The Young Emperor Summons the Imperial Preceptor to Call the Divine Prison to Account

Those who were once protected by Zhao Zheng are now being imprisoned in the Divine Prison one by one.

The first batch consisted of more than thirty people, including a former governor who used to roam freely in the provinces, a salt and iron merchant who spent lavishly in the Capital, and a general of the Imperial Guard who once rode his horse and trampled over vegetable stalls and killed people without paying for it.

Some of them were still dressed in fine clothes when they were brought in.

Some of them had gold chains around their necks, and some were shouting, "I am the Regent's man."

But the imperial guards escorting them didn't care about any of that. They kicked him in the back of the knee, forcing him to kneel on the cold stone slab of the first level of the Divine Prison.

The young prison guards carried the roster, calling out names and pushing each one into a cell.

The cell no longer had brocade bedding, sandalwood tables, or the traditional four-dish-and-one-soup meal.

There was only a cold stone bed, a moldy thin blanket, and a bowl of spoiled porridge.

Those who were once arrogant and domineering now looked at that bowl of porridge. Some cried, some cursed, and some smashed the bowl. They were then dragged out by the jailers, beaten, and thrown back.

The situation has changed so quickly in just a few decades.

Less than a year after Zhao Zheng's death, the young emperor eradicated his power completely.

Those who had once relied on him were either killed, demoted, or had their homes confiscated.

Those who remained imprisoned in the Divine Prison were considered lucky; at least they survived.

But here, this life is nothing more than a feeble ebb.

As Chen Du walked down the first-floor corridor carrying his keychain, some of the new inmates in the cells recognized him.

Someone rushed to the iron bars, shouting, "Old jailer! Old jailer! Do you remember me? I'm Lord Zhao's protégé! I even gave you some silver back then!"

Chen Du glanced at him but didn't say anything.

He remembered that the man's surname was Sun, and he had been a staff member in Zhao Zheng's household. He had once slapped him in public over a trivial matter.

At that time, Chen Du kept his head down and didn't say a word. Now, his advisor, Sun, was leaning against the iron bars, his face covered in tears, begging him to help deliver a letter.

Chen Du walked past his cell without stopping.

There was another person, the commander of Zhao Zheng's personal guard, surnamed Zhou, who was the one who trampled over a vegetable stall on horseback and was impeached by the censor, but Zhao Zheng released him from Divine Prison with a single order.

On the day he was brought in, Chen Du was standing by the execution platform.

Commander Zhou was taken aback when he saw him, then his eyes lit up. "Old jailer! You're still here!"

He lunged against the iron bars, his voice hoarse, "Please pass a message outside for me: I still have some silver at home. I'll have them send it in, as much as you want!"

Chen Du glanced at him; his eyes were filled with greed and fear, but not with any remorse.

Chen Du flipped to the last page of the roster and drew a red circle after his name.

Then, he turned and left.

A few days later, Commander Zhou was taken to the execution platform.

Chen Du stood before him, holding the Divine Prison Blade.

Commander Zhou then recognized him, his face turning deathly pale, his lips trembling as he stammered, "You... you are..."

Chen Du did not answer. He brought down his sword, and White Qi surged into the depths of his consciousness.

The crimes this person committed were enough to accumulate this amount of White Qi.

Chen Du sheathed his knife, turned, and left.

Only a headless corpse remained on the execution platform, along with blood all over the ground.

Not only that, Chen Du now has another person by his side: Zhao Heng, the son of the regent.

That year, he took Lin-shi and Zhao Heng out of the Capital and settled in a remote place.

Lin-shi's illness gradually improved, but her health deteriorated significantly, and she remained bedridden for many years.

Zhao Heng stayed for several years, but later Lin-shi advised him, "Your father is gone; you have to find your own way."

Zhao Heng thought for a long time, and finally knelt down in front of Chen Du, saying that he wanted to go to the Divine Prison with him.

Chen Du asked him why.

He said, "The outside world may not accept me, but I trust you."

Chen Du looked at him and nodded.

Zhao Heng then followed him into the Divine Prison and became an inconspicuous jailer. He changed his surname to Lin, taking his mother's surname, and became known as Lin Heng.

He usually patrolled with Chen Du, delivered meals, and guarded prisoners.

He is a man of few words but diligent in his work.

He simply followed, learned, and stayed.

In this secluded place, although there is no wealth and luxury outside, at least there is no fear for one's life.

Zhao Heng thought this was a good idea.

Chen Du also thought that this was a good idea.

Meanwhile, the young emperor has been unable to eat or sleep properly these days.

He sat in the imperial study, a stack of memorials piled in front of him, but he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

What keeps replaying in my mind is how Commander Zhou when he returned that day.

Commander Zhou knelt on the ground, covered in blood, with most of his armor on his back shattered, trembling like a withered leaf in the wind.

He relayed the message with trembling hands, not daring to change a single word.

The young emperor remained silent for a long time after hearing this.

He waved for Commander Zhou to leave, then sat alone in the imperial study until dawn.

The regent's son was rescued, and in front of his men, he left behind a threatening remark—how audacious!

He sent more spies to investigate, and all the clues pointed to the same place... the Divine Prison.

In the last few months of his life, Zhao Zheng often sat alone in his study drinking, often facing a portrait.

During his lifetime, Zhao Zheng paid special attention to the Divine Prison, inquiring about its defenses several times and even visiting it personally once.

The young emperor didn't pay attention at the time, but now, looking back, everything seemed suspicious.

He mistakenly believed that Zhao Zheng must have a powerful backer in the Divine Prison.

Moreover, that powerful backer could make a Tenth Realm expert be blown away like an ant.

The young emperor grew increasingly uneasy; he needed greater power.

He needed someone to keep that "backer" in the Divine Prison in check.

So he invited out that peerless expert who had not left the mountain for a long time. This person's surname was Cang, his given name was Cang Xuan, and he was one of the few remaining Peak Stage Tenth Realm experts in the Divine Dynasty.

It is said that he secluded himself for decades, and was only half a step away from stepping into the legendary Eleventh Realm.

The young emperor visited him three times before finally persuading him to come out of seclusion.

On the day he left the mountain, the young emperor personally went ten miles outside the city to welcome him and publicly appointed him as the national advisor.

Cang Xuan was dressed in a gray-white Daoist robe, with a gaunt face and unfathomable eyes. His aura was so heavy that all the Imperial Guards present could hardly breathe.

The young emperor looked at him and felt reassured.

The Peak Stage the Tenth Realm, just half a step away, is the strongest in the world.

With him around, no matter how powerful that backer in the Divine Prison is, he's only at the Tenth Realm.

He refused to believe that this person could be stronger than Cang Xuan.

A few days later, the young emperor, accompanied by the Cang Xuan and three hundred elite Imperial Guards, marched in a grand procession toward the Divine Prison.

After traveling for several days, the carriage finally arrived at the entrance to the Divine Prison.

The officers of the Divine Prison Bureau were already lined up outside the gate, waiting.

The head of the yamen personally came out to greet them, his expression as usual, and his bowing was proper.

The emperor stepped down from his carriage and glanced at the gray-black prison.

He had been here once before, but now that he was back, his state of mind was completely different.

He looked at the heavy stone gate of the Divine Prison, at the dense array patterns on it, and a strange premonition welled up inside him.