A Clarity Charm Paid for With Life Force

Sean Shaw shook his head. "I've never even heard of that before."

"How many people are here in total?" Lucy Luan asked Bifang.

"A bit over a hundred left," Bifang replied. "All of us are big妖 they captured."

That many...

Lucy asked again, "Can you still hold on?"

Bifang answered, "I shouldn't die anytime soon."

"The talismans in your bodies are linked to the Grand Array. If you leave, they'll kill you," Lucy said. "I brought a Rune Master, but with his current strength, he could only pull out two or three talismans before collapsing. To avoid alerting the Xuanchen Clan, we'll withdraw for now. Once we're fully prepared, we'll come back to rescue you all."

Bifang asked, "Saint Maiden, where are you?"

"Right in front of you," she replied.

Bifang produced a sheet of talisman paper and said, "When we came in, they searched us and took everything. This Clarity Charm—a comrade who’s gone now stole it with his life! I recorded some things inside. It should help you."

The Clarity Charm vanished into thin air, taken by Lucy.

Bifang lay back down and said, "I still have a wife and child. If you really can save me, Saint Maiden, I’ll be forever grateful."

Your wife... is already gone...

Lucy kept silent, unable to say it out loud.

"Strict secrecy," Sean’s voice sounded. "No matter how close you are, you can’t tell anyone we were here. If they find out, everyone will be silenced."

"Who are you?" Bifang asked.

"He’s Sean Shaw, Fifth Highness of Drake Abyss," Lucy said. "His Majesty the Celestial Emperor sent us to rescue you! You must hold on."

"Alright."

"We’re leaving now, hang in there."

After a long while, there was no more sound.

They must have left.

Tears slipped from the corner of Bifang's eyes as he murmured, "Lan He... Maybe I really can see you again..."

When Futti came in, he left an opening in the barrier, so they could leave easily.

Inside the Clarity Charm Bifang gave them, it was Gideon Xuanchen.

His eyes were a bit glazed, his face flushed, as if he'd just finished drinking.

He was holding a ledger, checking which clans hadn’t paid their annual tribute.

Those who owed much stood together, those who owed little stood apart.

Then he pointed at those people and cursed, "You useless things! You’re useless, your clans are useless! Can’t even handle this? What’s the point of living? Go die!"

Then he pulled out a chillingly cold whip.

As soon as those clans saw the whip, terror appeared on their faces.

He whipped them one by one.

Each lash sent coldness deep into their organs, lingering for years and causing endless suffering.

The more tribute owed, the harder he whipped.

A chorus of wails, the cries were unbearably tragic.

Finally, a few couldn’t endure it and tried to fight back.

Gideon Xuanchen flew into a rage and used his Divine Artifact to beat them into a bloody pulp.

He cursed as he struck, "You little dirt-demons! Little nobodies! You dare resist? What do you think you are? Daring to defy the gods? Do you know who we are? The current Celestial Empress is my own cousin..."

In the end, Gideon Xuanchen beheaded the rebels and hung their heads on a tree.

The Wild Marsh Basin stretches for hundreds of miles, and Lucy’s group never saw that tree.

But in the Clarity Charm’s recording, that great tree already had dozens of heads dangling from its branches...

...