The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

Ying Li followed behind Yin Huan, noticing the differences in the secret passage as they walked. The passage became increasingly remote, and after walking for an unknown amount of time, Ying Li looked up at her shoes and saw that her back ached, her legs were weak, and her shoes had worn a considerable hole, indicating that they had been walking for quite some time.

Yin Huan also sensed something was amiss. He took a few steps, threw all the moonstones in his arms onto the ground, and used his spiritual power to make them sparkle. Suddenly, the secret passage was as bright as day. Yin Huan and Ying Li exchanged a glance and then turned to look in all directions.

They were fine until they looked, and then they were both startled. Ahead of them was a deep, dark cave that seemed to stretch endlessly, while the winding path they had followed behind was gradually disappearing. Instead, the deep cave was growing larger and larger, as if it were about to swallow them up.

"Girl, I told you, that Yin Huan must have some unspeakable secret. This black hole in front of us is no good. If we accidentally get sucked in and can't get out, we don't know when we'll be able to get out of this place. You should quickly step back, maybe you can still run out. Once you're out, I'll lend you my power. Don't even mention one Yuan Zhongxue, even if ten Yuan Zhongxues come at you together, it won't be a problem. The best course of action now is to get out of here as soon as possible!"

The alluring man kept shouting loudly within the bone ring, in a voice only Ying Li could hear. Ying Li was also sweating profusely. She wanted to retreat, but the secret passage space kept twisting and turning, making it impossible for her to move.

"Ah Li, it seems we've stumbled into a forbidden area of ​​this manor's secret passage. Right now, its forbidden area's grand formation has been activated. If we leave now, I'm afraid not only will the entire manor be destroyed, but even our lives will be in danger." Yin Huan suddenly turned around and said in a panic, a rare look of fear on his face.

"A forbidden formation?" Ying Li's expression changed drastically, but before she could react, the deep black hole suddenly released a powerful attraction, causing Yin Huan and Ying Li to rush towards it. In an instant, the black hole sucked them in and they disappeared without a trace.

Meanwhile, Yuan Zhongxue and the others searched the entire manor, but still couldn't find Ying Li and Yin Huan.

"Miss, what should we do? It seems that girl and Yin Huan have already sneaked away. Otherwise, this manor is neither too big nor too small, how come we can't find a trace of those two?!"

"But we've surrounded the manor with layers upon layers of protection. They have no way to escape. Could it be that they've burrowed underground? They're not monsters, how could they know such a technique?!"

"Perhaps we haven't searched thoroughly enough. The two of them are probably hiding somewhere, trembling with fear. If we search for a few more days, we will surely find them."

"..."

Yuan Zhongxue listened to the group's rambling, none of them getting to the point, and felt extremely frustrated. Ying Li had killed her younger brother, and she was determined to kill her personally to avenge him. Otherwise, would such a little girl be worth her personal attention? But now, she had escaped right under her nose. Could it be that, as Long Aotian said, the little girl could burrow underground?! Wait, Yuan Zhongxue's expression softened. Burrow underground? Could there be some hidden secret about this manor?

She thought about it carefully. On the day Ying Li and Yin Huan were unusually quiet, she and her men heard a series of creaking sounds, and then the two disappeared. Yuan Zhongxue's body shot into the air, and looking at the layout of the manor, she indeed saw the Futang Hall in a small courtyard.

She darted toward the Buddha statue and observed it for a while before finally spotting a faint scratch behind it. Could someone have pushed the statue aside and then put it back in its original place? Yuan Zhongxue's mind raced, and she gently pushed the statue with her right hand. With a "click," the statue swayed and moved slowly, revealing a secret passage!

Yuan Zhongxue's face lit up with joy, and she immediately called for reinforcements, determined to trap Ying Li and Yin Huan inside. However, they searched for days and nights without success. Just when they thought they couldn't find Ying Li, a sinister and eerie vortex suddenly appeared at the entrance of the secret passage, pulling Yuan Zhongxue and the others down relentlessly! Finally, it sucked all one hundred or so people into the black vortex!

Yuan Zhongxue and the others' expressions changed. When they came to their senses, they found themselves deep inside the outer perimeter of an incredibly spacious cave entrance. Above the entrance was a giant bat statue, which was the mouth of the bat. Its fangs were long and thin, and its eyes were deep red. It was incredibly terrifying, as if entering that cave would mean entering the belly of a bat, with no way out.

"Miss, where is this place? Let's go back the way we came. I have a feeling there's something inexplicably scary about this place!"

"Yes, miss, so many people have died here. We must leave quickly, or it will be too late!"

"..."

"Damn it! It's just a secret passage, how can you be so cowardly? I want to see just how powerful this place is! Ying Li! Yin Huan! Come out here! If you have the guts, don't be cowards!" Yuan Zhongxue shouted recklessly, stepping on the pile of bones under her feet and looking at the deep cave entrance.

Silence reigned, and the place was deserted, yet a sense of oppression slowly crept in.

Yuan Zhongxue's expression changed drastically. She was filled with regret and gathered all her spiritual power to run away. However, as soon as she moved, swarms of bats flew in from the cave entrance and pounced on everyone in an instant, tearing at their flesh. Yuan Zhongxue and the others were splattered with blood on the spot, a gruesome sight! In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, more than a hundred people had turned into a pile of white bones, shattered on the ground. Strangely, these people did not release a single trace of spiritual power until they died.

On the other side, Ying Li and Yin Huan also stood outside an incredibly spacious cave entrance, surrounded by rows of white bones. A faint light flashed among the bones, telling of the suffering that had been endured here.

"Where is this place? It looks terrifying." Yingli felt uncertain. She had never seen such a gloomy place before, as if even the air itself spoke of chill and desolation.

Yin Huan walked up to Ying Li, shielding him, and explained, "This villa was originally my mother's old home. I would come here to stay for a few days every year. The secret passage under this villa has been there since I was a child. It was built by my father to prevent my mother from getting into trouble. My mother said that as long as you follow the secret passage, you will find the exit, which is by a lake with flowing water. I have never been here before, but my father said that it is absolutely safe for my mother, so I brought you here."

Ying Li sensed a terrifying force lurking within, as if waiting for Yin Huan and himself to enter. It was as if even if they didn't enter, they were doomed, judging by the skeletons outside. And there must be even more skeletal remains inside.

“Girl, these skeletons were all top-tier cultivators in life. Such people died outside the cave before even entering, seemingly killed in one blow. There must be something extremely terrifying and powerful inside.” The alluring man’s voice was urgent, indicating that he also felt something was wrong. However, Ying Li sensed that the man was not afraid, but rather somewhat excited.

"Top-tier cultivators all died outside?" Ying Li felt uneasy. People even more powerful than her third uncle couldn't even get into the cave and all died outside. This was the first time she had ever heard of such a bizarre thing.

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she grabbed Yin Huan's arm and asked, "Brother Yin Huan, didn't your father clearly say that this secret passage is absolutely safe for your mother?"

When Yin Huan saw Ying Li ask the question, she thought for a moment and then nodded firmly, "That's right."

"Did your father say that your mother could find the exit by simply walking forward through this secret passage? And did he not say that anyone else besides your mother could also find the exit by walking through it?" Ying Li continued to ask. An answer in her mind was becoming clearer and clearer. As long as Yin Huan answered, there would definitely be an answer, whether it was yes or no.

Yin Huan grew suspicious, guessing that Ying Li must know something. He recalled his parents' words and cautiously continued, "Father only said that Mother would definitely find the exit, but never mentioned anyone else. Moreover, Father repeatedly emphasized that this secret passage was absolutely safe for Mother. If anything happened to the family, Mother must hide here and should not come out unless absolutely necessary." As he finished speaking, Yin Huan seemed to recall a painful memory; his beautiful eyes suddenly dimmed, and his voice was very low, requiring Ying Li to strain to hear him clearly. "But Mother didn't hide in the secret passage. Father was ambushed outside the manor. After entrusting me to the care of the clansmen, Mother went out to look for Father and never returned."

Ying Li's throat tightened with a soreness. Hearing this news, she could no longer remain calm. From a young age, she had never believed in vows of love or promises. The former seemed too pure—even her father had promised her grandfather he would return, yet he broke his promise and never came back. The latter seemed too uncertain—Dongfang Lin had told others he loved her every day, but after Ying Wuyou fell seriously ill and the Ying family began to decline, he changed his tune. For a long time, she didn't believe in either. But here in the secret passage of Huai'an, a foreign land, in front of the incredibly handsome and enigmatic Yin Huan, Ying Li believed in both.

She gently patted Yin Huan's back, her voice hoarse as she spoke, each word distinct: "This is a secret passage your father built specifically for your mother. The great array that you and I triggered was a formation your father set up for her. Those without spiritual power wouldn't be affected by it upon entering; they could still find their way out through the original passage. But for those of us with spiritual power, the array would automatically trigger, recognizing us as outsiders and drawing us into it, preventing us from seeing the path ahead. These people here are probably the ones who tried to harm your mother, but they were all stopped by your father's array. If your mother hadn't gone out to find you and your father herself, she probably wouldn't have met such a tragic end. Brother Yin Huan, this is a spirit-disappearing array, a life-or-death array your father set up for your mother. I think your father probably hasn't returned. After setting up this array, he consumed most of his cultivation. No matter how much cultivation he had, it would be useless against external enemies."

At this moment, Ying Li no longer wanted to explore Yin Huan's background. She didn't want to know anything about what kind of family Yin Huan came from. At this moment, she felt suffocated and just wanted to spend some time alone with Yin Huan.

Yin Huan's face darkened, and he abruptly lowered his head. He let out a long breath. Ying Li couldn't see his expression, but she heard him chuckle softly, his voice like ice and snow frozen for ten thousand years, "Heh! So... that's how it is."