Chapter 502 - 253: Flaying Torture (Part 3)

However, Heling’s target is not that peak Foundation Establishment criminal.

Instead, it’s the other two early-stage Foundation Establishment prisoners, one male and one female.

The man’s hair is disheveled like a bird’s nest, with a few gray strands mixed in, his face covered in dirt and bloodstains, making it hard to distinguish the old scars from the new wounds.

A pair of eyes sunken into his sockets, like two burning ghostly fires, flickering with anger and resentment.

His clothes are tattered and barely cover the crucial parts, with exposed skin covered in various strange tattoos that seem to squirm subtly, emanating an eerie aura.

His hands are locked by heavy iron chains, which have dug deep into his flesh, with blood slowly trickling down his arms, pooling into a dark puddle on the ground.

Not far from the male cultivator, the female cultivator is chained to a cold iron pillar.

Her visage, though covered in grime and fatigue, still shows traces of past beauty.

Her eyes are long and enchanting, exuding a soul-stirring allure even in distress.

Her hair, cascading like a waterfall over her shoulders, was originally a glossy black but is now sullied with dust and bloodstains, appearing messy and haggard.

Liou Yuan followed Heling’s gaze and blurted out two words: "Demon cultivators!"

It was obvious that these two had demon cultivation aura, with their True Essence muddled and mottled, without even needing the Evil Eyes to see.

Under the gaze of the Golden Core Realm Heling, these two demon cultivators, no matter how unruly, could only lower their heads in fear.

"Heh!" Heling chuckled, swinging a claw mid-air at the two Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Clang! Clang! Two crisp sounds.

The chains binding the two broke at the sound.

These two demon cultivators were naturally caught by Heling.

The two demon cultivators were so immobilized by Heling’s aura, that it was even more suppressive than being chained to the iron pillar.

Liou Yuan and his two companions were at a loss about Heling’s intentions and could only watch quietly from the side.

Seeing Heling elegantly circling the two demon cultivators, his blood-red eyes suddenly burst with a fierce glint, exuding a bloodthirsty intent.

In the next instant.

Puff! Puff! The two demon cultivators were engulfed by beams of light shot from Heling’s eyes.

The dim dungeon erupted with a blinding light.

Liou Yuan’s eyes were dazzled, unable to see anything within the brilliance.

Only faintly could they hear the two demon cultivators’ shrill screams amidst the light, seemingly experiencing some inhuman pain.

Liou Yuan and his two companions felt their hearts leap with fear.

Not until a few breaths later did the light cluster finally dissipate.

Liou Yuan fixed his gaze on the spot where the two demon cultivators stood.

Those two demon cultivators were now unrecognizable; their clothing destroyed, exposing not healthy skin but two bloodied bodies.

Their human skin had been stripped alive.

At a glance, one could even clearly see the veins pulsing beneath the skin and the texture of muscles.

"It actually skinned them alive!" Liou Yuan was momentarily stunned by this scene, feeling overwhelmed by the visual impact despite having experienced many life-and-death struggles.

Lao Xiuyuan and Wei Miaomeng also exchanged silent glances, not daring to show any discomfort in front of Heling.

As for the two human skins, they were casually discarded on the ground by Heling.

Even for Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators, enduring such flaying punishment was excruciating, with their eyes unable to close due to the missing eyelids, and their bodies immobilized by Heling, they could only let out shrill wails where they stood.

"Noisy!" Heling, annoyed by the noise, struck them with two spiritual lights, knocking them unconscious.

Then with a sinister grin, said to Liou Yuan and his companions: "These two are Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Nightmare Demon Palace. During the battle in Youhuang State, the Evil Corpse broke through both sides’ array defenses, and these two demon cultivators were captured alive in the chaos."

"This time when you go to the Nightmare Demon Palace, you’ll assume their identities and return."

"Their Life Mirrors are still in the Nightmare Demon Palace, so they can’t die. It’s not that I showed mercy."

Liou Yuan immediately understood Heling’s intention.

He flayed the skin to use these two’s skins as their disguise.

"The aura can be changed, but the appearance cannot."

"I have a Secret Technique that can use these two human skins to give you a layer of disguise, perfectly matching your aura to appearance with these two demon cultivators."

Yet looking at those two blood-stained human skins, Liou Yuan felt a visceral repulsion towards such grotesque methods.

However, considering the Sect Leader’s grand plan, he dared not utter a single word.

He could only close his eyes and let Heling cast the mystic spell, draping the male demon cultivator’s skin over his own body.

Wei Miaomeng shared the same fate.

Only Lao Xiuyuan was not covered in human skin.

Uncertain of what Secret Technique Heling used, when the skin was laid on his body, Liou Yuan felt no discomfort, like putting on a thin layer of clothing. Unless he felt it intently, he wouldn’t even notice it.

Heling walked around Liou Yuan and Wei Miaomeng, confirming there were no flaws in his magic, and then instructed: "The male is called Dou Qianyu, and the female is called Fu Lin, one is a Body Cultivator from the Nightmare Demon Palace, and the other is a Female Cultivator who cultivated the Dual Cultivation Technique ’Yin Yang Crossing Skill’ from the Nightmare Demon Palace."

"It’s just fitting for Liou Yuan and Wei Miaomeng, who are in similar conditions."

Liou Yuan nodded, having cultivated the ’Geng Metal Body Refining Skill’, he indeed considered himself a Body Cultivator.

He only needed to use the ’Cloud Concealment Skill’ to change his aura to that of the male demon cultivator, enough to pass off as genuine.

Wei Miaomeng was even more aligned, almost not needing any aura-changing technique, just putting on the human skin, and her aura matched that of the Female Cultivator exactly.

"This disguise made by a Golden Core Realm practitioner would be imperceptible to anyone not in the Golden Core Realm." Liou Yuan felt the unfamiliar skin on his wrist, disgusting yet undeniably effective.

As for Lao Xiuyuan, Heling clearly had other plans.

"We only captured two demon cultivators from the Nightmare Demon Palace this time, so when Lao Xiuyuan goes, he will temporarily disguise himself as a Loose Cultivator among the demon cultivators around the Nightmare Demon Palace."

"When the right time comes, he will be led into the Nightmare Demon Palace by Liou Yuan and Wei Miaomeng."

This was undoubtedly an excellent arrangement; two returning to the Nightmare Demon Palace would not raise too much alarm.

If three Foundation Establishment cultivators returned together, the situation would be different.

"Yes!" Liou Yuan and his two companions naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

Heling then threw out two Jade Scrolls, which contained basic information about Dou Qianyu and Fu Lin’s connections extracted by the Criminal Investigation Department.

As well as all the basic situations of the Nightmare Demon Palace.

Liou Yuan and Wei Miaomeng needed to memorize them, so as not to expose any flaws upon arrival at the Nightmare Demon Palace.

The Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator already had a photographic memory, and for Liou Yuan and Wei Miaomeng, just a glance was enough to remember everything.

After completing these tasks, Heling waved the three off, smiling sinisterly: "Rest assured, these two won’t die before your return."