The Wrongfully Executed General and the Accumulation of Heaven's Way's Rewards

A few days later, during a break from his patrol, Chen Du casually inquired about the young man from the Ninth Realm.

Old Zhou was squatting at the corner of the corridor smoking his pipe when he heard this, and his pipe paused for a moment.

He looked up at Chen Du, a complex emotion flashing in his cloudy old eyes. After a long silence, he slowly asked, "Why are you asking this?"

"Just curious." Chen Du squatted down beside him, his tone calm. "On the day of the execution, he didn't say a word, nor did he open his eyes. I've been a prison guard for several years, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like that."

Old Zhou exhaled a puff of smoke, the smoke rings slowly dissipating in the dim light.

He stared at the smoke ring for a long time before whispering, "That man's surname is Shen, and his name is Shen Xing. He used to be a deputy general in the northern border army of the Divine Dynasty. He fought many tough battles and had an excellent reputation in the army. It is said that he never withheld military pay when leading his troops and always charged to the front in battle."

Several times he nearly perished on the battlefield while saving his men; all the soldiers in the Northern Border spoke of him with great respect.

Chen Du didn't reply, he just listened.

Old Zhou tapped his pipe and lowered his voice even further. "Later, something happened in the Northern Border. An old general was impeached for allegedly colluding with foreign enemies and plotting something sinister."

No one in the court dared to speak up for him, because the person who impeached him was a confidant of the prime minister. But Shen Xing was not afraid. He wrote a memorial and sent it back to the Capital by fast horse, pleading for the old general. The memorial listed the evidence point by point, writing it out clearly.

"And then?" Chen Du asked.

Old Zhou gave a bitter smile. "The memorial was intercepted by the prime minister's men before it even reached the emperor. Shen Xing's memorial became evidence of 'falsely accusing his superior'."

The prime minister immediately fabricated a charge against Shen Du, accusing him of colluding with foreign enemies and plotting a coup. Shen Du was escorted back to the Capital overnight, and without much interrogation, he was sent to the Divine Prison. And then, that was what happened that day.

Chen Du frowned.

He spoke out for someone who was innocent, but was instead framed.

Loyal ministers and virtuous generals met a tragic end, their heads severed and their souls devoured.

The prime minister who impeached the loyal and virtuous officials is still sitting in the imperial court to this day.

This Heavenly Dragon Divine Dynasty is indeed not very enlightened.

Old Zhou glanced at him, as if guessing what he was thinking, patted his pipe, and stood up. "This kind of thing is not something we lowly soldiers can handle. Let's go, it's time for patrol."

He took two steps forward, then stopped, turned his back to Chen Du, and said, "Have you noticed lately that there are more and more prisoners being brought in? There are new faces every day, and every floor is being crammed with people."

Some people's crimes are clearly fabricated, but the Divine Prison is the Divine Prison; it only cares about suppression, not right or wrong, and it imprisons everyone who comes.

Chen Du followed behind him without answering.

But when his gaze fell on the newly added cell doors on both sides of the corridor, he became more cautious.

The Divine Prison has the power to suppress, but lacks the wisdom to distinguish right from wrong.

Whether loyal minister or treacherous official, once you enter this prison, you are a prisoner treated the same as everyone else.

This wasn't entirely a bad thing for him.

The Heaven's Way of Righteousness, the Heaven's Way of Evil, and the Heaven's Way's Gifts; these three innate qualities require him to walk between good and evil.

For every additional person wrongfully imprisoned, another layer of Black Qi.

For every person who deserves their fate, another wisp of White Qi rises from the sky.

The Divine Prison grew larger and larger, the number of prisoners increased, and his scales became more and more useful.

Chen Du didn't make a sound. In the most secluded corner of the first floor, near the dry well, he found a shady stone wall.

He spent the whole night carving the four characters "Shen Xing's Tomb" on the stone wall with the Divine Prison Blade, and then moved some broken stones to build a tomb shape.

Lacking incense and candles, he used his Dao Resonance to condense three sticks of incense.

Having no paper money, he poured the half-pot of cheap wine that Qin Dong had saved up during his lifetime in front of the grave.

"You spoke out for someone, only to be unjustly killed. I'll collect your body and build you a grave. This world is unworthy of you." He squatted in front of the grave, his voice very soft.

After saying that, he stood up and dusted off his hands.

If the emperor is incompetent and treacherous officials are in power, such injustices will only increase in the future.

The Divine Prison suppresses all things, yet it never distinguishes between right and wrong.

They accepted all comers and imprisoned them all.

This eighteen-story underground prison will sooner or later be filled with wronged people... He needs more material to verify the true use of these three talents.

Shen Xing's five-hundred-year-old Black Qi has already proven one thing: in this Divine Prison, the deeper the injustice, the heavier the feedback from Heavenly Dao.

Similarly, the Black Qi surrounding those who died unjustly carries significant meaning, ensuring that their wrongful deaths were not in vain.

Over the next few days, Chen Du did not rush into anything.

He spent several nights exploring the remaining places with strong Dao Resonance on the outer perimeter of the first level, and finally selected three places to activate his talent in each.

The first site is the remains of the execution platform, located deep within the eastern prison area.

That place was once the earliest execution ground on the first level. Over the millennia, countless prisoners have been beheaded there. The stone platform is imbued with the resentment of prisoners before their deaths and the lingering reverence of the Divine Prison Blade.

He initiated the attainment of Become a Saint on the Spot there, Dao Resonance surged forth like a tide.

The World as a Book. "Xingtian Prison-Suppressing Art", Ninth Tier.

It contains a Lower Second-Level Law named "Xingtian".

He used the power of Xingtian to suppress the enemy's soul, rendering him powerless to resist as if he had been beheaded.

The "Grand Pure Heavenly Master Dao-Subduing True Scripture" in the Celestial Master Realm is only at the Eighth Stage, while the power of this Ninth Tier technique is a whole level higher.

In other words, second class is better than third class!

The second location is an abandoned array core on the west side. That was the earliest foundation of the first layer of the Prison Suppression Array. Later, the array was modified and the old array was abandoned, but the suppressing power accumulated over thousands of years still lies at the bottom of the stone.

He pressed his palm against the remaining engravings on the array base and Become a Saint on the Spot.

The Dao Resonance surged forth, the World as a Book, its pages condensed. The * Nine Serenities Prison-Cage Scripture *, Ninth Tier.

It contains a Lower Second-Level Law called "The Prison Cage".

Using the power of the Nine Netherworlds, an invisible cage is created, trapping the enemy inside and rendering them unable to move.

The "Five Directions Suppressing Prison Cave Mystery Great Technique" in the Celestial Master Realm is also at the Eighth Stage, using earth veins to suppress demons.

This Ninth Tier technique, which uses the Nine Netherworlds to imprison enemies, is even more powerful.

The third location is an old, long-sealed prison cell on the north side.

That cell once held an extremely terrifying prisoner. After the prisoner died, the cell still exudes an inexplicable aura of gloom.

Chen Du sensed the lingering Dao Resonance on the stone wall outside the prison cell. He activated his Become a Saint on the Spot technique, and the Dao Resonance seeped out like smoke. The World as a Book, its pages condensed.

The Nether Breath Soul-Devouring Record, Ninth Tier. Contains a Lower Second-Level Law called "Soul Devouring".

It uses the power of the Netherworld to devour the soul of the enemy; the stronger the enemy's soul, the greater the power of this technique.

The "Cloud-Water Heart-Cleansing Spirit-Refining Great Method" in the Celestial Master Realm is at the Eighth Stage, focusing on cleansing the mind and refining the spirit.

This Ninth Tier technique, which devours Soul Devouring and steals spirits, is even more ruthless and of a higher rank.

Having acquired the three Ninth Tier cultivation techniques, Chen Du arranged them one by one with those he had obtained from the Celestial Master Realm in his sea of consciousness.

Most of the dozens of cultivation techniques in the Celestial Master Realm are only at the Eighth Stage, with only a very few involving the Ninth Tier.

In the first level of this Divine Prison, within just a few years, six Ninth Tier cultivation techniques containing Lower Second-Level Laws have already been obtained.

The first level of the Divine Prison is a whole grade higher than the Celestial Master Realm.

He slowly exhaled and walked towards his stone house.