To the Sixth Level

Hannibal's appearance made Freezing Hell much livelier. From Hannibal, Ye Chen learned that this world had its share of fools as well.

A clown who talked about his ambitions all day long—even Ye Chen suspected something was wrong with his head. He was freezing badly, yet he insisted on stripping naked and coming to Freezing Hell to "show off."

He was ugly as a Ghost, and his enormous belly was hideous too. It was not like he had a good figure, so what was there to flaunt?

Yet after casually making a round, the fellow headed straight across the snow toward the sixth level, Infinite Level.

"Hm? What's going on?" Even Basan frowned and muttered in confusion.

Few people knew about the sixth level, Infinite Level. Even many prisoners did not know of it, much less Hannibal, who was only a newly arrived guard.

Why was he going there when he had nothing to do? And if he was on patrol, no one could tell from his visit to Freezing Hell. It seemed he had done nothing at all.

"Ye Chen!" Suddenly, Ye Chen slipped out of his cell, climbed onto the wall, and followed from afar. Basan froze for a moment before hurriedly calling out.

Seeing Ye Chen follow him, Basan wanted to call him back. After all, Ye Chen's current strength was only enough to deal with a War Wolf barehanded at most. Basan feared that Ye Chen would be in danger.

But to his surprise, Ye Chen pressed his body against the wall and began climbing it as nimbly as a gecko. He was not slow in the slightest. At times he faced the wall, at others his back faced it, his entire body seeming to hang from the surface.

Ye Chen curled his fingers into claws and swiftly moved forward across the smooth wall. Hannibal did not notice him at all.

Hannibal was so cold that he hugged his shoulders and nearly curled into a ball. Before long, the exposed skin on his body was covered in icy snowflakes. The cold made Hannibal hop and jump, white breath constantly spilling from his mouth. Because of the great distance and the ceaseless wind and snow, visibility was extremely poor. Even if Hannibal turned around, he might not spot Ye Chen.

Ye Chen had been here for quite some time. Though he had been diligently training and longing to escape every moment, he first needed to understand Impel Down if he wanted to get out. Few knew about the sixth level, so Ye Chen wanted to secretly follow Hannibal and take a look. With his Gecko Technique allowing him to cling to walls, Ye Chen was confident the guards would not easily discover him.

Although the Six Powers allowed one to rapidly kick the air and keep one's body balanced in midair, and at its peak let one hover or fly freely like a bird, only martial arts possessed the special skill of scaling walls and clinging to surfaces.

The Gecko Technique involved pressing one's back against a wall, drawing in the chest and tightening the back, then climbing freely along the surface. Once mastered, one could move with the speed of a swimming snake. Even a wall as smooth as a mirror could be traversed with nimble ease.

Normally, this technique relied mostly on elbow strength to climb with one's back facing the wall. Yet Ye Chen had combined it with the Eagle Claw Technique. The Eagle Claw Technique trained finger strength; even on smooth walls, he could dig his fingers in. Whether scaling walls or climbing trees, nothing could stop him.

After coming to this world, Ye Chen discovered that his martial arts training had progressed incredibly quickly. Even now, he did not understand why. Perhaps his physique had changed during his transmigration, or perhaps this world itself was simply more suited to martial artists cultivating.

Whether it was the Gecko Technique or the Eagle Claw Technique, both would take at least a year and a half to master in the Great Qing Dynasty. Yet here, in less than a few months, Ye Chen could already use them with complete ease.

Following behind Hannibal for a long time, Ye Chen finally reached the end of Freezing Hell. Hannibal took out a key and opened the prison gate leading to the sixth level. As he opened it, Ye Chen leaped in from the eaves, landing on a distant beam. He used his arms to absorb the force, and his body settled against it as lightly as a snowflake without making the slightest sound.

Looking down, he saw gusts of cold wind sweeping through the corridor, thick Ghost mist lingering everywhere. Though he had only just entered, Ye Chen instinctively shuddered from head to toe. This place was like hell itself. Chilling sounds drifted endlessly through the air, like vicious Ghosts weeping, as if countless Ghost monsters lurked within the mist.

Ye Chen understood. This place had been without sunlight all year round, and resentment had accumulated day after day. Like a graveyard, its atmosphere had long since turned sinister. Of course it would be frightening.

However, the moment he entered Infinite Level, Ye Chen felt that he had been discovered. From the cell opposite him, a pair of sharp, icy glints shot forth.

Ye Chen's heart immediately sank. Basan had mentioned that those imprisoned here were legendary monsters whom the government had "erased." The government was unwilling even to mention their names. Once any one of them got out, he would be enough to cause a catastrophe.

Because of the distance, Ye Chen could not make out the person's face. But those eyes were terrifying, like a beast's, as though he might suddenly charge out of the cell and devour Ye Chen.

Still, when Hannibal walked toward that side, the man did not make a sound. Ye Chen let out a long breath, looked around, and confirmed that this was already the deepest level of the prison. There was no passage out at all.

Just as he was about to leave, Ye Chen heard Hannibal speaking with the person who had discovered him. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he moved closer. His thin body hung upside down above that man's cell without making the slightest noise. Holding his breath, Ye Chen perked up his ears.

"Hannibal, where is my sword?" A somewhat aged voice reached Ye Chen's ears.

Ye Chen craned his neck to look down. The moment he poked his head out, he sadly discovered that he had been noticed again.

If that person spoke up to warn Hannibal, Ye Chen would definitely be exposed.

Still, even if he was discovered, Ye Chen was not worried that the people here could fly up to the eaves and catch him.

The prisoner inside was an old man covered in golden hair, with an exceptionally strange appearance. His hair was long and golden, trailing all the way to the ground. From afar, he looked like a lion, his golden hair resembling a lion's mane.

Not only was his hair golden, but his sideburns and beard were golden as well. A thing resembling a ship's rudder grew from his head. Though he wore shackles, he gave off an extremely dangerous feeling, as if the restraints on his body were merely decorations. Even this prison of copper walls and iron barriers seemed unable to hold him.

"Golden Lion, what do you want?... Are you trying to escape?" Hannibal trembled and backed away two steps in fright, seemingly afraid to get too close.

"Escape?" Hearing Hannibal's words, Ye Chen immediately felt a surge of excitement. His eyes widened at once.