Chapter 348: Chapter 70 Assassination in the Heavenly Prison
Wan Dingtian emerged from the Ziwei Hall and suddenly felt his body relax, a sense of indescribable ease washing over him.
His body had been tense all the while before, instinctively sensing a threat, until now, having left the Ziwei Hall, he could finally relax.
And that threat did not come from the Emperor. The Emperor was too powerful, so much so that Wan Dingtian couldn’t even perceive the threat, and considering he was a confidante of the Emperor, he did not believe the Emperor would harm him.
The real threat began after Bu Yusheng entered the hall, originating from the small dog in Bu Yusheng’s arms.
"At least fifth-rank..."
A sense of absurdity surfaced in Wan Dingtian’s mind.
Even a dog had reached fifth-rank, the world was indeed strange.
At the same time, this also heightened Wan Dingtian’s eagerness for promotion.
He walked briskly, exiting the Imperial City, only to see about eleven people lined up in wait, members of the Southern Heavenly Department, with Xiang Huaiyi leading them in front. Spotting Wan Dingtian, Xiang stepped forward to salute him.
"No need for such formalities."
Upon seeing Xiang Huaiyi, Wan Dingtian directly instructed, "To the Heavenly Prison."
The group rushed to the Heavenly Prison with the Dao Fruit Ability of the Divine Travel Grand Protector, moving swiftly.
First, handle the task entrusted by the Emperor, bringing Yang Ji back to the Imperial City, then meet with Bu Yusheng to pursue Jiang Li, or rather... to hunt down Jiang Li.
More than ten shadows darted through the air like ghosts, as swift as shadows.
Elsewhere, major prisons were mostly located outside the city, nestled among towering mountains, guarded by designated Mountain Gods, River Gods, and stationed soldiers. Such an arrangement facilitated surveillance and, in case of an emergency, would minimize impact.
But the Heavenly Prison in the Imperial City was different.
The prison for detaining serious offenders and powerful figures was also located in the Upper City District, not far from the Imperial City. With the Emperor ensconced in the Imperial City, the Heavenly Prison was, in fact, the most impregnable place; should anyone attempt a jailbreak, they would be suppressed immediately.
It was far safer inside the city than outside.
With the speed of Wan Dingtian and his companions, they soon arrived outside the Heavenly Prison, and the group of thirteen abruptly halted, stopping in their tracks.
In front of them rose walls as tall as city ramparts, and a pitch-black gateway was embedded directly before Wan Dingtian. Atop the gateway, a massive stone sculpture took form, with the head of a tiger but whiskers of a dragon, its ferocious teeth bared, its eyes fiercely glaring.
This was none other than Bi’an, one of the nine sons of the Divine Dragon, also known as the enforcer. This creature, tiger-like but prone to litigation, hence, typically adorned prison gates in the form of Bi’an.
The prison gate of the Divine Capital Heavenly Prison was in fact a Fifth Grade Daoist Artifact, which harbored the Dao Fruit of Bi’an within it, capable of meticulous scrutiny and discerning truth from falsehood. It was empowered by the sacrificial cultivation of a Fourth-Grade Expert, so even a fourth-rank who came here would have their flaws exposed by this Dao Artifact, revealing their true form.
Those of lesser strength with guilty conscience might even be so overwhelmed by the imposing aura of Bi’an that their minds would become uncontrollable, losing all power to resist.
Wan Dingtian stepped forward and proclaimed loudly to the Bi’an stone sculpture, "Deputy of Nantian, Wan Dingtian, by Imperial Order, has come to deal with a prisoner."
As his words fell, the eyes of the Bi’an sculpture lit up, shining a bright light over Wan Dingtian and those behind him for a few breaths, then quietly dimmed.
Simultaneously, the prison gate began to open with a deep rumble.
Once the Emperor’s word was issued, the command had already reached the Heavenly Prison. Mentioning the Emperor in front of Bi’an would inevitably draw the Emperor’s attention, effectively providing a backing for Wan Dingtian.
Plus with Bi’an’s inspection, it would prevent any impostors from deceiving their way in.
Layer upon layer of arrangements seemed simple, yet were immensely secure.
Wan Dingtian, leading the way, proceeded inside, while Xiang Huaiyi cautioned those behind him, "Once inside, you are not to wander or speak freely; should you contravene these orders, even I will not be able to save you."
The group passed through the prison gate, and the light ahead suddenly darkened, as if under a shadowy sky.
One by one, prison guards clad in black armor, with iron helmets covering even their faces, stood still or patrolled, each one like a ghostly soldier from the underworld, chilling to the bone.
Crossing a spacious courtyard, they could see two rows of stone houses lined up on either side, which seemed to serve as quarters for the Heavenly Prison guards.
And at the end of the road between the rows of stone houses stood a solid wall, with a gateway facing the road, gaping like the mouth of a voracious beast.
That gateway led to the cell blocks.
The buildings on the ground were dwellings for the guards and officials, while below ground lay the cells for the prisoners.
The first layer housed criminals who still had a chance of leaving, the second layer held prisoners marked for death, and the third layer, reportedly in another dimension, confined experts above fourth-rank.
Wan Dingtian and his men approached, just as someone came up from below.
Upon seeing Wan Dingtian, the man laughed heartily and said, "Assistant Wan, it’s been a long time."
The man was dressed in a black shirt, appeared young, his face pale with a penetrating coldness. As he neared, a strong sense of discomfort arose in the hearts of the Southern Heavenly Department’s members, making them tense.
Even those who had their hands stained with blood recognized this as the aura of death, a powerful Death Qi. The Death Qi emanating from the man was so intense, it almost made them doubt whether he was a walking corpse.
"Long time no see, Brother Su." Wan Dingtian also responded with familiarity.
"Brother Su" brushed past the prison guards and approached with a smile, "May I inquire as to what commands Assistant Wan has on this visit?"
"It’s not I who have commands, but the Emperor," Wan Dingtian replied solemnly, "The Emperor has ordered the execution of the Taiping Sect’s Cao Yuanlong, to bring out the Taiping Sect’s Young Sect Leader from the prison, and to deliver him to the Imperial City."
"Another Imperial Order, Assistant Wan is truly graced by the Emperor’s favor, which makes me, Su, green with envy," "Brother Su" said with a light chuckle.
The two sides exchanged pleasantries for a few sentences, and Wan Dingtian still remembered that he needed to meet with Bu Yusheng, urging, "Brother Su, please forgive me, I still have another important matter to attend to after this, and it needs to be dealt with quickly."
"This matter is of no trouble," "Brother Su" smiled, "Just a moment, and I will..."
His gaze swept over the people from the Southern Heavenly Department and suddenly became fixed, "Where is he?"
"Who?"
Wan Dingtian followed his gaze to look behind him, his face showing confusion.
However, "Brother Su" had already revealed a grim intent, as a surge of deadly Qi Mechanism flooded forth, and the nearby prison guards simultaneously drew their swords.
"There were thirteen people who entered the Heavenly Prison, and now, in front of my eyes, there are only twelve. You ask me who?"
Su Li’s gaze was frosty as he stared at the crowd, almost spitting out each word, his killing intent already boiling over.
He was tasked with managing the Bi’an Stone Sculpture, and whatever scenes the Dao Artifact observed, Su Li could also see in real-time. Therefore, when Wan Dingtian and others came in, he immediately walked out from underground.
He had clearly seen thirteen people from the Southern Heavenly Department enter the Heavenly Prison, but now, including Wan Dingtian himself, there were only twelve.
Someone had vanished into thin air.
"Where did the thirteenth person come from? I clearly remember there were only twelve," Wan Dingtian said, looking toward Xiang Huaiyi.
"It was indeed twelve people, absolutely no mistake," Xiang Huaiyi immediately replied.
The two spoke with certainty, showing no signs of deception, but what the Bi’an Dao Artifact had seen could not be mistaken, and Su Li did not believe he could be experiencing a vision error.
"Seal off the Heavenly Prison."
At a sharp command, the prison guards immediately sprang into action.
...
...
In front of a dark cell, the fiercely burning lamplight cast a pitch-black shadow.
A prison guard peered through the cell door, observing the prisoner inside.
[The operation went smoothly, as I joined the people from the Southern Heavenly Department on their way to the Heavenly Prison. The Heart Demon Secret Sword confused the perception of those around them, making them overlook the extra person.]
[Xiang Huaiyi did not notice, and Wan Dingtian was also led to ignore the person behind him. This Deputy of the Southern Heavenly Department isn’t someone who cares too much about his subordinates. Even without being induced, he would not pay too much attention to what was behind him.]
[There was no need to change his mind, just a small nudge, which made them a bit more careless, allowing me to easily become one of them.]
[The Bi’an Stone Sculpture in the Heavenly Prison can penetrate illusions, but Jiang Li had done nothing but change his clothes, without any attempt at disguise. Moreover, he used the bodies of others to block his face, revealing only his figure.]
[The sculpture could also deter the ill-intentioned, but Jiang Li was a good person and thus wouldn’t be affected by it.]
[Upon entering the Heavenly Prison, Jiang Li swiftly changed clothes in the doorway, confusing the perception of the guards and joined them.]
[Then, following the information given by Tianxuan, he and the patrolling prison guards entered the underground first level and came here.]
Lines of text refreshed on the Karma Collection, and Jiang Li reached out to press his hand on the cell door, revealing enchantments that were then extinguished by the black evil Qi.
Just like that, the cell door opened, and Jiang Li walked inside, coming face to face with the prisoner inside, the Taiping Sect’s Young Sect Leader.
"The drought in Yong Province was spurred on by you, as was the Red Eyebrow Army’s uprising. Countless people have died because of you, Young Master Yang. I wonder how much benefit your numerous evil deeds could bring me."
Jiang Li advanced step by step, a Sword Light beginning to emerge in his palm.
At the same time, Yang Ji, dressed in white prison garb and showing a hint of dejection, slowly raised his head.
It was clear that his living conditions were not bad, his clothes were neat, and he was not disheveled, merely showing the dejection of a defeated man. The court had not treated him poorly, at least not since Zhang Zhixuan’s arrival in Divine Capital. Yang Ji’s situation could only have improved.
This indicated—
Yang Ji might have regained his Power.
"Zzzt!"
A flash of electricity appeared, and the eyes of Yang Ji, filled with electric light, revealed a Thunder Eye manifesting above his head.
In an instant, thunder roared and burst open within the small cell.
However, faster than the thunder was the clear, transparent, nearly invisible Sword Light.
Like a fleeting swan from beyond the heavens, pure and untainted, without form or trace, the thunder continued unbroken, unaffected by the sword strike, but that Sword Light was already reflected on Yang Ji’s face, mirrored in the interwoven lights in his eyes, extinguishing the brilliance within them.
The thunder silenced, the electricity extinguished, the Thunder Eye disappeared.
With no sound, Yang Ji’s head drooped, his upper body slightly hunched, his attempt to rise halted, and he sat back down.
Then, a sharp shout resounded, heavy footsteps rushing forward, blending with the clanging of armored collision.
[The Sect Hierarch’s direct Disciple died inside the Heavenly Prison. Such gravity, only worthy of the Emperor’s hammering.]
Jiang Li hid the Sword Light and walked out of the cell, joining the urgently on-guard prison guards.