Flame Dragon Armor!
Lin Shuguang examined the War Armor he had spent three full hours forging. The high-grade profound weapon beside him had snapped in two, but the Flame Dragon Armor remained completely unscathed.
Lin Shuguang nodded inwardly. "Its defensive power is dozens of times stronger than the Demon God Armor. Handling a mid-stage Spirit Transformation Realm expert shouldn't be a problem..."
"Your forging technique feels strangely familiar, yet it clearly follows its own school."
A voice suddenly came from beside Lin Shuguang. He started and turned around.
But aside from him, the enormous stone chamber contained no one else!
Lin Shuguang slapped the Flame Dragon Armor onto himself, and it automatically formed into armor. At the same time, he said indifferently, "What the hell do you know?"
To remain undetected by Lin Shuguang, the other party had to be at least at the True Fate Realm.
The other party was either a high-ranking member of Black Prison or an old monster imprisoned here. Either way, Lin Shuguang had no desire to interact with him too much.
The person's tone carried a hint of humor. "To possess such profound hammering skills at your age, you're extraordinary. Perhaps you're some old monster who has returned to youth? No, that can't be right. The aura on you is far too unfamiliar..."
The person began talking himself in circles.
Seeing that this mysterious person seemed somewhat deranged, Lin Shuguang decided not to linger.
But just as he took a step, the person's rambling abruptly stopped. "Your technique is decent, but it's still a pity about that Flood Dragon Armor. Such a high-grade Flood Dragon Armor, yet you failed to awaken its characteristics... You're missing one of the most important things: Void Water. During forging, you only need a few drops of Void Water to activate the Flood Dragon Armor's characteristics..."
"What characteristics?" Lin Shuguang couldn't help asking.
Mainly because the mysterious person sounded so certain, as if he really were an expert.
The person chuckled. "Haven't you heard of dragons soaring across the four seas? Anything connected to dragons naturally possesses the ability to soar through the nine heavens... Cultivators being able to fly through the sky and burrow into the earth was once a technique only Great Sages possessed. That's why later generations never lacked people who used other methods to achieve it. You already have a ready-made treasure in your hands, so you're fully capable."
Fly through the sky and burrow into the earth...
Lin Shuguang asked without changing expression, "May I ask where Void Water can be bought?"
"Bought? Hahaha, why waste money? That stuff is in the Demonic Moon Sect. Just rob them." The person threw his head back and laughed wildly, causing the Saber Prison formation to rumble.
"I'm leaving..." Lin Shuguang regretted not asking a few more questions.
He concealed the Flame Dragon Armor and then left the forging chamber.
After reaching the surface, the old jailer hurried over. Seeing Lin Shuguang, he quickly asked, "Are you all right? Did you run into any danger?"
"No. What happened?" Lin Shuguang asked calmly.
The old jailer said worriedly, "They say an old monster below woke up and smashed the formation apart. Fortunately, the Black Prison Envoy was here, so nothing major happened." At that thought, he began cursing again. "If something really went wrong, we'd be skinned alive even if we didn't die. Anyone who can smash apart the formation must be terrifyingly powerful... Damn it, could the God-Sealing Shackles have stopped working?"
Lin Shuguang pondered this thoughtfully.
Before long, he saw that some of the heavily guarded formation core had already dispersed its personnel. Sima Tingwei wore a calm expression. "The matter has been resolved. There's no need to worry. The formation was merely short on energy. I filed an emergency request overnight, and I'll personally remain here to guard it. Nothing will happen."
Only then did the old jailer relax.
He turned his head toward Lin Shuguang. "It's getting late. This old man will be leaving first, or my wife will throw another fit at home."
"Take care, Senior."
After watching the old jailer leave, Lin Shuguang turned and went to the archives.
Although he suspected that the formation's disturbance was related to the mysterious person in the forging chamber, what did that have to do with him?
Instead, the Demonic Moon Sect mentioned by the mysterious person caught his attention.
"If I remember correctly, Qiao Shanheng mentioned the Demonic Moon Sect too... It seems that old witch I killed was a member of the Demonic Moon Sect."
After showing his identification plaque, Lin Shuguang retrieved the old witch's identity record from the archives.
The middle-aged man responsible for fetching her file couldn't help asking curiously, "Why are you suddenly interested in this person? Before entering the cultivation world, that old witch was a prostitute. I heard she accidentally killed someone and was thrown into prison. By chance, she joined the Demonic Moon Sect afterward. No one knows what madness took hold of her after that, but she killed every man she saw, and her methods were exceptionally cruel... Later, that old witch went berserk from cultivation deviation. She didn't even spare women or children, and she went so far as to kill people and drink their blood.
"She probably cultivated some demonic art. After suffering cultivation deviation, her cultivation advanced considerably. Although the Demonic Moon Sect had plenty of complaints about that old witch, her notorious reputation outside made the sect's status rise rapidly..."
The middle-aged man realized he had said too much and coughed dryly. "Wasn't she killed a few days ago? Why are you suddenly concerned about her?"
Lin Shuguang lowered his head and flipped through the file, saying casually, "I was the one who killed her."
The middle-aged man froze and looked up in astonishment, apparently never expecting the legendary ruthless man to be standing right in front of him.
Especially since Lin Shuguang looked so young, and when speaking of the matter, his tone was so calm and unconcerned.
His throat bobbed instinctively. He cupped his hands and forced a fawning smile. "I was blind not to recognize you. Please, carry on."
He stepped aside and didn't dare remain beside Lin Shuguang for long.
He was a clerk working on the surface and rarely had a chance to visit the prison below. But that didn't mean he was unaware of what vicious criminals were imprisoned down there.
For example, the old witch Lin Shuguang had killed not long ago.
The old witch's death itself was not frightening. Prisoners causing trouble and being killed was not unheard of. Though rare, it was not enough to make him afraid.
What truly frightened him was Lin Shuguang himself.
He had just arrived and already killed the notoriously vicious old witch. His methods were ruthless enough, but more frightening was his complete indifference toward the matter, which naturally made people imagine all sorts of things.
If he hadn't known that the old witch had died at Lin Shuguang's hands, the middle-aged man might have assumed that Lin Shuguang was merely a newcomer interested in the case.
But now that he knew this newcomer was a wolf in sheep's clothing, it was difficult for him not to feel uneasy.
With no one disturbing him, Lin Shuguang felt more at ease studying the Demonic Moon Sect's records alone.
The records showed that the Demonic Moon Sect had risen through spiritual secret arts. Its members were all women from the pleasure quarters. Originally, it had been only a small, obscure faction, and it was only after that old witch joined that it rose to prominence.
As for why the old witch had been arrested... Lin Shuguang carefully read through the records before discovering that someone within the sect had reported her for cultivating the evil sacrifice forbidden by the Great Gan Dynasty.
Sacrifices were divided into orthodox sacrifices and evil sacrifices.
Using the Heaven Sacrifice Talisman to offer sacrifices to the heavens and obtain the purest power of heaven and earth, as Lin Shuguang did, was an orthodox sacrifice.
But the old witch slaughtering people by the hundreds and offering them to an evil god, obtaining flawed energy in return, was an evil sacrifice.
Evil sacrifices violated human morality and damaged the Heavenly Dao.
Thus, the Great Gan Dynasty expressly forbade its citizens from sacrificing to evil gods.
Lin Shuguang pondered this, then sneered. "The Demonic Moon Sect isn't good either. The old witch deserved to die, but the people of the Demonic Moon Sect used her reputation to secure their position. Now they've played the 'discard the millstone once the grain is ground' trick flawlessly. Qiao Shanheng is a fool too. He knows a little about everything, yet acts as though he knows it all.
"If he had known about the relationship between the Demonic Moon Sect and the old witch sooner, how could he have had the face to claim that the Demonic Moon Sect would seek revenge..."
He closed the file.
"But the Demonic Moon Sect now has a True Fate Realm expert. If I rush over, I'll probably alert them before even touching the Void Water... Besides, it's still uncertain whether the Demonic Moon Sect actually has Void Water. No one knows what that mysterious person is plotting...
"Since he can hide his identity from me, he must be able to see through my cultivation. If I charge straight into the Demonic Moon Sect with my current strength, his intentions are obvious...
"Old Man Chen was right after all. No one can say whether the things locked up here are human or ghost.
"I'll have to consider the matter of the Void Water carefully."
After leaving Black Prison, Lin Shuguang quietly returned to Shenxiu Auction House.
As soon as Manager Zhang entered the private room, he cupped his hands politely. "Young Master Lin, do you have some need?"
"Yes." Lin Shuguang got straight to the point. "Manager Zhang, do you know about Void Water?"
Manager Zhang was an old and crafty hand. He looked at Lin Shuguang with a genial smile. "Using Void Water for forging is indeed risky, but some forging masters like to use it to awaken the characteristics of certain special materials..."
Lin Shuguang had bought a forging manual from him with one foot, then asked about Void Water with the other.
Manager Zhang mistakenly thought that the person behind Lin Shuguang wanted to forge some divine artifact. He never imagined that Lin Shuguang himself was interested in it.
He couldn't help feeling shaken.
First, Lin Shuguang could kill a Flood Dragon, and now he wanted to forge a divine artifact.
There were probably more than just one expert behind Young Master Lin.
But when it came to Void Water, Manager Zhang could only smile bitterly. "Young Master Lin may not know this, but ten years ago, Shenxiu Auction House still had the last three drops of Void Water. The Demonic Moon Sect bought all of them back at a high price.
"Speaking of which, it's strange. The Demonic Moon Sect possesses the most Void Water, yet it also purchases Void Water from other places on a large scale. No one can say what use they have for it. Ever since their sect master was captured and imprisoned in Black Prison, the Demonic Moon Sect has kept a low profile and rarely appeared in the martial world... I'm sorry, Young Master Lin."
"It's fine." Lin Shuguang thought to himself that the mysterious person had really hit the mark.
"Manager Zhang, besides the Demonic Moon Sect, are there any other places with Void Water?" Lin Shuguang asked again.
Manager Zhang thought for a moment. "They say Void Water comes from an ancient Fierce Beast called the Void Beast, which exists in the void and cannot be found. The Void Water it produces is probably scattered across some unknown immortal ruins.
"If Young Master Lin truly wants Void Water, you might as well try your luck at the Demonic Moon Sect. Given your identity, the Demonic Moon Sect will surely show you some respect."
Given my identity?
The identity of a member of the Baojian Sect, or the identity of the person who killed their sect master?
Lin Shuguang still accepted Manager Zhang's kindness. He learned the location of the Demonic Moon Sect's mountain gate, which was more than a hundred kilometers away.
He left Shenxiu Auction House.
Lin Shuguang looked up at the sky shrouded in night.
"Looks like I'll have to consider this carefully."
Because it was his turn to stand night watch, Lin Shuguang's visit to Black Prison changed from morning to evening.
Before he could reach the break room, he ran into Song the Foodie. Song the Foodie's gaze flickered away, but in the end he still lowered his voice and said, "Brother Lin, don't open the door easily at night. Demonic souls roam after dark. At best, they'll devour your vital energy; at worst, they'll cripple your martial path..."
After saying this, he hurried away without waiting for Lin Shuguang's response, seemingly afraid that someone else would see him alone with Lin Shuguang.
"Demonic souls? Interesting..."
It was already approaching midnight, and the corridor was deathly quiet. Lin Shuguang descended the stairs from the surface. The candle flames on either side of the passage did not move at all.
His solitary shadow stretched and shortened as he drew nearer.
The originally silent corridor began to echo with footsteps because of his arrival.
As he gradually approached the cells where the prisoners were held, Lin Shuguang noticed that these men, who would still have been making a racket during the day, had now become meek and docile. Not one of them was willing to make a sound.
"Creak." Lin Shuguang pushed the door open and entered.
It was the same room he guarded during the day, but tonight there was an extra book on the table.
Looking at its slightly yellowed cover, Lin Shuguang guessed that it had come from the old jailer. The old man was probably afraid that Lin Shuguang would secretly cultivate alone again and be bullied by the demonic souls.
At the thought, Lin Shuguang couldn't help smiling faintly.
He closed the door, sat down, and casually turned a page of the book the old jailer had sent over. Every page was filled with erotic spring scenes.
Lin Shuguang's expression turned strange.
"I really misjudged him..."
He had thought the old man was an upright gentleman, but in the end, he was still a shameless old lecher.
With nothing else to do, he heard clanging outside the door.
A burst of footsteps approached.
Lin Shuguang looked up just as the old jailer's voice came from outside. "You lot stand guard here. Why are you trembling? You're young men in the prime of life—why are you afraid of this?"
The door opened, revealing Lin Shuguang holding a book. The old jailer's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly took another book from his pocket. "I left the wrong one here earlier. For young men in the prime of life like you, a little introductory reading is enough to stir your vital energy. I'm old, so I need something practical to make it through tonight."
Lin Shuguang: "..."
I believe you, I believe you, I believe you—I don't believe you. I believe you, I believe you...
The old jailer took the book away. Just as he opened the door to leave, he turned back and reminded him, "If something really happens, don't try to be brave. Use your cultivation technique to activate your identification plaque. The formation was just replenished with energy this morning. Those demonic souls won't dare act recklessly."
He then closed the door and cursed at the few young men peeking furtively from outside. "That man isn't afraid even when he's alone, yet the three of you are trembling like sieves together. Useless."
The four of them clanged and clattered away.
Lin Shuguang shook his head, unable to suppress his laughter.
He flipped through the book in his hand. As the old jailer had said, it really was only an introductory book, and he soon found it utterly tasteless.
He casually placed it on the table.
"There's still some time before the demonic souls appear... I'll cultivate for a while first... Demonic souls—what will I gain from killing and offering them in sacrifice, I wonder..."
Time gradually passed as Lin Shuguang cultivated.
At some unknown point, a sinister wind poured into the cells of the Saber Prison, and countless candle flames began to sway.
In many break rooms, groups of two or three burly men clung desperately to each other, shivering.
Some jailers had prepared their identification plaques and weapons early, ready to activate the formation at any moment.
But someone like Lin Shuguang, who cultivated without a care in the world, was the only one of his kind.
"Scratch... scratch..."
A harsh sound like claws scraping against metal came from the iron door.
This scene mainly occurred on the first and second levels of the Saber Prison. As for the third and fourth levels... perhaps because they feared the old monsters there, those demonic souls did not dare act recklessly.
The piercing sound continued without end.
Many young new jailers shouted desperately, "Block the door! Quick, block the door!"
"I curse your eighteenth-generation ancestors and your great-aunt and third aunt—￥#￥￥amp;￥, get lost!"
Although the old jailer's calves trembled, he kept his eyes fixed on the little erotic book in his hands. His identification plaque lay beside him.
For a moment, every kind of human behavior was on display.
"Bang!"
Somewhere, an iron door suddenly opened on its own.
Inside was blood energy as brilliant as a rainbow, irresistibly attractive to demonic souls.
Yet before the demonic soul could charge in, a hand fiercely reached out from within and seized it, dragging it straight through the doorway.
"Boom!"
The iron door slammed shut again. The muffled sound was like a heavy hammer striking everyone's heart.
Yet amid the ear-piercing metallic clamor, it failed to attract the slightest attention.
Before you continue