This kick was violently fierce.
The flat-topped youth did not even see clearly how Li Zhiming had made his move.
By the time he reacted, a terrifying force had struck his chest.
True Qi surged into his body, unstoppable and destructive.
His internal organs vibrated violently, and blood surged backward out of his mouth and nose.
The flat-topped youth spun in the air like a kite with a broken string, tumbling several times before crashing heavily onto the ground.
He raised his head to look at Li Zhiming, his fingers clawing fiercely into the ground while blood bubbled continuously from his mouth.
With just a single kick, he had been severely injured and would not be able to get out of bed for at least half a month.
"Li... Zhiming!"
Ignoring the flat-topped youth, Li Zhiming walked over to Chen Chong and, without a moment's hesitation, brought his foot down, snapping Chen Chong's wrist.
Chen Chong gasped sharply, but maintaining his pride, he held back his screams, his face turning pale and covered in cold sweat.
"Consider this punishment for you. Get lost, and don't let me see you again, or I'll beat you every single time I lay eyes on you!" Li Zhiming warned.
"Fine, Li Zhiming, you've got guts!"
Chen Chong burned with fury, his back molars practically grinding to dust.
This time they had suffered a complete and utter defeat, powerless to resist, utterly crushed!
Since only one of their hands had been crippled, walking was still entirely possible for him and Wang Junfei.
With faces full of rage, the two of them helped the flat-topped youth up and limped out of Li Zhiming's room.
After watching them leave, Li Zhiming sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
"This should keep things quiet for a few days."
"But reaching Rank Eight is still far from enough!"
Li Zhiming's grip tightened slightly around the teacup; he could neither become complacent nor stop here.
Jiang Yuan certainly would not let the matter rest, and even more violent shocks awaited him in the future.
And then there was Tian Yaoyao!
Li Zhiming calculated the time. By the time he returned to the First Level, that bitch would probably be coming for him.
With that thought, Li Zhiming pulled back his wandering mind.
When soldiers come, use a general to block; when water comes, use earth to dam.
All he needed to do right now was sleep!
...
On a dark, moonless night, when thieves and scoundrels prowled.
The Second Level of Xuyuan Prison was dead silent.
Lying on the bed, Li Zhiming's brow twitched slightly. His body instinctively sensed something approaching, forcing his eyes open.
There were no lights on in the room; it was pitch black.
Li Zhiming turned his head as clear footsteps drifted in from outside.
Thanks to the innate traits of the dog demon, he possessed the ability to hear sounds from all directions.
"The footsteps of a single person. Not a Patrol Disciple."
"These footsteps feel somewhat familiar. Who could it be?" Li Zhiming wondered to himself.
Moments later, a figure slowly passed by in the outer corridor.
Hugging the stone wall of the hallway, crouching low, the person tiptoed forward.
"Wang Junfei?!"
At a single glance, Li Zhiming recognized who this sneaking figure was.
Yet Wang Junfei had been part of a trio; what on earth was he doing sneaking out alone this late at night?
Besides, the fellow's right hand had been crippled by him.
Once Wang Junfei had walked further away, Li Zhiming got up from the bed, came to the door, and poked his head out to watch Wang Junfei's back disappear into the dimly lit corridor.
"He's heading to the East District?"
Li Zhiming frowned, debating whether he should follow and take a look.
"Forget it. If this brat causes any trouble on the Second Level of Xuyuan, someone else will deal with him."
Adhering to the principle of avoiding unnecessary trouble, Li Zhiming returned to bed.
As long as Wang Junfei did not come looking for trouble with him, it was fine.
Besides, with that pitiful parlor-trick kung fu of his, what kind of waves could he possibly make on the Second Level?
Before long, Wang Junfei returned.
Li Zhiming concluded that this fellow was up to no good; who walks with such extreme caution, refusing to make even the slightest sound?
After Wang Junfei passed by, Li Zhiming once again came to the door and poked his head out to investigate.
"This faint fragrance mixed with a slight musky scent... is that vixen's smell?"
Li Zhiming caught a familiar odor.
"Could this Wang Junfei have gone to hook up with that vixen?"
"Yet the cells have dark-iron locks and triple sealing barriers; even sticking your backside out through the bars shouldn't make that possible, right?" Li Zhiming speculated.
"He's... going into the Patrol Disciple's room?!" Li Zhiming thought in astonishment.
In the dead of night, for Wang Junfei to dare sneak into a Patrol Disciple's room was practically courting death!
After a brief moment, Wang Junfei emerged once again.
He headed toward the East District.
"What the hell?!"
Confusion filled Li Zhiming's mind. What kind of strength did Wang Junfei possess to be able to sneak into a Patrol Disciple's room without being discovered? This was utterly bizarre!
Wang Junfei arrived at the East District.
Inside a cell, a charming woman dressed in a gown, exposing smooth, bare shoulders, looked outward.
Pink light flickered in her eyes, and a smile surfaced on her face.
This woman was none other than the vixen who had crossed paths with Li Zhiming during the day!
"That's right, just like that. Come quickly. Once you open the door, this humble servant will be able to properly serve you, young master. Tonight, let me take you flying up into the clouds!"
The vixen's tone was dripping with seduction.
Wang Junfei clutched a black key in his hand, his eyes glazed over and suffused with a faint pink glow. Clearly, he had lost his mind, his soul hooked and stolen by the vixen.
At this moment, Wang Junfei was nothing more than a puppet driven entirely at the vixen's whim.
Seeing Wang Junfei approach with a key in hand, the vixen was overcome with boundless excitement.
"The Mind-Bewitching Gu of our clan is truly effective. Combined with my seduction arts, not only can it control humans, but it can also stimulate their potential to the utmost degree."
"Too bad that stimulating potential with the Mind-Bewitching Gu consumes life essence. Once my charm arts fade, this dog-like man won't have many years left to live."
The vixen let out a soft sigh.
"Young master, don't rush."
Instead of having Wang Junfei open the door right away, the vixen fished a blood-red talisman from her waist.
"With my vital blood, swallow all spells!"
"Heavenly Fox Blood Talisman, break!"
The vixen bit the tip of her tongue, spitting a dollop of thick, vital blood directly onto the blood-red talisman in her hand.
A streak of scarlet rune-script drifted outward, emitting an eerie glow.
The next second, the rune burst apart, and profound energy scattered in all directions.
The cell's triple sealing barriers dissolved into nothingness in an instant!
Then they disintegrated into tiny specks of starlight and vanished.
"As expected of my clan's inherited secret technique, capable of easily shattering the barriers of this prison. It's just a pity that the preparation conditions are far too harsh, and using it consumes an immense amount of vital blood."
The vixen's face turned visibly pale, her aura wilting significantly compared to before.
"Young master, give me the key."
Taking the key, the vixen gently unlocked the dark-iron padlock.
As the door swung open, a surge of wild elation crossed her face.
A month ago, she had intentionally allowed herself to be captured by the people of the Zhenyuan Sect, waiting precisely for this moment.
Half her plan was already complete!
Gently pushing the door open, the vixen popped a pill into her mouth. Her aura slowly recovered, and her complexion improved greatly.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. When she opened them once again, a thick flash of killing intent cut through the air.
Her aura surged to the Rank Eight realm—specifically, Rank Eight Perfection!
"Young master, take me to your quarters."
"Let us stay in your room and make merry every single night!"
The vixen whispered softly into Wang Junfei's ear.
Instantly, Wang Junfei led the vixen into the residential quarters on the Second Level of Xuyuan.
She had observed the Second Level patrols for a month; every single day during this late-night window, the disciples rested, and no one patrolled.
Of course, this was not mere negligence, but rather because the Zhenyuan Sect disciples possessed one hundred percent confidence in their defensive measures.
Dark-iron locks and triple sealing barriers.
They did not even require disciples to patrol.
Yet who could have foreseen that while virtue grows one foot, the devil grows ten?
"Zhenyuan Sect, you will pay a devastating price for your blind self-confidence!"
The vixen muttered inwardly to herself.
Wang Junfei halted and pointed ahead, signaling to the vixen that this was the residential area.
"Very well, young master wait by the door. This servant will be right back!"
Murderous intent blazed in the vixen's eyes.
Today, she would seize this opportunity to slaughter every single patrol disciple on the Second Level!
Leaving them all to die silently in their sleep.
With a shift of her mind, her body transformed into a wisp of demonic Qi, slipping through the crack of the door into the first room.
Glancing at the man on the bed, the vixen was first stunned, and then overwhelmed with ecstasy.
The very first person she was going to kill was the man who had frustrated her charm arts during the day!
"Good, very good!"
"Dog-like man, daring to make me lose face—you won't live past tonight!"
A sharp dagger gleaming with a malevolent light materialized in the vixen's hand.
This dagger was no ordinary object; it was a Spirit Weapon.
Though of low grade, it was more than enough to pierce the defenses of a Rank Seven Martial Artist, let alone a Rank Eight!
Gripping the dagger tightly with an expression of intense excitement, she exerted a sudden burst of force, lunging straight toward the neck of Li Zhiming, who was deep in "sleep"!