Sacred Prison: No Room for Negotiation! (Part 2)

The three lotus flowers suddenly expanded after leaving Du Chen's palm, reaching the size of grinding stones by the time they neared the statue. Transforming into three streams of golden light, their petals and stamens shaped like massive hammers, they slammed violently in a triangular formation onto the gravel path in front of the statue.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three muffled thuds echoed as the flagstones near the statue were gouged into three massive pits, each a meter across. The dungeon lay beneath the statue, and these three Lotus Sacred Artifacts had smashed straight through its ceiling. Knowing Zigurd's sacred artifact protected the space below, Du Chen wasn't worried about accidentally harming the girl. Thus, he unleashed his full power, intending to test his true capabilities.

The results were satisfying. From a distance, the dungeon ceiling, a meter thick, had been utterly breached. Each of his Lotus Sacred Artifacts wielded tremendous might! Moreover, with everyone taking refuge in the underground shelters, no matter how much Du Chen smashed or how much noise he made, they would simply assume Headmaster Zigurd had initiated a battle.

Du Chen waited quietly. A moment later, no sound emerged from the breached dungeon, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, the dungeon where the 'demoness' was imprisoned held no guards. However, he couldn't just rush in and rescue her. Although the Precious Lotus Scripture hinted the 'demoness' was a good person, she was still Headmaster Zigurd's enemy. If Du Chen's act of rescue came to light, it would bring innumerable troubles, and even the Flaying Battle God, who stood behind him, would likely find himself with a massive headache.

"Forget it," he mused. "I'll do this good deed anonymously." Ugh, mainly because this girl was so impossibly beautiful it was almost inhuman. What if, after I save her, she starts pestering me incessantly? "Absolutely no second Avrils!"

Du Chen rummaged out a set of black clothes from a nearby room and changed into them, then covered his face with black cloth. He also stuffed cotton wadding into his attire to alter his physique. At first glance, this was his true professional uniform—night-prowling attire.

Arriving at the blasted hole, Du Chen first probed the situation below with a lotus artifact. Once certain there was no danger, he retracted his sacred artifacts and leapt into the dungeon. "Another good deed to perform, heh heh," he chuckled inwardly. "And this one is a truly great deed of 'ending hostilities'!"

As his feet touched down, Du Chen swiftly glanced around. It was a vast hall, appearing no smaller than the Grand Council Hall of the Lanning Empire's Palace of Versailles. Its four walls, ceiling, and floor were all crafted from polished bluestone, giving it an incredibly sturdy appearance. Seeing this, Du Chen felt a hint of smugness. His sacred artifacts hadn't just punched through ordinary earth, but solid rock! Truly, their power was astonishing. He wondered what rank of Fighter it was equivalent to.

Although the hall was vast, it was also remarkably empty, save for a platform-like structure in the center, resembling an altar. Du Chen's target was on that altar. A girl with long, reddish-purple hair was bound by a silver chain, coiled numerous times around her body. Two extra sections of the chain extended from her back and ankles, yet these sections neither connected to the ceiling nor touched the floor, instead floating suspended in mid-air, like seaweed swaying in the ocean. The girl herself was also suspended in the air, and the silver chains binding her faintly pulsed with waves of red light.

A stone platform and a girl floating in mid-air — the scene was truly unnerving.

Du Chen landed five paces in front of the stone platform, directly opposite the girl.

"You… what are you doing here?" The girl actually spoke, opening her sky-blue eyes. They were captivating, limpid pools, and as her vibrantly purple lashes trembled slightly, Du Chen's heart skipped a beat.

Damn it!

With her eyes closed, this girl was a celestial maiden; with them open, she wasn't merely a woman, but an utterly flawless masterpiece. Anyone who beheld her would feel a profound tremor originating deep within their soul! Fortunately, Du Chen had already undergone a complete transformation. The moment his Lotus Internal Force circulated, it calmed his mind like still water, instantly transforming the "masterpiece" before him back into an ordinary woman.

The girl's heart jolted. The newcomer was cloaked and masked, clearly unwilling to reveal his true face, which was why her first question was directly, "What are you doing here?" At the same time, for self-preservation, her eyes activated her family's secret Soul-Ensnaring Art. Yet, the masked man's gaze only briefly unfocused before instantly clearing again, becoming as limpid as water. Though she was sealed, the power of her ocular techniques hadn't diminished much. For this person to resist her Soul-Ensnaring Art… he was a master! She had to handle him with extreme caution.

Du Chen scrutinized the girl, then, altering his voice, asked in an icy tone, "If I free you, can you stop the horde of pythons attacking the city outside?"

*He's here to save me? Impossible! I only have one friend on the Three Continents, and they're not even human!* But the python horde attacking the city implied her friend had indeed arrived. She parted her cherry lips, her voice cold. "Why would you save me?"

"Do I need a reason to save you?" Du Chen thought inwardly. *This girl is quite wary.*

"No reason needed? Every action requires a purpose, does it not? What is your purpose in saving me?" She glanced down at the silver chains on her body. "Perhaps we shouldn't discuss that. Instead, we should talk about this: are *you* even qualified to save me?"

Du Chen chuckled. *This girl is truly amusing!* Indeed, no ordinary person would believe that Zigurd's seal could be forcibly broken.

Hearing Du Chen's hoarse laughter, muffled by the black cloth over his face, the girl frowned. "Is it so laughable? Are you mocking my question as foolish, or are you scoffing at your own incompetence?"

"I'm laughing at your ignorance!" Du Chen strode onto the altar, his gaze sweeping over the chains on her. Like his Storm Ramhorn Warhammer, these chains possessed an intricate metal construction. However, they had a great many holes—over twenty by a rough count. "What a complex lock! But I like it!"

Du Chen's fingers unconsciously danced a joyful, quivering jig. Then he leaned his body closer.

"Why am I ignorant?" The girl watched coldly as Du Chen approached her body with unclear intentions, her sky-blue eyes suddenly flashing with bone-chilling killing intent. Without a doubt, if she could move, she would fiercely "deal with" Du Chen.

Du Chen didn't answer. He produced tools from behind his back and began probing the structure of the 'lock' on the girl. Eight wire picks were held between his fingers. After probing each keyhole, he determined that the chain was a quadruple-layered, nine-interlocking chain lock—extremely complex, yet he could open it!

With newfound certainty, Du Chen sat on the edge of the altar, conversing with the girl at ease. "Never mind why I called you ignorant, and never mind whether I'm qualified to save you. One question: once you're out, can you make the pythons besieging the city retreat?"

"First, tell me your purpose. Otherwise, even if you break the seal, I will not leave!"

"Heh heh, quite spirited, aren't we?" Du Chen chuckled.

"My temperament is excellent; no need for your concern. But you, a person of unknown origin, hooded and masked, suddenly claim you want to save me! Hmph, even the most foolish Beastkin wouldn't believe you had no ulterior motive."

*Sigh, this girl is a tough nut to crack!* Du Chen thought inwardly.

*This man is troublesome!* the girl thought.