Chapter 318: Endless Prison

Chapter 318: Prison Without End

Wusheng Hall was in complete chaos. Torches snaked through the area as figures searched everywhere—on rooftops and through alleyways.

But leaderless, chaos reigned, lacking any semblance of organization.

Su Mo first took his group back to the small courtyard where they had been staying.

The courtyard was oddly quiet, with Zhen Xiaoxiao standing alone in the center, her beady eyes darting sharply as she vigilantly guarded all directions.

She’d clearly heard the commotion outside.

When she saw Su Mo and the others arrive, she jumped at first, but once she recognized them, the sharp gleam in her eyes vanished instantly.

Instead, her eyes welled up:

"Boss... I’m starving!!"

"......"

Su Mo was momentarily speechless. With the day’s chaos unfolding in Wusheng Hall, it was no surprise that delivering meals to guests had been overlooked.

He scanned the area but found no food to offer the poor glutton.

He could only say, "Hang in there, Xiaoxiao. If you can’t bear it, check Wusheng Hall’s kitchen yourself and see if there’s anything to eat.

"Where’s Ding Wugong and that assassin?"

"They’re in the room. Old Hu is guarding them."

Su Mo nodded. "Good. Keep guarding them. If anyone breaks in trying to kill them and you can’t stop them, save yourselves first. Let them die if you must.

"Your vice-boss and I have business to handle. I’ll find you food when I return."

"Thank you, Boss!"

Zhen Xiaoxiao gushed gratitude.

Su Mo then turned to leave with Yang Xiaoyun and Xiao Feng.

He’d only returned to check on the safety of Zhen Xiaoxiao and Hu Sandao.

Ding Wugong was likely truly from the Shadow Hall, but that "assassin" definitely wasn’t.

However, whether it was Lord Jun or Madam Wan, it was hard to say if they would allow these two to live much longer.

Their survival was a wild card.

Since Madam Wan had sent Deng Fengbai and Lai Wenxiu to kill Xiao Feng, it was equally possible she might send someone here to silence the assassin.

By now, the assassin’s usefulness had been completely exhausted, leaving no reason for Xiaoxiao and Old Hu to die over it.

So Su Mo came back just to give these instructions.

Just as he was about to leave, however, Su Mo suddenly remembered something and turned back to look at Zhen Xiaoxiao’s empty hands:

"You still haven’t gotten your bronze club back?"

Xiaoxiao flinched and blurted:

"Boss, I suspect Xu Lu can't even lift my one-legged bronze figurine.

"Look at how skinny and small he is, and he runs so fast—he's clearly not strong enough.

"Even if he finds it, he probably couldn't carry it back in a day.

"That one-legged bronze figurine must be in his hands—don't you dare say I lost it!"

Su Mo frowned slightly. Zhen Xiaoxiao's words were, of course, unreliable. Though Xu Lu didn't possess Zhen Xiaoxiao's inhuman strength, thanks to the *Ethereal Celestial Chronicles*, he had developed formidable inner strength.

He wasn't much of a fighter, but he certainly had enough strength to carry it.

There was no way he couldn't lift it...

And given his lightness skill, he should have returned by now no matter what.

Where the hell did he go?

……

……

Xu Lu was completely lost.

Holding the one-legged bronze figurine in his arms, he sat in a corner of a corridor, taking a brief rest.

The corridor was packed with dangers—hidden blades, traps, and mechanisms everywhere...

This spot, however, was a rare pocket of safety, so he decided to rest for a while.

"I should’ve never gone in..."

He couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Today, he had been ordered by his master to retrieve Zhen Xiaoxiao's one-legged bronze figurine.

That part wasn't difficult.

Even with Zhen Xiaoxiao's freakish strength, she couldn't have thrown the figurine too far away.

He tracked it down easily.

Xu Lu's only worry was that the thing might have damaged flowers or grass—that would be one thing, but if it had hit someone, that would’ve been a disaster.

Luckily, no one got hurt.

The one-legged bronze figurine hadn't hit anyone, but it had crashed straight through a building.

The building belonged to *Wusheng Hall*, tucked away in a secluded part of the compound.

The figurine was already heavy, and after flying such a distance and falling from such a height, it smashed clean through the roof. It then plunged deeper, obliterating a shrine in the building's main hall before burying itself deep underground, only the handle sticking out.

Xu Lu climbed in through the hole in the roof and took a quick look. The shrine held *Wusheng Hall*'s founder.

Today, that founder's statue got wrecked for no reason.

Xu Lu shook his head. "Guess this isn’t going to end well."

Xu Lu pulled the handle outward, extracting the one-legged bronze statue, only to discover a surprisingly large underground space beneath.

He couldn’t help but wonder:

"What is this place for?"

As a former thief, he had a sharp eye for places like this.

Even though he’d given up his old thieving habits since becoming Su Mo’s disciple, a place like this still tugged at his curiosity.

After a moment’s pause, he ducked inside.

Once inside, he saw the tunnels sprawling in every direction.

He wavered briefly, then picked a direction.

He’d only meant to look around, swearing he wouldn’t touch a thing, even if he found a mountain of gold.

But before he knew it, he was lost in the maze of tunnels.

When he turned around, he saw multiple openings where none had been before.

He had no idea which one was his way back.

After failing to find the way he’d come in, he clenched his jaw and kept going.

Then he realized that this place was truly full of deadly dangers.

It was only through Xu Lu's mastery of the peerless qinggong techniques from the *Ethereal Celestial Chronicles* that he managed to narrowly escape disaster at every turn.

Had it been anyone else—without the unparalleled martial prowess of his master, Su Mo—they would surely have perished in these ancient corridors.

Though the traps couldn’t touch Xu Lu, finding a way out was nearly impossible.

"If this continues, with my martial skills still incomplete, I might really die an untimely death...

"What accursed realm is this?"

Little did he know, this was none other than the Endless Prison.

The so-called Endless Prison was constructed upon arcane formations, with every tunnel and junction holding its own mysteries.

Had it been a complete Endless Prison, even without a single trap, anyone trapped within would be lost for eternity—endless, without end.

Coupled with deadly mechanisms and traps, those who entered would either fall to the traps or perish from hunger.

Unfortunately, the one who built this Endless Prison in the past never obtained the complete blueprint.

Though they forged it together with their own talent and skill, the result paled in comparison to the true design.

And Xu Lu, being a peerless thief of his generation, continually discovered miraculous escapes in desperate situations, allowing him to survive thus far.

He gently slapped his face, stood up holding the bronze monopod, and was about to continue exploring when he suddenly heard faint noises echoing down the tunnel.

He froze in surprise. "Am I so disoriented from being trapped that I’m hearing things?"

For all the time he had spent inside, aside from the clanking of traps triggering, he hadn’t heard any other sounds.

Where the hell did that woman’s voice come from?

After a moment of thought, Xu Lu broke out in goosebumps.

"No way… a ghost?"

At the thought, he instinctively clutched the bronze statue tighter, as if the weighty weapon could offer him some sense of security.

But soon, he shook his head.

"Nah, my master always said there are no ghosts in this world—just people faking it."

"What's so scary about ghosts? Human malice is way scarier than any ghost..."

These were words Su Mo had told him before he became a disciple.

That time, he had been so spooked by that 'Ghost Lady' act that his legs turned to jelly, and he couldn’t even use his qinggong.

Su Mo loved ribbing him about it.

Now, recalling those words, Xu Lu shook it off and followed the direction of the sound.

Edging forward carefully for a while, he eventually reached the end of the tunnel and stepped into a cross-passage.

Looking left and right, he noticed the passage curved gently, and along the side he had emerged from, there were numerous entrances.

"Could it be that Wusheng Hall has many such entrances, all leading to this place?"

By now, the woman’s voice had grown clearer—a series of heartbroken weeping.

"Sounds... even more like a ghost now."

He shuddered but sucked it up and decided to investigate further.

Following the sound, he soon arrived before a blank wall.

"The voice is coming from inside the wall..."

After a brief inspection, Xu Lu knocked along the wall with his knuckles.

Moments later, he perked up and pressed down on a green stone, which sank under his touch.

Immediately, a section of the wall slid up, revealing a chamber.

The crying inside abruptly stopped. Squinting inside, Xu Lu saw a woman lying motionless on a bed, her eyes covered.

Only now did she speak softly, asking—

"Is... is that you, Shixiong?"

Hearing this, Xu Lu let out a huge sigh of relief. If she could ask such a question, she clearly wasn’t a ghost.

Since when do ghosts have martial brothers?

Then again... you never know.

What if they died together as fellow disciples?

As his mind raced with wild ideas, Xu Lu approached the bedside and cautiously extended two fingers to lightly touch the woman’s wrist.

"She’s alive..."

This realization finally put his mind at ease.

"Who’s there? Who are you? Don’t touch me!"

The girl, her eyes still covered, couldn’t see who had approached. All she felt was someone touching her, and her voice shook with panic.

Xu Lu quickly reassured her, "Easy now, miss. I’m not here to hurt you.

"I just happened to wander in here and was surprised to find you trapped here..."

He hesitated, then added, "Looks like someone sealed your pressure points. Let me undo them first. My apologies for the intrusion."

"Unseal them? It’s pointless. Whoever sealed me used a next-level technique. If you really want to help, Young Hero, please find my Shixiong...

"He was captured here with me but managed to escape while our captor was distracted.

"We train in the same martial lineage. With his qi, he might be able to..."

Before she could finish, Xu Lu had already pressed his fingers against her acupoints.

With two sharp *pops*, the girl shuddered violently and abruptly sat up from the bed.

She trailed off, stunned, leaving her momentarily dazed.

Instinctively, she reached up to remove the black cloth covering her eyes and looked at Xu Lu. Realizing he wasn’t the person she had expected, she froze in surprise.

"Young Hero, you’re seriously skilled! You actually broke that person’s *Meridian-Locking Heart-Sealing Finger*!?"

"*Meridian-Locking Heart-Sealing Finger*?"

Xu Lu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. "That name sounds badass."

"More than just the name—this move’s got some deep secrets behind it..."

The girl sighed, but her gaze at Xu Lu grew even more astonished. "But you cracked it just like that, which shows your martial arts are extraordinary. Mind telling me which sect you’re from?"

Xu Lu hesitated for a moment.

Stuck in this strange place with a stranger, blabbing about his background seemed risky.

Instead of answering, he asked, "So, who are you, miss?"

"...I’m... I’m Yu Youniang."

The girl spoke up and gave her name.

Xu Lu thought carefully but had no recollection, then nodded and said:

"Miss Yu, now that your pressure points have been released, this place is no safe haven, and the way out is packed with dangers.

"Do you have any plans?"

"I... I don’t know either."

Yu Youniang shook her head. "My senior brother and I were captured by that villain together. For now, finding him is the priority."

Hearing this, Xu Lu quickly asked, "Mind telling me who that villain is? And what is this place?"

"...You don’t know where this is, yet you still managed to get in?"

Yu Youniang naturally countered with a question.

Xu Lu was momentarily speechless and could only sigh. "It was just dumb luck. I was originally searching for something, but... forget it.

"Now that I’m trapped here, I have no idea how to get out."

"Hmm... Two heads are better than one, right? Since we’re both stuck here, it’s best to work together and figure things out.

"My senior brother’s whereabouts are unknown, but he’s always been resourceful. If we can find him, we might gain something."

Xu Lu nodded at her words. "Guess that’s our only shot."

This was no time to waste, so they got up and started scouting.

As they walked, Yu Youniang ran through her experience.

The one who captured her was a real powerhouse, dressed in black and masked, so she had no idea what he looked like.

Neither she nor her senior brother could hold their own against him and were forcibly brought here. Her senior brother had slipped away when he got the chance.

Out of options, the man locked down her pressure points and left her here before chasing after her senior brother.

When Xu Lu arrived earlier, she had thought it was her senior brother who had lured the man away and doubled back, only to realize it wasn’t him.

Xu Lu listened carefully and spotted holes in her story, suspecting the truth was way messier than she made it seem.

After all, she knew the man’s technique was *Locking Pulse and Trapping Heart Finger*, suggesting she had some knowledge of him.

Yet now she was dodging details, making her story not quite add up.

Still, given her unfamiliarity with the place, it was clear she had indeed been dragged here kicking and screaming.

At the very least, their goals aligned, so Xu Lu didn’t push her on it.

As they pushed further in, they found that beyond the curved passageway, there were no more traps, but the terrain grew increasingly complex.

The corridors wound on forever, turning the place into a labyrinth.

Just as Xu Lu was drawing a blank, Yu Youniang scoped out the area with a thoughtful expression.

It hit her, and she said to Xu Lu, "Young Hero, follow me."

"..."

Xu Lu hesitated for a moment. With no other options available, he had no choice but to follow Yu Youniang.

The young woman, however, moved with the ease of an old horse that knows the way.

Leading Xu Lu through the complex maze of passageways, it took only moments before the passage abruptly opened up.

Before them opened up a surprisingly large chamber.

Chains hung from all directions, converging upon a single figure.

The man was studded with locked hooks—some piercing through his collarbones, others through his ribs, wrists, and leg bones.

All were connected by chains, nailing him to the wall.

He was completely unable to move.

Beside him hung an iron cage, inside which sat a young man dressed like a servant boy, sitting in meditation, eyes closed.

At the sight of this, Yu Youniang’s breathing quickened. She was about to rush forward when Xu Lu seized her shoulder and swiftly pressed her pressure points.

Yu Youniang’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Xu Lu put a finger to his lips, signaling silence, then pointed outward.

From behind the cage, a figure emerged.

Cloaked entirely in black robes, the man wore a half-mask covering his face, revealing only a pair of cold, indifferent eyes.

His gaze swept the surroundings as if searching for something.

Yet after searching for some time, he found nothing.

With a frown, he strode up to the hooked man and spoke softly:

"Did you see anyone pass through here?"

The hooked man lifted his head to look at the black-clad figure, revealing a face ravaged by gruesome scars.

One eye socket lacked even an eyelid, leaving only raw, mangled flesh, while the eye in the other socket shone with unnatural depth:

"I saw no one... only a dog."