136: Chapter 136 Assault, Deadly! (4k)

Over the next few days.

Chen Ran lived a very disciplined life.

Reporting for duty, patrolling, drinking tea, and listening to music.

To him, the Evil Qi in the Heavenly Prison was like a warm stove in winter; not only did it not harm him in the slightest, but it also nourished his Physical Body every moment of the day.

As Lin Wan was busy investigating a case, she couldn't find any free time for a while.

So, during this period, he lived quite comfortably.

This morning, deep within the Heavenly Prison.

Chen Ran carried a broken wooden bucket and sauntered into the Jia Ward cells.

The further down he went, the stronger the smell of blood and rot in the air became.

In the cells on both sides, some of the most heinous and dangerous criminals were imprisoned.

Some were frantically slamming against the iron bars, while others let out chilling, eerie laughs from dark corners.

Chen Ran turned a deaf ear to it all.

Most of these prisoners had developed mental issues after being locked up for so long.

He walked straight to a death row cell at the very end.

Inside the cell.

Ye Wuya was pinned firmly to the wall by several thick steel chains.

Two barbed iron hooks ruthlessly pierced through his collarbones.

At this moment, Ye Wuya no longer had his previous elegant and handsome appearance; his Internal Energy was completely sealed, and his injuries had only been given basic treatment.

This old monster had been beaten back to his original form, but a half-demon's vitality was extremely tenacious.

Even though there wasn't a single patch of healthy flesh on his body and his blood had almost run dry, he was still stubbornly hanging onto life.

Hearing the footsteps, Ye Wuya struggled to lift his head.

That originally shriveled face was now covered in black feathers, looking hideous and terrifying.

This was the result of a conflict in demonic power.

Previously, Ye Wuya could rely on his martial arts foundation to forcibly suppress the demonic power, but now that his cultivation was sealed, the demonic power within his body began to grow restless.

This was why, for so many years, no one had successfully achieved the Fusion of Yao Beast power with themselves.

If left uncontrolled, his body would explode and he would die within a month from the conflict between demonic power and True Qi.

Chen Ran remained expressionless.

He picked up a long-handled iron ladle from the wooden bucket, scooped a ladle of spoiled swill, and splashed it directly into the feeding trough of the cell.

“Dinner is served.”

Ye Wuya paused for a moment, but in the end, he only shook his head and made no move.

Chen Ran stood outside the cell door, quietly watching this scene.

The heavenly book of prison suppression in his mind slowly flipped its pages.

[You have performed your duty of guarding the Heavenly Prison well, gaining three months of cultivation.]

They were all minor rewards.

But even mosquito legs are still meat.

Chen Ran didn't mind at all.

He had been coming to clock in every day recently just to build up his participation level.

He was now waiting for the imperial court to issue the execution order.

Once Ye Wuya died, based on the participation level he had built up over these days, he would definitely gain a significant amount of cultivation.

The Karma settlement of a Peak Rank Four half-demon was something to look forward to.

“Eat well, eat more.”

“You need a full stomach to start your journey to the afterlife.”

Chen Ran gave a casual, perfunctory remark, then turned and left with the wooden bucket.

...

At night, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

After finishing all his work.

Chen Ran was preparing to hand over his duties and return to his residence to Cultivate for a while.

As he was leaving.

A thought crossed his mind.

Buzz.

An invisible wave of mental energy surged from his body,

and the max-level [Skynet] spread outward, enveloping the entire Heavenly Prison.

This had become a habit he'd developed recently—observing the interior of the Heavenly Prison through Skynet.

One reason was to gather intelligence, and the other was to relieve the boredom of work.

He had thought today would also yield nothing.

But as it turned out, two familiar Auras entered his range of perception.

Chen Ran's eyes narrowed slightly; these Auras belonged to Lin Wan and Li Mochuan.

The two were in a hurry, their faces grim, and they went straight into the office of the Heavenly Prison's Vice Commissioner.

With a thought, Chen Ran concentrated his [Skynet] perception there.

Inside the office.

Lin Wan slapped the table, her voice low and filled with barely concealed anger.

“Sir, the news from the Tianji Pavilion has been confirmed.”

“Ye Wuya somehow mastered a method of demonization on his own and was secretly conducting demonization experiments; there are indeed high-level officials in the court supporting this!”

“At least three people within the Six Doors are involved in this matter.”

“Most of the refugees who went missing in the capital in recent years were sent to secret bases outside the city.”

“Furthermore, just half an hour ago, the Grand Secretariat issued a secret order.”

“Demanding that Ye Wuya be secretly transferred to the West Mountain Villa outside the city.”

Li Mochuan's voice also carried a sense of frustration.

“What do they want to do? Transferring an extremely dangerous half-demon there...”

The Vice Commissioner sat behind the desk, his expression terrifyingly dark.

He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking.

“Watch your words.”

“The waters of the imperial court are deeper than you can imagine.”

“Since the Grand Secretariat has spoken and dares to demand the prisoner so openly, it means they have made full preparations.”

“The secret order from the Grand Secretariat bears the Imperial Seal; we in the Six Doors have no right to disobey.”

Lin Wan grit her teeth, her face full of indignation.

“Are we just going to watch helplessly as Ye Wuya is taken away?”

“Did those innocent people who died in the demonization experiments just die for nothing?”

The Vice Commissioner sighed, his tone filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.

“The Emperor's command cannot be disobeyed.”

“Prepare for the handover at midnight tonight.”

The office fell into a deathly silence.

Outside the Heavenly Prison gates,

Chen Ran opened his eyes.

His perception, like a tide, firmly surrounded the entire room.

Transfer?

Demonization experiments?

After all that, the financial backer behind Ye Wuya really was related to the imperial court.

No wonder a cult leader could cause such a stir under the very nose of the capital and even get hold of so many living people for demonization experiments.

“But if that's really the case, why has he been opposing the court these past few months? Could it be a deliberate arrangement by his backer?”

If he remembered correctly, the Grand Secretariat was the power base of the civil officials.

Originally, this was just a small matter, but if it truly involved the Grand Secretariat, then the intentions were not simple.

To dare to secretly make moves at the foot of the Son of Heaven—their hearts are truly treacherous.

Chen Ran thought to himself that the forces behind Ye Wuya were probably not of one mind.

Forget it, he didn't care one bit about the twists and turns of the imperial court.

Whether some eunuch wanted to rebel or some prince wanted to become emperor had absolutely nothing to do with him, a lowly Jailer.

He only cared about one thing.

His experience mob was about to be snatched away.

“Want to steal my mob?”

Chen Ran stood up and stretched his muscles.

His bones emitted a series of crisp, popping sounds like beans roasting.

He covered his face with one hand, and an eerie light flashed in his palm.

[Painted Skin]!

Gurgle, gurgle.

The skin on his surface rippled, and he soon transformed into a handsome man; looking closely, he was identical to Que Wuhua, who had been beheaded some time ago.

Since the court wanted to play dirty.

Then he didn't mind playing the role of a bandit for a bit.

A fat sheep of Ye Wuya's level absolutely could not fall into anyone else's hands.

If the Grand Secretariat took him for research and he ended up dying at someone else's hands, wouldn't all the meals he'd delivered these past few days have been for nothing?

“Looks like I'll have to work some overtime tonight.”

Chen Ran found another mask to put over his face, and his figure slowly vanished.

...

A dark and windy night.

Midnight.

The back gate of the Heavenly Prison.

A prison carriage made entirely of refined steel slowly drove out into the night.

It was pulled by four majestic Scale-horses.

Surrounding the carriage were twenty fully armed experts from the Inner Court as escorts.

Each of these people had long, steady breaths, clearly indicating they were skilled fighters.

The leader was an old eunuch with no facial hair.

He rode on a tall horse, holding a fly-whisk in his hand, and said without looking back:

“Onward, let's depart.”

Li Mochuan and Lin Wan stood at the gate, watching the carriage disappear into the distance, their faces very grim.

“We're just letting them take him away like that?” Lin Wan grit her teeth, her hand pressed tightly against the hilt of her saber.

Li Mochuan sighed and patted her shoulder.

“Don't be impulsive.”

“Those are Inner Court people; they represent the face of the Imperial Family.”

“If we make a move, it would be the capital crime of rebellion.”

“I only hope they don't play with fire and get burned.”

The prison carriage drove out of the capital, heading west.

The West Mountain Villa was only thirty li from the capital.

With the speed of the Scale-horses, they could arrive in half an hour at most.

The old eunuch sat on his horse, his eyes coldly scanning the surroundings.

“Everyone, stay alert!”

“If anything goes wrong, I'll have your hides!”

“Yes!” the guards replied in unison.

The group galloped along the official road.

The sound of horse hooves was particularly piercing in the quiet night.

However.

Just as the prison carriage entered a dense forest.

The Scale-horses pulling the carriage all let out a terrified neigh, their front hooves rearing high as they came to a sudden halt.

“What's going on?” the old eunuch shouted harshly.

No one answered.

Because on the road ahead, a person had appeared at some unknown time.

A person wearing a green-faced, fanged mask and a wide black robe.

He just stood there quietly in the middle of the road.

He didn't emit any Aura.

Yet he made everyone present feel a shudder from the depths of their Souls.

The old eunuch's face changed drastically, and he shrieked, “Who are you? How dare you obstruct the Inner Court's business! Do you have a death wish?”

The masked man did not speak.

He only slowly raised his right hand.

Closing his fingers together.

He formed a fist.

Boom!

An extremely violent fist-wind swept out.

A deafening sonic boom erupted in the air.

The dozen or so Inner Court experts blocking the way didn't even have time to scream before they were torn to pieces by this terrifying power.

Flesh and blood flew everywhere.

Severed limbs were scattered all over the ground.

A thick smell of blood permeated the air.

The old eunuch was scared out of his wits.

He never expected that in the capital area, someone would dare to openly intercept and kill an Inner Court team.

Moreover, the opponent's strength was actually so terrifying!

Killing over a dozen Meridian Opening Realm experts with a single punch—this was something only an Upper Three Grades expert could achieve!

“You... who exactly are you?”

The old eunuch's voice trembled as he backed away while frantically circulating the True Qi in his body.

The fly-whisk in his hand swung violently, turning into a sky full of silver threads that lunged toward the masked man like venomous snakes.

This was his 'Heavenly Net Needle' technique which he had practiced for thirty years; it was incredibly insidious and specialized in breaking through Protective Aura.

However, when those silver threads hit the opponent, they only produced the 'ding-ding-ding' sound of metal humming.

“Is that all?”

The masked man let out a light chuckle.

In the next instant.

He took a step forward.

He appeared before the old eunuch like a ghost.

A fair palm was lightly pressed onto the old eunuch's crown.

“I'll be borrowing your head.”

A calm voice sounded in his ear.

Bang!

The old eunuch's head exploded.

The headless corpse slumped to the ground, blood gushing out.

Chen Ran flicked the blood off his hand and walked to the prison carriage.

Inside the refined steel carriage.

Ye Wuya opened his eyes and stared fixedly at the man in the demon mask.

Although the other party had changed his attire, he still recognized the identity from that familiar Aura.

It was this man who had smashed his demonized body.

“You... what do you want to do?”

Ye Wuya's voice was hoarse, his eyes full of despair.

Chen Ran didn't waste words.

He raised his hand and, using his fingers like a blade, sliced open the steel cage.

Then, he grabbed Ye Wuya by the neck.

“Sending you on your way.”

Ye Wuya only heard an indifferent voice in his ear.

Crack!

The crisp sound of bone snapping rang out.

Ye Wuya's head slumped down powerlessly.

This once-mighty leader of the Black Crow Cult died miserably in the wilderness.

Chen Ran casually tossed the corpse onto the ground.

In his mind, the long-awaited notification finally sounded.

[You have killed the Jia Ward felon Ye Wuya; beginning participation settlement.]

[Your participation is extremely high; Karma is being settled...]

[Reward obtained: Ten years of cultivation.]

[Reward obtained: One Grade Four Demon Core.]

[Cultivation Technique obtained: Thousand Crows Chaotic Burial.]

Listening to the series of notifications in his mind, surges of cultivation poured into his heart and began to flow from his Dantian toward his limbs.

The True Qi in his body surged once again, and the Realm he had just broken through actually showed a tendency to climb higher.

At the same time, waves of memories surfaced in his mind.

Chen Ran felt as if he had fallen into a deserted cave; the cave was pitch black, with only the sound of cold breathing for company.

Suddenly.

A rustling sound came from his ears, and in the next moment.

Dozens of crows with pitch-black feathers and shiny coats appeared before him.

During this period.

He could only learn the habits of the crows, mimic their movements, and adopt their mindset.

Finally, Chen Ran understood what kind of martial art this Thousand Crows Chaotic Burial was.

“So the so-called Thousand Crows Chaotic Burial is an attack that looks like a thousand crows taking flight, blotting out the sky and sun...”

With a thought, Chen Ran hooked his fingers into a claw and struck down violently from top to bottom.

Sizzle!

The violent force exploded forward like a flood.

Crack.

The entire cave creaked, and the rock walls split into thousands of thin lines, shattering like a mirror.

Chen Ran opened his eyes, his vision clearing to see the bright moonlight ahead.

Boom!

An invisible air wave surged from his body, blowing away all the surrounding gravel and dirt.

With the boost in cultivation, he stepped directly over the threshold of the Late Stage Aperture Condensation Realm.

Aperture Condensation Realm Peak!

The harvest this time far exceeded his expectations.

Not only did he gain a killing technique, but he also directly broke through a minor Bottleneck,

reaching the Peak of the Aperture Condensation Realm.

His original Breakthrough plan had been moved up even further.

“It seems all of this was destined by heaven...”

Chen Ran chuckled and turned his gaze to the round bead that had suddenly appeared in his hand.

This demon core had appeared out of thin air in his hand.

It was likely the work of the heavenly book of prison suppression.

Looking at the crimson bead that emitted an eerie Aura, Chen Ran hadn't decided how to handle it for the time being.

In the end, he could only tuck the demon core into his robes and plan to deal with it later.

He didn't go to loot the corpses.

There probably weren't any good items on the old eunuch and those guards anyway.

Moreover, he was currently a “bandit” and had to maintain a bandit's style.

Chen Ran finally looked at the corpse beneath him, the corners of his mouth curling up:

“It would be a bit of a waste if it were just a corpse.”

“Why not let it become my assistant...”

Chen Ran pressed his palm onto Ye Wuya's body and focused his mind.

[Painted Skin]

In the night, a bone-chilling sound rang out.

After a moment,

everything returned to silence.

Leaving only a mess on the ground and an empty prison carriage.

...

...