Chapter 458: Restrictions Broken

The firebird circled above the center of the nine-story prison tower, cascading crimson flames like a waterfall, illuminating the entire interior as bright as day.

Wherever the Nanming Li Fire passed, ghostly qi vanished like snow meeting boiling water, scattering and evaporating; even the ghost fires within the corridors and cells emitted a hissing lament before swiftly extinguishing.

Yet, the black well located at the tower's base center remained an abyss swallowing light; despite the crimson flames falling and scorching it, the well's mouth continued to swirl with eerie green ghost fire, neither extinguishing nor dispersing.

Hua Changxi, transformed into the Zhu Que, fixed her torch-like eyes upon the well's mouth—there, a withered figure sat cross-legged above the opening, as if long merged with the well itself.

That person was so thin only skin remained, ribs distinctly visible, spine protruding like a broken blade, hands resting on knees, ten fingers dried and claw-like as an eagle's talons.

Eyes closed, face sunken, cheekbones high, lips dark purple, skin ashen gray, only a faint breath escaping the nostrils proved he still lived.

More terrifying still, nine blood-red chains extended from within his body, piercing him entirely; each chain was as thick as a child's arm, covered densely with restriction runes, flashing with scarlet light.

These chains were not static but writhed slowly like living snakes—one end pierced through all nine stories of the prison tower, while the other plunged deep into the black well.

"Jing Sheng..."

Hua Changxi's pupils trembled violently; Jing Sheng's face and form had changed little since the first time she had seen him.

Qi and blood are the foundation of the flesh; this person's consumption was so immense he stood on the brink of exhaustion, such that despite over a decade passing, he had not grown in the slightest, appearing even more withered than in her memory.

The Zhu Que firebird descended slowly, hovering three zhang from the well's mouth, its flames receding as the human form reappeared.

Lotus flames still burned around Hua Changxi; she did not rashly approach Jing Sheng, merely observing him with a grave expression.

Jing Sheng, suspended above the ghost fire well, clearly assumed a posture of 'suppression'.

Was he suppressing the ghost fire within the well?

Or did something even more terrifying exist inside the well?

"Hmm?"

Before Hua Changxi could ponder further, a sudden change occurred.

The end of the blood-red chain plunging into the ghost fire well suddenly tightened, emitting a piercing sound of dragging and pulling.

From the depths of the well, some colossal entity seemed to exert sudden force, frantically dragging the chain, attempting to pull Jing Sheng into the well.

Jing Sheng's face instantly twisted in unbearable pain; his emaciated body shook violently, his suspended form becoming unstable, showing signs of sinking, as if at any moment he would be dragged into the churning abyss of eerie green ghost fire.

Just then, with a clattering sound, the nine chains piercing through the nine-story prison tower also tightened abruptly.

Next, centered on Jing Sheng, two forces engaged in a silent yet brutal game of tug-of-war.

The ghost fire well side seemed intent on devouring Jing Sheng, dragging him into eternal damnation; the nine-story prison tower side desperately held the last line of defense, preventing his fall.

The blood-red chains blazed with intense red light, seemingly resisting the pulling force from within the well.

As the light surged, Hua Changxi witnessed a scene she could not bear to look upon directly.

The scant qi and blood remaining within Jing Sheng's body were being frantically drained at a speed visible to the naked eye; his skin turned even grayer, his bones emitting faint cracking sounds, as if they would completely disintegrate in the next instant.

Watching this sight, Hua Changxi's heart felt severely blocked, even somewhat suffocating.

She did not understand why Jing Sheng would place himself in such a perilous situation.

"Bang, bang, bang~"

Several Zhurong Stones were waved out by Hua Changxi, arranged around Jing Sheng to form a small qi and blood formation; ruddy, warm light radiated outward, like a rising blood sun, gently enveloping the withered man.

Indeed, the moment the Zhurong Stones were arranged, Jing Sheng's cracked lips moved slightly, instinctively beginning to absorb the qi and blood force within them.

Seeing he still possessed consciousness, Hua Changxi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, yet her gaze grew even heavier.

She looked around—

The leaping eerie green ghost fire at the well's mouth outlined the grotesque silhouette of this prison against the boundless darkness.

Cells were densely packed like a honeycomb, black stone cold, chains hanging down; the air was thick with a dense, sinister, and killing qi, progressing layer by layer from the entrance to the tower's bottom, as if descending deeper brought one closer to hell itself.

And the source of all this was precisely before her—this ghost fire well.

Hua Changxi transformed once again into the Zhu Que firebird, circling within the prison tower while simultaneously projecting her divine sense to rapidly scan each level of the tower.

The imperial clan had occupied the ghost fire well; they must have left some traces.

And that batch of vanished Zhu Que Army...

The names on the "Zhu Que Army Register" had not yet completely faded, indicating they were still alive.

Unfortunately, she discovered no trace of the Zhu Que Army within the prison tower, nor found any traces left by the imperial clan.

"Where did the people go?"

Having found nothing, Hua Changxi once again stood before the ghost fire well.

The 'tug-of-war' had ended; Jing Sheng still sat motionless as a mountain above the well's mouth.

Hua Changxi pondered for a moment, then stepped toward the ghost fire well; she wanted to see what exactly lay inside.

"Old Sister~"

Just as Hua Changxi approached the well's edge, a weak, hoarse voice sounded in her ear.

"Hmm?"

The sudden voice startled Hua Changxi; she swiftly looked around, finally fixing her gaze on Jing Sheng.

"Jing Sheng, are you calling me?"

"Mm." Jing Sheng's reply was weak and powerless, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

Hua Changxi intended to ask about the ghost fire well, but seeing Jing Sheng so weak, she ultimately did not speak: "Jing Sheng, is there anything I can do to help you?"

"The Ghost Fire Token..."

"The imperial clan broke the ghost fire well's restrictions, connecting the ghost fire well with the Nine Netherworlds..."

"Once the Ghost Fire Token falls into the hands of the ghost race, they will be able to use the ghost fire well to enter and exit the human realm..."

After speaking these words intermittently, Jing Sheng fell silent once more.

Hua Changxi felt somewhat frantic listening to this.

The Ghost Fire Token...

Was it the token of the master of the ghost fire well?

Furthermore, the formation sealing the Ghost Fire Well has been broken, connecting it to the Nine Netherworlds?

The Ghost Fire Well is actually connected to the Nine Netherworlds?

Hua Changxi harbored too many doubts, yet found no one to ask; she could only turn her gaze toward the Ghost Fire Well.

Jing Sheng's words had, however, clarified a few things for her.

For instance, why the blood-colored chains on Jing Sheng's body were being pulled and dragged—it must be that the ghost clan was fighting over the Ghost Fire Token.

So, the Ghost Fire Token is inside the well?

The green ghost flames within the Ghost Fire Well made one's scalp tingle with numbness.

Hua Changxi fell silent for a long while, then tossed out several Zhurong Stones, arranging them around Jing Sheng before transforming once more into the Zhu Que fire bird; like a meteor burning through the heavens, she plunged into the Ghost Fire Well.

The well was profound and dark, its bottom unseen.

Ghost qi surged forth, and ghost flames ran wild.

Heaven and earth suddenly darkened; all that remained around her was boundless eerie green and ghost qi thick as ink.

Even while bathed in Nanming Li Fire, Hua Changxi felt her breath grow labored; every beat of her wings tore through a patch of viscous darkness. Though her crimson flames could force back the ghost fires drawing near, they could not purify the entire abyss—the ghost flames receded like a tide, only to surge forward again, endlessly.

She could only fly downward, clinging closely to the nine blood-colored chains extending from Jing Sheng's body.

Runes flowed across the surface of the chains, scarlet and pulsing like blood vessels; each segment radiated an ancient, violent power of restriction, firmly suppressing the erosion of the well's ghost qi and ghost flames.

After falling for who knew how long, a faint red glow finally appeared below.

Hua Changxi accelerated her dive, and only upon drawing near did she see clearly—it was a massive, ancient formation array carved into the rock bed at the well's bottom, shaped overall like a Zhu Que spreading its wings.

The formation lines were cast from a mixture of crimson gold and black iron; though ages had passed, they still gleamed brightly, yet now a striking, profound fissure had appeared at the formation's center.

The ceaseless surges of ghost qi and ghost flames within the Ghost Fire Well were emanating from this fissure.

Even more unnerving was that Jing Sheng's nine blood-vessel chains pierced out from the fissure, stretching into the boundless darkness.