A few breaths later, thirty figures appeared one after another.
Each took up a different position in the sky. Behind them, groups of warriors stepped forward, their expressions cold as they effortlessly floated into the air. The moment they looked toward the figures ahead, their eyes filled with reverence.
"All thirty-six Venerables have been mobilized!"
"This is another nationwide campaign!"
"But this one is probably going to be even fiercer. Last time, only ten Venerables were deployed."
"Since His Majesty left this world, a few more people have advanced to the Venerable rank. We should have thirty-eight Venerable-level experts now."
The warriors of the Nie Kingdom stared in shock, whispering among themselves.
The thirty-six Venerables were the nation's strongest combat force. They almost never acted personally. Whenever they did, it meant the coming battle was of the utmost importance.
Suddenly, all thirty-six Venerables moved. They turned into streaks of light and flew toward the Realm Gate of the Nie Kingdom.
"The thirty-six Venerables each rule over one of the thirty-six worlds. They're the strongest experts in their respective worlds."
"They've never acted together unless it was on His Majesty's orders."
"So why are they all moving at the same time?"
The warriors were stunned. The Venerables had never acted as a group before; even when traveling to other worlds, they always passed through one by one. Yet now, all thirty-six were heading toward the same destination.
---
A quarter of an hour later, the thirty-six Venerables landed atop a mountain west of the Realm Gate.
"It's that strange cage!" The warriors watched curiously.
At the summit stood a gigantic black cage. It was a thousand meters tall, a thousand meters wide, and forged entirely from an unknown metal, with only a few small vents left open.
No one in the entire kingdom knew what the cage was for. They only remembered that His Majesty and more than twenty Venerables had brought it back from another world.
That incident had left a deep impression on everyone, because when they returned, His Majesty and every single one of the Venerables had been gravely wounded, all of them on the verge of death.
At this moment, the thirty-six Venerables stood before the enormous black cage. After exchanging glances, they spread out into thirty-six positions. Then they each extended one hand and lifted the massive cage into the air.
'Rumble...'
The mountains shook violently as the cage rose from the summit and floated high in the sky.
"What are they doing?" The warriors watched in confusion. For some reason, an uneasy feeling crept into everyone's heart.
Then, a deep voice echoed across heaven and earth. "So... someone has finally come?"
Every person who heard it felt their soul tremble.
"It came from inside the Black Prison!" The warriors stared at the giant cage in disbelief.
"So... you weaklings have finally found the courage to face me?" the voice sounded again.
The entire Nie Kingdom was shaken.
"What is he talking about?"
"Weaklings? Who's he calling weak?"
The same question appeared in everyone's mind. Then they noticed that the expressions of the thirty-six Venerables had darkened.
In that instant, everyone understood. The "weaklings" he spoke of were the thirty-six Venerables, and perhaps even their King himself.
"Death is like the wind... it is always by my side."
"It's a pity. You couldn't kill me, so you resorted to this despicable method and imprisoned me here."
"I've always hated living without seeing the light of day."
His quiet muttering echoed through the sky, making everyone even more tense.
Their guess had been correct. To the being imprisoned inside the giant Black Prison, not only the thirty-six Venerables, but even His Majesty himself was considered weak.
But how was that possible? Those who stood at the very peak of the kingdom were nothing more than weaklings in this man's eyes?
"Hmph!" One of the thirty-six Venerables shouted coldly, "His Majesty sealed your Heroic Power inside this prison. Stop trying to bluff us!"
"But do you dare to let me out?" the voice echoed once more. His tone was calm, yet filled with unconcealed contempt and mockery.
The Venerable who had spoken fell silent. Anyone who had witnessed the power of the man sealed inside no longer had the courage to face him again.
That sword... it advanced without hesitation, as unstoppable and violent as the wind itself, capable of destroying everything in its path.
His Majesty had even concluded that the world this man came from had likely surpassed the Moonlight Realm, a level the Nie Kingdom couldn't even hope to reach yet. Against him, they were no different from mortals standing before a god.
In the end, if not for His Majesty's Imprisonment ability, none of them would have survived. But using it had come at a price. His Majesty had lost access to his greatest trump card, the innate Imprisonment ability that could normally only be used once every long interval.
That power had virtually no upper limit. No matter how powerful the target was, it could instantly seal and suppress them. However, the stronger the opponent, the longer the ability's cooldown afterward. After an extremely long time, they had finally succeeded in imprisoning this man, and even now, His Majesty's Imprisonment ability still had not recovered.
"Open the Black Prison!" After a long silence, one of the Venerables shouted.
Immediately, all thirty-six Venerables struck the prison with their palms.
'Crack!'
In an instant, countless fine cracks spread across the black cage. The enormous prison slowly unfolded like a blooming lotus, and a figure gradually appeared in the void.
'Clank... Clank...'
Thick chains crisscrossed in every direction. A quick glance was enough to see there were exactly one hundred and eight of them, binding one hundred and eight points across the man's body. He sat cross-legged on the ground, his expression calm. Although each chain was as thick as his waist, they couldn't stir even the slightest ripple in his emotions.
Everyone in the Nie Kingdom gasped. Just who was this man, to think it took all thirty-six Venerables to imprison him like this? And judging from what had just been said, even His Majesty had personally used his Imprisonment ability to seal him.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" the man asked calmly. His gaze swept across the Venerables before him, making every one of them shudder.
"His Majesty has decided to grant you your freedom!" one of the Venerables declared loudly.
"Oh? Under what conditions?" the man replied indifferently, as though he had already expected there to be a catch.
"As long as you help us win the coming war, His Majesty will withdraw the Imprisonment seal, restore your freedom, and allow you to return to your homeland!" the Venerable shouted.
"Victory..." the man murmured to himself. "I've been searching for the road home all this time... but I've never been able to find it. So... that weak little fellow is really willing to let me leave?"
Anger flashed across the Venerable's face. "As long as you help us win, surely you can trust His Majesty's word!"
The man nodded. "That kid may be underhanded... but he does keep his promises."
Then his eyes suddenly turned razor-sharp. He slowly raised his right hand.
In an instant, all one hundred and eight chains began rattling violently.
'Clang! Clang! Clang!'
The entire prison shook, and even the walls of the Black Prison were instantly covered in countless cracks.
"Where... is my sword?"
"It... is more important to me than anything else."
(End of Chapter)
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