Chapter 349: Chapter 71: Heart Demon Transforms into Five Viscous
Jiang Li had left less than half a cup of tea ago when an overwhelming aura of death surged forward, with Su Li and Xiang Huaiyi arriving one after another at the prison where Yang Ji was held.
However, by then Jiang Li had already disappeared without a trace, leaving only charred traces of thunder and a figure with its head hanging low in the cell.
"Still alive..."
Su Li almost immediately sensed a spark of life remaining in Yang Ji upon seeing his body, his heart slightly relaxed.
But the next moment, Xiang Huaiyi quickly stepped into the cell, lifted Yang Ji’s head, and delivered an ominous verdict, "The life force remains, yet the soul is extinguished, there’s death without life."
As he spoke, Yang Ji’s body faintly exhibited flashes of electrical light; the Dao Fruit he harbored was separating out.
This undoubtedly corroborated what Xiang Huaiyi had just said; Yang Ji was as dead as one could be, with even the Dao Fruit making an appearance.
Watching this scene, Xiang Huaiyi coldly uttered a name: "Lawless Freedom."
To sever the soul and spirit without harming the physical body, this person was unmistakably that Lawless Freedom.
The Southern Heavenly Department had already seen deaths at the hands of Lawless Freedom, and Xiang Huaiyi was no stranger to this.
Xiang Huaiyi continued to examine the body and found radiant light emerging from within Yang Ji, the Dao Fruit he carried was separating out, obviously recently dead.
The main issue now was, why did Lawless Freedom sneak into the Heavenly Prison to kill Yang Ji, and... how to find this madman!
He couldn’t help but recall the words he had heard earlier and spoke in a low voice, "Could it really be just for the sake of Dao Fruit manifestation?"
Xiang Huaiyi possessed the Divine Skills of Sharp-Hearing Ear, and even though the heavy restrictions within this Heavenly Prison constrained his divine skills, he still heard the words spoken by Jiang Li before he killed Yang Ji. Then, with the sudden sound of thunder, Xiang Huaiyi immediately determined the infiltrator’s intention towards Yang Ji.
He and Su Li had hurried over, but Jiang Li had been a step quicker.
The Young Sect Leader of the Taiping Sect, Yang Ji, couldn’t even withstand one sword strike under him.
Previously in Yong Province, Yang Ji had already been defeated by Jiang Li. Now with Jiang Li having reached the Sixth Rank, his power was incomparable to before, whereas Yang Ji had merely remained stagnant.
To kill him, truly only one move was needed.
"Dao Fruit manifestation?" Su Li, filled with rage yet laughed scornfully, "I would indeed like to believe that this villain did it for Dao Fruit manifestation, but would the Emperor believe it? Would the Taiping Sect believe it? It’s a more plausible saying that this villain is a self-declared avenger for the people of Yong who died, rather than that nonsense."
Sneaking into the Heavenly Prison just for manifestation, telling this reason to the Taiping Sect would surely offend them, it’s almost like treating them as fools.
"Enough, no matter what his intentions were, he can’t escape. The outskirts of the Heavenly Prison are sealed by the Bi’an, forbidding flight, while below, a Great Divine Power has solidified the earth into steel, preventing burrowing. Only through the prison gate can one enter or exit. And as of now, Wan Fuzuo stands guard above, even if he had wings, he’d find it hard to fly."
Su Li asked Xiang Huaiyi, "Can you hear any movement from this madman?"
Upon hearing this, Xiang Huaiyi concentrated and listened, his ears visibly enlarging as noises from all directions inundated his ears.
Regrettably, there was no abnormal sound.
"This person moves silently, and were it not for his exceptional Qinggong, he might be floating off the ground; trying to determine his location by footsteps is difficult," Xiang Huaiyi shook his head.
From the moment he had heard the other party’s words, Xiang Huaiyi had paid special attention to surrounding sounds, only to find no trace nor sound of Lawless Freedom.
No footsteps, even the sword strikes were silent, as if he was a non-existent person.
That statement seemed more like it was made for their ears.
Lawless Freedom must have known of Xiang Huaiyi’s Dao Fruit Divine Skills and deliberately spoke before acting, offering a ludicrous reason. Anyway, since Yang Ji would reveal himself the moment he resisted and used the Thunder Technique, it was better for him to speak first as a heads-up...
Years of experience painted a brash and lawless figure in Xiang Huaiyi’s mind.
Slaying officials from the Southern Heavenly Department, killing the Fourth Prince, and now sneaking into the Heavenly Prison to kill the Young Sect Leader of the Taiping Sect, this person truly lived up to the name, a bona fide Lawless Madman.
"Steps without sound, is it?"
Su Li immediately thought of a corresponding method, "All prison guards, halt in place, anyone disobeying will be killed without mercy."
Being responsible for the Heavenly Prison, Su Li instantly thought of a way to deal with the situation and decisively issued the order.
Although continuing the lockdown would definitely make it hard for the enemy to escape, whether it be the Emperor or the one in charge of the Heavenly Prison and the Bi’an Stone Sculpture coming, either could find the intruder. However, if they could find the Lawless Freedom before that, it would be considered a meritorious service.
The command reverberated in the underground, and the noisy voices abruptly silenced, reflecting the discipline of absolute obedience.
Seeing the result, Su Li was about to join Xiang Huaiyi to inspect one by one and find this Lawless Freedom.
However, before they could act, a thick and vile Qi burst forth, flowing like a tide in all directions. Prison guards along the way felt a stagnation in their Qi Mechanism, and some even cried out in agony as they were invaded by the Evil Qi.
Restrictive marks began to appear on each cell door, gradually dimming under the force of the Evil Qi.
The prisoners inside, seeing this, frantically banged and rammed against the cell doors, and the entire underground floor erupted into chaos.
"Prison break! Prison break!"
"I intend to see the daylight again."
"Women! I want women!"
Various ghostly howls echoed throughout the first underground level.
Having stayed in the Heavenly Prison for so long, a person could turn into a ghost, and now the ghosts were about to break free, and a great change was impending upon the entire first level.
Even the Evil Qi was gathering continuously, surging towards the second underground level, attempting to further release the prisoners there.
At the same time, on the ground above, a sinister aura seeped out from the door leading underground, followed closely by a dark torrent of Dirt Qi, bursting forth explosively as if ten thousand ghosts had emerged, striking the air, causing even the gloomy sky to tremble.
The reason the sky above the Heavenly Prison was gloomy was due to the seal enforced by the Bi’an Dao Artifact, which blocked people from flying, while also obstructing some sunlight, making it permanently somber inside.
Now, as the Five Vile Qi struck the air and washed over the seal, intricate and strict patterns appeared momentarily in mid-air, then swiftly dimmed.
The Heavenly Prison’s seal had considered various situations but never the Five Vile Qi because before the emergence of the Nine Heavens Demon Suppressing True Technique, no one in the world had ever used Five Vile Qi against their enemies.
Even the Jiang family, whose "Qi Tomb" was hailed as the source of Qi Dao, had never had someone dare to utilize the Five Vile Qi. Innate Qi could transform into Ten Thousand Qi and integrate with the Five Vile Qi, but the people of the Jiang family couldn’t endure the Five Vile Qi.
Those who attempted to harness the Five Vile Qi never ended well.
Only Jiang Li, having stolen Zhang Daoyi’s Demon Cleansing True Qi, dared to undertake such a shocking act.
Upon witnessing this, Wan Dingtian, who was guarding the prison entrance, mentally exclaimed in alarm and, swift as a shooting star, flashed to the entrance below.
In the Southern Heavenly Department, all Divine Travel Grand Protectors were under Wan Dingtian’s command, and he himself had risen from their ranks. Otherwise, he could hardly have won over the hearts of people like Xiang Huaiyi.
At this moment, Wan Dingtian’s decisive interception showcased his astonishing speed.
Almost at the instant Wan Dingtian appeared before the Evil Qi, a figure dressed as a prison guard burst up from below.
Facing each other, it was indeed a narrow encounter; the opponent’s hand showed Sword Light, drawing along rolling Evil Qi, the Five Vile Qi spiraling and coiling around the sword tip, thrusting forward in a killing blow.
"Indeed, it is the Five Vile Qi!"
Faced with this sword, Wan Dingtian was extremely startled, yet he showed no intention of retreating.
The Five Vile Qi extremely restrained both True Qi and Essence Qi. If Wan Dingtian were a Magic Practitioner, he could only avoid the sharpness of the sword. But among the Divine Travel Grand Protectors, none were Magic Practitioners.
He lifted his knee and kicked out, his garments flaring to reveal feet clad in war boots shimmering with a bluish-gold hue.
The boots, wrapping around his shins and covering his knees, exhibited a noticeable metallic luster, signifying their sturdy nature.
Wan Dingtian, with his finely arched brows and square face appearing quite scholarly, now displayed sheer ferocity and dominance; his leg sprung out, striking power pounding upon the spiral of Evil Qi, abruptly dispersing it, then continuing with undiminished force to shock the Sword Light.
"Clang!"
The Sword Light vibrated intensely, emitting a sound deep as a giant bell, seemingly about to fly out of the opponent’s hand.
Having repelled the Sword Light with one blow, Wan Dingtian streaked forward, breaking the sound barrier, retracted his leg, and spun it around like an axe, striking at the waist of the prison guard. His solidly fierce leg cut through armor and bones, tearing through flesh, effectively bisecting the guard at the waist.
The impact, the killing, all demonstrated his power.
Yet at that instant, Wan Dingtian’s heart strings tensed severely.
It was because, from the bisected corpse, multiple streams of Sword Qi suddenly shot out, merging with the Five Vile Qi, forming countless eerie figures.
"Wan Qing."
Wan Dingtian heard the Emperor’s call.
His heart instantly filled with reverence.
"Assistant."
Another subordinate’s figure appeared, causing his heart to waver.
There were also various figures and voices; they were the officials, lifelong friends, and even his beloved women.
Wan Dingtian’s mental state underwent violent fluctuations; then, in a moment, all waves transmitted a sense of decay and decline as countless figures turned to ash simultaneously, with the dark, malicious intent sweeping through his mind.
This was the decay of the world, the essence of the Five Vile Qi, conveyed through emotional fluctuations to Wan Dingtian’s heart.
Jiang Li had combined the Heart Demon Secret Sword with the Five Vile Qi, using the Secret Sword to transmit the Five Vile Qi’s intent, planting a poison in the mind.
Wan Dingtian suddenly retreated rapidly, his Qi in complete disarray.
And from behind that severed corpse, a black shadow struck out, piercing through the flying flesh, grabbing the Sword Light, achieving Man and Sword Integration, and swiftly passing by Wan Dingtian with the speed of lightning, disappearing into the dark miasma of Evil Qi.