Max-Level Golden Bell Shield From the Start

The damp, musty odor mixed with the stench of blood assaulted Li Chen Zhou's nostrils as he abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp pain shooting through the back of his head. He instinctively tried to raise a hand to rub it, but found his hands chained to the wall with heavy iron links, rendering him immobile.

"Where is this...?"

He looked around in confusion, his gaze falling upon a dimly lit, damp stone chamber. A few flickering oil lamps hung on the walls, casting light on mottled bloodstains. Memories flooded back like a tide – he had been a modern martial arts instructor who, after a car accident, had transmigrated to this world called the Great Qian Dynasty, becoming the only son of Duke Zhen Guo, Li Qing Shan.

"Treason? Ridiculous!" Li Chen Zhou gritted his teeth. Three days ago, his father, Duke Zhen Guo, had opposed the tax increase proposed by Prince Jin in court, and that very night he was falsely accused of treason. The entire family, one hundred and thirty-seven souls, were all thrown into prison, and he was being held alone in the lowest level of this Ministry of Justice Prison.

"What a joke, a Duke, taken down so easily..."

The iron chains rattled as Li Chen Zhou struggled, only to find the marks on his wrists deepening. He looked down at the tattered white prison clothes he was wearing, covered in whip marks and bloodstains, clearly indicating that the original owner had already been tortured.

"System? Golden Finger?" He cried out in his heart, but only heard the sound of dripping water from the depths of the dungeon.

Creak—

The heavy iron door was pushed open, and a burly prison guard walked in carrying a wooden tray. Li Chen Zhou narrowed his eyes, using the dim light to make out the person: thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a scar on his left cheek. It was Wang Wu, who had been coming to "take care" of him these past few days.

"Young Master Li, time for your meal." Wang Wu grinned, revealing uneven yellow teeth.

On the wooden tray was a bowl of thin porridge and half a moldy bun. As Wang Wu bent down to put the wooden tray down, Li Chen Zhou noticed a bronze ring on the little finger of his right hand – it was clearly the mark of Prince Jin's Shadow Guard!

"Not good!" Alarm bells rang in Li Chen Zhou's mind.

Sure enough, the moment Wang Wu put down the wooden tray, his right hand suddenly drew a gleaming dagger from his waist, stabbing straight for Li Chen Zhou's throat!

"Go to hell, remnant of the Li family!"

The tip of the knife rapidly enlarged in his pupils, and Li Chen Zhou instinctively closed his eyes. At the critical moment, a mechanical voice sounded in his mind:

[Detecting that the host's life is threatened, Martial Arts Inheritance System activated]

[Newbie reward: Max Level Golden Bell Shield (invulnerable to blades and spears, impervious to water and fire)]

Buzz—

An invisible golden shield instantly enveloped Li Chen Zhou's entire body. Wang Wu's dagger struck his throat, actually emitting a crisp "clang" sound, as if it had struck a bronze bell!

"What?!" Wang Wu was shocked.

Li Chen Zhou suddenly opened his eyes, an unprecedented power surging within him. He shook his arms, and the iron chains that had bound him for so many years snapped like paper in his hands!

"Prince Jin's lackey!" Li Chen Zhou roared, his right hand forming a claw, aiming straight for Wang Wu's throat.

Wang Wu was indeed an elite of Prince Jin's Shadow Guard. Though shocked, he did not panic, dodging the fatal blow. He changed the dagger from a stab to a slash, aiming straight for Li Chen Zhou's eyes. However, as the blade passed, there was another metallic clang, and Li Chen Zhou didn't even blink.

"Impossible!" Wang Wu's face turned pale.

Li Chen Zhou seized the opportunity and slammed an elbow heavily into Wang Wu's chest. Several cracking sounds were heard, and Wang Wu's chest bones shattered, spitting out blood as he flew backward, crashing into the stone wall and sliding to the ground.

"You... you're not Li Chen Zhou..." Wang Wu struggled to say, his eyes filled with disbelief, "The Li family's young master... doesn't know martial arts..."

Li Chen Zhou coldly stepped forward, stomping on Wang Wu's wrist holding the knife: "Speak! How many more people did Prince Jin send?"

Wang Wu sneered: "You can't escape... The entire Ministry of Justice Prison... is full of our people..." Before he could finish speaking, black blood suddenly spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his head tilted to the side as he died – he had crushed the poison sac hidden in his teeth.

Li Chen Zhou frowned and quickly searched Wang Wu's body, finding a key and a token from Prince Jin's manor.

He changed into Wang Wu's prison guard clothes, letting his hair down to cover his face. Just as he was about to leave the prison cell, he looked up and saw a prison guard in the distance witnessing his crime scene.

Originally intending to leave cautiously to call for help, he suddenly met Li Chen Zhou's eyes, then took off running outside.

Then came hurried footsteps and shouts from outside.

"Quick! Someone is breaking out of prison!"

"Seal off all exits!"

Li Chen Zhou cursed inwardly and rushed out of the prison cell. Torches were lit on both sides of the narrow stone passage, and dozens of fully armed prison guards were already rushing towards him in the distance. He turned and ran in the opposite direction, the sound of bowstrings vibrating behind him.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Three arrows pierced through the air, but Li Chen Zhou didn't dodge or evade. The arrows hit his back but bounced off. The prison guards cried out in terror: "Sorcery! He knows sorcery!"

At the end of the passage was an upward stone staircase. Li Chen Zhou rushed up three steps at a time, only to see a heavy black iron gate suddenly fall in the passage ahead, slamming onto the ground with a loud crash that shook the entire passage.

Dozens of thumb-sized holes suddenly opened in the stone walls on both sides of the passage, and the Warden's cold voice came from outside: "Li Chen Zhou, you won't escape! These Eight Thousand-Jin Sluice Gates were built by skilled craftsmen under the order of the late Emperor. Even if you have infinite strength, you can't break through!"

Li Chen Zhou calmed down and tried to push the black iron gate, but it didn't budge. He took a deep breath, activated the Golden Bell Shield, and punched the gate with all his strength.

"Clang—"

A deafening metallic collision echoed in the passage, leaving only a shallow fist mark on the gate. Li Chen Zhou's fist was already torn and bleeding – the Golden Bell Shield could resist external attacks, but it couldn't completely negate the force of his own attacks.

"Hahaha!" The Warden laughed, "Don't waste your energy! Each of these gates weighs a thousand jin, and all eight are linked. Even a god can't break through!"

Li Chen Zhou sat down with his back against the gate, forcing himself to think calmly. Suddenly, the system prompt sounded again:

[Ding! New mission issued: Escape from the Ministry of Justice Prison. Reward: A random God-level cultivation technique]

Li Chen Zhou's pupils suddenly contracted. He heard heavy footsteps and the sound of armor clashing, clearly indicating that a large number of troops were gathering outside the gate. He looked around and suddenly remembered that the prison cells he had just passed were filled with heavily sentenced prisoners with powerful auras.

"Since my strength alone is not enough..." A hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes, "Then let's make this Ministry of Justice Prison completely chaotic!"

Just as he was about to act, the entire prison suddenly lit up with dense, scarlet runes, and an invisible force descended like Mount Tai. Li Chen Zhou groaned, and the surging internal force in his body was instantly suppressed, even the luster of the Golden Bell Shield dimmed a bit.

"Martial Suppression Talisman?!" He gritted his teeth and looked towards the top of the passage – there, a golden talisman was suspended, with the seven characters "Great Qian Imperial Supervisor Edict" written on it in cinnabar.

The Warden's triumphant voice came from outside the gate: "Li Chen Zhou, did you think the court wouldn't be prepared? This Martial Suppression Talisman was written by the Supervisor himself. Even if your martial arts are heaven-defying, they will be suppressed by seventy percent!"

[Special seal detected, the host can consume ten years of lifespan to temporarily break the restriction]

The system's prompt startled Li Chen Zhou. Ten years of lifespan... He subconsciously touched his face. But hearing the approaching footsteps of the army, he suddenly laughed loudly: "Ten years it is!"