Chapter 276 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (27)

(Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

(Punishment Hall)

Xu Lu furrowed her brows as she looked around the inside of the large building.

Cells were stacked tightly together and she could see strange symbols and letterings carved onto the floor of each cell.

She looked through the original Xu Lu's memories for anything useful but could not find any information related to the punishment hall.

The original Xu Lu had never stepped inside this place. Still… there was no use delaying the inevitable.

She was already drawing enough unwanted attention at the moment from the guards inside the punishment hall.

They wore the same uniforms as the cultivators outside.

Navy-blue robes with scarlet red threads woven into the edges of the fabric.

They stood at attention with straightened backs, but Xu Lu could hear them whispering faintly to each other.

"Do you see her? The saintess is here?"

"What?! That makes no sense! Is she being punished? What mistake did she make?"

"I don't know but… which one of us will need to activate the cell?"

"Not me! I don't want the saintess to hate me… what if she remembers my face when she leaves this place?"

Xu Lu stopped eavesdropping and steeled her heart for the trial ahead. It could not be worse than what she had already suffered.

The saintess nodded at the guards posted along the walls and then walked inside one of the cells.

The doors to the prison cell swung close behind her and the symbols on the ground faintly glowed with a dark blue light.

One of the guards stepped in front of her cell and placed his hand on the ground. He sent out a strand of qi into the symbols and the glow got even brighter.

Xu Lu sat down in a cross- legged position and prepared for the torment.

She could feel an unfamiliar energy surging into her body from the symbols on the ground.

This was it.

Time to endure. She would not flinch. She would suffer and keep this pain as a valuable memory to sharpen her willpower.

Xu Lu waited patiently for the pain to begin.

She waited… and waited… and waited some more…

Err…

Hmm…

Nothing happened.

Xu Lu kept her eyes closed but felt no pain if anything the energy flowing into her body was getting more comfortable by the minute.

The sensation was like standing under a shower of hot water during wintertime.

She focused on the energy entering her body and discovered that something quite strange was happening.

The energy from the symbols would try to enter her organs but would be drawn inside her meridians and enter her dantian.

There it would flow towards the tiny unicorn happily running around inside of her dantian and be absorbed into its white horn.

The unicorn cried out happily and frolicked around with glee.

Xu Lu was grateful for the mask covering her face since she was certain that she looked pretty confused right now.

Huh.

This was an… unexpected benefit.

Xu Lu wasn't too sure if this was a good or bad thing but at least it meant that she didn't need to suffer.

She adjusted her posture to a more comfortable position and began to practice her qi gathering technique.

The Frozen Hell Art required the absorption of ice qi from cores taken from monsters to be truly effective but it was also possible to practice without the cores.

The efficiency was reduced but if she was trapped in the punishment hall then she might as well use it to pass the time.

The temperature around Xu Lu's body plummeted and ice began to spread out from where her body touched the ground.

The guards looked at each other in shock because they could not believe their eyes.

How could someone have the willpower to cultivate while enduring such horrific pain?

A person inside one of the activated cells of the punishment hall would feel as though red hot needles were poking their organs.

The pain was said to be truly awful. It was impossible to concentrate on anything but resisting the urge to scream.

Some cultivators would faint while others would beg and cry for forgiveness after just a couple of minutes.

The guards were then given the authority to adjust the settings accordingly to make sure that the cultivator being punished did not break.

But this sight…

The guards had never seen something like this before. The saintess remained perfectly still without even a hint of the pain that she must be enduring.

And she was able to cultivate despite the torment.

The saintess was truly the most promising of the younger generation.

Xu Lu did not hear their soft whispers of admiration since she was lost in the art of cultivation.

She could now understand why some masters would lock themselves in caves for decades if not centuries before coming out.

Cultivation was addicting.

It may just be her imagination but every time her qi made a full circulation throughout her body, Xu Lu could feel herself getting stronger.

Her body craved the immortal energy flowing through her veins. It was like being connected to everything and nothing at the same time.

Time no longer had any meaning as Xu Lu felt herself pushing through barriers in her spiritual veins.

Days maybe weeks passed in this strange state.

She could not tell how long she had been sitting down in this cell.

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(Meanwhile)

(Fifth Peak- Private Residence)

"That stupid brat," Lei Ying roared in anger as she slammed her fist against a nearby tree with so much force that it collapsed.

Her apprentice had failed.

No… it wasn't enough that she failed… she had the nerve to pretend to be self righteous and put herself in the punishment hall.

Did she not know how reputation would be affected?

Maybe this was a good development…

Lei Ying took in a few deep breaths and calmed herself down.

She had tried to beat the rebelliousness out of her arrogant student but despite her best efforts… she could still see a spark of defiance.

Xu Lu may be talented, but she was just a child. Would she be able to handle the malice of her fellow sect members?

What if it was known that the saintess was a disappointment?

That despite all of her talents… she was just a failure.

Lei Ying's lips slowly curved upwards as a sadistic gleam surfaced in her eyes.

She had planned to take Xu Lu out of the punishment hall immediately and properly discipline her but now…

Maybe it would do her some good to be trapped in there.