Guarding the Prison for 100 Years, I Emerge to Overwhelm the Demon Venerable

After hearing the Dog Demon’s words, Su Bai fell silent for a moment.

The dim, yellow light of the room cast shadows across Su Bai’s face and fell upon the Dog Demon’s mangled body.

The blood from the Dog Demon’s body dripped into the bucket, echoing in the quiet room.

The sound was quite jarring.

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from outside, accompanied by a crisp JINGLING and CLANKING.

A moment later, Pasture Captain entered carrying a set of dissection tools.

He walked into the room, glanced at Su Bai, then lowered his gaze to the Dog Demon on the dissection table. He sighed and spoke in a low voice.

"In truth, death is a blessing for it. A release."

"Living a life worse than death like this is just another form of torment."

"Besides, with your death, the debate about this matter in the imperial court will finally have a conclusion."

Su Bai detected a deeper meaning in Pasture Captain’s words.

He then asked, "Pasture Captain, do you know something about the inside story?"

Pasture Captain simply smiled, not explaining further.

He walked forward and patted the dying Dog Demon on the dissection table, speaking softly, "For this dissection, I will only take your skin."

"Your hide has a great purpose. It can be considered an act of immeasurable Merit."

"As for the rest of you, I’ll have someone take it to be buried with your pups."

"And as for the burial site..."

"We’ll choose the place where you and your old master first met."

Pasture Captain was a tall, powerfully built man, standing eight feet in height.

Yet at this moment, his hand gently stroked the Dog Demon, and his words were gentle.

Tears welled up in the blood-stained eyes of the Dog Demon on the dissection table.

As if it had finally let go of its lingering attachments, it slowly closed its eyes...

The Divine Light in them faded.

Su Bai stayed inside for a little longer before leaving the interrogation room, not wanting to disturb Pasture Captain’s work.

In the dimly lit corridor, Su Bai had only taken a few steps before he vanished, making his way to the cave deep within the prison.

The cave was no longer as "lively" as it once had been. It was now somewhat empty, with only a few criminals of high Cultivation hanging their heads, barely holding on.

This was because Su Bai hadn’t thrown anyone in to feed the 9th Layer tower for a long time.

As far as the eye could see, hanging from blood-stained black chains were desiccated corpses, one after another, all drained of their Essence.

Because of this, Su Bai’s Experience Points income had dropped somewhat.

Of course, these people had not died in vain.

Su Bai’s Merit Points had skyrocketed by over two hundred thousand as a result.

When Su Bai reached the deepest part of the cave...

...the nine-layered tower engraved with the two words "Venerable Nine" lay quietly there.

Even after feeding it the lives of so many criminals, Su Bai couldn’t clearly sense what changes had occurred to the nine-layered tower before him.

It still looked like it was covered in cracks and on the verge of collapse.

’Something isn’t right...’

Su Bai walked closer and examined it for a moment. His expression suddenly shifted, turning grave.

’Some of these cracks are new.’

During this time, Su Bai had been using the criminals’ Essence to repair the cracks on the tower, yet the number of cracks was still increasing.

Moreover, many of the cracks had appeared very recently.

’What does this mean?’

It meant that the thing suppressed beneath this tower was likely reawakening!

In other words, this replica of the Venerable Emperor Tower might not be able to hold on much longer.

’Is what’s sealed underneath really something from the Demon Venerable? Or is it something else?’

Su Bai frowned and, for the first time, sent his Divine Thoughts through the cracks in the tower, probing into its depths.

What he saw was almost complete darkness.

Countless plumes of black smoke, even denser and purer than Demon Evil Qi, filled the space.

Like Abyssal Demon Dragons, they coiled deep within the tower, viciously ramming against its walls again and again!

This aura reminded Su Bai of something.

He quickly rummaged through his Storage Magical Treasure.

Soon.

SWISH!

A black statue covered in cracks appeared before Su Bai.

This was the Demon God Statue he had obtained after killing the Black Spirit Ancestor above the Imperial City.

However, after taking a palm strike from Su Bai, the Demon God Statue had completely shattered into pieces.

This Demon God Statue had contained a peculiar type of Demonic Qi. Not only was its quality ten times that of ordinary Demonic Qi, but absorbing it could also rapidly increase the Experience Points for his [Immortal Golden Body].

Unfortunately, after Su Bai absorbed all the Demonic Qi inside it before, the amount was too small, and he only gained a few tens of thousands of Experience Points.

Afterward, so much had happened that he had almost forgotten about it.

Now, the black smoke inside the tower had jogged his memory.

He finally remembered.

’What is the source of this black smoke?’

With this thought in mind, Su Bai pushed his Divine Thoughts to their limit, probing deeper.

Unfortunately, the black smoke was too dense. The deeper he probed, the darker it became, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

’So be it...’

Su Bai withdrew his Divine Thoughts and muttered to himself, "In that case, I’ll absorb this black smoke first."

"Once I’m done digesting this black smoke, the Experience Points for my [Fourth Immortal Golden Body Transformation] should increase by a lot."

"And once the black smoke has completely dissipated, I should be able to see the sealed object inside."

"This will also help alleviate the pressure on the 9th Layer tower."

"And I might even gain a good amount of Merit Points."

Returning to his senses, Su Bai activated his [Immortal Golden Body], and a golden figure materialized behind him.

The Golden Shadow’s eyes blazed with golden light, like a rising sun, and it instantly flashed above the cracks in the tower.

The moment the Golden Shadow was fully exposed to the billowing black smoke...

...the black smoke inside the tower, like predatory fish smelling blood, lunged frantically toward the Golden Shadow!

At Su Bai’s command...

The Golden Shadow let out a long cry, its body releasing an unparalleled suction force.

A vortex formed with it at the center.

Like a miniature black hole, it continuously devoured the black smoke from within the tower.

RUMBLE—

The next moment, a golden torrent surged in Su Bai’s mind, and the Purification Tripod roared incessantly.

Immediately after, he saw the Experience Points bar for his [Fourth Immortal Golden Body Transformation] skyrocketing.

The rate was dozens of times faster than when he usually absorbed Demon Evil Qi.

Previously, because the rank of his [Immortal Golden Body] had been promoted to Super Grade, the efficiency of absorbing ordinary Demon Evil Qi had decreased considerably.

But now, the growth rate of the Experience Points for his [Fourth Immortal Golden Body Transformation] was once again substantial.

Not only that, but Su Bai also saw the Merit Points section starting to increase as well.

Although it was only increasing by three to five points at a time, it was still quite good.

’Just as I guessed. Truly killing three birds with one stone.’

He didn’t know how long he had been absorbing it.

Su Bai kept his eyes fixed on the Cultivation Technique and Merit Points sections.

When he saw that the Experience Points for his [Fourth Immortal Golden Body Transformation] had surged by nearly two million, and his Merit Points had increased by thirty thousand...

Suddenly...

An inexplicable tremor came from the depths of his heart.

Then, he noticed that the black smoke seeping out of the tower had become much thinner.

It was growing increasingly faint.

After completely absorbing all the black smoke, Su Bai once again sent his Divine Thoughts deep into the tower.

’Whatever can emit such dense black smoke must be extraordinary...’

His Divine Thoughts reached the deepest part of the tower, and what appeared before him were countless intricate Patterns, Arrays, and runes.

Each one seemed to contain the rules and order of the heavens and the earth.

He couldn’t comprehend them, but they felt profoundly powerful.

It was precisely because of these runes and Arrays that the black smoke was diluted, undergoing a series of transformations before finally being released through the cracks as much less harmful Demonic Qi and Evil Qi.

’So, the Great Xia Prison was built on top of this cave not to assist with the suppression, but as a cover-up?’

As Su Bai thought this, he guided his Divine Thoughts along the veins of the runes and Arrays, moving through them layer by layer.

Faintly, he seemed to sense a vast will.

Although compared to the Celestial Dao Will he had encountered before, it was like a firefly next to the sun and moon.

But it was still immense.

At the very least, Su Bai’s current Divine Thoughts were more than a notch below it.

Su Bai was lost in thought. The next moment, a single idea flashed through his mind—

Human Dao Will!

This will was like flames, connecting thirteen towering Ancient Artifacts.

The moment Su Bai’s Divine Thoughts touched this will...

...a second, a third, a fourth flame immediately rose in his vision...

A total of thirteen flames of will burned fiercely.

Beside these thirteen flames, hundreds of Star Fires circled protectively.

It was as if an ancient, boundless scroll was slowly unfurling before Su Bai’s eyes.

’Thirteen Divine Artifacts, Thirteen Immortal Maps!’

’This must be it.’

Su Bai looked at the hazy scroll of Star Fire, the outline of the Dayu Immortal Dynasty forming in his mind.

Each of the largest flames in the center was a Divine Artifact.

The smaller flames represented replicas of the Divine Artifacts, like "Venerable Nine."

There was a considerable number of Star Fires. Su Bai did a quick count and found exactly one hundred and seventeen of them.

This meant that each Divine Artifact had nine replicas.

Thirteen artifacts meant one hundred and seventeen replicas.

Su Bai continued to inspect the Immortal Map formed by the Star Fires.

He discovered that many of the specks of starlight on the Immortal Map were dim.

And the one representing "Venerable Nine" was one of the dimmest.

Su Bai couldn’t peer into the other Star Fires, but he could inspect the one representing the [Nine Venerable Tower].

So, Su Bai sent his Divine Thoughts into it.

What met his eyes was a vast, ancient Grand Array.

In the center of the Array, a faint smoke was seeping out.

Clearly, the black smoke Su Bai had just absorbed originated from here.

’What exactly is it?’

Curious, Su Bai focused his gaze on the center of the Array.

The next instant.

He saw a strange, jet-black finger bone, about half a foot long.

It lay there.

Before he could get a closer look...

"Who goes there?"

BOOM!

Perhaps Su Bai’s Divine Thoughts had disturbed the other party. An ancient existence had awakened.

Three blood-red eyes, blazing like suns, suddenly snapped open on the Immortal Map!

It was accompanied by an aura of Demonic Qi, Evil Qi, and Malice accumulated over countless years, along with a thick stench of decay.

It came rolling forth!

Su Bai immediately withdrew his Divine Thoughts.

RUMBLE—

He saw the nine-layered tower before him begin to tremble slightly.

Shaking off a great deal of dust.

CRACK!

Dozens of new, fine cracks appeared on the body of the already battered nine-layered tower.

The tremor lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before slowly subsiding.

And the nine-layered tower had become even more dilapidated.

’It seems the finger bone I just saw was the Demon Venerable’s finger bone.’

’And this unknown ancient existence is probably an ancient Fierce Demon suppressed by the Immortal Map.’

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, Su Bai could clearly sense that this being was no friend.

He had just used the Purification Tripod to get a quick read.

This being’s Sin Value was as high as Ten-Star!

With such a terrifying Sin Value, one could only imagine the extent of this being’s ferocious might!

’In the future, I’ll have to investigate the inside of the Dayu Immortal Dynasty thoroughly.’

’Perhaps I’ll be able to find the secrets and truth about the Thirteen Divine Artifacts, the ancient existence, and that Demon Venerable.’

Su Bai came back to his senses, thinking to himself.

After a moment of thought, Su Bai took out Ming Luo Ancestor and several Nine Tribulations Realm experts from his Dharma Tripod Prison and bound them with black chains.

’They’re Nine Tribulations Realm experts, after all. Using them to patch up some of the tower’s cracks is putting them to good use,’ Su Bai mused.

With that thought, Su Bai left the depths of the cave.

He had intended to return directly to the Zone B Prison, but unexpectedly, as he was passing through the Cyan Hall...

...he was stopped by Longbo Hai.

"Senior, please wait!"