The Dark Prison of Tai Cang is located at the southernmost part of Tai City. The black stone structure looms beneath the southern city wall, casting a bleak and oppressive atmosphere over the surrounding area. Officially called the Tai Cang Prison, it earned the nickname "Dark Prison" due to the total lack of sunlight, making it a perpetually dark and suffocating place.
As Tai Cang's only prison, its function is singular: to imprison criminals. However, the types of prisoners vary greatly, ranging from Tai Cang's own people who've committed crimes within the city, to captured Zhou Qing and Jiuquan citizens, and even people from other races who've fled to Tai Cang.
At the deepest part of the prison, Ji Xia stood with his hands behind his back, accompanied only by Meng Gui.
"Ruler, is the Zhou Qing hunter really imprisoned here?" Meng Gui asked.
"Yes. He was personally captured by Yin Ding and has been guarded by him ever since. No one else has seen him," Ji Xia replied seriously.
Meng Gui nodded in acknowledgment. Having recently broken through the Eight Heavens with the aid of Tai Lai Spirit Water, he had ascended to the Nine Heavens. Today, he would assume the identity of the Zhou Qing hunter, leave Tai Cang, and travel to Zhou Qing's Crimson Flame Mountain, where he would complete Ji Xia's secret mission and secure a way out for Tai Cang's people.
Ji Xia silently summoned Yin Ding, and the prison gates creaked open. Yin Ding, dressed in battle gear, appeared and knelt in front of Ji Xia.
Ji Xia gestured for Yin Ding to rise and glanced past him at a monkey-faced Zhou Qing prisoner behind him. The prisoner had been in the prison for many days, watched over at all times by a gaunt, yellow-armored soldier, whose gaze never left him.
The prisoner was fed only a few steamed buns every noon through a tiny hole in the cell door. He had tried peering through the hole to see what was outside but found only darkness, with no useful information. The oppressive isolation was driving him to the brink of madness. He had tried to attack Yin Ding but quickly learned that the soldier's formidable cultivation made him utterly powerless, unable to last more than three moves. Later, he tried to take his own life, but to his despair, his much weaker cultivation was insufficient to die even in that state.
After many days of this, a sound came from outside the door, a slight change from the usual, which briefly calmed his frenzied mind. The prison door opened, and two Tai Cang citizens stood before him.
One was tall, with an elegant, slender figure and a commanding presence, dressed in luxurious silver robes—obviously a person of high status. The other was simply dressed in black, with only his eyes visible, and his gaze was cold and menacing.
"Who… Who are you? Why have you brought me here? Kill me quickly!" The Zhou Qing hunter's voice was shaky and unclear from long silence. He knew that being in Tai Cang's hands meant certain death. Tai Cang and Zhou Qing were sworn enemies—if a Tai Cang person had fallen into his hands, he would have mutilated them without mercy. He only hoped for a swift death to avoid further suffering.
Ji Xia ignored the hunter's desperate words and spoke to Meng Gui. "This man is the one you will impersonate."
Meng Gui carefully examined the prisoner and then bowed to Ji Xia. "Understood. Please, give me the mask from that day."
Ji Xia flipped his wrist, and a grotesque mask, emitting a foul stench and dripping thick, viscous liquid, appeared in his hand. Despite his usual meticulous cleanliness, Ji Xia wiped the mask carefully with a handkerchief, making sure to clean every corner.
"I've wiped it down; it's a bit better now," Ji Xia said, handing the mask to Meng Gui. Meng Gui received it with great reverence and bowed again.
Slowly, Meng Gui removed the black cloth covering his face, revealing his features to the Zhou Qing hunter. The hunter recoiled in fear. Meng Gui's face was split into two distinct halves: one normal, the other skeletal, with gaping teeth that moved as he spoke, sending a chilling shiver down the hunter's spine.
Ji Xia studied Meng Gui's face for a moment and then hesitated before speaking. "Do you regret this? You are not of Tai Cang's people. You don't need to sacrifice yourself. If you don't want to do it, just leave the prison. I won't stop you."
Meng Gui shook his head. "Ruler, how could I? Though I'm not human, I've been in Tai Cang for decades. In my heart, Tai Cang is my homeland. Now that Tai Cang is in danger, if I can contribute in any way, it's my fortune."
Ji Xia stopped speaking, and Meng Gui, still holding the foul mask, stared at the prisoner. With one hand holding the mask, he pointed at the Zhou Qing hunter.
The mask suddenly broke free from his grasp, floating in mid-air, and then transformed into a ghostly figure with green skin and sharp fangs. It gave a terrifying screech before lunging at the Zhou Qing hunter.
The hunter, confused from the start, saw the monstrous figure lunge toward him. He tried to avoid it, but before he could move, a terrifying spiritual pressure emanated from Ji Xia, pinning the hunter down completely. He couldn't move even an inch.
Meng Gui felt the overwhelming pressure and his heart raced. "How has the Ruler's power become so terrifying? Even I feel that I can't match him."
His heart pounded, and he thought, "Not long ago, the Ruler was only at the Three Heavens level. That was already astonishing, but now… I feel the pressure so intensely that I can hardly breathe."
"Even Qing Fu Ren from before was no match for him!" Meng Gui thought, a bit startled. "Has the Ruler reached the realm of spiritual mastery already?"
He quickly dismissed the thought, telling himself, "The Ruler is a genius, and as a great wind-walker, it wouldn't be strange if he had reached the Spirit Mastery realm."
The ghostly figure with sharp teeth continued to drip foul liquid as it devoured the Zhou Qing hunter, who was helpless to resist. Within moments, the hunter was completely consumed. The ghostly figure looked around in satisfaction before dissipating, returning to the mask and falling back into Meng Gui's hands.
Meng Gui gently touched his face, feeling his skin and bones, inhaled deeply, and then, without hesitation, placed the green-faced mask over his face.