As the skin of the beauty burned away, Bai Zhi hesitated for a moment before lowering his head. In that brief instant, a myriad of emotions flickered through his eyes.
A good general with power must always remember that power is a double-edged sword—it can cut down others, but it can also turn on oneself.
Bai Zhi had a long history of achievements, but no matter how much he accomplished, it was still his duty. Jingheng's hand still felt the lingering heat from the lotus fire, and Bai Zhi, upon raising his head again, had already made up his mind.
"The heavenly prison once held dark creatures. If you feel their taint, don't use your spiritual energy, or people might think your source energy has become impure." Bai Zhi said this, patting Jingheng's shoulder. Jingheng sensed a fleeting moment of fear and panic from Bai Zhi, and the next second, Bai Zhi leaned in and whispered, "Three days. If you can't lift the curse by then, you'd better escape far away. If I don't kill you, someone else will."
He said this while pretending to check the divine restraints. When he touched Jingheng's palm, he paused briefly. Jingheng nodded. "Thank you, Lord Bai Zhi."
With that, Bai Zhi escorted Jingheng to the heavenly prison. Rong Wan, deep in thought, stayed behind, while Bai Ming, his face grim with anger, followed Bai Zhi.
The prison was just as cold and damp as it had been in his past life. The straw on the floor reeked of decay, and Jingheng felt a brief sense of déjà vu. But after Bai Zhi left, Jingheng pulled out a key and examined it. Things were not entirely the same as in his past life.
Bai Zhi had given him the key and hinted that the beauty's skin had only been used to create the false impression of him falling into the ghostly path by corrupting his spiritual energy. If he could survive for three days, the truth would come to light.
But he still had to escape. He couldn't stay in the Heavenly Realm.
"Humans, ghosts, gods, demons, and monsters. The demon realm is on edge due to threats from the Heavenly Realm, the demon realm's throne is empty, causing chaos, and Chou Zhi in the ghost realm..." He shook his head. The human realm was the safest choice.
Jingheng leaned against the prison wall, the stench constantly assaulting his nostrils. He raised his sleeve to cover his nose, then leaned forward slightly. Suddenly, he heard Bai Ming questioning Bai Zhi in a heated voice.
"Why didn't you kill that wretched Jingheng?" Bai Ming's voice echoed like ripples across the vast prison. Jingheng found it amusing.
"Fool," a cold voice sneered, full of mockery. Jingheng raised his eyebrows. It seemed there were other people in the prison.
"Why do you say that?" Jingheng asked with a grin, the voice sounding quite close, though it took a while for the person to respond with a dismissive snort. "Bai Ming is short-sighted and vindictive, always seeking to kill Jingheng. But Jingheng is still a creation of the true god. Anyone who wants Jingheng dead will be guilty of defying the true god. Bai Zhi, on the other hand, is bold and has made many enemies. Now that he's gained too much power from his conquests, who do you think sees him as a threat?"
Who? Naturally, it would be the Sovereign Lord.
Jingheng laughed and shook his head.
"You have a good sense of timing. Are you new to this prison?"
"Wrong."
"Oh?"
"I've been here since birth."
Since birth in the prison? Jingheng frowned. In his past life, he had also been locked in this gloomy prison, but he had never heard of anyone else being born here.
Could it be that his rebirth had changed something?
As he pondered, he heard the voice sigh. "Have you ever heard of Si Gui from the demon realm?"
Si Gui? Jingheng had heard of him in his past life. If he remembered correctly, Chou Zhi had mentioned that Si Gui was a prominent figure in the demon realm, only to meet a tragic end at the hands of the one he loved.
Jingheng was still thinking when the voice spoke again with a sigh. "If I told you who I am, you'd probably not be familiar. But if I said I was personally sent here by him, you'd likely understand."