7:30 PM.
Dusk falls, fog thickens, enveloping the lake.
Fan Wubing is at the Chaotic Burial Mound by Zhezhu Lake, burying eleven criminals. He then takes in five more criminals from a boat brought over by Qi Wu from the Fuxian Bureau. These five had their cultivation and Dao sealed, their senses locked tight, led around like lambs.
"Thanks for your hard work, Brother Wu."
Qi Wuâs paper-like body shivers, shaking off the discomforting clean aura from outside. He then says, "Today itâs your turn to unclog the air passage, right?"
"Yes, itâs my turn."
Qi Wu asks suspiciously, "Are you sure you want to go alone?"
"Iâve troubled everyone for over half a month now, you all have your own jobs, I shouldnât trouble you further," Fan Wubing replies with a smile.
"Alright then."
The two enter the Abyssal Prison together, parting ways at the entrance of the second layer.
Chen Si finds Fan Wubing, handing him something resembling dried bark thatâs surprisingly smooth to the touch like Mutton Fat Jade. "This will help you open the passage to the fifth layer." He then asks worriedly, "Are you really going alone? Shouldnât I accompany you?"
Fan Wubing shakes his head, "No need, Master Si, donât worry. Iâm familiar with everything now."
"Alright. Oh, by the way, when you reach the fourth layer, look for Third Sister first."
"Whatâs with Third Sister?"
"What else? Sheâs definitely worried about you, probably wants to give you something to protect your life."
Fan Wubing gives a wry smile, "Master Si, I donât really understand why Third Sister cares about me so much."
Chen Si pulls out a pipe from somewhere and starts smoking, the poor quality producing a lot of smoke. "Third Sister is actually a good person."
"A good person?"
"Have you heard about Princess Consort Ya?"
Princess Consort Ya, Li Ying, Venerable Chengmingâs sister.
"I know about her, but not much."
Chen Si says, "Third Sister doesnât actually belong here in the Abyssal Prison. She was Princess Consort Yaâs personal maid, came in with her to take care of her."
"Wasnât Princess Consort Ya a criminal? How does she get this kind of treatment?"
Chen Si sneers, "The Emperorâs business is beyond our understanding."
The prison guards in the Abyssal Prison not only show no respect for the Crown Prince or the Emperor, but they also couldnât care less about what Great Li is like.
Chen Si says, "Third Sister never said it, but everyone knows. We guards are all rotten lives, our deaths mean little. But Third Sister is different, she hasnât committed any crime and she takes great care of us. Not only does she often guide our cultivation, but she also happily covers shifts if any of us want to slack off."
"So, it makes sense that Third Sister cares about me?"
"Her taking care of everyone is normal, but her concern for you isnât."
"Why do you say that?"
Chen Si glances sideways at Fan Wubing, "Firstly, Third Sister really cherishes her eyes. She was a great beauty when she first arrived here, but she voluntarily contracted the âBlood Fusion Syndromeâ to adapt to the prison environment, causing her flesh to not coagulate. Now sheâs just skin and bones, but she kept her eyes. She gave you her left eye; that alone is unusual."
"Why would she give it to me?"
"I donât know, youâll have to ask her yourself."
Fan Wubing, carrying the artifact for the fifth layer clearance, lights three Soul-Guiding Incense sticks, uses spirit to locate the position on the fourth layer, and follows the direction pointed by the smoke.
Proceeding along the twisting, chaotic, overlapping stone staircases.
He soon reaches the fourth layer. The fourth layer is oppressively stuffy, with even more floating stone staircases crisscrossing through space. Most are very short, just ten to twenty steps; at each end, a new staircase must be found. The path is often long, requiring frequent changes, with positions shifting constantlyâone wrong step and youâre off course.
Thus, the way through the fourth layer is hard to traverse.
Racing against the incense burning out, Fan Wubing arrives at Third Sisterâs dwelling.
Third Sister is watering a flowerâa white chrysanthemum. Seeing a living thing in the prison is rare. According to Third Sister, she planted over ten thousand chrysanthemums, and only this one survived, thanks to her farming techniques. So she cherishes this chrysanthemum greatly.
"Youâre here," Third Sister smiles.
"Did you call me, Third Sister?"
"Thereâs news from outside for you."
"From whom?"
Third Sister says, "Ye Yixian. See for yourself." She then throws him a stream of aura.
Fan Wubing opens and reads the aura.
It says that the Li Palace has passed a comprehensive law to ascend to immortality. The Eternal Immortal Sect has chosen a location for their branch sect, a spot in Zhe Xian Valley, a thousand miles east of the Celestial Balance Upper City, and construction has begun.
Fan Wubing is quite surprised; he didnât expect Ye Yixian to provide such a valuable resource. Zhe Xian Valley is on the main dragon vein of Great Li, a rare Immortal Spirit Land.
Everything proceeds as planned, fervently advancing, experiencing minor setbacks, but all good things come with challenges.
The message ends with a note from Fu Manmanâtypical pleasantries, then congratulations on breaking through to the Distraction stage.
Fan Wubing recalls the Fetal Movement Realm breakthrough four months ago.
"..."
Is this the power of the Neutral Body and the Three-legged Golden Crowâs potent physique?
"Thank you, Third Sister," Fan Wubing finishes reading and smiles at her.
Third Sister tenderly touches each petal of the white chrysanthemum, then looks at him, "The fifth layer is really dangerous, are you sure you donât want me to come along?"
"No need, Third Sister."
"Alright then. Take this with you." Third Sister hands Fan Wubing a talisman.
Fan Wubing takes it, exclaiming, "This is a Teleportation Talisman!"
Teleportation Talismans are extremely valuable, starting at the lowest tier of Immortal grade, and can only be crafted by Talisman Masters who comprehend the Cosmic Dao.