Chapter 233

Unfree·Pat is a guy bound by dozens of thick chains deep in Prison Cage Valley, his body covered in scales and hair.

He possesses both human and beastly physical traits, which is the symbol of the Half Demon Clan.

Finding and killing him did not take Qin Chuan much time.

Or rather, the crucial part comes after killing him.

Behind Pat, in the deep valley sealed off by surrounding cliffs, there is a huge cave entrance over ten meters high.

All signs indicate that Pat is merely a bound guard, a pitiful "Unfree".

Entering the cave, Qin Chuan held the secondary mainline clue he had obtained, the Eternal Candle, and with its faint light saw that the cave walls had been dug out into individual stone cells; there was not even a slot for torches, seeming to have no place for illumination.

If the heinous criminals once imprisoned here could only survive in endless darkness, that would indeed be extremely terrifying.

Now these stone cells hold no living beings, but the corpses of those who were once imprisoned here and have since died have not been cleared away.

By the firelight, Qin Chuan saw the ferocity and pain on these corpses before death—a huge despair still discernible in their dried flesh and blood.

Relying on the hint from the sundial's first innate talent, he quickly found the second secondary mainline clue.

That is a somewhat special stone chamber inside the cave, with neat tables and chairs and a bookshelf, plus a slot just right for placing the Eternal Candle.

It is obvious that this stone chamber was not used to imprison heinous criminals.

【Congratulations, player obtained secondary mainline clue: Warden's Confinement Record】

A Warden? So such a position actually exists.

Qin Chuan looked at the neatly arranged file folders on the bookshelf; the alien script on them had now been translated into Chinese characters—a series of time stamps corresponding to imprisonment dates.

He casually pulled out a file folder and spread it open, seeing the record on the top page.

【Heavenly Sky Calendar Year 3828, January 12, Nether Ghost Clan repeat offender Suo Las, imprisoned in Prison Cage Valley's stone cell No. 742, making him inmate No. 742.】

Prisoner No. 742 inside the cell…

What followed was a shocking imprisonment process.

Upon incarceration, the wraith named Soralas had all his power stripped away; in this lightless mountain cavern cell, only a fixed daily time allowed 'feeding'.

This 'feeding' did not mean food provided by the wardens; instead, the doors of each stone cell were temporarily opened, sealing off the entire stone prison, preventing escape but allowing the inmates to come into contact with one another.

The prisoners held here are both the feeders and the food itself.

After the 'feeding' period ends, only the surviving prisoners are returned to the stone cells, awaiting the next 'feeding'.

After merely 22 days of incarceration, the wraith named Soralas died in wailing.

And this was not an isolated case.

Qin Chuan looked over the other prisoners' records; only a few could survive thirty days here.

After reviewing dozens of records, as the strategy rating rose to S, Qin Chuan took the Eternal Candle and left, continuing deeper into the cavern.

Deeper in the cavern, he finally saw the other living beings in this instance besides the beast: each was a mutilated, mad-faced prisoner of various races.

Just then, the 'feeding time' arrived, opening all the stone cell doors; the extremely hungry prisoners irrationally swarmed the newly arrived Qin Chuan, and then they were all wiped out.

At the moment of death, their faces showed no pain, only the color of relief that came with final lucidity.

As the rating rose to SS, a line from the instance introduction flashed through Qin Chuan's mind.

"And now, Prisoner's Valley has a new meaning: it is the final redemption for the wicked before they plunge into despair."

An absurd thought suddenly welled up in his heart.

To die in Prisoner's Valley—is that redemption for the wicked?

If that is the case…

Just how terrifying a place is the Semya Abyss?

Looking ahead not far off, a stone passage obviously opened later than the cells, Qin Chuan drew a deep breath.

During the recent battle, he noticed that the mad prisoners were doing everything they could to stay away from the entrance of that passage, as if something there filled them with extreme dread.

He had a premonition that the other side of the passage was the Semya Abyss.

Gripping the Eternal Candle tightly, Qin Chuan stepped into the passage; the echoes of wailing and despair seemed to be eternally sealed here, reverberating endlessly throughout the passage.

After advancing several hundred meters, Qin Chuan was blocked by a hazy light membrane.

That was the boundary of the instance.

Beyond the membrane, flickering blood-red light in the darkness illuminated a corner of the hellish scene; terrifying beings gazed this way, causing Qin Chuan's hairs to stand on end instantly.

【Congratulations, player, for achieving the advanced strategy requirement: initial glimpse of the abyss, instance strategy rating raised to: SSS】

【Current instance strategy rating: SSS】

After collecting the instance rewards, Qin Chuan reappeared in the dormitory, wearing a thoughtful expression.

He originally thought that, like the Evil Demon Lin, the B‑grade Prisoner's Valley would let him enter the Semya Abyss, gathering the three treasures needed to concoct Ke Laiyi's gift, the Purifying Spirit Water.

But he seemed to have underestimated the difficulty of this.

And he had vastly underestimated it.

Merely a brief glance, Qin Chuan could already confirm that the Semya Abyss was a terribly frightening place.

If this is also an instance, its level would definitely exceed A‑rank.

"Ke Laiyi." Qin Chuan's mind conjured the image of a woman with moon‑blue skin and silver‑white long hair, and he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

"Your Purifying Spirit Water… isn't the cost a bit too high?"

——

In the girls' dormitory on the other side, Lin Yue smiled as she listened to Zheng Xiaoyu and the other two roommates chatting back and forth, recounting the fun of the dormitory mixer, and finished eating the take‑out barbecue she had packed for herself.

"That restaurant's barbecue is really delicious." Lin Yue said earnestly.

"Right?" Qiao Chang laughed, saying, "Knowing you wanted something lighter, I specifically told them to go easy on the chili and cumin."

"That's just right." Lin Yue stuck out her tongue to lick the flavor left on her lips, "How much does it cost?"

"No need to go Dutch; someone's already treating us!" Song Yuxin laughed from the side, "Qin Chuan secretly bought the bill."

Lin Yue kept that name in mind.

If there's a chance, I should say thanks to them.

After the four girls washed up, each went to bed and chatted intermittently about gossip and each other's experiences until late at night.

After the dorm fell silent, Lin Yue thought a moment, then picked up her phone and sent a message.

A buzzing sound came from the bunk where their heads were together.

Zheng Xiaoyu opened her phone.

【Lin Yue: After entering the Dream World, if I see Luo, could you keep it a secret for me?】

【Lin Yue: He's also at Yan Da, but I don't want him to know my situation yet.】

"Huh?" Zheng Xiaoyu's eyes widened; she couldn't help but lift her head to glance at Lin Yue, then she laid her head back on the pillow.

I get it! The Vice President doesn't want the President to know she uses a wheelchair!

After all, the Vice President just said she should be able to walk normally soon.

No wonder the Vice President wears a mask to hide her identity.

Her secret—I must keep it safe!

Zheng Xiaoyu's eyes showed determination.

【Zheng Xiaoyu: No problem!】

(End of chapter)