Chapter 201 Inside and Outside the Mist

"Hey, Eyeball! When does the formation test begin?" Chongming shouted.

"It's only half done, why are you in such a hurry?"

Fander popped out from behind the sacred pillar, a blueprint clutched in his tentacles, a grass-leaf work cap on his head. He gave a few instructions to a researcher who had come running over, then turned and said, "Tomorrow! At least tomorrow night."

"Too slow! Get it done today!"

"There's no point in testing when the core hasn't been adjusted yet. Go and tell Ji Huaisu to speed up the process." Fan Deli ignored him.

Chu Hengkong glanced at the blueprint and found that it was a formation with a holy pillar as the core, radiating to the entire settlement. The design style was very similar to Ji Huaisu's commandment seal.

"Are you improving the Holy Pillar?"

"It's to repair the Holy Pillar," Vander said proudly. "This thing can do more than just open a shield. We've been able to partially restore it after these few days of excavation. We can at least use it as a turret... Hey, speed up the calculations in the Holy Pillar! The test of Pipeline No. 8 is already ten minutes late!"

Everyone waited for a long time before they heard a weak voice from the Holy Pillar: "Wait... we can't handle it..."

Vander spread his tentacles and said, "I've already written the formula for you. Is it so difficult for you to calculate the parameters and apply them?"

About half a minute later, the next desperate cry was heard: "I don't understand!"

With a snap, Vander covered his head with the tentacle. "Someone good at math, go in and help her." Chu Hengkong stared at his arm, and Qingye stretched his bones, both expressing their inability to get close.

So, the Eye Demon, despite a half-minute delay, remotely instructed Ji Huaisu to decipher the Multiple Integral Magic Formula for Line 8. After nearly fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, he finally managed to light up a certain line. Then, a luminous humanoid figure emerged from the tree shell. Ji Huaisu suddenly bolted from the Holy Pillar, his entire body numb. "I quit! Today's arithmetic ends here!"

Fander was so angry that he jumped up and down: "You were raised by Gu Long, how did you get your diploma?!"

"I am a student with sports expertise!" Captain Ji said confidently.

Chu Hengkong patted his partner's head, giving him a look of understanding that said, "Everyone knows you've worked hard, so you don't have to fight anymore." He turned and asked, "Can you find someone with a better brain to replace her?"

"——It's useless to put anyone else in there." Chongming rolled his eyes. "Hurry up and give her some tutoring. The formation we're rebuilding now is the 'United Will Formation' we used to use. It can transform the warriors' fighting spirit into strength. The sooner it's repaired, the better."

"Oh, what is the maximum output level?" Qing Ye asked.

[If Ji Huaisu is used as the core, ideally, this attack can only be used once within a short period of time, and can deliver a powerful attack with a particle size of 4.] Shi Zhong wrote, [roughly equivalent to smashing a Mo Biao into the ground.]

Without saying anything, Qingye pulled Ji Huaisu's arm and left: "Sister Huaisu, be good and come with me to tutoring. If you don't learn, you are not allowed to eat."

"Stop it, little girl! This is outrageous!" Ji Huaisu resisted firmly.

Chu Hengkong considered a more practical approach: "Fander, can you hypnotize her to study hard?"

"It's a bit inhumane, isn't it?" Vander said hypocritically.

"If you fail the exam, you have no human rights." Chu Hengkong said coldly, "Go."

Qingye immediately locked Ji Huaisu's arms from behind. Chu Hengkong picked up Fander and pointed it at someone's eyes like a camera. Fander twisted his tentacles in a disgusting way.

"In three seconds, you will become a perfect student," the killer said coldly. "From that moment on, studying will be all you can think about. You'll be the one begging us to let you study..."

"Ji Huaisu, say goodbye to your stupidity!" Vander laughed sharply.

Ji Huaisu's face turned pale: "Fuck! Surrender! I can't learn it, I will learn it!"

"Very good. Vander will take her to tutoring and supervise her throughout the night."

"Hehe, leave it to me!"

"I understand. I will definitely not let her have any food."

"You are just bent on torturing me!!" Ji Huaisu screamed.

Ji Huaisu was brutally escorted back to the hut by two supervisors, and Chongming laughed as wildly as Chu Hengkong.

"There's still a day to meet the knight to make up for my cultural studies. It's fucking hilarious." He nodded at the sacred pillar. "From now on, Ji Huaisu will not leave the settlement unless absolutely necessary. Any objections?"

"No."

The output of 4 particles was of great strategic significance, enough to turn a passive position into an active one. They could lure the enemy to the vicinity of the settlement and have Ji Huaisu annihilate them in one fell swoop, or they could flee to the settlement for temporary safety when being pursued. However, if Ji Huaisu left the settlement, they would lose this decisive force.

To put it bluntly, even if everyone else is no longer able to do it, Ji Huaisu's safety must be prioritized.

"That girl will be very unhappy. It's a pity that the commander was born to sit firmly in the base camp." Chongming gloated, "Besides, she'll be indispensable when seeking help from the outside world. She should just be a pillar of support before the decisive battle."

"Is it really feasible to contact the outside world?"

[Theoretically, perhaps, it's feasible.] Shi Zhong wrote worriedly, [Before leaving, I sensed the coordinates of the wilderness and quickly left a message. If someone outside can find a clue, there's a chance we can get in touch...]

Alas, my power was too weak, and the writing I left behind was too small. I hope they can find it.

·

At the same time, Jinye City.

"City Lord Ji, please follow me..."

Qi Su, holding a staff, led the way, leading Ji Qiufeng underground. This place was vastly different from before. A variety of instruments filled the underground space, and the research team that had arrived earlier was busy with the magic arrays and instruments. Upon seeing Ji Qiufeng arrive, they all stopped and saluted. The city lord waved his fan, signaling everyone to relax.

Everyone really couldn't be restrained. The city lord had been upgraded to Sephiroth Level 6 but he was still wearing a jacket and casual pants. With the folding fan in his hand, he didn't look like a martial artist at all. He looked like a promising young entrepreneur taking a walk after dinner.

"Show me the coordinates."

"Here." Qi Su extended his hand to guide, "I haven't moved it since I found it, for fear of disturbing the information within."

Four jade pendants surrounded a small rock, upon which was written a line of minute writing. Ji Qiufeng peered closely for a moment, then raised his folding fan. The researchers, having received the signal, halted their work and left the scene. The ensuing conversation would be detrimental to their fate, and they could not hear a single word.

"The depth matches, it's the Heavenly Prison." Ji Qiufeng said, "The witnesses said they saw the Nightmare King. Most likely, Huaisu and the others have entered the outermost Despair Wilderness."

Qi Su gripped his staff tightly, his face pale. The Nightmare King was a truly terrifying being. Even during that frenzied war, he remained one of the most powerful gods under the Supreme Being. All scholars who studied the war agreed that the Nightmare King's early death influenced the course of the war. Had he chosen a different battlefield, the subsequent events would have been completely different.

Now that the devil has been resurrected, it is a group of fledgling low-quality mutators who have to deal with it.

"Can we ask Longquan Township for help?" she groaned. "Can you..."

"It's impossible." Ji Qiufeng shook his head. "After the war, the Allied forces have made countless attempts. Facts have proven that those who experienced the war cannot enter the Heavenly Prison. Only some outsiders and newly born low-quality transformations can cross the border by chance. Huaisu and Hengkong are most likely the latter..."

Qi Su asked dejectedly, "Even the big shots can't do it."

"You were born in the Netherworld Divine Kingdom. You should know that even gods are not omnipotent." Ji Qiufeng sighed. "It is said that the Master of Canxin left the island after the war and did not return, seeking a way to personally kill himself into the Heavenly Prison. But even he, the Master of Canxin, has not succeeded so far, let alone you and me?"

"However," Ji Qiufeng changed the subject, "Now that we have the coordinates, we can do something."

Qi Su regained his spirits and suggested, "Can we send in some high-level relics as support?"

"It's not feasible. It's a blessing that the passage can be opened even once. The relic will most likely drift with the tide of fate and be transferred to a higher level of the Heavenly Prison." Ji Qiufeng vetoed, "We must consider the worst-case scenario. If it can only be opened once, we must send the 'person' who can make the most difference."

"Let me remind you, this is sending the supporters to their deaths," Qi Su said. The Despair Wilderness only allowed low-quality points to enter, so even throwing a strange blade in was a 100% sure death.

"Given the current situation, I have no choice but to take the risk..."

Ji Qiufeng found a rock to sit on, tapping his knees with a paper fan. Qi Su detected a hint of melancholy in his eyes, a sentiment he had never experienced before.

"City Lord?"

"We should have gone there." Ji Qiufeng shook his head.

"......?" Qi Su was stunned. "What did you say?"

"Youyou, Jiewen, and I had originally planned to go to the Unborn Blood Plain when the time was right. Unexpectedly, the Netherworld Lord left first, and then another 20 years of siege followed...

When I finally caught my breath, it turned out that my daughter and disciples had gone to the Heavenly Prison for me. And I had rushed to upgrade to protect them, but now I don't even have the qualifications to enter the Blood Origin."

The man looked at the pitch-black cave, feeling a rare melancholy: "Isn't it true that life is unpredictable?"

Ever since the City Lord arrived, Qi Su had been feeling an inexplicable strangeness. He knew too much about the Heavenly Prison, too much for a Dragon Country martial artist born after the war. This information should have been strictly sealed, to prevent those who knew it from being swept into the Heavenly Prison by the tide of fate. But now, everything made sense. Ji Qiufeng had to know this, because they were supposed to be the vanguard of the invasion of the Heavenly Prison. But Yinglong died, Huilong City fell, and by some strange coincidence, a group of younger generations had taken on this responsibility.

"City Lord, don't worry too much. Even fools have their own luck!" Qi Su said in a panic. "Besides, they went in for you, so it also counts as... the son inherits the father's business, right?"

Ji Qiufeng raised his eyebrows in surprise. Qi Su realized that he had said something he did not want to say and quickly covered his mouth. The city lord laughed at this.

"That's true," the man said with a smile. "I think they should be able to survive. We should hurry up and get some work done!"

·

"Do you think we can get out safely?" Chu Hengkong asked casually.

"Hey, there's no point in thinking about these things. If you can go out, go out. If you can't, you'll die here. What else can you do?" Vander replied softly.

Night had arrived in the blink of an eye. Ji Huaisu's tutoring session had finally ended half an hour ago. The female knight howled and rushed out to eat, drink, and bathe. The idlers and eyeballs huddled on the sofa in the living room, discussing the unknown "afterwards" that might happen.

"We have to make plans. We have to have something to look forward to." Chu Hengkong said, "I plan to go to the Shenshu City-State."

"Holy shit, really?!" Fander jumped up. "Great place, buddy! This is definitely suitable for us! You can use the information exchange there to find out about your boss Ji Huaisu, who you've been thinking about all the time. You can also find Lao Shu to do some archaeological research and explore the history of knights. I'll just stay in this bookstore for half a year. I think it's really going to work. Let's just make it a deal! Don't go too far, it's definitely difficult to go out to sea, so let's go to Jingsha!"

"I haven't even told you how you know what I want to do."

"That's all you're thinking about," said Vander, sneering. "Fighting, getting promoted, and finding the boss. That's all. The rest isn't considered a career, but life according to your classification."

"Really." Chu Hengkong smiled, "I'm going upstairs, don't disturb me."

Fan Dexu watched him walk away. Qing Ye, who had just finished working out, walked in at this moment and came over to gossip, "What?"

"It's the breeding season for mammals~" Vander said sarcastically.

“Oh oh.” Qingye exclaimed, “Oh oh!”

Chu Hengkong came to his partner's door, knocked, and stepped in after receiving permission. Ji Huaisu had just finished taking a shower and was lying on the bed in a vest and hot pants, looking like a frozen, golden salted fish.

"Dead. No breath left. Can't live. All ties are gone," she said.

"Like a child." Chu Hengkong rubbed her head and hesitated for a moment, "I have something to confess to you."

"Ah? What kind of nonsense is this?" Ji Huaisu raised his eyes.

He spoke with some difficulty, recounting the entire process of his negotiation with the fallen girl. Ji Huaisu lay on the bed, hugging a pillow, his feet swinging back and forth as he listened to the story.

"I want to apologize," he finally said. "I may have unconsciously sought a sense of family in you."

Ji Huaisu stuck his head out and stared at him as if he were a mentally retarded person.

Chu Hengkong was a little nervous: "Relationships with friends are not something that should be used to bargain with oneself. Comrades should not be regarded as props to provide warmth."

The stupidity in the blonde girl's eyes doubled, and Chu Hengkong felt that he had not explained himself clearly.

"That wasn't just because I was misled by the Fallen. I did have that thought in my heart, but it shouldn't have happened. Anyway, what I want to say is—"

Ji Huaisu grabbed his cheeks and shook him vigorously for a while. She said earnestly, "Akong, wake up. You're already 22. This is not the time to be engaging in this adolescent psychological formalism."

"Forehead."

"I'm your comrade, your partner, and I can also be your family member, your sister, or whatever other identities you think I have. No matter how you define me, our relationship won't change, right?"

"Yes." Chu Hengkong nodded, "No, no. What I want to say is——"

Ji Huaisu turned over and sat up, rubbing his head in revenge for a while, then pushed him down to lie on the bed. She turned off the light, lay down beside Chu Hengkong, and covered herself with the quilt naturally.

"Goodnight, Sora."

"Good night."

After about ten seconds, Chu Hengkong said, "You may have misunderstood. I'm here to apologize to you."

"I'm very sleepy. Go to bed early, okay?" Ji Huaisu said unhappily. "I received your apology. As a punishment, you must sleep in the same bed with Sister Huaisu from now on."

"I don't understand."

Ji Huaisu turned over and hugged him: "Because I like sleeping with you too."

"Oh." Chu Hengkong said, "Oh."

No words were spoken that night.

(End of this chapter)