Above the Galaxy
Chapter 231 - 168, Death Sentence!

Chapter 231: Chapter 168, Death Sentence!

Ling Yunxiao came to his senses only to find that the white-clothed young man skilled in the "Broken Sword Style" had vanished without a trace.

Before him now stood a hunched, skinny old man with a face crisscrossed with wrinkles. After a careful examination, Ling Yunxiao realized he did not recognize the man, nor had they ever had any dealings.

This wasn’t particularly surprising; which wealthy household didn’t harbor a few capable old creatures?

The Royal Family’s Grand Steward Chen Fenglei and the Shen Family’s "Uncle Biao" were both famously formidable.

But who could command a young man capable of the "Broken Sword Style" to carry out their wishes? Which power could this be?

The Royal Family? The nine major families?

Ling Yunxiao looked at the old man and demanded, "Who are you? Why have you brought me here?"

"Who I am is not important," the old man said with a chuckle, as he eyed Ling Yunxiao. "I’m just fulfilling someone’s request, carrying out a loyal task. I invited you over in this manner. You don’t mind, do you?"

"..."

How could I not mind?

I wish I could chop off your heads.

Unfortunately, he knew that was impossible.

During his last battle with Tang Fei, he had suffered severe injuries that had yet to fully heal.

Today’s encounter with the white-clothed young man and the astonishing Sword Qi of the "Broken Sword Style" had aggravated his old wounds and inflicted new ones.

Moreover, at this very moment, his hands and feet were shackled in a specially made interrogation chair with a rare metal, making even the slightest movement difficult, let alone drawing a sword to kill.

The old man, noting Ling Yunxiao’s silence, cheerily commented, "It seems you don’t mind."

He glanced at his watch and added, "Judging by the time, it should be about now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Fei pushed the door open and entered.

Upon seeing Ling Yunxiao ’secured’ to the chair, Tang Fei waved at him and said with a smile, "How wonderful, we meet again."

Tang Fei was genuinely pleased; who wouldn’t want to see their mortal enemy again?

And to meet like this...

It was even more satisfying than seeing an ex-girlfriend get dumped by someone else.

"You?" Ling Yunxiao hadn’t expected the newcomer to be Tang Fei.

Wasn’t he a refugee from the Old Land? Wasn’t he just a pretty boy who rose to power by clinging to the Princess’s coattails?

The personal data he had collected before the mission had indicated as much.

How could he have so many experts assisting him?

Let’s not even discuss the old man; that white-clothed young man was truly astonishing...

Could it be he represented the Royal Family?

But Chen Fenglei of the Royal Family was on the hunt like a Mad Dog for him.

If not for avoiding Chen Fenglei’s claws, he wouldn’t have dared seek medical attention, use the Recovery Cabin, frequently change his hideouts, and ultimately end up in their hands on Crab Island...

Or could it be he represented the Princess’s power?

Was the Princess raising her own forces outside? Why would she harbor so many experts?

She had two elder brothers, so could she also be coveting the throne?

"Why couldn’t it be me?" Tang Fei replied with a grin. "Did you think that one sword strike killed me?"

"As an Assassin, one never believes the target is dead without personally chopping off their head," Ling Yunxiao said. "I’m just curious, aren’t you from the Old Land?"

"Of course, I’m from the Old Land..."

"Then these people...."

"Revolted," Tang Fei said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Revolted. It’s you sitting there, and I’m standing before you... It should be me asking and you answering, not the other way around."

"I know what you want to ask," Ling Yunxiao sneered. "What I know, I’ve already told, and what I haven’t said, I don’t know. I am an Assassin, and an Assassin’s job is to take money to eliminate disasters for others... As for who paid and who I’m eliminating disasters for, I neither know nor care to know."

"How can you be like this?" Tang Fei protested angrily. "You hurt me and just laugh it off?"

"..."

Tang Fei turned to the old man and remarked, "You’ve invited our guest all this way; surely it isn’t just to chat, is it? Don’t you have any hospitality?"

The old man looked at Tang Fei irritably and replied, "With the man before you, can’t you employ those old techniques you used back in the Old Land, killing chickens, slaughtering sheep, and skinning frogs?"

"No, no," Tang Fei objected, shaking his hands. "I’m now a student of White Crane Academy, a direct disciple of Xuanyuan Mingjing... I am a person of dignity; I can’t go back to doing those things anymore. Such tasks are better suited to you; I know you’re more skilled at them."

The old man then turned to Ling Yunxiao and said, "Cultivation is not easy, and gaining such a great reputation is even harder. If you’re willing to speak for yourself, I’d rather not engage in such undignified work... Why suffer unnecessarily, right?"

"Since I’ve fallen into your hands, I’m prepared for the worst. In the Assassin’s trade, you either kill or get killed. It’s the cycle of life, and no one can escape it." Ling Yunxiao resolutely accepted his fate.

Tang Fei then gave Ling Yunxiao a thumbs up and said, "You’ve got guts. In my life, I admire nothing more than people with guts... Unlike you, aside from falling for a beauty’s trick, I can’t withstand any other punishment..."

He turned to the old man, "Proceed with the torture. Time is precious, and I still have to get back to enlightenment."

Ling Yunxiao’s muscles tensed, ready to combat the torture with his well-tempered body and strong willpower.

Alas, the old man didn’t operate the interrogation chair upon which he sat.

Instead, he pulled out a paper talisman from his bosom and chanting under his breath, abruptly slapped the yellow Spirit Talisman onto Ling Yunxiao’s temple.

Ling Yunxiao’s face was scornful as he said, "Trifling tricks, superstitious nonsense..."

He scorned it completely.

What era is it already? Humanity is about to conquer the universe, soar through the galaxies, yet we’re still engaging in such antiquated practices?

The moment his words fell, an intense pain exploded in his head, as if someone were sawing through his skull with an electric saw.

Moreover, this pain wasn’t constant; just as he began to adapt to the sensation, it would abruptly stop.

Just when he was about to catch his breath, an even more severe pain would strike again...

Wave after wave, each more agonizing than the last.

This was not a torment of the flesh, but a spiritual assault.

Ling Yunxiao felt as if his soul was shivering.

"Kill me!"

"Kill me...."

"Just kill me already..."

------

Ling Yunxiao howled in agony.

Tang Fei crossed his arms, while the old man watched on coldly.

"Please... just put me out of my misery...."

"Give me a quick death... just one blow...."

Naturally, Tang Fei and the old man had no intention of obliging.

After all the trouble to capture him, how could they let him die so easily? That would be too lenient.

Even for Tang Fei, there could be nothing more horrifying than death.

"Let me go..."

"I’ll talk... I’ll talk..."

"I’ll tell you anything you ask...."

------

Ling Yunxiao’s body trembled uncontrollably, and his mouth began to vomit large amounts of white foam.

As if he’d gobbled down a whole pack of laundry detergent....

"What’s he saying?" Tang Fei asked the old man loudly.

"I’m hard of hearing, can’t hear a thing," the old man pointed to his ear and waved his hand dismissively.

Ling Yunxiao was already a mess of snot and tears, wailing in sorrow, a fate worse than death.

He could withstand physical torture, but the destruction of his spirit was overwhelming.

It was a feeling more unbearable than death itself.

It was a sensation he had never experienced before.

He was an assassin, and he too had used various forms of punishment to interrogate his prey and extract the information he wanted.

Now he realized that compared to this smiling old man, he was nothing but a novice; his methods were trivial...

Bang, bang, bang, bang...

Ling Yunxiao struggled and writhed desperately, causing the chair made of special alloy to make loud noises.

"I confess..."

"I’ll confess everything..."

"Just kill me..."

-----

Then his head lulled to one side, and he passed out from the pain.

Tang Fei looked at the old man in astonishment and asked, "What sort of method did you use? It’s so vicious it tortured him to this state?"

He stared at the Spirit Talisman attached to Ling Yunxiao’s temple, wondering what the heck it was. How did the old man possess such skills?

Why wouldn’t he teach these powerful techniques to him?

"You heartless wretch, am I not doing this to extract the answers you want to know?" the old man grumbled, "Considering his level of cultivation, physical torture isn’t going to make him talk even if we continue for three days and nights...."

"If physical pain can’t break him, then we have to shatter him on the spiritual level... Otherwise, he won’t open his mouth, and even if he’s willing to answer, he might give misleading responses..."

"In that case, let’s repeat the process as you suggested," Tang Fei said.

"What do you mean ’my suggestion’? I never had such an idea," the old man quickly denied, continuing, "Another round might be more than he can bear... He’s already on the brink of collapse, and one more time could drive him insane..."

"Or leave him in a vegetative state... Then, wouldn’t all our efforts be in vain?"

"No worries, I believe my good friend can withstand it," Tang Fei said confidently, patting Ling Yunxiao’s shoulder, "When he attacked me with his sword, his spiritual power was immense, his Yin Yang Qi especially profound... What’s this little bit of hardship?"

Revenge!

This was blatant revenge!

One moment he claimed to be a person of dignity, and the next, he was involved in such indecorous acts.

The old man didn’t voice any objections; he also felt it was necessary to completely dismantle Ling Yunxiao’s consciousness and devastate his mental state.

So, he began by using the acupressure method to stimulate Ling Yunxiao, rousing him from unconsciousness.

Then, he chanted an incantation and affixed a ’Death Sentence’ paper talisman on the other side of Ling Yunxiao’s Sun meridian point.