Chapter 501: Summit (Two in One)

A spectral blade wreathed in green flames leapt from the blank canvas. Dark light glinted along its massive edge, tearing open a rift like an abyss in the surrounding air.

What kind of scythe was this? Black Crystals were arranged in dense, overlapping scales, forming a staff handle that symbolized supreme power. Polished, crescent-shaped white bones resembling Jade Talismans were lined up along the blade's surface, each piece originating from an expert who had reached the Summit and stood invincible in their respective Domain.

Vicious flames ignited from the blade, looking as though they would devour everything they touched.

Naturally, that included souls.

Endless plumes of white smoke rose, scattering into turbulent currents.

In an instant, everyone's gazes were firmly locked onto Ning Wei's figure in mid-air.

An almost identical, absurd thought rose in their minds.

Similar...

It was simply too similar...

The current Ning Wei looked almost exactly like the legendary Warden of the Great Prison!!!

"How is this possible..."

Cen Ji felt a wave of dizziness.

She suspected she was hallucinating from severe blood loss.

But the Ning Wei before her was clearly the spitting image of that man in his youth.

Aside from slight differences in expression and movement, every gesture he made carried that man's shadow.

Just as Ning Wei had said earlier, they had finally waited for a new player to enter the board.

And this person was none other than him.

It was the person everyone had been waiting for.

"How truly interesting."

Yan Jing smiled.

"The Great Prison is waiting for these two to die."

"The criminals are waiting for someone from the Great Prison to arrive."

"But in reality, neither is waiting for the person they think they are."

"They are both just waiting for the Warden of the Great Prison."

"Now, they have gotten their wish."

"Even though it isn't the Warden of the Great Prison himself, that man's son should be close enough."

"To think he ended up in such a miserable state," Huo Tong said, somewhat puzzled. "In our era, if a father was a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, the offspring would undeniably stand above the masses."

"Not to mention that his father isn't just an ordinary Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal."

"People are different," Yan Jing said with a chuckle. "He isn't actually sure if his father is that elusive, omnipotent man."

"Since childhood, he grew up following a hunched, gray-haired man who earned less than a single gold bean a month, yet the blood flowing in his bones refused to accept mediocrity."

"It was through such a struggle that he reached this point."

"For him, the only thing he can be certain of is the identity of his mother."

"But that is meaningless. She was a woman who would disregard everything for love. She loved him, but he wasn't the only one she loved."

"That is why he wanted to climb higher, feeling that perhaps only then could he figure everything out."

Hearing this, Huo Tong looked toward Ning Wei's figure with a slightly complicated gaze and muttered, "And yet, the form he manifested upon reaching the Summit is still the one he hates the most."

Yan Jing laughed.

"Yes, it is still him."

"Bloodline is a shackle that can never be cast off."

"Swoosh."

With a light wave from Ning Wei, the green spectral flames bloomed in the air like gorgeous fireworks. Countless fireballs surging toward the two were instantly swallowed by the green fire. A swath of brilliant starlight was cleaved open from the blade's edge, cascading toward the Clown opposite them.

The Clown's expression changed instantly, and he tossed the hat on his head into the air.

In the next second, his figure was submerged by the stars.

The hat slowly drifted down.

His body materialized once more beneath the hat, and he violently coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

"How is this possible..."

He thought he had seen wrong, that it was the Warden of the Great Prison coming at him.

But after rubbing his eyes, he noticed the discrepancy.

Beneath that Black Robe was that wet-behind-the-ears brat from before!

Damn it!

A spine-tingling terror rose in his heart, making the hairs all over his body stand on end.

The appearance of the person opposite him clearly indicated a profound connection to that man!

They had wanted to go fishing, even using their own lives as bait, but they hadn't expected to hook a crocodile capable of swallowing them whole!

No wonder he could summon those heaven-reaching Thorns earlier.

Looking at it now, it must be a life-saving measure given by that man!

Originally, he thought he was hunting down two important staff members of the Great Prison. If they died, the other side would launch a purge. Although the two of them would definitely die, the criminals could take the opportunity to probe the prison's situation—to see whether it was taking a hardline stance or not.

Of course, the other side was likely waiting for exactly this situation as well.

Meaning, the matter had entered the next phase.

If the prison acted tough, they would need to figure out if it was a bluff. If the prison acted weak, they would need to figure out if it was a trap. Such a gamble was at least fifty-fifty.

But what if the people from the Great Prison didn't wait for the two to die and forcefully intervened at a higher Tier?

Then they would very likely gain the upper hand in this chess match.

Because that would mean the Great Prison didn't want the game to advance to the next phase.

They were worried they wouldn't appear formidable enough.

Naturally, taking a step back, it could also be because the Great Prison saw through the fact that they had seen through them, and thus deliberately acted this way to set a trap. Regardless, it was a game of endless layers.

And the core of these endless layers lay in the deaths of those two.

But now, the opposing side didn't need to wait for the two to die.

Because the person they were targeting was that man's son!

They didn't need the deaths of those two to initiate a purge! The charge of attempting to murder that man's son was enough!

Even an out-of-Tier intervention wouldn't prove anything.

If a Ninth Tier expert from the prison appeared now and swatted them to death, or even launched a purge, the criminals wouldn't be able to tell if the other side was intentionally bluffing.

In this way, those Ninth Tier experts who didn't dare to take risks absolutely would not make a move.

Meaning they would die for nothing!

This was a trap!

These thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning.

Realizing this, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and the urge to retreat sprouted in his heart.

He turned his head, wanting to persuade the Constructor beside him to retreat, only to find the Constructor was already gone.

"Fuck..."

His face paled.

And opposite him, Ning Wei had already raised the lantern in his hand once more.

His eyes were wide and burning, a spectral light flashing in his pupils; he had already entered a wondrous state.

In this instant, all other thoughts were banished from his mind.

From his body to his consciousness, only one final thought remained.

He was going to reach the Summit.

He had made such a huge sacrifice, had turned into the image of the person he hated the most, and had exposed everything he had kept hidden for decades. Today, he absolutely had to reach the Summit.

It was not a choice.

He had no way back.

The lantern in his hand erupted with a terrifying black brilliance in this moment, completely covering the sky as cracks appeared and spread across the lantern's glass.

The blank canvas was unable to withstand the might of this lantern and was crumbling step by step.

Ten seconds... or maybe less than five...

This lantern could only last for this final bit of time.

But...

"It's enough."

Ning Wei spoke softly. The Weird Energy around his body poured into it as he took aim at the Clown, who was fleeing in a panic.

Just as he was about to strike.

A figure suddenly materialized in mid-air.

It was a man wearing a Black Robe, holding a Codex in his hand.

"Apologies, Young Master. Your subordinate is late."

The man bowed.

"Step aside."

Ning Wei had only one thing to say.

"There is no need for the Young Master to trouble himself. Let your subordinate handle it..."

The man spoke, but before he could finish, Ning Wei had already pointed the nearly shattered lantern at him:

"Step aside."

The man's face darkened, and he finally retreated slowly back into the darkness.

In the next instant, the lantern shattered completely. Souls were released from the wick, transforming into a guiding rainbow light that instantly pierced through the Clown's body.

With a bang.

Accompanied by a miserable shriek, the Clown was blown to pieces, scattering into dismembered limbs.

But he still wasn't dead. Those limbs seemed to turn into miniature doubles, fleeing in all directions. It was impossible to tell which one was his main body.

Ning Wei threw out the Black Robe, which expanded in the wind as pitch-black, illusory souls pounced out from underneath it.

Miserable screams echoed endlessly once more.

Having done all this, Ning Wei ignored the Clown and carried his Scythe Blade toward the direction of the Constructor.

Right at this moment, the man from before stepped out from the darkness again, blocking Ning Wei's path.

"Please halt, Young Master. Let your subordinate handle the last one."

The man spoke again, making the same request.

Ning Wei looked at the man. After a few seconds, he suddenly laughed and mouthed a sentence:

"You want to appear formidable. You want to take advantage of the enemy's confusion to turn the world upside down, butcher them completely, and terrify them all."

"But that exactly proves that my father's condition seems to be quite poor."

"Step aside. I will only say it once."

"Regardless of whether you are the Deputy Warden or not."

"Otherwise, they will immediately know my father's recent condition."

"A boss in poor condition, and a second-in-command who seems to be doing fine. If the boss's son and the second-in-command were to fall out right now, or if the son even died—" The man's face darkened once more.

He remained silent for a few seconds before speaking again:

"I will come find you later, Young Master."

With that said, the man's figure disappeared again.

Ning Wei hefted the scythe. Flashes of soul light flickered under his feet, and he quickly caught up to the fleeing Constructor.

Although the Soul Tether Pathway did not excel in physical stamina, a Dreamweaver was clearly even worse at it.

After advancing to the Eighth Tier, he had already surpassed the other man in speed.

Watching him approach, the Constructor flicked his wrist, and the surrounding illusions instantly shifted.

The originally distorted Desolate Forest instantly morphed into a pitch-black, claustrophobic room. Inside the room, a graceful and devastatingly beautiful figure was cradling a child.

"Sleep, sleep, my darling baby..."

"Little Wei, when you grow a little older, we'll go see Daddy, okay?"

Ning Wei looked at that familiar figure and the child in her arms, his downcast gaze trembling.

Finally, he raised his Scythe Blade once more and swung it forcefully.

A miserable scream rang out as the Constructor's figure was sent flying backward.

"Cough, cough cough..."

The Constructor coughed up a massive mouthful of blood. A deep ravine seemed to have been carved across his chest, exposing his internal organs to the air.

This Scythe Blade was far too powerful.

Although Ning Wei had only swung it lightly twice, it was now covered in cracks, just like the lantern from before.

Its lifespan had also entered a countdown.

"We... we will definitely succeed..."

The Constructor's blood-stained mouth curled up.

"Your dad is completely finished. No one can change that."

"That couldn't be better." Ning Wei chuckled coldly.

"If you ever want to see the person you want to see again, this is for you."

The Constructor took a sphere out of his pocket and offered it to Ning Wei, a teasing smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Ning Wei remained expressionless. Without hesitation, his blade fell, and the Constructor's head dropped to the ground.

The dust had settled.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

Pondering for a moment, he picked up the dropped Crystal Ball and walked in a certain direction.

"How are you doing?"

Ning Wei looked at Cen Ji, who was lying on the ground, and sighed.

Cen Ji glared at him.

"You lied to me."

"No, I didn't."

"How did you not?"

Cen Ji tried to stand but couldn't move at all. Her face twisted slightly in pain, yet she continued to glare at Ning Wei.

"You are that man's son!"

"I really am not."

Ning Wei sighed helplessly.

"I haven't even seen him more than a few times in total."

"It was my foolishly naive mother who told me he was my father."

"But as you know, every female staff member in this prison wishes he was the father of their child."

"He doesn't even know he has a child."

"Strictly speaking, he and I might not even be blood-related."

"My father is Ning Luoke, the man who guarded the gates of the First Level prison for many years, known as the best gatekeeper among the First Level staff." Cen Ji didn't know what to say.

"Let's go..."

Ning Wei helped her up, then pulled out a Crystal Stone to establish a connection with the door to the working area.

Soon, the door slowly opened, and Ning Wei pushed Cen Ji inside.

"You're not coming in?"

Cen Ji asked anxiously, watching the slowly closing door.

"I'll come see you in a bit. I have something to do right now." Ning Wei remained expressionless.

"Do you prefer apples or bananas?"

"I—"

Before she could finish, the door shut completely.

Ning Wei didn't linger and strode off in a certain direction.

He soon arrived at a clearing.

"Come out!"

He looked around.

However, the figure he imagined did not appear.

"Damn it!"

He threw a punch, smashing his fist into a nearby tree.

"It seems your temper has grown quite a bit since your Tier advanced to the Eighth Tier," Yan Jing's voice rang out.

Ning Wei turned his head. The moment he saw Yan Jing, he felt a surge of unbridled anger. He closed the distance in a few steps and reached out to grab Yan Jing's collar. But after extending his hand, it ultimately hung in mid-air.

He was truly furious, but thinking about it carefully, he wasn't sure what exactly he should be mad at Yan Jing for.

"You ruined my life."

In the end, he could only throw down this sentence in resentment.

"You wanted to reach the Summit," Yan Jing smiled.

"This was your choice. Only those who truly wish to reach the Summit can ultimately achieve it."

"Others cannot force it."

"So it has nothing to do with me."

Ning Wei lowered his extended hand, clenching it into a fist.

Eventually, he sighed.

"One of the two Deputy Wardens just found me."

"Clearly, I've already drawn attention."

"I might not be able to help you deliver messages anymore."

"It's fine," Yan Jing chuckled.

"You have someone else to help you deliver messages?" Ning Wei instantly saw the implication in Yan Jing's expression.

Yan Jing shrugged.

"In fact, I have a much better Messenger than you; it's just that she's been a little busy lately."

Ning Wei's face darkened.

He knew his role wasn't so irreplaceable in this guy's eyes.

Even the half of the delivery task he previously thought he had to do could actually be replaced. All he could say was that it was fortunate he hadn't abandoned Cen Ji to flee.

"How did you know this would allow me to reach the Summit?"

Yan Jing looked at Ning Wei, wanting to glean some experience from it.

"...The original older sister of the body you're in told me."

Ning Wei felt a slight ache in his teeth.

He couldn't say the guy's prediction was inaccurate.

He had indeed advanced.

But to say it was perfectly accurate...

He really couldn't agree.

"Tell me, what did it feel like just before reaching the Summit?"

Yan Jing looked at Ning Wei and asked softly.