Chapter 2364: Iron Cage

The hall was at least thirty to forty zhang high, covering an area of over a thousand mu.

However, the originally smooth bluestone floor was now riddled with pits and scattered with remnants of flying daggers, swords, and other magical artifacts. There were also traces of scorch marks from fire and lightning strikes. At the center lay an enormous beast skeleton, its body crystalline like jade, resembling something between a crocodile and a flood dragon.

It appeared as though someone had engaged in a fierce battle with this monstrous creature here. Judging by the age of the remnants, the battle must have occurred quite some time ago.

Han Li examined the skeleton with slight surprise, sensing a faint residual aura that allowed him to determine the beast had reached the peak of the Body Unity stage in life.

For a mere Body Unity-level beast to leave behind such intense battle scars suggested that those who had entered this place were certainly not at the Mahayana stage, though their cultivation levels must not have been weak either.

From the remnants of magical artifacts and treasures scattered on the ground, it was clear that the battle involved not just one person but likely four or five.

After observing for a moment, Han Li’s gaze suddenly shifted to a row of wooden shelves in the corner of the hall.

The shelves were about two to three zhang long, pitch-black in color, and held two rows of over a dozen silver trays of varying sizes. However, all of them were empty, as if their contents had long been taken.

Seeing this, Han Li hesitated no further. With a flicker of his figure, he strode toward the exit at the other end of the hall.

Another bluestone passageway wound upward in a spiral.

This time, it took Han Li the time of a full meal before he finally emerged from the passage.

His vision suddenly opened up to a space several times larger than the previous hall.

A few wispy white clouds floated above, while the ground was covered in fine white sand.

At the center of this space stood a triangular structure resembling a temple.

Han Li glanced at the building, then flipped his hand, summoning a crystalline vial. After a quick inspection confirmed no unusual reaction, he frowned slightly and walked toward the already-open temple gate.

…

Meanwhile, the Three Saints of Wu Ling stood before an endless expanse of black mist.

The mist churned like a living creature, occasionally emitting gusts of eerie, bone-chilling winds accompanied by terrifying shrieks.

The three appeared extremely exhausted, their auras noticeably weaker than before. The three giant insects they had ridden earlier were nowhere to be seen. Yet, as they gazed at the mist, their eyes gleamed with excitement—all because of a towering crimson archway standing before the mist.

The archway was a hundred zhang tall, inscribed with countless blood-red runes. At its apex were two large silver ancient characters: “Blood Prison.”

“So this is the Blood Prison. It’s not quite what I imagined,” the Yu Elder murmured after studying the mist for a while.

“It must be an illusion. Let me try dispelling it!” the Wu Elder replied, his eyes flashing.

With a flick of his sleeve, a green wooden plaque embedded with a black ghost head flew out. He formed a hand seal and pointed at it.

With a *puff*, the wooden plaque expanded to the size of a door, its surface immediately covered in green runes. The ghost head’s eyes snapped open, and its mouth slowly widened.

A thunderous roar erupted as a cyan beam shot from the ghost’s mouth, swirling into a colossal cyan tornado that vanished into the mist.

The black mist churned violently as the cyan gale swept through, clearing a perfectly visible path.

The Three Saints peered intently, their expressions shifting abruptly.

Within the newly revealed path lay a vast lake of thick, crimson blood, its surface crawling with countless thumb-sized white maggot-like creatures. The sight sent chills down their spines.

“Is this the true form of the Blood Prison? Or is it another illusion?” the Yu Elder muttered, his eyes wide.

“Hmph! Under my Cyan Gale, no illusion can remain unchanged,” the Wu Elder snorted. He spat out several bursts of vital energy into the wooden plaque.

Instantly, the gale intensified tenfold, surging forth in relentless waves.

Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, most of the mist had been swept away, revealing the majority of the blood lake.

The three elders looked again, their expressions shifting to delight.

Scattered across the lake were over a dozen black iron cages of varying sizes.

The smallest were barely a zhang tall, while the largest stretched over a thousand zhang. Their surfaces were covered in unknown golden runes, and their inner bars bristled with sharp crimson spikes, making them appear exceptionally sinister.

Most of the cages stood open, but a few remained perfectly sealed. Inside these, skeletal remains lay in various postures.

Though these bones had clearly existed for countless years and varied greatly in structure, the faint residual auras they emitted still sent shivers down the spines of the Three Saints upon sensing them.

“These must be the great enemies suppressed by the Tian Ding True Man. Truly extraordinary. But which one is the remains of the Heavenly Witch? We’ll need to inspect them carefully,” the third elder said, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the skeletons.

“That’s simple. Since the Heavenly Witch cultivated the Witch Dao, even in death, his remains would differ from the others. A closer look will confirm it,” the Wu Elder said with a light chuckle.

“The other remains also belong to formidable figures. They must possess treasures we shouldn’t overlook,” the Yu Elder added eagerly, his greed showing.

“Naturally. But our primary goal is the Heavenly Witch. To avoid complications, we should secure his legacy first,” the Wu Elder declared decisively.

The other two saw the logic in this and ceased arguing. They each summoned protective treasures before flying toward the nearest black cage.

Given the lake’s eerie nature, they dared not let their guard down.

To their surprise, the lake remained eerily calm as they approached the cage, with no unexpected incidents.

Relieved, they examined the small, delicate skeleton inside with their spiritual senses before shaking their heads and moving to the next cage.

After dismissing two more, they unknowingly arrived at the lake’s center, where the fourth caged skeleton lay.

Unlike the others, this cage was among the largest—five to six hundred zhang tall. Aside from the inward-facing spikes, the skeleton was wrapped in countless coils of a blood-red chain, its surface rusted and cracked in places, as though the creature had struggled violently in life.

The skeleton itself was half-human, half-horse, its bones crystalline green with faint golden light flowing within. Its upper body was massive, resembling a human, while its lower half stretched nearly a hundred zhang, ending in four colossal hooves—the only parts still bearing patches of silver fur.

“No mistake. This must be the Heavenly Witch’s true body,” the Yu Elder exclaimed in delight after sensing the terrifying aura.

“Indeed, it radiates the Witch Dao’s energy. To remain so powerful after all these years—truly worthy of the Heavenly Witch!” the third elder agreed, his eyes closed in concentration.

“But where is the Heavenly Witch’s legacy?” the Wu Elder frowned after a moment.

The question reminded the other two, who realized the cage contained nothing else of note.

“What’s that?” the Yu Elder suddenly pointed at a dark speck embedded within one of the massive ribs.

Upon closer inspection, it resembled a jade token or slip.

“Good. Since this is undoubtedly the Heavenly Witch’s resting place, let’s act quickly and open the cage,” the Yu Elder urged.

The others agreed.

With a surge of light, their protective treasures lashed out at the cage.

A deafening explosion erupted as golden light flared from the cage, but when the glare faded, the cage remained unscathed.

The Wu Elder’s expression darkened.

“Let me try again!” the Yu Elder growled. He summoned a blood-red short sword covered in insect patterns, its hilt embedded with a thumb-sized white crystal.

With a flash, he severed several fingers from his other hand, chanting as he directed the blood mist into the sword.