Chapter 2095: Heavy Prison Grounds
Hou Qinglin and the others quickly left that area. The other party did not pursue the matter further, since Lin Feng and his group all possessed extraordinary auras, and no one could be sure they did not have significant backing.
Before long, Lin Feng had traveled far from that stretch of void. However, his face was dark, and a terrifying gleam flickered in his eyes.
"Second Senior Brother, are you certain Senior Brother Mu Chen is inside the black tower?" Ruoxie asked coldly.
"If the Soul-Locking Bell's indication is correct, then Senior Brother must be inside that black tower, and most likely trapped there," Hou Qinglin said coldly.
"Let's go down and investigate first. Since this force has imprisoned Senior Brother, perhaps people nearby might know something about him," Tian Chi suggested, trying to suppress the turmoil within him. The others immediately nodded in agreement. Their figures descended downward, and soon they arrived at a bustling tavern. Each of them found a different seat, deliberately choosing tables where others were already seated.
Lin Feng also walked to a table and said to the person in front of him, "Is it convenient to sit here?"
The man looked up at Lin Feng, then smiled and replied, "Please, make yourself at home."
Lin Feng sat down, glanced around the tavern, and then lowered his voice. "This is my first time in Qingshan City. I'd like to ask—I saw a magnificent mansion up ahead. Whose estate is that?"
As he spoke, Lin Feng pointed toward the vast estate where the black tower stood.
Hearing this, the man smiled and said, "Well, it seems you really are new to Qingshan City. You don't even know the Jing Clan."
"The Jing Clan. Are they powerful?" Lin Feng asked deliberately.
"Naturally. Although Qingshan City is just an ordinary main city on the Shenxiao Continent, it still has some powerful ancient clan families. The Jing Clan and the Yu Clan are the two strongest Array Dao families here, with extremely high attainments in the art of formations. Moreover, let me tell you—over the past hundred years, the Jing Clan has begun to pull ahead of the Yu Clan. Each generation produces stronger descendants than the Yu Clan. If this continues, in a few more years, the Jing Clan might completely swallow the Yu Clan." The man lowered his voice to a whisper. Although this was common knowledge in Qingshan City, if it got out, the Yu Clan would certainly be displeased.
"The Yu Clan. An Array Dao family." Lin Feng's expression tightened. The Yu Clan the man mentioned was none other than Yu Ye's clan, which he had just left not long ago.
"Does the Jing Clan have a Saint Emperor sitting in charge?" Lin Feng asked.
"Of course. It's said that Qingshan City has a total of six Saint Emperor-level figures, stationed across four families. Among them, the Jing Clan and the Yu Clan each have two Saint Emperors, while two other powerful families each have one terrifying Saint Emperor-level existence. As for whether there are other Saint Emperors hiding in Qingshan City, I wouldn't know." The man readily explained. This was not secret information, and he was happy to share it with Lin Feng.
Hearing this, Lin Feng made a rough assessment. With two Saint Emperor-level figures guarding the clan, unless they used the power of an Ancient Saint, there was no way the disciples of the Heavenly Terrace could rescue Mu Chen. And given the current state of the Ancient Saint Qinshan, Lin Feng had no idea if he could sustain a full battle. If he couldn't, the consequences would be catastrophic—not only would Qinshan be destroyed, but Lin Feng himself would be as well.
"This is the worst-case scenario. If Senior Brother is truly trapped by the Jing Clan and they refuse to release him, then I'll have to use the Ancient Saint's power." Lin Feng's heart hardened. He continued, "Have you ever heard of a man named Mu Chen?"
"Mu Chen." The man's expression turned strange when Lin Feng asked about Mu Chen, especially since Lin Feng had just inquired about the Jing Clan's strength.
"Do you know Mu Chen?" the man asked.
"No, I don't. But along the way, I've heard many people mention Mu Chen when talking about the Jing Clan. I'm a bit curious—who is this Mu Chen?" Lin Feng tried to keep his composure, a faint smile on his face as he asked. Judging by the man's reaction, he might indeed know something about Senior Brother.
"Heh, Mu Chen has gained some fame in Qingshan City lately. It's only natural for people here to talk about him. Since I have time, I don't mind telling you about it." The man smiled slightly.
"Then I thank you in advance," Lin Feng said politely.
"Speaking of Mu Chen, one has to admire him. They say he's already quite old, at the High-rank Emperor realm, but his combat strength is considerable, especially in his use of the soul—quite terrifying. That alone isn't too remarkable, since Qingshan City has plenty of powerful fighters. But here's where it gets interesting: there's another person, Jing Xiaoyue of the Jing Clan. She has a pure and elegant appearance, extraordinary talent, and especially impressive attainments in Array Dao. Moreover, she's not yet forty, in the prime of her youth, with countless suitors. Yet, inexplicably, she fell deeply in love with this Mu Chen. No one can figure it out. Although martial artists can live for eons and age doesn't matter in love, the two are clearly not on the same level. They should never have crossed paths, yet they fell in love. Isn't that strange?"
The man looked at Lin Feng, finding it hard to understand. But Lin Feng's heart trembled. Senior Brother had found the woman he loved again. This should have been a perfect outcome. Yet once again, it was a matter of social standing. Such things were all too common on the Nine Heavens Continent.
Given Senior Brother's personal charm, it was not surprising that a woman would fall for him. After all, among the disciples of the Heavenly Terrace, who didn't truly respect Senior Brother Mu Chen?
"What happened afterward?" Lin Feng asked.
"Quite a lot happened afterward. Mu Chen even killed several members of the Jing Clan, which enraged them. They wanted his life. During one siege, Mu Chen was severely wounded, but Jing Xiaoyue laid down a harsh warning: if Mu Chen died, she would die with him. Naturally, the Jing Clan dared not act further. Jing Xiaoyue is very special—not only is she talented herself, but her several elder brothers and her father are all extraordinary figures with important positions in the Jing Clan. Since Jing Xiaoyue couldn't die, Mu Chen couldn't die either."
"So the Jing Clan imprisoned him?" Lin Feng's heart turned cold as the words slipped out. But the man was taken aback.
"Imprisoned? Not exactly. To appease Jing Xiaoyue, the Jing Clan gave Mu Chen and Jing Xiaoyue a chance."
"What kind of chance?" Lin Feng asked.
"The Array Mine Competition," the man said. "In Qingshan City, there are several very important array mines, crucial to the Array Dao families. So the four major families are constantly in conflict, especially the Jing Clan and the Yu Clan, who fight the most fiercely, with heavy casualties. And now, because the Jing Clan is stronger and gradually pulling away from the Yu Clan, they want to monopolize the four main array mines of Qingshan City. Previously, each of the four families guarded one mine."
"The Jing Clan wants to swallow all the mines by themselves. The other three families naturally won't agree," Lin Feng said casually. His concern was not the mine competition, but Mu Chen.
"Exactly. The three families united to resist the Jing Clan's ambition, and there have been many clashes. But they still couldn't stop the Jing Clan's expansion. So they made an agreement: the younger generation of the four families would decide the ownership of the mines through battle. These four battles will take place at the four array mines, including the one controlled by the Jing Clan itself. If the Jing Clan loses, they must also give up their mine."
"So, for the four mine battles, the Jing Clan can't use the same group of people?" Lin Feng asked. If they could, the Jing Clan would only need their strongest few to sweep through all four families, since, according to the man, the Jing Clan's younger generation held the advantage.
"Correct. The Jing Clan will fight all four families simultaneously. The other three families will each defend their own mine, and if they have the ability, they can also join forces to seize the Jing Clan's own mine, which is the largest in Qingshan City," the man replied.
"The Jing Clan wants Mu Chen to help them win the mines?"
"Yes. The Jing Clan made an agreement with Mu Chen: if he dares to seize the Yu Clan's mine and succeeds, they will acknowledge his relationship with Jing Xiaoyue. The mine battle consists of three matches; winning two counts as victory. Jing Xiaoyue should be able to win one match. But if Mu Chen goes, it's almost certain death. The Yu Clan will never allow failure. They probably won't try to seize the Jing Clan's mine, only to protect their own. The same goes for the other two families. And everyone generally believes that the battle between the Jing Clan and the Yu Clan will be the most intense. Both sides have invited some exceptionally talented young people to help."
Lin Feng's expression darkened. Since the Jing Clan agreed to acknowledge Mu Chen if he helped them win the mine, why were they imprisoning him? From what the man said, he clearly didn't know that Mu Chen was currently inside the Jing Clan's estate. This already proved it was imprisonment.
"Can outsiders be invited to the mine battles?"
"Yes. It depends on who has a wider network. And the Jing Clan has always been the strongest Array Dao family in Qingshan City, so their connections are naturally the broadest, given their high standing," the man answered.
"I understand. Thank you, brother, for telling me. Also, about that black tower in the Jing Clan—do you know what it is?" Lin Feng asked casually.
"You mean the black tower? That's the Jing Clan's place for imprisoning and torturing heavy criminals. Anyone who goes in never comes out," the man said offhandedly.
Lin Feng's pupils contracted again, and a terrifying cold light flashed in his eyes. The Jing Clan had never intended to let Senior Brother participate. It was all a facade. The black tower—heavy prison grounds. In and out, never to return!