Chapter 1882: Ox Pit Prison Realm
Old Man Kong pulled a yellowed booklet from his bosom.
The booklet seemed to be stitched together from straw paper, a full five fingers thick. When opened, it was filled with names written one after another.
Old Man Kong’s eyesight was very poor; his eyes nearly pressed against the pages as he searched line by line.
After waiting for a full quarter of an hour, Old Man Kong had read less than ten pages. Zhang Ruochen finally lost patience and spoke up: “Old Man Kong, could this junior search for himself?”
“Fine, young man, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Old Man Kong rubbed his aged eyes and handed the thick booklet to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen’s reading speed was extremely fast. In an instant, he flipped through most of the booklet until, on one page, he spotted the name “Bao Lie.”
“Bao Lie, a creature of the Nebula Leopard Clan, at the Second-Step Saint King realm, imprisoned on the tenth level of the Nether Prison, in the Ox Pit Prison Realm.”
“Excellent! So Senior Brother Bao Lie is indeed imprisoned in the Nether Prison.”
Zhang Ruochen closed the booklet, joy shining in his eyes, his excitement hard to contain.
“Young man, why are you so happy? Are you planning to break into the prison?” Old Man Kong asked.
The Golden Leaf Prison Warden, hovering in midair, said coldly, “The Nether Prison holds only heinous criminals. Even if you are a Sword Bearer, you cannot take a prisoner out of there.”
“Who told you my Senior Brother Bao Lie is a heinous criminal? Was it Chi Yao?” Zhang Ruochen glared at the Golden Leaf Prison Warden, releasing an imposing aura.
“That’s right, it was Empress Chi Yao.”
The Golden Leaf Prison Warden continued, “Bao Lie’s crimes are all recorded in the booklet you’re holding. See for yourself.”
Zhang Ruochen opened the booklet and continued reading.
After a long moment, Zhang Ruochen closed the booklet and said, “Senior Brother Bao Lie has killed many beings, but that was on the battlefield. On the battlefield, it’s either kill or be killed—where is right or wrong? Even if there is right and wrong, the fault lies with those who started the war. That war was started by Chi Yao, not Senior Brother Bao Lie.”
“Today, no one will stop me from going to the tenth level of the Nether Prison. Anyone who blocks me will die.”
Zhang Ruochen summoned the Abyssal Ancient Sword and shot a warning glare at the Golden Leaf Prison Warden. Then, he walked to the base of the stone wall, stepped through the spot where Old Man Kong had emerged earlier.
“Whoosh—”
He passed through the stone mountain and vanished from sight.
Senior Brother Bao Lie had fought for the Sacred Bright Central Empire, which was why he was imprisoned in the Nether Prison, his fate unknown. If he was still alive, how could Zhang Ruochen bear to see him continue suffering unjust torment in that prison?
So-called right and wrong are written by the victors.
The defeated can only endure passively.
“Truly lawless!”
The Golden Leaf Prison Warden snorted angrily and tried to pursue, but a sharp green crescent forced him back.
The green crescent arced beautifully through the air and flew back into the hands of Murong Yue. She stood proudly, glaring coldly at the Golden Leaf Prison Warden, and said, “His Highness has ordered: anyone who blocks will die. If you dare act rashly again, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.”
The other two wardens, the Lotus Flower Prison Warden and the Thunder Melon Prison Warden, each unleashed powerful sacred might and moved closer to Murong Yue.
“So what if you’re wardens? Do you think Grandpa Xiang won’t boil and eat you all?”
Xiang Chunan summoned the Golden Demon Crown, activating its supreme power. Instantly, the region around the black stone mountain churned with demonic energy, and powerful forces surged through heaven and earth.
Xie Chengzi and Luo Yi also drew their sacred artifacts, standing opposed to the three wardens.
A battle was on the verge of breaking out.
Shi Qiankun and Shi Ren rushed over to separate the two sides.
“The Undying Blood Clan is lurking in the shadows. We absolutely cannot fight among ourselves, or they’ll reap the benefits,” Shi Ren said.
The Golden Leaf Prison Warden said sternly, “As long as someone tries to break into the prison, whether they’re from the Undying Blood Clan or cultivators from the Kunlun Realm, we wardens must kill them.”
Old Man Kong’s voice was a bit hoarse, unhurried as he said, “In theory, the six Sword Bearers are permitted to enter the Nether Prison.”
Shi Ren’s face lit up with joy. “The founder of the Skyward Sword Lineage once sacrificed blood and life to guard the Nether Prison. Zhang Ruochen is the Sword Bearer of the Skyward Sword. It seems the three wardens have no authority to stop him.”
The three wardens showed hesitation. Though they didn’t retract their sacred energy, they were no longer as aggressive.
Old Man Kong added, “Taking a prisoner out of the Nether Prison is not impossible, but it requires a decree from the rulers of the Kunlun Realm.”
Murong Yue raised her voice, “Not long ago, my master took over the Torch of Inheritance from Chen Yuhua and became the King of the Eastern Domain. That should count as one of the rulers of the Kunlun Realm, shouldn’t it?”
“It counts, of course it counts,” Old Man Kong said with a smile.
…
…
As Zhang Ruochen had guessed, there was an invisible door on the stone wall of the black mountain.
Passing through the invisible door, Zhang Ruochen arrived at the first level of the Nether Prison.
It was completely different from how he had imagined the Nether Prison. The land stretched endlessly, and the space was filled with dense rules, making it suitable for cultivation. However, the sky was very low, as if it were floating right above his head.
Not far away stood a towering stone tablet, inscribed with four bloody ancient characters: Mud Plow Prison Realm.
Zhang Ruochen released his spiritual power to probe the Mud Plow Prison Realm and discovered that this world was home to many humans and fierce beasts. The humans had even built cities and tribes—some farming, some gathering, some trading.
But they were all mortals, with the highest cultivation at the Yellow Extreme Realm.
“Since ancient times, the Kunlun Realm’s criminals have been continuously imprisoned in the Nether Prison. Those criminals include not only Saint-level powerhouses but also great villains among mortals. Perhaps these humans are the descendants of those villains.”
Zhang Ruochen didn’t stay long in the Mud Plow Prison Realm. He moved on to the second level of the Nether Prison, the Blade Mountain Prison Realm.
Then came the third level, the Boiling Sand Prison Realm.
…
With each level downward, the number of beings in the prison realms decreased exponentially.
From the first to the sixth level, there were only beings below the Saint realm.
On the seventh level, Half-Saint beings finally appeared.
By the time Zhang Ruochen reached the tenth level, the Ox Pit Prison Realm, he finally saw its form. This prison realm was like a basin suspended in the dark universe.
Zhang Ruochen flew through the darkness for an unknown time before finally approaching the Ox Pit Prison Realm and landing at its edge.
Ahead were rows of blackish-brown mountains; behind was boundless darkness and void. No sound could be heard, no life fluctuations sensed—only a deathly silence that evoked an indescribable fear.
“Tap, tap.”
Zhang Ruochen walked forward. In this stillness, every step echoed with stark clarity.
“Boom.”
Suddenly, the space, like a black cloth, was torn apart by a large hand covered in green fur. It appeared above Zhang Ruochen’s head and slammed down.
Zhang Ruochen glanced upward and struck out with one hand, colliding with the green-furred hand.
“Pfft.”
The green-furred hand was shattered by Zhang Ruochen’s palm, and green blood rained down from the air like a downpour.
“So strong…”
A cry of alarm rang out.
In the void, a translucent green shadow appeared, like a cloud, fleeing rapidly into the distance.
“Trying to escape? Come back!”
Zhang Ruochen raised his right arm, curled his fingers, and grabbed the green shadow from afar.
The translucent green shadow burst apart, revealing a strange creature covered in green fur at its center. It had a human-like body, but its head was larger than its body, grotesquely ugly.
The green-furred creature’s cultivation was roughly at the Third-Step Saint King level, but Zhang Ruochen’s palm strike suppressed it so much that it couldn’t stand upright.
Zhang Ruochen took a clear look at the creature’s appearance and frowned.
“Spare me, great one! This king… no… no… this little one came to the Ox Pit Prison Realm only to pick a Flame Stone Grass, with no intention of contesting territory. If I had known such a powerful being as you was here, I wouldn’t have dared to come even if you lent me the courage.”
The green-furred creature was even more cowardly than Zhang Ruochen had imagined. Before any interrogation began, it was already kneeling on the ground.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “How long have you been imprisoned in the Nether Prison?”
“What does the great one mean? This little one was born in the Boiling Mountain Prison Realm and only recently came to the Ox Pit Prison Realm,” the green-furred creature said.
“Could it have lived its entire life in the Nether Prison?”
Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself. It seemed his guess was correct: not all beings in the Nether Prison were prisoners; many were descendants of prisoners.
From the green-furred creature, Zhang Ruochen learned that beings living in the Nether Prison could also cultivate. However, once their cultivation reached a certain level, the realm spirit would drive them to the next prison realm.
Each prison realm had a realm spirit.
The realm spirit had no form, only a consciousness, but it could mobilize immense power, and no being could contend with it.
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the boundless darkness above and thought to himself, “The Nether Prison is truly a strange place. Even a god would find it no easy task to create such a prison. Interesting.”
“Green Fur, how long have you been in the Ox Pit Prison Realm?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“Well…”
Zhang Ruochen released his sacred might and said, “Tell the truth.”
The green-furred creature trembled all over and quickly replied, “Three months now.”
“Do you know a being named Bao Lie?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
The green-furred creature immediately shook its head. “Never heard of him. But I do know that the strongest in the Ox Pit Prison Realm is a Nebula Leopard, with cultivation at the Fifth-Step Saint King level.”
“Nebula Leopard.”
Zhang Ruochen was delighted. “Where is it? Take me to see it.”
“No, no, no. The Nebula Leopard is the king of the Ox Pit Prison Realm. If it finds out I’ve come to its territory, it will definitely kill me,” the green-furred creature said, shaking its head vigorously like a giant child.
Zhang Ruochen crossed his arms and said, “If you don’t take me, I can kill you right now.”
Faced with Zhang Ruochen’s threat, the green-furred creature had no choice but to reluctantly agree, crying as it led him toward the heart of the Ox Pit Prison Realm.
(Recommend Lord Jun Luohua’s new book “Heavenly Sword God Emperor”: One sword slays demons and gods, one sword extinguishes stars. An ordinary youth steps out from the Ten Thousand Mountains, and from then on, this world trembles!)
(End of chapter)
Recommend Urban Godly Lord Lao Shi’s new book: