Chapter 159: Entering the Second Layer

During the period of waiting in silence, in the Immortal Prison, Lao He had confirmed through questioning Master Chao that the information recorded in the Spirit Vessel Elixir Manual regarding the Black Domain Immortal Lotus was indeed true, with nothing false in it.

“To improve one’s spiritual root aptitude, one only needs to consume a petal of the Immortal Lotus. However, a medicinal agent must also be taken simultaneously…”

Su Che used his mental power to flip through the Spirit Vessel Elixir Manual in the Immortal Prison. “This medicinal agent is simply a decoction made from a dozen or so common herbs, such as Dan Jue Zi, He Shou Wu, Zuan Shan Feng, and Ge Shan Xiang…”

These herbs were easy to find; any pharmacy in the market could provide them, so Su Che felt relieved.

Before long, Tian Yin returned to Su Che and handed him a large bag of spirit stones. Just this once, he received one million one hundred thousand spirit stones, so Su Che naturally felt obliged to express his gratitude earnestly. Moreover, given Tian Yin’s lofty status, no one would dare lay a hand on her even if she acquired more spirit stones in the market under the Wu Ji Gate’s jurisdiction.

Tian Yin sat back down and asked, “Where else do you plan to go next?”

“I need to go to the Tai Yi Gate to complete a faction exchange task,” Su Che replied honestly.

“The Tai Yi Gate?”

Tian Yin smiled. “Since you have a task, why would you come to the Wu Ji Gate? The two are separated by hundreds of thousands of miles.”

“It was a series of unfortunate coincidences. Better not talk about it,” Su Che shook his head with a sigh, pretending to feel helpless and sorrowful, though inwardly he harbored other feelings.

Tian Yin smirked, thought for a moment, and then said, “That’s good. I was actually planning to visit the Tai Yi Gate… We can set off together.”

“Huh?”

Su Che was stunned. He thought to himself, “What’s wrong with you, woman? Are you trying to stick to me?”

“Why?” Tian Yin asked with a smile. “Don’t you want to travel with me?”

“Of course not! It’s just a bit unexpected.”

Encouraged by this, Su Che, with the spirit of facing challenges head-on, nodded and agreed. “It would be an honor for me to follow Grandmaster Tian Yin to the Tai Yi Gate. Even if we have to cross the Demon Path territory on the way, I won’t have to worry about safety.”

“Not necessarily. The more you follow me, the more dangerous it might get,” Tian Yin said insinuatingly.

Su Che remained silent, unable to figure out what this woman was thinking…

After waiting for another half hour, Elder Jin Ming returned and handed Su Che a black Seal Demon Token. Undoubtedly, the token contained a Domain Demon at the Foundation Establishment stage. Concerned about his two important tasks, Su Che stood up to take his leave. “Elder Tianyin, I estimate it will take at least three more days before I can set off for Taiyi Gate.” “Very well, go ahead with your tasks,” Tianyin agreed readily. “Come back to see me in three days.” Su Che nodded silently, bowed to Jin Ming, and left. Watching him go, Jin Ming wondered inwardly, “It seems Elder Tianyin is going to Taiyi Gate with him. What kind of relationship do they have?” Soon after, Tianyin also disappeared, leaving no trace… In the market, Su Che changed his appearance again, went to another pharmacy, and bought all the necessary herbs. He brought them to Immortal Prison to have alchemist Luo Lianqiao prepare a medicinal decoction. Next, he rented a private courtyard in an inn and began his seclusion in excitement. This seclusion wouldn’t last long—perhaps just one or two days—but it was of great significance to Su Che. There were two tasks to complete: unlocking the second layer of Immortal Prison and improving his spiritual root quality. “Lao Hei, everything is ready. Begin your second fusion!” Su Che placed the Seal Demon Token into Immortal Prison. A human cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, a Wild God Rat King at the same stage, and a Domain Demon at the Foundation Establishment stage—all three creatures floated quietly before Lao Hei, unconscious and in a deep sleep. Human, demon, and beast—second fusion. “Fusion!” Lao Hei roared. In an instant, the three creatures turned into three amethyst statues. In the blink of an eye, the statues shattered into purple crystal particles, which then turned back into a liquid state and converged toward Lao Hei. Su Che watched silently. It seemed similar to the first fusion. Soon, Lao Hei’s appearance changed drastically—his height reached twelve feet, his frame became even more massive. Most of his fur remained black, but from the back of his head down to his buttocks, he now had a strip of silver-gray long hair. His long rat tail also turned silver-gray, looking much more pleasing to the eye. “Master, the fusion is complete. Am I even uglier now?” Lao Hei spun in circles and asked loudly. “You can’t say ugly,” Su Che replied seriously, not joking. “I think you look much more imposing. Not bad at all.”

“Hahaha!” Lao He laughed three times, pointing at the sky and asking, “Master, should the second level of the Immortal Prison be opened?”
“Open it!”
Whoosh!
The one million spirit stones, eight hundred Earth Fiends, and three thousand souls required to open the Immortal Prison were all summoned by Lao He.
“Open the second level!”
Lao He roared.
In an instant, the spirit stones, Earth Fiends, and souls disappeared, taken away by the Immortal Prison Pagoda.
Soon after, a tremendous pressure appeared out of nowhere, silencing everyone in the Immortal Prison space. Not only the thirty-plus prisoners but also the Snake Woman and the Little Dragon looked up at the sky with tense expressions.
Although they didn’t know what was happening, it seemed as if the might of heaven had manifested. Everyone felt a profound, vast, ancient, and majestic force suddenly appearing, filling everything around them…
Silence! No one dared make a sound; everyone naturally held their breath.
After a dozen breaths, rumbling sounds filled the air as the ground began to tremble. Those in the Immortal Prison felt as though the world was spinning, as if they were standing on a carousel. The entire space underwent massive changes, as if it were about to collapse completely…
Only Su Che and Lao He could clearly sense that the prison space of the first level of the Immortal Prison was indeed rotating—the entire space was spinning and expanding continuously.
It was like a large pancake in a chef’s hands, getting bigger and bigger, yet its thickness not only didn’t decrease but grew even thicker.
As the Immortal Prison space continued to expand, Su Che couldn’t help but wonder: “All things in the world cannot arise out of nothing. The space is indeed expanding, but where does this extra land come from? Can just one million spirit stones create such changes?”
“Or perhaps the Immortal Prison space was originally infinite, and it’s only as my strength grows that I can unlock more of it. The one million spirit stones are merely an energy that triggers these changes…”
“So, how big can the Immortal Prison really get?”
Various guesses arose in Su Che’s mind. As he thought, the rotation of the first level of the Immortal Prison gradually stopped.
At that moment, Su Che could determine without precise measurement that the Immortal Prison space had expanded tenfold, from an original area of a hundred miles square to a thousand miles square—roughly the size of a province in the normal world.
The change in area was just one of the changes. Su Che also sensed another important change…

“Master, the second floor has been opened. You can go and take a look,” Lao He was also extremely excited.
“Let’s go!”
At Su Che’s command, Lao He’s massive figure vanished, guiding Su Che’s mental consciousness into another peculiar space.
This was the newly opened second floor of the Immortal Prison.
The space here was pitch black, like an endless night sky, yet filled with a chilling atmosphere. It felt similar to the underworld in Su Che’s imagination.
In short, this place was absolutely unsuitable for normal creatures to survive in. If an ordinary person entered here, they might die instantly, disintegrate, and turn into nothingness…
An endless, vast void, just like one’s own mind—however big you imagine it to be, that’s how big it is…
Putting aside the size of the space for now, as the master of the Immortal Prison Pagoda, Su Che could clearly sense the very center of this void, where a huge dark gray palace floated.
Using Lao He’s height as a reference, this palace was at least a hundred zhang high, a thousand zhang wide, and a thousand zhang deep. If placed in the outside world, it would undoubtedly be magnificent and grand, several times larger than the Mysterious Golden Palace on Mysterious Peak.
Su Che’s thoughts followed Lao He inside the palace, delving deeper and deeper…
Inside the grand hall stood a royal platform. On top of the platform was a writing desk and a pure black throne of a king. Although he wasn’t sure of their specific functions, Su Che could guess that this must be where a king issued orders to his subjects.
Lao He patted the black throne and said loudly, “Master, please name this place.”
“Name it?”
Su Che asked doubtfully, “I don’t even know what this place is for. How can I name it?”
Lao He smiled mysteriously, “Inside the Immortal Prison, everything belongs to you. This place is no exception. It will be whatever you want it to be.”
“Stop playing riddles with me. What exactly is going on? Can’t you just tell me straight?” Su Che was completely confused.
“Master, for now, this is just a barren land, a mere prototype. The specific direction it should take depends on your wishes,” Lao He replied in a still vague manner. “I can only give you a hint: everything has two sides, yin and yang. If the first floor of the Immortal Prison is yang, then this place should be yin.”
“The concept of yin and yang…”
Su Che seemed to understand and immediately fell into deep thought.
Lao He remained silent, waiting quietly for his master to make a decision.

After a long while, Su Che seemed to have an epiphany and came up with an extremely bold idea. He said, “Since there are yin and yang, then I will name this place the Netherworld of Ghosts!”
“Yes, the Netherworld of Ghosts! A ghostly realm entirely under my control!”
Swish!
At Su Che’s command, four large dark golden characters reading “Netherworld of Ghosts” appeared simultaneously on the throne, the desk, the platform, and even above the palace’s entrance.
Boom!
The vast void outside the palace, which had been pitch black moments ago, now emitted a grayish light. The entire space turned dark gray, fitting even better with the gloomy, oppressive, and profound atmosphere of a ghostly realm.