Chapter 1684: Chapter 904: Recruiting in Netherworld Prison, Random Ascension to Divine Spring Valley

The Heavenly Dao maintains balance; where there is yin, there is yang!

The vast Divine Continent always stands high above, forever bathed in the Great Sun’s radiance. Here, the seasons are like spring, all things thrive, forever vibrant and beautiful.

However, on the reverse of this boundless Floating Continent, sunlight never reaches.

Darkness and bitter cold are the only eternal shades here. Endless layers of ice adhere to the underside of the Divine Continent, forming a glacier continent with an average thickness of over a hundred miles, shrouded in darkness and silence over time.

On this glacier continent shrouded in darkness, countless towering ice peaks abound, each one inverted, like countless "spikes" growing upside down, always pointing towards the earth below.

At this moment, deep within one of the tallest and largest ice peaks, Zhao Luoding, pale-faced, cautiously walks ahead, respectfully leading the way to the Cold Ice Domain for the Fourth Ancestor.

Zhao Sheng walks unhurriedly forward, the path lined with crystal-clear ice walls. The deeper he goes, the colder and harsher the environment becomes.

Though still several miles away from the Cold Ice Domain, the temperature within the tunnel is already terrifyingly low. Such extreme cold can easily shatter steel, and even a Cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm could not survive here for an hour.

As the Prison Chief of the Cold Ice Domain, Zhao Luoding commands seventy-one prison guards in the Golden Core Realm, all specializing in the ice path as Ice Cultivators.

The Cold Ice Domain is the first layer of the Nine Netherworld Prison, which holds tens of thousands of prisoners year-round.

Although the Cold Ice Domain is just the first layer of the Netherworld Prison, the prisoners here have cultivation levels of at least the Golden Core Realm, including some high cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm.

The Nine Netherworld Prison is little known outside, but it is a place that strikes fear within the Ten Lands Zhao Clan, a place that everyone dreads.

Because the Nine Netherworld Prison never incarcerates outsiders; anyone held here belongs to the clan.

According to the crimes and sins committed, prisoners are held in different layers of the Netherworld, with varying detention lengths based on the gravity of their offenses.

The first three layers—Cold Ice Prison, Ghost Tree Prison, and Silent Prison—hold minor offenders, with the longest stay being a thousand years before release.

Starting from the fourth layer, the Eight Miseries Prison, contains not only bloodthirsty killers but also traitors to the clan, heartless butchers, and Demon Disciples who ravage lives through Demon Techniques.

From the fourth layer to the bottom Chaos Prison, serious offenders can hardly be pardoned. Their best outcome is dying of old age in prison, while the worse fate is endless torment, a life worse than death.

Zhao Luoding could not comprehend why the esteemed Fourth Ancestor would personally come to such a filthy and foul place today.

Despite his confusion, he maintained his most respectful posture, leading the Fourth Ancestor into the Cold Ice Domain.

As the ten-foot-thick Mystic Ice Gate slowly opened, Zhao Sheng’s view suddenly widened.

What lay before was a vast and boundless Ice Cave, with a diameter of tens of thousands of feet; the ground smooth as a mirror, emitting a faint white light.

The ice walls of the cave were densely packed with countless Ice Caverns, numbering at least hundreds of thousands.

Each Ice Cavern was exceedingly cramped, less than six feet in length, width, and height, appearing from a distance like countless "Buddha Shrines."

Yet, inside these caverns were not heavenly gods and Buddhas, but sallow and emaciated prisoners.

Strangely, the Ice Caverns were completely unobstructed, yet no prisoner dared to step out. Most sat cross-legged, silently resisting the extreme cold.

Zhao Luoding stood bowing at the entrance, not daring to step into the Ice Prison.

Zhao Sheng gave him a slight nod, then stepped into the Cold Ice Prison.

His arrival immediately drew the attention of many prisoners. They all looked over, their eyes showing various shades of curiosity, indifference, malice, contempt, and awe.

Soon, a Nascent Soul Realm prisoner recognized Zhao Sheng’s identity, unable to suppress a cry of shock.

Ah!

The man turned pale with fright, hurriedly flipping over to kneel and shouted in the most reverent tone: "Criminal Zhao Si, pays respects to the Fourth Ancestor! Congratulating the Fourth Ancestor on attaining ascension, eternal life, and immortality!"

The words had barely fallen, and the thousands of prisoners in the prison erupted all at once!

Immediately, countless prisoners rushed to kneel, their foreheads deeply pressed to the ground, shouting in unison: "...paying respects to the Fourth Ancestor... Congratulations to the Fourth Ancestor... on attaining eternal life!"

Tens of thousands of voices continuously echoed within the Ice Cave, creating waves of grand sounds, faintly dispersing much of the cold.

Zhao Sheng’s gaze swept across the densely packed Ice Caverns as he slowly spoke: "Do you all wish to leave immediately?"

His voice, neither loud nor soft, but incredibly clear, fell into everyone’s ears.

The tens of thousands of prisoners were instantly filled with intense excitement, shouting in unison: "Yes!"

Zhao Sheng nodded slightly and added: "At this moment, there’s a chance to change your destiny before you. Those who want it, step out; those who don’t, I won’t force you either."

As soon as the words fell, at least twenty thousand prisoners unhesitatingly stepped out of their Ice Caverns, while others hesitated but soon followed.

"Very good!"

When no more prisoners stepped out, Zhao Sheng nodded slightly, then abruptly changed his words: "If you leave the Taiyi Spirit Realm to settle elsewhere and may never return in your lifetime... I’ll give you another chance, whoever wants to quit should return to their cell immediately."

As soon as the words fell, many prisoners hurried back to their Ice Caverns. These people had committed lesser crimes and could be released after a few years, thus were unwilling to abandon home and exile to another realm.

Before long, most of the prisoners shrank back; only over three thousand remained standing still.

Among them were some who had been imprisoned for hundreds or thousands of years and a few ambitious ones attempting to defy destiny.

Zhao Sheng said no more, suddenly flapped his wide sleeve, and a bronze ancient mirror flew out, instantly ascending above the crowd’s heads.

The next moment, the mirror surface suddenly emitted a great suction force, and over three thousand prisoners were lifted off the ground, uncontrollably drawn into the mirror.

In the blink of an eye, everyone was sucked into the ancient mirror.

Buzz!

The ancient mirror suddenly emitted a buzzing sound, then transformed into a mass of yellow light, quickly slipping into Zhao Sheng’s large sleeve.

After Zhao Sheng put away the ancient mirror, his figure flashed and disappeared without a trace.

Outside the Cold Ice Prison Gate, Zhao Luoding saw the departure of the Fourth Ancestor; he immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly formed a seal with both hands, closing the Mystic Ice Gate once more.

As the gate closed again, the ice cave immediately became abuzz with voices, countless people discussing the purpose and deep meaning behind the Fourth Ancestor’s visit. Many prisoners regretted not making a different choice earlier.

The prisoners in the Cold Ice Prison committed the lightest offenses, so Zhao Sheng offered them a choice.

But starting from the second layer, Ghost Tree Prison, Zhao Sheng disregarded their wishes entirely, directly sealing all of them within the Five Directions Mirror.

The Ghost Tree Prison, also known as the Vampire Netherworld Prison, housed a thousand puppet Ghost Rong whose countless blood-sucking vines absorbed the spirit of the prisoners each day, nourishing the Ghost Rong.

Every hundred years, the Ghost Rong would produce a varying number of Evergreen Fruits. This fruit is the main ingredient in refining the Thousand Autumn Pill, and consuming one grants a lifespan of a thousand years.

There are 1,633 prisoners in Ghost Tree Prison, over 1,120 are in the Golden Core Realm, over 400 are in the Nascent Soul Realm, and none are in the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Layer three, Silent Prison: 557 prisoners, 449 in the Golden Core Realm, 98 in the Nascent Soul Realm, and 10 in the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Layer four, Eight Miseries Prison: 108 prisoners... 101 in the Nascent Soul Realm, 7 in the Divinity Transformation Realm.

The serious offenders in the fifth layer, Absolute Spirit Domain, and sixth layer, Desire Domain, total 23 people, with an average cultivation level around the Late-Stage Divinity Transformation.

Zhao Sheng ventured nearly 30,000 miles deep into the earth until he reached the Seventh Layer, Evil Demon Domain, and the Eighth Layer, Karma Fire Domain, only to find these two Netherworld Prisons utterly deserted, seemingly without prisoners for years.

As for the Ninth Layer, Chaos Domain, he never went there, as it is where "Chaos" resides.

...

Above the vast Cloud Sea, a Floating Magical Platform gently drifted northward.

At this moment, a giant figure, vast as a mountain, sat cross-legged in the center of the platform, surrounded by a myriad of brilliant flowing lights. Every time these lights faded, a wave of Law Fluctuation subtly changed.

Unbeknownst to when, two tall figures appeared before the giant.

The giant seemed to sense their presence, suddenly opened his eyes, and the myriad flowing lights around him vanished quietly.

"Is the matter settled?" The giant looked down at the two, his voice like thunder, asking.

The two "Zhao Shengs" smiled slightly, astonishingly countering, "Does the original body not trust our capability to handle matters?"

This giant is Zhao Sheng’s Original Body. Since he needs to continually fine-tune the Heavenly Dao Laws of the Five Elements Cave Heaven, the Original Body often maintains the Giant Spirit Battle Body to stay in optimal condition.

Seeing the Avatar’s attitude, the Original Body was rather... speechless.

The Original Body Zhao Sheng simply refrained from asking further, directly using Divine Thought to give instructions to the two Avatars.

Upon receiving instructions, the Avatars simultaneously nodded in agreement.

Then, one took the Central Earth Mirror, the other took the Eastern Kong Sang Realm, both vanishing into thin air.

...

After a bout of vertiginous spinning, Zhao Sheng opened his eyes to a strange landscape.

The surrounding mountains towered high; the location turning out to be a valley, where hundreds of stone towers of varying heights were scattered.

In the center of the valley were gathered dozens of pavilions, sparsely scattered, resembling a small workshop.

Curiously, it was eerily silent here, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard clearly.

He clearly saw shadows of people fleeting within the towers, yet heard not a sound.

Zhao Sheng felt something amiss, and his Will Heart Light suddenly expanded, silently enveloping the dozens of green stone pavilions.

Instantly, he perceived that in one of the stone towers, there were seven life forms, one of whom had already awakened Will Heart Light.

With a thought, Zhao Sheng immediately headed toward that stone tower.

A few breaths later, he smoothly entered the tower, quickly spotting seven "life forms" sitting cross-legged in the hall, which included Human Clan Cultivators and horned, furry Alien Races.

Zhao Sheng glanced around and stepped toward the nearest Human Clan Cultivator, a man around thirty with a leopard-headed appearance, robust and stout, a glimmer of shrewdness in his eyes.

He stopped a few steps away, then cupped his hands in greeting, "Greetings to this gentleman! I am Zhao Wuming, may I ask, from which boundary is this place?"

"This is Divine Spring Valley. I am Changsun Shijiu. Are you here for the first time?" Changsun Shijiu spoke while curiously observing him, finding it very peculiar.

Zhao Sheng nodded, "Indeed, this is the first time Zhao has visited this Treasure Land, and I hope Mr. Changsun can kindly guide me."

"Easy, easy!" Changsun Shijiu smiled and readily agreed.

"Heh, so you’re a newcomer! You just startled me! I thought..."

"Hmph, another Human Clan thief!"

"Hey, hurry over here. I have a lot of treasures for sale, guaranteed to be cheap and reasonable. Come quickly and have a look!"

Zhao Sheng followed the voice to see a humanoid lizard waving repeatedly about seven or eight yards away.

Seeing this, Changsun Shijiu hurriedly blocked his view, whispering, "Never go there! That guy is notorious for deceiving people with impunity."

Zhao Sheng blinked, implying his appreciation was understood.

Then, under Changsun Shijiu’s gaze, the two moved to a secluded corner of the hall and began to converse in low tones.