Nice to meet you

On the night the Grand Competition ended, the stone walls of the abandoned dungeon in the back mountain seeped with a chilling cold. The damp air was mixed with the smell of rust and mildew.

Law Enforcement Hall Elder Wang Daolong leaned against the corner, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the moss in the stone crevices.

He had been locked up for many days. The surrounding confinement array shimmered with a faint light, so dense that even his spiritual sense could not penetrate it in the slightest.

Liu Xian, a deacon of the Pill Cauldron Peak, huddled on the opposite side, his expression tense.

Outer Sect Instructor Zhang Meng paced back and forth, the worn holes in the soles of his boots stained with mud.

When the three were captured, the commotion was minimal. Even if they screamed their throats hoarse, no one answered. The faint blue glow of the array's light curtain acted like a death warrant, trapping them completely.

Since being brought here, a black-robed figure would come every day without saying a word, deliberately targeting their painful spots to beat the three of them up before swaggering off.

Although the three did not know why they were captured, each harbored their own thoughts and still held onto a bit of wishful thinking.

At this moment, hearing the sound of the door opening at the dungeon's entrance, their hearts all tightened.

This sound was different from the muffled noises of the black-robed person's daily visits; it sounded more like someone had specifically deactivated the outer restrictions.

The humming tremor of the array patterns transmitted through the stone walls, causing their already taut nerves to instantly knot up.

Liu Xian subconsciously shrank back into the corner, Zhang Meng's pacing abruptly stopped, and even Wang Daolong's fingertips, which had been picking at the moss, froze in place.

The gazes of the three uniformly shot toward the tightly shut cell door, their breathing unconsciously growing lighter.

Bang!

A muffled thud came from above, and nine dark figures were thrown to the ground like sacks of potatoes, kicking up dust that made everyone cough.

Which son of a bitch ambushed me...

The first to curse out loud was a young man wearing outer sect attire. Rubbing his aching waist, he was just about to climb up when he looked up and met Wang Daolong's gloomy face.

The young man froze for a moment, then revealed a flattering smile.

Elder Wang? Why are you here too?

He looked left and right, and seeing that the surroundings were full of unfamiliar faces, he lowered his voice and leaned in closer.

Elder, is this some sort of surprise training? Or is there a new mission? I was just wondering why you suddenly went silent a few days ago...

Saying this, he rubbed his hands together.

But this time the commotion is quite big. With so many brothers here, are they all from our Burning Heaven Palace? I didn't expect we had so many brethren lurking within the Azure Profound Sect!

Wang Daolong's eyelids twitched violently. Before he had time to speak, a furious shout suddenly rang out from the side.

What, you are from the Burning Heaven Palace?

The speaker was an inner sect disciple from Pill Cauldron Peak, pointing at the young man.

Ah, aren't you from our Burning Heaven Palace?

Who's from your Burning Heaven Palace? Bullshit, I'm from the Myriad Law Pavilion!

Myriad Law Pavilion?

The young man jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Great! So you're a dog from the Myriad Law Pavilion! We still haven't settled the score for our Palace Master getting beaten up last time!

Heh, beating your Palace Master was doing you a favor...

Brothers, beat him to death!

While rushing at the other party, the young man didn't forget to call on the others to join the siege. Two other clueless Burning Heaven Palace spies followed closely behind.

Stop.

Seeing that they were about to start fighting.

Wang Daolong's voice was as cold as ice, cutting off the young man's words.

He leaned against the damp stone wall, looking at the young man's impulsive expression, his brows knitting into a tight knot.

The young man's face stiffened. He looked blankly at Wang Daolong and then glanced around.

The light in the dungeon was dim, and the array's light curtain gave off a faint blue glow, trapping everyone in the middle. Where was there even the slightest familiarity of one's own people?

E-Elder... he scratched his head. Then what is this...

Idiot.

Wang Daolong spat in exasperation.

Haven't you realized it yet? We've been caught. These people are probably spies from other sects.

Just as these words fell, Pill Cauldron Peak Deacon Liu Xian, who had been silent all this time, suddenly looked at a young boy dressed as a medicine boy in the corner.

Xiao Wu, aren't you the one in charge of drying herbs at my Pill Cauldron Peak? Why are you also...

The boy shrank his neck and mumbled timidly, Deacon Liu, I... I am from the Jade Pure Sect. I was sent here to go undercover three years ago...

Jade Pure Sect?

Liu Xian's mouth twitched. Your sect can't even scrape together a proper pill cauldron, and you're trying to play at sending undercover spies?

Xiao Wu stiffened his neck and retorted, That batch of Spirit Condensation Pills you ruined last time, it was only because I secretly swapped the medicinal ingredients that you weren't discovered...

What did you say?

Liu Xian's eyes widened like brass bells. So you were the one messing with that batch of pills?

Enough!

Zhang Meng suddenly shouted in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like a knife.

Now is not the time to talk about this!

Deacon Liu, which sect are you from? Now that everyone has been exposed, we are all grasshoppers tied to the same rope. There's no need to hide it anymore.

This old man is from the Myriad Law Pavilion.

Liu Xian said with some pride, as if being from the Myriad Law Pavilion made his status somewhat higher than the other sects.

And which sect are you from? Liu Xian asked in return.

I'm from the Array Breaking Sect, Zhang Meng replied.

At this time, the young man from the Burning Heaven Palace looked at an outer sect disciple. Which sect are you from?

The disciple froze for a moment. Seeing that he couldn't hide it, he simply stated directly, Array Breaking Sect, Zhao Kuiyi.

I am Sun Hao. The young man nodded, then looked at the medicine boy. And you?

Jade Pure Sect, Wu Xiaosan. The medicine boy answered in a low voice.

I'm from the Burning Heaven Palace, Lin Zhou, an inner sect disciple from Falling Glow Peak chimed in.

Heavenly Divination Sect, Qian Tong, a disciple from Quelling Mountain Peak in the corner spoke up.

...

For a time, responses rose and fell one after another inside the stone dungeon—

The crowd asked and answered, like they were introducing their family backgrounds, and the atmosphere inexplicably relaxed.

Sun Hao looked at the scene before him and couldn't help but click his tongue. I didn't expect so many fellow Daoists to be hidden within the Azure Profound Sect.

Zhao Kuiyi also laughed. Isn't that the truth? We usually hide on our own, but today we're all gathered together.

A pleasure to meet you all, Qian Tong cupped his hands and smiled at the crowd.

A pleasure, a pleasure, the others returned the greeting one after another.

Slap!

A crisp sound shattered this bizarre harmony.

Zhang Meng slapped the back of the Array Breaking Sect disciple's head, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

Pleasure my ass!

Zhang Meng glared at him angrily. We've all been locked up as damn prisoners, and you're here saying it's a pleasure? If you have this kind of free time, you'd better think about how to stay alive!

The Array Breaking Sect disciple clutched his head and said aggrievedly, I was just trying to lighten the mood...

Lighten my ass!

Wang Daolong also couldn't help but curse.

The Azure Profound Sect has rounded us all up in one fell swoop and specifically locked us together. It's obvious they don't plan on letting us out of here alive!

He looked at that Myriad Law Pavilion disciple, his gaze sharp.

Doesn't your Myriad Law Pavilion boast about being well-informed? Do you know how they plan to deal with us?

Just then, a slight noise suddenly came from the top of the stone dungeon.

The twelve people instantly fell silent, looking up vigilantly.

Outside the array's light curtain, two figures in green robes stood with their hands behind their backs. Moonlight spilled through a broken hole at the top of the dungeon and fell upon them. Their faces could not be seen clearly, but they exuded a coercion that made people's scalps tingle.

You're having quite a lively chat.

A clear voice echoed in the stone dungeon, carrying a hint of a half-smile.

Since you all hit it off so well, why don't you chat a little longer?

The expressions of all twelve individuals changed drastically at the same time, as a bone-piercing chill shot up from the soles of their feet straight to the crowns of their heads—

Here is the first chapter update; the second chapter will be updated at noon.