Chapter 448: Vanishing Out Of Thin Air

"Speak. How did Huang Fulai secretly instruct you to cruelly murder Elder Kong, Chairman Shen, and Tang Shunzhi?"

In the dim confines of the dark prison, the warden’s face was stern, his eyes filled with malice as he stared at the young man in black, enunciating each word. The young man was shackled with specially crafted restraints on both his wrists and ankles. As a prisoner of such status, his fate in this dungeon was destined to be miserable.

Yet, his expression remained relaxed as he curiously observed the dim, oppressive cell of the dark prison.

Five centuries had passed, yet the design of Haijing City’s dark prison still adhered to feudal-era architecture, filled with instruments of torture that carried the distinct horror of the cold weapon era.

Some scholars argued that these ancient forms of punishment, which targeted the body and sought to break both physical and mental resistance, had an irreplaceable value, especially when interrogating martial artists.

"I killed them because they deserved to die." The young man replied with a faint smile. "What does that have to do with Huang Fulai?"

"Nonsense!" The warden shouted sharply, his voice laced with mockery. "You rogue! It’s clear you acted on Huang Fulai’s orders to murder Elder Kong and the others. Now you dare to deny it?"

The young man tilted his head, countering with a question, "What’s your name?"

The warden answered coldly, "I am Guan Zhongliu, the Flaying Blood Magistrate, one of the four executioners of Haijing City. Since I took control of this dark prison, not a single prisoner has left here without confessing."

"Sounds terrifying." The young man said with a small smile. "Do you have any particularly impressive torture techniques? Tell me about them."

Guan Zhongliu’s face twisted in anger at the young man’s calm and indifferent demeanor. He let out a chilling laugh.

"See that bronze bull?" Guan Zhongliu pointed to a massive, gleaming brass bull nearby. "This bull is called the Agrigentum Bull[1]. You might not understand its purpose or its terror..."

"Heh, you're wrong about that." The young man in black interrupted with a faint smile. "I do know. In 550 BCE, the Greek smith Agrigentum invented this device. The bull is hollow, and its belly has a small door that can be opened to place the victim inside. The bull is then heated, slowly and painfully roasting the person alive. Legend has it that there’s a system of sound pipes within the bull’s head, designed to transform the screams of the victim into the low bellows of a bull. Steam from the heat would escape through the nostrils, making it appear as though the bull were alive and breathing. It’s truly a horrifying and inhumane invention; just imagining it sends chills down one’s spine."

Guan Zhongliu was slightly taken aback. Knowledge of pre-star beast history had largely been lost or deemed irrelevant in this era of survival. Very little had been preserved, as it was no longer considered essential to humanity’s existence. He himself had only stumbled upon the concept in a fragment of ancient texts, and, delighted by its gruesome ingenuity, had gone to great lengths to recreate it.

"So you do know," Guan Zhongliu said, his eyes narrowing with venomous malice. "This bull is newly forged. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll gladly test its capabilities on you. With your strong body, you might last a full day and night inside. But the longer you last, the greater the pain. The phrase worse than death wouldn’t even begin to describe it."

"This form of torture is utterly inhumane." The young man replied curiously. "It’s also forbidden by the laws of Great Xia. As a warden, aren’t you breaking the law by attempting to coerce a confession through torture? Perhaps you’ve taken bribes from the Kong family and are trying to use me to frame Huang Fulai?"

"Great Xia’s laws?" Guan Zhongliu laughed wildly. "Talking to me about that nonsense makes me laugh..."

He raised the whip in his hand, his expression both smug and overbearing. "That’s right, I’ve taken money from the Kong family. Let me tell you, it’s not just the Kong family that wants Huang Fulai dead. You’re nothing more than a prisoner now; so what if you know the truth? I openly admit that I’m going to use you to bring him down. What can you possibly do about it?"

"Now that you’ve said that, I feel relieved," The young man responded, still calm and unbothered.

He slowly and deliberately walked over to the bronze bull and said, "Warden, since you know of the Agrigentum Bull and even went through the trouble of creating it, you must know who its first victim was, don’t you?"

Guan Zhongliu hesitated. That, he didn’t know. The fragmentary texts he’d read had described its invention and construction but did not mention any subsequent events.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

The young man gently ran his fingers over the glimmering surface of the bull as he spoke, his voice slow and deliberate.

"The smith, Agrigentum, presented his invention to the tyrannical ruler of his city-state, Phalaris. After hearing the explanation, Phalaris asked, ‘This device sounds intriguing, but how can I be sure it works as described?’ Then he had Agrigentum placed inside the bull and roasted alive. In fact, the first victim of the Agrigentum Bull was its creator."

Guan Zhongliu froze. A sudden chill ran down his spine, filling him with unease. He was about to say something when his vision blurred. The young man in black appeared before him like a ghost. Their faces were now mere inches apart.

The young man’s eyes were piercing and ice-cold, radiating a killing intent so intense it felt like an icy blade piercing straight through Guan Zhongliu’s soul.

What is happening?

Guan Zhongliu was terrified.

Wasn’t the young man bound with qi-sealing shackles? How can he still use his abilities?

Though he was caught off guard, Guan Zhongliu’s instincts as a fighter kicked in as he launched a palm strike. As a warden at the Five Spirits Realm, his combat ability was not to be underestimated. But the moment he struck, his arm went numb, and then it fell limp at his side, completely useless. In the same instant, his entire cultivation base was shattered.

The young man had effortlessly freed himself from the shackles and now gripped Guan Zhongliu’s throat with one hand.

The interrogation chamber was completely soundproofed. In fact, all surveillance equipment had been turned off for this secret session. No one but the two of them was present. The guards outside wouldn’t dare enter without Guan Zhongliu’s explicit command.

Guan Zhongliu flailed his arms and legs desperately, but it was futile. Guan Zhongliu’s body was slowly forced into the bronze bull. As the cruel torture device, which he had so proudly recreated, was about to be used on himself, an overwhelming fear consumed him, nearly driving him to collapse on the spot.

His eyes filled with despair and a silent plea for mercy. His face, twisted in terror, was streaked with snot and tears. His composure had been completely shattered. But the young man in black remained cold and indifferent.

Finally, Guan Zhongliu was stuffed into the bull and the small door in the bull’s belly was shut tightly. The young man then activated the switch on the bull, connecting it to its power source. The bronze bull began to heat up and hot steam spouted from its nostrils. The bull emitted low, resonating moo sounds; it seemed almost alive.

The torturous process continued for a full thirty minutes before the bull finally fell silent. By then, Guan Zhongliu, the infamous Flaying Blood Magistrate, had been reduced to a pile of charred remains inside the bull’s belly.

"Evil reaps what it sows." The young man murmured. "But such cruel devices, devoid of humanity, should never exist in this world."

He placed his hand on the bronze bull and a golden flame flickered in his palm. In the next moment, the bull, along with its charred contents, disintegrated into fine ash and vapor, vanishing entirely from the room.

At the same time, the young man’s body shimmered with a faint light as he too disappeared from the sealed interrogation chamber. It was as if he had performed magic.

No one knew how much time had passed before the guards outside, unable to wait any longer for Guan Zhongliu’s command, decided to risk opening the chamber door. What they saw inside left them utterly stunned.

Where is everyone?

1. This is referring to the Bull of Phalaris ☜