The Great Liang Kingdom's celestial prison.
Inside the largest cells.
A group of people sat blankly on the ground.
Their hair and clothes were dishevelled, and their eyes were devoid of spirit.
Originally, they thought this would be a relaxing and enjoyable trip.
The item was in such a remote, obscure country, and the person with the highest cultivation in this country was only at the Void Returning stage.
What was the difference between this and having it in their own pocket?
But after arriving, they discovered they were wrong.
And terribly wrong!
This place...
Was more terrifying than a forbidden zone!
Who knew what they had experienced!!!
Although they had saved their lives, all their cultivation was gone...
Every night, they were tormented by endless nightmares...
Time and again, they woke up from their nightmares...
Cycling endlessly...
In just a few days, several of them had already gone mad!
The remaining people knew it was only a matter of time before it was their turn.
Perhaps tomorrow.
Or perhaps in the next moment...
They even missed those who had been killed...
Such a life was worse than death!
Escaping was impossible.
Unless a miracle occurred!
But were miracles that easy to encounter?
Life was often so miraculous.
The next moment.
They saw a miracle appear!
A young man, carrying the light of hope, appeared in their world!
Upon reaching the old gate, Ye Fan was startled.
These guys, who were previously listless, became instantly excited at his appearance!
Their eyes were red as they looked at him, as if they wanted to devour him!
"Behave yourselves!" the jailer immediately barked, then smiled apologetically at Ye Fan, "Although these fellows have some issues with their minds, Young Master Ye, rest assured, they pose no danger now."
These individuals were already on the verge of mental collapse, so Ye Fan found interrogating them effortless.
Ye Fan casually asked a question, and they spilled everything.
A few, whose mental states were too chaotic, even revealed when they wet their pants as a child and when they peeked at a widow bathing...
Ye Fan scanned the group and pointed at one who looked more agreeable.
"Him," Ye Fan instructed the jailer, "Get this person cleaned up. I'll have a use for him later."
"Right away!"
...
Not long after, the jailer brought the man to Liang Dekuai.
"Your Majesty, this is what happened," the jailer recounted the events.
"I understand," Liang Dekuai gestured, "Take him to Commander Qingfeng."
"Yes!"
The jailer acknowledged and left with the man.
As soon as the jailer exited, Liang Dekuai's face began to twitch.
His features contorted, and a look of wisdom appeared in his eyes.
"This is much more comfortable," Liang Dekuai said, stretching his neck with satisfaction. "It was so uncomfortable to keep a straight face all the time."
As he spoke, a layer of dark grey phosphorescent armor gradually covered his skin.
The temperature of the entire hall immediately rose significantly!
Meanwhile.
Ye Fan and Liang Rujing were traveling rapidly towards Geshanshi in a flying boat.
The flying boat was the one Liang Dekuai had gifted earlier.
Although Ye Fan could no longer use spatial rings, there was still the little demon girl.
It had to be said, these foreign cultivators' flying boats were fast.
In less than an hour, they had flown out of the Great Liang Kingdom's borders.
During this time, the little demon girl kept looking at Ye Fan curiously, seeming to want to say something but hesitating.
"Are you constipated?"
Ye Fan teased immediately.
"What's the deal with this Liang Rujing?" the little demon girl retorted with a huge eye roll. "Why have I never heard you mention her before?"
"There's a lot you don't know," Ye Fan said, pinching her cheek. "Do you want me to tell you about the time I wet the bed as a child too?"
"Yes, yes!" the little demon girl exclaimed excitedly.
"Like hell," Ye Fan ruffled the little demon girl's hair.
"Hey, stop messing around," the little demon girl quickly dodged. "You're messing up my hair..."
【Zzzzt... Zzzzt...】
【Oh my god... I've finally recovered...】
With a crackle of static, a long-lost girlish voice sounded in Ye Fan's mind.
【Guess who is... the most handsome person in the world?】
Her voice sounded incredibly weak.
【Of course, it's the most, most, most... powerful... host, you!】
As the saying goes, a gratuitous offering is either a trap or a theft.
Ye Fan immediately became vigilant!
What trick was this darn thing trying to pull now?!
【The most, most, most great... host, can we cultivate a little... just a tiny bit?】
【Not much... just a little...】
【How about this... you and the little demon girl merge, and you just enjoy it... I'll handle everything else, okay?】
【And I promise, once you... activate your cultivation, you won't have to do anything else, I'll handle it all... What do you think?】
...
The girlish voice chattered on for a long time, her tone more enthusiastic and friendly than ever.
But the more she acted like this, the more vigilant Ye Fan became!
Perhaps seeing that she couldn't persuade Ye Fan, or perhaps out of familiarity.
After an hour, the system finally fell silent...
Ye Fan leaned against the edge of the flying boat, quietly admiring the surrounding scenery.
Cultivators defied the heavens, pursuing the elusive Dao.
Separation from family, ruin of homes, were commonplace.
And ultimately, only a handful succeeded.
Once cultivators reached a certain level of strength, they could indeed summon wind and rain, move mountains and fill seas.
But in the end, the cultivators became withered bones, while the mountains and seas remained.
In the face of nature's might, humanity was ultimately insignificant.
Since that was the case, it was better to calm down and appreciate the beauty of life.
Look how blue the sky was.
How beautiful and majestic were the mountains and rivers.
How... the cultivators flying on their swords...
Huh?
Seeing these cultivators surrounding them, Ye Fan finally realized something was amiss.
"Listen up, those aboard! You are surrounded!" a one-eyed cultivator from the group shouted. "If you know what's good for you, leave your flying boat and your belongings. We only want your riches, not your lives!"
"Ye Fan, Ye Fan," the little demon girl chirped excitedly, "It looks like we've met robbers!"
As she spoke, these cultivators landed on the deck.
The one-eyed man seemed to be their leader. Ye Fan was unsure of his cultivation level.
However, judging by the little demon girl's excitement, their cultivation level seemed unimportant.
"Hurry up, be quick!" the one-eyed man glared at Ye Fan. "I don't have much patience!"