Chapter 1581 - 457: Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law—(6k)

These past days, every time the cell door opened, it meant someone else was being taken out, and then subjected to various brutal punishments, only to return covered in wounds.

Some had their sinews drawn and bones peeled, some had their souls refined and spirits scorched, and some were even used as experiment subjects, suffering fates worse than death.

But so what?

From the moment they decided to avenge the Shen Family’s grievances, they had anticipated this day.

One must have something worth protecting with their life in this world.

The honor of the family, the continuation of the bloodline, and that grudge carved into the bone—these were all more important than a miserable survival.

"Kill me if you will!" roared a middle-aged man whose face was covered in blood, his voice hoarse. "We, the sons of the Shen Family, would rather die standing than live kneeling!"

"Yes! If you have the guts, give us a swift end!" Others joined in, their voices weak but filled with a fearless determination.

Zhou Qing’s gaze swept across these emaciated members of the Shen Family, his brows knitted tightly.

He sighed softly and raised his right hand. Numerous tiny lights of spiritual power flew out like fireflies, merging into each person’s body.

"This is..." The middle-aged man suddenly widened his eyes, feeling a warm current moving within, slowly healing his previously severed meridians.

Others also showed expressions of disbelief.

Some tried to move their fingers, others struggled to move their legs. Though their actions were still labored, they were indeed more agile than before.

"Those who can move, hurry and leave." Zhou Qing’s voice was a bit hoarse. "The Xiao Family has been destroyed..."

He paused, not continuing.

The dungeon fell into a brief silence, followed by a repressed sobbing sound.

The middle-aged man was the first to react. He struggled to kneel upright, heavily kowtowing three times: "The Shen Family will never forget your great kindness!"

Others also began to kneel, some weeping for joy, others wailing to the sky, and still others holding their heads and crying bitterly.

The years of accumulated humiliation and pain were finally unleashed in this moment.

Amid the chaotic gratitude, the sound of dragging chains suddenly came from the deepest part of the dungeon.

A figure, so emaciated it was barely human, staggered out.

His left leg was severed at the knee, supported only by a wooden stick, and his right eye was nothing but a bloody hollow, with his exposed skin covered in hideous scars.

"You... you are..." His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, but his remaining eye stared fixedly at Zhou Qing, "Brother-in-law? No... Senior Zhou?"

Zhou Qing’s body trembled as he turned sharply to look.

When he saw that mutilated face, his pupils contracted suddenly,

"You know me?" Zhou Qing asked in a deep voice.

The man nodded repeatedly, but cautiously asked, "Before this junior answers the senior’s question, may I ask a question first?"

Zhou Qing’s eyes focused slightly, "Go ahead."

The man took a deep breath, as if the question was extremely important to him: "The fourth son of the Shen Family, Shen Yunzhou, utilized the ruins of which sect to break through to Great Perfection from the Late Stage of the Divinity Transformation Realm?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing’s eyes flashed with a peculiar light.

Looking into the other’s expectant eyes, he had already guessed something, and slowly said, "In the Eastern Domain, the Corpse Yin Sect!"

Because of the corpse water there and the planning of the Phecda Sect, even the Sect Leader of the Golden Thunder Sect, Lei Wuji, turned into that inhuman and ghostly form.

Not to mention, they annihilated several sects, using the massive amount of corpse energy and stench to help Shen Yunzhou break through to Great Perfection at once.

This matter was known to hardly anyone except himself and people from the Taiqing Sect.

Hearing this answer, the man burst into tears of excitement.

His only leg knelt down with a "thud", his voice choked: "Young Master Yun was right, you would definitely escape from here alive!"

Zhou Qing’s figure flickered, appearing in front of him in an instant, and helped him up: "Young Master Yun? Shen Yunzhou?"

The man nodded repeatedly, wiping the tears from his lone eye with a dirty sleeve: "My name is Shen Hai, and for the past two years, I’ve been following Young Master Yun in revenge, specifically targeting the various mines of the Liu Family."

"In our occasional chats, Young Master Yun talked about you the most, and he admires Senior Zhou’s deeds greatly."

"Half a year ago, we fell into a carefully laid trap by the enemy. We struggled to escape, and Young Master Yun was seriously injured as a result. Afterward, people from the Xiao Family joined forces with the Liu Family and pursued us....."

Shen Hai’s voice lowered, "To prevent the badly injured Young Master Yun from being discovered, I deliberately exposed my whereabouts to lead them away."

As he spoke, a hint of determination flashed in Shen Hai’s only eye: "In these six months, they tortured me in countless ways and performed multiple Soul Searches just to extract Young Master Yun’s whereabouts."

"But they can dream on! I have completely sealed all memories related to this matter!"

Looking at this stubborn man covered with scars yet still unyielding, Zhou Qing felt an unprecedented admiration and emotion well up inside him.

He patted Shen Hai’s shoulder and said in a deep voice: "Take me to find him!"

"Okay!" Shen Hai nodded heavily, his eyes filled with excitement.

Then, Zhou Qing turned to look at the other members of the Shen Family, his voice low and powerful: "Let’s go!"

...

Three days later!

Two streaks of light quietly sliced through the sky, landing silently in a desolate mountain range.

This place was less than a hundred miles from an important mine of the Liu Family.

At this moment, Shen Hai bent his body, his remaining eye flickering with nervousness and anticipation.

His coarse fingers trembled slightly, pointing to the distant peak shrouded in mist, his voice extremely low: "It’s there."

Zhou Qing followed his direction and looked, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Those people from the Liu Family probably never imagined that the Shen Yunzhou they were hunting was hiding right under their noses, near their very own mine.