Chapter 634

Chapter 634: Long Years in Prison (Part 2)

The Yongle Ninth Level Dungeon was designed with a layout of nine stars and eight gates.

The eight gates were: the Rest Gate, the Life Gate, the Injury Gate, the Blocking Gate, the Scenic Gate, the Death Gate, the Surprise Gate, and the Opening Gate.

Wang Chen was currently in the area of the Death Gate.

The guilty cultivators locked up here had committed serious crimes or offended real powers.

But that didn’t mean it was fine if the prisoners died; what those in power really wanted was for them to desperately seek death but be unable to achieve it!

In the cell ahead of Wang Chen, a handsome young cultivator sat on the ground, his face ashen and lifeless, with his furious eyes filled with unwillingness and despair evident in its eyes.

Before his death, he must have encountered something very unusual; otherwise, he wouldn’t show such an expression.

Even just looking at him sent chills down one’s spine.

Wang Chen pondered for a moment and quickly walked to the second cell.

However, the prisoner inside was also dead.

Yet this guilty cultivator wore a serene smile, still with open eyes, his gaze filled with joy and delight.

He seemed to have died happily.

But this only made Wang Chen feel even more uneasy!

Moving to the third and final cell, the guilty cultivator inside was not dead, but he appeared dazed, as if his spirit had been taken away, leaving only a body that resembled a walking corpse!

A peak Purple Palace cultivator had turned into an idiot?

Wang Chen took a step back, pulled out a jade token, and held it in his hand, channeling his spiritual energy to activate his divine sense.

The next moment, an impatient voice abruptly echoed in his mind, “What’s the matter?”

“Brother Song.”

Wang Chen replied in his mind, “There’s been an incident at the Death Gate; two guilty cultivators are dead, and one seems to have gone blank.”

The jade token he held was identical to the “Thousand-Mile Spirit Device” used by Zhang Mushan, a special spirit tool that allowed for two-way communication.

However, Wang Chen’s spirit device was issued by the Forbidden Prison Office, could only be used within the immortal city area, and was merely lent to him; if it were damaged, he would face high compensation costs.

Moreover, this spirit tool was more convenient to use, enabling direct communication through thoughts, offering better privacy and security.

The only drawback was that it was quite draining on spiritual energy, so unless a major situation arose, Wang Chen wouldn’t bother notifying the higher-ups or the officers.

“Brother Song,” whom Wang Chen mentioned, and Dan Lingfeng were both experienced formal prison guards, but Brother Song held the title of "Scholar," making him a bit of a small leader among the guards.

Normally, this guy enjoyed inviting friends over to drink, have fun, and gamble where he lived.

As for the routine dungeon patrols and inspection work, he left that to interns like Wang Chen.

At most, he would help clean up after incidents, or shift the blame if things went wrong.

But hearing that there was trouble at the Life Gate, Brother Song exploded, “What? A guilty cultivator died at the Death Gate? Little Wang, this is too big; neither of us can take the blame for this, do you understand?”

What does that have to do with me!

Wang Chen had only been a prison guard for a few days, still wearing his trainee badge. His head was small, and he couldn’t bear the weight of such a heavy title!

Besides, wasn’t it normal for deaths to occur at the Death Gate?

Wang Chen didn’t want to waste time arguing. “Brother Song, you need to bring some people to check this out.”

Using the spirit device for communication drained a bit of spiritual energy with each additional word, and replenishing it wasn’t an easy task.

Brother Song arrived swiftly.

Not long after their conversation ended, he came charging over with a group of people.

Three supervising officers, fifteen formal prison guards, and even more trainee guards filled the area around the Death Gate, blocking it completely.

The surge of human presence instantly diluted the heavy atmosphere of death that permeated the space.

Wang Chen was “squeezed” out of the crowd.

He was content to stay out of the fray, leaving Brother Song to handle the situation while he returned to his quarters.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

One day, Dan Lingfeng suddenly called Wang Chen over. “Little Wang, there’s an opportunity…”

An opportunity to secure a permanent position!

District 7 was severely understaffed and had been recruiting temporary workers continuously, offering very meager pay.

However, obtaining a formal qualification wasn’t easy—it was incredibly difficult!

As a trainee, Wang Chen had to excel in his own tasks and assist others while enduring the sneers and mockery from the seasoned staff. In critical moments, he was often the one left behind.

There was no choice; his status was too low.

Now, District 7 was surprisingly offering a chance for newcomers to secure a permanent position, and Wang Chen felt a flicker of interest.

There would surely be trouble, but it was merely a question of whether it was worth it.

He calmly asked, “What are the requirements?”

A pie falling from the sky might come with poison!

Dan Lingfeng explained, “District 7 is preparing to expand the prison area. To secure a formal position, one must be responsible for clearing the paths of negative energy.”

The so-called “paths of negative energy” referred to channels filled with negative energy; clearing them was definitely not a simple or easy task.

Where negative energy accumulated, evil spirits would inevitably arise!

Especially in the unique environment of the immortal city dungeon, the evil spirits that emerged were often extremely vicious or bizarre.

Upon hearing this, Wang Chen immediately understood—this was just a way to exploit people!

Those tasked with clearing the paths of negative energy were essentially cannon fodder!

“Don’t want to go?”

Dan Lingfeng seemed to have anticipated this, smiling as he said, “That’s fine. If you miss this opportunity, there will be others.”

“I really don’t want to go!”

In truth, with Wang Chen’s strength and the Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil, clearing the paths of negative energy would be a job perfectly suited to him.

It would be simple and easy.

However, precisely because of this, Wang Chen couldn’t participate.

If the Heavenly Net for Exorcising Evil were to be exposed, not just Golden Core cultivators but even Nascent Soul true immortals would take notice.

This was an unparalleled weapon for dealing with evil spirits!

Wang Chen felt a surge of curiosity and lowered his voice to ask, “Senior, what exactly happened at the Death Gate a few days ago? Has it been clarified now?”

To avoid awkwardness, he changed the subject.

Most importantly, Wang Chen still hadn’t forgotten the sight of the young cultivator’s death!

“Don’t inquire about that,” Dan Lingfeng said meaningfully.

“There are too many eerie occurrences in this dungeon. It’s best not to get involved in matters that don’t concern you and to avoid trouble for yourself.”

Wang Chen nodded silently and didn’t say anything further.

As for the days that followed, they turned out to be unexpectedly calm.

Wang Chen, the trainee guard, completed a month without receiving an opportunity for a permanent position.

Yet, he didn’t mind and continued living his small life.

Although the environment in the dungeon was poor, it was self-contained, almost completely isolated from the outside world.

No matter how fierce the storms raged outside, it was hard to affect this place.

The second month, the third month…

Unknowingly, Wang Chen had spent a full three months in the Yongle dungeon.

He had also become a true prison guard!