Demon Prison Mission

Chapter 24: Demon Prison Mission

"Heh, good! I, Situ Kong, would like to see exactly what kind of capital a disciple of this generation has to be so arrogant!"

Situ Kong's expression turned completely cold, and a powerful aura belonging to the Peak Xiantian Realm erupted abruptly!

As his robes fluttered, a wild wind raged and spiritual energy churned. Behind him, a three-zhang-tall, fox-like phantom of a massive demon beast flickered in and out of existence. This demon fox opened its emerald-green eyes, within which ghost fire seemed to dance, ready to choose someone to devour.

Jiang Hong and his two companions behind him could not withstand this pressure and retreated repeatedly with heavy thuds. Yet, their eyes were clearly filled with smugness and malice. As they backed away, they hissed viciously at Chen Lin, "Kid! You're dead! You're dead! No one can save you now!"

"Demon Soul Shadow-Condensation!"

Chen Lin ignored the clamor of Jiang Hong and the others entirely. All his focus was on Situ Kong. The moment Situ Kong released his pressure, he secretly circulated his Dragon-Elephant Power. His muscles tensed, and under this aura, he stood like a rock in the sea, his face showing not a single change.

However, when he saw the Heavenly Demon phantom behind Situ Kong, his heart sank.

Demon Soul Shadow-Condensation was a unique technique of experts at the Peak Xiantian Realm. They had begun to explore the power of the soul and had one foot already inside the Sea-Opening Realm. As long as the phantom became fully solidified, they could step into that dream-like realm and possess divine abilities!

"Oh? You have some skill."

Seeing that Chen Lin remained unmoved under the pressure of his aura, a flash of surprise crossed Situ Kong's eyes. He then extended his index finger and pressed it forward lightly, aiming straight for the center of Chen Lin's brow!

The green flames in the eyes of the demon fox phantom behind him suddenly flickered, and it let out a sharp, shrill cry. Instantly, the air around Chen Lin seemed to solidify, and a pressure capable of tearing through metal and stone descended!

The space between Chen Lin's brows throbbed rapidly; his Advanced Perception sent out a danger signal. He wanted to retreat or dodge, but he discovered that Situ Kong had already used his powerful spiritual energy to seal the area. Although he could move, his body felt as if it were stuck in a quagmire!

As expected of a Peak Xiantian Realm expert, the demon soul behind Situ Kong was actually resonating with the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy, using the power of the world to bind his opponent. This was already approaching the level of a divine ability!

"Break!"

Chen Lin let out a sudden shout, no longer holding back his full strength. He instantly broke free from the control and threw a punch. It was like an angry dragon biting down and a giant elephant trampling; the surrounding air emitted a piercing sonic boom!

A punch without reservation! 180 tons of immense force!

"Not bad! What powerful strength!"

Feeling the momentum of this punch, Situ Kong's pupils contracted slightly. He suddenly withdrew his extended finger and leaped backward lightly, simultaneously dissipating all the aura on his body. The violent spiritual energy calmed down instantly.

He had actually stopped the fight on his own initiative.

Feeling the surrounding binding force dissipate, Chen Lin was stunned, and his punch stopped in mid-air.

"You are quite good. Your strength is so great that even compared to some of the gifted, pure-blooded personal disciples I know, you are not inferior. In that case, you are qualified to complete that mission with us."

Situ Kong stood with his hands behind his back, nodding in satisfaction as he spoke calmly.

"Senior Brother Situ, how could you..."

Behind him, Jiang Hong and his two companions were looking at Situ Kong with resentment, expecting him to give Chen Lin a harsh lesson. Suddenly, the situation took a bizarre turn, and Situ Kong had stopped. This left the three of them bewildered and crying out.

"Shut up."

Situ Kong's expression turned cold abruptly. He turned his head and glared at the three of them with a sinister look, speaking coldly.

Under that glare, Jiang Hong and his companions felt the temperature of the air around them drop. They shivered instantly and lowered their heads, not daring to say another word.

"Mission? What do you mean?"

Chen Lin frowned, arms crossed over his chest, remaining on high alert in secret. He did not relax because of Situ Kong's words.

"Junior Brother, you know that if a registered disciple does not advance to the Sea-Opening Realm within thirty years of entering the sect, they will be demoted to a mine slave, or their soul and physical body will be harvested to refine pills and Spirit Artifacts."

Speaking to this point, Situ Kong's expression had calmed down, though a trace of gloom flashed quickly through his eyes before returning to normal. He said slowly, "For low-level disciples like us without any backing, breaking through to the Sea-Opening Realm is harder than ascending to heaven. I have been stuck at the Peak Xiantian Realm for seven years, yet my cultivation has not progressed in the slightest."

"Oh? And what does that have to do with me?"

Chen Lin's eyes flashed as he asked slowly.

"Not long ago, I and two other disciples who were also stuck at the Peak Xiantian Realm teamed up to accept a mission from the Central Hall. As long as we complete this mission, we can obtain three 'Sea-Breaking Pills' bestowed by the sect elders. But we don't have absolute certainty in completing this mission; we need a companion with powerful strength to have any hope."

"Sea-Breaking Pill? Is that the pill rumored to grant a thirty percent chance of advancing to the Sea-Opening Realm upon consumption? Such a pill is incredibly precious; only personal disciples have the opportunity to be rewarded with it."

Chen Lin's expression shifted as he recalled the introduction to this pill in the jade slip.

"Correct. I did not come here today to stand up for these three pieces of trash. Seeing their injuries, I realized you possessed innate divine strength, so I specifically tested you. Please forgive me for any offense, Junior Brother."

Situ Kong gestured toward the flushed Jiang Hong and his companions, his expression sincere as he bowed slightly to Chen Lin.

"Easily said, easily said. However, since even three Peak Xiantian Realm experts are not confident in completing this mission, I have only just stepped into the Xiantian Realm, so I fear I may be unable to help. Please, Senior Brother Situ, tell me what the mission is first before we discuss it further."

Chen Lin waved his hand, but his mind remained sharp and cautious. He did not agree to anything, instead frowning as he asked.

"That is only natural." Situ Kong nodded, his expression turning solemn as he said in a low voice, "The mission we accepted was obtained through information from a personal disciple with whom I have some friendship; we snatched it the moment it was released. The mission is to go to the outskirts of the 'Demon Prison' to harvest a type of extremely rare and precious spiritual herb. This herb is guarded by three Yin Corpses."

"Demon Prison?!"

Chen Lin's expression changed slightly as he thought of the records regarding the Demon Prison in the jade slip.

The "Demon Prison" was a secret realm suppressed within the mountains hundreds of miles away from the Myriad Demon Sect. It was rumored to be a broken "small world" opened up by an ancient ghost cultivator. However, a great war had occurred inside, resulting in countless deaths. After the war, the rules of the small world became chaotic and the interface unstable, which meant that experts above the Sea-Opening Realm could not enter. Once they entered, they would be rejected by the interface rules, resulting in a crushing force that would kill them.

Because the Demon Prison was devoid of light and plagued by Yin energy, it was prone to producing ghost cultivators and Yin Corpses. Yet, due to the condensation of Yin energy, it produced many precious items that were impossible to find in the outside world, such as rare ores, materials for artifact refining, and spiritual herbs that could only grow in Yin lands. Even the ghost cultivators and Yin Corpses themselves were excellent materials for refining Dharma Artifacts and Spirit Artifacts. Therefore, the "Demon Prison" was also used as a training ground for Myriad Demon Sect disciples.

However, the Demon Prison was divided into three regions: the outskirts, the center, and the core. The outskirts mostly contained ghost creatures at the Xiantian Realm. The center held terrifying ghost cultivators at the Sea-Opening Realm. As for the core region, even Sea-Opening Realm disciples dared not enter at will; it was filled with rampaging ghosts, Yin Corpses, and even broken spatial rifts. It was incredibly dangerous, and one could lose their life there with the slightest carelessness.

Chen Lin's thoughts raced, but his expression calmed down. He spoke coldly, "Although the outskirts of the Demon Prison are not considered dangerous, ghost cultivators and Yin Corpses at the Sea-Opening Realm occasionally appear. Furthermore, since even you, Senior Brother Situ, are not confident, I assume this mission is not that simple, right?"

"Correct. Among the three Yin Corpses we must deal with, one has just broken through to the Sea-Opening Realm! Yin Corpses have powerful physical bodies and terrifying strength. We need a companion with equally powerful strength to hold it back temporarily so we have a chance to kill it!"

"What?! A Sea-Opening Realm Yin Corpse?!" Chen Lin's face changed abruptly, his eyes turning gloomy. He refused without hesitation, "Senior Brother Situ, what kind of joke is this? Let's forget about this mission. I have no intention of throwing my life away. You had better find someone else!"

"Junior Brother, don't be in such a rush to refuse." Situ Kong's eyes flashed as he looked at Chen Lin meaningfully, saying slowly, "I know you possess the 'Parasitic Soul-Sharing Body,' a special constitution. Our Myriad Demon Sect has seen this constitution a few times in the past, but all of them perished when breaking through to the Sea-Opening Realm because their souls were too powerful..."

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