274: Chapter 274 The Deeper Level, The Sinful Monk

Within the dark and deep corridor, the candlelight flickered, stretching Chen Ran's shadow extremely long.

He walked down the steps, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor.

The fifth floor of the Heavenly Prison.

Its location was even deeper than he had imagined, unlike the first four floors which were situated right underground.

The fifth floor extended downwards by at least another dozen meters based on the original foundation.

It was separated from the first four floors by a tremendous distance at the very least.

It was said that previously, a deep-level prisoner rioted, and after breaking free, sucked dry the prisoners of the first four floors to restore his strength.

After paying a painful price, they finally managed to suppress him.

Ever since then, the prisoners of the deep levels were separated by this distance, with layers of thresholds established in between.

Chen Ran's gaze narrowed slightly as he stared at the abyss ahead that seemed to devour all light.

Ever since he nearly fell for the schemes of that old monster Shen Jixuan on the fourth floor last time, he had developed a degree of wariness toward the depths of this Heavenly Prison.

Even though his foundation was already profound,

the prisoners locked away in the lowest level were without exception apex Devil Heads who were once famous throughout the world and possessed heaven-reaching methods.

A single moment of carelessness could lead to eternal damnation.

Therefore, Chen Ran had always suppressed the thought of exploring, silently accumulating his foundation without rashly entering.

Until now, when he finally broke through the shackles and advanced into the Innate Realm.

The true essence within his body surged endlessly like great rivers, and every movement carried an overwhelming and irresistible force.

With this strength as his backing, he decided to truly step foot into this forbidden land.

At the end of the corridor was a heavy and archaic giant bronze door.

Upon the door leaves, densely packed yellowish Talismans were pasted, flashing with light from time to time in the dim space.

Chen Ran stopped in his tracks, quietly scrutinizing this giant door.

Before even approaching, he felt an invisible sense of oppression rushing toward his face.

The Innate true essence within his body faintly produced a feeling of stagnation, and even the circulation of his Qi and blood became slow and heavy.

"Suppressing Qi and blood, sealing true essence..."

Chen Ran felt a secret shock in his heart.

Such a feat that seized the creation of heaven and earth could only be set up by those Cultivators from the Directorate of Astronomy across the entire Great Wei.

Without a special passage token, even an expert in the Innate Realm who tried to force their way through would suffer no small suppression.

Scenes from a few days ago could not help but surface in Chen Ran's mind.

Ever since he fought with Shen Jixuan and destroyed the entire fourth layer of the Heavenly Prison, it wasn't long before the Directorate of Astronomy sent people to repair this Formation.

Hidden in the dark, he witnessed those Cultivators cautiously taking out crystal-clear, strange stones one by one, embedding them into the core eyes of the Formation.

Those stones were only the size of a fingernail, yet they contained a heart-palpitating amount of energy.

Once embedded, the originally dim runes bloomed with dazzling light instantly, like a long-drought receiving sweet rain, maintaining the operation of the entire Heavenly Prison Formation.

"What on earth is that object?"

Martial arts cultivation mostly refines essence to transform into Qi, exhaling and inhaling the stray Origin Qi between heaven and earth.

But the energy contained in those stones was countless times purer than ordinary Origin Qi.

"Could it be... the legendary Spirit Stone?"

Chen Ran's heart trembled slightly. Having lived two lives, he naturally thought of this point.

After all, according to records and legends in ancient books, Immortals had descended to the world, possessing the ability to move mountains and drain seas.

Although for some reason, the Origin of heaven and earth in the world had dissipated, and cultivating to Grandmaster Realm meant there was no further path to walk.

But it seemed that the world still retained quite a few ancient legacies, and at the Directorate of Astronomy, they definitely knew something.

"Once I achieve a Breakthrough to Grandmaster Realm and become invincible in the world, I can also go investigate."

Chen Ran pondered.

In part of Shen Jixuan's memories, the Grandmaster Realm was already the end of martial arts,

yet linking it to the secret in Cao Yong's memories where the cabinet scavenged for Immortal cultivation resources for that emperor deep within the palace, a trace of solemnity flashed across the depths of Chen Ran's eyes.

The waters of this world were far deeper than he had imagined.

He could not be too careless.

Hum.

Just as Chen Ran was lost in thought, the Formation on the giant bronze door seemed to sense something.

The token in his arms grew slightly warm, emitting a circle of soft, dim light.

Following that, the Talismans on the door moved without wind, their lines wandering and intertwining like living creatures.

Accompanied by a dull, heavy roar, the giant bronze door slowly opened to both sides.

An Aura even colder than the upper levels surged out from the crack of the door like a tide.

Chen Ran's expression was calm as the true essence around his body circulated secretly, and he stepped into this unknown darkness.

The space of the fifth floor was even wider than he had imagined.

The cells on both sides were cast from cold iron, and the thick iron pillars were likewise inscribed with dense Restriction runes.

Chen Ran's gaze landed within the first prison cell.

The light inside the cell was dim, with only a trace of a weak candlelight flickering.

In that dark corner, a figure sat upright.

Chen Ran showed a vigilant look, his true essence invisibly protecting his surroundings.

After all, those locked up here were mostly peerless fiends with monstrous Evil Qi.

However, when he saw the person's face clearly, a trace of astonishment flashed in his eyes.

That was a monk.

Although a tattered kasaya was stained with a bit of dust, it could not conceal his otherworldly temperament.

The monk's face was extremely handsome, and his brows and eyes exuded a peace and serenity of compassion for all living beings.

His hands were pressed together in a Buddhist salute, and his eyes were slightly closed, as if he were not in this gloomy and terrifying purgatory, but sitting quietly in meditation in an ancient temple deep in the mountains.

The surrounding deathly stillness and coldness seemed unable to disturb him in the slightest.

Chen Ran stood quietly outside the cell, his gaze deep.

In this deep level of the Heavenly Prison where countless vicious and evil villains were imprisoned, the appearance of such a peaceful monk who looked like an exiled Immortal...

This itself exuded an indescribable weirdness.

Chen Ran's gaze wandered over the monk, trying to find a trace of a flaw.

But this monk's Aura was too steady.

Who on earth was this monk?

Chen Ran did not make a sound, just quietly gazing at the monk who seemed isolated from the world through the cold iron bars.

Inside the dim cell, only the candlelight occasionally made a slight sound.

"Patron, it has been a long time since a newcomer came in here."

Suddenly, the handsome monk spoke indifferently, his voice echoing in the cell.

In an instant, fierce winds surged within the entire corridor, and the wind howled loudly.

Gaze after gaze, weird in Aura and monstrous in momentum, all followed the sound and looked toward the end of the cell door.

They seemed to be scrutinizing, teasing, and observing, all focused on the tall and straight young man.

Chen Ran felt at least no less than three powerful Auras sweep across his body, and finally, after seeing his clothing clearly, their gazes paused for a moment.

A prison supervisor was considered an extremely high position among Jailers, but if placed in the eyes of these powerful prisoners with peerless martial arts,

a person with this identity was no different from an ant, merely an ordinary Jailer delivering food and guarding every day.

Under the state where Chen Ran restrained his own cultivation, those gazes seemed to find it boring, and soon left him and completely disappeared.

Just an ordinary prison supervisor entering, it could not be considered anything rare.

Unless a new cellmate was arrested and moved in, or someone inside was going to be beheaded and executed, could it attract their attention.

Facing such a high-pressure state, an ordinary prison supervisor would probably already have trembling legs and a lost mental balance.

But Chen Ran was just like an ordinary person, with not the slightest panic on his face, and instead smiled and asked in a deep voice:

"Great Master, meditating in this dark and sunless place, can you still comprehend Buddhist dharma?"

Chen Ran finally broke the silence, his voice echoing in the empty cell with a hint of probing.

The monk did not open his eyes, and even his eyelashes did not tremble once.

As if Chen Ran's words were just an insignificant breeze brushing across his lake of heart that had no ripples like an ancient well.

Chen Ran raised his eyebrows slightly, finding it rather interesting.

The positions of the prisoners locked up in the Heavenly Prison were also particular, not casually arranged.

Generally speaking, prisoners who could be locked up near the cell doors were prisoners with relatively light crimes.

Because Jailers went in and out at the cell doors, if a God of Killing was guarding the front of the door, it would easily cause trouble instead.

Chen Ran had seen countless prisoners in this Heavenly Prison, some arrogant and domineering, some begging piteously, and some acting profoundly like this monk.

But the prisoners on the previous few floors mostly fumed or faked it, yet those who could be locked up in this deep level of the Heavenly Prison were all extremely terrifying experts.

Therefore, Chen Ran naturally aroused great curiosity.

"Since Great Master is unwilling to speak, then Chen will not disturb you."

Chen Ran made a gesture as if to leave.

One step, two steps, three steps...

The monk remained like a clay sculpture or a wooden carving, without any reaction.

Chen Ran stopped in his tracks, turned around, and his gaze landed on the monk once more.

With a thought in his mind, the heavenly book of prison suppression in his Sea of Consciousness slowly opened.

An invisible fluctuation quietly enveloped the monk in the cell.

The next moment, the scroll of the heavenly book of prison suppression slowly flipped, surging into Chen Ran's mind like a tide.

[Prisoner: Xuandu]

[Realm: Xiantian Middle Stage (Originally: Innate Realm Late Stage)]

[Karmic Obstruction Value: Intermediate]

[Life Experience: Originally a direct Disciple of Bodhi Zen Monastery, the future head successor, possessing high strength and talent, but arrested and imprisoned due to a secret matter, later stripped of his Disciple status by the Monastery, with the charges of lewd monk confusing the master and resisting arrest and killing people]

[Host can increase participation by investigating the incident]

Seeing the information, Chen Ran's pupils suddenly shrank.

Bodhi Zen Monastery? Direct Disciple?

He seemed to have some impression of this School, which seemed to have made an appearance during the martial arts grand competition back then.

It was considered a towering existence like Mount Tai and the Beidou in the Great Wei Martial Forest, with a profound foundation.

And this Xuandu turned out to be a Zen-martial prodigy rarely seen in a century at Bodhi Zen Monastery, the designated head successor.

Such a brilliantly talented figure, why had he fallen to such a state?

Chen Ran forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart, continuing to read the information transmitted by the heavenly book of prison suppression.

Judging from the Karmic Obstruction value, an Intermediate Karmic Obstruction value could not be considered low, but it definitely could not be considered high either.

Chen Ran did not know the evaluation criteria of this heavenly book of prison suppression, but judging from the data of so many prisoners,

most prisoners arrested and imprisoned had Karmic Obstruction values above High,

while a small number of prisoners who were slandered and falsely accused generally had Karmic Obstruction values around Low or Intermediate, which was already very rare.

If it was like Su Yuanshan back then, who had no Karmic Obstruction value at all, it was nearly nonexistent in the Heavenly Prison.

After all, who could ensure that they had never done anything against their conscience in their entire life?

Perhaps past deceptions, or casually stealing fruits, anything done against one's conscience would leave traces.

And since this Xuandu was imprisoned here with only an Intermediate Karmic Obstruction value, it was likely that there were hidden circumstances to that incident.

"If I want to continue investigating and increase participation, perhaps I should start investigating from that matter."

"What on earth could it be that made Bodhi Zen Monastery fly into a rage, and even expel a Disciple from the sect?"

Chen Ran thought to himself, only to find that unknowingly, the monk not far ahead had opened his eyes.

Xuandu was draped in a kasaya, his hands still maintaining their original posture, yet his gaze swept over Chen Ran.

"Patron, you shouldn't have come here."

"Oh, what high insight does the Great Master have?"

Chen Ran stepped forward, stopping not far from the railing.

This distance was already very dangerous. After all, this was the deep level of the Heavenly Prison; who knew what methods the prisoners locked up here possessed.

Even with rune Formations suppressing them, there was still extreme danger to life.

Chen Ran taking this step could also be considered probing to see what was different about this prisoner.

Reaching this distance, he also clearly discovered the differences on Xuandu.

Although this prisoner was also locked in a cell, there were no traces of chains binding his body, and the interior of the room was much cleaner and more exquisite than ordinary cells...

Xuandu shook his head slightly, a trace of self-derision revealing itself in his expression.

"This poor monk is long from any Great Master, merely a sinner full of Karmic Obstruction."

He slowly closed his eyes, his tone as flat as water.

"Patron is still young with good potential, do not become tainted with Karma in this place, it is best to leave quickly."

Hearing this, Chen Ran's expression was slightly startled.

The prisoners in the depths of the Heavenly Prison were all vicious and scheming generation.

This monk was trapped in a predicament, yet he still offered advice and persuasion. Could it be that having been locked in this dark and sunless place for too long, his mind had developed a barrier?

Doubts swarmed in his heart, and he was about to open his mouth to question further.

Clang!

At the distant heavy giant bronze door, a muffled sound suddenly came over,

following that, the sound of tiny footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.

The prison supervisor responsible for the daily patrol of the fifth floor had arrived.

The fifth floor of the Heavenly Prison was naturally inspected by people every day, and because of the important location here, nearly only the prison supervisor himself could come.

"Strange, why does it show that a colleague has entered today? Could it be Old Wang inside, but today's shift rotation didn't reach him..."

That prison supervisor was pushing a dining cart, with a hand lantern hanging in front of the cart, muttering to himself:

Soon, taking advantage of the lamplight, he caught sight of Chen Ran standing outside the cell at a glance.

He was first stunned, then hurried forward, smiles piling up on his face.

"Brother Chen, why would you come to this fifth floor?"

Although both were prison supervisors, everyone up and down the Heavenly Prison knew that Chen Ran had already won the regard of the Lin family.

His status and position were long incomparable to ordinary prison supervisors.

Seeing this, a flash of dim light crossed the depths of Chen Ran's eyes.

Since someone had come, continuing to probe Xuandu was no longer appropriate.

His expression remained normal as he replied indifferently: "Recently, my Cultivation has had slight stagnation, so I thought of coming to this deep level for a walk, using the Evil Qi here to temper my state of mind."

"I see, Your Excellency is truly diligent." The prison supervisor nodded repeatedly, not daring to have the slightest suspicion.

"Since you've come, I won't delay your work, and will withdraw first."

Chen Ran nodded slightly, speaking no more, and turned away along the corridor he came by.

Until Chen Ran's figure completely vanished into the end of the darkness, the prison supervisor scratched his head and restrained the smile on his face.

He turned and walked to the front of Xuandu's cell, his demeanor respectful.

"Great Master, have you been well recently?"

As the prison supervisor spoke, he opened the small window on the cell door and handed the exquisite food box in his hand inside.

Inside the food box, several exquisite meaty dishes and wine were unexpectedly placed, completely out of tune with this gloomy Heavenly Prison.

"These past few days, have those old monsters in the deep levels made any unusual movements?" The prison supervisor lowered his voice, asking tentatively.

Xuandu turned a blind eye to the wine and meat.

He still maintained the posture of his hands pressed together, yet his gaze crossed the cold iron bars, looking toward the direction where Chen Ran left.

The dim lamplight cast flickering and uncertain shadows on his face.

After a long time, he slowly spoke, his voice clear, cold, and distant.

"Just now, what is the honorable name of that Patron?"

(Two-in-one chapter, today is too tired, so I won't split chapters for now. Tag me if there are any typos)