The secluded location of the Hume family is just behind the room where the mysterious Lotus Shadow was stolen.

Julius Reed can hear people’s thoughts, so he naturally knows that Hume Rose lied.

Since cultivating this object will cause Heart Demons, yet the Hume family continues to cultivate it, and Hume Rose seems unaffected, it means they must have ways to counter it.

Plus, with Hume Rose constantly secluding himself, it indicates that the secret lies within this.

Hume Rose hasn’t thought much about it, leaving Julius Reed to investigate on his own.

The mysterious nature of the Lotus Shadow is similar to what Hume Rose described, with some fragmented ancient texts inside.

Many of them.

They practice selective cultivation.

Combining this with the scene Julius Reed saw when he touched the platter, he’s even more convinced there’s something strange about it.

Everywhere is filled with slaughter!

If the Prophet’s temple is a prototype, what Julius Reed just saw should be a complete temple.

A true temple, possessing absolute power!

The Prophet had conquered the Nine Provinces, spending tremendous effort to build, yet it pales compared to a tenth of what Julius Reed saw!

Whether it’s the grandeur or the atmosphere!

Even that majesty!

What on earth is this?

He doesn’t know.

The function of the platter is simple, responsible for absorbing power to nurture the lotus seed.

But even so, over thousands of years, some of the stuff in the lotus seed has been left on the platter.

But even these remnants are enough to astound Julius Reed.

Carefully crossing the corridor, Julius Reed pushes open the door, entering the secluded area of the Hume family’s Martial Artists.

This is a sacred place for martial arts.

Precisely because it’s a sacred place, there are no security measures.

Who would dare come here?

The Hume family’s strongest force lies within; anyone who comes is courting death.

Julius Reed easily walks in.

Cold!

Extremely cold!

A bone-chilling cold!

Even though his Spiritual Power is thick, and his muscles and bones are unlike ordinary people, he still feels a bit cold.

Walking down about ten meters of steps, what comes into view is extreme ice covering the ground!

This is the reason for such cold.

Julius Reed steps on the ice, feeling the severe chill.

Presumably, this chill must be a treasure to counter Heart Demons.

However, relying solely on the cold might freeze a person to death without a Heart Demon.

Continuing further inside.

Coffins are everywhere!

These coffins are made of glass, and through the glass, you can see strong people lying inside.

These people aren’t dead; they’re all alive.

But they are in deep sleep in a special state.

The most noticeable thing in the entire underground palace is a white lotus!

Julius Reed approaches the white lotus for a closer look.

This white lotus is very similar to the Lotus Shadow, but its color is white.

As soon as you get close, you feel a warm sensation.

The closer you get, the warmer it becomes!

When Julius Reed stands before the white lotus, he feels comfortably warm, as if basking in the sun.

Very soothing.

This is likely the reason the Hume family can counter the Heart Demon of the Lotus Shadow.

Julius Reed examines it carefully and finds no differences in the white lotus.

He reaches out to touch the white lotus.

In an instant!

A sacred power seems to penetrate his entire body!

It cleanses one’s soul, bringing an immense sense of comfort!

Julius Reed has never felt such comfort, as if floating in the air.

Peaceful and tranquil.

Yet suddenly!

The heart of the divine throbs violently!

The eye of the divine opens once more! 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The eye of the divine emits a strong light, forcibly suppressing the light of the white lotus!

Julius Reed quickly recovers from that feeling, his feet grounded.

But the white lotus, under the intense illumination of the eye of the divine, reveals its true form!

It’s a skull!

On the skull’s cap, a hole is pressed by a finger.

Right above that hole lies a lotus seed.

Everything before was an illusion brought upon by the lotus seed.

The white lotus, like the white bones, is deathly pale!

With a touch of malevolence.

Julius Reed squints his eyes, examining it once again.

If it weren’t for the eye of the divine, even he wouldn’t have seen the original form of this white lotus.

The Hume family, most likely, sees it too.

To them, the white lotus is sacred, capable of dispelling their Heart Demons and purifying their souls!

But in reality, it’s a demon lotus!

Utterly terrifying!

The Lotus Shadow outside wants to bloom, relying only on the platter below.

But there’s no sunlight, no Spiritual Power—how does this white lotus bloom?

It’s not scientific!

To maintain such a form requires Spiritual Power!

Julius Reed turns around and discovers that each person lying in the coffins has a vine attached to them.

These vines cover their hearts.

The power of the white lotus comes from these Martial Artists of the Hume family!

"Evil powers must not remain," Julius Reed activates the Dragon King Ring, but thinks again, if the white lotus disappears, the Hume family will surely go mad.

So, he quietly sets up a small formation to cut off the Spiritual Power source to the white lotus!

On the surface, the white lotus remains unchanged.

But it can no longer affect anyone.

Julius Reed continues to wander through the underground palace and finds those imprisoned here are not from the Hume family!

They are outsiders, Martial Artists from outside!

This means the Hume family kidnapped some of the world’s top Martial Artists to feed the white lotus!

At the end of the underground palace is a door.

Opening the door, Julius Reed is stunned by what he sees.

Countless bones, piled into a mountain!

They were used to nurture the white lotus.

"Who would have thought, the prestigious Southeastern Hume family, would resort to such evil ways," Julius Reed shakes his head in resignation.

In times of chaos, evil spirits run rampant.

But the most terrifying is the human heart.

The Hume family isn’t just battling Heart Demons anymore; they’ve become demons themselves.

Earlier, when Julius Reed asked Hume Rose to demonstrate a move, he saw bones in that move!

Countless bones!

They are all shadows of these bones.

In the end, Julius Reed cuts the vines.

As for the people inside, they most likely cannot survive anymore.

But at the very least, he wants to see how the Hume family changes after losing the power of the white lotus!

On both sides of the bones stand dozens of people.

These are all top experts of the Hume family!

But at this moment, they are still in a half-awake, half-asleep state.

If disturbed, a fierce battle is inevitable.

Julius Reed closes the door, glancing at the white lotus.

Holy, flawless!

It captivates.

But who would know it’s actually a skull?

Evil often wears the guise of holiness, even convincing themselves.

Julius Reed shakes his head and leaves the underground palace.

He needs to find Gold Cicada, find the Lotus Shadow!

Find Dragon Dance, find that mysterious man!

He wants to unravel all this, to find out the fate of Silvio Reed!

The Tomb of the Nine Provinces is absolutely more than just a tomb.

After he leaves.

A figure arrives at the Hume family.

The visitor removes his mask, revealing the face of the Prophet.

"Holy Envoy." Hume Rose kneels on one knee before him, full of respect.