The cell door opened. Elder Qin was the first to step out, followed closely by Zhang Hankuang, with Hu Lianfeng bringing up the rear.
Ye Wudao followed right behind Hu Lianfeng, gazing curiously at the area outside the cell.
It was already eight in the evening, and all the prisoners had returned to their cells.
Yet the four of them walked openly down the corridor.
Before long, Elder Qin reached the iron gate to the cellblock.
He went over to the facial-recognition machine beside it.
"Authentication successful!"
The next second, the machine let out a pleasant voice. The electromagnet on the gate lost its magnetic force, and the gate slowly swung open.
"This..."
Ye Wudao stared at the scene, completely dumbfounded.
What the hell? A prisoner could actually open the gate to the cellblock? Who would believe that if he told them?
And the key was, this was happening right before his eyes!
They were practically free to go anywhere inside the prison!
He edged forward a little and asked quietly, "Master, if we can come and go from the prison so freely, why are we still serving time here?"
"Heh!" Hu Lianfeng chuckled. "The cell can't hold us, that's true. But we're criminals. We can't leave the prison."
"Unless we earn merit and get our sentences reduced."
"You have to understand, a prison isn't necessarily the only thing in this world that can keep a criminal locked up. Sometimes, it's people."
Ye Wudao was lost. He asked in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Hu Lianfeng lowered his voice. "We're locked up here not because the prison can hold us, but because powerful experts are keeping us in check. We can't get out."
"If anyone dares to escape, they'll be lying dead in the street by tomorrow."
Ye Wudao pressed his lips together, understanding what Hu Lianfeng meant.
He asked quietly, "So we're going to the Rift to kill demonic beasts and earn merit?"
Hu Lianfeng nodded. "That's right! Generally, only Houtian Realm experts can enter the Rift. Since I'm taking you along, you'll get a chance too."
"Since we're on the subject, I'll explain it to you."
"The Rifts appeared on Blue Star after its spiritual energy revival."
"Each Rift leads to another space, one teeming with demonic beasts."
"Our mission when we enter the Rifts is to kill the demonic beasts and prevent them from invading Blue Star."
"This is the real Martial Path world. Beneath Blue Star's seemingly peaceful surface, undercurrents are surging."
"Killing demonic beasts can reduce your sentence. One first-tier beast takes off one day, a second-tier beast takes off two days, and so on."
"You've only got a fifteen-year sentence. If you kill one first-tier beast a day, you'll be free after seven years."
Ye Wudao froze for a moment, then asked, "Are first-tier demonic beasts easy to kill?"
Hu Lianfeng shook his head. "At your current stage, don't even think about it. Forget first-tier beasts—even unranked ones are more than you can handle."
"First-tier demonic beasts are on par with Body Tempering Realm fighters, and even an ordinary Body Tempering fighter can't necessarily take one on."
"Demonic beasts aren't like humans. Even an ordinary first-tier beast can fight someone at Body Tempering Great Accomplishment. A stronger first-tier beast takes a Houtian fighter to defeat."
"Your master may be at Houtian Great Accomplishment, but I wouldn't dare fight a second-tier demonic beast. I can only kill first-tier ones."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Hankuang, walking ahead, said, "Don't listen to your master's nonsense. The only reason he can't handle a second-tier beast is that his martial skills are too poor."
"An ordinary Houtian fighter can hold their own against a second-tier beast."
Hu Lianfeng snorted. "Hmph! Stop misleading the kid."
"Let's not even get into anything else. You're at Houtian Peak right now. Would you dare fight an Earth-Splitting Beast?"
Zhang Hankuang paused, then retorted, "An Earth-Splitting Beast is a king among second-tier demonic beasts. How can you compare it to the others?"
Hu Lianfeng sneered. "Heh! Now you're saying they can't be compared?"
"Aren't you at Houtian Peak too?"
"By your logic, it should be a piece of cake for someone at Houtian Peak to take on a king among second-tier beasts, shouldn't it?"
Zhang Hankuang was left speechless. After a moment, he muttered, "I can't be bothered arguing with you."
Hu Lianfeng lowered his voice. "Hit a sore spot?"
The group fell silent for a moment. They had reached the outside of the prison building.
Beyond the prison building, towering walls rose high, and guards on the watchtowers were on duty.
Yet when the guards saw the four of them, they acted as if they hadn't seen a thing, immediately turning to watch another section of the perimeter.
A black van was parked by the entrance to the prison building.
Without a word, Zhang Hankuang climbed into the driver's seat.
Hu Lianfeng looked at Ye Wudao and said quietly, "Sit in the back."
Ye Wudao paused. "Master, wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to sit in the back?"
In his understanding, the back seats of a van were for the boss.
There was no boss here, so the strongest person should naturally sit in the back.
Zhang Hankuang was clearly the one who usually drove, so it made sense for him to sit up front.
But Hu Lianfeng and Elder Qin were both older than him and had higher cultivation levels. Ye Wudao didn't think he was qualified to sit in the back.
Besides, Hu Lianfeng was still technically his master. They hadn't fallen out yet.
Hu Lianfeng said sternly, "If I tell you to sit in the back, then sit in the back. I'm taking the passenger seat to watch for trouble, just in case."
Elder Qin spoke up from beside them. "Stop wasting time. Get in the car."
As soon as he finished, Hu Lianfeng opened the passenger door.
Though Ye Wudao was a little confused, he obediently went to the back seat on the left.
The instant the electric door closed, Zhang Hankuang floored it.
The powerful inertia slammed Ye Wudao hard against the seatback.
By the time he recovered, the van had already driven straight out of the prison gates without a hitch.
Inside the van, Ye Wudao looked at Hu Lianfeng and asked quietly, "Master, if killing demonic beasts can reduce your sentence, why did you say you'd never get out?"
Hu Lianfeng didn't answer. Instead, Zhang Hankuang, who was driving, spoke up. "Do you know how many years your master has left to serve?"
"He wiped out an entire small lineage—more than thirty people—and was sentenced to life in prison. If the Blue Star Federation still had the death penalty, his crimes would've earned him eight hundred executions."
"Even if he can reduce his sentence by killing demonic beasts, he still has more than nine hundred years left!"
"If he kills ten second-tier beasts a day, he still won't get out in this lifetime."
At that, Hu Lianfeng spoke up. "You never know when to shut up. Always acting like you know everything!"
"You avenged your wife by killing eight people from one family. You've still got more than three hundred years left. Do you think you'll get out in this lifetime?"
Zhang Hankuang snorted. "I've got a better chance of getting out than you do."
Ye Wudao was silent for a moment. He glanced at Elder Qin, who had his eyes closed, then asked quietly again, "If it's so hard to get out of prison by killing demonic beasts, why risk going into the Rift?"
Hu Lianfeng looked back at Ye Wudao. "You've got to have a dream. Besides, killing demonic beasts doesn't just reduce your sentence—it also earns you points."
"Points can be exchanged for cultivation resources, and resources can help us raise our cultivation."
"If I can advance to the Xiantian Realm, maybe I'll have a chance to get out."
After saying that, he glanced at Elder Qin beside Ye Wudao. He didn't continue, instead turning back to look ahead.
Ye Wudao pressed his lips together and glanced at Elder Qin again.
It seemed Elder Qin was an expert in the Xiantian Realm.
The rest of the way, no one spoke. Ye Wudao could clearly feel the atmosphere in the van grow oppressive.
The van drove all the way to the seaside before slowing to a stop.
Ye Wudao stared at the endless ocean, his mind full of questions. Here? Where's the Rift?
Before you continue