Chapter Twenty-Two: Cruelty

On the outskirts of the forest, harrowing screams echoed from within, sending chills down the spines of everyone present. None dared to peer inside to see what was transpiring.

Situh Haonan slumped despondently to the ground, numb to the sound of his son's agonized cries. His vacant eyes stared at the forest before him, nearly bereft of hope. An invisible barrier separated him from his son, impenetrable not only to mortals but even to immortal senses.

Behind Bai Wan stood dozens of immortals, all silent, unmoving. As a First Rank Golden Immortal and deputy city lord, he had always been a lofty figure. Yet now, a single barrier—its creator unknown—had sealed him completely outside, and even Situh Haonan's prized superior immortal sword had been shattered to dust by its force.

The helpless expression on Situh Haonan's face was etched deeply into the minds of all who saw him.

No longer did he resemble a powerful Golden Immortal; he was no different from a helpless old man.

Bai Wan walked quietly to Situh Haonan, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Haonan, don't lose hope just yet. Let me try."

Situh Haonan looked up suddenly, a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, but it faded as quickly as it appeared, and his gaze dropped back to despair.

"Brother, don't bother," he sighed. "I was too hasty before. I know I can't even shake that barrier. You're only one rank above me; breaking it is impossible."

"Haonan..." Bai Wan began, but Situh Haonan cut him off. "Brother, I realized earlier—the master inside must be above Sixth Rank Golden Immortal. Even if all the immortals and cultivators of Lotus City joined forces, they'd stand no chance. A Sixth Rank Golden Immortal... Even our Sect would hesitate to offend such a being for the sake of Jian'er. As for Jian'er, he can only blame his ill fate."

Bai Wan smiled gently. "Haonan, everything is worth trying. I haven't tried yet—how can you be sure?" With that, Bai Wan flickered forward to the spot where Situh Haonan had just destroyed the superior immortal sword.

He glanced at the sword dust, inwardly astonished. A barrier capable of destroying a superior immortal sword—could a Sixth Rank Golden Immortal wield such power?

"Brother..." Situh Haonan called from behind. When Bai Wan turned, he swallowed everything he had meant to say, only softly muttering, "Be careful."

Bai Wan smiled and nodded, extending a hand to cautiously touch the barrier.

To his surprise, there was no resistance at all; his hand slipped past the boundary without effort.

Situh Haonan, who had been watching Bai Wan intently, saw this with shock. The barrier he had fought so desperately against was dispelled by a mere touch from his brother.

Bai Wan, however, was not so cavalier. "Could the barrier have shifted inward?" He stepped forward to investigate further, but a rush of wind beside him signaled Situh Haonan charging in.

"Haonan!" Bai Wan cried, hurrying after him. Indeed, this time, neither of them encountered the slightest hindrance.

The remaining immortals, all of varying ranks, stared wide-eyed, unsure what to do.

"Should we... go in as well?" a Seventh Rank Celestial Immortal hesitated.

"No... It's too terrifying. Death isn't the concern, but the screams just now from Situh Jian..." The Sixth Rank Celestial Immortal shuddered at the recollection.

Within the forest, Qin Shuang watched coldly as Situh Jian, reduced to a wretched state, writhed in pain.

"How does it feel?" Qin Shuang sneered. "Did you ever consider your fate when you murdered my brothers?"

Situh Jian gasped for breath. The pressure Qin Shuang exerted had lessened, but the physical agony only intensified.

"Kill... kill me... I beg you..." Situh Jian's face was unrecognizable, his voice trembling as he pleaded with Qin Shuang.

He was not begging for mercy, but for death.

"No rush. I have plenty of time. Besides... I've let your rescuers in." No sooner had Qin Shuang finished speaking than Situh Haonan and Bai Wan burst in. Yet as they approached within a meter of Situh Jian, they both halted abruptly, unable to move further. Worse, they realized with horror that they had lost all control over their bodies, forced to stand helplessly and witness Situh Jian's pitiful state.

"Eighty-nine wounds..." With a single glance, Situh Haonan counted them precisely. His son had been tortured beyond recognition, his body riddled with eighty-nine bloody holes. Never, in Bai Wan's experience as a Second Rank Golden Immortal, had a cultivator been so cruelly abused.

"Fat