Chapter 663 - Captured Alive

Liu Wuxie couldn't break free no matter how he struggled and remained standing in place.

"We have him bound!" The Indigo Cloud Gate disciples didn't dare to get too close. They cheered after confirming that Liu Wuxie had been restrained.

However, Shen Ling watched with his brows frowned. Wasn't Liu Wuxie rumored for his strength? So why could he capture him with the Extreme Yang Rope capture so easily? Or were the rumors exaggerated?

"Who are you, and why are you capturing me?" Liu Wuxie thrashed around violently. Though the Extreme Yang Rope wouldn't tighten like the Earth-Binding Chains, it had bound him tightly.

After confirming that Liu Wuxie couldn't break free, the other Indigo Cloud Gate disciples swiftly approached. They surrounded Liu Wuxie and looked at him curiously.

"Who would've thought that the mighty prodigy would fall into our hands?" one disciple sneered with mockery. They maintained their distance from Liu Wuxie, wary of any sudden moves.

"You're all disciples of the Indigo Cloud Gate? Release me, or you will all face my wrath!" Liu Wuxie said coldly as he thrashed around, drawing laughter from the surroundings.

Shen Ling slowly approached Liu Wuxie. He finally relaxed after confirming that Liu Wuxie couldn't break free from the Extreme Yang Rope.

"Senior Brother Shen Ling, since you're the one who captured him, you should be the one to search his soul and memory. We hope you can share the harvest with us," the other disciples agreed unanimously, leaving the task to Shen Ling. After all, it was Shen Ling who had captured Liu Wuxie.

As for whether Shen Ling would share the exploits with them, that was another matter altogether.

"Liu Wuxie, reveal your secrets, and I will consider granting you a swift and painless death," Shen Ling said. He stood five steps away from Liu Wuxie, demanding his cooperation. He wanted to know how Liu Wuxie could advance so quickly in his cultivation in such a short time.

Compared to Liu Wuxie's secrets, the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus was secondary. If Shen Ling could possess talent comparable to Liu Wuxie, he wouldn't have to worry about rising in strength.

"You'll get nothing from me," Liu Wuxie replied in a righteous tone, his eyes blazing with fury.

The more Liu Wuxie struggled, the happier the Indigo Cloud Gate disciples became. They were sure that Liu Wuxie couldn't escape the Extreme Yang Rope's restraint.

"Since you refuse to speak, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Shen Ling replied. He wouldn't trust anything Liu Wuxie said even if he confessed, and he had already made up his mind to search Liu Wuxie's soul sea for answers.

Shen Ling unleashed a powerful soul energy at Liu Wuxie's soul sea. But before his soul energy could get in, the Heavenly Dao Book unfurled and released a dazzling golden radiance.

"ARGH!" Shen Ling screamed. His divine sense couldn't enter Liu Wuxie's soul sea, nor could he search his memories.

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Senior Brother Shen, what's wrong?" The other disciples rushed over to support Shen Ling.

Shen Ling clutched his head. He felt as though his soul sea was about to shatter under the searing golden radiance. The scorching pain left Shen Ling lingering in fear, and he was lucky that his attempt was only a probe.

If he tried to force his way into Liu Wuxie's soul sea with his divine sense, he would suffer a rebound and be injured. The golden radiance could shatter his soul sea and cause his cultivation to regress.

The mere memory of the experience made him shudder, with sweat trickling down his forehead.

"He has a layer of golden radiance in his soul sea, and it's impossible for my divine sense to enter," Shen Ling said truthfully, holding nothing back.

The other Indigo Cloud Gate disciples exchanged uneasy glances. If they couldn't delve into Liu Wuxie's soul sea, they would never be able to uncover his secrets.

"Since we can't search his soul sea, why don't we kill him?" a disciple suggested. They did not need to keep Liu Wuxie alive since they couldn't obtain his secret, and there was no need to waste time.

"That's right. Let's just kill him!" several other disciples echoed in agreement. However, not everyone shared the same opinion, as some argue that someone could perform a soul search on Liu Wuxie.

"I don't recommend killing him. We can take him to the Thorn Peak Valley and let Senior Brother Deng Yong try to search his soul. If that still doesn't work, we can kill him then," another disciple suggested.

After all, Deng Yong might be able to perform a soul search on Liu Wuxie. As someone in the Nascent Transformation Realm, he likely possessed the means to enter Liu Wuxie's soul sea.

"I agree with Senior Brother Jia's suggestion. Let's take him to the Thorn Peak Valley. Either way, the secrets will stay within the Indigo Cloud Gate," said those who suggested killing Liu Wuxie.

"For safety reasons, I suggest crippling his cultivation. This is the only way we can take him to the Thorn Peak Valley safely," the Indigo Cloud Gate disciples began to discuss among themselves before reaching a unanimous decision to cripple Liu Wuxie's cultivation.

Once again, the responsibility fell on Shen Ling. As the strongest individual present, he was naturally tasked with shattering Liu Wuxie's dantian and had the highest chance of success among them.

"I'll kill myself if you dare to cripple my cultivation!" Liu Wuxie began to struggle with fear reflected on his face. A cultivator would become a cripple if their dantian were shattered.

"You can save us the trouble if you kill yourself," sneered Shen Ling. His soul sea might not have been damaged, but he had all his frustration pent up. In the worst-case scenario, they could kill Liu Wuxie and give up on his secret. Not to mention, it was uncertain if they could get a share of the secret.

The moment he finished speaking, he gave Liu Wuxie a vicious kick in his abdomen, shattering his dantian. With a crack, Liu Wuxie's true essence began to vanish rapidly.

"You'll all pay for this!" Liu Wuxie roared, his eyes ablaze with fury. But his wrath only delighted Shen Ling and the other Indigo Cloud Gate disciples.

To ensure their safety, Shen Ling inspected Liu Wuxie's body with his divine sense to ensure his dantian was shattered before lowering his guard.

"Don't let him kill himself. We'll enter the Thorn Peak Valley," said Shen Ling.

Liu Wuxie's dantian was empty like a black hole, and the other Indigo Cloud Gate disciples began to escort Liu Wuxie to the Thorn Peak Valley with their heads held high.

Liu Wuxie was tightly bound by them, ensuring that he couldn't budge. A faint smile rose on his lips as he knew half of his plan had succeeded.

They were roughly a hundred miles from the Thorn Peak Valley and an hour's trip from the entrance. Many disciples guarded the entrance, including those from the Heavenly Origin Sect, Indigo Cloud Gate, and Azure Crimson Gate.

Seeing a group of people approaching, the disciples standing guard stood up and blocked the way. When they saw Liu Wuxie, everyone became alert and crushed their Communication Talisman to notify Bai Yuan and the others.

Bai Yuan was cultivating in his tent when he opened his eyes abruptly. Aside from him, others like Deng Yong were also notified of Liu Wuxie's arrival. But something was wrong as they received news that Liu Wuxie had been captured and escorted over.

"Senior Brother Shen, what's going on?" The Indigo Cloud Gate disciples responsible for guarding the place approached immediately. They were confused as to why Liu Wuxie was bound and escorted over.

In just five minutes, countless people had appeared at the Thorn Peak Valley's entrance, but they didn't dare to get close. After all, Liu Wuxie was known for being shrewd, and it was too bizarre for him to be captured by Shen Ling.

Even if Liu Wuxie were to be captured, it would make no sense for him to be captured by Shen Ling. But that was the truth, and they had no choice but to believe Liu Wuxie was captured. Not to mention, all the true essence in his dantian had vanished.

"Shen Ling, what's going on here?" Deng Yong demanded as he stepped forward, his boundless murderous intent sweeping out at the sight of Liu Wuxie. He still harbored deep resentment toward Liu Wuxie, blaming him for losing the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus.

"Senior Brother Deng, look who I brought for you!" Shen Ling replied, his tone polite yet tinged with pride over his accomplishment.

"I'm asking you what's going on!" Deng Yong questioned again, his tone laced with anger. Their meticulous plan had accounted for various scenarios, including Liu Wuxie charging into Thorn Peak Valley. What they hadn’t anticipated was for him to be captured by Shen Ling and his group, and then brought directly to the valley.

Shen Ling, sensing Deng Yong’s frustration, dared not hide anything. He recounted everything in detail, while ensuring the disciples nearby were kept at a distance, unable to overhear the explanation.

"Is Liu Wuxie that weak? Shen Ling's Extreme Yang Rope so easily captured him?" There were discussions between several Sky Rift Valley disciples, filled with disbelief.

"He's only in the low levels of the Astral River Realm, even if he's strong." Many people shook their heads. If Liu Wuxie could have reached the same cultivation as Deng Yong, everyone there would have been killed by him, not to mention Shen Ling.

"Liu Wuxie, you finally fell into our hands!" the Azure Crimson Gate disciples cheered. No one wanted to kill Liu Wuxie more than them.

The disciples of the Heavenly Origin Sect said nothing as they waited for Bai Yuan's arrival.

"You dumbfuck!" Deng Yong was furious, suppressing the urge to slap Shen Ling. He didn't imagine Shen Ling to be so foolish.

Shen Ling was baffled as to why he was reprimanded. The other Indigo Cloud Gate disciples were also confused about why Deng Yong reprimanded Shen Ling. Shouldn't Shen Ling be praised for capturing Liu Wuxie, and all his secrets and treasures would fall into the hands of the Indigo Cloud Gate?

"Senior Brother Deng, please make yourself clear. What do you mean by what you said?" Shen Ling asked, visibly displeased. If Deng Yong and others were unhappy, they could kill Liu Wuxie.

"Do you think someone like you is capable of capturing him? What a joke!" Deng Yong scoffed. He wasn't looking down on Shen Ling but knew how powerful Liu Wuxie was.

Back on the icy mountain, Liu Wuxie could leave unscathed, a feat impossible for ordinary people. Even after they had managed to break free from the snowmen's encirclement, Deng Yong had failed to match Liu Wuxie's speed.

Though Shen Ling and the others were decent in strength, they were pale in comparison. If Liu Wuxie was determined to escape, they could’ve done nothing about it, not to mention catching up with him.

Deng Yong was tempted to slap Shen Ling to death but couldn't say anything.

"Why can't we capture him? Is Senior Brother Deng Yong jealous of us?" Shen Ling said unhappily, feeling that Deng Yong was looking down on them. After all, Deng Yong was ranked first in the Indigo Cloud Gate.

Now that Liu Wuxie has fallen into his hands, Deng Yong might be embarrassed.

"I, jealous of you?!" Deng Yong laughed. Shen Ling clearly had no idea who he was dealing with.