59: Chapter 59 The Shackles Removed, the Secret Passage of the Heavenly Prison! (3k)

The moment their gazes met, Fan Zhiyuan immediately drew his long saber and pointed it forward.

He stared intently at the young man standing in the pool of blood before him.

Upon closer inspection, the young man wore a red and black uniform with the distinct emblem of the Demon Suppression Division carved at the waist—it was standard-issue equipment for the Demon Suppression Division.

"Who are you?" Fan Zhiyuan asked in a deep voice, while silently circulating his True Qi to protect his vital points.

Chen Ran raised his head and saw the face of the newcomer, which was covered in blood.

A handlebar mustache, a black official uniform, and a commander's insignia embroidered with silver thread.

It was someone from the Demon Suppression Division, and of a high rank, at that.

"Reporting to my lord, this subordinate is Chen Ran, a guard for the Cell Block D of the Demon Suppression Division's internal affairs squad." Chen Ran neatly sheathed his saber, stepped back half a pace, and lowered his head slightly.

His posture was humble and natural.

Fan Zhiyuan did not lower his guard immediately. He glanced at the dozen or so corpses on the ground, then looked at the black iron saber at Chen Ran's waist.

"Did you kill these people?"

"Reporting to my lord, the cell doors were damaged after the riot, and the prisoners rushed out in all directions. This subordinate dared not abandon his post." Chen Ran pointed toward the cell behind him. "The Cell Block D holds the Red Lotus Witch, so this subordinate had no choice but to bite the bullet and block them."

Fan Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Of course he knew that the Red Lotus Witch was held in the Cell Block D; that was the very reason he had come.

But this young man...

Fan Zhiyuan's gaze lingered on Chen Ran for a few moments, attempting to gauge the depth of his cultivation.

"Eighth Grade?"

Fan Zhiyuan's expression improved considerably.

Most of the prisoners in the Cell Block D were merely low-grade trash.

It was not impossible for an internal affairs member of the Demon Suppression Division to take down a few low-grade prisoners during the chaos.

Having figured this out, the tension in Fan Zhiyuan's body finally eased.

He did not have more time to be suspicious.

"Where is the Red Lotus Witch?"

"In the innermost cell." Chen Ran stepped aside. "Please, my lord."

Fan Zhiyuan did not move.

Clutching his chest to suppress the surging blood Qi, he walked quickly to the depths of the corridor and glanced at the situation inside the cell from a distance.

The iron bars had been kicked open, creating a large hole. Under the dim light, a woman in red sat leaning against the corner, her hands shackled in front of her.

Jiang Mengli.

Fan Zhiyuan stopped ten paces away from the cell, refusing to go any further.

He knew this woman's methods all too well.

The Red Lotus Witch had a cultivation at the Peak of the Fifth Grade. Even with most of her power sealed, who knew what hidden trump cards she still possessed?

Geniuses coming from such major factions usually had plenty of life-saving measures on them.

If she were to suddenly lash out, he might not be able to stop her in his current heavily injured state.

Fan Zhiyuan turned back.

"Your name is Chen Ran?"

"Yes."

"In the internal affairs squad? Whose subordinate are you?"

"Centurion Zhao."

Fan Zhiyuan nodded. It was a subordinate of that good-for-nothing Centurion Zhao Wuji; no wonder he was so young and tossed into the Cell Block D to keep watch.

He looked Chen Ran up and down, his tone becoming much more casual.

"Go, bring her out." Fan Zhiyuan gestured with his chin toward the cell.

Chen Ran looked at the cell ten paces away, then looked at Fan Zhiyuan.

"My lord, this...?"

Fan Zhiyuan's expression darkened slightly.

"I am injured and need to conserve my True Qi in case of any unforeseen circumstances. You are the jailer on duty; guarding the prisoners is your job."

His words sounded high and mighty.

Chen Ran knew exactly what was going on—this commander was afraid of death, afraid that the Red Lotus Witch would suddenly lash out, so he was using him as a human shield.

But it didn't matter.

Jiang Mengli held no hostility toward him, at least not for now.

"This subordinate obeys."

Chen Ran turned and walked toward the depths of the cell.

...

Inside the cell.

Jiang Mengli had seen Fan Zhiyuan long ago.

From the moment he appeared at the end of the corridor, her heart had sunk to the bottom.

It wasn't because Fan Zhiyuan himself was so terrifying.

A heavily injured Fifth Grade Martial Artist—in the past, she wouldn't have even given him a second glance.

But now, her cultivation was sealed. Although the formation patterns on her body had loosened, the little bit of strength she had recovered was barely enough to protect herself.

Escape?

From the moment she was locked in this cell, there was only one way out of the prison.

And that path was now blocked tight by Fan Zhiyuan.

Even if she risked her life to break free from the chains and rush out of the cell, she couldn't outrun a Fifth Grade Martial Artist.

Just as she was thinking, footsteps sounded.

It was Chen Ran.

Jiang Mengli looked up, watching as Chen Ran walked in through the gap in the broken iron bars.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered.

Chen Ran crouched down, placed his fingers on the chains around her wrists, and said in a low voice, "Orders from above—you are to be transferred out."

"Transferred?" Jiang Mengli sneered. "They want to use me as a hostage to threaten the people in the sect."

"Probably." Chen Ran's tone was very flat. His hands didn't stop, and he cleanly unscrewed the bolt fixing the chains.

The chains clattered to the ground.

Jiang Mengli rubbed her wrists, which had been chafed red, and shifted her gaze from Chen Ran to Fan Zhiyuan, who was standing outside the corridor.

"That person's cultivation is not low," she said in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Chen Ran didn't respond.

"Hurry up!" Fan Zhiyuan's urging came from the depths of the corridor, filled with obvious impatience.

Another violent tremor came from above, and gravel fell from the ceiling with a rustle. The battle was still continuing, and it was getting closer.

Chen Ran stood up and looked at Jiang Mengli.

Her current state was very poor; her face was pale, and her aura was unstable. Forcing her Cultivation Technique just now had also taken a significant toll on her.

"Can you walk?"

Jiang Mengli bit her lower lip and tried to stand up, but her knees went weak, and she collapsed back down.

"Hurry up! Stop dawdling—" Fan Zhiyuan's voice came again, even more impatient this time.

Chen Ran didn't ask again; he leaned over and scooped Jiang Mengli up into his arms.

"You—!"

Jiang Mengli stiffened.

She was held in his arms, one arm hooked under her knees, the other supporting her back. They were so close that she could smell the scorching aura on Chen Ran.

In that instant, the Red Lotus Witch's face flushed red at a visible speed.

"Let me go!" she whispered through gritted teeth.

"You can't walk." Chen Ran carried her out without changing his expression.

"I can do it myself..."

"Save your energy; the road ahead is long."

Jiang Mengli was trembling with rage, her fingers clutching tightly onto Chen Ran's collar.

She wanted to struggle, but she had absolutely no strength in her body.

Soon.

Chen Ran carried Jiang Mengli out of the cell and nodded at Fan Zhiyuan.

"My lord, I've brought her out."

Fan Zhiyuan glanced at the woman in red in Chen Ran's arms. Seeing that her hands were bound and her aura was weak, he finally felt slightly relieved.

"Follow me. There is a secret passage beneath the prison that leads to the back mountain."

Fan Zhiyuan turned around and led the way into the depths of the corridor.

He walked at the front, with Chen Ran carrying Jiang Mengli behind him. The shadows of the three were stretched long and thin by the dim oil lamp.

As he walked, Fan Zhiyuan wiped the blood constantly seeping from the corner of his mouth with his hand, his footsteps becoming heavier and heavier.

The fire poison within his body was spreading rapidly; every step felt like stepping on a red-hot iron plate.

Damn that Pei Jiu; the fire poison from that palm strike was unexpectedly domineering.

Even now, he could barely suppress his injuries.

...

After passing through a narrow passage, Fan Zhiyuan stopped in front of what looked like an ordinary stone wall.

He reached out and pressed several spots on the wall, and the stone wall slid inward with a dull sound, revealing a pitch-black corridor.

A scent of decay rushed toward them.

"Go in."

The three filed in one by one, and the stone wall slowly closed behind them.

It was pitch black inside the secret passage.

The tunnel was long and sloped upward. On the stone walls on both sides, one could occasionally see some old carvings, left by who knows which generation.

Chen Ran carried Jiang Mengli, following unhurriedly behind.

Jiang Mengli held her body stiff as she nestled in his arms, saying nothing.

Her cheek was pressed against Chen Ran's chest, and she could clearly feel his steady, powerful heartbeat.

This made her even more irritable.

It wasn't because of the heartbeat itself, but because she was being held in a man's arms, and the occasional skin-to-skin contact created a tingling sensation like an electric shock.

...

After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a faint light finally shone in from ahead.

The exit of the secret passage was hidden behind a huge rock. After pushing it open, the night wind rushed in, carrying a pungent stench of decay.

The Mass Grave at the back mountain.

The moonlight was pale, shining on the uneven wasteland.

Scattered grave mounds and broken bones could be seen everywhere, and withered grass rustled in the night wind.

This was the place where the prison disposed of abandoned corpses, a place no one visited on ordinary days.

Fan Zhiyuan had just crawled out of the secret passage exit and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath—

Boom!

A muffled, thunderous sound came from afar.

Followed by the sound of metal clashing—dense and intense, like someone striking an anvil with a sledgehammer.

The shockwave even traveled hundreds of zhang, flattening a patch of withered grass beneath their feet.

"They are still fighting." Fan Zhiyuan frowned, slowing his pace.

He had intended to leave quickly, but the sounds of battle were too close. If he exposed his whereabouts rashly and happened to attract Pei Jiu or other demonic sect experts, he wouldn't be able to withstand even a single exchange in his current state.

"Walk slowly, don't make any noise." Fan Zhiyuan turned his head and warned in a low voice.

Chen Ran nodded and lightened his steps.

The three followed the edge of the Mass Grave, skirting around half-collapsed grave mounds, carefully moving through the weeds and broken bones.

Under the moonlight, Fan Zhiyuan's back as he walked in front was hunched and stiff; every few steps, he had to stop to suppress the surging fire poison in his body.

His breathing became heavier and heavier.

This stretch of road took fully half the time it takes to burn an incense stick before the three of them circled around to a depression deep within the Mass Grave.

The depression was surrounded by slopes on three sides, with only one direction leading down the mountain.

Fan Zhiyuan stopped, looked around, and after confirming there were no other auras nearby, let out a long, heavy breath.

His injuries were worsening; he had to recover immediately, otherwise he feared further complications.

He turned around and looked at Chen Ran.

That gaze seemed exceptionally cold in the night.

"Put her down first."

Chen Ran did as he was told, placing Jiang Mengli on a flat stone, and straightened his back.

Fan Zhiyuan stared at him for quite a while.

He had not forgotten the corpses all over the corridor.

Although the prisoners in the Cell Block D were low-grade trash, for a dozen or so to rush up together, an ordinary Eighth Grade might not have been able to kill them so cleanly and efficiently.

This young man named Chen Ran—his strength was likely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

But that was not important.

What was important was—he had seen things he shouldn't have seen.

What he planned to do next with the Red Lotus Witch was not as simple as the "transfer and protect" ordered by his superiors.

He intended to use this woman to negotiate terms with the Demonic Sect.

This deal must absolutely not be known by a third person.