Eve of the Great Battle

Deep within the prison, it was dark and damp, a putrid stench assailing the nose.

It was the dead of night, and the convicts in the prison had all sunk into slumber. Ye Jing, clad in a night suit, pushed the Breath Concealment Art to its peak.

His form moved like a ghost, swiftly weaving through the prison, heading toward the cell where Yao Qingyin was held.

Inside a cell of the Great Li Heavenly Prison.

The four walls were built entirely from Dragon-Severing Stones, and the cell gate was forged from Millennium Meteorite Iron.

The space was sealed off, with only the barred window letting in sunlight, bringing a sliver of brightness to this gloomy cell.

Yao Qingyin's aura was withered, her hair slightly disheveled, her clothes stained with blood. She sat like a walking corpse on a straw mat spread over dried grass, leaning against the wall. Her eyes were hollow and despairing, showing hatred only when she looked at the blue-clad figure beyond the iron gate.

"Medicine Girl, just tell us about that Secret Realm, and you'll spare yourself more suffering."

"Rest assured, the Sword Sect Master has used the Sword Sect's centuries of foundation to guarantee your life. Our Great Li Imperial Family won't burn the bridge after crossing it."

Beyond the iron gate, Lei Wujie, in a blue robe, wore a cold expression. These past days, no matter what torture he applied, Yao Qingyin refused to reveal even a shred of information about that Secret Realm.

Unfortunately, the Great Li Imperial Family had ordered him not to take her life. Otherwise, if he used the Heavenly Thunder Punishment to make her endure countless lightning tribulations, even if her bones were iron, she would still have to speak.

But the Heavenly Thunder Punishment was too brutal. With her mere Innate Realm cultivation, one misstep would cause her to perish and vanish from the path.

These days, the interrogation about Yao Xingchen's Secret Realm from years ago had made no progress. Since harsh methods failed, Lei Wujie had to try soft tactics.

Yao Qingyin's lifeless eyes blazed with fury. Her face twisted with rage as she glared at Lei Wujie and spat lightly.

"Pah! My Medicine Manor has been loyal to the Great Li Imperial Family for a thousand years, only to end up with our entire clan slaughtered. And now the Great Li Imperial Family wants my Medicine Manor's ancestral Secret Realm? A pipe dream."

"If you have the guts, kill me with one palm. Otherwise, if I ever escape this prison, I'll uproot the entire Great Li Imperial Family one day."

Faced with Yao Qingyin's venomous threats, Lei Wujie sneered contemptuously. "Escape!"

He glanced around the cell, as solid as an iron fortress, and continued coaxing, "This Heavenly Cell No. 1 is the most secure place in the Great Li Heavenly Prison."

"The walls are all built from Dragon-Severing Stones, and the iron gate is forged from Millennium Meteorite Iron."

"Before you, ten Prisoners were held here—each one a founder of a sect or lineage. But no matter their heaven-defying abilities, they all ended up as dry bones, dying of old age in this prison."

"You're just a small cultivator in the Innate Realm, and you still dream of escaping one day?"

Seeing Yao Qingyin's ashen face, Lei Wujie pressed on, "Little girl, if you cling to this Secret Realm, you'll be trapped in this Heavenly Cell No. 1 for life, eventually turning to bones, and never get your revenge."

"Medicine Girl, your Medicine Manor bears such an unjust grievance, and you carry such a blood-deep hatred. Can you really bear to wither away in this prison? Don't you want to avenge your brutally slain Medicine Manor kin?"

"Think of your father, your grandfather, all your Medicine Manor clansmen in their dying moments. Just tell me about that Secret Realm, and I'll release you immediately."

"Where there's life, there's hope. With your talent, during the Sixth Heaven and Earth Cataclysm, you might still find an opportunity. Then uprooting the Great Li Imperial Family wouldn't be impossible."

Lei Wujie's words clung to Yao Qingyin's heart like a bone-burrowing worm, stirring a flicker of hesitation within her.

Though the Medicine Manor had declined, it was still a notable clan in the Imperial Capital. Yao Qingyin naturally recognized the Millennium Meteorite Iron and Dragon-Severing Stones.

Millennium Meteorite Iron was a rare treasure of the world, priceless. If even a trace of it was mixed into an ordinary sword, the blade would become razor-sharp, like a divine weapon.

This iron gate was forged entirely from Millennium Meteorite Iron—its hardness was unimaginable.

The Dragon-Severing Stone was even more extraordinary, made from the hardest Vajra stone in the world. Moreover, it was covered in engraved array patterns, greatly enhancing its toughness.

With these two materials forming the prison, fewer than three people in all of Great Li could escape from such a cell.

She wasn't afraid of the various tortures in the Great Li Heavenly Prison. What she feared was being unable to flee from it.

When she was first thrown into this cell, Yao Qingyin still clung to a sliver of hope. But now, hearing Lei Wujie personally point out the mysteries of Heavenly Cell No. 1, her eyes filled with despair.

Relying on her own strength to break out of Heavenly Cell No. 1 was harder than reaching the heavens—unless someone with heaven-defying power infiltrated the prison and rescued her.

But how was that possible? In the thousand years since the Great Li Heavenly Prison was founded, no one had ever successfully broken a Prisoner out.

And now, with no family or friends left, who would risk so much to save her from this prison?

She didn't know any such powerhouse. Even Senior Jian Xuzi lacked that ability.

"Who?!"

Just as Yao Qingyin was lost in thought, Lei Wujie's cold snort jolted her awake.

She followed the direction of his glare and saw a mysterious figure in a Black Robe standing in the void, barely three feet off the ground.

Lei Wujie's face darkened. This person had infiltrated the Great Li Heavenly Prison without a single Great Grandmaster guarding the prison noticing—as if strolling through an empty space.

If he had slipped past the Great Grandmasters, that was one thing. After all, Great Grandmasters were top-tier figures across Great Li, but still far from the Peak of Humanity.

If a Peak of Humanity expert acted, bypassing a Great Grandmaster's perception wasn't hard. But Lei Wujie hadn't expected this man to almost fool even him.

He had been coaxing Yao Qingyin, but his perception had already enveloped the entire Great Li Heavenly Prison. A soul at the Peak of Humanity was immensely powerful—dividing his attention was effortless.

With his perception covering the whole prison, no stir of wind or rustle of grass could escape him.

This mysterious Black Robe had not only evaded his perception but had already crept within five zhang of him.

At that distance, it was dangerous for a Peak of Humanity expert. If this man closed to within three zhang, Lei Wujie would likely be severely wounded in an instant.

Lei Wujie braced himself, staring at the Black Robe with utmost vigilance, his face full of caution.

Seeing that his cover was blown, Ye Jing stopped hiding. With a sword step, he closed in on Lei Wujie, ready to fight.