Chapter 340: Infiltrating the Dragon Prison

In the realm of spirituality, there exists a terrifying ability called the "Soul Search Art," which allows one to invade another person's mind with their own spiritual energy and forcibly plunder memories from their soul. However, the Soul Search Art is not only incredibly difficult to activate but can also only be used on targets whose spiritual energy is far weaker than the user's, or who are in a state of extreme spiritual weakness. Moreover, it carries significant risks; should the target seize an opportunity to retaliate, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Xuan Gang, however, is not merely a power entity capable of harming enemies; it can also transform into a pure soul entity to invade a person's soul. Consequently, it can achieve everything the Soul Search Art can, but with significantly lower consumption and difficulty. Furthermore, because Xuan Gang exists as a separate entity, there is absolutely no risk of retaliation even if the attempt fails.

The man before Yun Che not only possessed spiritual energy far weaker than his own but was also on the verge of death. As a result, Xuan Gang's memory extraction proceeded exceptionally easily and smoothly. Yun Che quickly retracted Xuan Gang, and the man lay there, eyes wide open, utterly lifeless.

This man was Fen Zizai, the master of the Seventy-Second Hall of the Burning Heaven Clan, operating under the Eighth Elder. He was forty-five years old, and his build was similar to Yun Che's. More importantly, his profound energy rank was exactly the same as Yun Che's current rank: Level Six Earth Profound Realm. His purpose for venturing out in the middle of the night, as he had previously stated, was to covertly enter Azure Flame City and ascertain whether Yun Che was hidden within.

"What an unexpected gift," Yun Che sneered, his brows furrowed. He meticulously observed Fen Zizai's facial features, then stripped off his outer robe and tossed it into the Sky Poison Pearl. After casually digging a pit, he kicked both bodies into it and buried them.

Standing there, Yun Che once again released Xuan Gang, then stared blankly at the profound orange hue.

Currently, he was in his most ordinary state, not even having activated the Evil Soul. In this state, the Xuan Gang he released should have been crimson, yet now, it was distinctly orange!

He then recalled that when he was at the Burning Heaven Clan, he had forcibly activated Purgatory and unleashed Xuan Gang to save Xiao Lingxi. At that time, the Xuan Gang had been astonishingly green, just like his grandfather Yun Canghai's!

What was going on? Why would Xuan Gang evolve while he was in the same state?

Could it be... the Dragon God's Marrow?

Upon this thought, Yun Che immediately found the most probable answer. Xuan Gang's strength was half related to his bloodline and half to his profound veins. With the opening of the Evil God's profound gates and the explosive increase in profound vein power, Xuan Gang's color would naturally sublimate. After acquiring the Dragon God's Marrow, his bloodline had also undergone a transformation. The gift of the Dragon God's Blood had altered the composition of his bloodline, but the gift of the Dragon God's Marrow had changed its very essence! Blood fuses with blood, yet marrow generates blood. The Dragon God's Marrow that entered his body would cause his bloodline to increasingly resemble the incredibly powerful Dragon God bloodline.

Therefore, it would naturally make Xuan Gang, whose power is intrinsically linked to his bloodline, increasingly powerful!

For now, it had transformed Xuan Gang from crimson to orange in its ordinary state. In the future, its sublimation might be far more significant than merely reaching orange!

As his Evil God Profound Veins and Dragon God Bloodline grew stronger, his Xuan Gang might evolve to an exceptionally high level!

Yun Che returned to the cave, and Xiao Lingxi immediately rushed forward, hugging him tightly. "Little Che, are you alright? Are you hurt?" she asked.

"Haha, don't worry," Yun Che chuckled lightly. "In the entire Azure Wind, those who can injure me can be counted on one hand; those two mere small fries aren't worthy. Come, let's continue enjoying our delicious meal; don't mind what just happened."

Xiao Lingxi's heart settled. She looked at Yun Che and softly said, "My Little Che, you've grown up completely and become so formidable... but, hehe, you don't feel strange to me at all."

"Of course, no matter what happens, we are the closest people. How could we be strangers? Come, open your mouth." Yun Che gently moved the spoon to Xiao Lingxi's lips. In the soup, gray powder that Yun Che had quietly sprinkled earlier was mixed in.

As Xiao Lingxi drank, a wave of drowsiness suddenly overcame her. Her eyes blinked slightly, then closed weakly. "Little Che, I suddenly... feel a little sleepy..."

"If you're sleepy, just sleep soundly. I'm right here," Yun Che said softly.

"Mm..." Xiao Lingxi softly hummed in response, her entire body relaxing as she completely drifted into slumber.

Before long, Xiao Lingxi's breathing became steady, and she slept soundly. Yun Che took out a blanket, spread it on the ground, and gently laid Xiao Lingxi down on it. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, he murmured, "I'm sorry, Little Aunt... but don't worry, I'll be back soon. I promise you, when you wake up and open your eyes, you'll see me and Grandpa right away."

Although Xiao Lingxi had been rescued, his grandfather Xiao Lie was still in the hands of the Burning Heaven Clan.

Every second Xiao Lie remained there, he would suffer more torment and face greater danger. Thus, Yun Che had to do everything in his power to rescue him as quickly as possible, not wanting to wait a single second. The method to save him had already taken shape in his mind. However, he naturally couldn't take Xiao Lingxi with him, and leaving her alone here would surely cause her worry and fear, so he had no choice but to make her fall into a deep slumber.

Yun Che exited the cave and spent a quarter of an hour concealing the entrance. After a moment of thought, he took out five drops of Royal Dragon Blood from the Sky Poison Pearl, mixed them with over ten types of medicinal ingredients, and quickly refined five drops of Ice Profound.

He summoned the Snow Phoenix Beast and fed all five drops of Ice Profound to it. Immediately, the Snow Phoenix Beast, which had been extremely listless, let out a low cry shortly after drinking the Ice Profound, and its wings spread wide.

"Chan'er, in a little while, I'll need your hard work again," Yun Che said with some guilt, stroking the Snow Phoenix Beast's feathers. "But it won't be too long this time; you must hold on." Ice Profound could quickly restore some of the Snow Phoenix Beast's power, but it couldn't fully recover its vitality. Relying on external power to fly at extreme speeds again would cause further damage to its vitality, yet Yun Che had no choice but to rely on it once more today.

After storing the Snow Phoenix Beast in his profound seal, Yun Che changed into Fen Zizai's clothes, tidied his hair, and put on his spatial ring. Then, he rubbed his face for a moment, and soon, a face identical to Fen Zizai's appeared on his own. Following this, Yun Che adjusted his walking posture and swaggered towards the Burning Heaven Clan.

It was late at night, and the Burning Heaven Clan was still in disarray, having not yet recovered from yesterday's calamity. The once majestic and imposing main gate was gone, replaced by a pile of rubble. On the rubble, a dozen or so people were still guarding their previous posts, with some occasionally yawning.

Just then, a figure jogged over quickly. The Burning Heaven disciple guarding the "gate" instantly perked up and sternly shouted, "Who's there!"

"It's me!" The approaching figure slowed his pace, his voice carrying a hint of arrogance and severity.

"Oh, it's the Seventy-Second Hall Master, my apologies!" Recognizing the newcomer, the guarding Burning Heaven disciples quickly moved aside and bowed respectfully.

Another Burning Heaven disciple asked, "Seventy-Second Hall Master, didn't you just leave with the Seventy-Third Hall Master for Azure Flame City? Why are you back so soon?"

"Of course, I received important news and rushed back to report to the Elder," "Fen Zizai" said, half-hurriedly, half-impatiently. "Guard this place well. This is a critical time for the clan; no outsiders must be allowed to approach!"

After speaking, he hastily entered and headed directly towards the Eighth Elder's residence.

Members of the Burning Heaven Clan all cultivated the Fire-attributed Burning Heaven Art, so fire elements would naturally fluctuate around their bodies to varying degrees. This was easy for Yun Che, who possessed the Evil God's Fire Seed. Although his profound energy aura couldn't be truly identical to that of the Burning Heaven Art, it would be difficult to discern any difference unless one concentrated intensely to identify it. Coupled with Yun Che's profound energy aura strength being identical to Fen Zizai's in his ordinary state, his disguise was almost flawless.

Although it was deep night and there were many patrolling disciples in the Burning Heaven Clan, not a single one suspected that the Fen Zizai they encountered had been replaced.

Yun Che entered the pavilion where the Eighth Elder resided without any hindrance. After claiming to have important news to report, he successfully met the Eighth Elder, Fen Mochí.

Fen Mochí was not asleep. Upon seeing "Fen Zizai," he said in a deep voice, "What's going on? Didn't I send you and Zhengzhi to sneak into Azure Flame City tonight to investigate if Yun Che had fled there? Why are you back so soon? You said you had important news to report; what is it?"

"Elder, there's no need to investigate Azure Flame City at all," "Fen Zizai" quickly replied. "On the way, I sent a sound transmission to several old acquaintances in Azure Flame City. They informed me that yesterday afternoon, they all saw a large, snow-white bird with an extraordinary aura fly over Azure Flame City, roughly landing north of the city. After that, no one saw the bird fly away again, so it can be concluded that Yun Che is currently hiding in Azure Flame City."

"So it is!" Fen Mochí abruptly stood up, his face filling with rage. "Hmph! To so openly descend into Azure Flame City, this is clearly disrespecting our Burning Heaven Clan, thinking we wouldn't dare to actively pursue him! Now that the Supreme Clan Master and Supreme Elders are both present, let's see how arrogant he can still be!"

"Fen Zizai" sneered silently, then continued, "Elder, although it's confirmed that Yun Che is hiding in Azure Flame City, the city is vast, and Yun Che is undoubtedly very cautious, making it extremely difficult to pinpoint his hiding place. After discussing with Zhengzhi, he will continue to Azure Flame City first, while I rushed back to ask the Elder for instructions on something."

"What is it?" Fen Mochí asked, glancing sideways.

"Fen Zizai" swallowed hard, looking nervous. "One of Yun Che's relatives is currently in the Dragon Imprisonment Prison, reportedly on the lowest level. This disciple wishes to take something from this person—whether it's an item of clothing or an accessory—and then immediately rush to Azure Flame City overnight to display it in a conspicuous location. This might lure Yun Che out. Once he enters our sight, we can use that to learn his whereabouts and hiding place. These are just some undeveloped ideas from this disciple; I await the Elder's instructions."

"Hmm..." Fen Mochí lowered his head in thought. After a long while, he slowly said, "This method is too obvious, making it very difficult to bait anyone. However, although Yun Che is extremely powerful, he is still young and hot-blooded, acting impulsively and radically, so it might be very effective on him... Alright! Then it shall be as you say. However, although Yun Che is currently injured, he is certainly not someone you and Zhengzhi can deal with, and his vigilance will also undoubtedly be high. You must be extremely careful. If you find his hiding place, you must immediately send me a sound transmission."

"Yes, Elder!"

"This is my token," Fen Mochí said indifferently, tossing a crimson token to Yun Che. "With this, you can freely enter and exit the Dragon Imprisonment Prison. Go quickly."

This token was precisely what Yun Che most wanted to acquire. Under his flawless disguise, everything proceeded even more smoothly than he had imagined. Yun Che picked up the token, bowed in farewell, and headed straight for the Dragon Imprisonment Prison.

Fen Mochí stood there, pondering for a moment, vaguely feeling that something was amiss but unable to pinpoint exactly what it was. A short while later, he picked up his sound transmission jade and said, "Clan Master, it has been confirmed that Yun Che is hiding in Azure Flame City..."

The Dragon Imprisonment Prison was the Burning Heaven Clan's internal prison. It held disciples who had committed grave mistakes or serious crimes, as well as enemies and those with grudges. Naturally, it also housed individuals whose freedom the Burning Heaven Clan merely wished to restrict or secretly hide. The Dragon Imprisonment Prison had seven levels; the deeper one descended, the darker and more sinister it became, and the more important or severely criminal the detainees were.

"This is a vital area of the Dragon Imprisonment Prison! No unauthorized entry!" As Yun Che approached the main gate of the Dragon Imprisonment Prison, he was sternly stopped by a guarding disciple.

Yun Che took out the token and said proudly, "By order of the Eighth Elder, I am to proceed to the seventh level of the Dragon Imprisonment Prison to retrieve something from a prisoner."

The guarding disciple glanced at the token, then nodded, and personally led the way. "Please follow me," he said.

With Fen Mochí's token, Yun Che entered the Dragon Imprisonment Prison as desired, without any trouble. Although he held the token, four armed guards closely followed him both in front and behind as he entered. After all, places like the Dragon Imprisonment Prison would hold "special individuals" who, if their identities were known to outsiders, would provoke intense hatred, or even public scorn and abuse. These could include core figures of major clans secretly abducted to seize their profound arts or secrets...

...or "bait" like Xiao Lie, whose mere existence was enough to utterly shame the Burning Heaven Clan.

Upon entering the Dragon Imprisonment Prison, a pungent stench of decay assailed him. The deeper they went, the heavier the stench became, causing Yun Che to frown deeply. The thought that his grandfather was imprisoned in such a place made anger surge within him. Suppressing his anger and impatience, he followed the guarding disciple steadily downwards. After a series of turns, they finally reached the seventh level of the Dragon Imprisonment Prison.

Upon reaching the seventh level, Yun Che immediately saw Xiao Lie, who was confined in the prison cell directly opposite the seventh-level gate.