dozen bottles of blood medicine that Ding Ling had offered.
"Ding Ling, what about Chen Jin Chao?"
Ding Ling replied truthfully, "Chen Jin Chao has already left the far north. When I was about to make a move, I found that people from the Huaguo Military had already arrived, so I didn't have a chance to act."
"What a shame..." the old man sighed.
"I have consumed too much blood medicine, so ordinary blood medicine has no meaning to me anymore. Only Chen Jin Chao's blood medicine can give me great replenishment."
Ding Ling diligently noted it down, "Please rest assured, Master, your disciple will do his best."
The old man grunted, "By the way, is there any news about Chen Yang Fu?"
Ding Ling shook his head.
"No."
"According to my investigation, Chen Yang Fu has been dead for more than ten or twenty years. Why is Master still so persistent?"
A strange laugh came from the old man's withered body.
"Chen Yang Fu is not dead yet..."
"Perhaps only he can be my most nourishing blood medicine."