Chapter 1239

The theft of both the Soul Calming Gong and the Divine Whip was a matter of utmost gravity.

Such an incident had never occurred before since the establishment of the prison in Yannopolis’ Outer City.

That very night, teams of cultivators clad in armor arrived at the prison cell.

The underground prison of Yannopolis’ Outer City had never been this lively.

There was an envoy standing guard outside every prison cell.

The flickering torches illuminated the otherwise dark and gloomy cells.

Among the muscular cultivators, a tall young man clad in a loose robe stepped out.

In a world that idolized muscular men, this slender man would have typically faced ostracism. However, the surrounding cultivators regarded him with respect and admiration.

Clearly, he was their leader.

The man clumsily made his way toward the remains of the prison guard.

After glancing at the bug corpses scattered on the ground, he began chugging from a bottle of wine.

Jonathan frowned. He had seen people like this in the outside world.

From an outsider’s perspective, the man appeared to be nothing more than a mere alcoholic. Despite his disheveled appearance and dependence on alcohol, he possessed a commanding presence that could control the armored cultivators of the Outer City.

The respect and cautiousness displayed by the surrounding cultivators affirmed his reputation as a heartless and resolute individual.

After finishing the alcohol, the man shook the empty bottle and burped in satisfaction.

“The prison guard was devoured by bugs, so the culprit must be a descendant of the witch race. Who did this?”

The man glanced at Jonathan before approaching the prison cell, raising his hand in a subtle gesture.

As if responding to an invisible command, the sturdy bars of the cell quivered before crumbling into fine dust.

Pointing at Jonathan, the man’s voice slurred slightly as he spoke slowly. “You… Ha! It’s not you.”

He then turned to Stellario. “Be honest with me. Why did you kill our prison guard?”

“To be free,” Stellario replied nonchalantly.

“I’ve heard of a rule that exists here—if a prisoner manages to win thirty consecutive fights, they can earn their freedom.”

The man gave Stellario a smile and nodded. “Yes, there is such a rule. However, I still don’t understand why you’d kill my guard.”

Stellario pointed toward the three storage bags lying on the ground and responded, “When I told him I wanted to register my name, he attacked me instead, intending to take my life.”

Hearing that, the man quickly squatted down to check the three storage bags.

They had stolen the storage bags from their deceased owners and didn’t mark the bags with their spiritual senses. As a result, the bags were now unclaimed and without an owner.

The man examined the stolen storage bags using his spiritual sense, confirming the contents within.

However, upon discovering that the bags did not contain anything of value, he discarded them with a disappointed expression.

“You don’t even have any alcohol. No wonder you can’t even afford to bribe a mere prison guard.”

Rising to his feet, the man held Stellario’s chin.

At the very same time, the man gripped Stellario’s right hand with his left hand.

The dagger came to a stop an inch before the man’s belly. No matter how much force Stellario exerted, he failed to stab the dagger into the man’s stomach.

Black dots appeared underneath Stellario’s skin, indicating that the parasites were ready to burst out.

Right when Jonathan thought he would see the man getting devoured by a massive wave of parasites, he heard Stellario moan out loud.

The man tightly gripped Stellario’s wrist, crushing his energy field barrier.

Stellario needed his spiritual energy to activate the parasites. With the energy field blocked, the parasites in Stellario’s body ceased their hatching process, unable to access the necessary spiritual energy.

The most horrifying thing was, Stellario was using his body to feed the parasites. He relied on his spiritual energy to isolate and suppress them, but with his energy field sealed off, he was unable to maintain control. If the seal remained for too long, the parasite eggs would grow active and start consuming him instead.

Stellario had always known that the day would come when he would succumb to the devastating backlash of the parasites he had willingly nurtured within his own body.

Yet, when that day finally arrived, an overwhelming fear gripped him entirely.

“You killed my subordinate, so it’s only fair that you offer me an equivalent compensation. What do you say?”

The man burst out chuckling before shoving Stellario to the ground.

Free from the suppression, Stellario finally regained control of his spiritual energy.

Wasting no time, Stellario swiftly assumed a cross-legged position on the ground, channeling his spiritual energy to deal with the hatching parasites within his body.

One by one, small black parasites, no bigger than grains, crawled out of Stellario’s body, their numbers seemingly endless.

These parasites which had hatched earlier would feed on his blood essence, posing a grave threat to his well-being if they weren’t expelled from his body.

The man looked amused as he stared at an obviously flustered Stellario.

Reeking of alcohol, he stepped closer to Jonathan and said in a low voice, “I am aware that you hail from the outside world, but it matters little to me. If you bow down to me and become my loyal servants, I might consider sparing your lives.”

At that moment, Seboxia slowly materialized in Jonathan’s consciousness field.

“Jonathan, be extra careful with this man. When he took action earlier, I couldn’t detect any spiritual energy or other forms of energy. In fact, I didn’t sense anything in him that could restrain the formation of the prison. There could only be two possibilities. First, he possesses an ability that allows him to transcend the rules. Second…”

Before Seboxia could finish, Jonathan’s spiritual sense materialized beside him.

“It might be because of his pure physical strength?” he asked Seboxia calmly.

Hearing that, Seboxia nodded.

“That’s exactly what I was going to say. If that’s the case, then the man’s power is truly terrifying.”

“Am I his match?” Jonathan asked yet again.

“If we are talking about physical strength alone, then no, you are not his match. You’d be crushed by him,” Seboxia replied without hesitation, not saving Jonathan any face. “Even I have to be cautious of him in this small world, let alone you. The saying ‘One cultivator is capable of annihilating ten enemies in one go’ has long existed in the cultivator world. However, did you know that though it is difficult for someone with pure physical strength to advance to the next level, they would become unstoppable if they were to enter the Great Pryncyp with pure strength.”

The conversation in the consciousness field happened in an instant.

Although they exchanged a wealth of information, in reality, less than a second had elapsed.

The man was still waiting for Jonathan’s answer.

However, Jonathan merely gave him a smile.

“I have a carefree nature and am capable of anything. However, I am also stubborn and refuse to submit to anyone.”

The man was initially surprised to hear Jonathan’s response, but he quickly burst out laughing.

“Oh, that’s interesting. I’ve been here for five years, and anyone in this prison to whom I’ve made a request has never refused me. If you desire freedom, I can grant it to you. Tomorrow, I’ll arrange for you to participate in the arena fights. I’m curious to see the extent of your capabilities that have made you so arrogant.”