This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

Lin Dan could see in the dark without the need for a torch, so she had already taken in the surroundings. Rather than calling this place a dungeon, it would be more accurate to describe it as a livestock farm, with the pregnant women as the livestock being bred. All of them had been force-fed a muscle-weakening drug, rendering their bodies powerless. They could only cry or scream to vent their pain, unable to even end their own lives.

These women had clearly suffered much abuse. Their clothes were tattered and a quick glance revealed that most of them were pregnant. A group of guards dressed in black patrolled the dungeon, marking the women’s bellies with labels indicating the months, treating them like mere goods.

The horrific scene before her was a stark contrast to the bustling prosperity outside, a hell on earth.

Lin Dan withdrew her gaze and looked at her empty hand, where the Asura Blade should have rested. But now, it was gone, taken away by these guards. As it was an extension of herself, Lin Dan could clearly sense the Asura Blade’s presence. It was still there, not far away.

“What do you people want? Where is my master? What have you done with him?” He Yufei rushed to the cell door and questioned.

One of the men laughed and replied, “Your master has smooth, fair skin and a handsome face, so our city lord has taken a liking to him. He’ll be living a comfortable life, better than ours. You just stay here and give us children. Here, take this fertility pill and make us happy.”

“What kind of cursed thing is that?!” He Yufei tried to swat the pill away, but she found her limbs growing weaker, utterly devoid of strength. Only then did she realize that the candles on the walls were emitting a strange fragrance that masked the heavy scent of blood. It was likely a muscle-weakening drug as well.

Seeing that she had finally collapsed, and noticing that Lin Dan had remained slumped against the wall the entire time, showing no signs of struggle, a few guards opened the cell door and entered. Pointing at He Yufei, one of them said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a pretty livestock. Let’s start with her.”

“That one’s not bad either.” Another guard pointed at Lin Dan.

Although Lin Dan’s appearance couldn’t compare to He Yufei’s, she was still strikingly beautiful. Her face was now deathly pale, but her lips were a vivid blood-red, giving her an eerie allure. She had been sitting in the shadows dressed in black, which made her inconspicuous. But now, under the light, she was like a firefly in the night, impossible to ignore.

The leader of the guards glanced at her and then at He Yufei, hesitating. “I heard from Zhou Er that that one entered the city covered in blood and wielding a steel blade. She might be a tough one.”

“No matter how tough, after taking our power-dissolving powder and inhaling our muscle-softening incense, even a half-step grandmaster would fall. I enjoy breaking tough ones like her, it’s more exciting!”

“Alright then, feed her the fertility pill and we’ll take our time with her.” The leader’s words were barely out when a piercing scream echoed from a nearby cage. Suddenly, all the women became agitated, crying and shouting as if they were in hell.

“One of the livestock is about to give birth. Get them out of her quick!” The group immediately rushed out of the cage, forgetting even to close the door behind them.

He Yufei’s eyes lit up, but she found that she couldn’t even move a finger, let alone escape. She turned her head with great difficulty, staring intently at the open cell door, her heart filled with unwillingness and rage. But soon, the horrific scene before her made her forget her anger, leaving only deep-seated terror.

She watched as the guards tied a heavily pregnant woman to a torture rack and began pressing down on her abdomen with sticks. Blood spurted out, and they caught it in a basin below. Then, with a loud splash, a tiny infant dropped out, its limbs twitching slightly, but its mouth and nose were blocked by amniotic fluid, preventing it from crying out. The soldiers paid no attention to whether the infant lived or died, continuing to press on the woman’s abdomen with sticks. With several more dull thuds, three or four more infants fell into the bloody basin, still attached by their long umbilical cords.

“Is there more?” The leader asked.

“There should be.” One of them replied.

They continued to press on the woman’s abdomen, ignoring her screams and the blood that soaked the floor. After two-quarters of an hour, the woman had fallen unconscious. Blood flowed from her in streams and her breath grew weaker. But the guards didn’t care whether she lived or died. They only probed her belly to ensure no more infants remained inside. Only then did they use a hook to pull out the placenta, carrying it away and the basin of blood together.

He Yufei watched in horror and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. Her heart was gripped by an overwhelming fear. Only now did she understand why these guards referred to the women as livestock. They were imprisoned solely to produce babies, no different from hens laying eggs. And thinking further, perhaps those babies were treated like eggs, eaten by these guards!

He Yufei was terrified by her own imagination, turning her head to retch repeatedly. After vomiting, she silently shed tears. It was too tragic. These women were truly too pitiful! They were drugged, tortured, and violated, and when the last bit of their vitality was completely drained, they were discarded like garbage. This was no dungeon. This was hell, and those guards in black were the devils!

As she cried, the woman’s corpse was indeed dragged away and discarded. Faint voices reached He Yufei’s ears, “How many times has this one given birth?”

“Twice.”

“Only twice and she’s dead? Truly useless. We’ll have to find livestock with stronger bodies in the future, preferably those who have practiced martial arts.”

“Two new ones had arrived today. Later, you go mate with them. In seven months, they should give birth……”

The conversation gradually faded, but those horrifying words scared He Yu Fei even more. She cried so hard that she was gasping for breath, her face covered in snot and tears. She knew that soon, her fate would be the same as these women, but she had no way to escape. She was now nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

“Master, where are you? Please come save me!” In her despair, Bai Yan was her only hope.

But Bai Yan never came. Instead, the guards, having disposed of the corpse, entered, grinning wickedly as they approached the cell. They forced a fertility pill into He Yufei’s mouth and then began to remove their pants. Meanwhile, two other guards advanced toward Lin Dan. Just as they were about to seize her jaw to force her to swallow the pill, they suddenly felt a sharp pain in their chests. Looking down, they saw the pale hand that had pierced into their hearts slowly withdrawing, splattering blood all over the ground.

“H-how did you……” Before they could finish speaking, Lin Dan gently pushed away their stiffening corpses. She walked to He Yufei’s side and with a single palm strike, killed the man who was about to assault her. The strike was filled with violent energy, instantly shattering the internal organs of these men. Though they appeared to die silently, their bones and flesh had actually dissolved, and their bodies were slowly caving in like deflated bags.

He Yufei stared at Lin Dan in shock, unable to believe what she was seeing. “You…… you’re not drugged?”

Lin Dan did not answer and turned to leave. Her body was filled with life and death energy, rendering the world’s most potent poisons useless against her.

“Lin Dan—, Left Protector, I beg you, please save me and my master!” He Yufei cried out anxiously.

But Lin Dan ignored her and continued to walk forward. With each step, she struck out, extinguishing the burning candles on the walls and shattering the locks on the cell doors. She reached an air vent, gathered her strength, and with a push of her palm, created a half-zhang^[1]a measure of length equal to 3.3 meters wide hole. Beams of light shone through, bringing fresh air, but the loud noise also attracted the nearby guards.

Without stopping, Lin Dan walked out, leaving behind He Yufei’s desperate and angry cries. She knew Lin Dan was heartless, but she hadn’t expected her to be so ruthless. There were so many pitiful women there yet Lin Dan didn’t even throw them a glance as she left. Was she not a woman herself? Did she have no sympathy at all?

Following her instincts, Lin Dan made her way to a hidden chamber. With a single palm strike, she opened the door made of bricks and stones and walked in unimpeded. It was an armory filled with swords, spears, and halberds, and her Asura Blade lay quietly in the corner. Sensing its master’s presence, the blade trembled imperceptibly, a faint glow of blood flashing across its edge before quickly disappearing.

“Let’s go.” Lin Dan said, spreading her five fingers as she summoned the blade into her palm. Just as she turned her head, she saw Bai Yan standing at the other end of the dark dungeon, silently watching her.

His white robes billowed, his appearance strikingly beautiful. Even in the pitch-black dungeon, he shone like a bright moon, full of radiant light. But Lin Dan merely cast him a cold glance before continuing her ascent to the surface. Anyone who blocked her path was swiftly and efficiently dealt with by a single slash of her blade. They couldn’t withstand even a half-move against her. Almost the moment they confronted her, they lost their lives. As a result, Lin Dan encountered hardly any resistance as she made her way out, leaving behind only a trail of blood.

What should have been a scene of horrific carnage— one that Bai Yan typically despised— didn’t evoke any disgust in him. Instead, he followed Lin Dan step by step. These people were wicked, and even if Lin Dan hadn’t acted, he would have dealt with them himself. But he had been a step too slow. By the time he reached the surface, there wasn’t a single living soul in sight. All that remained were the corpses of the black-clothed guards, each split in half by a single strike. Lin Dan’s methods were always simple. If someone could be killed with one blow, she would never waste the effort to deliver a second. In just a short quarter-hour, she had slaughtered all the guards in the dungeon without even alerting the others in the nearby dungeons.

Her figure was ethereal as she moved swiftly, like a shadow chasing the light. Unnoticed, she infiltrated the largest dungeon, following the strongest scent of blood into a secret chamber. She leaped onto the stone-beamed ceiling, lying flat to observe quietly. Bai Yan, whose martial arts surpassed hers, also entered silently, standing on the beam opposite hers.

Lin Dan focused intently on the activity below, while Bai Yan’s deep gaze remained on her. There was no doubt that the recent slaughter had brought Lin Dan immense satisfaction. As a result, her usually pale face was tinged with two patches of red and the cold light in her eyes had taken on a hint of brilliance. This version of her felt unfamiliar to Bai Yan and it stirred a sense of unease within him.

Once someone tasted the thrill of wanton killing, it would be hard to turn back. He didn’t want Lin Dan to walk down that irreversible path, yet he couldn’t help but wonder how long she could maintain her clarity.