5: Chapter 5: The Forced Demand for Divine Skill Shocks the Heroic Couple; Xuanbing Island Controls Life and Death

He stood up and walked over to Yin Susu, looking down at her from above. "Now, I'm in a good mood, so I might consider letting you both go."

Yin Susu looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She looked at Lu Chen, unable to believe her ears. "Are... are you telling the truth?"

"Of course it's true." Lu Chen smiled, but there was something eerie about it. "However... I have a condition."

Yin Susu's heart instantly leaped into her throat. She knew Lu Chen wouldn't let them off so easily; there was surely a more sinister plan waiting for them.

"What condition?" Her voice trembled slightly.

"Cooperate with me and have Hero Zhang the Fifth write down the Pure Yang Boundless Art, Wudang Long Fist, and Wudang Sword Technique." Lu Chen looked up at the sky, feeling like a Devil King about to rule the world, ready to reign supreme.

Upon hearing this, Yin Susu's face turned deathly pale. She looked at Lu Chen, her eyes filled with fear and despair.

"You... don't even think about it!" Yin Susu gritted her teeth, forcing the words out of her throat. She knew she couldn't resist Lu Chen, but she didn't want him to have his way.

"Don't even think about it?" Lu Chen sneered. He walked up to Yin Susu and reached out, gently stroking her cheek. The movement was soft, yet it made Yin Susu feel a wave of revulsion. "Do you think you're in any position to tell me what to think?"

Yin Susu's body shook violently. She knew she had no room for resistance and could only let Lu Chen manipulate her. "What... what do you actually want?"

"My condition is simple. As long as you behave and listen, I won't hurt you." Lu Chen's voice was very soft, yet it carried a chilling frost, like the whisper of a demon from Hell. "I will have Zhang Cuishan personally write down the Wudang Sect's ultimate arts for me."

Having finished speaking, Lu Chen ignored Yin Susu's reaction. He stood up, walked over to Zhang Cuishan, used the leaf to scoop up some water from the stream, and brought it to Zhang Cuishan's cracked lips.

The cold water slid down Zhang Cuishan's throat. He coughed weakly, his brow furrowing tightly.

Seeing this, a faint, imperceptible smile curled at the corner of Lu Chen's mouth. He pressed his palm against Zhang Cuishan's back, and a gentle stream of Internal Energy was slowly infused into his body.

A moment later, Zhang Cuishan slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the blurred figure before him, his face filled with daze and confusion.

"Brother Zhang Wu, you're awake!"

Yin Susu's voice, tinged with a tremor, reached Zhang Cuishan's ears. He struggled to turn his head and saw Yin Susu's pale face and the fear hidden in her eyes; his heart sank abruptly.

Something was wrong!

Something was very wrong!

He struggled to get up, only to find that his hands and feet were firmly bound with thick hemp rope.

He tried to circulate his Internal Energy, but found his Dantian completely empty; he couldn't muster even a trace of Internal Energy!

What was going on?

Zhang Cuishan's heart jolted with alarm as he surveyed his surroundings once more.

What exactly was happening?

"Ah!" Zhang Cuishan wanted to ask, but found his throat so parched that he couldn't make a sound.

He looked at Lu Chen not far away, his eyes full of confusion and wariness. Who was this wild man? Why had he tied them up?

"This brother, who exactly are you?" Zhang Cuishan spoke with difficulty, his voice as raspy as sandpaper.

Lu Chen looked at Zhang Cuishan, a playful smile curling his lips. He stood up, walked over to Zhang Cuishan, and looked down at him as if looking at a trapped beast.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lu Chen, and this is my private domain, Mystic Ice Island!" Lu Chen's tone was flat, but his words carried an unquestionable authority.

"Mystic Ice Island?" Zhang Cuishan's brow furrowed; he had never heard of this name.

"What are your Wudang Sect and Heavenly Eagle Sect plotting? How dare you trespass into the Forbidden Ground of my Xiaoyao Sect?" Lu Chen's tone suddenly turned icy.

Dangerous light flickered in his eyes as he positioned himself as the victim, as if Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu were the intruders.

Zhang Cuishan looked at the man before him, his confusion deepening. He felt that this person was definitely not simple.

"We... how do you know I am of the Wudang Sect..." Zhang Cuishan started to explain but was interrupted by Lu Chen.

"My Xiaoyao Sect monitors the world; what is there that we do not know? I only ask you, why did you trespass into my Xiaoyao Sect?" Lu Chen's tone became stern as he looked at Zhang Cuishan as if interrogating a prisoner.

"This is the Xiaoyao Sect's Forbidden Ground. My sect's rule is that anyone who dares to trespass on my precious island must leave something behind!" A cold smile curled on Lu Chen's lips as he raised his hand and pointed at Zhang Cuishan and Yin Susu. "Write down all of your martial arts for me!"

"Martial arts?" Zhang Cuishan's brow furrowed as he looked at Lu Chen, his heart filled with doubt.

"Yes, martial arts!" Lu Chen's tone carried a hint of mockery. "Has your Internal Energy vanished? That is the punishment I gave you—it has all been absorbed by me!"

Hearing this, Zhang Cuishan's face changed drastically. He tried to circulate his Internal Energy again, only to find his body empty; not a single trace could be mustered!

"Now, both of you will listen to me obediently, or else..." Lu Chen didn't finish his sentence, but his eyes were full of threat.

"Both of you will honestly write down your martial arts. If anyone dares not to write, or dares to play tricks..." Lu Chen's voice turned freezing cold, "Then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Lu Chen looked at Zhang Cuishan with a playful gaze. "Hero Zhang the Fifth, write down your Pure Yang Boundless Art, Wudang Long Fist, Wudang Sword Technique, and Tiger Claw Heart-Destroying Hand. If you don't, I'll kill Yin Susu first!"

Then, he looked at Yin Susu with a threatening tone. "Heroine Yin, I presume you know your Heavenly Eagle Sect's ultimate art, the Eagle Claw Seizing Hand, by heart. Hmph! If you don't write it down, I'll kill Hero Zhang the Fifth first!"

"Don't even think about it!" Zhang Cuishan roared. He looked at Lu Chen, his eyes filled with anger and defiance. "I won't write it even if I die! You won't get anything from me!"

He turned his head toward Yin Susu and shouted, "Susu, don't write it either! Not even if you die!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Lu Chen looked at Zhang Cuishan, an evil smile curling his lips. "If you don't write it, or if you dare to commit suicide, then Heroine Yin will be like a sheep entering a tiger's den. My Xiaoyao Sect is still missing a bandit chief's wife..."

Lu Chen pointed at Yin Susu, his tone playful. "I'll just have to have a taste of this beauty. When the time comes and her purity is gone, it will all be your fault!"

Lu Chen turned to Yin Susu, his tone becoming gentle. "Heroine Yin, you should cooperate well. Yin Tianzheng was able to fuse the Eagle Claw Skill with Shaolin Seizing Hands to create the unique Eagle Claw Seizing Hand, cultivating both internally and externally to make a great name for himself. I admire that greatly."

Yin Susu looked at Zhang Cuishan, her eyes full of worry. She persuaded him, "Brother Zhang Wu, this person knows everything. It seems we cannot escape this calamity. Martial arts are about mastery, not quantity; one cannot swallow more than they can chew. Why don't we just write it for him..."

"You must swear a poisonous oath. If we hand over the techniques, you cannot trouble us further." Yin Susu looked up at Lu Chen, her eyes full of defiance.

"Very well. You two must also swear a poisonous oath. If you dare to fabricate anything within these techniques, then don't blame me for being ruthless!" A cold smile curled on Lu Chen's lips, as if everything was within his grasp.

Subsequently, the three of them swore poisonous oaths.

"Hero Zhang the Fifth, you go first." Lu Chen looked at Zhang Cuishan with a playful tone. "I don't quite trust this enchantress from the Heavenly Eagle Sect. You are a refined gentleman; I assume you won't play such petty tricks."

"Fine, I'll give them to you!" Zhang Cuishan gritted his teeth, forcing the words out.

"That's more like it! Since you've come to my Xiaoyao Sect, how could you not bring some gifts?!" Lu Chen looked at Zhang Cuishan.