The three of them cautiously descended to Underground Level Seven.
Wu Gou walked at the very front, a faint Buddhist light floating in his palm to illuminate the surroundings.
The temperature here was much higher than above. The air was scorching and dry; every breath felt like swallowing fire.
The layout was similar to the floors above, filled with dense rows of cells and charred skeletons.
However, Wu Gou remembered clearly that this was where he had encountered that madwoman last time.
“Be careful,” he whispered. “The moment I poked my head out last time, she spotted me.”
Plague Rat nodded and pulled in his mist, leaving only a thin layer to wrap around the three of them, doing his best to keep their presence hidden.
They moved forward slowly, passing through rows of cells and along corridors. The entire floor of the prison was empty, with no other figures in sight.
At the end of the corridor, there was another set of stairs leading down, pitch black and leading to parts unknown.
The three followed the stairs down to Underground Level Eight.
The temperature here was even higher. The walls were burnt to a glowing red, like a well-fired brick kiln.
The cells were sparser than on the floors above, but each cell was larger and more elaborately furnished.
Some cells even contained stone tables and stools, book scrolls that had been burnt to ash, and shattered pottery jars.
Plague Rat walked ahead, looking around. “This floor looks like a high-class cell block.”
Wu Gou nodded. “It would seem so.”
They passed by cell after cell, their gazes sweeping over the charred remains, until suddenly, Nie Chaoxi stopped in her tracks.
“Look at this.”
She pointed toward a cell that was different from the others.
A charred corpse lay on the stone bed, but its silhouette was not human; it looked like a plant, like a scorched peach tree.
The trunk was blackened and the branches were shriveled, with roots still embedded in the stone bed. At the head of the bed, two words were carved—not the messy numbers like Fire 3 or Flame 4 from before, but the words Duke Wen.
Plague Rat was stunned. He walked over quickly and stared at those two words for a long time.
“Duke Wen? That guy who served under Old Man Purity and Filth?”
“Back then, Old Man Purity and Filth joined forces with the Three Dukes to oppose Wan Xiu. Duke Martial and Duke Wu were killed by him personally, while Duke Wen vanished without a trace.”
“So it turns out he was captured and brought here.”
“Let’s go. Let’s see if there’s anything else.”
The three continued their search on Underground Level Eight.
There weren't many cells here, about twenty or thirty in total, and each one held an important figure.
Some stone beds had names carved into them, while others did not.
Some skeletons were laid out neatly, while others were slumped in corners.
In life, these people were heroes of Tianchi Province and warriors who fought against the false god. In the end, however, they were all locked here and burned alive.
After finishing their circuit of Underground Level Eight, Wu Gou stopped and looked toward the end of the corridor, where another set of stairs led down.
“There’s still more?” Plague Rat frowned.
Wu Gou nodded. “Underground Level Eight is already a place for prisoners like Duke Wen. There shouldn't be anyone with a higher status than him. Since nine is the ultimate number, if my guess is correct, the floor below should be the final one.”
Plague Rat looked into the dark passage. “Is that madwoman down there too?”
Wu Gou pressed his palms together. “We will know once we descend.”
The three continued their descent.
The moment they stepped off the final stair, they felt a difference.
The space here was much wider than above, appearing to be a massive stone chamber.
Directly in front of the stone chamber was a colossal stone door.
The stone door was three zhang high and two zhang wide, its leaves tightly shut.
The surface was covered in complex text, carved so densely and in so many layers that it looked like some kind of ancient seal.
The characters shimmered with a ghostly blue light, casting a faint glow over the entire stone chamber.
Coiled upon the stone door was half of a charred, bizarre creature.
It looked like half a snake coiled in a circle, its tail visible but its head nowhere to be seen.
The snake’s body was blackened and cracked as if it had been burned countless times, yet its original silhouette was still discernible.
And below the stone door crouched a woman in a red dress.
She was holding a piece of human skin that had been burned to a pulp, wiping it with great care.
The human skin had been burned beyond recognition, covered in blood blisters and scorch marks, though it was vaguely humanoid in shape.
As the woman wiped it, she whispered softly.
“Don’t die... please don’t die...”
“I’ll save you... I’ll definitely save you...”
“Look, I’ve applied medicine for you. You’ll get better soon...”
“You promised me. You said you’d stay with me...”
“You can’t lie to me...”
Her voice was very soft and gentle, like she was coaxing a sick child.
But her actions were very strange.
As she spoke, she poured fire onto the human skin.
Transparent flames gushed from her fingertips and landed on the skin, making a sizzling sound.
The blood blisters on the skin grew more numerous and larger; some even burst, leaking transparent fluid.
But the woman was completely oblivious and continued to pour the fire.
“There, there. It’ll be fine once it’s been burned...”
“Once it’s burned, the wounds will heal...”
“That’s how I treat myself every time I’m hurt...”
“It’ll be better soon... better soon...”
As she spoke, Wing-Fire Snake suddenly stopped. Sensing intruders, she raised her head and looked their way.
She had a pair of very strange eyes.
The left eye was wary and cold, like a jailer looking at an intruder.
The right eye was longing and tender, like someone looking at a long-lost relative.
Two completely different emotions existed simultaneously on a single face.
Wing-Fire Snake looked at the blood-stained Wu Gou and suddenly stood up. She threw the human skin to the ground and shouted in surprise, “You’re alive?”
“You’re really alive?”
“Did I bring you back to life?”
She took two steps forward, her face filled with joy.
“That’s wonderful... that’s wonderful...”
“I’m so glad you’re okay...”
“I thought you were dead... I thought I was going to be alone again...”
“Please don’t try to break out of prison again, okay?”
“Just stay here and keep me company, okay?”
“I’ll be good to you. I’ll treat your wounds, I’ll find food for you, I’ll...”
As she spoke, her expression suddenly changed.
The left eye turned cold, and the tenderness in the right eye vanished instantly.
“Jailbreakers must die,” she barked as flames erupted around her.
Transparent flames surged from her body, transforming into countless fire snakes that lunged at the three of them.
The temperature of the flames was terrifyingly high. Wherever they passed, the air distorted, and the characters on the stone walls flashed violently, letting out ear-piercing shrieks.
“Dammit, why does this crazy woman start fighting the moment she sees us?!”
Plague Rat cursed. Without time to think, he immediately activated his Ghost Domain.
Dark green mist surged from him, instantly condensing into a thick wall of fog in front of the three of them.
The fire snakes slammed into the barrier and exploded. Heat waves rolled out as the mist rapidly evaporated.
Plague Rat’s expression shifted. “Why does this crazy woman start fighting the moment she sees us?!”
BOOM—
The fire snakes slammed into the mist wall and exploded.
Flames splashed and heat waves rolled, causing the entire underground space to tremble.
The mist wall shook violently as the dark green fog was scorched by the flames, letting out a sizzling sound as large patches were evaporated.
Rate on N.U.
