Chapter 411

Kong Xianglong's treatment was not bad; he was imprisoned in the D-3 District.

That place belonged to the first layer, so the light was quite clear, and there were no other people in his cell.

After inquiring, Xu Qing learned that the first ten districts were prepared for their own people. Usually, those Sword Holders who made mistakes would be imprisoned here, and Kong Xianglong was a frequent visitor to the Prison Department.

"It's a pity this time was too sudden; I didn't prepare any wine..." At this moment, in the D-3 District, Kong Xianglong, sitting in the cage, smacked his lips, looked at Xu Qing pitifully, and licked his lips again.

He was truly craving it.

Xu Qing looked around and, confirming that only Kong Xianglong was imprisoned here today, took a pot of wine out of his storage bag and sent it in.

Kong Xianglong's eyes lit up. He grabbed it quickly, opened it, took a big gulp, then let out a wine burp and laughed heartily with a satisfied face.

"Delightful! I didn't feel anything when I drank it every day, but I really missed it when I didn't drink it occasionally."

"Come, Xu Qing, drink some with me." As he spoke, Kong Xianglong raised the wine pot and toasted Xu Qing through the bars.

Xu Qing performed a technique, and the prison door of the D-3 District locked itself. Then he took out a pot of wine and drank it as well.

Kong Xianglong was even happier. The two of them drank one sip after another, feeling very comfortable. During this time, Xu Qing even took out a few apples and handed them to Kong Xianglong.

However, after Kong Xianglong ate one, he felt it was tasteless, so he continued to drink wine.

Xu Qing was fine, eating apples and drinking wine, while Kong Xianglong, having drunk wine, spoke more than usual, talking continuously.

"I've stayed in all these districts on the first layer. Sometimes I was lucky and didn't get caught, sometimes I was unlucky and was reported by others. This time I was even unluckier and ran straight into the Palace Master."

Mentioning the Palace Master, Kong Xianglong sighed repeatedly.

"By the way, Xu Qing, what have you been busy with lately? I see your cultivation base seems to be about to break through; why haven't you broken through yet? If you break through quickly, we can do some missions with a lot of military merit together later."

Xu Qing pondered for a moment. He thought that the other party also had an Imperial-level technique and had ten Heavenly Palaces, so he briefly talked about his choice for the Fifth Tiangong and intended to ask for some advice.

"I have experience with this. Integrating an Imperial-level technique into a Tiangong is different from ordinary techniques. It requires a specific ritual and also needs a protector. At that time, I exchanged my military merit for the Imperial-level technique, and I also used military merit to invite a deacon to help as a protector. Forget it, that's a bit general; I'll show you."

As Kong Xianglong spoke, he waved his right hand, and his body became a bit more transparent. Ten Heavenly Palaces were clearly revealed in Xu Qing's eyes.

Six were below the Life Mist, and four were within the Life Mist.

Among the latter four, three palaces were formed by Life Lamps, shining with brilliant light, each with a strange shape, and each exuded astonishing fluctuations.

The other Heavenly Palaces were also extraordinary, especially the two inside, which were even more special.

One was coiled with a Golden Dragon, its entire body exuding a golden light, giving people a feeling of extraordinariness. When Xu Qing looked at it, the Golden Dragon coiled on it suddenly raised its head, its eyes staring intently at Xu Qing.

The Jin Wu behind Xu Qing also manifested at this moment, circling in the D-3 District and looking at the Golden Dragon.

Both sides' auras were drawn to each other, both carrying a sense of scrutiny.

And the other Imperial-level Tiangong was a Jiangong, its appearance similar to the main hall of the Sword-Holding Palace, exuding supreme sword might, its aura extremely sharp.

Xu Qing's heart was shaken when he saw it. He had intended to ask for advice verbally; he didn't expect Kong Xianglong to completely open his Heavenly Palaces to him.

One must know that a Tiangong is a person's secret place; unless one trusts someone very much, one would not easily reveal it.

But with Kong Xianglong, there seemed to be no scruples at all; he revealed it directly for Xu Qing to see.

"Why are you stunned? Not only have you seen this, but Little He and Little Chen have also seen it."

Kong Xianglong laughed. Although the shackles existed and his cultivation base could not be emitted, he could still reveal his own sea of consciousness Heavenly Palaces.

"You see, these are the Heavenly Palaces formed by my two Imperial-level techniques. You should have also gained enlightenment of the Emperor Sword. I just had an aura induction. Later, when your Emperor Sword reaches the second stage, it can also be integrated to form a Jiangong."

Kong Xianglong simply focused on revealing his two Imperial-level Heavenly Palaces to explain to Xu Qing, so that Xu Qing could see them more clearly.

Seeing Kong Xianglong's Heavenly Palaces with his own eyes, Xu Qing was moved. His expression became solemn, and he stood up and bowed deeply to Kong Xianglong.

"Thank you, Brother Kong."

"Between brothers, no need to thank me." Kong Xianglong dissipated his own Heavenly Palaces, took a big gulp of wine, and laughed.

"When you integrate the Imperial-level technique later and open the Fifth Tiangong, I'll see if there are any missions with a lot of military merit to call you for. We in the Field Office have quite a few such missions. Little He and Little Chen have told me many times to find such a mission; they also lack military merit to exchange for inheritance."

Xu Qing thanked him earnestly and drank with Kong Xianglong for a while longer. When he went off duty, he left. He didn't return to the Sword Pavilion but went to the south of the city to buy osmanthus cakes.

He was going back to the branch sect tonight to find Immortal Zixuan.

The Fifth Tiangong had been completely materialized yesterday. Xu Qing intended to put the Jin Wu Refining Ten Thousand Spirits into it tonight to form his first Imperial-level Tiangong.

"My life-bound Cang Dragon... let it give way for now; I'll use it next time!"

Xu Qing looked inward at the Cang Dragon coiled in his life-bound Dharma aperture.

Under the influence of the aura, the Cang Dragon also raised its head on its own, looking at Xu Qing.

"Next time for sure!" Xu Qing murmured in his heart and arrived at the south of the capital district, finding the shop that sold osmanthus cakes.

At the same time, after Xu Qing left the Prison Department, the Palace Master, who was sitting cross-legged in the main hall on the 89th floor, opened his eyes, looked up, frowned, and snorted coldly.

"In the prison of the Prison Department, a jailer and a prisoner drinking wine—what kind of decorum is this!"

"Just now when the two of them were drinking, you pretended not to see. Now that they've finished drinking, one has left and one is sleeping, you open your eyes now to put on a show and snort coldly—who are you showing it to? To me?"

A low voice came from the void behind the Palace Master. A huge vertical pupil eye opened suddenly, its pupil burning like fire, and it even stirred up a storm that swirled on this floor.

Mocked by the artifact spirit, the Palace Master didn't pay attention. He withdrew his gaze with an indifferent expression, pondered for a moment, and spoke slowly.

"Since the two of them have an agreement to go out... you send a letter to the Yao family in my name."

"Is the content still 'Yao Yunhui, are you looking for death?'" The voice in the storm was huge, like a great bell, echoing continuously.

"Ten characters." The Palace Master's voice was cold.

"Xu Qing is this Palace's accompanying secretary."

"Issuing a decree twice for a Sword Holder—doesn't this violate your principles? Or is it because the misfortune on Xu Qing is gone? Eh, oh right, the misfortune on him suddenly disappeared a while ago. Let me think, it seems it disappeared after he went to Ding Yisaner for the second time."

"How strange, the misfortune disappeared so suddenly. What happened when this Xu Qing went to Ding Yisaner for the second time more than a month ago? It's a pity I don't have the authorization, I can't see. Sigh, so annoying. I am an artifact spirit, yet I don't have the authorization for Ding Yisaner."

In the storm, the muffled sound was like thunder roaring.

"If not like this, Yao Yunhui won't understand." The Palace Master spoke faintly, not paying attention to the other party mentioning Xu Qing's misfortune and the Ding Yisaner matter.

"A Sword Holder can die in battle; that is a destination and an honor."

"But they cannot die at the hands of a villain; that is a disgrace. As long as I am here for one day, I cannot accept this happening to any Sword Holder."

The roaring of the storm paused, then roared again.

"Including Zhang Siyun? A secret letter came from the Sword-Holding Court of the Yinghuang Continent. Zhang Siyun has a god residing in his body. The Imperial Capital must have also known about this through the Great Emperor's statue. Someone is very interested in him."

The Palace Master was silent. After a long while, he shook his head.

"As long as he is still a Sword Holder, I will not allow him to be used as bait. I will find a way regarding the god in his body!"

"What about Chen Erniu?"

In the storm, the voice suddenly became intense, carrying a sharp edge.

"I don't believe you didn't see his problem, and if I didn't feel wrong, I should have seen his previous life, but I can't quite remember. How strange, why can't I remember?"

The voice in the storm was filled with irritation and finally turned into a roar. At the same time, a roar also came from the bottom of the deep pit of the Prison Department, as if responding, as if wanting to overlap with the artifact spirit's voice.

"I can't remember, I can't remember, I forgot... who I am. I need to think carefully about who I am. I am..."

The Palace Master's expression was as usual. His right hand slowly raised and pressed slightly into the air.

Under this press, the entire 177 floors of the Prison Department shook simultaneously, emitting brilliant light, all gathering in the center of each floor, which was the exact center of the deep pit.

There, 177 huge runes were formed, simultaneously dropping downward toward the bottom of the deep pit.

Amidst the booming sounds, the roaring at the bottom of the deep pit slowly weakened and finally dissipated.

And the roaring on the 89th floor also dissipated simultaneously. The huge vertical pupil behind the Palace Master slowly closed.

Before it was about to close completely, the vertical pupil revealed confusion, and a weak voice was emitted.

"Who am I..."

"You are the artifact spirit of my Prison Department!" The Sword-Holding Palace Master said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the vertical pupil revealed enlightenment and settled down.

"Right, I remember now. I am the artifact spirit, I am the artifact spirit of the Prison Department, and my mission is to suppress all prisoners."

The vertical pupil closed completely.

The Sword-Holding Palace Master looked at the closed vertical pupil, frowned, a haze appeared on his face, and he murmured in his heart.

"She has been waking up a bit too frequently these years..."

At this moment, if anyone could probe into the Palace Master's heart, they would definitely be extremely shocked by the word 'she'.

This was a term of address for a god.

Clearly, that vertical pupil was not an artifact spirit of the Prison Department at all.

All along, the vertical pupil that talked to the Palace Master thought she was an artifact spirit, but in reality, she was the only reason why successive Palace Masters of the Sword-Holding Palace guarded the Prison Department.

Her true identity was the last avatar of an unknown god sleeping in the Immortal Prohibition in the outside world!

Looking at the closed vertical pupil, the Sword-Holding Palace Master thought of the words the other party had said.

"To be able to make her feel familiar, Chen Erniu must have a problem, but the Great Emperor recognized him and gave him the opportunity to become a Sword Holder, so he is a Sword Holder."

"A Sword Holder is my subordinate."

"My subordinates can die on the battlefield, but they cannot die at the hands of scoundrels!"

The Palace Master murmured in his heart; this was his principle.