In the blink of an eye, another ten years have passed.
For the past ten years, Chen Du has maintained his disguise as an old prison guard, patrolling the first three floors during the day and occasionally venturing to the eighth floor. But in secret, his cultivation has never stopped.
[Become a Saint on the Spot] and [The World as a Book] relentlessly extract the Dao Resonance from every inch of the Divine Prison's stone walls, transforming it into cultivation techniques and insights.
As he executed more and more prisoners over Heaven's Way's Gift years, the White Qi and Black Qi accumulated continuously, transforming into various cultivation resources.
His foundation was built up so quickly that he didn't even need to calculate it deliberately.
Until this day, [Divine Revelation Reading] once again exerted its power.
[Using Divine Revelation Reading as a guide, you revisited all your life's insights, from the beginning. You had already begun to understand the ninth-tier, mid-level core laws of the Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth, but hadn't even entered a single realm. Using the Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth as a reference, you reflected on the Law of Anger.]
[The Path of Wrath, you have walked the path of enlightenment through Achieving the Dao Through Anger the Celestial Master Realm, immersing yourself in it most deeply and accumulating the most profound power. The Eternal Night power that Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth clashed with the burning intent of rage, and at the intersection of the two, you glimpsed something new.]
[You continue your deduction. The Ninth-Level Domain of the Law of Anger is not the end. Using the Law of Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth as a reference, you push the Law of Anger upwards from the Ninth-Level Domain. Using the White Qi accumulated over decades as fuel and your cultivation at the Eleventh Realm Martial Law Master Realm as a foundation, you forcefully break through that barrier.]
[Above the Law of Anger, a brand new Lower First-Level Law rises from the depths of your consciousness: the Wrath of Heaven. Under the Wrath of Heaven, all things are burned. This law uses anger to incite the power of heaven and earth; in a single rage, heavenly fire descends upon the world, incinerating all laws.]
[The Wrath of Heaven Law, First Level.]
[You then deduced the Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth. Although you have initially entered this mid-level core ninth-grade law, you still need a long period of accumulation to truly step into the first realm.]
You repeatedly Divine Revelation Reading, like an invisible pen outlining the contours of that law in your sea of consciousness. Every stroke is precise, every line is clear, yet the outline is always just a hair's breadth off. You are not impatient.
[The ninth-level intermediate core law is not something that can be mastered overnight; in ten years, you've only just begun to grasp its basics.]
[You slowly opened your eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. The first level of the Wrath of Heaven Law, the initial entry into the Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth, had not yet reached the first level. The Soul Devouring's Wrath Sixth Layer, with the Bury Heaven, Extinguish Earth as its core, combined with Wrath of Heaven and the Netherworld Prison Soul Devouring Spirit Suppression, further increased its power.]
He stood up, stretched his shoulders and neck, and walked towards the stone house. The phosphorescent lights in the corridor still burned faintly, and the sky outside was still changing.
During these ten years, Regent Zhao Zheng's power reached its zenith.
More than half of the officials in the court were his protégés. He replaced almost all the powerful positions, such as local governors, border generals, and salt and iron tax officials, with his own people.
The young emperor sat on the dragon throne, and every day at court, he would first ask, "What does the Regent think?"
If Zhao Zheng says it's okay, then it's done.
Zhao Zheng says no, then no.
No one in the court or among the people dared to disobey his wishes.
When his carriage went on tour, officials knelt to greet him, and common people made way for him.
His personal guards galloped through the streets of the Capital, knocking over vendors and trampling pedestrians, and the Prefect of the Capital did not dare to ask a single question.
An imperial censor submitted a memorial impeaching the emperor, but before it could reach the emperor, it was intercepted by Zhao Zheng's men.
The censor was demoted to Lingnan the next day, and his whole family went with him to the malaria-ridden land.
But what draws the most attention is the Divine Prison.
What is the Divine Prison? It is the oldest prison in the Heavenly Dragon Divine Dynasty, older than imperial power and stricter than the law.
Those who enter the Divine Prison never come out alive.
But things have changed now. Zhao Zheng's men have entered the Divine Prison as if they were entering an inn.
Generals who commit crimes, corrupt officials, and bodyguards who commit murder are imprisoned in the Divine Prison. They are released by a warrant within a few days to half a month.
When he was released, he was still the same person, wearing the same clothes, and not a single hair was missing.
The guardians of the Divine Prison Bureau turned a blind eye to this.
Who dares to disobey the Regent's order? If they do, they'll be the next one to end up in the Divine Prison.
Even more outrageous is that those close associates of Zhao Zheng who were imprisoned were living a more comfortable life inside the Divine Prison than outside.
The innermost cells on the first floor, originally used to hold high-profile criminals, have now been vacated, covered with brocade bedding, and furnished with small sandalwood tables. They are served three meals a day, including wine, meat, fish, and shrimp.
The jailers carried food boxes in and out, treating him with more utmost care than if they were serving their own fathers.
There was a general under Zhao Zheng who spent half a month in the Divine Prison and came out noticeably fatter.
Someone asked him what he thought of the Divine Prison, and he clicked his tongue and said, "It's better than what my cook makes."
Chen Du witnessed all of this, yet he continued his daily patrols and executions.
One name after another was crossed off the roster, and wave after wave of blood was washed away from the execution platform.
He didn't touch any of the cronies Zhao Zheng had sent in and then released; it wasn't time yet.
He simply carried the Divine Prison Blade as usual, walked to the execution platform, and swiftly and decisively struck each person down. He had heard too many of those people's cries, curses, and pleas for mercy before they died; he no longer cared about them.
He would only glance at the person twice before making the cut, to see if there was any injustice in their eyes.
Those who have been wronged will have Black Qi, while those who have not will have White Qi.
It's all clearly distinguished, not a single detail is missed.
Zhao Zheng alone blocked out most of the sky outside.
But the scales in the Divine Prison are still in his hands.
But the scales in the Divine Prison are still in his hands.
On this day, Chen Du, as usual, carried a food box to deliver meals to the "special cells" at the very back of the first floor.
These cells are filled with Zhao Zheng's men, who were just brought in a few days ago. According to the rules, they will be released in three to five days after the warrant is issued.
He walked to the first cell and passed the food box through the gap in the iron bars.
The food box contained four dishes and a soup, with fish and meat, which was much better than what the prison guards ate themselves.
Sitting in the cell was a burly man in his thirties, with a face full of scars, wearing a tattered brocade robe, clearly stripped of his official robes before being brought in.
He took the food box, lifted the lid, glanced inside, and his face immediately darkened. "Fish again? I told you yesterday, I don't eat fish! Are the cooks at your Divine Prison deaf?"
He suddenly threw the food box over the iron railing, splashing soup all over Chen Du. The food box smashed to the ground and shattered into several pieces.
"Old man, are you doing this on purpose?" The burly man lunged at the iron railing, grabbed Chen Du by the collar, and slammed him against the railing.
Chen Du's forehead hit the iron railing, leaving a bloody mark.
He didn't resist, but hunched over and apologized repeatedly, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll go change it right away."
The burly man wouldn't let go. He reached out with his other hand and slapped him across the face. "Exchange? I'll wait for you to exchange? Who do you think you are, to think you can make me wait?"
He grew angrier with each word, and slapped him again. "Do you know who I am? I'm the Regent's man! I can do whatever I want in the Capital, and you, a mere old jailer, dare to treat me disrespectfully?"
Chen Du lowered his head, his face burning with pain.
He raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, neither retaliating nor arguing back. The burly man continued to curse, calling him a dog, a piece of trash, and even worse than a dog.
After yelling until he was exhausted, he finally let go of her, spat on the ground, and yelled, "Get out! Bring me another table! If you dare to be slow again, I'll break your old bones when I get out of here!"