Chapter 2110: Ancient Starry Sky Relic
At the Wave-Breaking Plaza, a large number of prisoners gathered and stood in neat lines!
Each of their faces looked extremely wilted, like eggplants hit by frost!
(◞‸◟)(◞‸◟)(◞‸◟)…
Although the prisoners loved Styx Crystals, just thinking about going down into the river to fish for them made them shiver violently!
Jiangnan and Wang Youzhi also stood in the very front row.
But no one dared to cause trouble for Jiangnan and his group; just one glance at them was enough to make their hands sweat and their hearts race!
What truly filled people with awe was that Jiangnan had been caught by Jiu Lan yesterday for a "private tutoring session" and yet today he could appear at Wave-Breaking Plaza unscathed, full of energy!
This was simply terrifying!
At this moment, Wang Youzhi stood with his hands on his hips, looking immensely proud.
(︶.̮︶〃)
On his left arm was the Star-Devouring Giant Worm tattoo from the Alternate Dimension, on his right arm the Nine Dragons Seizing Pearl tattoo, and on his back was the Ancient Giant God Soldier Excavator Demolition Tattoo!
On his chest was the Coal Ball King Throne Tattoo!
Jiangnan had indeed done his best, but no matter how he drew Black God's original form, it always looked like a coal ball, dammit!
However, Wang Youzhi himself seemed quite satisfied with it.
Jiangnan was just thinking about going down into the river later when a wave of discussion reached his ears.
He looked up to see the Bully Gang, led by Taluo and Suona, approaching menacingly.
Behind them followed Samo and Boden, the two brothers, their tattoos still glaring.
As soon as they saw Jiangnan, they immediately began to complain.
☚(▀̿┏口┓▀̿̿≠) "Boss! It's him! He's the one who bullied us! You have to stand up for us!"
Taluo's crimson eyes locked directly onto Jiangnan, a cruel smile spreading across his face as he strode forward with big steps.
The prisoners shuddered and quickly moved away from Jiangnan, clearing the space.
Murmurs erupted.
"Sss～ Taluo is out? Jiangnan has finally gone too far! That's the Bully Gang's boss!"
"It's one thing to be dealt with by Jiu Lan and Bing Chacha, but falling into Taluo's hands might mean losing your life, oh～"
Black Steel shuddered and wanted to move aside with the other prisoners.
But Jiangnan shot him a glance.
(￢～￢) "Hm?"
Black Steel swallowed his iron juice, his legs trembling like rubber bands.
Jiangnan rolled his eyes.
(꒪ั～꒪ั*) "What's with you? Isn't he just a big dumb guy with three heads and six arms?"
Black Steel's forehead was drenched with sweat. (´-ก-`；) "Shh! Shh, shh! Boss Nan Shen, you don't understand—this Taluo is not to be trifled with!"
"Anyone who crosses him gets torn apart alive by him! He's a complete god of slaughter. Who in Ming He Death Prison doesn't know his reputation?"
"Even Bing Chacha has to give him some face!"
Chong Dajiang propped up his chin. (*ຈกຈ) "I heard that several years ago, when Taluo first entered prison, he was just a 'trivial' level criminal with a two-month sentence."
"After entering Ming He Death Prison, he killed so many prisoners that his sentence kept getting extended, all the way to forty thousand years, and he was promoted from trivial level to Calamity level criminal."
Jiangnan's forehead dripped with sweat. Good heavens!
A two-month sentence, and he turned it into life imprisonment? Forty thousand years? That's more than several lifetimes to serve!
By now, Jiangnan was already deep in Taluo's shadow.
Taluo crossed his arms, looking down at Jiangnan from above, his eyes full of coldness.
The oppressive presence was immense.
Samo and Boden were thrilled, just waiting for Jiangnan to get dealt with.
The other prisoners also looked forward to it—finally, they could get some revenge!
Taluo sneered, "I heard you..."
Before he could finish, Jiangnan lifted his foot and stomped hard on Taluo's toe, a series of 18 consecutive stomps with a drill-like impact!
A continuous "da da da da" sound rang out as Taluo's big toe was driven into the floor of Wave-Breaking Plaza.
Taluo's eyes bulged, and the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.
Jiangnan spread his hands. ╮(•́ω•̀)╭ "Sorry about that, stepped on your foot!"
Inwardly, he was also shocked. Damn, Taluo's physical fitness was no joke!
He wasn't much weaker than Jiu Lan or Bing Chacha, was he?
Normally, with those stomps, he could crush someone's foot to pieces.
But Taluo wasn't even scratched?
Everyone stared at Jiangnan in horror. Holy crap, he struck first?!
[From Taluo, resentment value +1000!]
[From Taluo...]
[From Taluo...]
Veins bulged on Taluo's forehead. (ꐦʘ̆益ʘ̆ꐦ) "You... you... you..."
Suona raised an eyebrow. (♬◔～◔ิ) "Can you even curse him out? You don't know how to insult people, do you? Want me to help?"
Just then, Bing Chacha knocked on the wall.
"Everyone, stand properly. Prepare to go into the river!"
Taluo glared fiercely at Jiangnan.
(ꐦʘ益ʘ) "You wait. When we're in the river!"
[From Taluo...] ×3
Jiangnan propped his chin, eyes bright. Three resentment values at once?
Three times resentment value card? Not bad!
Three heads weren't for nothing, huh?
Bing Chacha watched this scene with a cold smile. Jiangnan actually survived that woman Jiu Lan's hands? Quite unexpected!
But now that Taluo was willing to act personally, once they got into the river, it would surely be the beginning of Jiangnan's nightmare!
However, they were still at Wave-Breaking Plaza; she couldn't let Taluo start dealing with Jiangnan right now.
Otherwise, where would her authority be?
So Bing Chacha spoke. "This river-down compulsory labor is different from before."
"No matter what method you use, you must hand in three hundred Styx Crystals, or don't even think about ending this labor period!"
"You will go down into the river every day to fish for them until you reach the quota!"
"Everyone! Line up and board the bridge, attach the anchor machines!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the prisoners became sorrowful.
The steel gate outside Wave-Breaking Plaza opened.
"Rumble rumble rumble!"
The deafening roar of rushing water reached their ears, and the thick, moist air of the Styx River rushed toward them.
What came into view was a vast Styx River, several light-years wide, surging through the starry sky.
Half of the Styx Death Star was submerged in the river, the other half exposed above.
Wave-Breaking Plaza was located in the middle of the Death Star.
At the end of the plaza, a wide suspended bridge stretched out as if extending into infinity, spanning the surface of the Styx River.
It was vividly called the Other Shore Bridge.
On both sides of the bridge, anchor machines shaped like snail shells were fixed in place.
Prisoners were already standing at the anchor machines, expertly pulling out chains and fastening them around their waists.
These were tow lines. Without them, the moment one jumped into the Styx, they would be swept away and crushed by the current.
Bing Chacha sneered. "All of you, fasten them securely. If you get swept away by the Styx, don't expect anyone to come and save you!"
"Of course, you can also try to use this opportunity to escape. But within tens of light-years around here, the Styx Death Star is the only landing spot."
"It's the only island in this starry sky, the only chance you have to survive. Choose between your life and freedom, and decide whether to attempt an escape!"
As she spoke, Bing Chacha's gaze landed on Jiangnan.
Jiangnan stood on the Other Shore Bridge, feeling the stellar wind blowing from the bridge's surface.
Before him stretched the endless, majestic, silver-gray Styx River.
Jiangnan's eyes twitched uncontrollably.
What truly imprisoned the prisoners was not the Ming He Death Prison, but this majestic Styx River spanning eight million light-years.
Even if you were allowed to escape, you could never leave the Minghe Star Domain in your lifetime.
The only star path was the Styx, usable only by the Netherworld Race.
Even if you hijacked a prison guard and made them lead the way, you would still be unable to escape the pursuit of the entire Netherworld Race.
Moreover, the control of the Styx Star Path was firmly held by the Netherworld Warden.
Jiangnan smiled bitterly. This was indeed a prison that inspired despair.
The prisoners had long realized that escape was impossible.
One by one, they fastened the anchor machine tow lines around themselves, just wanting to finish their tasks as quickly as possible and return to the Ming He Death Prison to rest, avoiding this suffering.
Jiangnan, Wang Youzhi, and the others chose nearby anchor machines.
Wang Youzhi also looked utterly dejected. (◞‸◟) "This is really suffering, isn't it?"
His physical strength was no match for Jiangnan's. Just surviving in the Styx would already take all his effort, let alone fishing for crystals.
Jiangnan grinned. (͡°͜ʖ͡°) "Don't worry. With big brother here, you won't lose out, right?"
Wang Youzhi twitched the corner of his mouth. "Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself?"
Over at the side, the Bully Gang led by Taluo was cracking their knuckles, already eager to go into the river and teach Jiangnan a lesson.
Fierce glares shot toward him, but Jiangnan completely ignored them.
Some prison guards approached to unlock the Quark Balls from the Calamity level criminals one by one.
Otherwise, if they jumped into the Styx, the Quark Balls would drag them down, and they wouldn't even be able to climb back up.
Jiangnan looked reluctant. (≖～≖) "Huh? I'm not afraid of being dragged down. I'm so dangerous, I should be tied to a Quark Ball!"
Bing Chacha glared. Bah! Last time you exploited a loophole in the Quark Ball; this time, I won't give you another chance!
"Take them off! Don't leave a single Quark Ball on Jiangnan!"
"Everyone, pay attention! In the undercurrents and whirlpools at the bottom of the Styx, there will be more Styx Crystals, but the Styx energy will also be denser and stronger."
"If you can withstand it, go inside to fish. If you can't, don't court death!"
"Also, if anyone manages to fish out an ancient starry sky relic from before the Cosmic War era, you'll complete your task immediately and won't have to go into the river again!"
Jiangnan was stunned. "Ancient starry sky relic? What's that?"
Chong Dajiang shrugged. "The Styx has a long history. It was born in the early stages of the universe, over ten billion years ago."
"No one knows where the Styx flows from or where it goes. It's not surprising that there are all sorts of strange things in its waters."
"The Cosmic War that swept across the entire starry sky destroyed countless races and civilizations. The races that survived established the current starry sky rules and began the Thousand Stars Era."
"Things left over from before the Cosmic War era are called ancient starry sky relics."
Jiangnan clicked his tongue. Cosmic War, Thousand Stars Era, huh?
There were quite a few treasures in the Styx waters, it seemed.