My Substitute CEO Bride

The three men entered the inner part of the sect, and what greeted them were dilapidated halls and shattered walls without a single trace of life.

Clint and Zaafea looked around while Nash tried to contact the sect master again. He got no response.

"Could the sect master also be in trouble?" Nash wondered aloud.

"Over here!" Zaafea's voice interrupted Nash's thoughts, and both men went up to him. They followed the direction Zaafea was pointing toward and saw a collapsed tunnel. Without saying a word, they jumped down to explore it. The inside of the tunnel was pitch black. Clint created a fireball with his hands to light the way.novelbin

They reached the bottom and discovered a new structure that looked like a prison. The outer area was surrounded by some unknown fluid. Nash recognized the place.

"This should be the sect's forbidden grounds."

"Forbidden grounds? This is what they call a pure prison block?" Zaafea quipped.

Clint retorted, "Enough with the jokes. I can sense a faint fluctuation ahead. Let's check it out."

The three then approached the entrance to the forbidden grounds. When Zaafea grabbed the iron bars, a buzzing sounded, and numerous talismans appeared on the gate.

"Looks like the sect master was quite cautious," Zaafea remarked, looking at the burn marks on his hand.

"Exalta Heavenly Spirit Talismans," Clint said with a frown.

In that instant, the iron gate emitted true energy powerful enough to destroy the energy center of a Profound Oriental Realm cultivator. Not to mention, the talismans had not even fully activated yet. Clint and Nash sobered up, realizing that if it had been them, they would have been seriously injured or worse.

Clint glanced at Zaafea's arm, which had already healed, and asked, "Zaafea, just how strong are you?"

"I have a habit of concentrating my dark energy in my hands. It protected me from the talismans' full effect. But these talismans are indeed formidable. They managed to burn me," Zaafea replied. Nash stepped forward. "Maybe I should give it a try." With his current adaptability, he thought he might be able to withstand the talismans' power.

"Better not," Zaafea shook his head. "Commander Calcraft, it's not that I doubt your abilities. Your recent breakthroughs have been impressive, but these talismans are extremely dangerous and might cause what's in your body to shatter under the strain."

"Then what should we do?" Nash asked.

Zaafea said nonchalantly, "I'll handle it. Just make sure you both stand far back. You might get hurt otherwise."

Nash was still processing this when Clint sprinted to a distant pit, well away from the iron gate. He had witnessed Zaafea's power before in his mindscape. In the real world, it would be like a natural disaster. Clint put up his true energy shield as he ran. Catching on, Nash quickly followed suit and activated his own shield.

"Do you really think this guy can handle it?" Nash asked, still skeptical. "While I do sense his immense power growth in that one encounter, we're talking about Exalta Heavenly Talismans here."

Exalta Heavenly Talismans, in

Nash's memory, were high-level

talismans that only someone like his master could refine. It was unlikely that anyone in the Endless Horizon Sect had the ability to control such talismans, so the talismans must have been gifted to them,

To manipulate such talismans, one needed an immense amount of true energy, which none of the Endless Horizon Sect members possessed Once a talisman became ownerless, it would become uncontrollable. The sect master of the Endless Horizon Sect probably affixed them to the gate as a last resort to seal

something within.

Clint also looked worried. "Seeing as they're ownerless talismans, their strength is based entirely on their original refinement quality. Can he really manage this?" ""Luthien."

With a dark energy mask on his face, Zaafea wielded the Aeward Halberd and struck with a powerful blow.

The iron gate trembled slightly.

"It's working!"