Chapter 126: Cut Open with a Single Saber"
"It seems you don't believe me."
Lin Chuan gripped his thunder blade and drew the blade out.
Clang!
Purple lightning flowed along the blade, illuminating the narrow elevator cage.
Ning Zhaoyue was slightly stunned.
"Lin Chuan, what are you doing?"
"She was just worried about our safety and didn't say anything out of line, there's no need for this!"
The locked-up female investigator was also startled.
Her Qi and Yuan were sealed right now, and she was still injured.
If Lin Chuan were to really slash over, she wouldn't even be able to dodge.
"Young man, calm down first."
"I don't look down on you."
"It is indeed very dangerous below. I just hope you can contact the Zhenyuan Division and wait for the Great Grandmaster-level powerhouses to arrive before taking action together."
The woman's voice was much gentler than before.
Her gaze also became clear.
Lin Chuan listened with a speechless expression.
"What are the two of you thinking?"
He raised the thunder blade and pointed at the chains on the woman's feet.
"I'm cutting these."
"Oh."
Ning Zhaoyue stepped aside.
"Then go ahead and cut."
The woman also breathed a sigh of relief.
However, glancing at the black chains on her feet, she still reminded, "This is a soul-Locking Chain forged from cold iron, and it has Yuan-sealing runes on it. It's very difficult for ordinary Tier 5 weapons to cut through it, don't break your own saber."
"This thing is so hard?"
Lin Chuan squatted down and tapped the chains with the back of the saber.
Clang!
The sound was extremely crisp.
The green runes on the chain lit up simultaneously, and a cold, chilling power followed the thunder blade, trying to drill into Lin Chuan's arm.
Dutian Divine Thunder automatically erupted.
Crackle!
As soon as that cold power touched the lightning light, it was instantly blasted apart.
Seeing this scene, the woman's expression became much more serious.
The power on the soul-Locking Chain specifically targeted the spirit and Qi and Yuan of a Martial Artist.
If an ordinary Grandmaster touched it once, their spiritual space would be affected.
Lin Chuan didn't react at all.
"Pull your feet back a bit."
Lin Chuan reminded.
The woman quickly brought her legs together, trying to stay as far away from the chains as possible.
Lin Chuan raised the thunder blade.
The "One Thousand Blade Cuts Sutra" circulated.
The purple lightning light on the blade compressed into a thin line and slashed down toward one of the chains.
Shh!
The chain snapped.
There was no explosion, nor was there much commotion.
The blade cut through the cold iron as if slicing an ordinary noodle.
Lin Chuan flicked his wrist.
The second strike followed closely.
Shh!
The other chain snapped as well.
The green runes on the surface of the chain flickered a few times before completely going out shortly after.
The woman lowered her head to look at the broken ends by her feet, not speaking for a moment.
Cold iron was specifically used to imprison high-level Martial Artists.
She had previously witnessed with her own eyes a Great Grandmaster trapped by such chains.
The opponent attacked more than a dozen times consecutively before barely managing to knock a crack into it.
Lin Chuan only used two strikes.
And judging by his appearance, he didn't use much strength at all.
"Broken?"
The woman found it a bit hard to believe.
She reached out, picked up a section of the chain, and carefully examined the broken end.
The cut surface was smooth and flat, with tiny purple lightning arcs still lingering on it.
It was truly sliced open with a single strike!
The woman re-evaluated Lin Chuan.
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"Already graduated?"
"University hasn't started yet."
The woman's expression became even stranger.
A newcomer who hadn't even officially enrolled cut the soul-Locking cold iron with a single strike?
Are the new students of Jiuli Academy already this abnormal now?
Ning Zhaoyue squatted down beside her and took out a potion.
"He is this year's SSS-grade freshman Lin Chuan."
"Of the four lords outside, three of them were killed by his punch. The strongest Crimson-Armored Rock King was also sliced by his saber with a single strike."
"The Ninth Layer where we were just now was taken down by him leading Spark."
The woman had obviously heard of Lin Chuan's name.
Before entering the Ninth Mining Area, she had also watched the video of Lin Chuan punching through the Tianheng Club.
But internet videos were ultimately different from seeing it with one's own eyes.
At that time, many people still said that Lin Chuan relied on the treasures prepared by the Imperial Capital Lin Family.
Now it seemed that this kid's strength was even more terrifying than in the video.
Lin Chuan put away the thunder blade.
"Do you believe it now?"
The woman nodded.
"I believe it."
"Then tell me, what is actually down below."
Ning Zhaoyue handed the healing potion to the woman.
After the potion was injected into her body, the woman's pale complexion gradually recovered a bit.
Ning Zhaoyue then cut open her combat uniform near her abdomen, re-treating the wounds torn open by the iron hooks.
The wound was very deep.
A layer of green ghost fire still lingered on the edges.
Ning Zhaoyue cleaned it several times with the purification potion prepared by the Zhenyuan Division before completely eliminating that layer of ghost fire.
The woman leaned against the edge of the elevator cage and rested for a moment.
"A total of three investigation teams came this time."
"The initial mission was to track the activities of the Five Elements Cult within the Ninth Mining Area."
"Over the past half year, they have been continuously transporting ore, potions, and sacrificial materials deep into the mining area."
"The Zhenyuan Division suspects that they are preparing to hold a large-scale ritual here, so they sent us to investigate."
"Three days ago, we followed a Five Elements Cult team and found an ancient stone gate."
"Behind the stone gate is that Secret Realm."
Lin Chuan sat opposite.
"What kind of place is inside?"
"A prison."
The woman's voice lowered.
"It should have been left behind a thousand years ago."
"The buildings, characters, and weapons inside are not things from the present era at all."
"Those prison cells are exceptionally large, some prepared for humans, while others held things whose size could reach dozens of meters."
Ning Zhaoyue frowned.
"Are there still living creatures in the cells?"
"When we went in, most of the cells were already empty."
"However, the master of the prison is still there."
Remembering that figure, the woman's face still retained lingering fear.
"It calls itself the Prison soul Warden."
"It wears a set of cyan iron armor, its head hidden inside a helmet, where only two clusters of green soul fire can be seen."
"Its right hand uses a chain with an iron hook, and its left hand carries a soul lamp."
"That chain is very eerie."
"Ordinary defense cannot stop it. As long as it is hit by the iron hook, the soul will be hooked by the chain and dragged out of the physical body bit by bit."
Lin Chuan looked at the cold iron chains on the ground.
"The one on your foot is also its?"
"Mm."
The woman nodded.
Ning Zhaoyue asked, "Then what methods does the Warden have?"
The woman said, "It can use the soul lamp. After the soul is taken into the soul lamp, the physical body will not die yet."
"The Warden can control them through the chains, turning them into prisoners and guards in the prison."
Ning Zhaoyue immediately asked, "Is there still saving for the captured people?"
"There should be."
"Their souls have not been completely refined yet."
The woman answered quickly.
This was also the reason why she desperately escaped and wanted to ask for reinforcements.
"The Warden will not immediately kill people who enter the Secret Realm."
"It needs living prisoners."
"The more people imprisoned, the stronger the power in the soul lamp, and the faster its recovery speed will be."
Lin Chuan asked, "It has been injured?"
"Yes, and it was very severe."
The woman recalled what she saw in the Secret Realm.
"A large number of combat traces remain around that prison."
"The Warden's cyan iron armor is also heavily damaged, and there is an unhealable crack on its chest."
"I suspect it was once heavily injured by a certain powerhouse and can only hide in the Secret Realm to slowly recover."
"Over these years, the Five Elements Cult has always wanted to break through that prison."
"They believe that the Warden guards an ancient treasure."
"In order to get that thing, the Five Elements Cult has sent many people in and out."
"But after those people went in, most of them were captured."
Hearing this, Lin Chuan couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Those Five Elements Cultists are quite persistent."
"Every time a batch of people is sent in, the Warden gets a bit stronger."
"Are they planning to feed that thing back using their own people?"
"There are many branches inside the Five Elements Cult."
The woman explained, "After the previous people disappear, the later people might not necessarily know what happened. Even if they know, they would just think the previous batch wasn't strong enough."
"Those madmen, as long as they think they can get the so-called divine grace, won't care how many people die."
Ning Zhaoyue re-bandaged her wounds.
"How did you escape?"
"The captain blocked the Warden's chain for me."
The woman lowered her head to glance at her ankle.
"I used a one-time teleportation talisman and escaped from the prison to the vicinity of the stone gate."
"However, these two chains were already wrapped around my feet, constantly absorbing my Qi and Yuan."
"After I escaped to the elevator shaft, it seemed to have gotten out of range, and the chains suddenly plunged into the rock wall, trapping me here."
"If I had been found a few days later, I might have been dragged back into the Secret Realm again."
Speaking of this, her expression became even uglier.
"Moreover, time is really running out."
"When I last saw that soul lamp, more than half of it inside the lantern was already lit up."
"The Warden said that once the soul lamp is completely lit, the prison gates will reopen."
"By then, it can bring the entire prison to descend into the real world."
Ning Zhaoyue looked at Lin Chuan.
If what the woman said is true, this is no longer an ordinary missing persons investigation mission.
An ancient Warden capable of controlling a Secret Realmand extracting souls, once entering the real world, the entire Heilan Ash Zone will be in trouble.
"How far is the entrance from here?" Lin Chuan asked.
"Not far."
The woman pointed below the elevator shaft.
"Continuing along the mining tunnel below for about three kilometers, you can see that stone gate."
"But are you really going in?"
She now believed that Lin Chuan was very strong.
But the Warden captured so many Zhenyuan Divisionelites, it was definitely not an ordinary lord.
"Of course we're going."
Lin Chuan stood up from the ground.
"If we wait any longer for the Tiger King to come over, the people inside might all turn into lamp oil."
Ning Zhaoyue put away the first aid kit and nodded as well.
"I will send the coordinates and intelligence to the Zhenyuan Division first."
"Let's go over and check the situation. If we find we can't beat them, we can withdraw first and wait for reinforcements."
Hearing this, the woman supported herself against the elevator cage and slowly stood up.
"I'll go with you."
"You're hurt like this, can you still walk?"
"I know the location of the stone gate, and I also know some routes inside the prison."
The woman picked up her short saber.
"The others are still inside."
"I can't stay here and wait."
Chapter 127: Unknown Secret Realm, Tianheng Societyand Chifeng Society Are Both Here
The female investigator finished injecting the potion and rested for another dozen minutes.
Her injuries definitely hadn't healed yet, but she was already able to move normally.
She took out a spare combat uniform from her storage equipment to change into, and then hung the Zhenyuan Division short blade back around her waist.
"Let's go."
"The entrance is right beneath the hoistway."
The three of them left the hoist cage and continued downward.
Below, there were no longer any normally constructed mine tunnels.
The rock walls were uneven, a large amount of rubble was scattered on the ground, and there were many narrow passages dug out manually.
To find this Secret Realm, the Five Elements Cult had been digging here for many years.
Along the way, discarded tools, potion bottles, and rotting tents could often be seen.
In some places, dried human bloodstains still remained.
The female investigator walked at the very front.
Her speed wasn't fast, but she was very familiar with the nearby routes.
"There's a fork in the road ahead, take the right."
"The left side is a trap dug out by the Five Elements Cult. Fire-type talismans are buried underneath, and once stepped on, the entire mine tunnel will collapse."
Lin Chuan glanced to the left.
High-grade Mental Strength passed through the ground.
Sure enough, over a hundred fire-type talismans were buried underneath.
The people of the Five Elements Cult hadn't dismantled them when retreating, clearly preparing to trap the Zhenyuan Division members chasing from behind.
"These fellows didn't forget to screw people over even as they left."
Lin Chuan raised his hand.
Purple Mental Strength burrowed underground, pulling out those talismans one by one.
The flame runes on the surface of the talismans were still flickering.
Ning Zhaoyue took out a Seal bag and packed all of them inside.
"They can still be used if we take them back, don't waste them."
Lin Chuan glanced at her.
"Does your Zhenyuan Division live so frugally too?"
"This is called confiscating spoils of war."
Ning Zhaoyue stuffed the Seal bag into her storage equipment.
"Over a hundred Tier 4 fire talismans are worth tens of millions outside."
The female investigator stood at the front and waited for a moment.
Seeing that the two of them even dug up and took away the traps buried by the Five Elements Cult, she didn't know what to say for a moment.
She had been running for her life these past few days.
Her nerves had been tightly strung up until now.
After Lin Chuan and Ning Zhaoyue arrived, the atmosphere suddenly became a bit strange.
However, credit where credit is due, following these two people made her feel a lot more at ease inside.
The three of them continued moving forward.
After walking about three kilometers, a huge space artificially excavated appeared at the end of the mine tunnel.
Directly ahead stood a black stone door.
The stone door was over thirty meters tall, its surface covered with marks left by swords and chains.
Dozens of rusted chains crawled out from the cracks of the door, intertwining and wrapping around the surface of the stone door.
In the center of the stone door, a cyan soul lamp was carved.
Upon getting closer, faint weeping could be heard.
The female investigator stopped in her tracks.
"This is it."
She pointed below the stone door.
Many footprints were still left on the ground.
A portion of them belonged to the Zhenyuan Division, while others were left by the Five Elements Cult.
Lin Chuan walked in front of the stone door and knocked on it with his hand.
Thud!
The sound was very deep.
His Mental Strength probed toward the inside of the stone door, but as soon as it touched the surface, it was blocked back by a cold and gloomy force.
"How do you open this thing?"
"It requires the blood of a living person."
The female investigator rolled up her sleeves.
There were already wounds on her arm; she squeezed out a few drops of fresh blood, which fell into the groove in front of the stone door.
As soon as the fresh blood fell, the cyan soul lamp in the center of the stone door lit up.
Hum!
The chains wrapped around the door began to move slowly.
A very thin green crack also appeared in the middle of the stone door.
A large amount of cold and gloomy aura surged out from inside.
The female investigator reminded, "The stone door will only open for one minute at a time. After entering, unless you find the exit inside or use special teleportation items, you won't be able to come out from the original location."
Ning Zhaoyue took out a positioning beacon and placed it beside the stone door.
"The coordinates have been sent to the Zhenyuan Division."
"After entering, if communications can still be used, report your location every five minutes."
"Alright."
Lin Chuan was already holding the thunder blade in his hand.
Just as the three of them were preparing to enter the stone door, a large number of footsteps suddenly came from the mine tunnel behind them.
And the speed was very fast.
The female investigator immediately pulled out her short blade.
"Someone is coming!"
Ning Zhaoyue looked back.
Several small reconnaissance drones flew into this space first.
Immediately after, a large group of students wearing black combat uniforms rushed out along the mine tunnel.
Tianheng Society!
Shen Zhiyuan walked at the very front, with He Qingshanand several Tianheng Society core members following behind him.
They had just captured the Iron-Burning Fire Baboon, and their combat uniforms still retained traces of flame scorching.
From another mine tunnel, neat footsteps also came.
Qin Li brought Chifeng Society's people and arrived.
"How did you guys find this place?"
Ning Zhaoyue frowned.
Shen Zhiyuan glanced at the opening stone door.
"The vein detector in the smelting zone just discovered very strong spatial energy fluctuations below."
"We followed the fluctuations and searched over, and happened to see that Chifeng Society's people were also nearby."
It wasn't strange either that Chifeng Society could find this place.
What they used was the military vein radar.
Upon arrival, the gazes of both presidents all fell upon that ancient stone door.
"An unknown Secret Realm?"
Shen Zhiyuan took out his mission bracelet and scanned the stone door.
A few seconds later, the bracelets of everyone nearby popped up with prompts simultaneously.
[Unregistered spatial Secret Realm detected!]
[Secret Realm type: Temporarily unknown!]
[Danger Level: Temporarily unknown!]
[According to the Grey Zone development regulations, the first team to kill the core lord and master the Secret Realm core will obtain ownership of the Secret Realm!]
[materials obtained from Secret Realm exploration can normally settle personal and organizational contributions!]
Seeing the last two prompts, the members of Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society both became excited.
The value of a Secret Realm was much higher than an ordinary mineral vein.
If the internal resources could regenerate, the revenue brought each year could reach tens of billions, or even more.
More importantly, it was the ownership of the Secret Realm.
Whoever broke through first would own the Secret Realm!
Although Tianheng Society had taken down the Iron-Burning Fire Baboon, they only had one core stronghold.
Xinghuo occupied four places and had also recovered the Ninth Layer red marrow crystal mineral vein.
If the comparison continued normally, it was already impossible for Tianheng Society to get first place.
Yet this unknown Secret Realm before them allowed them to see an opportunity anew.
Clearing a Secret Realm that had never been registered before yielded battle merits far exceeding killing an ordinary lord.
Shen Zhiyuan's eyes lit up.
"He Qingshan, notify the people behind, have all core members come down."
"Bring the large exploration equipment over as well."
"Tianheng Society prepares to enter the Secret Realm!"
Qin Li also saw the mission prompt.
Chifeng Society hadn't even snatched a single lord stronghold up to now.
Instead, they became third place.
If this continued, Chifeng Society would lose all face when returning to the academy this time.
Wei Linfeng walked to Qin Li's side.
"President, we can't yield this Secret Realm either."
"Of course we can't yield."
Qin Li grasped the Scarlet Dragon Spear.
"The lords were all snatched away by Xinghuo, and if we can't get the Secret Realm either, won't my Chifeng Society become a laughingstock this time."
Listening to the arrangements on both sides, the female investigator's expression grew increasingly ugly.
"All stop!"
She blocked in front of the stone door.
"Do you guys know what is inside?"
Shen Zhiyuan glanced at her.
"A Zhenyuan Division investigator?"
"Correct."
The woman displayed her identity bracelet.
"Our three investigative teams have already entered the Secret Realm. A Prison soul Warden is entrenched inside, capable of extracting souls and controlling people captured by it."
"Over a dozen Zhenyuan Division members and more than a hundred Five Elements Cultists are still locked up inside the Secret Realm."
"The Warden's strength is at least at the Peak Tier 5!"
Hearing Peak Tier 5, the people of Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society indeed quieted down for a moment.
Yet no one retreated.
Their Tianheng Society was not weak; they had just killed a Middle Stage Tier 5 lord.
Moreover, on Tianheng Society's side, He Qingshan and several other core members who cultivated ancient cultivation techniques were all present.
Qin Li of Chifeng Society was even recognized as a top student powerhouse in Jiuli Academy.
Combined, both sides had several hundred people.
Facing a severely injured Peak Tier 5 lord, they might not lack a chance.
Shen Zhiyuan asked, "Did you see it attack with full force with your own eyes?"
The woman frowned.
"No."
"We were just attacked by the prisoners it controlled upon entering the prison's outer perimeter. After the Warden attacked, the team scattered very quickly."
After listening, Shen Zhiyuan became even more certain of his own judgment.
This female investigator had been heavily injured and locked in the hoistway by cold iron for several days.
She had already been terrified by that lord.
Just because she felt it was dangerous didn't mean Tianheng Society couldn't defeat it either.
"Shen Zhiyuan, what she said is no small matter."
Ning Zhaoyue reminded, "The more people the Warden locks up, the faster its power recovers. Right now, it might be even stronger than a few days ago."
"I know."
Shen Zhiyuan agreed on the surface, but his feet didn't back down.
"Tianheng Society will not let ordinary members take risks. Only the core team will enter in the first batch; after scouting out the situation, we will decide whether to let others enter."
Qin Li also walked to the side of the stone door.
"Chifeng Society's core will also enter."
Shen Zhiyuan turned his head to look at him.
"President Qin, are you prepared to compete with Tianheng Society?"
"An unknown Secret Realm isn't your family's property."
Qin Li held the Scarlet Dragon Spear and said, "Whoever gets the core first, the Secret Realm belongs to who. If you're afraid of us snatching it, you can withdraw right now."
"Ridiculous."
Shen Zhiyuan sneered.
"Then let's rely on our respective abilities."
Tianheng Society's people quickly took out a dozen tactical live broadcast spheres.
This kind of equipment possessed Tier 4 protection, could follow the team's actions, and could also transmit the images inside the Secret Realm back to Jiuli Academythrough spatial beacons.
Shen Zhiyuan opened the campus live broadcast on the spot.
The live broadcast title quickly appeared on the Jiuli campus network.
[Tianheng Student Council, live-streaming the exploration of a Secret Realm!]
After the message was sent out, the number of people in the live broadcast room began to increase rapidly.
This Grey Zone mission originally had many students paying attention.
Now that an un-conquered Secret Realm appeared again, even the teachers and board members in the academy entered the live broadcast room.
Shen Zhiyuan glanced at the constantly rising number of viewers.
"The previous few lord strongholds let Xinghuo seize the lead."
"This time, we will let all students of Jiuli Academy see why Tianheng Society can firmly sit in first place."
Qin Li listened somewhat impatiently.
"If you want to live stream, stream, but stop blocking the doorway and talking nonsense."
He led Chifeng Society's core members and entered the stone door first.
"Keep up!"
Wei Linfeng greeted the crowd and quickly rushed into the green light curtain.
Shen Zhiyuan's expression was somewhat ugly.
"Tianheng core team, enter the Secret Realm!"
He Qingshan and the others closely followed behind.
Dozens of Tianheng Society members also passed through the stone door.
The female investigator still wanted to block them, but more and more people were entering.
In less than a minute, over a hundred core members of Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society had already entered the Secret Realm.
Lin Chuan stood to the side and watched for a long time.
"Isn't it pretty good that someone is helping us clear out the mob minions outside?"
The female investigator turned her head to look at him.
"The Prison soul Warden is not as simple as you think."
"If they charge in like this, something bad will happen!"
"If something bad happens, they die, what's the big deal about that."
Lin Chuan walked toward the fully opened stone door.
"However, let's go rescue the Zhenyuan Division people first."
Ning Zhaoyue supported the female investigator.
"Let's go."
"Those people can't be stopped, let's find the missing personnel first."
The three of them passed through the green light curtain together.
The mine tunnel in front of their eyes instantly vanished.
An ancient prison appeared before them.
Chapter 128: Strength of the Two University Student Societies
After passing through the stone gate, the green light curtain behind them quickly closed.
Lin Chuan looked back.
The entrance they had come through had already disappeared, leaving only a black stone wall covered in claw marks.
The female investigator was right.
To get out from here, they could only find the exit inside the Secret Realm.
Lin Chuan turned his head and began to look over the ancient prison before them.
The prison was exaggeratedly large.
Beneath their feet was a black stone corridor dozens of meters wide, flanked by rows of rusty iron doors. Some of the cells were even a hundred meters high, obviously not meant for holding humans.
Clusters of green ghost fire floated in mid-air, casting a ghastly green glow over the vicinity.
On the walls, ground, and iron doors, there were traces left by dragging chains everywhere.
The deeper they went, the more cries there were.
"They are already fighting up ahead."
Ning Zhaoyue looked toward the end of the corridor.
Boom!
A long dragon burning with crimson gang qi crashed into a group of prisoners.
Dozens of figures were sent flying on the spot.
Holding the Red Dragon Spear, Qin Li led the Chifeng Society core team at the very front. Behind them, several Spirit Readers of Tianheng Society jointly erected a barrier to block the green soul fire flying in from both sides.
Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society had entered early and had already pushed forward a long way.
A large number of cells were alerted.
A group of prisoners wrapped in chains continuously rushed out from behind the iron doors. Their skin was completely withered, their mouths were sewn shut with iron wire, and green prisoner seals were carved on their chests.
Lantern-holding jailers mixed in behind them.
They wore ragged robes, holding cyan lanterns in their left hands and long whips in their right hands.
When the long whips lashed over, they would also whip up patches of green soul fire.
A Chifeng Society member raised a shield to block the whip.
Clang!
His arm immediately lost all sensation.
His spiritual space was also chilled with a sharp pain.
"I clearly blocked it!"
"The soul fire has piercing ability and can bypass ordinary protective gear!"
Qin Li swept away a dozen prisoners in front of him with a spear strike and shouted back, "Spirit Readers, push the barrier to the front! Everyone else, don't touch those lanterns!"
Several Chifeng Society Spirit Readers quickly changed positions.
Just as the transparent barrier rose, dozens of clusters of soul fire slammed into it.
Bang, bang, bang!
The green flames exploded one after another.
Seizing this opportunity, Qin Li burst forth with gang qi under his feet and charged straight into the middle of the jailers with the Red Dragon Spear.
Squelch!
The Red Dragon Spear continuously pierced through a dozen lantern-holding jailers.
After two of the jailers were pierced through the chest, they actually still wanted to swing their long whips.
Qin Li immediately saw the problem.
"The lanterns are the core!"
He gripped the end of the spear and swept it horizontally with force.
A dozen cyan lanterns exploded simultaneously.
Once the soul fire inside was extinguished, those jailers pierced by the long spear immediately collapsed.
On the other side, Tianheng Society's advancement speed was equally fast.
He Qingshan formed hand seals with both hands.
A tall Primordial divine statue appeared behind him.
After running the Primordial God-Refining Chapter, a heavy spiritual coercion pressed forward. The bodies of those chained prisoners who were about to pounce all stopped in place.
The green prisoner seals on their chests flickered violently.
"Suppress!"
He Qingshan raised his hand and pressed down.
The Primordial divine statue followed suit by striking out with a palm.
Dozens of chained prisoners, along with the chains on their bodies, were pressed into the ground with a single palm strike.
Several core members of Tianheng Society in the rear struck simultaneously.
Blade lights, fist prints, and spiritual thought weapons flew past from both sides, clearing away those prisoners in the blink of an eye.
The live broadcast ball had been following above the two teams.
The scenes inside the Secret Realm were transmitted back to Jiuli Academy via spatial beacons.
In the campus live broadcast room, the number of viewers had already exceeded one hundred thousand.
"Chifeng Society's spear formation is a bit fierce; the prisoners in front can't even touch them."
"What cultivation technique is He Qingshan cultivating? With a single shout of'Suppress', dozens of monsters all collapsed!"
"Tianheng Club being pierced through by Lin Chuandoesn't mean others in Tianheng Society are weak. These core members of theirs usually don't participate in sparring matches at school at all."
"Qin Li hasn't shown his full strength either. In military department missions, Chifeng Society has killed quite a few Tier 5 demons."
Those who originally thought that both university student societies were full of rich kids also shut their mouths.
When the core teams of Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society were brought out, their combat power was indeed quite fierce.
In a mere dozen minutes, the two teams had already cleared out over a thousand prisoners and jailers, pushing forward to the center of the prison.
The female investigator watched from afar for a while, then stopped with Lin Chuan and Ning Zhaoyue in front of a fork in the road.
"The place they are heading to is the Warden's Hall."
She pointed to a narrower corridor on the left.
"The people from the Zhenyuan Division are locked in the Soul-Forbidden Cell Area; they should go this way."
Ning Zhaoyue asked, "Are we not going to care about them?"
Lin Chuan turned and walked toward the left.
"Let's rescue the people first. The warden is probably not something they can take down in a short while anyway."
The female investigator glanced at the central corridor.
"If they really open the Warden's Hall, it might alert the entire prison."
"Let it alert them if it does."
Lin Chuan drew his thunder blade.
"It doesn't matter, I will make a move then."
Ning Zhaoyue was already used to his pretentious way of speaking whenever he opened his mouth, and followed him into the left passageway.
The female investigator didn't try to persuade them further either.
The three of them quickly disappeared into the depths of the cell area.
...
Center of the prison.
The people from Tianheng Society and Chifeng Societyarrived in front of a hundred-meter-tall bronze grand gate.
Carved on the bronze door was an armor-clad monster.
In one hand it held a hooked chain, in the other it carried a soul lamp, and at its feet knelt densely packed prisoners.
In the middle of the gate, there were three keyholes in total.
The mission bracelets nearby also popped up with new prompts.
[Warden's Hall has been discovered!]
[Slay the three prison guards, obtain the Black Prison Key, Soul-Devouring Key, and Corpse Prison Key to open the Warden's Hall!]
After the prompt appeared, three loud bangs came from both sides of the bronze gate.
Bang!
Three cell doors exploded simultaneously.
Out from the left walked a six-meter-tall headless executioner.
It wore a blood-stained black hood on its face, holding a giant executioner's axe in both hands. The blade dragged across the ground, cutting a deep trench directly into the black stone.
From the middle door drifted out a soul-eating jailer with a translucent body.
Hovering around it were over a hundred cyan soul lamps.
Inside every single lamp, a constantly struggling human face was squeezed.
The monster that came out last was the largest.
That was a prison beast stitched together from over a hundred corpses.
Dozens of arms grew randomly on both sides of its body, and five beating green hearts were sewn onto its chest. With every step it took, the corpses on its body would open their eyes, letting out a chorus of cries.
Three elite guards!
All of them are Tier 5!
Shen Zhiyuan looked toward Qin Li.
"Resolve one each, and whoever frees up their hands first will handle that last one."
Qin Li spun the Red Dragon Spear a circle.
"The executioner belongs to Chifeng Society."
"Very well, then Tianheng Society will take the other two."
Shen Zhiyuan agreed directly.
Chifeng Society's primary combat members quickly surrounded the headless executioner.
Just as the executioner raised its executioner's axe, a red light lit up on the execution platform behind it.
Qin Li sensed danger and immediately dashed to the side.
"Scatter!"
Boom!
The giant axe fell.
A blood-colored axe light dozens of meters wide cleaved right through the middle of the Chifeng Society team.
The ground was cut completely apart.
Two members who dodged slightly slower had their protective gang qi shattered on the spot, and the life-saving talismans on their bodies also lit up accordingly.
"I'll deal with him!"
Qin Li had already figured out the executioner's attack method.
A dozen Chifeng Society members immediately flanked both sides.
The ranged Martial Artists attacked the execution platform together.
The headless executioner wanted to turn back to defend, but Qin Li rushed up from the front.
The Red Dragon Spear stabbed out.
The first spear strike pierced through the executioner's right knee.
Just as its massive body sank downward, Qin Li pulled out his spear and stabbed again.
The second spear thrust pierced in from the chin, the spear tip punching directly through the back of its head!
Boom!
The crimson gang qi exploded inside the executioner's skull.
The huge black hood shattered on the spot.
A black key dropped out from within its body.
[Headless Executioner has been slain!]
[Black Prison Key has been obtained!]
"Chifeng Society got one!"
Chifeng Society members in the live broadcast room instantly flooded the chat with messages.
At the same time, Tianheng Society also made a move against the soul-eating jailer.
This thing had no physical form.
A dozen weapons passed through its body without leaving even the slightest trace of a wound.
The soul-eating jailer raised its hand.
Over a hundred soul lamps flew toward the Tianheng Society team simultaneously.
The Primordial divine statue behind He Qingshan opened its eyes and pressed its palms together.
Hum!
All the green ghost fire around them was suppressed.
Those soul lamps that had originally flown into mid-air unexpectedly dropped down one after another.
The body of the soul-eating jailer also gradually solidified from a translucent state.
"Its spirit body has been suppressed!"
"Do it!"
Several Tianheng Society core members rushed out simultaneously.
The Zhenyue Great Handprint smashed down from above, pinning the soul-eating jailer to the ground.
A dozen spiritual thought weapons closely followed, piercing into its body and nailing it to the black stone.
He Qingshan raised his right hand, and the Primordial divine statue struck down with a palm.
Bang!
The soul-eating jailer exploded together with over a hundred soul lamps.
The second key dropped down.
On the other side, the prison beast also charged into the Tianheng Society team.
The five hearts on its chest could provide power to its body in turns.
If one was shattered, the other four would extract nearby corpses to help it recover rapidly.
Shen Zhiyuan had people hold back the prison beast's dozen arms, while several Spirit Readers locked onto the five hearts.
"Everyone concentrate your firepower and wipe it out together!"
Five core squads struck simultaneously.
Blade lights and fist prints bombarded into the prison beast's chest from five directions.
The five green hearts exploded together!
The prison beast let out a muffled roar from its mouth, the stitched-up corpses on its body fell off one after another, and its massive body crashed to the ground.
[Prison Beast has been slain!]
[Corpse Prison Key has been obtained!]
All three keys were collected!
Shen Zhiyuan held two keys, while Qin Li held the Black Prison Key in his hand.
The two of them looked at each other.
Shen Zhiyuan spoke first.
"Open the door first. After going in, whoever gets the Secret Realm core, the Secret Realm belongs to them."
"Very well."
Qin Li inserted the Black Prison Key into the left keyhole.
Shen Zhiyuan also put the other two keys in.
The three keys turned simultaneously.
Click!
Inside the grand gate, the sound of mechanisms turning rang out.
The chains wrapped around the bronze gate fell off one by one.
The huge cyan soul lamp above also lit up at this moment.
Rumble!
The hundred-meter-tall bronze grand gate slowly opened to both sides.
Deep inside the hall, a pair of eyes burning with green soul fire opened. At the same time, a faint voice rang in everyone's ears.
It was just like the narration in a dungeon game.
"Welcome."
"New prisoners."
Chapter 129: The Warden Makes a Move!
"Welcome."
"New prisoners."
The bronze gates opened completely.
The space inside the hall was even larger than it looked from the outside.
Rows of thick black stone pillars stood on both sides, wrapped in chains. Hundreds of iron cages hung above, holding many corpses whose features were no longer recognizable.
At the deepest part of the hall stood a seat forged from bones and chains.
Prison Soul Warden sat right there.
One hand supported its cheek, striking a rather cool pose.
It was nearly five meters tall, its cyan-black iron armor was already rotting, and there was a huge wound on its chest that split all the way from its left shoulder to its waist.
Through the gaps in the iron armor, no flesh and blood could be seen at all.
Inside the helmet, there was no face either.
There was only a cluster of green ghost fire burning slowly.
In its left hand, Prison Soul Warden held a cyan soul lamp.
The surroundings of the lantern were crowded with painful phantom human faces, including members of the Five Elements Cult and investigators wearing combat uniforms from the Zhenyuan Division.
In its right hand, it grasped a black chain as thick as an arm.
The other end of the chain was connected to a huge iron hook.
Shen Zhiyuan turned on the detection equipment.
The energy values on it kept changing.
Fifth Level Middle Stage.
Fifth Level Late Stage.
Fifth Level Peak!
In the end, the entire screen turned completely red.
[Target energy is interfered with by the Secret Realm, unable to complete accurate detection!]
[Danger Level: Extremely High!]
The core members of Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society all dispersed.
Qin Li gripped the red dragon spear tightly and glanced at the wound on Prison Soul Warden's chest.
"It has been heavily injured."
"Later, I will frontally contain it, and the rest of you attack the soul lamp in its hand first."
Shen Zhiyuan also noticed that lamp.
The core of the soul-eating jailer just now was hidden inside the lantern.
This Prison Soul Warden was most likely the same.
"People from Tianheng Society, go up from the right."
"Spirit Readers, seal its chains first; the others find an opportunity to destroy the soul lamp."
After making the arrangements, Shen Zhiyuan had a live broadcast orb fly above the hall.
The images inside the Secret Realm were clearly transmitted back to Jiuli Academy.
In the live broadcast room, hundreds of thousands of students were all staring at Prison Soul Warden sitting deep inside the hall.
"Is this the Secret Realm core lord?"
"Its iron armor is already rotted, how can it still reach the Fifth Level Peak?"
"This shows that it was originally even stronger!"
"It probably hasn't fully recovered yet. With over a hundred core members combined from Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society, there's a chance!"
"As long as we take down the Secret Realm core, Tianheng Society's mission merits will likely directly surpass Xinghuo!"
In the school mission hall.
Several board members were also watching the live broadcast.
Seeing Tianheng Society consecutively take down two elite guards and become the first to enter the warden's hall, smiles finally appeared on their faces.
So what if Xinghuo occupied four lord strongholds?
The value of an unknown Secret Realm was worth several mineral veins!
As long as Tianheng Society captured the Secret Realmcore, this ranking could still be turned around.
Inside the Secret Realm.
Qin Li had already made a move.
Boom!
Crimson gang qi erupted along the spear, and a red dragon phantom dozens of meters long coiled around him.
He stomped the ground into pieces with one foot, and his body instantly rushed forward by over a hundred meters.
The few blocking black stone pillars along the way were all smashed and broken by the red dragon spear.
Prison Soul Warden was still sitting there.
The green ghost fire in the helmet only shook slightly.
"Pretending to be a ghost!"
Qin Li gripped the spear with both hands, aimed the tip at the unhealed wound on Prison Soul Warden's chest, and thrust it in with all his might.
Pfft!
The red dragon spear pierced through the rotting iron armor and emerged from the back of Prison Soul Warden.
The red dragon phantom coiled around the spear shaft also crashed directly into its body.
Boom!
Crimson gang qi exploded from inside the iron armor.
Prison Soul Warden's entire chest was blasted to pieces.
Large patches of rusted armor flakes flew in all directions.
The bone seat at the back of the hall was also shaken into a pile of fragments by the spear's force.
The members of Chifeng Society in the live broadcast room instantly became excited.
"It pierced through!"
"President Qin's strike has definitely reached the Great Grandmaster level!"
"I said before, he hadn't used his full strength earlier!"
Qin Li also felt that this strike hit.
But before he could pull out his spear, the soul lamp held in Prison Soul Warden's left hand suddenly lit up.
"Ah!"
A chorus of screams rang out from inside the lantern.
A face belonging to a member of the Five Elements Cultrapidly withered and was finally burned into ashes by the green flames.
A large amount of Soul Power gushed out from the lamp and entered the body along Prison Soul Warden's arm.
The iron armor on its chest that had been blasted to pieces began to regenerate.
In just a few seconds, the wound pierced by the red dragon spear recovered completely.
Even the huge crack left behind shrank a bit.
Qin Li's expression changed.
"It can use the souls in the lamp to repair its body!"
Prison Soul Warden looked down at the red dragon spearstuck in its chest.
"Not bad strength."
"Unfortunately, there are many prisoners in this prison."
"Before they all die, you cannot kill me."
Prison Soul Warden raised its right hand.
Clatter!
The black chain dragging on the ground suddenly bounced up, and the huge iron hook swept horizontally toward Qin Li.
Qin Li immediately pulled out the red dragon spear and blocked it in front of him.
Clang!
The iron hook crashed onto the red dragon spear.
The expected force did not come.
The moment the iron hook made contact with the spear shaft, it suddenly turned translucent and passed directly through the red dragon spear and the protective gang qi!
Pfft!
The iron hook sank into Qin Li's chest.
No wounds appeared on his body, nor did he bleed.
But Qin Li froze in place instantly.
"What is this thing!"
An indescribable excruciating pain came from the depths of his spiritual space.
Prison Soul Warden pulled the chain backward.
A translucent figure was actually yanked out of Qin Li's body!
That figure was identical to Qin Li.
It was precisely his soul!
His soul had its chest hooked by the iron hook, flying bit by bit toward the soul lamp in Prison Soul Warden's hand.
Qin Li's body was still standing in place.
Both hands were still gripping the red dragon spear, but his eyes had already lost their luster.
"President!"
Wei Linfeng rushed over first.
He grabbed Qin Li's body, trying to pull the person back.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the soulfrom leaving the body.
Half of Qin Li's soul had already been dragged out.
Those painful faces inside the soul lamp also opened their mouths one after another, as if welcoming new prisoners.
Shen Zhiyuan likewise hadn't expected that Prison Soul Warden's iron hook could ignore the protective gang qi.
"Save Qin Li first!"
At this time, they couldn't care about the competition between Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society anymore.
Qin Li was one of the strongest combat forces here.
Moreover, everyone was a student of Jiuli Academy.
They couldn't just watch his soul get packed into the lantern.
"He Qingshan, suppress the chain!"
He Qingshan formed hand seals with both hands.
A hundred-meter-tall primal divine statue condensed in the hall.
The divine statue opened its eyes, and four giant hands fell simultaneously, pinning the chain hooking Qin Li's soulfirmly to the ground.
Boom!
Large areas of the ground collapsed and cracked.
The chain finally paused for a moment.
Wei Linfeng seized the opportunity and pushed Qin Li's body toward the location of his soul.
The other few Tianheng core members also all utilized the ancient cultivation technique taught to them by Chu Xuanheng.
The magma patterns all over Li Yunfeng's body lit up.
A four-to-five-meter-tall magma battle body rapidly condensed.
"Zhenyue Great Handprint!"
A dozen-meter-large magma giant hand smashed down from above, hitting Prison Soul Warden right on the head.
Bang!
Prison Soul Warden's helmet dented on the spot.
Its massive body was also smashed from the seat into the ground.
Another core member circulated the "Indestructible Golden Body Art", turning their entire body dark golden, grabbing the black chain with both hands and pulling hard to both sides.
The remaining knife-carrying youth rushed in front of Prison Soul Warden in a single step.
"One Thousand Slashes Sabre Sutra!"
Thousands of blade lights all slashed toward Prison Soul Warden's left arm holding the soul lamp.
Clang, clang, clang!
Large patches of rotting iron armor were cut open by the blade light.
Hundreds of cracks were also slashed out on Prison Soul Warden's left arm.
"Effective!"
Shen Zhiyuan controlled a dozen spiritual soul weapons, attacking the soul lamp from different directions.
As long as this lamp was destroyed, Prison Soul Wardenwould not be able to continue recovering.
Just as all the attacks were about to hit, a sound of chains colliding suddenly came from behind Prison Soul Warden.
Clatter!
Over a hundred thinner chains stretched out from the iron armor on its back.
Those chains did not attack the crowd.
Instead, they simultaneously connected to each human face inside the soul lamp.
The force of the falling Zhenyue Great Handprint was dispersed along the chains.
Inside the lantern, hundreds of souls screamed simultaneously.
The dent on Prison Soul Warden's helmet rapidly recovered.
The cracks slashed out by thousands of blade lights also merged back together in the green ghost fire.
Even Shen Zhiyuan's spiritual soul weapons were dispersed and borne by the imprisoned souls inside the soul lamp.
Several human faces shattered on the spot.
The soul of one of the Zhenyuan Division investigators also became much dimmer.
"Stop!"
He Qingshan immediately withdrew the primal divine statue.
"It transferred all our attacks to those imprisoned souls!"
This damned Prison Soul Warden could transfer damage!
Shen Zhiyuan's expression was ugly.
"Snatch the soul lamp over first!"
"Too late."
Prison Soul Warden stood up from the collapsed ground.
It raised its right hand and gently shook the chain.
Over a hundred chains simultaneously released the imprisoned souls in the soul lamp and shot out explosively in all directions!
Tianheng and Chifeng members immediately dodged.
Some used movement techniques, some propped up Mental Strength barriers, and others hid behind the black stone pillars.
But those chains could transform between the ethereal and the real.
Stone pillars and gang qi simply couldn't block them!
Pfft, pfft, pfft!
The iron hooks successively passed through the protective gang qi, hooking into the bodies of student after student.
Their souls, however, were all locked down.
A Tianheng core member who cultivated the "Indestructible Golden Body Art" had a physical bodyhard enough to directly block Fifth Level weapons head-on.
But the chain passed through the golden body and directly hooked his spiritual space.
He had only rushed out a few steps before he was dragged down to kneel on the ground.
Several Chifeng members joined forces to slash and break a chain.
The broken chain turned into green ghost fire and returned into Prison Soul Warden's body, growing out again in the blink of an eye.
"Retreat to the door!"
Shen Zhiyuan realized things were wrong and immediately ordered a retreat.
Just as dozens of members turned around, the bronze gates behind them slammed shut.
The three keyholes had already disappeared.
No matter how they attacked, the gates showed no reaction at all.
Prison Soul Warden stood in the center of the hall, lifting the soul lamp.
A large amount of green ghost fire drifted out from the lamp.
The chains throughout the entire hall began to move along with it.
Qin Li was still struggling desperately.
But most of his soul had already been dragged out.
Below his legs, it still overlapped with his body.
As long as Prison Soul Warden pulled a few more times, he would completely enter the soul lamp.
Wei Linfeng grabbed Qin Li's body with both hands, his eyes turning red with anxiety.
"President, hold on!"
"I know!"
Enduring the excruciating pain of his soul being torn apart, Qin Li grabbed the iron hook on his chest with both hands.
But that thing was not a physical entity at all.
His fingers passed through the iron hook time and time again, grabbing nothing.
On the other side, Shen Zhiyuan had just led people to cut three chains when five more wrapped around his waist.
He Qingshan's primal divine statue had its four limbs tied by dozens of chains, forcefully dragged down to kneel on the ground.
More and more Tianheng and Chifeng members fell.
The hundred-meter hall was soon completely sealed off by black chains.
The live broadcast orb above was also struck by a chain.
Bang!
The live broadcast orb smashed into the corner of the hall, and the camera tilted to the side.
Fortunately, the equipment was not damaged.
The images could still be transmitted back to the campus network normally.
Hundreds of thousands of students watched the members of the two societies trapped by the chains, and no one posted comments anymore.
In the mission hall, the expressions of several board members who had just thought Tianheng could capture the Secret Realm also turned pale.
Qin Li, Shen Zhiyuan, He Qingshan.
And over a hundred core members of Tianheng and Chifeng.
With so many people making a move together, they couldn't even touch the soul lamp in Prison Soul Warden's hand!
In the image.
Prison Soul Warden wrapped the chain back around its arm.
The green ghost fire inside the helmet was already much more vigorous than before.
Looking at the trapped crowd, it raised the soul lamp in its hand.
"I need more souls!"
Chapter 130: The Prison Soul Warden Is Here!
Restricted soul Prison Area.
The explosions in the central hall could be heard across several corridors.
For a moment it was spear bombardments, then an outburst of ancient cultivation technique, and the entire prison was shaken so much that dust kept falling.
Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society were fighting quite lively.
But Lin Chuan did not head over there immediately.
He wanted to rescue the people of Zhenyuan Division first, so he wouldn't have to worry about hostages when fighting later.
The female investigator led the two of them around a corner.
The corridor ahead was noticeably much narrower.
There were no ordinary prison cells on both sides, only pitch-black cold iron doors one after another.
The doors were engraved with dense green runes, and several arm-thick iron chains extended from the walls, wrapping around the vicinity of the door locks.
"This is the Restricted soul Prison Area."
The female investigator lowered her voice.
"Most of our people are locked inside, but there are many guards nearby. Those monsters will drain Gang Qi, so try not to let the chains touch you."
As soon as her voice fell, a commotion came from the darkness ahead.
Clatter!
Dozens of iron chains dragged across the ground.
A group of iron-chained prisoners with green prisoner marks engraved on their chests walked out of the cells on both sides.
The skin on these prisoners' bodies was completely withered, and a few even had only half a face left. Their wrists, necks, and waists were all wrapped with cold iron chains.
Several lantern-holding jailers followed behind.
The cyan lanterns lit up.
Large patches of green soul fire drifted out from the lanterns, surrounding the three people along the walls.
The female investigator immediately gripped her short blade tightly.
"Don't touch the soul fire!"
"This thing can directly burn the mental space!"
Ning Zhaoyue had already deployed the Silent Static Realm, preparing for a big fight.
Lin Chuan walked past the middle of the two.
"You guys just stand in the back."
The thunder blade was unsheathed.
A thin layer of purple electric arcs constantly swam along the blade's edge.
The iron-chained prisoner charging at the very front raised its arm, and the chain shot out straight.
Lin Chuan took a step forward.
The Divine Mobility Technique was activated.
He passed through the middle of the chains, and the thunder blade swept horizontally in one smooth motion.
Swish!
More than a dozen iron-chained prisoners all stopped in place.
The next second, the green prisoner marks on their chests split open simultaneously.
Purple thunder light burst out from the cracks, and a batch of bodies directly fell over.
The lantern-holding jailers in the back hurriedly raised their lanterns.
The soul fire had just surged out when Lin Chuan had already reached their front.
One slash per each.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several cyan lanterns burst open one after another.
The robes on the lantern-holding jailers lost support and fell empty to the ground.
The remaining iron-chained prisoners didn't even clearly see Lin Chuan's position before an extra purple blade mark appeared on their chests.
In just a dozen seconds, the corridor quieted down again.
The female investigator lowered her head to look at the shattered prisoner marks all over the floor.
She now understood completely.
When she advised Lin Chuan to go back just now, it was indeed a bit redundant.
The monsters here used to chase their three investigation teams fleeing in all directions. Changing to Lin Chuan, there was no difference from weeds blocking the roadside.
"Which cell are the people in?"
Lin Chuan put away his blade and asked.
The female investigator took out the detector and quickly pointed to the third iron door on the left.
"There are four life auras inside."
The three came before the cell door.
Through the small window on the door, several people wearing Zhenyuan Division combat uniforms could be seen leaning against the wall.
They all had injuries on their bodies.
One of them still had his hands suspended in mid-air by chains, and seal-suppression runes constantly lit up on his chest, his aura extremely weak.
Hearing footsteps, that person reluctantly opened his eyes.
"Don't touch the door!"
"The Qi-Sealing Formation and the entire cell door are connected together. If you attack forcefully, the Formationwill guide the power into the cell!"
He spoke a bit too late.
Lin Chuan had already raised the thunder blade.
Purple high-grade Mental Strength covered the entire cell door, and hundreds of Formation patterns on the door all appeared in his perception.
"The lock core is here."
Lin Chuan aimed at the door gap and slashed down with a blade.
Swish!
The cold iron door lock snapped in response.
Dutian Divine Thunder drilled into the Formation patterns along the break. The Qi-Sealing Formation had just lit up, and before the energy had time to be guided toward the cell, several Formation cores exploded simultaneously.
Bang!
The entire cold iron door fell inward.
The Zhenyuan Division members hanging on the wall were all startled looking at the smooth cuts.
Lin Chuan walked into the cell and slashed two more times at the chains.
The man fell from mid-air and was caught by Ning Zhaoyue using Mental Strength.
"Zhenyuan Division Level 3 Blade-Wielding Officer, Ning Zhaoyue."
Ning Zhaoyue flashed her identity bracelet and then took out healing potions.
"One for each person with heavy injuries, half for the others. After drinking, gather in the corridor, we still have to rescue others."
Several investigators still hadn't recovered their senses until now.
"You are reinforcements?"
"Consider us so."
Ning Zhaoyue pointed at Lin Chuan.
"The main reinforcement is him."
Lin Chuan was already walking toward the next cell door.
The second one.
The third one.
The fourth one.
These cold iron doors in the prison area were all built according to the standards of imprisoning a Great Grandmaster.
The Qi-Sealing Formation on the doors could also extract the prisoners' Gang Qi and Mental Strength to provide energy for the entire prison.
But they couldn't stop Lin Chuan.
Walking all the way, slashing all the way.
More than a dozen cold iron cell doors were all opened soon.
Several investigators were nailed to the wall by chains, and Formation Plates extracting Gang Qi were still connected under their feet.
After Lin Chuan went over, he first slashed the chains, then chopped the Formation Plates.
That posture left the rescued people dumbfounded.
Was this an ancient prison left from a thousand years ago, or a student dormitory?
How come in Lin Chuan's hands, even a decent lock didn't exist!
Quite a few Five Elements Cult members were still locked in the back of the prison area.
Upon seeing Lin Chuan, they all squeezed in front of the cell doors one by one.
"Save us!"
"We know the stronghold of the Five Elements Cult in the Heilan Ash Zone!"
"I was forced by them to join, I haven't done anything!"
The female investigator frowned.
"Some of these people have participated in blood sacrifices and cannot be released directly."
"I know."
Lin Chuan looked at the Five Elements Cult members in the cell.
"Storage equipment, identity bracelets, and any places on your body where things can be hidden, clean them all out for me. After coming out, obediently follow the people of Zhenyuan Division."
"Whoever dares to run, I'll slash whoever."
Inside the cell, no one dared to provoke this fierce deity Lin Chuan.
The Five Elements Cult members quickly threw all their things out.
Only then did Lin Chuan chop open the cell door.
Several lightly injured Zhenyuan Division members immediately stepped forward to control all these people.
The female investigator took the bracelets and checked their identities one by one.
"Team 1, five people, all found."
"Team 2, six people."
"Team 3..."
She stopped at the door of a cell.
Several people were lying inside.
There were no obvious wounds on their bodies, and their breathing and heartbeat were still there, but no matter how loud the commotion outside was, they didn't have any reaction.
Ning Zhaoyue walked in and reached out to press on one person's glabella.
A few seconds later, her expression sank.
"The mental space is empty."
The female investigator said in a low voice, "Their souls have already been extracted, and should be in the Prison Soul Warden's soul lantern."
"If the souls can return, do they still have a chance to wake up?" Lin Chuan asked.
"Yes."
Ning Zhaoyue took out several potions and injected them into the bodies of a few people.
"But we cannot drag it out too long. The longer the soulleaves the body, the greater the difficulty of re-Fusion."
Lin Chuan nodded.
"I know."
The people are in the soul lantern, smash the soul lantern, and then release the people.
The matter wasn't very complicated either.
The female investigator continued to check the list.
Among the three missing Zhenyuan Division teams, a total of seventeen conscious members were rescued.
The remaining few people only had their bodies left.
As for those who had completely lost their life auras, they could only wait until going out before bringing the corpses back to Zhenyuan Division.
The rescued investigators gathered in the corridor.
Some leaned against the wall to rest, some were helping companions bandage wounds, and a few with minor injuries had already taken weapons from the hands of the Five Elements Cult members and reorganized their teams.
One of the older captains looked at Lin Chuan.
"Just now I heard Ning Zhaoyue say that you are also a student of Jiuli Academy?"
"Correct."
"For this mission, why would the school let students enter here?"
That captain took a few breaths and continued, "Your blade is indeed very powerful, but the Prison Soul Warden's attacks cannot be blocked by weapons. Its chains can directly hook the soul; no matter how high the Realm or how strong the physical body is, you will still fall for it."
"We have already sent out the coordinates. While the Prison Soul Warden is still fighting the other two teams, you and Ning Zhaoyue leave the prison area first, and we'll talk after the Great Grandmaster of Zhenyuan Divisionarrives."
Several other investigators also nodded along.
They were rescued, so naturally they were grateful to Lin Chuan.
But precisely because of this, they couldn't watch two students stay behind to throw away their lives.
The female investigator wanted to explain just as a vibration suddenly came from underfoot.
Boom!
The green ghost fires overhead all swayed.
Inside the walls, dense sounds of chains colliding rang out.
A Zhenyuan Division member stood up supporting the wall.
"What sound?"
The next second.
Clatter!
Hundreds of green chains crawled out from the depths of the corridor.
They moved along the walls, ground, and cell doors, getting faster and faster.
The chains at the very front suddenly sprang up, directly sealing off the exit of the prison area.
Those investigators all changed their expressions drastically.
"It's coming!"
"Everyone fall back, protect the wounded!"
The remaining Zhenyuan Division members immediately blocked at the very front.
But they had been drained by the Qi-Sealing Formation for several days, and the Gang Qi in their bodies hadn't recovered much; the protective Qi films they propped up kept flickering.
Heavy footsteps came from the other end of the corridor.
One figure after another appeared under the green ghost fires.
At the very front was Qin Li.
His body was still holding the red dragon spear, but his walking was very stiff.
A translucent soul shadow exactly identical to him was hooked in the chest by a huge iron hook, and a large part of it had already left the body.
Wei Linfeng followed alongside, his neck and limbs all entangled by chains.
Shen Zhiyuan, He Qingshan, Li Yunfeng, and dozens of core members of Tianheng Society and Chifeng Societywere all brought over.
Some had their feet off the ground, being dragged forward by chains.
Some already had green prisoner marks on their chests, holding their own weapons, mechanically following behind like prisoners in a prison.
Lin Chuan looked somewhat surprised.
"Holy cow, didn't you guys go to fight the boss?"
"How did you all get packed up by the boss?"
At the very back of the team, the Prison Soul Wardenwalked out of the darkness.
The soul lantern in its hand was several times brighter than before.
Around the lantern appeared many young faces, precisely the members of Tianheng Society and Chifeng Societywhose souls had just been extracted.
On one of the chains, that knocked-away campus live-streaming ball was also entangled.
The Prison Soul Warden dragged the live-streaming ball all the way to the prison area.
The camera rolled a few turns, aligning precisely with Lin Chuan, Ning Zhaoyue, and the seventeen Zhenyuan Division members rescued behind them.
The campus live-streaming room instantly exploded.
"Why is Lin Chuan in the cell area?"
"Over there are all people from Zhenyuan Division!"
"Damn, when Tianheng Society and Chifeng Society were fighting the Prison Soul Warden, he ran off to rescue people?"
"Seventeen! The three missing investigation teams were really rescued by him!"
Jiuli Academy Mission Hall.
The old principal looked at the dozen or so opened cold iron cell doors, and a smile finally appeared on his face.
"When this kid does things, he still distinguishes priorities."
Several members of the board of trustees supporting Tianheng Society next to him all knitted their brows tightly.
The children of their families were now all tied up by the Prison Soul Warden with chains.
Secret Realm inside.
Seeing the Prison Soul Warden, the female investigator's body tensed up subconsciously.
"That's it!"
The Prison Soul Warden stopped at the other end of the corridor.
The green soul fire inside its helmet crossed everyone and landed on Lin Chuan.
That ball of ghost fire noticeably jumped.
It could sense it.
This young man's soul was stronger than all the people present combined.
"The escaped prisoner has returned."
The Prison Soul Warden raised the soul lantern.
Hundreds of chains hung suspended in mid-air simultaneously.
"And brought... a better soul!"
"Lin Chuan picked his ear, his expression somewhat helpless: "Why does the way you speak sound so much like the trash NPC of those shoddy games!"