Chapter 1 Echoes of the Dao

"Acquired residual aura of the Dao. Initiating Time溯回 (Time Reversion). Please intercept the Dao aura as soon as possible." The golden clock transmitted this message to Ye Chu Xiao, then fell silent.

At that moment, in Ye Chu Xiao's vision, hanging on the iron hook was no longer that pale human skin, but a living person.

Thick iron hooks pierced through this person’s pipa bone (clavicle) and tailbone, suspending him in mid-air.

Such inhuman torture would have killed an ordinary person long ago, but the xiejiao (heretical cult) member hanging there wore a chilling smile. His fluorescent jade eyes, almost transparent, did not focus on Ye Chu Xiao. Clearly, in this confrontation across time, their positions were not equal.

Ye Chu Xiao tried to move, but still did not attract the attention of the xiejiao member.

This made Ye Chu Xiao uncertain whether he had crossed the distance of time, seeing and arriving in the past, or was still in the present, merely glimpsing the remnants of the past.

However, no matter what state he was in, Ye Chu Xiao was certain that he could only observe and could not exert any real influence.

Even if he had truly returned to the past, he was merely a ghost in this space-time.

At that moment, Ye Chu Xiao's fingers were touching a speck of dust floating in the air.

When he subjectively tried to lift the speck of dust, the unyielding weight felt as if he were trying to lift a star.

Looking closely at the expression on the xiejiao member's face, Ye Chu Xiao could easily see that he did not seem to have the dark, angry, fearful negative emotions of someone imprisoned and awaiting execution.

Looking more closely at his expression, Ye Chu Xiao could even sense a hint of anticipation.

"What is he anticipating?"

"Is he expecting his accomplices to come and rescue him?"

"If I guard this place, will I be able to see his accomplices? Find the true culprit who released the xiejiao member?" Ye Chu Xiao thought.

However, such a thought only lingered in Ye Chu Xiao's mind for a moment before he saw 'himself.'

Although he wasn't completely certain about the appearance, the clothing, attire, and physical characteristics were enough for Ye Chu Xiao to make a clear judgment.

Especially the identical scar on his left forearm, which could serve as ironclad proof.

Of course, at this moment, Ye Chu Xiao should call the 'himself' before him his 'predecessor.'

Strictly speaking, Ye Chu Xiao, who was observing at the other end of time, was not the same person as Ye Chu Xiao who appeared outside the prison cell at this moment.

The predecessor seemed to be there to deliver food.

According to regulations, even for just delivering food, every trip should be made in groups of two or more.

Within the Ministry of Justice Prison, it was strictly forbidden for prison guards to contact prisoners alone.

But after the Great Heng Dynasty was established for a thousand years, many regulations had long been abandoned. The positions of prison guards in the Ministry of Justice were passed down through generations, and many vacancies had long appeared. However, on the books, those vacant positions, those households without descendants, were still continuing their lineage on paper.

In his hand, he carried a moldy food bucket, filled with food that had long gone sour, its original form unrecognizable, mixed with a large amount of murky broth.

For anyone's sphincter muscles, the contents of this bucket were a great test.

One bite, and it's clean and sanitary.

However, even with such food, the prisoners in the prison had to look at the face of the prison guard responsible for delivering the food to get a bite of dry or thin gruel.

If enough money was spent, it was also possible to book a banquet from an outside restaurant.

This was also one of the main revenue projects of the prison.

At this time, Ye Chu Xiao finally completely saw clearly the complete and clear facial features of 'him' at this time.

The first impression this body gave him was that it was young and vibrant. This vitality was like the sun at seven or eight in the morning, hot and dazzling, as if carrying infinite possibilities, something that an old man in his thirties with all kinds of illnesses could never compare to.

He had not completely transitioned to the youth stage and could barely be called a teenager. His figure was not tall, but not short either. His appearance could be considered above average. His skin was slightly dark, but his bone structure was very good. The only drawback was that his eyes seemed a little dull and unfocused. The ugly prison guard uniform also sealed off most of his appearance.

Suddenly, Ye Chu Xiao felt the condensation of sight behind him.

He turned around abruptly and discovered that the xiejiao member hanging in mid-air was staring straight at 'the predecessor.'

"Did you bring the thing?" The xiejiao member opened his mouth. His tongue, which had been sealed, was now striking the air, emitting strange and low sounds.

The 'predecessor' numbly took out the prison guard seal that had been obviously 'modified' from his chest.

This kind of seal should originally be in the form of an iron talisman, with a drop of blood from the center of the eyebrows built in, matched one-to-one with the user, and could not be used by outsiders.

But at this moment, a blood-colored gecko was lying on this seal. It broke free from the 'predecessor's' control and flew to the xiejiao member's face.

After obtaining the seal, the xiejiao member bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed blood onto the seal. The blood-colored lizard moved, absorbing the blood and quickly integrating it into the seal.

After completing the seal coverage, the xiejiao member then began to chant incantations in a breathy voice.

As the incantation became more and more rapid, a layer of pale skin fell off the xiejiao member's body.

The skin replaced him, continuing to hang in mid-air.

The xiejiao member, freed from his restraints, rolled on the spot and transformed into a gray-skinned rat.

Looking closely, one could also see that this gray-skinned rat did not have a single hair on its body.

"The accomplice is actually myself?" Ye Chu Xiao had ten thousand 'what the fucks' in his heart.

He thought the seal had been taken away by Li Bantou (Warden Li). He never expected it to be lost at this moment.

In that case, even if he returned with the information he had, he would not be able to escape the predicament, but would instead freeze himself in a dead end.

Regardless of why the predecessor did such a thing.

The conclusion that he was an accomplice of the xiejiao member was beyond doubt.

Even if the predecessor was manipulated and used, that could not be used as a reason to exonerate him.

At this moment, Ye Chu Xiao's brain began to spin rapidly.

He had to find a way to get out of this predicament.

"First, I need to determine whether the xiejiao member who turned into a rat has really escaped from the Ministry of Justice dungeon."

"Escaping from the prison cell does not mean that he has really escaped from the dungeon. The Ministry of Justice dungeon has a total of eight levels. Although the last three levels of the Ministry of Justice dungeon have never been opened since the Fengshen Rebellion three hundred years ago, the five levels of the dungeon are divided into four areas: Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding. Not only is the area extremely wide, but also the various mechanisms and settings are complex. Even as a prison guard, I only know the mechanism and formation settings of a certain period of time in the Yi area of the third level."

"For a xiejiao member who has turned into a rat to escape from the dungeon, it is not an easy task in a short period of time."

In an instant, Ye Chu Xiao had followed the gray-skinned rat out of the original prison cell.

Then he saw that this rat seemed to know the layout and mechanisms of the dungeon quite well, and continued to dive down, actually going deeper into the dungeon.