After everyone from the Decimo Dao Palace left, Tianming and Bai Zijin jumped into the Infernal Soul Purgatory under the witness of the entire Ancient Qilin Clan. On the Qilin Altar, the eight exalted ones were watching as the two of them disappeared into the purgatory.
âWith the lifetime curse imposed on him and throwing him into the Infernal Soul Purgatory, his pentabane will be useless for the next six months,â Ling Xing said with a smile.
âNot only that. Even if itâs only for six months, the lifetime curse will destroy his talent.â
âThis bratâs cultivation isnât high. It might be decent in the Grand-Orient Realm, but itâs nothing in the Theocracy. After six months, he wonât be able to catch up with his peers. So letâs see how the Decimo Dao Palace is going to groom him then,â Jing Yue sneered.
âNow, thereâs two matters at hand. First is to see Li Muyangâs reaction to this matter. We should still carry on with our pursuit, and while weâre at it, we should advertise his sonâs situation. Second, we should inform the Ancient Theocrats about the Decimo Dao Palaceâs actions,â said Chong Yang.
âThatâs right. Who knows if they can bring this brat away six months from now and remove the lifetime curse. Theyâre poking their nose too far into this matter. Donât forget about the Infernal Soul Raceâs outcome.â
âThe Decimo Dao Palaceâs heritage goes way back. Right now, theyâve long forgotten that they were defeated by the Ancient Theocrats and changed from a sect to a school. If they take it too far, theyâll even lose their school.â
âPutting it bluntly, theyâre just interested in Li Wudi being an octabane.â
âThis person who changed his fate is nothing but trouble. If this continues, heâll definitely become the strongest person in the Theocracy. His potential is even higher than Li Muyangâs from forty years ago!â Jing Yue locked his brows together.
âDonât think too much about it. Having more bane-rings might not necessarily be a good thing. Itâs easy for him to suffer a loss if he shows off too much. With the Ancient Theocrats and Divine Capitalâs power, they wonât allow him to peacefully cultivate.â
âThatâs right. How many geniuses have fallen before they even have the time to grow?â
âThe Ancient Theocrats wonât allow anyone stronger than them to exist.â
......
On the Qilin Altar, many people of the Ancient Qilin Clan followed after Tianming went down the Infernal Soul Purgatory, and Qin Feng was one of them. Everyone naturally knew what they wanted to do. Although his injuries had been treated, his face still looked terrible. As for Li Mulin, her face was still terribly swollen.
So far, there were thousands of people preparing to enter the purgatory.
âQin Feng.â A towering man suddenly appeared before Qin Feng.
âGreat grandfather!â Qin Feng immediately bowed.
âAre your three cousins still in purgatory?â Qin Dingtian asked.
âYes!â Their Qin Clan had a Qilin King, and they were one of the biggest factions in the Ink Qilin Branch. Although Qin Feng had many cousins, he knew which three Qin Dingtian was talking about. They were direct descendants of Qin Dingtian, and they were all younger than the age of twenty. They were the most talented batch of the Ink Qilin Branch.
âThen listen to me,â Qin Dingtian said.
âPlease speak!â Qin Feng became excited when he heard that his great grandfather had an idea.
âItâs impossible for you guys to kill him with a sky saint protecting him, not to mention that he cannot die. But if you can force him to make a move first, such as by insulting his parents, he definitely wonât be able to hold back. Heâs an impulsive person, and you can easily provoke him into attacking first. So as long as he starts the fight, you can beat him up until heâs afraid, although you cannot kill him. Putting it in a nutshell, make him taste hell for the next six months,â Qin Dingtian whispered.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âPlease be reassured. Iâll definitely convey your message to them!â Qin Fengâs eyes lit up.
âGood. If Tianming makes the first move, Bai Zijin wonât be able to say a word even if you guys torture him. You can even try crushing his will. In this way, he will be a cripple even if he has talent. After all, thereâs many similar examples of that. But if he doesnât make the first move, you guys can just get creative about insulting him.â Qin Dingtian patted Qin Fengâs shoulder.
âGreat grandfather, to what extent can we take it?â asked Qin Feng.
âIt wonât be a problem breaking his arms and legs, or killing his lifebound beasts. Isnât he a triple beastmaster? Just leave him with one. Remember, the key is to make him start the fight and you guys will have no choice but to fight back. Do you understand?â
âUnderstood.â Qin Feng nodded.
âHonestly speaking, it might not even be your turn. After all, thousands of people went in as well.â Qin Dingtian laughed.
âThe competition is fierce.â Qin Fengâs eyes turned cold.
......
The entrance to the Infernal Soul Purgatory wasnât a bottomless pit. It was an underground world sandwiched between the Flameyellow continent and the Abyssal Battlefield. It was rumored that there was a huge underground volcanoâthe Infernal Soul Volcanoâwhere the Infernal Soul Race was held imprisoned and suffering the torturing of lava for generations.
Moreover, it was said that the Infernal Soul Barrier could burn souls, allowing creatures within the barrier to suffer the burning pain for eternity. The Ancient Qilin Clanâs task was to maintain the barrier keeping the Infernal Soul Race suffering. It was an order from the Ancient Theocrats for the Ancient Qilin Clan to atone for themselves. So that meant the Ancient Qilin Clan was just right above the barrier.
âItâs a little hot.â Tianming could sense the heat the moment he entered the purgatory. Just from the heat alone, it wasnât something that someone without beast ki could bear. In this place, there was no way Jiang Feiling could live her life normally.
About thirty meters further down, Tianming saw paths on both sides of a cave, passing around an underground palace. The underground palace was huge, and it could probably house thousands of people.
âBig Sister Bai, whatâs this place?â Tianming asked curiously.
âThe place for Ancient Qilin Clanâs kids from five to ten years old,â said Bai Zijin coldly.
Tianming immediately understood. It was said that kids had to spend six months per year in the Infernal Soul Purgatory, starting from age five. Those kids naturally couldnât go deep into the purgatory and provide energy for the barrier, so the Ancient Qilin Clan dug an underground palace to allow the kids to live there. This place was probably just barely within the Infernal Soul Purgatoryâs scope, preventing their lifetime curses from breaking out. After all, there was no way the beast veins of those kids could bear the temperature.
âItâs fortunate that I canât feel anything.â With the Aeternal Infernal Body, Tianming would probably be unaffected even if he was dropped into the lava. He might even be able to bathe in it.
When he walked through the passage, Tianming saw a vast underground space. So it turned out that the Infernal Soul Purgatory was this huge! The walls had long turned red from the high temperature, and the place was like a boiling pot; you could even see the space distorting from the high temperature.
But when Bai Zijin came in, she immediately started to sweat and knitted her brows. She wasnât fond of this place, and complained, âYou bastard. If it werenât for you, I wouldnât have to suffer here. Not only does it hinder my cultivation, but it also feels terrible.â
âIâm sorry, itâs all my fault,â Tianming replied.
Bai Zijin turned and looked at Tianming, then replied, âAt least youâre still polite and sensible. Youâre better than that scumbag father of yours. If it werenât for that, I wouldâve left immediately.â
âBig Sister Bai, you know Li Wudi?â Tianming was pondering what Li Wudi did to Bai Zijin for her to call him a scumbag.
âWhatâre you saying? Iâm talking about Li Muyang.â Bai Zijin snorted.
âHim?â
âThatâs right. I heard he used to be the lover of the princess, but used her to steal the Cyclic Mirror and even killed her afterward. But that wasnât all. While he was on the run for the past twenty years, he even got together with your mother, and that resulted in you. So what is he if heâs not a scumbag?â Bai Zijin said furiously.
Well, that did sound like a scumbag indeed.
âBig Sister Bai thinks so too?â
âThatâs what everyone thinks.â
âI see.â Tianming nodded and didnât think too much about the matter. Looking down, the Infernal Soul Purgatory was huge. There was some darkness in the surroundings that might lead elsewhere, but the volcano crater was directly below. The crater was burning red, and just above the caldera, there seemed to be a transparent black barrier that completely sealed it, suppressing the lava and steam from the volcano. That was the Infernal Soul Barrier, and Tianming had to admit that it looked spectacular.
âThe Infernal Soul Barrier used to be the Infernal Soul Raceâs greatest creation. They probably never imagined itâd be used to imprison them.â Bai Zijin sighed.
âWhat do you mean?â
âNothing that you need to know.â
Tianming could only say that Bai Zijin was a little cold, but Ying Huo did mention that he wanted to conquer an aloof mount. As they walked down the passage, Tianming saw people moving in the black barrier as he got closer.
âThatâs the Infernal Soul Race?â Tianming asked, pointing at those people.
âThose are the earth saints of the Ancient Qilin Clan,â Bai Zijin answered.
âTheyâre also imprisoned by the barrier?â Tianming was baffled.
âNo. Thereâs three layers to the Infernal Soul Barrier: the upper, middle, and lower layers. What you see right now is the upper layer, while the middle and lower layers are both in the volcano. Only earth saints can move about freely in the middle level, while the lower layer requires sky saints. But as long as youâre not in the Saint stage, you just have to remain in the upper layer,â Bai Zijin explained patiently.
âI see....â
âPutting it bluntly, the Infernal Soul Barrier is mainly maintained by the sky and earth saints of the Ancient Qilin Clan. As long as the two lower layers remain stable, it satisfies the Ancient Theocratsâ requirement of torturing the Infernal Soul Race. That means those who arenât in the Saint stage basically donât have anything to do. Out of the next six months, you only have to be in the barrier for three of them,â said Bai Zijin.
âSo Iâll need to stay in the upper layer of the Infernal Soul Barrier and go into seclusion?â Tianmingâs eyes lit up.