Chapter 349: The Black Demon Prison

After leaving the Illusory Realm, Ye Feng left his room and knocked on the door next to it.
“How did it go? Did you discover anything?” Tie Niu widened his eyes, looking at Ye Feng with anticipation.
“Mm, it’s a secret realm key, but it’s quite damaged,” Ye Feng nodded.
“A secret realm key???” Tie Niu’s eyes grew even larger. “I never expected that unremarkable object to be the legendary secret realm key!!!”
Ye Feng looked at Tie Niu in slight surprise. Since the other man knew about the secret realm key, he couldn’t help but ask, “Have you heard of the secret realm key?”
“Of course!” Tie Niu smiled openly. “The Demon Realm has existed for so many years, yet the secret realm keys have appeared fewer than ten times in total. But every time, it causes a huge uproar.”
“There are many legends related to the secret realm keys in the Demon Realm?” Hearing this, Ye Feng immediately understood.
“Of course. The Black Demon Prison, which opens once every million years, is the most famous secret realm in the Demon Realm. There are countless legends about it. Even three-year-old kids in the Demon Realm know many stories about it. How could I, who’s been to explore it before, not know?”
“The Black Demon Prison!” Ye Feng had been in the Demon Realm for some time now, and he had indeed heard some stories about it. But he never thought it was a secret realm.
According to the legends, the Black Demon Prison opens once every million years and remains open for a hundred years each time. But there’s one condition to enter it: one must reach the Absolute Demon level. Those below that level can’t enter.
What surprised Ye Feng even more was that the entrance to the Absolute Demon Realm appeared spontaneously once every million years—completely different from ordinary secret realms, which was why he hadn’t realized at first that the Black Demon Prison was a secret realm.
“You’ve been inside the Black Demon Prison. What’s it like? What’s inside?” Hearing that Tie Niu had been there, Ye Feng quickly asked.
“It’s a terrifying place!” Tie Niu frowned. “I had just reached the Absolute Demon level not long ago. I stayed inside for just over thirty days before escaping.”
“Why?” Ye Feng found it strange.
“In those thirty days, I only managed to take three steps forward from the entrance before I couldn’t move anymore and almost fainted,” Tie Niu clenched his fists.
“What?” Ye Feng immediately sensed something unusual and pressed further, “Was it mental pressure?”

“No, it’s an overwhelming killing intent! With each step forward, the killing intent intensifies greatly.” Tie Niu’s eyes showed terror; the scene from those days was still vivid in his mind.
“I only found out later that many powerful warriors at the late stages of that realm stopped at the first step…” Tie Niu slowly closed his eyes. “That open square allowed only nine steps—no matter how big your steps were or how slightly you moved forward, it was still just nine steps. Beyond those nine steps were nine levels of stairs. Back then, many half-god-level warriors died there.”
“Half-god-level warriors?!” Ye Feng certainly knew how terrifying the strength of half-god-level warriors was. If even they were stopped at those nine levels, what lay above them?
“But above those stairs, there’s also a nine-story tower. It’s said that seven people tried to enter the tower, and only one survived.”
“Those seven must have been the strongest among half-gods, their strength probably on par with gods. Yet six of them perished…” Ye Feng frowned deeply. From Tie Niu’s description, those who could pass through the nine levels must have been peak half-gods, or even gods in their own right, yet they still died in the Black Magic Prison.
“Has the Demon Realm kept any records of how many people have survived entering that tower?” Ye Feng pressed further.
“Since the existence of the Black Magic Prison, only three people have emerged alive from that tower…” Tie Niu nodded. “But those three disappeared, changing their names and vanishing without a trace.”
“What exactly is in that tower? Are there any rumors?” Ye Feng grew even more curious.
“No. After leaving the Black Magic Prison, those three disappeared, and no one knows the answer.” Tie Niu shook his head helplessly. “But there are many rumors—of all kinds.”
“After hearing you describe it, I’m even more eager to explore this Black Magic Prison,” Ye Feng said with a smile.
“With your strength, you might be able to step onto those stairs, but it’s unclear which level you could reach.” Tie Niu turned to look at Ye Feng. “As for me, I’d be satisfied if I could just step onto one level.”
Ye Feng simply smiled and shifted the topic. “I heard that there are two secret realms in the Immortal Realm and the Fiend Realm that open together with the Black Magic Prison every time?”
“The Exiled Immortals Platform and the Myriad Fiends Ridge do open at the same time, and they’re also secret realms of the same level,” Tie Niu nodded. “It’s said that the Hell Realm, the Heaven Realm, and the Buddha Realm also have secret realms that open simultaneously, but they’re not as famous as those three. Their difficulty is probably similar though.”

“The secret realms in the attached spaces have also opened at the same time…” Ye Feng frowned. “There must be some connection between these secret realms.”
“Everyone thinks so, but aside from appearing at the same time and having similar difficulty levels, there are hardly any other common traits,” Tie Niu shrugged helplessly.
“Well, it was originally about my key to this secret realm, but it has led us on such a long journey. Still, I’ve learned a lot,” Ye Feng said with a smile.
“That’s true. We should be happy now—what can be gained from these secret realms is nothing ordinary. Back then, just taking three steps there strengthened the foundation of my years of cultivation by many times, solidified my mental strength, and honed my willpower,” Tie Niu said with a smile. “I wonder what good things there are in your secret realm.”
“Don’t worry. This secret realm definitely won’t be as terrifying as the Black Demon Prison,” Ye Feng said with a smile. “What the family has passed down might just be a simple treasure trove.”
“If it’s passed down by an ancient family, it could also be a secret realm for training,” Tie Niu hoped it was a training realm.
“Whatever it is, we’ll have to explore it sooner or later,” Ye Feng said, clearly confident.
Just then, a familiar figure flashed quickly through Ye Feng’s mental scan, followed by knocks at the door next to him—it was his room.
“Is it Babu?” Ye Feng was shocked. “Could it be that there’s news about Pearl?”
Ye Feng immediately pushed the door open. “Babu, is there any news?”
Babu’s expression was serious. “These past few days, with the help of Xing Jun’s men and the guard teams from various cities, we’ve searched almost the entire Demon Realm. Still, there’s no sign of Miss Pearl.”
Ye Feng frowned. “How is that possible?”
“However, in a small border town near the Immortal Realm, the city guards saw a woman whose appearance matched the description you gave.”
“Are you sure?” Ye Feng became alert immediately.
“I’m not entirely sure, so I had them send me the image.” Babu flipped his palm, and the image of a woman in a white dress appeared instantly.
“This appearance is indeed Pearl’s, but her expression, her eyes, and her attire…” Ye Feng was hesitant to be certain. The woman before him had the same figure and face as Pearl, but her cold expression and sad eyes left him puzzled. Clothes could be changed, but it was hard to alter a person’s gaze.

“This woman is said to be named Scorpio. She’s quite weak, similar to Pearl. There’s a powerful middle-aged man by her side who treats her very well, taking care of her in every detail. At first, people thought they were father and daughter, but later it turned out the man was pursuing her.”
“Scorpio?” Ye Feng became even more uncertain. “Pearl is indeed a Scorpio. It might be a nickname she gave herself, or maybe she’s not Pearl at all…”
After thinking for a moment, Ye Feng suddenly raised his head. “Babu, do me a favor. Send my warrant to that city and have the guards post it all over the town.”
“This…” Babu didn’t understand Ye Feng’s purpose.
“That small town might not have my warrant, nor might anyone know about me. As long as the warrant is posted everywhere, many people will surely inquire about me. If she really is Pearl, she’ll definitely find out I’m here. My speed isn’t slow, but it will still take ten days or half a month to get there. By then, who knows where they’ve gone. Only information can be transmitted the fastest—my message can reach that small town in just one second via the communicator.”
“I get it!” Babu immediately understood after Ye Feng’s explanation.
…
“Aren’t you coming to the Demon Realm? I’ve come with you—why do you still look so worried?” A powerful middle-aged man leaned close to a young woman and spoke softly to comfort her.
“Thank you!” The woman forced out a faint smile, but it vanished instantly.
“My dear, what do you need to be happy? Aren’t we already in the Demon Realm? Why do you seem even sadder?” The middle-aged man said helplessly.
“I’m fine. I just thought about some things…” The woman gently lowered her head and replied softly.
“It’s all my fault. I promised to help you find your friends, but I couldn’t find a single one!” The man sighed. “It’s my mistake. Vent your anger on me instead of harming yourself.”
“You’ve put so much effort into finding them, yet still haven’t succeeded. That only means they’re not in the Immortal Realm. It’s not your fault…” The woman in white shook her head lightly.
“Yes. My friends and I searched the entire Immortal Realm with our mental powers. It seems they’re not there anymore.” The man was secretly worried. “I hope those guys aren’t doomed to die young. Otherwise, she won’t know how much longer she has to suffer.”

At that moment, the patrol teams in the city suddenly became busy. The crowd dispersed and started running around, posting notices everywhere. One of those notices happened to be posted on the wall within their line of sight. The woman curiously raised her head and saw the notice: “Wanted Notice…” Unconsciously reading the first few words at the top, her gaze then settled on the portrait…