Chapter 864: Why Is It Always You?

"The East Sea Dire Rhino has escaped! Quick... check if Young Hero Chu is here, then report to the Guardian Ruler!"

More than ten armored soldiers held long lasso poles, each shimmering with golden light. The glowing lassos were looped around the massive grey dire rhino's horn and four legs. That horn was pitch-black and curved upward. With the flames that the dire rhino puffed out from its nostrils, its horn seemed like an ancient divine weapon.

Even with ten soldiers pulling at once, they couldn't hold the dire rhino down. Yet, no one seemed flustered, as though they were all accustomed to seeing a scene like this.

Just as the furious dire rhino was about to crash into the prison wall, the gate in front of it suddenly opened, and someone walked in from the outside!

It just so happened that a group of soldiers was escorting prisoners through that very gate right when the dire rhino was charging straight for the exit.

Typically, new prisoners were brought into the Celestial Northern Prison a few times at most each month. Prison breaks were, of course, even rarer occurrences. A coincidence like this was unheard of.

Now, the soldiers behind the dire rhino finally grew anxious.

Wham!

Fortunately, the three outer gates of the Celestial Northern Prison were each guarded by a seventh-realm Eminent One. The Guardian Ruler and the Deputy Commissioner Zuo, who were both eighth-realm Eminent Ones, took turns watching over the final wall of the fortress to ensure nothing ever went wrong.

Whenever prisoners were brought in, a seventh-realm Eminent One from the third gate would accompany the group into the prison.

That was the only reason this dire rhino was stopped in time. Even then, the response was rushed, and the Eminent One only had time to unleash one palm strike.

The strike stopped brought the dire rhino's charge to a halt, but its horn still jabbed forward. On the other side, the escort team was thrown into chaos, knocked over by the unexpected charge.

At this critical moment, a tri-beam of swordlight shot through the air like a meteor. The mixed wave of three sword qi tore through the air in an instant!

Even with its thick hide and tough flesh, the huge dire rhino couldn't withstand Chu Liang's lethal swordsmanship. That one sword strike pierced straight through it!

At the end of the corridor, a familiar figure slowly emerged.

"

Woooaaah!

Young Hero Chu! Young Hero Chu!" the soldiers cheered one after another.

Over the past few days, Chu Liang had proven himself to be generous, mild-mannered, and always capable of resolving crises. As a result, he had earned the deep admiration of all the soldiers stationed at the Celestial Northern Prison.

Soon after, the Guardian Ruler arrived at the scene.

Unlike the regular prison guards, the Guardian Ruler had already begun to sense that something was off about the recent spate of demonic beasts breaking out of their cells. At first, he suspected it might be one of the demons' schemes. However, after observing the incidents during the past few days, he found that theory did not make much sense. Why would the demons sacrifice greater demons like this?

"It's fortunate you were here again, but..." the Guardian Ruler said, giving Chu Liang a curious look. "Why is it always you?"

"

Aha...

who knows? It really is quite the coincidence,

haha...

" Chu Liang laughed awkwardly and quickly pulled out a bamboo container. "That demonic beast was incredibly ferocious. Everyone exhausted themselves subduing it. This is Red Cotton Peak's exclusive Mountain-Splitter Bear Gall Elixir. It replenishes qi and restores true essence. Come on, let's all drink a bit of it."

The guards of the Celestial Northern Prison immediately crowded around Chu Liang.

To martial artists, the Mountain-Splitter Bear Gall Elixir was a precious spirit tonic. It could quickly restore vitality and even boost their strength. If Chu Liang had not offered to share it with them, none of the guards would have been willing to buy such an expensive spirit tonic.

As they passed the spirit tonic around, a specialist team handled the breaking down of the dire rhino's corpse. It was a harmonious and lively scene all around.

Right then, someone called out from the gate. "Chu Liang?"

Chu Liang turned toward the voice. Lying amid the mess of demonic beasts collapsed on the floor was a figure that looked very much like a human... and he looked oddly familiar.

"Brother Du?" Chu Liang said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

It hadn't been long since Chu Liang had helped Du Wuhen sell off stolen goods at Red Cotton Peak, earning a sizable fortune. How had this guy ended up in Celestial Northern Prison so soon after?

Moreover, Grand Ancestor Fuyou was nowhere to be seen.

Du Wuhen had been brought in together with several ferocious-looking demonic beasts; he was obviously there as a prisoner.

"Chu Liang!" Du Wuhen struggled to his feet, looking like a bullied child who had finally found an elder to rely on. Feeling aggrieved, his face crumpled into a wounded yet relieved expression. "It's great that you're here!"

Chu Liang hurried forward to ask what had happened, and Du Wuhen recounted the whole story.

He and Grand Ancestor Fuyou had been swindled in a property scam. They went around to present their complaint to various government departments, but their efforts were in vain. So, they decided to present their case directly to the imperial court at the gates of the imperial city. However, before Du Wuhen could even speak, the chancellor's people arrested him on the spot.

They could tell Du Wuhen was a cultivator, yet he refused to reveal his background, so he was deemed a suspicious figure. Du Wuhen thought that if he just held out a bit, Grand Ancestor Fuyou would come rescue him.

However, there had been major unrest in the capital city recently. Several demonic beasts had gone on consecutive rampages in the streets, causing chaos and disorder. Concerned humans might have incited them to attack the city, the city's chief official didn't dare take any risks. Without much questioning, he simply threw both the demonic beasts and Du Wuhen into the Celestial Northern Prison.

Du Wuhen hadn't expected things to escalate this fast. Before he knew it, he had already been brought to the Celestial Northern Prison. Even if he revealed his identity at this point, it would be too late for him. Fortunately, he ran into Chu Liang there. Otherwise, he would have been forced to endure great suffering.

After hearing Du Wuhen's story, Chu Liang couldn't help but sympathize with him.

Chu Liang pleaded with the Guardian Ruler, "Brother Du is a friend of mine. He was once a prodigy of a well-known immortal sect. He didn't commit a crime; his imprisonment is merely a misunderstanding. Why not release him?"

The Guardian Ruler flipped through Du Wuhen's case file and replied, "I have no objection to that, but we still need to notify the office that sent him here. Let him stay in a holding cell first. Once they reply, we'll release him."

"Thank you so much, Guardian Ruler!" Du Wuhen said gratefully.

With the Guardian Ruler's backing, the officials wouldn't dare delay Du Wuhen's release. That meant he wouldn't be stuck there for much longer.

"All right then, Brother Du." Chu Liang smiled. "Let's go and wait for the news."

As soon as Chu Liang said that, he noticed Du Wuhen flinch. It seemed like those words had triggered some kind of trauma.

...

Meanwhile, there was something happening that they had no idea about.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

As the curtain of night fell, a lone figure appeared in the wilderness outside the Celestial Northern Prison.

Grand Ancestor Fuyou's hair and beard fluttered in the northern winds. His eyes glinted with cold light, and his expression was grim.

Earlier, Grand Ancestor Fuyou waited for Du Wuhen to return, only to find no sign of him even after many hours. Eventually, Grand Ancestor Fuyou decided to investigate Du Wuhen's whereabouts and discovered he had been imprisoned in the Celestial Northern Prison.

Ever since Grand Ancestor Fuyou turned over a new leaf, that elder brother of his had been his closest companion. Even if his companion had been a dog, he would have grown attached to it after spending all that time together, let alone a person.

So, Grand Ancestor Fuyou had come to the Celestial Northern Prison to rescue Du Wuhen.

With each step he took toward the prison, a thin layer of red mist rose from underfoot and coiled around his body, gradually spreading outward until it covered the entire wilderness in a dense crimson fog.

I only wished to live among you as an ordinary and good person, but what did I get in return? Scammers and people who shirk responsibility. Fine, then. I won't keep up this pretense anymore. I'm an ancient devil, and I'm done hiding!

By the time Grand Ancestor Fuyou arrived outside the Celestial Northern Prison, the crimson fog had already shrouded the entire sky above the valley, forcing away the white fog conjured by the prison's protective formation.

The heavens and the earth shall be overturned!

The guard on the first gate stared up at the oppressive red fog clouds above and immediately shouted, "Demonic qi detected!"