Chapter 370: Hiding in a Jail Cell Should Be Safe

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

After the tribulation lightning, the Calamity Sovereign was left barely alive, his entire body charred, looking not much different from a corpse.

“Damn it! How can a Unity-level cultivator face such powerful tribulation lightning?” he cursed.

The Vice Sect Leader Bone didn’t answer. In his mind, he thought, “Of course the tribulation is powerful—it’s worth a billion Spirit Stones.”

Having gone through a tribulation once before, Vice Sect Leader Bone had fully prepared himself this time.

Now charred black like a statue, a faint cracking sound emerged as his skin began to split. He peeled off the burnt layer, revealing fresh skin underneath.

“An entry-level Cicada Molting Technique?” The Calamity Sovereign recognized the technique.

Vice Sect Leader Bone glanced at him without speaking, calmly swallowing a pill. The sight made the Calamity Sovereign burn with envy.

The Cicada Molting Technique only kept his body clean; he still needed the pill to restore his strength after enduring the tribulation.

The Calamity Sovereign wanted to seize the pill, but his body was in such terrible shape that just being able to move was a miracle. Trying to take the pill was out of the question.

Vice Sect Leader Bone absorbed the medicinal power of the pill, smirking at the Calamity Sovereign.

“I finally turned over a new leaf and started a legitimate business, and you ancient cultivators ruined everything. Now that I have you, consider yourself unlucky!”

Abandoning any formal spells or techniques, Vice Sect Leader Bone proceeded to beat the Calamity Sovereign with his fists and feet, venting his frustration.

“You wretched scum! You ruined my business!”

“Do you think today’s cultivators are pushovers?”

“I won’t stop until I beat you so badly that even your own mother won’t recognize you!”

The Calamity Sovereign was left bruised and battered, with not a single intact bone in his body. His groin received especially harsh treatment.

Vice Sect Leader Bone shook his right hand, producing a thick iron chain. He bound the Calamity Sovereign tightly, slinging him over his shoulder like a pig and preparing to leave.

“No… no! I can’t let him take me away!” The Calamity Sovereign realized that Vice Sect Leader Bone was ruthless. If he was taken away, there would be no chance of survival!

He had to escape!

Biting his tongue, he spat out a mouthful of blood essence, turning his body into smoke. He slipped out of the chains and tore open a rift in space, disappearing instantly.

“Burning lifespan!” Vice Sect Leader Bone’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t expected the Calamity Sovereign to be so desperate. His chains could lock both the body and soul, and in the Sovereign’s weakened state, escaping would require burning at least several thousand years of his lifespan.

“That’s ruthless. How many years do you have left after that?”

Unable to counter the Calamity Sovereign’s desperate method, Vice Sect Leader Bone sighed, “Fine, let him run. I’ll find other ancient cultivators to settle the score.”

…

The Calamity Sovereign was still fleeing for his life. After this encounter, it would be difficult for him to gain any advantage in the current era’s power struggles.

“My strategy was flawed. I hid in a desolate place earlier and ran into that lunatic undergoing tribulation. This time, I’ll hide in a city instead!”

He quickly adjusted his plan and headed for the nearest city.

“Great Yan County—what a fitting name. Like migrating geese flying south, I too will rise again. It suits my situation perfectly!”

(TL Note: The Yan here is 雁 which means goose)

Being cautious, he used his spiritual sense to survey the city.

“It appears to be a prosperous place, and the county governor is only at the Spirit Transformation Stage—perfect for hiding!”

The Calamity Sovereign smiled slightly. A bustling city with a weak governor—this was an ideal hiding place!

Heaven was on his side!

After burning his lifespan, his cultivation had plummeted, falling to the early Unity Stage, and he had barely managed to maintain even that level.

Due to the unique nature of the Void Refinement Stage, falling from the Unity stage meant he would bypass Void Refinement and drop directly to the Spirit Transformation Stage.

“Fortune continues to favor me!” he thought, sneaking into Great Yan County, considering where he could hide and recover his cultivation.

“I can restore my power by devouring the energy of others. The process must not be interrupted, so I need to find a place filled with death and stillness.”

Then, the Calamity Sovereign thought of the perfect hiding spot.

“The jail!”

Prisoners in a jail had no rights, and no one would care if something strange happened to them.

The Calamity Sovereign turned into a cloud of smoke and slipped into the jail.

As soon as he entered, he heard two people arguing.

“I’ve told you, that law isn’t supposed to be used this way. Are you out of your mind?”

“Nonsense, I wrote that law. How would I not know how to use it?”

“Just because you wrote it doesn’t mean you understand it! I raised Yun Zhi, and even I don’t know how strong she is now!”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“No, you’re ridiculous.”

Daoist Non-Speaker and the Minister of Justice were in the middle of a heated argument, with the once calm and composed minister becoming increasingly irritable.

“Hold on a second.” Daoist Non-Speaker raised his hand, sensing something was wrong.

“Who’s there?” he demanded.

“What a heavy stench of blood!” The Minister of Justice was shocked. He had executed many criminals in his time, but none of them carried such a strong aura of death as the Calamity Sovereign.

Most demonic cultivators used secret techniques to hide their bloodthirsty aura, fearing the Righteous Path’s power. However, the Calamity Sovereign had no such concerns. During the Great Yu era, the more bloodstained one was, the better—sometimes, it was even a mark of honor.

“Heh heh, to think you two small fry could sense my presence. Impressive, but now you will become nourishment for me!” The Calamity Sovereign believed he had merely let his guard down for a moment, leaking his aura. It was of no consequence. He had a way to handle these two!

He couldn’t deal with other opponents, but surely these two prisoners would be easy targets.

A sinister, terrifying light suddenly flashed as an evil energy swirled around the confined space, creating a force like a black hole. Silent screams seemed to echo from the depths of an abyss.

“Become my slaves!”

The Minister of Justice immediately struck back, summoning a massive invisible golden hand that swatted away the cloud of smoke. The Calamity Sovereign was sent tumbling to the ground, and the evil energy, light, and the chilling screams all vanished.

“What nonsense. You dare to pull that kind of trick in front of me?”

The Calamity Sovereign lay dazed on the ground, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

How had he been knocked down so easily?

“Demonic cultivator! Capture him!” Daoist Non-Speaker shouted, as his sword heart pulsed. A stream of sword qi, like a river of ten thousand blades, surged through the room, filling the space with unstoppable force.

There was no chance for the Calamity Sovereign to escape, not even to tear open space and flee!

Daoist Non-Speaker, being an expert in escaping himself, knew exactly how to prevent others from doing so.

Only someone like Yun Zhi could have captured him. If it were anyone else, they might not have succeeded.

The Calamity Sovereign fell silent, completely speechless. He didn’t even know what kind of expression to wear to reflect his current state of mind.

What was happening? Why were there such powerful individuals locked up in this prison?

They were even stronger than the lunatic he encountered during the tribulation!

There were no restrictive formations in this jail—why were they locked up here? For comfort during the cool summers and warm winters?

“What kind of fool is this?” The Minister of Justice had never seen anyone so eager to die.

“Who knows? He’s clearly not a decent person. He’s probably some ancient cultivator who’s never seen the world, got injured, and thought he could hide out in this jail to recover. Let’s capture him and claim the credit! We might even get our sentences reduced!” Daoist Non-Speaker said excitedly. Sitting in jail and having credit fall into their laps—it was like a dream come true!

Hearing this, the Minister of Justice became equally excited.

Meanwhile, Yun Zhi, who had been following the Calamity Sovereign, sighed softly as she witnessed the scene. Clearly, expecting him to return to his lair was impossible.

The Calamity Sovereign had the worst luck she had ever seen. First, he was kicked by an old horse, then he had to face tribulation lightning with Vice Sect Leader Bone, and now he had stumbled into Great Yan County’s jail, where he was captured by two Unity Stage cultivators. The fact that he was still alive was a miracle.

Yun Zhi had never seen someone so unlucky.

She decided it was time to take him back for a severe interrogation.

Appearing in the jail, Yun Zhi greeted the two men, “Master, Minister, it’s been a long time.”

(End of the chapter)