Chapter 117

Looking down from the railing, Jiaoqiu saw countless prison cells spread out like a honeycomb, disappearing into the darkness beyond sight.

Before long, the judge responsible for welcoming the two slowly walked over.

Unlike yesterday's beautiful judge with dark circles under her eyes, today's judge is a cold and delicate black-haired girl, like a doll. Several chains are wrapped around the black arm guards on her wrists, which makes Jiaoqiu take a few more glances.

It wasn't the chains that caught my eye, but rather her dark arm armor that looked familiar; I had a feeling it was someone's work.

"Gentlemen, my name is Xue Yi. I am here awaiting orders from the Lock Division of the Ten Lords Bureau. However, before escorting you to the prison cell, there are a few rules I need to explain to you."

The black-haired girl's clear, cold voice pulled Jiaoqiu back to reality. He composed himself and noticed that Xue Yi was holding several files.

"The Sinful Prisoner Hoolay is the leader and Denfather of the Abominations of Abundance of the Buli person, a great enemy of the Foxkin, who have long enslaved them and used their blood to make medicine."

"This person must be held accountable for the 2,123 wars of aggression and related crimes."

"For his cruelty and tyranny, the number of murders he has committed is countless. He is sentenced to the deepest Prison of Deep Seclusion, to suffer the punishment of the Unending Sword Tree until the end of time, with no mercy..."

After reading through all the regulations in one go, Xue Yi put away the scroll and explained:

"Visiting a serious criminal is governed by strict rules, each one concerning your safety. Even though you two envoys of Yaoqing have heard the legend of Hoolay since childhood, your knowledge of him is still pitifully limited. Only the judges of the Ten Lords Bureau know what kind of monstrous creature is imprisoned beneath the Prison of Deep Seclusion. That's all I have to say. Do you two understand?"

Jiaoqiu and Moze had actually heard the judge with dark circles under his eyes talk about it yesterday, but they didn't say much, they just nodded to indicate that they understood.

Seeing this, Xue Yi glanced at the underworld messenger beside her, and a moment later, she handed two pills to Jiaoqiu and Moze.

"Before proceeding to the next level, you two must take this pill that can suppress 'Lupitoxin'."

Without hesitation, the two swallowed the medicine, and Xue Yi led them to the lowest level of the Prison of Deep Seclusion.

Something's not right...

As they traversed the winding, folded path, the closer they got to the bottom, the more solemn Jiaoqiu's expression became. His nose twitched slightly, as if he had caught a whiff of something.

Is something wrong?

Moze was standing nearby, was the first to notice the unusual expression on Jiaoqiu's face. He walked over to Jiaoqiu without making a sound and asked in a low voice.

"There's the smell of Buli person in the air..."

"I've heard that the cells here are full of Buli person, Wingweaver, Huiyin, and Viscorpus, so it's common knowledge that the smells are mixed and chaotic. Perhaps it's just your imagination?"

Moze raised his eyes expressionlessly and looked around the surrounding cells. He did indeed see Buli person's figure in one of them. Jiaoqiu nodded noncommittally, and finally just glanced at the accompanying underworld messengers with a barely perceptible look.

This is the most heavily guarded place on the entire Xianzhou. Putting Buli person could possibly break in, even if they did, it would be impossible for them to find their way to the bottom in this intricate and complex place.

"You're right, it's okay, maybe it's just my imagination... Let's go."

While feeling the cold air, Jiaoqiu only moved her eyes to scan her surroundings.

Even underground, unknown lights illuminated the surroundings, and the stark white and deep blue walls, along with the ever-rising ceiling, indicated that they were getting closer and closer to the bottom.

After an unknown amount of time, Xue Yi led them to the bottom of the Netherworld.

"Gentlemen, we have arrived."

"Have we arrived?"

Looking at the empty plain before him and the enormous stone pillar standing in the center, Moze asked this question.

"Those who have committed the ten heinous crimes and committed the most heinous acts are all imprisoned at the bottom of the Netherworld, confined in a separate grotto. It will not be opened without an imperial decree... Please wait a moment, I will open this final door."

As Xue Yi spoke, she looked up at the enormous spirits on the stone pillar. Their ugly faces and fierce expressions stared at everything before them, as if warning the people here to be cautious in their actions. Where their gazes met, there was a dark, empty hole.

As Xue Yi lit the ghost lamps in sequence, the "key," shaped like a giant pillar supporting the sky, was inserted into the dark void. Accompanied by a huge tremor and a loud noise, the giant stone pillar standing in the center of the flat ground began to rotate, opening the way to the bottom of the dark prison where criminals were suppressed.

This is the "Prison-Severing Wheel Key," responsible for guarding the final gate for serious offenders.

"Gentlemen, the path has been opened. Once you reach the bottom of the Netherworld, do not act rashly."

Jiaoqiu suddenly realized that her vision was gradually narrowing and she was having trouble breathing. She then realized that she was not breathing normally, probably because her whole body was too tense and she was not very flexible in her movements.

Just as Jiaoqiu was wondering where this feeling came from...

"Hahaha--"

Laughter, seemingly from nowhere, echoed through the cold space. Moze immediately looked around and found that apart from the six accompanying underworld messengers and Xue Yi standing there, there was no one else in sight.

"Scatter immediately!!!"

Jiaoqiu felt a chill run down his spine and shouted to stop them in a moment of panic, but the two underworld messengers behind him only showed surprised expressions.

That's for sure. The two underworld messengers ignored Jiaoqiu's words and were about to report the intruder's presence when—

--But it became their last action before they died.

The two underworld messengers coughed up blood from their necks, not even knowing how they died, and collapsed onto the cold stone floor.

It was White Wolf that silently approached them from behind and slashed their carotid arteries with its sharp claws.

"Thank you for opening the prison for us, Judge. Leave the rest to us."

The enemy appeared unexpectedly, tearing away the disguise of the underworld messenger. Jie Qin stomped on the communication device on the ground, her fierce lips curving into a cruel smile.

At the same time, several White Wolf appeared beside Jie Qin.

"No wonder I kept smelling that familiar animal stench. It seems it wasn't my imagination. As expected of the 'White Wolf Hunter Pack,' no Buli person can compare to you in terms of cunning and treachery..."

"Shush! You have no right to speak to me, you lowly Foxkin."

The tall man extended a finger and touched Jiaoqiu's shoulder blade with a movement so fast it was almost invisible.

"Well--!?"

Before consciousness could even react, it felt as if a piece of flesh had been ripped from Jiaoqiu's shoulder by a dagger; the pain pierced between his joints, and a torrent of blood instantly gushed out.

The immense pain forced Jiaoqiu to cover his wound, bending over so low he could barely stand. He stared intently at the unsmiling White Wolf before him, cold sweat dripping down Jiaoqiu forehead.

The White Wolf, which had been lying low for a long time, finally revealed its fangs.

Chapter 146 I laugh at that White Wolf's lack of strategy, Hoolay.

In the lowest level of the Prison of Deep Seclusion, a corner, barely touched by light or lamplight, is shrouded in an unnatural, deathly silence.

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

Blood continued to drip from Jiaoqiu's shoulder, the sound echoing alarmingly as it reverberated across the cold floor.

Located in the center of the empty lower level, the ground was covered with the corpses of the accompanying underworld messengers, while the White Wolf stood on it wearing a blue fur coat and trousers lined with armor. He carried two huge blades on his back, and his exaggerated muscles on his chest were fully exposed. Countless scars demonstrated his undeniable strength as the alpha wolf.

Jiaoqiu clutched his wound, knelt on one knee, and gasped for breath as the unbearable pain caused him to gasp for air.

The first to assess the situation was the white-robed judge who raised his scepter and chains.

While using the communicator on her shoulder to shout "Military officers! The lower ranks have been invaded, send reinforcements immediately!" she launched a relentless offensive against the enemy.

Jie Qin didn't even move her body, calmly crossing her arms over her chest, and easily kicked Xue Yi in the side waist with a simple swing of her right leg.

Boom! With a tremendous tremor, the Xue Yi was slammed into a nearby wall by the terrifying force.

The damaged rubble emitted billowing dust, and the stalemate lasted less than half a second before being crushed by overwhelming power. Jie Qin's face showed no change, as if dealing with a judge was a matter of course.

"Don't move! Stop your little schemes. Even if you manage to escape, this fox won't get away."

Jie Qin approached Jiaoqiu, looking down at the Foxkin sweating profusely with a wicked smile. Her seemingly aimless gaze had somehow fallen upon Moze, who had hidden himself and was preparing to flee.

"Ha, escape? We're not the ones trying to escape now."

Seeing that the White Wolf's claws were already pressed against Jiaoqiu's neck, Moze raised his hands, abandoning his thoughts of escape.

Jie Qin ignored Moze's words, and there was no need for her to pay them any attention.

In his eyes, Jiaoqiu and Moze were undoubtedly fish on a chopping board, completely at his mercy.

Jie Qin gave a signal, and the White Wolf beside her immediately understood. They dragged the corpses of the underworld messengers from the ground and threw them into the cage where Hoolay was imprisoned, as his first meal after regaining his freedom, to replenish the energy he hadn't had in nearly a hundred years.

The moment the body was thrown into the cage, the deathly silence was filled with the sound of flesh and bones being chewed.

The White Wolf were all stunned. Jie Qin stared wide-eyed in disbelief, while Moze's whole body stiffened. Even Jiaoqiu, who was kneeling on one knee, briefly forgot the pain, and her fox tail trembled slightly as if she were instinctively afraid.

Soon after, I heard... thump... thump...

As if asserting its own existence, an unsettlingly dangerous bass voice shook the ground, echoing from the cage.

Without needing confirmation, one knows it's the sound of some kind of colossal beast's footsteps, a sound that slowly approaches, coming from some unknown, imprisoned cavern.

All sound seemed to vanish, leaving only the heavy sound of footsteps, and everyone's gaze was fixed on the door of the cage.

Very soon--

"Roar roar roar roar roar roar roar roar --!!!!"

The beast's roar exploded like thunder.

The figure that emerged from the depths of the dark cage, a beast that had suffered for a century, finally broke free of its confinement, making a sound as it shattered the rubble, revealing its true form.

"I've waited... for so long..."

Muscles as imposing as rocks covered a massive body over two meters tall, and its entire body was covered in thick, pale hair that had not fallen off even after seven hundred years of torture in prison. The blue mask that symbolized the leader's identity was now stained crimson by the splattered blood.

The armor that should have covered his entire body was now stripped away, leaving only his massive claws.

The countless intertwined Unending Sword Tree piercing his flesh behind him silently testified to the immense suffering he had endured over the past century.

The word associated with that imposing presence is leader.

This is the king who leads the Buli person, the alpha wolf of the wolf pack— Hoolay.

"It's been a long time, War Chief. Seeing you still as majestic and powerful as ever fills me with immense joy."

"Don't talk to me like that, you wolf cub. Tell me, how many times has Verdant Hill rotated since the last hunt? How many years have passed?"

Jie Qin in a familiar tone, only to be met with a displeased growl from Hoolay.

Before Jie Qin could speak, Hoolay seemed to have caught his scent. His face contorted with rage. "Why did Du Lan's brat grow up to look like you? No, wait... this aura... you're not Du Lan's brat, not even a descendant of the Buli person... you're a Foxkin?!"

Indeed, Jie Qin shouldn't have used "long time no see" as his opening line. After all, back when Hoolay hadn't been captured, Jie Qin was just a Foxkin war slave. Now, he had transformed into the "White Wolf Khan," comparable to the Denfather several major hunting groups.

Even if the "White Wolf Hunter Pack" only rose to power amidst the chaos caused by the loss of Hoolay among the Buli person, the losers have no right to make excuses; only the victors can hold their heads high.

Therefore, he could puff out his chest in a show of power and say in a cheerful and confident tone, "So what if it is? Might makes right, isn't that the way your subordinates Buli person, survive?"

Hoolay's cheeks twitched as if in spasm, but he knew that the current situation did not allow for much thought. The most important thing was to obtain intelligence and supplement the information he had lacked as the leader of the war for nearly a century in order to make subsequent judgments.

Reason, maintaining composure amidst his rage, steadily suppressed the fury surging in his chest. His Hoolay breathing gradually subsided. "Hmph, you're right. Then tell me, why have you come?"

At first, Hoolay's idea was simple: the leaderless Buli person needed him as their leader, so he sent troops to rescue them.

"Only the return of the War Chief can end the Buli person Bu Li Ren and restore their former glory!"

"Since you have a plan to escape, then tell me, what are the next steps to take to leave this enormous spaceship?"

As expected, Hoolay's lips curled into a disdainful smile.

As a Buli person clan, he became cowardly and timid after losing a mere warrior leader. Instead of thinking about how to end his predicament, he came to rescue this warrior leader who had become a prisoner, attempting to end the conflict through him.

This goes against the ancient teachings of wolves; it's foolish and laughable...

Jie Qin spoke methodically, explaining the plans for the trip step by step:

"The Liuyun Crossing outside has already prepared escape boats. Taking advantage of the Yaoqing Envoy's preparation to escort you, I have long cooperated with the Medicine King's Legacy of Luofu. If I'm not mistaken, they should have already caused a commotion outside, creating the illusion of our escape from the Liuyun Crossing through internal and external chaos, and finally taking the opportunity to escape Luofu through the secret passage of the Scalegorge Waterscape..."

What a reckless and foolish plan!

After hearing Jie Qin's words, Hoolay had only this thought in his mind.

If the Buli person had fallen to such a state, Hoolay could almost completely lose hope in them. However, just as he was thinking this, Jie Qin's next words made his eyes widen in surprise—

"That's all I have to say. Now, please hand over 'Crimson Moon,' Hoolay."

Jie Qin's voice was icy, carrying an unyielding resolve.

In ancient legends, the ancestor of the Buli person Du Lan, was dissatisfied with his limited life and power. He longed to dominate the sky and become the master of the stars.

For this, he sacrificed countless lives of Buli person and Foxkin, pouring them into the spring water bestowed by the Lord of Longevity. Under the impetus of genetic magic, a miracle was conceived in the water—the "Moon of Gestation."

After climbing onto the "moon's" birthing bed, Du Lan obtained what she had always dreamed of: a "heart" shaped like a crimson full moon.

Du Lan cut open his own chest and replaced his heart with this Crimson Moon.

This heart-moon beats within the bodies of the Buli warriors for generations, because the Buli person's ritual for selecting a warrior leader involves the successor cutting open the chest of the former warrior leader, eating this divine flesh, and allowing the strongest to possess it.

This is Jie Qin's true purpose: he wants to obtain the "heart" symbolizing the leader of the wolf pack from Hoolay's body, and return to the wolf pack to become the undisputed new leader.

As for Hoolay? Ridiculous. Jie Qin would never agree with a stray dog who has become a prisoner.

Hoolay's silence, wordless and pervasive, filled the deathly still space. Then, he spoke, "Your goal is to seize the 'Crimson Moon'?"