Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen stepped out of the cell and was greeted by a dim, narrow corridor.
The corridor extended in both directions, leading to unknown destinations.
Within the corridor, a certain force still lingered, suppressing the perception of Divine Sense. Song Wen could only sense a distance of about a li.
"Fellow Daoist Xue Mei, do you know which direction we should take?" Song Wen asked.
Xue Mei, who had followed Song Wen out of the cell, glanced around and shook her head.
"I've only heard of the Endless Prison by name; I've never been here before."
Song Wen said, "Then I'll just choose a direction at random?"
After receiving Xue Mei's affirmation, Song Wen floated off the ground and drifted toward the left corridor.
Before he had flown even ten zhang, another cell appeared on the right side of the corridor.
Song Wen peered inside through the hole in the stone door.
The layout of the cell was identical to the one that had previously confined the two of them. Inside, there was no Teleportation Array or treasures as they had hoped.
The two continued forward, passing one empty cell after another.
After traveling about ten li, the space suddenly opened up.
At the end of the corridor was a cavernous hall, spanning about a li in width.
Around the hall, aside from the corridor they had come from, there were three other corridors leading in different directions.
In the center of the hall stood several stone torture racks, clearly used to torment prisoners.
Beside the racks was a stone platform, on which lay some torture tools.
However, due to the passage of time, these tools had lost all their spiritual essence and were now worthless.
Xue Mei's Divine Sense swept back and forth across the hall, as if deliberately searching for something.
"Fellow Daoist Xue Mei, what are you looking for?" Song Wen asked.
Xue Mei's expression was somewhat disappointed. "Nothing much. I was just checking if any of the torture tools had been preserved. Perhaps we could have obtained a couple of handy Mystic Treasures."
After saying this, she changed the subject and continued, "This place should be a hub of the Endless Prison. There's no Teleportation Array here, so it seems we'll have to keep searching."
Having traversed several Small Secret Realms, both Xue Mei and Song Wen had noticed that Teleportation Arrays were usually present in more important locations.
After a brief exchange, Xue Mei chose a passage, and the two entered it.
The cells in this passage were noticeably fewer, spaced about a hundred zhang apart.
When they reached the third cell, something different appeared inside.
An oil lamp!
In the lamp's holder, a cluster of dark red flame flickered.
The flame seemed very weak, as if it might dissipate at any moment.
The moment Xue Mei saw the flame, a glimmer of excitement flashed in her eyes.
"Ji Yin, this lamp and its flame are likely extraordinary. How about we work together to retrieve them? You can take the lamp, and I'll take the flame. What do you think?" Xue Mei suggested.
Song Wen replied, "Agreed. However, the flame goes to me, and the oil lamp goes to you."
Xue Mei's expression froze, clearly dissatisfied with this arrangement.
"Ji Yin, could you let me have the flame instead?"
A faint smile played on Song Wen's lips.
"Fellow Daoist Xue Mei, you must recognize this flame, right? Could you enlighten me?"
"As expected, I can't hide it from you."
Xue Mei shot Song Wen a somewhat displeased look and continued.
"Back when I was the master of Blood Cloud Cave, I heard that within the Endless Prison, there exists an Illusory Karma Heart Flame. This flame is born from the desires of all things in the world, capable of stimulating and amplifying all negative emotions and desires."
"The flame in this cell must be that Illusory Karma Heart Flame. If you help me obtain it, I will owe you a favor. If you encounter something you need later, I can assist you once."
After a moment of contemplation, Song Wen spoke.
"Alright, I agree."
Only those who cultivate illusion and charm techniques can unleash the true power of the Illusory Karma Heart Flame.
This flame was of little use to Song Wen.
The process of breaking the cell's restrictions went smoothly. Xue Mei first identified the weak points of the restrictions, and then Song Wen forcefully broke through them using Thunder Magic.
The moment the cell's stone door was breached, Song Wen used his Divine Sense to thoroughly examine the oil lamp and the flame.
Confirming that it was indeed the Illusory Karma Heart Flame, as Xue Mei had said, he allowed Xue Mei to take it.
The two continued deeper along the corridor.
After advancing ten miles, the space before them opened up once more.
Another cave hall appeared ahead of them.
Moreover, within the cave hall, there was a small house.
The house was not large, with two floors and three rooms on each floor.
In front of the house stood a three-zhang-tall blood-red stone, which was the passage leading out of the Divine Blood Hall.
Around the cave hall, four corridors were also distributed.
"This must be where the prison guards are stationed. There might be a Teleportation Array here to leave the Endless Prison."
As he spoke, Xue Mei quickened his pace, heading toward the house at the center of the cave hall.
Song Wen followed closely behind.
The two searched all six rooms but found nothing.
This left them somewhat disappointed, and they could only exit the house, preparing to choose a corridor at random to continue their exploration.
Just then, a green light suddenly flashed in the air of the cave hall.
Two figures gradually emerged from the green light.
Song Wen and Xue Mei immediately tensed, retreating rapidly to distance themselves from the two figures.
By the time they reached the entrance of a corridor, the green light had already dissipated, and Song Wen recognized the identities of the two newcomers.
Xue Cangqiong and Gui Ni!
The Teleportation Array could transport five people at once, but only these two had appeared, indicating that Xue Cangqiong and Gui Ni had separated from the others.
As for why they had separated, Song Wen had no idea.
He wasn't surprised that the two were traveling together, as they had been close even outside the Divine Blood Hall.
The two were not in good condition.
They bore obvious injuries, and their auras were somewhat chaotic.
Xue Cangqiong and Gui Ni also noticed Song Wen and Xue Mei.
"Yin Shuo, it's you! How did you get here?" Xue Cangqiong's cold gaze fixed on Song Wen, his tone of surprise mixed with an undeniable command.
Then, he turned to Xue Mei.
"And who are you? Why have I never seen you before? When did you enter the Divine Blood Hall?"
After a moment of thought, Song Wen spoke respectfully.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Xue, Fellow Daoist Gui Ni. Fellow Daoist Tai He and I were stationed at the foot of Thunder Mountain, waiting for the eight of you to return. However, after a long time with no sign of you, we had no choice but to seek another Teleportation Array."
"Fellow Daoist Tai He and I agreed to split up and search for a Teleportation Array separately, and once found, we would signal the other. I was fortunate enough to find a Teleportation Array in a valley."
"However, after I sent out the signal, I waited for a long time but Fellow Daoist Tai He never showed up. I wonder if he found another Teleportation Array and left without notifying me."
"Unable to wait for Fellow Daoist Tai He any longer, I had no choice but to teleport away alone. And then, I ended up here."
(End of the Chapter)
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