A Face Within a Face

On the execution platform, beneath the Hu Mang Thunder-Warding Robe, the light of azure jade and dark red Demonic Qi could be faintly seen flickering alternately, finally stabilizing at this moment.

A clear and pure golden Buddhist light slowly shone from his Dantian, like the first rays of dawn, transforming away the last trace of Profound Yin Devil Qi.

He took a deep breath, his chest bulging like an anvil, and a solemn and dignified appearance appeared in his eerie, dim yellow pupils.

The next moment, the five fingers of his right hand suddenly changed, forming an ancient and powerful "fight" character. As the knuckles intertwined, it seemed as if the power of Vajra subduing demons was gathered on it.

He opened his mouth, his tongue booming like thunder.

"Wake up!"

The sound waves transformed into visible golden ripples, spreading outwards from him!

"Buzz-!!!"

Golden sound waves swept across the entire execution altar, causing the fine, Spirit-Refining Iron Needle within to hum and vibrate, sparking a layer of tiny sparks.

The sound waves continued to sweep outwards, and wherever they passed, the Soul-Locking Chain moved without wind all paused, as if held down by an invisible hand, stopping their swaying.

The suspended iron cage trembled slightly, dispersing the dust and decay that had accumulated within for years, revealing the churning mountain of poisonous fire blades below.

Even Zhou Tong was forced to take a few steps back and get pressed against the wall.

The Dou Character Instruction, also known as the Fearless Obstacle-Breaking Divine Ability, is based on Vajra Mindfulness. It can penetrate all inner demons, greed, anger, ignorance, fear, and the mind of regression, and face afflictions and trials without retreating.

The Prison-Subduing Official opposite him was suddenly jolted when the sound waves, containing the True Intention meaning of the "fighting" technique and the Buddhist Lion's Roar, entered his mind!

The dark gold chains binding his hands rattled, and his head, which had been hanging low and obscured, finally lifted.

Zhou Tong's eyes widened in surprise.

"Elder brother!?"

The Prison-Subduing Official standing on the execution platform was none other than Zhou Yu, who had mysteriously disappeared.

Zhou Yu let out a long breath, his eyes clearing from confusion.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, thank you very much."

Hu Mang grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and casually slung the spear over his shoulder.

"Polite."

Zhou Tong, unable to contain himself any longer, jumped onto the Soul-Locking Stake and charged toward the execution platform.

The amazing thing is that no matter where she jumps, there will always be a Soul-Locking Stake under her feet, supporting her all the way up.

"Brother, you, you, you..."

Zhou Tong's eyes were red, and tears streamed down his face. He didn't mind the other person's ferocious face and ragged clothes, and kept touching the other person's cheek with his palm.

"How did you become the Prison-Subduing Official?"

The Hu Mang stroked the Demon-Subduing Vicious Tiger. The Red Tiger, understanding human nature, immediately lay down and curled up into a cat's nest. The Hu Mang, half-sitting and half-leaning, stroked the tiger's head while lazily saying...

"Tell me, how did you and Old Chen scheme against Xu Qing?"

"Fellow Daoist Hu knew about our scheme?" Now it was Zhou Yu's turn to be surprised.

"I know a little bit," Hu Mang said casually, while examining the shackles piercing the other person's wrists.

"I believe that old Old Chen can be caught off guard once, but if he's caught off guard again, that would be too unethical. Besides, I just opened my eyes and Zhou Tong was released by you. I don't know what you're up to, but it's quite a coincidence. As a coerced person, is it really that easy for him to come and go?"

Zhou Yu nodded and said calmly, "Just as Fellow Daoist Hu said, we did indeed have a plan. In fact, ever since Xu Qing secretly learned the art of Yin Makeup behind our backs, Old Master Chen and I have had a plan."

What plan?

"Substituting a plum for a peach, stealing the beam and replacing the pillar."

"How do you change it?"

"The matter isn't complicated. The key is that Xu Qing's intentions weren't hidden from Old Master Chen; and Xu Qing's skills are far from reaching the level of 'Human Face Makeup.' If things are to truly succeed and he wants to replace his master, he will inevitably need to rely on Old Master Chen's Ghost Makeup skills."

He paused, then continued, "So, the old man came up with an idea, based on an experience he had personally encountered when he was traveling the martial arts world in his early years—a face within a face, a ghost within a ghost."

"The story goes that once upon a time, the head of a wealthy family passed away. His enemies, seeking revenge and to ruin the family's Fortune, bribed the master craftsman in charge of the unveiling ceremony to paint a portrait of the deceased in both directions."

"This portrait, viewed from the front, is indeed that of the patriarch himself, solemn and dignified, without any problem; but if you change the direction, adjust the lighting and perspective, another face will appear—the face of his enemy."

"From then on, on every anniversary of his death, the head of the family's children would burn incense, kowtow, and offer sacrifices before this portrait; but beneath that portrait, the true object of their worship was no longer their father, but the enemy who had killed him—"

Zhou Yu lowered his voice slightly here. "And the children of the patriarch, unknowingly, are using their Incense and Fire Prayer Power to support their father's killer."

Zhou Tong shuddered upon hearing this.

Hu Mang simply nodded.

"So, the Ghost Makeup on Xu Qing's face was actually you?"

"Yes, the plan started off very smoothly. When we infiltrated this prison, a Divine Ability unexpectedly stormed in and fought a fierce battle with the failed Turbid Sha Old Man, depleting a considerable amount of his divine power."

"Then Xu Qing found a flaw in the Five Turbidities Great Method and successfully bewitched the Turbid Sha Old Man. Then the old man and he successfully swapped skins, and the face under that skin was actually mine."

"However, neither the old man nor I Grand Pure One how successful this method of stealing divine power was. So, when we were halfway through, the old man saw that you had opened your Heavenly Eye, and he quickly suggested sending my sister away, just in case something really went wrong and neither of us survived. And if something did go wrong, we still have you, Fellow Daoist Zhou, as a backup plan."

"Everything was going smoothly at first. None of the problems the old man had imagined occurred, and I successfully stole a portion of the 'Prison-Subduing Official' authority. However, at the crucial moment, three high officials suddenly appeared. Seeing the old man's actions, they immediately had the idea of vying for the Prison-Subduing Official position. The old man quickly commanded 'Turbid Sha Old Man' to lure them away. As a result of the interruption of the transformation ritual, I fell into a state of mental confusion until I was awakened by Fellow Daoist Zhou using Buddhist teachings."

At this point, Zhou Yu's expression became slightly strange.

Isn't this fellow Daoist priest, Brother Hu, someone who doesn't know anything about Buddhism?

Zhou Tong asked nervously, "What about Old Master Chen? I hope nothing's happened to him?"

"Now that I've woken up safely, the old man is relatively safe, at least the Prison-Subduing Official hasn't been taken away by the other side."

Zhou Yu closed his eyes, sensed for a moment, and replied.

"So, there are now two Prison-Subduing Official," Hu Mang asked with interest, "One is you, and the other is the Turbid Sha Old Man' who is actually wearing Xu Qing's skin. Can you control the other one?"

"If we're close, that's fine, but if we're far away, we'll have to rely on the Ghost Makeup skills that Old Master Chen learned from that little black booklet."

"Looking at it now, that little black booklet is really impressive; it covers all sorts of crafts."

The Hu Mang muttered to itself.

He has another one of these notebooks.

"The Corpse Liberation Book" and "The Ghost Makeup Book" seem to be on the same level just by looking at their names.

Go back and get Old Chen to translate for you.

Oh, and that bone too," he brought this time as well.

"Let's go find Old Chen, lest he really can't hold on any longer," Hu Mang stood up, picked up his spear, and then, as if remembering something, asked again.

"Was it you or Old Chen who led me and your sister into the third floor earlier?"

Zhou Yu was taken aback and said, "Although the Prison-Subduing Official has the authority to open and close different prison levels, I don't recall ever doing this before."

Hu Mang was taken aback by these words. If you didn't drive it, then who did?

Zhou Yu was clearly aware of the seriousness of the matter.

He said nothing more, and the Ghost Eye implanted in his eye socket suddenly lit up, its eerie green light swirling and spreading deep within his pupil.

Visible to the naked eye, the phantom images of black cages rapidly formed, overlapped, and arranged before his eyes—a structural projection of the Demon-Subduing Prison, a view unique to the Prison-Subduing Official.

In this Demon-Subduing City, different divine officials possess different abilities; and without a doubt, when it comes to control over this prison, the Prison-Subduing Official is the strongest.

However, just as the eerie green light and shadow rapidly progressed to the fourth level Zhou Yu's expression suddenly changed drastically!

As if he had been burned by something, he stumbled back several steps without warning, his steps making a clattering sound as he stepped on the gravel.

At the same time, wisps of blue smoke rose from his body, accompanied by a burning smell.

Yang energy overcomes Yin energy, and this also applies to the Prison-Subduing Official.

"Um?"

Hu Mang raised an eyebrow; for a brief moment, he seemed to have sensed an extremely dangerous aura.

Without saying a word, he took out the Divine Sense Detector.

After the wave pulsed for a while, two more numbers appeared: Divine Sense Coverage Radius: 21.4 kilometers; Divine Sense Strength: Nascent Soul Early Stage; Nascent Soul Early Stage!?

Hu Mang was stunned. This prison actually housed a Nascent Soul Realm expert?

Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

At this moment, Zhou Yu also came to his senses, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, the fear on his face still lingering.

"Someone has manipulated the fourth level, which in turn has suppressed my divine authority."

"Who?"

"Lord Yama."

"Who!?"

Just as Hu Mang was about to ask further, "BOOM---!!!"

Without warning, the ground beneath their feet cracked open once more!

A dark, gaping hole suddenly opened right in the center of the three people, its edges jagged, with loose stones falling down in a flurry.

Hu Mang licked his gums. "Looks like we have no choice but to go down."

The Prison-Subduing Official could suppress the divine authority of the prison warden indicates that the Nascent Soul cultivator on the other side could easily control this Demon-Subduing Jail.

Wherever he goes, he will inevitably end up in the place that the other person wants him to go.

Since that's the case, there's nothing to hesitate about.

He had never seen a Nascent Soul from the Azure Mysterious Realm before.

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