Undying Life

Chapter 845: Era of Great Chaos

As Su Afu departed, Black Iron Tower approached with a group of newly freed prisoners.

"Senior, everything is done," Black Iron Tower said respectfully.

"Hmm. Qingqiu's army will arrive soon. You should leave quickly," Zhong Shan replied with a nod.

"Yes, Senior. We are deeply grateful for your kindness. May we know your name?" Black Iron Tower asked, looking at Zhong Shan before leaving.

"Zhong Shan," he answered calmly.

The group of fierce prisoners etched the name into their memories, bowed deeply to Zhong Shan, and quickly flew away.

As the million prisoners escaped, chaos spread throughout the outside world.

Zhong Shan stood at the exit of the eighteenth level of hell, holding five beads in his palm—the keys to the eighteenth level of hell, as well as the treasure to activate it.

Throwing the five beads into the air and casting numerous incantations, the beads radiated with billions of rays of light.

"Boom!"

The ground shook, and in an instant, a massive black tower rose from the earth, emanating a terrifying aura.

This was the eighteenth level of hell. Activating it with the five beads, the tower emitted thousands of black rays.

On the surrounding ground, countless black rays shot up, resonating with the eighteenth level of hell, forming a terrifying black dome. Inside the dome, all the prison guards who had rushed over were suddenly ensnared by the black energy, causing them to collapse unconscious.

The Great Luo Zhou Tian Star Formation, as modified by the formation genius Nangong Sheng, no longer required the power of the stars for its layout. Instead, it needed a powerful base. Using the base's power to replace the stars, it created a Zhou Tian world, different depending on the base.

Earlier, Black Iron Tower and the other prisoners had followed Zhong Shan's instructions to set up some formation outlines. Once completed, the Zhou Tian world created by the eighteenth level of hell was incredibly strong.

This Zhou Tian world could not only trap those inside but also prevent anyone from entering from the outside.

After finishing everything, Zhong Shan flicked his sleeves and walked out of the formation, disregarding all eyes on him.

Standing atop a peak, Zhong Shan gazed at Qingqiu Great Prison in the distance.

Outside Qingqiu Great Prison, green light shone brilliantly—that was the prison's original formation. There were over a dozen layers, which Zhong Shan had noticed when he first entered, all incredibly powerful. Now they were fully activated. Within the green formation, black energy permeated, exuding an evil aura—that was the Zhou Tian world created by the eighteenth level of hell.

In the sky, the black energy surged high, making Qingqiu Great Prison look like a terrifying ghostly pit, horrifying to behold.

Zhong Shan did everything with precision. He intended to make a significant impact but not to the point of total destruction. Although a million fierce prisoners were released, the Taichu Holy Court could recapture them if they had the ability. He didn't utterly destroy the eighteenth level of hell but used it as a form of retaliatory humiliation. It was a matter of who could inflict more disgrace.

At this moment, countless strong individuals were rushing toward Qingqiu Great Prison.

"Sir, the fierce aura inside suggests there's an unparalleled demon within!"

"Sir, the prisoners from the eighteenth level of hell have all escaped. The eighteenth level may be lost."

"Sir, none of the guards have come out. Could they all be dead?"

Those who arrived first reported to the officials who arrived later.

"Break the formation, quickly!" the official commanded, his eyes wide with urgency.

"Sir, the internal formation is activated. We can't locate the variable points to break it!"

"Break it by force, now!" the official shouted.

The incident fell under the jurisdiction of the present official. With the escape of a million prisoners, there was no escaping responsibility. The five commanders of Qingqiu Great Prison would face severe repercussions if this disaster grew any larger.

"Yes, sir!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The powerful sounds of attempts to break the formation echoed through the sky. The entire area surrounding Qingqiu Great Prison was filled with the deafening noise of these forceful assaults.

However, Qingqiu Great Prison's formations were not easily broken. This was a heavily fortified location, and breaking through the formations in a short time was an impossible dream.

Just then, an army of eighty thousand soldiers arrived.

"What's happening?" the leading general shouted.

"General, it's terrible! A million prisoners have escaped from Qingqiu Great Prison. We can't break the formation, and there's likely a fierce demon inside causing havoc!" the previously anxious official reported.

"A million prisoners?" The general took a deep breath.

"General, we need to break the formation first!" the official urged.

"First to Ninth Battalions, focus all efforts on breaking the formation. Tenth Battalion, head to the major military camps in Qingqiu Holy Capital to notify all generals. Capture the fleeing prisoners at all costs!" the general ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The relentless efforts to break the formation continued. Everyone who arrived for the rescue was on edge. The area around Qingqiu Great Prison was a scene of fiery explosions and terrifying impacts as powerful attacks bombarded the prison.

Seventy to eighty thousand people attacking Qingqiu Great Prison simultaneously was a sight to behold. The entire area glowed brightly, resembling a radiant sun with beams of light shooting in all directions. The intense noise and vibrations forced the citizens of Qingqiu Holy Capital to shut their doors and stay inside.

A major crisis had erupted!

All the rescuers were extremely tense, driven by the urgency to act quickly. Meanwhile, the soldiers sent to other military camps spread the chaos throughout Qingqiu Holy Capital. In no time, the entire city was engulfed in tension, with countless strong figures flying around to capture the escaped prisoners.

Qingqiu Holy Capital hadn't seen such chaos in a long time.

Zhong Shan watched the scene with a strange expression on his face. Shaking his head, he stepped away from the chaos.

On a floating island within Qingqiu Holy Capital, there was a large courtyard. In the courtyard, an elderly man with graying hair frowned deeply, holding a teapot. His anxiety was evident, as his grip had caused fine cracks to form on the teapot.

Standing before the elder was General Hongxiao, who had escorted Su Afu to the eighteenth level of hell.

"Marshal Su, there's a highest-level distress signal from Qingqiu Great Prison. Young Master Afu is still there. I must go and bring him back," General Hongxiao said urgently.

The elder shook his head, though his eyes were filled with concern. "No, Taichu has its rules. Orders cannot be changed from morning to evening. Since Afu was sentenced to half a month, he must complete the term."

"But what if he's in danger?"

"The eighteenth level of hell is a top-tier celestial artifact. Forcibly damaging it would trigger powerful formations. Afu is very safe in the eighteenth level of hell," the elder said, taking a deep breath.

"But what if something unexpected happens? Marshal Su, I understand you have to consider more than we do, but Afu is the only heir of the Su family. We can't risk his safety. I won't extract him, only guard him. The spies watching you can't find fault with that," General Hongxiao implored.

The elder hesitated, clearly torn between his duty and his concern for his grandson's safety. The anxiety in his eyes was palpable as he weighed the options.

"Hmm, you may go then!" the elder immediately nodded.

"Yes, sir!"

"Wait!" the elder called out.

"What else would you command, Marshal Su?" General Hongxiao asked, puzzled.

"Take the Tiangang Thirty-Six Generals and the Disha Seventy-Two Generals with you," the elder instructed.

"Yes, sir!" Hongxiao responded, breaking into a cold sweat. Moments ago, the elder hesitated to send anyone, and now he was dispatching over a hundred elite soldiers?

As Hongxiao prepared to leave, the courtyard door suddenly flew open with a loud bang.

"Someone, come quickly!" Su Afu's excited shout followed as he energetically bounded into the courtyard.

The elder and Hongxiao were left in stunned silence. They had just been about to rescue him, and now here he was, lively as ever.

"You rascal!" the elder roared.

Su Afu froze at the sound, then turned to look at his grandfather.

"Grandfather, you didn't go out today?" Su Afu asked with a pained expression.

"What do you think?" the elder replied sternly.

"Young Master Afu, how did you get back?" Hongxiao asked, puzzled.

"I came back to see that unlucky Holy King, Zhong Shan. Has he arrived in Qingqiu yet?" Su Afu immediately asked Hongxiao.

"He arrived yesterday," Hongxiao nodded.

"No way! Am I that unlucky? I missed him by just one day! My wager!" Su Afu wailed.

"What wager?" Hongxiao asked, frowning.

"I made a bet with some nobles about who would see the unlucky Holy King first. My Vajra Pestle is at stake!" Su Afu replied sorrowfully.

"You fool! You gambled with the Vajra Pestle I gave you? Don't you know that's a celestial artifact?" the elder scolded angrily.

"Grandfather, I won't do it again," Su Afu pleaded, realizing he had misspoken. He quickly adopted a pitiful expression and glanced at Hongxiao for support. But with the elder's fury, Hongxiao pretended not to notice.

"How did you get out? You were supposed to stay in the eighteenth level of hell for half a month!" the elder demanded.

"Uh, everyone was broken out. If I stayed there alone, it would be disgraceful. I can ignore my own face, but not the reputation of the Su family!" Su Afu replied with a pitiful look.

"What do you mean everyone was broken out?" the elder asked, raising an eyebrow.

Seeing the elder's interest, Su Afu became animated.

"Grandfather, you wouldn't believe it. It was incredible! Yesterday, a man arrived in the eighteenth level of hell, near my cell. Today, he suddenly broke out, freeing a million prisoners! They all escaped! It was thrilling, so exciting, so gutsy!" Su Afu exclaimed excitedly.

"Is that true?" the elder asked, incredulous.

"Of course! Haven't you seen the chaos at Qingqiu Great Prison?" Su Afu confirmed confidently.

The elder and Hongxiao exchanged a look.

"Marshal Su, when I secretly visited Young Master Afu yesterday, I heard that someone was sent to the eighteenth level of hell. It seems to have been the Great Zheng Holy King, Zhong Shan!" Hongxiao reported immediately.

"What? That man was Zhong Shan? It was him?" Su Afu shouted in astonishment.