"Boss, it's done!"

"Mhmm!" Oben slowly opened his eyes, revealing a mysterious smile.

"May I ask where you all come from?" Oben's question caught many people off guard.

"What are you trying to do?" Star frowned at Oben.

"I just want to know your identities, so that we can solve some problems, and if we can't handle it, then I'll just send you all back!" Oben's indifferent tone was hardly convincing at all.

"I advise you to let us go. Let's pretend like this never happened. After all, you have already obtained the treasure. There's nothing you can do if you release us!" Bruce spoke.

"Is that so? If the force behind you knows I have this artifact, it wouldn't be good for me!" Oben grinned.

"So the best solution is to make sure you can't say anything. After all, dead men keep secrets the best."

"You..."

"But I don't necessarily have to kill you all. Most of my subordinates are dead now. As long as you sign a master-servant contract with me, I will let you go. How about that?" Oben proposed.

"A master-servant contract?!" Hess exclaimed. "Do you really think that a noble knight would ever become a servant to a lowly commoner like you?!"

"Is that so?" Oben smirked and gestured for his subordinates to drag Hess out and throw him to the ground.

"Noble knights, right? I particularly enjoy tormenting those nobles. Do you know how many nobles have died at my hands?" Oben's smile displayed a twisted sense of bloodlust.

"Urgh--!" The lower end of the staff fiercely pierced into Hess's abdomen, causing a large amount of blood to splatter. Oben's smile grew even more radiant as he continued to use the staff to stir the wound, inflicting greater pain on Hess.

"Ah ah ah--!" Hess screamed in agony, but the more he screamed, the brighter Oben smiled, as if torturing people brought him immense joy.

Oben's torture was horrifying. After creating a hole in Hess's abdomen, he also mashed his limbs until they became a bloody mess. In the end, only his gasps for breath remained, and Oben used the power of the staff to bring him back, beginning the second round of torment.

"I... I will sign... I'll sign a contract with you..." Hess weakly spoke. The intense pain had tortured his spirit to its limits.

"Sorry, everyone only has one chance, and your chance is gone!" Oben spoke as if he were talking about something inconsequential. The lower end of the staff moved up slightly, and with a swift thrust, it pierced Hess's throat.

"Ughhhh--!" Hess widened his eyes, the light in them growing dimmer and dimmer until his body lost all strength, and he died with his head tilted.

"Hess!" Star exclaimed when she saw this, but how could a dead person respond? Although Hess was usually arrogant, he was still their teammate, and they had a good relationship with him. It was infuriating to see him die at the hands of others.

"So, who's next?" Oben spoke as if he had just done something insignificant, turning his gaze towards the others.

"You only have one chance. Signing the contract can save your life; if you don't sign, you'll die."

"Who exactly are you?" Star's face turned cold and terrifying, her eyes filled with killing intent as she stared at Oben.

"Well then, let me introduce myself. My name now is Oben, the leader of the Bloodwolf Adventure Group. But my previous name was Omo, the leader of the Bloodthirsty Thief Group. Some people also called me 'Bloodhand'!"

"How is this possible? Aren't you already dead?" Xing widened her eyes, looking at Aoben with disbelief.

"The Blood Hand" was a notorious name that caused a big stir in the Peilu Empire a few years ago. Over two hundred nobles of all sizes were hunted down by him. In the end, it took the elite knights of the empire to eradicate him. And his head was even hung in the market as a warning. How could he still be alive now?!

"You're surprised, huh? But do you know who died? It was my twin brother, Aoben! My own younger brother!" It's Aomo... no, it's Aomu, he said with a mad look in his eyes.

"So, that's how it is?!" Xing frowned, not expecting Aomu to have a secret twin brother. This explanation seemed plausible enough!

"I know that your identities are not simple, but that makes me even more eager for you to sign the contract..." Aomu laughed, sending shivers down people's spines.

"I'm curious, how did you poison us?" Bexia suddenly asked from the side, breaking the silence she had maintained.

"I used a mixture of toxins. Separately, they wouldn't have any effect, but once mixed together, they immediately make a person weak and unable to channel magic."

"When did you poison us? Was it the food we had before?"

"You're quite clever. Actually, you already suspected something was wrong, didn't you? I remember that from the way you looked at me from the beginning."

"I did have suspicions, but I didn't think you were this evil. I just found you suspicious!" Bexia smiled.

"Are you working with them?" Aomu asked.

"No, it's just a professional relationship. I paid them to bring us to the Shadow Tomb."

"Then what is your identity? Your young age and formidable strength suggest that you have someone backing you."

"I do! And you may regret messing with me."

"Tell me about it."

"Why should I tell you?"

"How would I know if I can't handle it if you don't say anything?"

"Then just look up for a moment."

"Look up..." Aomu was slightly surprised, slowly raising his head to look at the black stone wall above. To his immediate realization, there was nothing there. He knew he had been deceived.

"Crimson Blaze Strike!"

Bexia suddenly broke free from the ropes on her body, evading the sharpness of Hidden Dragon Cold Star. The scorching aura rushed toward Aomu's face.

"Get out of my way." Aomu reacted quickly, a beam of light bursting from his staff and shooting toward Bexia's chest. He was confident that he would pierce Bexia's chest first.

"Hum—!" To his surprise, his attack only made Bexia's body tremble, and then the edge of her warblade followed.

"!?" Aomu was startled, not bothering to think twice as he used his staff to defend against Bexia's attack. He believed that the Source of Life Staff, an artifact of great strength, should have no problem blocking Bexia's attack.

"Boom—!" The two collided, and Bexia's warblade split open the gap between the core placed at the top of the staff. The core and the staff were only connected by a tiny point, and Bexia happened to strike there.

"Crack!"

The core at the top of the scepter shattered with a sound, scattering specks of fluorescence. A golden gemstone flew out, while the scepter in Omo's hand instantly lost its radiance and became very ordinary.

"Damn it!"

"Bloodwolf Strike" Omo cursed fiercely, throwing away the scepter and brandishing his long knife to force Bexia back. He immediately rushed towards the falling core he had just discovered.