Yan Huan did not rebut, instead, he laughed self-deprecatingly.

Even so, having been deceived once, Wang Meng did not rashly advance. He kept a distance and watched cautiously.

"In the dark chamber, there is a Yan Hanling. You gave it to Black Pockmarks, didn’t you?" he asked.

Yan Huan gave no answer, and the dungeon fell into silence.

After a long while, Yan Huan sighed powerlessly and pointed to a spot near the corner on the left side of the dungeon: "The real Yan Hanling is hidden there." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Hehe, does Prince Yan still want to deceive me?"

Wang Meng would not believe any word Yan Huan said, not even a single letter.

Yan Huan fell silent again, before speaking in an even weaker voice:

"I just wish to feel the long-lost freedom before dying."

"Even if I break free from the collar chain, my body won’t last through the night."

"The Yan Hanling I gave to Black Pockmarks is fake. The real Yan Hanling is over there. If you don’t believe me, you can check after I’m dead..."

"..." These few words seemed to exhaust the last of this Prince of Great Yan’s vitality. It took him a long pause before he continued, "Perhaps, you can’t wait and can kill me now."

Not believing, not a single word.

Wang Meng stood his ground, unmoved.

This Prince Yan was deeply devious, having once effortlessly incited five Refining Organ Realm practitioners to slaughter each other, nearly ruining the grand plan of the sect.

No matter what he said, Wang Meng would not believe him.

"Sigh..." Seeing Wang Meng unmoving, Yan Huan let out a few more powerless sighs.

Then, his body pressed to the ground, crawling like a reptile toward the place he had just pointed to.

At this moment, Yan Huan had no dignity left.

"What are you doing?" Wang Meng’s expression suddenly changed when he saw this.

"Retrieve the Yan Hanling," Yan Huan continued to crawl, stopping after every few steps to gasp for breath, "I hope Royal Guard can fulfill his promise."

After a brief panic, Wang Meng quickly regained his composure, keeping his distance while watching vigilantly.

He wanted to see if the Yan Hanling was truly hidden there.

Moreover, a prince of the Great Yan Dynasty crawling like an old dog was indeed a rare sight.

As Yan Huan crawled further, the mocking smile on Wang Meng’s face grew more pronounced.

When Yan Huan reached the edge of the pit wall, the sinister look deep in his eyes surged like a tidal wave, but it was suppressed in an instant.

"Royal Guard," he picked up a stone and, with a gentle force, the rock shattered, revealing an ice-colored token, which he lifted with all his might, "This item is the Yan Hanling."

Wang Meng concentrated his gaze, a gleam of brilliance shooting out.

The token looked much like a Yan Hanling.

But after the fake Yan Hanling incident in the dark chamber, how could he believe it so easily?

"Throw it over."

Yan Huan paused, leaning against the pit wall, then used all his strength to throw it.

Clang—

Like metal clashing, the ice-colored token only reached a distance of five or six meters.

"Royal Guard, I have no strength left."

This throw exhausted all of Yan Huan’s energy, leaving him unable to maintain his leaning posture.

Wang Meng looked at the distance of over twenty meters, and his heart began to race.

The Yan Hanling, the key to the Great Yan Dynasty’s National Treasury, was within reach, and his vigilance was gradually overwhelmed by greed.

The prince of the Great Yan Dynasty crawling like an old dog before him, what did this signify?

It signified that this prince was truly at death’s door, with little time left.

If that’s the case, let’s make it thorough!

The mockery between Wang Meng’s brows grew stronger as he pointed at the token, his tone dripping with sarcasm: "Crawl over and throw it again."

He wanted this prince to die under the humiliation of crawling and throwing.

"Royal Guard... I can’t crawl anymore..." The murderous intent in Yan Huan’s eyes was like a volcano about to erupt.

Though the eight iron collar chains hadn’t drained his vitality, the damage they caused to his body greatly diminished his strength.

Only by eliminating Wang Meng and absorbing his entire Qi Blood could he stabilize his own foundation and restore his strength.

"As long as Prince Yan throws the Yan Hanling to a distance of ten meters, I will send your body to the Yan Imperial Mausoleum."

Wang Meng continued to humiliate.

It seemed like humiliation but was indeed a test.

He didn’t believe that the former prince could endure such humiliation.

If he could endure it, that meant the opponent truly had little time left.

Yan Huan said no more, taking some time to adjust, he actually crawled towards the Yan Hanling again.

Picking it up, he threw it, reaching a distance of fifteen meters.

Picked it up again, threw it out, ten meters distance.

Twice in a row, Yan Huan lay on the ground, barely moving, and now he seemed...

Wang Meng’s gaze flickered uncertainly, hesitating to pick up the Yan Hanling, just watching.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

After half a quarter of an hour, Yan Huan’s body had completely stopped moving.

"Damn dog, you still want me to take you to the Yan Imperial Mausoleum, pfft!"

Wang Meng spat, seemingly venting the resentment of being deceived. Only then did he step forward to pick up the Yan Hanling.

The shape of the token was identical to the one he had obtained in the dark chamber.

But the difference between the two was...

Wang Meng grasped it with force, and an indestructible sensation immediately transmitted to his palm.

It’s real!

"This Yan Hanling is real!"

Wang Meng was overjoyed.

However, in that instant, a chilling deathly cold sensation surged through his palm.

Bang—

The explosion thundered through the dungeon.

The Yan Hanling had exploded.

How could the Yan Hanling possibly explode?

Wang Meng looked in horror at the position of his right arm, empty and void, with no trace of his arm remaining.

"Ah—"

Instantly, excruciating pain like a mountain torrent and tsunami engulfed him.

But this was not the most frightening part. What terrified Wang Meng the most was that Yan Huan’s body, which should have been motionless, had disappeared.

"Yan Huan!"

Wang Meng shouted angrily, only then realizing he had fallen into another trap.

"Royal Guard, do you know why I was locked with eight chains, having my Qi Blood extracted?"

The figure was unseen, but Yan Huan’s voice echoed in the dungeon.

"Because the Yan Hanling can only be activated by the imperial lineage of Great Yan. Obtaining it is futile."

"It’s better if... you contribute your Qi Blood to me, help me restore to the Meridian Unlocking Realm..."

"..."

....

Outside.

Chu Ming’s figure flickered continuously, exterminating the mountain bandits who thought they could survive by hiding, then he continued deeper.

The mountain stronghold backed against the mountain. The exit had already been swallowed by a sea of fire, leaving the mountain bandits to flee into the depths of the stronghold with no retreat.

As he went deeper, he slaughtered along the way, and set fires in passing.

Chu Ming reached a square at the back of the stronghold.

At this moment, over two hundred remaining bandits had gathered in the square.

"Have you found the big chief?!" The bald third chief looked at the man in black landing, instantly panicking.

"Can’t find him."

"Couldn’t find him!"

"What about the second chief?"

"Dead, killed by that man!"

"..."

Over two hundred people, trapped alone in the square, fear and panic enveloped everyone.

"I don’t want to die."

"The silver we robbed yesterday isn’t even spent yet."

"I haven’t even taken the virginity of the girl we stole yet..."

"..."

Crying, pleading continuously.

Over a thousand mountain bandits had been reduced to just over two hundred in merely one more period of time, the others all perished by the hands of the man in black, including several Village Chiefs.

They were scared out of their wits, unable to muster any courage to resist.

So, these bandits, who committed arson and robbery, feared as well.

Chu Ming stood coldly in front of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over them, causing the bandits to tremble and kneel.

Had they known this day would come, why enter the mountain as bandits?

No matter how the over two hundred begged for mercy, he would not show the slightest compassion.