Sacrifice Found, Killed for Offering

The old jailer was a seasoned veteran. While he appeared enthusiastic towards Lin Shuguang, he often spoke in riddles, leaving Lin Shuguang to figure things out on his own.

It wasn't that the old jailer was malicious.

It was simply that he had seen much more than someone like Wang Erfa from yesterday.

He knew exactly how much effort to put into each situation, striking a perfect balance.

"These cells hold vicious demons, so keep your distance," the old jailer said, holding a handful of keys. After showing Lin Shuguang to a resting room, he continued, "There's a small formation here. You can cultivate here while you're on duty. But be careful, there are many demons imprisoned here, and some know the art of bewitchment. They might try to disturb your mind, and if you're not careful, you could fall into a demonic trance. That's why few people cultivate here; most just read books.

It's normal you don't know the situation since you're new. I'll lend you this book for now. You can bring your own next time.

Someone will bring meals at noon. If you have any dietary restrictions, be sure to mention them. In the afternoon..."

The old jailer took out a yellowed booklet from his pocket and placed it on the table. Whether Lin Shuguang read it or not was of no concern to him. After all, Lin Shuguang was a "big shot" personally selected for this trial, destined to become their superior in the future.

"Thank you."

Lin Shuguang expressed his gratitude. The old jailer waved his hand dismissively, the bells on his keys jingling. "It's no big deal. I'll leave things to you then. The prisoners I'm guarding are the ones caught recently; they're quite rowdy. Unlike yours, who have grown silent after being imprisoned for so long. Old people tend to ramble, please don't mind me."

"Not at all, senior. You're too kind," Lin Shuguang replied calmly, unlike the aloofness of those from prominent families.

The old jailer's wrinkled face couldn't help but smile. He then stooped and left the resting room.

Lin Shuguang looked around.

Calling it a resting room was a stretch; it was more like a cell. A simple wooden bed, a chair, and a table with a pitted surface. Everything was rudimentary.

Lin Shuguang sat on the chair and reached for the booklet the old jailer had left on the table...

He flipped through it briefly. It was mostly about the author's travels and interesting anecdotes in the Great Gan Dynasty, describing the beautiful scenery. Other than that, there were no noteworthy details.

He had thought the old jailer might be a mysterious figure like a hidden master, but it seemed he was mistaken.

After flipping through the travelogue for a while, Lin Shuguang set it aside on the table. After a moment of silence, he quietly sensed the spirit-gathering formation embedded in the resting room.

The formation wasn't particularly advanced.

Lin Shuguang absorbed energy for about ten seconds, and his overall attributes slowly increased by one point.

If there was nothing else to do, he could try it. After all, accumulating small gains could lead to a significant harvest.

An hour passed.

Lin Shuguang's cultivation proceeded uneventfully amidst the surrounding screams. He slowly opened his eyes, feeling no discomfort. This made him think of the "art of bewitchment" the old jailer had mentioned.

"Old Man Chen also mentioned that the Black Prison holds powerful fiends, even people from the Taiyi Immortal Sect..."

Suppressing his thoughts, Lin Shuguang closed his eyes to rest again.

It remained calm until noon. The meal delivery worker was polite and introduced himself as Song, telling Lin Shuguang to call him Song the Foodie.

After asking Lin Shuguang if he had any dietary restrictions, Song the Foodie took his leave.

One meat dish and two vegetable dishes... Lin Shuguang immediately tested them. Fortunately, they weren't poisoned, so he ate with peace of mind.

After finishing, he suddenly realized that these dishes could replenish blood and qi.

He couldn't help but feel surprised.

"The food in the Black Prison is something else..."

About ten minutes later, just as Lin Shuguang finished his meal, Song the Foodie returned. His plump face peeked from behind the door, a hint of eagerness in his smile. "Little Brother Lin, were today's meals to your liking?"

Lin Shuguang calmly took out a tissue to wipe his mouth. "The meals were good. What ingredients were used?"

Song the Foodie quickly replied, "The meat dish was Cloud Cotton Chicken, and the vegetable dishes were Soul Grass. According to Black Prison regulations, these meals are changed every three days. If you have any preferred ingredients, you can tell me, and I'll keep an eye out for them."

"Thank you," Lin Shuguang nodded.

Song the Foodie looked at him with a smile, appearing as if he had something to say. But under Lin Shuguang's gaze, he merely nodded politely and left with a smile.

The door closed, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded away.

Lin Shuguang lowered his gaze. "One does not receive favors without reason. I just arrived, is he trying to ask me for something?"

Song the Foodie only appeared at noon each day.

In the afternoon, when it was time, Lin Shuguang ignored Qiao Shanheng's angry glare. Signing his name was like clocking out, and he left the Black Prison.

His simple nine-to-five life had begun.

He didn't care who would take over his shift. The nine-to-five schedule was within the Black Prison's regulations. If his replacement was late, that was their problem; he wouldn't concern himself with it.

Lin Shuguang could guess two reasons for Qiao Shanheng's anger.

Firstly, he had openly defied the temporary "shift leader" on his first day.

Secondly, his identity with the Baojian Sect probably attracted "undue attention," and some trouble was unavoidable.

For the next half a month, Song the Foodie frequently appeared in Lin Shuguang's resting room, his smile seemingly unwavering. In fact, Lin Shuguang only realized a week ago that his meals were much more lavish than those of others.

He figured it was due to Song the Foodie.

But why was he being so nice to him...

Lin Shuguang had to be on guard.

"Little Brother Lin, today we have braised fish. This Dao Pattern Fish comes from the Sacred Mountain, caught by those True Fate Realm powerhouses on the mountain. Eating it can enhance one's martial dao comprehension..." Song the Foodie said with a beaming smile, peeking in again.

After Lin Shuguang signaled for him to enter, Song the Foodie's obese body squeezed through the doorway and placed the lunchbox on the table in front of Lin Shuguang.

As the lid was lifted, a rich aroma filled the air.

Song the Foodie diligently began to introduce the Dao Pattern Fish to Lin Shuguang.

Hearing the words "Dao Pattern," Lin Shuguang's heart skipped a beat.

But seeing the envious look in Song the Foodie's eyes, he couldn't help but ask, "You haven't eaten it before?"

Song the Foodie shook his head, "I'm just a servant, how could I deserve such a precious food."

"Then sit down and eat with me," Lin Shuguang invited.

Song the Foodie froze, seemingly surprised that someone of Lin Shuguang's status would invite him to share such a delicacy. He quickly replied, "No, no, no, this is a special delicacy prepared for you all. I appreciate your kindness, Brother Lin. If anyone mentions this Dao Pattern Fish again in the future, please don't say such things, Brother Lin, to avoid bringing trouble upon yourself.

The Dao Pattern Fish comes from the ancient Sacred Mountain. I heard that the pond was left by a Sacred Mountain expert from the ancient era, suppressed by a stone tablet formed from Martial Dao Will, creating its own willpower magnetic field, which is how the Dao Pattern Fish is nurtured..."

Lin Shuguang said calmly, "You know quite a lot."

Song the Foodie's expression faltered, and he chuckled dryly, "Having stayed in the Black Prison for so long, I've naturally heard many things. Brother Lin will surely know much more than me in the future... I mustn't delay, I have meals to deliver to a few more places."

After a moment of hesitation, Song the Foodie finally added, "If Brother Lin has nothing to do this afternoon, could you spare some time to chat with me here for a moment?"

Lin Shuguang looked at him first, then slowly nodded with composure.

Song the Foodie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. After gently closing the door to Lin Shuguang's lounge, he quickly left.

Before Lin Shuguang, wisps of steam rose from the lunchbox with the aroma of food. However, his gaze passed through the iron door, looking at the figure pushing the food cart and leaving quickly down the corridor.

"Interesting..."

A sinister voice echoed in his ear.

Lin Shuguang acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He withdrew his gaze from Song the Foodie, silently took out the wooden chopsticks from the lunchbox, and first tested the food for poison as usual.

After confirming it was not poisoned, Lin Shuguang picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks.

"Dao Pattern Fish, I heard it tastes very delicious. You're quite lucky, kid..."

The fish went down.

It was indeed delicious.

However, what bothered Lin Shuguang even more was that the Sacred Dragon Body Dao Pattern from Meng Jun of the Five Thunder Sect had not refreshed yet, while the current Dao Pattern Fish caused the Gray Seal to stir slightly.

It was fortunate that Lin Shuguang's perception was extraordinary, allowing him to accurately detect this subtle change.

Ignoring the voice from the void, Lin Shuguang specifically picked out the Dao Pattern Fish. In a few bites, he devoured it like a whirlwind, reducing the Gray Seal of the Sacred Dragon Body by one-tenth.

It was a pity the fish was too little; otherwise, Lin Shuguang was confident he could have refreshed the Sacred Dragon Body.

"Sacred Mountain..."

As soon as he murmured the words, the strange voice in the void immediately followed with a hint of temptation, "Come to me, and I can tell you the secrets of the Sacred Mountain... Come to me..."

Lin Shuguang's eyes seemed to be covered by a layer of white mist. His stiff body slowly rose, standing up like a living dead person, as if devoid of spirit. He knocked over the table in front of him and, with stiff steps, opened the iron door wide.

The muffled sound of Lin Shuguang's footsteps echoed in the dim, damp corridor.

The sound of rattling chains came from the prison cells lining the path. Vaguely, various evil auras seemed to surge... Fortunately, this Saber Prison was suppressed by the will of the Great Gan Dynasty, preventing these evil auras from erupting completely. For a moment, many noisy whispers seemed to come like hushed conversations.

"Another newcomer..."

"Such tender flesh and blood..."

"Newcomer, hahahaha..."

Just then, a faint children's rhyme could be heard:

"Left path, right path, which is the way home..."

As soon as this rhyme began, the surrounding noisy whispers instantly receded like a tide, as if no one dared to act presumptuously in front of the owner of the rhyme.

Lin Shuguang followed the sound of the rhyme, moving stiffly like a living dead person.

Twenty minutes later.

Lin Shuguang continued to walk down the stairs, heading deeper and deeper, towards the very core of the earth...

The chaotic aura around him grew increasingly dense.

Countless Saber Intents permeated the air, powerfully suppressing every corner of the entire prison.

Five massive pillars carved with golden dragons stood in a specific formation throughout the Saber Prison. The area Lin Shuguang passed through had one of these Golden Dragon Pillars.

The entity that had bewitched Lin Shuguang seemed to also avoid this Golden Dragon Pillar, deliberately making Lin Shuguang take a detour.

During this time, the white mist in Lin Shuguang's eyes dissipated significantly.

However, he was still under the other party's control.

Dragging his feet, Lin Shuguang finally arrived before an iron door enveloped in lightning.

The deeper one went into the Saber Prison, the quieter it became, as if no living creatures existed.

The more it was like this, the more it proved how terrifying this place was.

The lightning rays on the iron gate slowly opened a crack... a hoarse voice with a triumphant smile said, "Come in."

Lin Shuguang stepped across, half his body entering the cell door.

A withered old woman leaned on a black cane, her eyes glowing green, incredibly eerie. Especially when she smiled, her wrinkled face seemed to bunch together. "Come in quickly, child."

"Didn't you say you would tell me about Sacred Mountain?"

Lin Shuguang, however, maintained his half-crossed stance at the lightning gate, his expression cold.

There was no trace of him being bewitched just moments ago.

"You can actually break my bewitchment..."

The old witch's green eyes intensified, but there was no hint of anger. She cackled, and with a slight movement of her cane, countless black mists shot out from it, like countless screaming black snakes, instantly coiling tightly around the leg Lin Shuguang had crossed the lightning gate with...

The old witch's voice was filled with a cackling laugh, "It's been a long time since I've seen someone with such a delicious body. To be able to break my bewitchment, you must have cultivated a divine soul, and your realm is not low. The soul arts of this world have long been lost. It seems you have some background, boy... Yes, to cultivate your physical body to the Perfect Realm, if I eat you, although my injuries won't heal, I can still regain a hundred years of lifespan... cackle."

Lin Shuguang looked up at the old witch.

He hadn't expected her to see through his physical realm at a glance, and even judge his soul realm. This old witch was quite capable.

Along the way, although he was bewitched, he had used his divine soul to get a clear understanding of the Saber Prison area.

The place where this old witch was located was not the deepest part of the Saber Prison. The eerie path ahead was endless, even causing Lin Shuguang's divine soul to feel oppressed. He guessed that was where the true old monsters were imprisoned.

As for this old witch...

Lin Shuguang's expression was indifferent. "You are at most True Fate Realm, and you've been imprisoned for many years. Your strength is long gone. Looking at your frail body, the only thing you can rely on is mental arts... Do you really think you've got me cornered?"

Lightning!

These were the two mediums Lin Shuguang was most adept at, and the Saber Prison provided them endlessly for him to command.

The old witch cursed shrilly, "Boy, if you alert the old monsters inside, you'll be in trouble too!"

Rumble!

The entire stone chamber was filled with Lin Shuguang's decisive roar:

"Lightning Punishment, kill!"