"That's none of my business. If that's the case, you can only blame your bad luck."

Jia Fang laughed heartily, clearly delighted that these people would remain as punching bags for his puppets, wishing that their last companion wouldn't show up at all.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qing nearly burst into tears, while the faces of the others were equally grim.

After all, Jia Fang's meaning was very clear: if they couldn't gather all the people who entered the cave together and take enough beatings until Jia Fang was satisfied, then they would be left in this hellish place forever, enduring this twisted routine of being beaten for half an hour every incense stick.

It was too perverse; just thinking about it made them feel utterly hopeless!

"If I had known, I wouldn't have sent Linlin a message."

Zheng He wore a pained expression, feeling deeply conflicted and troubled. On one hand, he naturally hoped that Zhang Yiyi was safe and sound because only in that case could they gather together and have a glimmer of hope that Jia Fang would let them go after he was satisfied with torturing them.

On the other hand, he feared that if Zhang Yiyi came, she would have to endure the same suffering with them for an indefinite period, while Jia Fang, the pervert, might not keep his word and might not actually let them go...

"Stop mumbling! Do you think sending messages is the key? The important thing is to hope your companion is still alive and won't run away on their own, disregarding your lives. Otherwise, I stand by my word—I won't let you go, hahahaha!"

Looking at the battered and bruised little guys, Jia Fang laughed even more joyfully.

Fine, once their last companion arrives, he would let them experience the upgraded version of the puppet warriors. He would make them regret coming to his territory to cause trouble.

Hmph, even though he had ascended, this was still the only home he shared with Su Xin. Other caves could be ignored, but this place couldn't be desecrated by these clueless juniors.

"Time for a break is over; the trial continues!"

With that, Jia Fang declared, and Zheng He and the others began yet another round of their devilish ordeal, being mercilessly beaten.

When Zhang Yiyi followed the method left on the communication talisman by Zheng He and re-entered the lotus pool, only to be swept away by the powerful dark current to where Zheng He and the others were, she was truly taken aback by the scene before her.

"What are you... doing?"

Honestly, Zhang Yiyi struggled to recognize the beaten-up figures who were getting thrashed by the two puppets. Fortunately, she could somewhat identify them from their general clothing and appearance, or else her first instinct would have been to turn around and run.

"Oh, it seems you're lucky; the last companion finally arrived!"

Jia Fang noticed Zhang Yiyi the moment she stepped in, but he hadn't expected her to be such a young girl. However, this girl was far more capable than the previous juniors.

The lotus pool's dark current was so ferocious that even the late-stage Golden Core junior had fainted for a while upon being swept in. Yet this girl seemed to remain alert throughout her journey.

Uh, it seemed she had deliberately adjusted her bone age and lowered her cultivation a bit. At just nineteen, she was solidly at the mid-foundation establishment stage, and yet she had only three spiritual roots?

Something didn't seem right. This girl's physical constitution felt like it had been deliberately concealed and modified. The ancient jade she carried was indeed a significant treasure, so much so that he couldn't completely see through it.

Jia Fang mused that since he was just a fragment of consciousness now, his main self would have no trouble seeing through a mere piece of ancient jade.

But why did that piece of jade seem increasingly familiar?

Just as his consciousness struggled to remember where he had seen that jade before, Zhang Yiyi stepped into the fighting area and swiftly pulled Zheng He, who was on the brink of losing his teeth from the beating, behind her.

The spiritual energy in this area was clearly sealed, rendering everyone as mere flesh and blood. They could only engage the puppets, which were tireless, pain-resistant, and unafraid of injury, in a bare-handed struggle.

Zhang Yiyi inwardly clicked her tongue, recognizing the familiar feeling, familiar formula, and familiar combat style!

Having grown accustomed to this kind of fighting style during the trials in the Luoxian River Mystic Realm, Zhang Yiyi found herself in her element.

With her cultivation advanced to the mid-foundation establishment stage, her physical capabilities were enhanced further than before, and her application of techniques displayed astonishing power and value.

"Linlin, don't fight them head-on. Just hold on for another quarter of an hour, and the fighting time will be over."

Zheng He couldn't afford to explain more and quickly indicated how Zhang Yiyi, appearing like a celestial being who came to save them, could conserve energy and minimize injury.

The others, seeing Zhang Yiyi not only arrive but adapt surprisingly well to this no-spiritual-energy combat style, felt a wave of excitement as if they had finally seen a glimmer of light in the darkness.

"Got it!"

Zhang Yiyi understood half of what he said but didn't let that stop her from following Zheng He's advice and starting to delay the fight with one of the puppets.

With Zhang Yiyi holding one puppet at bay, the remaining group only needed to work together against the other puppet, significantly easing the pressure and reducing the frequency of beatings.

"Hey, this girl is actually a body cultivator?"

Jia Fang's consciousness murmured to himself as he observed.

His attention was almost entirely on Zhang Yiyi, and the more he looked, the more astonished he became.

Wow, she was no ordinary body cultivator. The techniques she used were remarkably fierce and powerful, with purification effects better than any cultivator he had ever seen.

It was no wonder she could restrain a puppet all by herself; how had he never encountered such an outstanding talent before he ascended?

Thanks to Zhang Yiyi's unexpected entry, Zheng He and the others felt the quarter-hour pass more swiftly than ever.

Once this round ended and their internal spiritual energy was restored, they finally had the energy to greet Zhang Yiyi.

"Brother Zheng, what on earth is going on here?"

Zhang Yiyi nodded to each of them and noticed their practiced manner of healing, which led her to guess that they had endured plenty of beatings like before.

As for the fragment of consciousness, she felt it as soon as she entered. Fortunately, that consciousness harbored no genuine intent to kill, which was why she didn't feel overly worried.