Level Up in Martial World

However, the device was too crucial for her to relinquish. In simple terms, it was a machine that converted Qi into mana, although the process was quite slow and required a substantial amount of Qi.

A top-grade qi stone weighing about 10 grams could only produce a strand of mana. Perhaps that\'s why he had been hiding, although he had been bold enough to bait martial artists into a trap.

Elv pondered her next steps and decided, "Let me inform my shadow that she should come out after a while or find another way to come out. But first..." She began delivering her message telepathically.

The shadow, having received Elv\'s instructions, approached the flask containing the blue liquid. In a moment reminiscent of a vacuum, it swiftly absorbed all the blue liquid into its palm within a matter of seconds.

With the machine now in its possession, the shadow proceeded to carry it out of the room. As it reached the exit, a faint red light scanned the door, but the shadow continued on, as if the scanning process were inconsequential.

Elv found relief in her thoughts, acknowledging, "The old bastard is already dead, so the jamming function he used to hide his treasure is only at half strength. If it were at full power, not even I would be able to sense it..."

Yet, suddenly, Lu Zhen came to an abrupt halt. This caught Elv off guard, and she quickly stopped beside him.

"Why did you stop?" she inquired, her face marked by a noticeable frown.

Lu Zhen remained silent, his cold and emotionless expression visible in the dimly lit passageway, illuminated by the flickering firewood, as if devoid of emotion.

Elv\'s frown deepened as she observed the unmoving figure of Lu Zhen, puzzled by his sudden halt. She wondered what had caught his attention.

Xiao Yu, meanwhile, gasped for breath as he landed on the cold floor, his breathing ragged. He hadn\'t been running, but the sheer speed at which Lu Zhen was moving had left him breathless. As a mortal, he was struggling to cope with the physical exertion.

In a sudden motion, Lu Zhen punched a particular spot on the wall, breaking it instantly and revealing a dark space within. A wave of a repulsive deathly stench washed over the trio - Lu Zhen, Elv, and Xiao Yu. The odour resembled that of rotting fish, and it was nothing short of rotting smell.

Lu Zhen and Elv seemed to handle the smell with relative ease. However, it was a different story for Xiao Yu. He retched and vomited on the floor, the overpowering stench almost rendering him unconscious. He was a mere mortal and unaccustomed to such a vile odor.

Elv, unable to see clearly due to Lu Zhen\'s hulking figure, inquired with curiosity, "What is it?" She was intrigued by Lu Zhen\'s unusual expression but couldn\'t discern the source of his concern.

Elv moved closer to Lu Zhen\'s side to witness the grisly sight that had provoked such a reaction from him. Her own expression transformed into one of perplexity as she gazed upon the horrific scene.

Driven by curiosity, Xiao Yu couldn\'t resist the urge to step inside and investigate the source of their strange expressions. However, what met his eyes caused them to widen to their utmost limits. The gruesome sight that unfolded before him left him aghast and repulsed, and he couldn\'t help but vomit once more, his breathing growing increasingly labored.

Before them lay a horrifying scene of creatures, bearing signs of unimaginable torture that had long exceeded the bounds of inhumanity to a large margin.

Some of the creatures were humans, while others were beasts and animals. What made the scene particularly revolting was that all the corpses were bound in black chains, and some had suffered grotesque mutilations, with severed body parts gruesomely displayed. It was a scene of unspeakable horror.

However, one thing that was common was that they were all decaying faster to the point that they all looked malnourished with their skin all withering already as if they were sucked dry and all their eyes were wide open with terror still reflecting.

Lu Zhen gingerly reached out to touch one of the corpses, and as his fingers made contact, it crumbled into dust, carried away by the faint breeze. He sighed deeply as he shook his head.

His search continued, and as he walked further into the room, he encountered the gruesome evidence of countless victims. The piles of corpses seemed to number at least a thousand, painting a cruel scene of suffering and death.

Amidst this nightmarish scene, Lu Zhen\'s keen ears detected a faint, ragged breathing sound emanating from the gruesome mound of bodies.

He followed the sound carefully, which led him to the source: a lifeless-looking little girl, her frail body bearing the cruel marks of countless nails driven into her. Beside her lay her father, who clung to her in a final, frozen embrace.

Addressing the girl with a stern question, Lu Zhen asked, "Do you want to live or die, girl?"

But the girl remained unresponsive, her eyes vacant, as if the spark of life itself had been extinguished.

Lu Zhen\'s sigh of resignation filled the grim, death-laden room. He muttered to the lifeless girl, "You are hopeless. It\'s better for you all to find peace." His hands dug into his pouch, searching for something, but his efforts yielded nothing of use, leading to a deepening of his frown.