Undying Life

Chapter 843: Zhong Shan's Ferocity

In a palace, a noblewoman glared at Sima Sanliang, who stood bowed before her.

"My son cannot die in vain. Now that Zhong Shan is in your hands, make his life a living hell! Sima Zongheng handed Zhong Shan over to you with this intention," the noblewoman said coldly.

"Yes!" Sima Sanliang replied, not daring to lift his head.

"As long as you don't kill Zhong Shan, I can back you up in Qingqiu."

"Thank you, Madam!"

"Go now!"

"Yes!" —

In another palace within the Qingqiu Great Prison, Sima Sanliang faced prison guards Liu Ding and Liu Jia.

"Don't worry, my lord. In the eighteenth level of hell, all cultivation is sealed, and each prisoner endures over twenty thousand times their body weight. Even as a Heavenly Immortal, Zhong Shan will find it hard to move. We'll make sure Zhong Shan wishes he were dead!" Liu Ding pledged fervently.

"Did I say to kill him?" Sima Sanliang frowned.

"Uh..."

"Break his limbs and make his life unbearable, but leave him alive!" Sima Sanliang commanded.

"Yes!" Liu Ding responded immediately.

"But my lord, the eighteenth level of hell is for the most severe offenders. Each prison cell can only be opened with the joint keys of the five commanders. You have one key, but what about the other four?" Liu Jia expressed concern.

"I will host a banquet for them. With Young Master Afu inside, I can claim to be delivering something to him. They will lend me their keys. I will keep them occupied while you act quickly!" Sima Sanliang instructed.

"Yes!" —

In the eighteenth level of hell, the prisoners, having failed to provoke a reaction from Zhong Shan, eventually quieted down. The valley echoed with the cries of suffering prisoners and the loud snores of the fat man comfortably asleep in the corner.

Zhong Shan sat quietly, contemplating his next move.

Less than a day later, Zhong Shan's eyelids twitched—someone was approaching.

From the central light pillar, two figures emerged: Liu Ding and Liu Jia from the previous day.

Scanning the area, they quickly spotted Zhong Shan. After exchanging a glance, they nodded and moved towards the other prison cells.

After about the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense, Liu Ding and Liu Jia returned with over a dozen burly prisoners. They placed five differently colored beads into the five slots on the ground outside Zhong Shan's cell.

"Buzz!"

With a faint sound, the group of prisoners easily entered. Liu Ding and Liu Jia swiftly retrieved the beads, reactivating the black energy barrier around the cell.

"Liu Ding, Liu Jia, you better keep your word!" growled a prisoner with a chest covered in black hair.

"Follow my instructions, and you will be transferred to the seventeenth level of hell!" Liu Ding assured.

The prisoners nodded, then turned their fierce gazes towards Zhong Shan.

"Liu Ding, Liu Jia, what is the meaning of this?" Zhong Shan asked calmly, without opening his eyes.

"It means exactly what you think it means, Zhong Shan," Liu Ding sneered. "Break his limbs!"

As the prisoners advanced on Zhong Shan, his eyes finally opened, revealing a cold, determined gaze. The air around him seemed to crackle with suppressed power, despite his sealed cultivation.

"You think you can break me?" Zhong Shan's voice was icy, sending a shiver down the spine of even the fiercest prisoner.

Before they could react, Zhong Shan moved. Even with his immense burden, his movements were swift and precise. With a well-placed strike, he disarmed the first prisoner, using the man's own weight against him. The others hesitated for a moment, but their desperation drove them forward.

The confined space erupted into chaos. Zhong Shan's physical prowess, honed through countless battles and tempered by his unyielding will, was evident. One by one, the prisoners fell, either incapacitated or unwilling to face the enraged Holy King.

Liu Ding and Liu Jia watched in disbelief as Zhong Shan, supposedly as helpless as a mortal, systematically dismantled their plan. Fear crept into their eyes as the last prisoner crumpled to the ground.

Zhong Shan turned his gaze towards them, his expression a mask of cold fury. "You underestimated me," he said softly, but the menace in his voice was unmistakable. "You will pay for this."

The two guards backed away, realizing too late the gravity of their mistake. In the depths of the eighteenth level of hell, Zhong Shan's ferocity had been unleashed, and there would be no mercy.

"The cells in hell are tight, so you'll have to squeeze in together!" Liu Ding sneered.

At this moment, prisoners in other circular cells turned their attention to the commotion.

"Liu Ding, Liu Jia, if you're going to mess with someone, at least come up with a good excuse! Hahaha!" a prisoner in a distant cell laughed.

"Yeah, who is this guy? He's only been here a day, and you're already going after him?" another prisoner shouted.

"Shut up!" Liu Jia barked.

But the prisoners in the eighteenth level of hell were not easily intimidated, and they jeered loudly.

"Get going!" Liu Ding ordered the dozen or so prisoners in Zhong Shan's cell.

The prisoners nodded. One of them, a particularly burly man, said, "He's just like us, with his cultivation sealed. We are all notorious tough guys. Are we supposed to be afraid of him? I've had enough of this place. Let's go!"

The group of prisoners surrounded Zhong Shan, cracking their knuckles as they prepared to attack.

As they moved closer, Liu Ding and Liu Jia stood outside the cell, grinning wickedly. They found such tormenting tasks all too easy.

The prisoners raised their fists, ready to strike Zhong Shan.

Suddenly, Zhong Shan's eyes snapped open. A fierce, unparalleled murderous aura erupted from his gaze.

The aura was terrifying, reminiscent of the killing intent of the Four Swords of Execution, and it shot straight into the prisoners' hearts. Just moments ago, they had been determined to attack, but now, their fists froze in mid-air. Zhong Shan's eyes were too frightening. The prisoners saw death in those eyes, as if they were being frozen by his gaze.

The aura of murderous intent was something they had never encountered before.

To be in the eighteenth level of hell, one had to be exceptionally dangerous, but these notorious criminals were paralyzed by Zhong Shan's gaze alone.

Without any fluctuation of spiritual power, without even moving, Zhong Shan had subdued them with his eyes.

The prisoners swallowed hard, unable to strike, as if a voice was warning them that any attack would result in immediate death.

Zhong Shan's menacing gaze was not a technique but a manifestation of his life experiences combined with the essence of the Four Swords of Execution, a godlike murderous intent that overawed the surroundings.

The prisoners, initially panicked, began to retreat.

"Black Iron Tower, are you stupid? Why aren't you fighting? Are you scared? Hahaha!" a prisoner in another cell laughed.

"Fight! I haven't seen a good fight in a long time. Come on!" others jeered.

But the prisoners, terrified by Zhong Shan's gaze, dared not move. Cold sweat poured down their foreheads. Despite their lifelong ferocity, they had never seen such a terrifying look.

Fight? They dared not. None of them dared to touch Zhong Shan.

Zhong Shan's terrifying gaze moved to Liu Ding and Liu Jia.

"The Sima family sent you, right? You'd better not provoke me. The consequences are beyond your ability to handle," Zhong Shan said coldly.

Shuddering from Zhong Shan's fierce gaze, Liu Ding and Liu Jia felt a wave of fear.

"What are you afraid of? He's just a mortal now, oppressed by the eighteenth level of hell and with his cultivation sealed by Sima Zongheng. My cultivation is still intact. I'm a Profound Immortal. What do I have to fear?" Liu Ding tried to bolster his courage.

"Six Ding, what should we do? The lord is still waiting above!" Liu Jia said nervously.

"These useless fools, we can't rely on them. We'll have to do it ourselves. He's just a mortal now. What do we, two Profound Immortals, have to fear? The sooner we act, the sooner we can report back!" Liu Ding declared.

"Really scared? Six Ding, Liu Jia, who is this guy? Why are Black Iron Tower and the others so terrified?"

"Yeah, who is he? Why are you messing with him just a day after he arrived?"

The other prisoners in the eighteenth level of hell were endlessly curious, shouting loudly. Their noise seemed to encourage Six Ding and Liu Jia.

Six Ding and Liu Jia opened the cell again. Black Iron Tower and the dozen or so other prisoners quickly jumped out, clearly still shaken by Zhong Shan's fierce gaze.

Six Ding held an iron chain, while Liu Jia wielded a large club. They approached Zhong Shan with malevolent intent.

"Are you ready to face the consequences?" Zhong Shan said coldly, still sitting cross-legged.

Liu Jia swallowed nervously, his eyes flashing with a fierce light. "He's just a mortal, what is there to fear?"

"Consequences? Even if we have to face them, it's not now. Besides, we're just following orders!" Liu Jia said.

"Enough talk, let's take him down!" Six Ding shouted.

As Liu Jia swung the club at Zhong Shan, red and blue lights swirled around it, making it look particularly formidable.

Zhong Shan's eyes turned cold. "The consequences I mentioned are now!"

As he spoke, Zhong Shan extended his right hand to meet the club. Everyone held their breath. In that moment, the eighteenth level of hell was eerily silent, save for the loud snores coming from the corner.

Zhong Shan's right hand emitted a faint silver light, enveloped in a gentle mist.

This was the Heavenly Palm, guided by the Dao of Heaven. How could Sima Zongheng's seal possibly restrain it?

The sight of Zhong Shan's glowing hand made Liu Jia realize something was wrong.

This is bad! His cultivation isn't sealed? I'm attacking a Holy King? Liu Jia's heart pounded with fear, but it was too late.

"Boom!"

The club shattered upon impact, and Zhong Shan's powerful hand strike landed on Liu Jia, causing him to explode on the spot, despite being a Profound Immortal.

Six Ding was stunned by this sight. He turned and fled at a terrifying speed.

"Boom!"

Zhong Shan struck with a palm from a distance, creating a phantom hand in the void that caused Six Ding to explode.

The entire eighteenth level of hell fell into an eerie silence. Everyone stared at Zhong Shan, eyes filled with shock and awe. His dominance was undeniable.

"Awesome! That was amazing!" came an excited shout from a corner. All eyes turned to see the chubby man in yellow, now awake. Although he had cotton balls in his ears, he had heard the commotion outside and was used to sleeping through noise. The sudden silence had disturbed his sleep, and he had awoken just in time to see Zhong Shan's display of power.

He couldn't believe his eyes. A prisoner in the eighteenth level of hell, capable of destroying guards?

The guards, protected by their red bracelets, were immune to the suppression of their powers. But the prisoners had no such protection. How could a mortal body achieve such a feat?

The prisoners who had intended to trouble Zhong Shan now felt a wave of relief.

"Black Iron Tower, we owe you one!" one prisoner said to their leader.

Indeed, if Black Iron Tower hadn't led them in retreating, the other prisoners might have foolishly charged forward and faced Zhong Shan's wrath.

Having dealt with the guards in two strikes, Zhong Shan knew this wouldn't end peacefully. He stood up slowly and looked around at the fierce prisoners in the eighteenth level of hell.

His gaze swept over them, exuding an aura of imperial dominance. Countless prisoners felt a wave of reverence in their hearts.

A Holy King remained a Holy King, no matter where he was.