Chapter 499: Crisis Arrives

"Do you get the feeling we've been walking down for a long time?" the man beside them asked.

The words barely left his mouth when Cen Ji, leading the way, whipped her head around and clamped a hand over his mouth.

Her expression intensely vigilant, she scowled and scanned their surroundings.

Beside her, Ning Wei sighed.

"Stop guessing. We've probably already walked right into it."

In truth, the two of them had noticed something was off over ten minutes ago.

Neither had pointed it out, however. Instead, they had pretended nothing was wrong while silently searching for a way out.

Now, it seemed they might have sprung the trap the moment they stepped through that iron gate.

This was a trap.

A trap aimed directly at the Great Prison's law enforcement team.

"Impossible."

Cen Ji instinctively dismissed the idea as soon as Ning Wei voiced it.

"This is the Great Prison."

Ning Wei remained noncommittal. "The Gror Strait riot 149 years ago, the Desolate Forest Battle Royale riot 221 years ago, the Sand Tower Canyon riot 254 years ago..."

"But the frequency of those has been dropping!" Cen Ji's face darkened.

"From the very first riot until now, all the data shows they're happening less and less often."

"During every riot, that person killed ruthlessly, with extreme brutality."

"Moreover, there has never been a riot explicitly targeting the law enforcement team."

Ning Wei said mildly, "It's useless explaining this to me."

"The fact remains that we are trapped."

"I think the kid is right." A voice echoed from the bottom of the stairs, causing all three of their expressions to shift.

A man wearing a tapered suit and leaning on a walking cane slowly emerged from the shadows beneath the stairs.

He wore a top hat and his face was painted a ghastly white, with an exaggerated ring of red lipstick circling his mouth.

"Clown..."

Cen Ji's gaze turned cold.

Sequence Number 77.

One of the top eighty evildoers in the entire Great Prison.

All of whom had reached the Summit.

"The Absurdity Pathway has no recorded abilities regarding illusions, which means someone else is here..."

Ning Wei's face also turned grim.

If neither of them had noticed the anomalies in this staircase, then the person who created it was highly likely...

Rumble— Rumble—

The entire staircase suddenly began to shake violently. The already narrow space compressed further as the walls on both sides slowly closed in on them. Realizing something, Cen Ji slowly closed her eyes.

"Constructor, Dreamweaver Pathway... Sequence Number 72."

Ning Wei was just about to speak when he seemed to sense an incoming threat. He and Cen Ji simultaneously twisted out of the way.

Swish!

A faint whistle sliced through the air, immediately followed by a scream.

While dodging, Cen Ji had tried to pull her companion down with her, but she was ultimately a fraction of a second too slow. A line of blood burst open across his chest, sending droplets flying.

"Use your blade!"

Ning Wei looked at Cen Ji.

The blade the Great Prison's warden had given her had a high chance of breaking through the illusion.

But Cen Ji's expression was grim.

She had lost the blade.

It had been snatched away by that human.

She had kept this secret to herself all these days, not daring to reveal it to anyone.

Ning Wei looked at Cen Ji with feigned surprise, though his hand was already slowly reaching into his pocket.

Of course he knew Cen Ji had lost her blade.

This was the countermeasure he and Yan Jing had agreed upon to ultimately deal with her.

The only reason he called it out now was to force the person hiding in the dark to show themselves.

Sure enough, noticing Cen Ji's predicament provoked a reaction.

A figure dropped down from above them, hanging upside down.

It was a young-looking man with a white turban wrapped around his head and somewhat dark skin, resembling a djinn from a fairy tale. "I didn't expect the rumors to be true."

Clown's mouth curled into a smile, and he let out a shrill, piercing laugh.

"If I had known, I would have come alone."

"Are you really not afraid of him coming after you in the end?" Cen Ji asked in a deep voice, using her peripheral vision to search for flaws.

"Haha."

Clown laughed heartily, then extended a finger and drew it down from his forehead, past his nose and lips, finally stopping at his heart. "Isn't it just death?"

"If he's still in good condition, the two of us die."

"If he's in poor condition, the Great Prison dies."

"It's that simple."

"Back then, we chose to come in here ourselves, and now we can choose to walk out! Don't think you can lock us up forever!"

"Evildoers are eternal!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a ruthless, vicious glint erupted in Clown's eyes. He tossed several spheres high into the air, his mouth suddenly expanding to swallow them whole.

In the next second, terrifying flames spewed from his mouth.

The temperature rapidly spiked!

Even the walls turned crimson from the heat.

A blade instantly materialized in Cen Ji's hand. She narrowed her eyes.

"Slash."

The blade gleamed, slicing the flames into dozens of segments. The fire diminished instantly, yet it still completely engulfed the three of them.

At the same time, several bloody lines burst open across Clown's abdomen.

But instead of reeling, he threw his head back and laughed.

Because if his opponent still hadn't drawn that specific blade in a situation like this, it proved that the weapon was truly lost.

"Attack!"

The staircase warped once more...

Amidst the raging fire, Ning Wei continuously channeled the soul power of the people who had died on these stairs to resist the surrounding killing intent. Gritting his teeth, he flooded the object clenched in his palm with weird energy.

Boom!

Countless Thorns spread outward, instantly growing thicker than buildings. Their massive vines crammed into the narrow space.

But they didn't stop. The long spikes of the Thorns pierced through a certain spot and seemed to keep right on growing.

"There!"

Ning Wei roared. Sweat beaded on Cen Ji's forehead, the hand gripping her blade trembling slightly.

"Slash!"

A flash of light streaked past.

Inside a small alley, three figures tumbled out of an iron gate.

"Go!"

Ning Wei bellowed. Cen Ji glanced down at the man in her grasp, who had already been reduced to a charred corpse, before finally choosing to let go. She sprinted alongside Ning Wei toward the outskirts of the Elite City.

"Then, this concludes our meeting."

Yan Jing straightened the documents in his hands.

The three of them had discussed quite a few issues this time, clearly mapping out the future and development direction of the three Domains.

"The Zodiac has received the news. Someone will likely come over soon to inspect you further,"

Wang Yu said softly.

Yan Jing's expression remained calm.

"I'm looking forward to it."

He stepped out of the conference room. Shen ??ran, who was waiting by the door, handed him a cup of water.

"I still haven't found it,"

Shen ??ran whispered, leaning close to his ear.

"I have no idea where she hid that God's Candidate Ticket."

"We've searched every area in the Surface World she could access."

"So what are you suggesting, Teacher Shen?" Yan Jing looked at Shen ??ran.

Shen ??ran nodded.

"It's highly likely she left it in the Inner World."

"If it were in her Inventory, a non-bound item like a God's Candidate Ticket should have dropped."

Yan Jing pondered for a moment before his eyes suddenly lit up.

"It should be there."

"Long time no see, everyone."

Yan Jing smiled as he looked at the figures before him.

A deathly silence hung in the air.

Finally, Shui Nianshuang, her body covered in bandages, was the first to speak.

"Did Domain Lord Yan seek us out just to humiliate us?"

"Of course not." Yan Jing looked at the group from the First Ring Domain and smiled.

"I simply want to ask you all about a few things."

"Can I leave first?" a figure in a black robe sitting in a wheelchair asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"I'm not feeling well."

"Don't be in a rush, Miss Sheng," Yan Jing smiled.

"The questions I want to ask will be quick."

"Ask away, Domain Lord Yan." Deputy team leader Chang Chunbo appeased the group with a glance before speaking.

"If we know the answer, that is."

"Domain Lord Liu previously possessed a Domain in the Inner World," Yan Jing smiled.

"I want to know its exact coordinates and name."

Hearing this, they all exchanged glances.

Then, Xu Feng spoke up.

"It's in—"

"Xiao Feng."

Chang Chunbo cut Xu Feng off, then looked at Yan Jing.

"Domain Lord Yan, I know you have plenty of methods even if we stay quiet."

"But there are other secrets there. I want to trade those secrets for some favorable treatment."

"The conditions are simple. For you, it won't be more than lifting a finger."

"Xia and the others are practically crippled."

"Their future livelihood..."

"Brother Bo!" Sheng Xia interrupted, her voice laced with resentment and indignation.

She refused to watch Chang Chunbo beg the very man who had reduced them to this state.

"Xia!" Chang Chunbo's tone turned suddenly severe. He looked at the group and said, "Winners are kings, losers are bandits; it has always been so. If anyone wants to leave right now, I won't stop you."

"We still have to survive the days ahead."

"If you'd rather die than accept his help, leave right now."

A few seconds later, Zhou Kai slammed the door and stormed out.

Seeing that no one else was leaving, Chang Chunbo looked back at Yan Jing.

"Domain Lord Yan, what do you say..."

"No problem."

Yan Jing nodded.

"You are all meritorious contributors to our Yueyin, so you will naturally receive favorable treatment. I was too busy before, so it slipped my mind."

Chang Chunbo nodded.

"That place... is called the Moon District. The coordinates are..."

"Very good. Thank you." Yan Jing nodded, then turned and walked toward the door.

"Everyone, I sincerely thank you for having once been my enemies."

With that, he stepped out of the room.

Inside the room.

After a few seconds of silence, Xu Feng looked at Chang Chunbo.

"Brother Bo, you shouldn't have told him. He's after the God's Candidate Ticket."

"I think so too, Brother Bo,"

Shui Nianshuang said, lowering her head.

Chang Chunbo took a deep breath.

"I know."

"But if he really wanted to know, do you think he wouldn't use force on us?"

"We all clawed our way up the same way. Even if we don't understand him, don't we understand ourselves?"

"At least this way, we can exchange it for some security."

"Besides... the God's Candidate Ticket isn't something he can just find because he wants to."

"She is already dead, and the Domain is left without a Lord of the Domain. No one will ever be able to find that Candidate Ticket again."

A heavy silence fell over the group.

At this moment, the only thing echoing in their minds were Yan Jing's parting words.

"I thank you for having once been my enemies."

"Let's go..."

Xu Feng sighed. Stepping behind Sheng Xia's wheelchair, he slowly pushed her out of the room.

But right then, a sudden anomaly occurred.

A familiar blue light bloomed on the horizon. A massive vortex slowly unfurled, as if a corner of a heavenly palace were being pried open. Under their bewildered gazes, a corner of that familiar Domain appeared from within the vortex.

The Domain was gently descending into Yan Jing's palm, visibly recognizing him as its master.

"How is this possible..."

Shui Nianshuang laughed, her smile unbearably bitter.

A Domain would not acknowledge a master simply because they were powerful.

There was clearly a deeper story behind this.

"Winners are kings, losers are bandits..." Chang Chunbo tilted his head back and let out a long sigh.

All their past glory had vanished into smoke.

"As expected, this Domain is the missing piece of the God Storage Land."

Yan Jing watched as the Domain slowly merged back into the chaotic realm of the God Storage Land, the two gradually blending together.

Therefore, the truth of the past was finally completely clear.

During the Severed Era.

The Source of Mutation descended.

Several tribes began huddling for warmth, establishing a grand alliance.

As time passed, the opposition between the old and the new grew increasingly severe.

At that time, the Moon Tribe and the Medicine Clan backed the forbearance faction and proposed the God Storage Land.

The Medicine Clan wanted to steal divinity through the God Storage Land, but the Moon Tribe saw through this in advance and directly took away a corner of it.

Then...

It fell into the Surface World.

It was unknown what happened in between, but this small Domain eventually ended up in the hands of the first domain lord.

Then, it was passed down to Liu Xiaoyue.

Because this Domain was originally part of the God Storage Land, Liu Xiaoyue sensed it in advance when the God Storage Land began to recover.

And thus came the ranking matches.

"So, the God's Candidate Ticket is right..."

Yan Jing's heart stirred. A ticket shimmering with white light condensed from the center of the Domain and landed in his hand.

[Item Name: God's Candidate Ticket (Incomplete)]

[Quality: A god's item has no concept of quality, even when incomplete]

[Tier Requirement: A god's item has no concept of Tier requirements, even when incomplete]

[Effect: A god's item requires no explanation of its effects, even when incomplete]

[Description: The Deity's Candidate Ticket. This is an invitation, but you need to fill in a "Pool's" true name for it to take effect. Of course, because it is incomplete, it cannot bear the names of those powerful entities. You can only write the name of an existence that has only recently touched upon divinity, and you cannot be a Summit climber or the candidate of another Deity.]

"Now everything is completely perfect."

Yan Jing nodded.

Putting away the God's Candidate Ticket, he prepared to seek out Shen ??ran to discuss which Deity he should choose.

But right at that moment, a subtle feeling welled up in his heart.

Without hesitation, his figure blinked. He found a secluded corner and entered the Inner World.

Crackle—

The sound of crackling flames echoed continuously through the air.

Fierce flames blazed across two massive Thorns that resembled heavenly pillars.

Sparks burst from them like shooting stars, plummeting in all directions.

At this moment, the members of the Wizard Tribe sitting around Yan Jing looked somewhat panicked as they stared at him.

"My Lord, what is..."

Wu Qiu bit her lower lip as she looked at Yan Jing.

"It's nothing."

Yan Jing's expression remained calm.

"Huo Tong, let's go take a look. Everyone else, stand by."

"Understood."

The two of them walked step by step in that direction. Their pace didn't appear fast, yet each step covered hundreds of meters, making their figures almost impossible to track.

"This is your ability."

Huo Tong recognized it.

"Yes, my friend must have run into some trouble," Yan Jing chuckled.

He had given Ning Wei three seeds and three paintings.

Now, two of them had already been used.

Clearly, Ning Wei had encountered trouble, and not a small problem either.

"Please wait a moment, you two."

Suddenly, a voice rang out right in front of them.

A person whose entire body seemed covered in bark looked at the duo.

"Mr. Wen Xu, I presume?"

The man looked at Yan Jing.

"Tree Man, Sequence Number 59. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tree." Yan Jing was no longer a greenhorn who had just entered the Great Prison, so he replied with a smile.

Tree Man broke into a grin, revealing dark red teeth.

"I originally wanted to deliver an invitation to you, Mr. Wen."

"I didn't expect to bump into you here."

"Saves me a trip."

"What business does Mr. Tree Man have with me?"

Yan Jing looked at the man across from him.

Tree Man smiled slightly.

"Nothing major."

"It's just that the lord behind me hopes that you can keep your mouth shut during this time, Mr. Wen."

"Do not submit to the Great Prison."

"That woman behind you is very important."

"She must die, but she cannot die at the hands of the Great Prison's warden."

"She must die by our hands."

Hearing this, Yan Jing's expression didn't waver. He smiled and said, "May I ask who is standing behind you, Mr. Tree Man?"

"The Wilderness Priest, Mr. Merkel."

At those words, Yan Jing couldn't help but lightly tap his thigh with a finger.

Merkel.

Sequence Number 4.

Ninth Tier.