Chapter 70: The Plea Within the Cage (Part 1)

Chapter Twenty-One: The Plea of the Prison Cage

In the blink of an eye, nearly ten thousand faces had appeared upon the hall’s walls. Each face wept, their cries wrenching and harrowing, as if the crowd had been thrust into the underworld itself, consumed by endless suffering.

A cacophony of sobs erupted—wailing, moaning, shrieks, and muffled groans—so overwhelming that the noise battered at the mind, emotions splintering under its onslaught.

The sorrowful lamentations, each unique in its desolation, pressed upon everyone’s spirit, nearly driving them to despair.

Several soldiers in silver armor staggered, dizzy and unsteady from the oppressive grief.

Yan Chuan quickly noticed something amiss among the silver-armored troops.

“Steadfast as a mountain, the Unique Cobalt Seal!” Yan Chuan shouted.

His command carried an imperial will, a voice that drowned out the countless cries.

All three thousand soldiers shuddered, snapping out of their inexplicable sadness, and swiftly formed hand seals.

As they silently recited their incantations, it was as though a ripple spread from deep within, banishing all sorrow and agitation.

A sigh of lingering fear swept through the ranks of three thousand soldiers.

Now, when each of them glanced at the tormented faces on the walls, their hearts raced with terror, hands holding the seals with unwavering resolve.

“My lord!” Liu Jin looked anxiously at Yan Chuan.

Yan Chuan gave a gentle shake of his head, signaling to wait.

“Azure Dragon Seal! Break it for me!” Qinglong bellowed, forming a seal with his hands. A beam of azure light burst forth, dragon-shaped yet not quite a dragon, crashing forcefully against the wall.

Boom!

The Azure Dragon Seal struck the wall, unleashing a mighty gust that swept fiercely over the three thousand soldiers.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The soldiers were driven backward by the sheer force of this energy.

“How can this be?” Qinglong cried in disbelief from nearby.

Everyone looked toward the wall. There was only a pit, one yard square and half a yard deep.

Such a powerful Azure Dragon Seal had inflicted merely this small amount of damage?

Moreover, the damaged wall was eerily restoring itself—the pit filling in on its own. Even the ruined faces of agony were mysteriously returning to their former state.

“Brother, your Azure Dragon Seal can only cause this little destruction? And the wall can recover automatically? How will we ever break it open?” Baihu’s expression was grim.

“Yan Chuan?” Mo Yuxi looked urgently at him.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Chuan shook his head. “This prison cage is reinforced by the earth’s dragon veins. It cannot be opened—not now, at least.”

“Yan Chuan, you know this formation well. Is there no way out? I must escape—I must!” Mo Yuxi pleaded anxiously.

“The geomancer who laid this formation must have captured a nightmare spirit from the underworld as its core. Within this formation, there is a nightmare hidden among thirty-four thousand faces of agony. Find the nightmare, slay it, and you’ll be free,” Yan Chuan answered without concealment.

“Then we’ll destroy them all! One hundred and three thousand faces, we’ll obliterate every one!” Mo Yuxi declared resolutely.

Yan Chuan shook his head, a bitter smile on his lips. “The nightmare doesn’t remain in a single face. It can inhabit any of them. If you destroy one, the earth’s dragon veins soon restore it, and the nightmare can simply move into the repaired face.”

“Yan Chuan, I have no choice. I must obtain what lies within. Please help me break open this prison cage. I promise you a generous reward afterward!” Mo Yuxi implored.

Yan Chuan shook his head again, his smile tinged with helplessness. “I speak the truth. I have never encountered this formation myself—only heard tell of it. Breaking it open is impossible. You must wait for the nightmare to reveal itself, then seize your chance to find it.”