The Demon Prison Mission

Chapter 24: The Demon Prison Mission

"Heh, good! I, Situ Kong, would like to see what gives this batch of disciples the nerve to act so wildly!"

Situ Kong's expression turned completely cold, and a powerful aura at the Peak Xiantian Realm suddenly burst forth!

As his robe billowed, fierce winds raged and spiritual energy churned. Behind him, the faint, enormous shadow of a fox-like demon beast, three zhang tall, appeared and vanished. The demon fox opened its emerald-green eyes, where ghostly flames seemed to dance, ready to devour anyone in its path.

The three behind him, Jiang Hong and the others, couldn't withstand the pressure and staggered backward again and again. But their eyes were plainly full of smugness and malice. As they retreated, they snarled at Chen Lin, "Kid! You're dead! You're dead! No one can save you!"

"Demon Soul Shadow-Condensation!"

Chen Lin paid no attention to Jiang Hong and the others' taunts. His full attention was fixed on Situ Kong. The instant Situ Kong released his pressure, Chen Lin had secretly activated Dragon-Elephant Power, tensing every muscle in his body. Beneath that immense aura, he stood like a rock in the sea, his expression unchanged.

But when he saw the Heavenly Demon shadow behind Situ Kong, his heart sank.

Demon Soul Shadow-Condensation was a unique ability of Peak Xiantian Realm experts. They had begun to explore the power of the soul, with one foot already in the Sea-Opening Realm. Once their shadow became fully solid, they could enter the realm they had long dreamed of and gain divine abilities!

"Oh? You've got some skill."

Surprise flashed in Situ Kong's eyes when he saw Chen Lin remain completely still beneath the pressure of his aura. Then he extended his index finger and lightly pressed it forward, aiming straight for Chen Lin's brow!

The green flames in the demon fox's eyes suddenly flickered. It threw back its head and let out a piercing cry. At once, the air around Chen Lin seemed to freeze, and a pressure capable of tearing apart metal and stone bore down on him!

Chen Lin's brow throbbed rapidly as Advanced Perception sent out a danger signal. He tried to retreat or dodge, only to realize that Situ Kong had already sealed off the area with his powerful spiritual energy. He could still move, but his body felt as if it were trapped in a mire!

As expected of a Peak Xiantian Realm expert. The demon soul behind Situ Kong was resonating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, using its power to restrain its opponent. This was already close to a divine ability!

"Break!"

Chen Lin suddenly shouted. He unleashed all his strength, breaking free of the control in an instant as he threw a punch. It struck like an enraged dragon snapping its jaws and a giant elephant trampling the earth, sending a shrill sonic boom through the air!

A punch with nothing held back! A force of 180 tons!

"Not bad! What incredible strength!"

Feeling the power behind the punch, Situ Kong's pupils contracted slightly. He suddenly withdrew his extended index finger and lightly leaped backward, dispersing all the pressure around him. The violent spiritual energy immediately subsided.

He had actually stopped on his own.

Feeling the restraining force around him disappear, Chen Lin couldn't help but look stunned. His punch halted in midair.

"You're quite impressive. Your strength is comparable even to that of some exceptionally gifted, pure-blooded personal disciples I know. That means you're qualified to join us in completing that mission."

Situ Kong clasped his hands behind his back and nodded in satisfaction, speaking calmly.

"Senior Brother Situ, why did you..."

Behind him, Jiang Hong and the other two had been watching with venomous glee, expecting Situ Kong to give Chen Lin a thorough beating. But the situation had suddenly taken a strange turn, and Situ Kong had stopped. The three of them cried out in confusion.

"Silence."

Situ Kong's expression abruptly turned cold. He glanced back at Jiang Hong and the other two with a sinister look and spoke in a chilly voice.

Under his gaze, Jiang Hong and the others felt as if the air around them had turned cold. They shuddered and quickly lowered their heads, not daring to say another word.

"A mission? What do you mean?"

Chen Lin frowned and folded his arms, secretly remaining on guard. Situ Kong's words hadn't made him lower his defenses.

"As you know, junior brother, if a registered disciple fails to reach the Sea-Opening Realm within thirty years of joining the sect, the sect will demote him to a mine slave or take his soul and body to refine into pills and Spirit Artifacts."

By then, Situ Kong's expression had settled, but a shadow flickered through his eyes before quickly vanishing. He continued slowly, "For low-level disciples like us, who have no backing, breaking through to the Sea-Opening Realm is incredibly difficult. I've been stuck at the Peak Xiantian Realm for seven years, with not the slightest improvement in my cultivation."

"Oh? What does that have to do with me?"

A glint flashed in Chen Lin's eyes as he asked slowly.

Not long ago, I joined forces with two other disciples who had also stalled at the Peak Xiantian Realm, and we accepted a mission from the Central Hall. If we complete it, we'll receive three Sea-Breaking Pills from a sect elder. But we don't have enough confidence to complete the mission on our own. We need a powerful companion if we're to have a chance.

"Sea-Breaking Pill? The pill that supposedly gives you a thirty-percent chance of reaching the Sea-Opening Realm? It's incredibly precious. Only personal disciples have a chance of receiving one as a reward."

Chen Lin's expression shifted as he recalled the description of the pill in the jade slip.

"That's right. I came here not to take these three useless fools' side. From their injuries, I could tell you were born with extraordinary strength, junior brother, so I came to test you. I hope you won't hold it against me."

Situ Kong gestured toward Jiang Hong and the two others, whose faces had flushed red, and gave Chen Lin a sincere bow.

"Fair enough. But if even three Peak Xiantian Realm experts aren't confident they can complete this mission, then I, who have only just entered the Xiantian Realm, may not be strong enough either. Tell me what the mission is before we discuss anything further."

Chen Lin waved a hand. Careful as ever, he didn't agree to anything, instead asking with a frown.

"Of course." Situ Kong nodded, then his expression grew solemn. In a deep voice, he said, "We learned of this mission from a personal disciple we know, and snatched it up the moment it was posted. We're to go to the outskirts of the Demon Prison and gather an extremely rare medicinal herb. It's guarded by three Yin Corpses."

"The Demon Prison?!"

Chen Lin's expression shifted slightly as he recalled what the jade slip said about the Demon Prison.

The Demon Prison was a secret realm sealed among the mountains several hundred li from the Myriad Demon Sect. It was said to be a broken "small world," a cultivation space created by an ancient ghost cultivator of great power. A great battle had taken place inside, leaving countless dead. Afterward, the world's laws had fallen into chaos and its boundaries had grown unstable. As a result, anyone above the Sea-Opening Realm was unable to enter. Anyone who did would be rejected by the laws of that world and killed by the resulting force of annihilation.

The Demon Prison was dark and sunless, with Yin energy running rampant, making it easy for ghost cultivators and Yin Corpses to emerge. But the same concentrated Yin energy also produced many precious things that were almost impossible to find elsewhere, such as rare ores and weapon-refining materials, medicinal herbs and fungi that could grow only in Yin lands, and even ghost cultivators and Yin Corpses themselves, which were excellent materials for refining Dharma Artifacts and Spirit Artifacts. Thus, the Demon Prison had also become a trial ground for the Myriad Demon Sect's disciples.

But the Demon Prison was divided into three regions: the outskirts, the center, and the core. The outskirts were home to ghostly creatures at the Xiantian Realm. The center held terrifying ghost cultivators at the Sea-Opening Realm. As for the core, even disciples of the Sea-Opening Realm didn't dare enter recklessly. Ghostly creatures ran rampant there, Yin Corpses roamed everywhere, and broken spatial rifts made the place extremely dangerous. One careless step could cost you your life.

Chen Lin's thoughts raced. His expression settled, and he asked coldly, "The outskirts of the Demon Prison aren't considered especially dangerous, but Sea-Opening Realm ghost cultivators and Yin Corpses appear there from time to time. Besides, if even you aren't confident about this mission, Senior Brother Situ, it can't be that simple, can it?"

"That's right. Of the three Yin Corpses we have to deal with, one has just broken through to the Sea-Opening Realm! Yin Corpses have powerful bodies and terrifying strength. We need a companion with comparable strength to hold it off for a while; only then will we have a chance to kill it!"

"What?! A Sea-Opening Realm Yin Corpse?!" Chen Lin's face changed abruptly, and his eyes darkened. He refused without hesitation. "Senior Brother Situ, you can't be serious. Forget this mission. I have no intention of throwing my life away. Find someone else."

"Don't be so quick to refuse, junior brother." A glint flashed in Situ Kong's eyes as he gave Chen Lin a meaningful look. He continued slowly, "I know you have a special constitution called the Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body. It has appeared several times throughout the history of the Myriad Demon Sect, but each time, its bearer died while breaking through to the Sea-Opening Realm because their soul was too powerful..."

"But I happen to have something that can weaken the soul!"