Power… so much… power…
Xu Lu took in a deep breath as she felt the flesh on her back wriggle and squirm as if something was itching to burst out of her skin.
She touched the golden thread in front of her and memories entered her mind.
She saw a handsome young man lightly teasing a group of female disciples with harmless pranks, then an older version of the man stealing cultivation techniques from an unknown library and a few other scenes.
Guilty…
Thievery… laziness… greed…
No… he never hurt anyone…
Xu Lu frowned as she felt a massive headache pound away at her mind. The mysterious man in the cell next to hers was not a saint but he was not deserving of death.
She stepped forward and the man lifted up his head.
His expression morphed to one of shock as he saw the self-proclaimed saintess of the Holy Sword Sect tear the iron bars apart.
"How? How did you?" the mysterious prisoner stuttered in disbelief as Xu Lu stepped inside the cell and pulled him out.
Xu Lu was able to get a better look at the prisoner as she brought him out of the cell and the light from the nearby torches illuminated his body.
He appeared to be in his early thirties with extremely pale and clammy skin after many years without sunlight.
His body was incredibly skinny, and his ribs were visible. He looked sickly as though a strong gust of wind would be enough to blow him over.
"Anyone else you want me to break out before we flee?" Xu Lu asked solemnly as she furrowed her brows tightly.
She had to resist.
There was a never-ending scream in her mind to kill everyone in this place. All sinners deserved death…
No matter how small the sin.
"Err… maybe Cai Mei…" the man replied as he pointed at a cell located a few dozen meters away.
Xu Lu nodded and walked over to the cell which was directly under a flickering torch so she could see the prisoner trapped inside.
"Oh… hey cutie," a seductive purr came from the cell.
"My… my… you are an interesting one, aren't you? I really didn't think it was possible to break out of this place…"
"Ohh… and those eyes… I just want to… pluck them out…"
"I always loved gold…"
The female prisoner inside the cell wore a tattered robe that had been purposefully cut to reveal her very voluptuous figure.
Two furry foxlike ears jutted out from the sides of her head and when she smiled, she revealed a row of sharp fangs.
Xu Lu touched the golden thread that flowed into the cell and a wave of memories entered her mind.
This person… she was dangerous.
She was a killer but… she hunted cultivators and not mortals. She used to be the protector of a group of spiritual foxes with the power to change into human forms.
The saintess blinked twice and could feel her newfound power slowly begin to fade. She needed to make a decision quickly before it vanished.
Xu Lu gritted her teeth and then swung her fists against the iron bars. The metal crumpled and created a narrow person-sized gap.
"Darling!" the female prisoner jumped out of the cell and attempted to fling her body against Xu Lu's.
The saintess dodged out of the way and shot her a stern warning look which the female prisoner laughed at.
Then she turned her attention to the man who looked at her with a thin smile that barely made his lips curve upwards.
"Jun Yang… shall we escape this place with our new 'friend'?" Cai Mei playfully asked before approaching the male prisoner and wrapping her arms around his.
"Well… we shall see…" Jun Yang replied thoughtfully.
Xu Lu staggered, and her eyes lost their golden luster. She felt weak as though a thousand-pound weight had been placed on her body.
"We need to move now," she spoke slowly as the headache affecting her got worse with every passing second.
"Sure… but let me have a little bit of fun while we run!" Cai Mei giggled softly as she cupped her hands around her lips and ran forward.
"HEY EVERYONE! WE ARE FREE! THE SAINTESS FREED US!!"
"What is she… is she mad?" Xu Lu spat out in shock as she watched the foxlike beauty run from cell to cell and taunt the prisoners inside.
Soon there was complete chaos inside the underground prison complex.
More prisoners realised that people had actually left their cells and soon began to beg and plead for help.
"Please let me out! I'll do anything I'll be your slave!"
"I'm begging you… I can't take it in here!"
"Please! PLEASE YOU HAVE TO GET ME OUT THIS SHITHOLE! I'M LOSING MY MIND!"
"She is a little bit crazy…" Jun Yang replied with a light sigh as he walked forward towards the exit.
"But who wouldn't go mad if they were trapped in this place for centuries… honestly, I'm surprised she still retains this level of sanity."
Xu Lu nodded in understanding and then followed behind.
Maybe it was because she was here only recently, but she could feel her spiritual energy slowly start to refill.
The unicorn trapped inside her dantian neighed happily.
The saintess curled up her fingers into a tight fist as she stopped herself from looking at the prisoners banging their faces, heads, and hands against the thick iron bars.
She could not help them.
She needed to save her energy for dealing with the guards outside of the prison. Cai Mei slowed down her pace and waited until Xu Lu and her companion caught up with her.
"Ahh… don't you love the chaos?" Cai Mei grinned, and her pointed teeth shone under the torchlight.
"Why did you do that? Now anyone coming to visit here will know that we escaped," Xu Lu berated her sternly.
"They'll find out either way… but this way… we get to blame it all on you!" Cai Mei giggled softly as she leaned forward and tried to kiss Xu Lu's cheek.
The saintess pushed her face away but the foxy woman did not seem bothered by the rejection of her advances.
"Nah I'm just teasing you pretty girl," Cai Mei's voice changed from a lighthearted tone to a more serious one.
"Trust me when I say each prisoner will have a different version of events by the end of the day… anyone trying to investigate what really happened here is in for a rough time."
"Everyone in this place is a bit…"
Cai Mei placed a finger near her temples and swirled it around while making a cooing sound. Xu Lu had to resist the urge to tell her that she did not sound that sane herself.
Instead, she simply closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and continued walking along the long and winding underground tunnel towards the surface.
Maybe it was sheer hubris or confidence in the strength of their cells but there were no traps or checkpoints on their way back to the surface.
The journey itself was fairly uneventful save for the small talk between Jun Yang and Cai Mei who were both incredibly grateful to be out of their cells.
Xu Lu's footsteps paused as the passageway finally ended in a dead end. Something large was blocking the entranceway.
A massive boulder over thirty feet in height and forty feet in width. On the other side of the rock… was freedom.
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