Tian You Prison was a cylindrical dungeon that extended downwards. The center was hollow, and the surrounding walls served as cages for prisoners.
Looking down from above, one could not see the bottom.
Within this dungeon, numerous chains thicker than a person were suspended. Below these chains hung iron cages, each holding either emaciated prisoners or mere skeletons, creating an extremely grim environment.
From the depths of the dungeon, screams would often emanate from the bottom, chilling to the bone.
Ye Ling, leading Bai Ling into Tian You Prison, stepped onto the suspended chains. He glanced at the cages hanging in mid-air and smiled at Bai Ling, "It seems the prisoners in Tian You Prison are not living very well."
Bai Ling replied, "Tian You Prison holds great demons who have committed heinous crimes. Every prisoner here has blood on their hands, so their current fate is not surprising."
"However, I've vaguely heard that the Tang family and the Moon Wheel Holy Land have some sort of cooperation and are secretly researching something within Tian You Prison?"
Ye Ling chuckled, "Hearing you say that makes Tian You Prison even more interesting to me. I'm increasingly curious about what secrets this dungeon holds."
After entering Tian You Prison, Ye Ling sensed the surrounding dark aura growing denser.
It was clear that there was a source of dark power emanating from the depths of Tian You Prison.
Bai Ling quickly scanned the suspended cages and said, "I don't see any elders from my sect. Have you found anything?"
Ye Ling looked towards the depths of Tian You Prison and said, "I've found the Moon Wheel Saintess in the depths of this dungeon. She seems to be interrogating prisoners. I'm not sure if those being interrogated are your sect's elders."
Bai Ling urged, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go down and see!"
"Wait!"
Ye Ling grabbed Bai Ling, who was about to jump off the chains, "Every thousand meters down in Tian You Prison, there's a detection barrier. If you jump down like this, you might not even see anyone before the entire Tian You Prison is alerted."
Bai Ling asked, "Then what should we do now?"
Ye Ling said, "Just follow behind me and listen to my commands. Do not take any unnecessary actions without my orders."
Ye Ling could now feel the dark power residing within him stirring. It was likely that the dark power within him would erupt again soon. He had to dedicate most of his energy to suppressing it. Therefore, his exploration of Tian You Prison would be somewhat challenging.
If Bai Ling caused him any more trouble, the situation would become quite difficult.
Bai Ling felt a bit displeased hearing Ye Ling speak of her as a burden.
As the Sect Master of the Qingyue Sect, she had never been looked down upon like this!
However, she also knew that acting rashly now would only disrupt Ye Ling's pace, and she currently had no say in the matter. Thus, she could only swallow her pride and obediently follow Ye Ling.
Ye Ling, at this moment, had no time to consider Bai Ling's emotions. After instructing her, he created a hole in the barrier below and jumped down from the chains.
Bai Ling followed closely.
The entire Tian You Prison was nearly ten thousand meters deep. The further down they went, the stronger the demons imprisoned there were, and the more stringent the defenses became.
Ye Ling's infiltration speed also gradually slowed.
Bai Ling noticed fine beads of sweat appearing on Ye Ling's forehead, and his breathing, initially steady, became heavy. A hint of worry flashed in her eyes, and she asked with concern, "You've broken through so many barriers consecutively. Can you still manage? How about we rest for a while?"
Ye Ling shook his head, "It's not about the exertion. The next layer is the bottom. Why don't you wait for me here? If anything happens, you run first."
For Ye Ling, breaking through the barriers of Tian You Prison was as easy as piercing a piece of paper, having little effect on him. However, as they descended deeper into Tian You Prison, the dark power within him became increasingly restless, and his current energy was primarily used to suppress it.
Ye Ling was unsure of the situation at the bottom of Tian You Prison, but he knew that if he couldn't suppress the dark power, he might lose control for a period again.
Bai Ling was unaware of Ye Ling's concerns, but she could tell that Ye Ling was thinking of her, and her mood improved. She immediately said, "How can that be? I asked you to help me find my sect elders. If you do all the dangerous work, what will people say about me as the Sect Master of the Qingyue Sect?"
Seeing Bai Ling's persistence, Ye Ling couldn't help but chuckle, "You asked for this yourself. If anything happens later, I won't be responsible."
Bai Ling retorted, "Although you are stronger than me, don't underestimate me. I am also a prominent figure in Lingzhou, and I've been to places more dangerous than Tian You Prison. If nothing else... I have the ability to protect myself."
"Since you are so confident, I won't insist. Let's go down then."
With that, Ye Ling broke through the last layer of the barrier at the bottom of Tian You Prison.
"Ye Ling!!!"
The moment Ye Ling broke through the barrier, a ferocious ghost face appeared in his mind, followed by a piercing scream that assaulted his eardrums!
"Damn it!"
Ye Ling realized this was the dark power retaliating against him. He immediately calmed his mind, using runes to pacify himself and suppress the restless dark power.
From Bai Ling's perspective, as soon as Ye Ling broke through the barrier below, his entire body began to emanate a cold, ominous aura. His eyes turned scarlet, and his lips curled into a chilling smile, sending shivers down her spine.
"Ye, Ye Ling?"
Bai Ling mustered her courage and called out to Ye Ling. Ye Ling suddenly grabbed Bai Ling by the neck, and black energy seeped from his arm, coalescing into a ghost face.
"Ye, Ye Ling? Are you crazy?"
Bai Ling desperately clutched Ye Ling's fingers, struggling wildly, her eyes filling with endless fear.
She couldn't understand why Ye Ling had suddenly attacked her!
The ghost face stared directly at Bai Ling and said with a sinister smile, "Yin essence body... excellent ingredient. I won't be polite then!"
Saying that, the ghost face opened its gaping maw and lunged towards Bai Ling's head!
Whoosh!
At this critical juncture, a long whip struck from the depths of Tian You Prison, lashing fiercely at the ghost face and directly dispersing it!
Ye Ling's hand gripping Bai Ling's neck immediately released!
Then, the long whip quickly wrapped around Bai Ling's slender waist, pulling her directly to the bottom of Tian You Prison!
The barrier that Ye Ling had broken closed with extreme speed.
Bai Ling recognized the person who had saved her and exclaimed, "Moon Wheel Saintess?"
"Hush! Come with me!"
The Moon Wheel Saintess quickly pulled Bai Ling and jumped into a spatial rift at the bottom of Tian You Prison, entering a sub-space.
Bang!
The moment the Moon Wheel Saintess and Bai Ling escaped, the closed barrier broke open again!
Ye Ling, emanating black energy and with an evil smile, descended. The sinister dark power erupted from his body uncontrollably, filling the bottom of Tian You Prison!
In the sub-space, Bai Ling watched Ye Ling searching frantically at the bottom of Tian You Prison, her eyes filled with disbelief. She quickly asked the Moon Wheel Saintess, "What exactly is going on?"
Bai Ling was completely bewildered, unable to understand why Ye Ling had suddenly changed, nor why the Moon Wheel Saintess had saved her life.
The Moon Wheel Saintess looked at Ye Ling in the other dimension and explained to Bai Ling, "He has been corrupted by dark power. His true consciousness is dormant, and he will only devour everything he sees now."
Hearing the Moon Wheel Saintess's words, Bai Ling looked at her again with disbelief and asked, "Who are you? And why do you know this?"
The Moon Wheel Saintess smiled at Bai Ling, "Let me reintroduce myself. I am an envoy from the Ninth Heaven, an emissary of the Emperor's Palace. My purpose in coming to the First Heaven is to investigate the matter of dark power."
"The, Ninth Heaven?"
Hearing the Moon Wheel Saintess's words, Bai Ling's mind went blank.
That was the highest heaven of the Nine Heavens Realm, where it was rumored that everyone possessed supreme power and governed everything in the Nine Heavens Realm.
How had the Saintess of the Moon Wheel Holy Land suddenly become an envoy from the Ninth Heaven?
The Moon Wheel Saintess continued to explain, "Moon Wheel Saintess is merely my active identity in the First Heaven. Please do not mind it."
Bai Ling was still somewhat dazed and asked, "Then why did you capture my sect elders?"
The Moon Wheel Saintess paused, "When did I capture your sect elders?"
Bai Ling became even more confused, "Then why were you in the First Heaven? My sect elders disappeared from there!"
The Moon Wheel Saintess replied, "I went there to investigate people from the Moon Wheel Holy Land. They were corrupted by dark power. Your sect elders were likely abducted by people from the Moon Wheel Holy Land."
Bai Ling: "This..."
Hearing the Moon Wheel Saintess's answer, Bai Ling was completely stunned, never expecting the truth to be like this!
Seeing Bai Ling's bewildered expression, the Moon Wheel Saintess patted her shoulder heavily and said, "Now is not the time to dwell on this. Quickly tell me, what is the origin of that guy outside? The dark aura emanating from him is simply too exaggerated, almost identical to the Seven Stars that invaded the Nine Heavens Realm!"
Bai Ling also shook her head, confused, "I don't know either."
"You don't know?" The Moon Wheel Saintess's eyes widened. "Then why did you come to Tian You Prison with him?"
"I, I..." Bai Ling also became a little anxious, "I only know he is called Ye Ling, a great demon who suddenly appeared in the Luoyun Mountain Range three months ago. He recently held an auction in Tianren City, gathering strong individuals from all over Lingzhou."
"I was worried that the Moon Wheel Holy Land would use this opportunity to invade my Qingyue Sect, so I sought cooperation with him! As for Ye Ling's background, I truly don't know!"
"You..."
The Moon Wheel Saintess looked at Bai Ling speechlessly, not knowing what to say.
Boom!
Suddenly, the rift in the sub-space was torn open, and Ye Ling walked in, smiling at Bai Ling and the Moon Wheel Saintess, saying, "Found you!"