Chapter 498: In the Depths of Purgatory
"You want to skin me alive? Sure, I'd like to see how you plan to do that."
Chen Taotian looked at Ye Tian and said, "You just defeated one of my subordinates. But if you really want to prove you're something, let's see you beat all of them!"
"So, you're ganging up on me now?"
"Yeah, so what? What are you all standing around for? Go get him! Beat him to death—I'll take full responsibility!"
"Yes, the young prince has spoken! Get him—beat him to death!"
They all charged at Ye Tian, but he could see at a glance that they were nothing more than ordinary martial artists. With his current strength, Ye Tian could kill them all with just one finger.
But he didn't do that. Killing them right away would be too boring.
Besides, Ye Tian didn't want to upset the order of this place unnecessarily. So he sneered, "Oh? You want to kill me just like that?"
With a sudden leap, Ye Tian jumped onto the canopy of a nearby carriage and said, "Pathetic. Is this really all the strength you've got? If you think you can kill me with this level of power, then you're seriously overestimating yourselves."
"There he is! Get him—hurry!"
Chen Taotian watched Ye Tian's agile movements and couldn't help but become intrigued.
"Hm, this guy is surprisingly strong."
Just from his movements alone, he could tell that Ye Tian's strength was formidable. But how could someone this powerful have gone unnoticed in the royal capital?
Ye Tian made short work of them, knocking them all to the ground within moments.
"Hmph. Who the hell are you?"
"Someone you lot can't handle."
"Guards! Seize him!"
Just then, the city defense troops arrived.
The captain, Chen Zhen, stepped forward and shouted, "Surrender now!"
"You want to arrest me?"
"You assaulted the young prince's men. That's a violation of the empire's laws. Come with us!"
"You say I broke the law, but this is nothing more than a false charge pinned on me. It's laughable, really. Fine—if that's how it is, I'll go with you."
"Move!"
"Don't drag me. I can walk myself."
A large crowd had gathered to watch. Many people saw Ye Tian being taken away, and someone said, "Ah, what bad luck for that young man. If he's thrown into the dungeon, even if he survives, he'll be stripped of a layer of skin."
"Yeah, this isn't justice—it's personal revenge. That young prince has always been arrogant and tyrannical. I heard that hardly anyone survives after being thrown in jail by him!"
"Exactly. I don't think this young man is going to make it out alive."
Hearing their comments, Ye Tian just chuckled and said, "I'm curious to see what they think they can do to me."
He wasn't afraid in the slightest. He knew that no matter where he was, no one could truly harm him. So he followed them calmly until they reached a prison.
"Purgatory."
That was the name of the prison. Ye Tian furrowed his brow and muttered, "Purgatory? Is this place supposed to be part of hell or something?"
"Get in!"
Ye Tian was shoved into a cell. Chen Zhen looked at him and asked, "What's your name?"
"Ye Tian."
"Ye Tian, huh? You've offended the young prince, so you'd better get used to life in here."
"You're Chen Zhen, right?"
"I am."
"If you leave now, I think you'll regret it."
"I'll regret it?"
"That's right."
Ye Tian smiled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, your Tianchi acupoint causes you pain every day, doesn't it? And you're plagued with insomnia—you keep waking up in the middle of the night."
"H-how do you know that?"
Chen Zhen looked at Ye Tian like he had seen a ghost. Ye Tian asked, "Just tell me if I'm right or not."
"You're right! But how do you know? I've never told anyone about it—no one else could possibly know!"
"It's called observation, diagnosis, and deduction. I saw it."
Then Ye Tian said calmly, "You've got about a month left. Go prepare your affairs."
"What? I only have a month left to live?!"
Ye Tian smiled at him and said, "Go on. You and I have nothing to do with each other, so don't bother me."
"Senior… I was rude just now—please forgive me! Could you help me?"
"Haha, so you do know not to mess with me."
"Senior, I have no real ties with the young prince. I'm just a captain of the city guard. Escorting you here was something he forced us to do. That prince has always been domineering—if we don't obey, we'll die too!"
Ye Tian looked at him and said, "Alright, I'll treat you first. We'll talk about the rest later."
"Yes, thank you."
"Sit down. I'll clear your meridians."
Ye Tian sat behind him and pressed his palm against Chen Zhen's back. With a jolt, Chen Zhen coughed up a mouthful of blood. Ye Tian said, "Your cultivation method is of the yang attribute, but this place—Purgatory—is filled with yin energy. The clash between the two caused your condition. I've just expelled the yin energy. You should feel much better now."
"Yes… I really do feel much better!"
Chen Zhen now felt his body—previously cold and plagued by discomfort—warm and full of vitality, as though all his ailments had vanished.
"What I did just now was merely clear your meridians. It's just a temporary fix. If you want to fully recover, you'll need medicinal herbs."
Ye Tian continued, looking at him—