Before his words had even faded, the veins throughout his body suddenly bulged, and fine beads of blood seeped from his skin. A force several times greater than before erupted from his dantian. The golden light of the Golden Bell Shield actually condensed into substance, forming an ancient suit of battle armor over his body.
"Break for me!"
Li Chen Zhou roared and drove a fist at the Martial Suppression Talisman above his head. Wherever his fist wind passed, the air itself was torn open with black cracks. The instant his fist touched the talisman, the entire dungeon shook violently, and the golden characters on the talisman exploded one after another.
"Crack—"
A crisp shattering sound echoed through the passage. The Martial Suppression Talisman turned into golden dust that drifted through the air, replaced by the phantom of an old man wearing a star crown and a Dark Official Robe. The old man's eyes flashed like lightning as he glared furiously at Li Chen Zhou. "Who dares destroy this lord's talisman?!"
The terrifying pressure spread spiderweb-like cracks across the stone walls on both sides. Blood flowed from Li Chen Zhou's nose and mouth, yet he bared his bloodstained teeth in a grin. "The man here to take your life!"
Without hesitation, he threw a second punch. This strike contained every shred of power he had gained by burning away his lifespan. The Warden's phantom snorted coldly, and seven streaks of starlight flew from his sleeve, only to shatter one after another the instant they met the fist wind.
"Boom!"
The phantom was forcibly scattered. The remaining force of the punch did not diminish, blasting a huge hole through the three-foot-thick bluestone ceiling above. Moonlight poured down like water, illuminating Li Chen Zhou's blood-soaked figure.
Warning! Remaining lifespan: twenty-nine years
Li Chen Zhou had no time to inspect the system prompt, because the instant the restriction was lifted, the entire dungeon erupted. Excited roars came from every cell, while the sound of heavy shackles snapping rang out one after another.
"Hahaha! My inner strength is back!"
"Thirty years! A full thirty years!"
"You court dogs, your grandpa is coming!"
The cell at the very back suddenly exploded, and a disheveled old man stepped out. With every step he took, a layer of frost formed over the ground. When he saw Li Chen Zhou, the old man revealed his pale white teeth. "Kid, this old man owes you a favor."
Another dwarf burst from the cell on the right, his hands clad in refined steel knuckle guards. Wherever he passed, prison guards' brains burst from their skulls. He let out a shrill laugh and leaped onto Li Chen Zhou's shoulder. "Take me with you!"
In an instant, more than twenty notorious criminals gathered around Li Chen Zhou.
The eight massive gates rose with a thunderous crash, revealing the Black Armor Army standing in grim formation outside.
These elite soldiers wore pitch-black heavy armor and iron masks, carrying long spears and heavy shields, with sharp horizontal sabers at their waists. Murderous intent radiated from them. They stood in silent formation like an iron wall, sealing off the entire passage.
"Kill them! Leave none alive!" the Black Armor Army Captain at the front ordered coldly.
"Boom—"
The heavy shields in the front row smashed into the ground, while spears stood like a forest, their cold gleam flickering. The archers behind them had already nocked their arrows. The arrows tore through the air and poured down like a torrential rain!
"Hahaha! Excellent!" The white-haired old man threw back his head and laughed. He thrust both palms forward, and frigid energy swept out, freezing every incoming arrow into ice before they fell to the ground with a crackling clatter.
"Fight our way out!" Li Chen Zhou growled. The Golden Bell Shield surged at full force, golden light blazing over his body. Like a golden-armored war god, he charged straight into the rain of arrows!
"Clang, clang, clang—" The arrows struck his body as though they had hit a wall of bronze and iron, bouncing away one after another.
"Follow him!" the dwarf screeched. His body shot forward like a ghost, his steel knuckle guards flashing coldly as they tore open the throats of two Black Armor Army soldiers in an instant.
"Boom—" Li Chen Zhou's fist smashed into the heavy shield at the front. The terrifying force sent three Black Armor Army soldiers flying, shattering their shields and denting their iron armor. They spat blood as they flew backward!
"Stop them!" the Black Armor Army Captain roared. His horizontal saber left its sheath, its edge sharp and fierce as it slashed toward Li Chen Zhou's neck.
"Clang!" Li Chen Zhou neither dodged nor evaded, letting the blade strike his neck. Sparks flew in all directions, and the saber's edge was actually chipped!
"What?!" The captain's pupils shrank sharply.
"Get lost!" Li Chen Zhou backhanded him with a punch. The captain's chest armor instantly caved in, and he flew like a cannonball into the troops behind him, knocking over a whole swath of soldiers!
"Hahaha! Wonderful!" The white-haired old man's palms flew through the air, frigid energy raging everywhere they passed. Black Armor Army soldiers froze into ice statues one after another, only to be smashed apart with a single punch by the other prisoners!
"Kill them! Slaughter these court lackeys!" The prisoners laughed madly. The ferocity they had suppressed for years burst forth completely, their methods vicious and every move fatal.
However, the Black Armor Army was well-trained after all. After a brief bout of chaos, they swiftly adjusted their formation. Spears stood like a forest as they advanced step by step, trying to force everyone back into the cells.
"Whoosh—" A piercing whistle sounded. Someone behind the Black Armor Army lit a signal arrow, and a crimson flare shot into the sky before exploding in the night.
Not good! They're calling for reinforcements! Li Chen Zhou's heart sank.
Once the reinforcements arrived, they would surely be trapped here!
"We can't delay! Charge out!" he shouted sharply.
"Stay close to me!" The white-haired old man snorted coldly and slammed his palms together. A storm of extreme cold swept forth, instantly freezing dozens of Black Armor Army soldiers ahead!
"Go!" Seizing the opportunity, Li Chen Zhou led the others through the frozen formation and broke toward the dungeon exit.
However, just as they were about to rush out of the passage—
"Boom!" A massive figure descended from the sky and crashed heavily onto the ground, shaking the entire dungeon!
Dust scattered, revealing a hulking man nine feet tall, his muscles knotted all over his body. He slowly rose to his feet, holding a thousand-pound warhammer as he grinned viciously at the crowd.
"Trying to leave? Did you ask this general?"
"It's... Pei Kuang, the 'Hell-Suppressing General'!" a prisoner cried out in terror.
Li Chen Zhou's gaze hardened—this man was a true martial arts powerhouse!
"Kill!" Pei Kuang laughed wildly and swept his huge hammer sideways, smashing the air into a thunderous boom!
Li Chen Zhou drew a deep breath, driving the Golden Bell Shield to its utmost limit as he fearlessly met the attack head-on!
"Boom—"
The two terrifying forces collided, and the entire passage collapsed with a deafening crash!
"Boom—!"
Pei Kuang's enormous hammer crashed down, splitting the ground apart and sending shattered stones flying!
Yet at that moment, Li Chen Zhou suddenly stepped back, a cold smile curling over his lips.
"Switch!"
Before his words had faded, a black shadow flashed out from behind him like a ghost. Both palms were like blades as they chopped straight at Pei Kuang's wrist!
"Crack!"
The sound of bones breaking was crystal clear. Pei Kuang let out a muffled groan, and his giant hammer slipped from his grasp!
"What?!" He looked up in fury and shock, only to see an old man as gaunt as a skeleton standing before him, his ten fingers hooked like claws and his nails gleaming with an eerie blue cold light.
"Old Devil Poison Claw?!" Pei Kuang's pupils shrank sharply. He had clearly recognized this fiend whose vicious name had resounded thirty years ago!
"Hehe, brat of the Pei family, your father couldn't even withstand three moves from this old man back then. What makes you worthy of blocking my path?" Old Devil Poison Claw sneered. His body flickered, and his five fingers shot out like lightning toward Pei Kuang's throat!
Pei Kuang roared, the muscles all over his body swelling violently. He actually rammed Old Devil Poison Claw's attack aside with his shoulder, then threw a backhanded punch!
"Bang!"
Old Devil Poison Claw was forced back several steps, yet he was completely unhurt. Instead, he licked the blood from his nails and grinned savagely. "Not bad. You've got some strength. Unfortunately... you've been poisoned."
Pei Kuang froze. Looking down, he saw five tiny bloody holes had appeared on his fist at some point, while the flesh around them had already turned a strange bluish purple!
"You—!" He had just begun to curse when he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, and the muscles all over his body began twitching uncontrollably!
"Hahaha! The poison's acting up, isn't it? How does this old man's Bone-Corroding Soul-Scattering Poison taste?" Old Devil Poison Claw laughed wildly.
Elsewhere, the white-haired old man's palms whirled, frigid energy raging as every Black Armor Army soldier in his path froze solid. The dwarf moved like lightning, his knuckle guards stained with blood as he targeted the gaps in their armor, killing with a single strike. The other prisoners also displayed their unique skills, beating the Black Armor Army back step by step!
Before you continue