The falling stone spikes were accelerating, while the destructive strikes of the Breaking Spell surged against Zhan Tianming's protective shield, emitting crackling arcs of electricity. His defensive aura had started to waver.
"Young Master?" Jian Xiaolou called out, a note of concern in her voice.
"I really want to kill you," Zhan Tianming growled as he stepped through the barrier into her cell, his face dark with irritation.
Jian Xiaolou retreated two steps, her mind already connected to her Karma Severance Sword, prepared to strike him down at any moment. However, Zhan Tianming merely took refuge in her cell for a brief respite, holding a voice transmission talisman as he gave hurried instructions.
Once the talisman's spiritual energy was exhausted, crumbling into ash, he spoke in a grave tone. "You're coming with me to the third level."
Jian Xiaolou took another cautious step back. "What third level?" she asked warily.
"Are you afraid of me?" Zhan Tianming's mood was foul, and he had no intention of indulging her questions. He initially thought of grabbing her and leaving outright, but her guarded stance puzzled him. "Given your connection to my younger brother, what are you so afraid of?"
Unwilling to lie, Jian Xiaolou remained silent.
Frowning, Zhan Tianming explained, "This inferno prison has three levels. We're currently in the second. The third level is located in a perilous area at the core of the earth, a labyrinthine terrain perfect for hiding. There's also a secret sanctuary there, accessible only with my family's token."
"Then you should go to the third level to form your golden core," Jian Xiaolou replied, gesturing toward a corner where a lion-like beast lay. "I'm perfectly safe staying here in the second level. Once you've succeeded, please bring me along as an afterthought…"
"You think I want to take you? My brother shattered the Heaven's Stele!"
Zhan Tianming cut her off, his tone laced with frustration and defeat. "If I don't bring you, will my idiot brother listen to me and come along? That fool has completely exposed himself just to get in here. Who knows how others might overestimate him now. It's downright laughable."
Jian Xiaolou, though aware Zhan Tianxiang would attempt to enter, had not anticipated such an extreme approach.
A surge of mixed emotions overwhelmed her—anger and gratitude. "He's such an idiot!"
Zhan Tianming sighed. "My brother is currently detained by the Tianyi Alliance. The Discipline Hall issued his punishment today, sentencing him to five years of confinement in the Asura Inferno Prison. He'll arrive in a few days. I've already arranged for him to meet us on the third level. The prison is rife with forces nurtured by various clans, aimed at subjugating their punished members. But that won't be enough. Soon, all manner of demons and fiends will be thrown into chaos within this prison. And their target will undoubtedly be my brother's life."
Jian Xiaolou's heart tightened. "The motives are so blatant. Won't the Alliance Master intervene?"
"Intervene? Ha, the best you can hope for is that the Alliance Master doesn't fan the flames."
Zhan Tianming's cold smile was tinged with disdain. "While my golden core formation is a secret, it's hardly impenetrable. The major clans are aware but dare not act against me. After all, I am the next head of the Zhan family. There's an unspoken agreement among the Alliance and the four great families: no matter the infighting, heirs must remain unharmed. Breaking this balance would shatter the power dynamics between the Alliance and the families."
How complicated…
No wonder the northern and western immortal regions look down on the eastern region and refuse to associate with it.
What should have been a realm of cultivation was rife with schemes and power struggles. Was the Alliance Master treating himself as some celestial emperor?
Jian Xiaolou felt a headache coming on. All this talk of balance was beyond her. What she could conclude from Zhan Tianming's words was that Tianxiang was in deep trouble. Especially with the Li family—Fire Refinement Sect and Li Jianzhao's vendetta were bound to land on him.
"Fine, I'll go with you." Jian Xiaolou decided after a moment's thought.
She didn't doubt Zhan Tianming's words because she knew Zhan Tianxiang was capable of such actions. However, her guard against Zhan Tianming remained. After a moment, she asked, "Young Master, could you take one more person with us?"
She referred to Mei Ruoyu—having an extra person would provide additional security.
Zhan Tianming agreed without hesitation.
This only deepened Jian Xiaolou's suspicion that Zhan Tianming was unaware of his precarious situation.
"Stay close to me and don't stray from the range of my protective aura."
Thus, Jian Xiaolou and Mei Ruoyu followed behind Zhan Tianming like attendants. Stone spikes rained down on the shield, hissing incessantly, their noise drowned out by the roars of beasts nearby.
Beyond the barrier, they entered a square recess in a massive stone. At its center was a rotating eight-trigram disc. It seemed to function as some sort of mechanism. Zhan Tianming, unfamiliar with it, took out a jade slip and studied it for some time before reaching out to twist the disc.
Heavy grinding noises filled the air as the stone recess began to descend.
Jian Xiaolou blinked, expecting something more mystical. "It's just a primitive elevator?"
The elevator descended with ear-splitting noise, accelerating steadily. Who knew how deep the third level was? It took nearly half an hour before it finally came to a halt.
"Are we there yet?" Jian Xiaolou, her head buzzing, asked in a daze.
"Prepare yourself," Zhan Tianming warned.
"Huh?"
The three of them stepped out onto the edge of the stone. Jian Xiaolou and Mei Ruoyu gasped in shock.
All around them were grotesque half-human, half-beast creatures. Dozens of them—at least fifty or sixty—stared at the trio with gleaming eyes, as if they were delectable drumsticks ready to be devoured.
"Wow, actual humans!"
"They smell so good!"
"I want them! All mine!"
"Don't you dare take what's mine!"
Taking a deep breath, Jian Xiaolou muttered, "These creatures are only second-rank beasts, yet they're partially humanoid and can speak?"
"They are demons, not beasts," Zhan Tianming corrected.
"But I thought the demons of Mad Demon Island looked similar to us?" Jian Xiaolou asked, puzzled.
Mei Ruoyu elaborated, "Junior Sister, just as the demon clans have beast, feathered, and aquatic sub-races, demons also have various kinds—giant demons, ice demons, beast demons, and so on. The humanoid demons from Mad Demon Island are the most intelligent and populous among them."
"Got it." Jian Xiaolou gave Mei Ruoyu a thumbs-up. "Scholars of Confucian cultivation are indeed knowledgeable."
Zhan Tianming rolled his eyes. "It's just that you're too ignorant."
He sighed inwardly. His little brother was already foolish enough, but he just had to fall for a similarly foolish woman. How would these two fools manage their lives together?
Suddenly, a beast demon below rammed its head against the stone.
"You three humans, come down here!"
"We won't eat you! Really! Look into our pure, innocent eyes!"
"Definitely no drooling or gutting you! We're all kind and gentle beings!"
Their exaggerated antics made Jian Xiaolou's face darken. "They can't fly up here?"
"No, but if we leave this platform, neither can we," Zhan Tianming replied.
To prove his point, he sent out a flying sword. It barely traveled half a meter before plummeting to the ground.
Jian Xiaolou took another deep breath. The gravity in this inferno prison's third level was immense, making flight impossible. It reminded her of her teacher's lectures about gravity techniques—at their highest level, not even a bird could fly within ten meters of her.
She still had a long way to go, but today's experience gave her a newfound respect for such abilities.
"What now, Young Master?"
Zhan Tianming handed her a jade token and pointed to a distant hill. "Head to that slope. Beyond the lava falls is a hidden sanctuary. Show this token to unlock it and jump through."
Jian Xiaolou frowned. "And you?"
"I'm retrieving Ruoyu. The platform isn't safe anymore."
Before she could argue, Zhan Tianming grabbed her and Mei Ruoyu and tossed them off the platform.
As soon as they left the platform, the crushing gravity took hold, dragging them down hard.
The two landed ungracefully with a resounding crash.
"Well... Senior Brother?" Ye You slowly replied, "That's fine, but he's performing a soul search. Be careful."
Jian Xiaolou's eyes widened. "Soul search?"
"Yes, soul searching. It affected the bone shard in your hand, causing the seal to naturally come undone." The erudite dragon's voice came again, accompanied by the sound of flipping through scrolls. "Your Senior Brother is using a forbidden technique, one seemingly passed down from the previous head of the Zhan family. Are you sure he's someone you trust?"
"..." Jian Xiaolou tightened her grip on the six-star bone shard and pressed her lips together. "Senior, I'll be cautious."
"Don't worry. He probably doesn't mean you any harm, but this forbidden technique can have severe consequences if it backfires. If you sense anything amiss, summon me with the shard immediately." Ye You paused briefly before adding, "I'll continue researching to ensure nothing happens to you."
The moment the voice stopped, the bone shard returned to silence.
Jian Xiaolou felt a chill down her spine but forced herself to stay calm. She walked back through the corridor to the main chamber, where she found Mei Ruoyu sitting up and silently meditating, seemingly unaware of the earlier disturbance.
"Senior Brother, you're awake?" Jian Xiaolou asked tentatively.
Mei Ruoyu nodded and opened his eyes, his tone calm. "You wandered off. Did you find anything?"
Jian Xiaolou shook her head. "This place feels like a maze. I went around and ended up back here. There might be a formation covering this area—we can't get out."
Mei Ruoyu pondered for a moment. "If that's the case, we might as well wait here for Zhan Tianming. If he fails to form his core, he won't make it far."