Fang Xing was shocked when everyone around him suddenly began to come closer, and he quickly changed his expression into a smile. “All jokes aside, please don’t be angry, Dear Miss. Truthfully, I have come from the outside realm and only just recently entered the Guixu Ruins, so I’m not familiar with anything at all; how could I be a spy? I really am just too hungry, so if I’ve offended you, please kindly allow me a few slices of meat first. Once I am fed, I shall explain everything to you in detail. How does that sound?”

　　“You came from outside the Guixu Ruins?” The girl was surprised to hear this, and she no longer mentioned anything about wanting to cripple him.

　　Fang Xing quickly nodded. “That is the absolute truth!”

　　When he heard Fang Xing had come from outside the Guixu Ruins, the yellow-robed cultivator also walked over and began scrutinizing Fang Xing with some interest. “Young Master, the clan master said that if anyone comes from the outside, we must do our best to have them join us to work for our Hentian clan…” he whispered to the young master in question, but she simply sent an impatient look his way and sneered, “He’s not even a Golden Core, so it’s not like he’s a really powerful person. Why do you need to be so cautious? Besides, just because he says he came from outside, does that mean he came from outside? Don’t we need to interrogate him closer?” She turned towards Fang Xing and continued, “Since you came from outside the ruins, when did you come in? Where did you enter?”

　　“I’ve been in here for maybe… half a year? One year? Whatever, but the place I entered from isn’t too far from here!”” Fang Xing answered with some caution and hesitation. He didn’t know what kind of attitude the people inside the Guixu Ruins had towards those from the outside, and as for how long ago he’d come inside, he wasn’t actually sure himself; his seclusion had caused him to completely lose track of time.

　　However, the young master and the yellow-robed cultivator had already started to feel suspicious towards Fang Xing. The yellow-robed cultivator walked up and looked at Fang Xing before saying, “If you really came from the outside, how can you forget where you entered? This entire mountain range is within the Hentian clan’s control; if you really came from outside the Guixu Ruins in the past year, why didn’t any elder sense you and come to fetch you? Brother, to achieve such a level of cultivation at such a young age must have been very difficult, so I do not wish to end your future paths. This is the child of our Hentian clan’s clan master. It might be fine if you tell us the truth, but no one will be able to help you if you don’t!”

　　Fang Xing was struck speechless for a moment before he replied, “But I really don’t remember. Maybe the time I was in seclusion was more than a year?”

　　The girl let out a cold laugh, “You’re still playing the fool? Take out the Eighteen Cleave Nails; I’d like to see how much longer he can resist telling the truth!”

　　Hearing her command, someone took out a package and opened it on the spot, revealing eighteen three-inch-long copper nails carved with complicated designs. One end was as large as an infant’s fist, and the other was as sharp and thin as the stinger of a bee. They had a chilling shine and the grooves carved in them gave them a terrifying appearance, while a few dried bloodstains caused people to feel cold just by looking at it.

　　Fang Xing instantly became alert when he saw this, and his Qi began to activate as he dryly laughed. “Oi, there’s no need for this, right? I’m only speaking the truth, it’s just that when I entered, I went into seclusion to heal so I don’t remember the time!”

　　That female young master sneered in response. “I’m just helping you remember. Who knows, perhaps after you’ve had these eighteen nails, you’ll have remembered? Consider yourself lucky; these eighteen nails were originally brought along to be used against fourth-tier peril beasts….”

　　Fang Xing glanced over with a dark expression before he forced a smile. “Such a thick thing, let alone eighteen, even one might be enough to take my life. Little Miss, let us sit down and slowly talk things over….”

　　When everyone saw how timid he was to the point of begging for forgiveness without much energy, they all felt this was rather funny. There were even some beside her that joined in to say, “If your life is gone, it’s gone, and it will all be your fault for offending our young master.”

　　“Hmph, to behave so atrociously within the territory of our Hentian clan, you can be considered very brave. All of these are to teach you a lesson so you won’t be so ignorant of the heavens and earth!” Aside from the three Golden Cores, none of the remaining people had a strong enough battle prowess to be any threat to Fang Xing; they were nothing more than followers whose greatest talent lied in sucking up to others. After seeing how the typically incredibly proud young master was very upset after being frightened by this person, they all picked the words she wanted to hear and spoke as though they didn’t take Fang Xing’s life to hold any meaning at all.

　　Fang Xing’s expression darkened as he looked towards everyone in alarm, and he quietly activated his Qi. Not even he had expected that after passing all sorts of turmoil and problems, his life would be threatened for the sake of a single piece of roasted meat. He was also feeling rather helpless right now; he’d smiled as much as he could, pretended he was afraid of them, spoke so many nice words, yet that damned girl still wouldn’t believe him and wanted to pierce eighteen holes into him first.

　　When he looked at her expression from the side of his eyes, he saw joy derived from another’s misery—rather than truly wanting to interrogate him, it was likely she just wanted him to suffer some torment. What could he have done to cause her to act this way? It was clearly their first time meeting each other, yet she already hated him so much.

　　As for that yellow-robed cultivator, he saw the anger within her but didn’t intend to stop her; if she truly wanted to vent, then he’d let her do so. It would be fine as long as he stopped things the moment right before the person in the cage died. What the female young master said was right; although the people within the Guixu Ruins take newcomers from the outside very seriously, that was only for those with noteworthy battle prowess. Although the person in front of them seemed different, he wasn’t even a Golden Core and naturally no one saw him as being important.

　　“Speak!” a pale Foundation Stage cultivator without any facial hair shouted while walking over to brandish a copper nail towards the cage. “Tell us, which clan are you spying for? What is your purpose for offending our young master!”

　　“Hehe, don’t play around, Brother, I’ve already said I only just entered the Guixu Ruins. How could I be someone’s spy?” Fang Xing laughed, and his eyes scanned the environment to try to find a way to flee. Unfortunately, the cage was made from Refined Iron and was furthermore surrounded by restrictive formations, making it very difficult to break.

　　When the Foundation Stage cultivator walked over, the three Golden Cores also quietly stood up. They encircled the cage and released their suppressive aura while staring at Fang Xing, keeping a close eye on him just in case he tried to do anything that might cause someone harm. With this, it could be said all of Fang Xing’s options had been blocked off.

　　‘Dammit, am I really going to be finished here?’ Fang Xing began to grow agitated, and the Qi circulating within him finally reached a fevered pitch. It wasn’t for the sake of fighting back, however; he was being carefully watched by the three Golden Cores, and there wouldn’t be a chance for him to escape even with his full mastery of the Foundation Stage. Instead, he wanted to release his aura as a beacon for the crazed dragon who’d gone who knew where to search for some rabbits, but not even Fang Xing himself was sure this method would work.

　　The pale-faced Foundation Stage cultivator gave a sly smile. “Hehe, kid, you’d better not move. This copper nail is typically used against peril beasts, so it’s important to carefully search for the acupoints when using it on men. It will be fine if you stay still, but if you move around at will and my hand slips or I pierce something else by accident, your little life will disappear.” His gaze shined and he thrust the copper nal through the cage towards Fang Xing’s back while Fang Xing coldly watched on.

　　Suddenly, Fang Xing clenched his hand and a gravitational force materialized from nothing to abruptly pull that pale-faced cultivator closer. Fang Xing intended to strangle him to death, but when the yellow-robed cultivator saw this from the side, he let out a cold snort and raised his hand into the air to release his own Golden Core power, stopping Fang Xing’s attack. The Foundation Stage cultivator regained his balance and let out a few heavy, seemingly frightened breaths before clenching his teeth. A look of hatred appeared on his face and he pierced the copper nail into Fang Xing’s left arm.

　　Now that Fang Xing had achieved full mastery of Foundation Stage, the True Samadhi Fire had tempered his body until his skin was like copper and his bones were like iron; let alone ordinary swords and blades, not even spirit weapons like Flying Swords could easily wound him. This copper nail had been specifically crafted for use against peril beasts which had really sturdy bodies, however, and the cold Yin power along it caused all strong armors to become as soft as tofu. Fang Xing’s copper skin and iron bones also weren’t able to fend it off, and it managed to pierce over half an inch inside his body.

　　“Even an armor-breaking nail can only pierce as far as half an inch. This little monster’s physique seems to be no less than even peril beasts….” The pale-faced cultivator sighed, and even the pupils of the three Golden Cores all dilated. They’d noticed by now that even though the three of them had reached the Golden Core Stage, when it came to comparing physiques, they were perhaps not as strong as this little Foundation Stage kid.

　　After the nail sank inside his body, Fang Xing had quietly shut his eyes to meditate a little before activating his full Qi and releasing his aura. The young master had noticed the look Fang Xing had been giving and she felt an inexplicable terror in her heart. She reflexively wanted to have the people stop torturing him, but she soon discarded this idea—she was the one who’d given the order to torture him, so how much face would she lose if she were to call a stop to it now? She simply let out a cold snort and slowly said, “How do you find the taste of these Eighteen Cleave Nails? If you want to endure less, then spill the truth; who exactly are you?”

　　Fang Xing looked at her calmly. “You will know who I am!”

　　The female young master became even angrier and shouted back, “Why are you all so slow? Hurry and push a bit more into him!”

　　When the pale-faced cultivator saw this, he quickly took two more bronze nails and began to continue his work. Fang Xing’s expression didn’t change, and he instead slowly closed his eyes while continuing to activate his Qi.

　　It might not have been so bad if he didn’t activate his Qi, but the moment he started, fresh blood abruptly splattered and scattered all over the cage. Those who saw this didn’t understand; why would he do something like this? It looked as though he was trying to deliberately end his life.

　　“Seems this guy doesn’t want to be tortured so he’s seeking his own death…” someone mockingly said, causing someone else to laugh, “If the young master doesn’t allow it, he can’t die even if he wants to. Old Nine, you should be a bit more careful….”

　　The pale-faced cultivator smirked and reassuringly said, “He’s finally settled down now. You can all rest assured; the Eighteen Cleave Nails will pierce the body all the way to their soul. As long as the nails are placed in the correct locations, even if all their blood dries up, they still won’t die. Is there anything to doubt about the special talent of your Old Nine?”

　　Everyone began to laugh at this, and even the female young master’s face showed a faint smile. However, amidst the laughter was the distant roar from a dragon….