Teacher by day, Farmer by passion
Chapter 295 - 295: Soul Prison.

Boom! Boom!

The dull, echoing sound of fists crashing against stone reverberated through the sealed underground chamber.

In a secluded cell forged entirely from soul stones, impervious to spiritual or physical tampering, Giyo hammered at the walls with raw fury.

His black hair clung to his sweat-slicked face, droplets falling with each movement.

His bare chest heaved, every muscle straining with exertion, taut, defined, and worn from years of struggle.

His fists struck again.

Boom!

Yet it left no cracks nor any dents.

Just as he continued to punch a few more times.

Sound of footsteps appeared in the background, soft, deliberate, and all-too-familiar.

A shadow cast itself across the cell as Yu Zhong entered, dressed in his usual robes, his presence carrying that same smug calm that had haunted Giyo for years.

Behind him stood two cloaked guards. Yu Zhong offered them a glance.

"Both of you—disappear."

Without a word, the two turned into a swarm of bats and vanished into the shadows.

Yu Zhong's smile widened. "Oh, Giyo. Still at it after all this time? It's been what—five years already? Aren't you exhausted by now?"

"Shut up, you devil!" Giyo snarled, slamming his fist into the wall once more, sending a jolt up his arm.

Still, the soul stone didn't even flinch.

Yu Zhong stepped closer, hands behind his back. "This cell is made purely out of soul stone, you know that they're indestructible. Even gods would struggle to scratch it."

He tilted his head, eyes half-lidded. "Still… it's not too late, Giyo. You could join hands with me. With your power and brains, I'm sure we'd be unstoppable."

Giyo turned his head slightly, spitting onto the floor.

"You think I'd team up with the one scheming to wipe this world clean of life? You're not even human, you dragon filth."

Yu Zhong didn't react with anger, only amusement.

"Hey, I'm still technically human," he said with a chuckle, baring perfect teeth. "My soul may be that of a dragon but my body is hundred percent human."

Giyo's breath was ragged. His eyes glared like twin embers in the dark.

"I'll get out of here. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But I'll break this cage with my own hands and when I do, I'll rip you out of this world piece by piece."

Yu Zhong turned, chuckling as he made for the exit. "Spirited as ever. That's what I like about you."

He glanced over his shoulder, voice calm but chilling. "Well then. I'll check in next year. Hopefully you changed your mind by then."

The heavy stone door slid shut behind him, the echoes of his laughter lingering like a stain.

Giyo stood alone again.

Sweat dripping. Breathing hard.

His fists clenched.

And then he punched the wall.

Boom.

His knuckles bled freely now.

Still, he didn't stop.

Because stopping meant accepting that this prison would hold him forever.

Yu Zhong stepped out of the sealed chamber, the heavy doors grinding shut behind him with a deep thrum.

He paused.

His eyes lifted toward the horizon.

Beyond the hills, past the soul-stone prison and shadow-veiled mountains, the Dark Valley River came into view, only… it wasn't a river anymore.

Not in the traditional sense.

A massive army marched across it. million strong.

Formations tight, movements synchronized, not a single step wasted.

They weren't wading through water, nor building makeshift bridges.

The river had parted.

A pathway of polished, translucent stone ran clean through the heart of the flowing waters, glimmering with runes.

The parted walls of water surged upwards, held back by some unseen force, towering like liquid cliffs on either side of the army.

Yu Zhong stared blankly at the spectacle.

"…This is bullshit," he muttered under his breath.

His eyes flicked upward toward the source.

Far in the sky, a faint figure floated, suspended by an aura of overwhelming pressure.

Her robes fluttered gently despite the roaring soul force. The river answered her command.

"She really went and refined the entire damn river… and ascended to Divine Step."

His voice was calm, but there was a clear irritation behind the lazy drawl.

"Well. Whatever."

He turned on his heel, letting the chaos behind him fade into the distance.

His steps were unhurried, hands tucked behind his back.

After some time, he arrived at a second prison made up of soul stones.

Zhong smiled faintly.

His smile didn't reach his eyes.

This one… required a different touch.

Yu Zhong stepped inside.

The air shifted immediately, thick, heavy, and saturated with soul pressure.

Each step he took echoed down the spiraling corridor like the ticking of a death clock.

Tak. Tak. Tak.

The sound reverberated through the stone walls, unnatural in how it lingered, like the prison itself was listening.

This was no ordinary holding cell.

The passage wound downward, deeper and deeper into the earth. The walls, lined with jagged soul stones, pulsed like the dying heartbeat of a long-dead god.

Here, time felt sluggish.

Thought came with weight.

Even Yu Zhong, for all his mastery, could feel the creeping resistance growing the deeper he went.

Soul Dissociation.

A silent killer.

Most mortals exposed too long to raw soul stones would lose the cohesion of their spirit, their thoughts fading until nothing of "self" remained.

A ghost with a heartbeat.

He smirked as He arrived at the final chamber.

It was vast. Hollow. Dimly lit by the glow of condensed soul crystals embedded in the ceiling. There were no guards.

None were needed.

Suspended in the center of the room by four soul-forged chains, each inscribed with seals older than kingdoms, was a girl.

Unlike Giyo, she had no space to pace, no floor beneath her feet.

Her arms and legs were bound, body hovering midair, back slightly arched from the tension of the chains.

Her long hair draped downward, barely brushing the floor. Her head hung low, and she made no sound.

But she was alive.

Barely.

Her breathing was faint so subtle it might've been missed by anyone else. But it didn't go unnoticed by Yu Zhong.

He took a few idle steps closer, hands behind his back, like a visitor admiring a painting in a gallery.

"You're quite the resilient one, huh?" he said casually, amusement lacing his tone.

No answer.

Not a twitch. Not even a glance. Only the slow, shallow rhythm of her breath betrayed her continued existence.

Yu Zhong tilted his head slightly, studying her. "Still clinging on to your dear life in there… fascinating."