The Human Emperor
chapter-175

“This isn’t the imperial prison?!”

Wang Chong was surprised. He had been in here for so long, but it was the first time he had heard someone say that this was not the imperial prison.

“Hehe, to think that someone would say that a palace of the previous Great Sui would be the imperial prison, what an irony! However, it isn’t entirely wrong for you to think of it as the imperial prison either. There are nine floors to the imperial prison, and you are at the tenth floor. In a way, this can be considered as an extension of the imperial prison!”

The mysterious voice sneered coldly.

Wang Chong’s heart skipped a beat. He abruptly lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings with a look of disbelief. He had been here for so long, but he never realized that this was a palace of the Great Sui!

Dynasties rose and fell, it was a cycle of natural change. The era before the rise of the Great Tang was the Sui dynasty. As if to symbolize that, the Great Tang royal palace was built on the ruins of the previous Great Sui royal palace. Wang Chong was well aware about this.

Just that, he did not expect to see an intact Great Sui palace beneath the royal palace.

“Elder, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but if this isn’t the imperial prison, then why would these people be locked here as well? Even if I can’t make out whether this is the imperial prison or not, surely they would be able to sense something?”

Wang Chong asked doubtfully.

“Hahaha, them? You mean the prisoners who had been brought here just a few days ago? Do you think that these prisoners can tell where they are? If the guards claim that this is imperial prison, then to them, this would be the imperial prison.”

“AH!”

The other party’s reply left Wang Chong stunned. All along, Wang Chong had thought that these prisoners had been locked here from the very start.

However, after listening to the other party’s words, he realized that these prisoners had been shifted here just awhile ago. This information left Wang Chong dumbstruck.

Although it sounded absurd, Wang Chong did not think that the opposite party had any reason to lie to him.

“How can that be?”

Lifting his head, Wang Chong muttered silently. The underlying truth of the entire incident surfaced in his mind, but it was so inconceivable that he found it hard to accept.

If what the other party said was true, it meant that these prisoners were all brought in here in a rush to form this temporary prison.

On top of that, he didn’t expect the Stone of Destiny to regard the meeting with this mysterious man so highly.

Thinking back, when he reversed the destiny of his clan previously and obtained the title of Destiny Struggler, he was only awarded 50 Destiny Energy.

Yet, as soon this person’s voice rang, the Stone of Destiny was immediately triggered, and a notice regarding the mission reward of 100 Destiny Energy appeared in his head.

Wang Chong could not imagine what kind of person could hold such weight.

“Let me ask you a question. How long have you known him?”

Wang Chong immediately turned around and asked a prisoner while pointing to another.

“Him? I’m not too sure, I don’t really know him! I was only brought here ten days ago… Wait, it should be a month. Or was it three months? How long has it been? How long…”

Initially, the prisoner was still able to answer coherently, but eventually, his words became more and more muddled up.

Upon seeing his state, Wang Chong hurriedly stopped him. On the other hand, the other prisoners seemed to be used to such a sight.

The concept of day and time did not apply to the imperial prison, making it nearly impossible for one to determine the flow of time in here. After staying here for too long, it was easy for one to lose one’s sanity.

It might be difficult for one to determine it with a single glance, but with the right impetus, their insanity streak would immediately trigger. Even Wang Chong could only keep track of time by counting the number of water droplets falling to the ground.

“It seems like he’s right.”

Wang Chong thought. Even though the other party’s reply was slightly erratic, it was clear that they had only been shifted here awhile ago.

However, due to the long duration of incarceration in the imperial prison, they were already numb to the concepts of time and location.

“Elder, you said that there are nine floors to the imperial prison and I’m locked in the tenth. In that case, may I know which floor is elder in?”

Wang Chong tried asking.

This person was simply too bizarre and mysterious.

“Me? Hahaha! If you’re on the tenth floor, then I’m on the twentieth. The one locked at the bottommost of the Great Sui palace is me.”

The person was laughing, but from his laughter, Wang Chong could sense deep sorrow and indignance.

“Then, may I know why is elder being locked here?”

Wang Chong asked.

The laughter came to an abrupt stop. In an instant, the entire underground world fell silent. For a very long time, Wang Chong waited, but a reply did not come. It was as though everything that had just happened was just a hallucination on Wang Chong’s part.

“Elder?”

Frowning, Wang Chong asked once more.

“Young man, don’t ask too much. Sometimes, knowing too much isn’t a good thing. Aren’t you going to go out soon? I’ll answer your question the next time you return here.”

“However, I don’t like taking advantage of others, especially those younger than me. So, I’ll give you this as compensation for talking with me!”

Then, before Wang Chong could react, he felt the ground beneath him tremble. A huge surge of strength flew through the ground, charging straight into Wang Chong’s body.

Wang Chong’s ‘Little Yinyang Art’ had just met with a bottleneck; there was an acupoint that he had been unable to open up despite repeated attempts. However, under the impact of this energy, it was immediately knocked open.

The immense force didn’t stop there.. Boom boom boom, it consecutively opened up the various pathways required for the ‘Little Yinyang Art’, and only after circulating around Wang Chong’s body once did it finally disappear without a trace.

When the massive surge of Origin Energy finally disappeared, this underground world regained its tranquility. That mysterious aura within Wang Chong’s head also faded away.

Wang Chong sat blankly on the spot, and for a long moment, he was unable to recover from his shock.

To think that the other party possessed such immense strength. His Origin Energy could actually be transmitted through the ground in between them and accurately strike Wang Chong’s body.

What left Wang Chong even surprised was that the other party actually knew the 《Little Yinyang Art》.

It was a derivative of the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》, and it was the exclusive technique of the Demonic Emperor Old Man. Thus, there were very few people who knew of this ultimate art.

Did that person know of this ultimate art beforehand, or did he deduce the entire 《Little Yinyang Art》 cultivation technique through observing Wang Chong’s cultivation?

But regardless of which one it was, it was already a formidable feat to Wang Chong.

“Elder?”

“Elder?”

“Elder? …”

Wang Chong tried calling out thrice, but the surroundings remained silent. It was as though nothing had happened at all.

However, the overflowing Origin Energy within Wang Chong’s body told him that this encounter wasn’t a product of his imagination.

“Who is that person? Despite his strength, he’s still locked up in the prison. Furthermore, from the looks of it, it seems that he has been here for quite awhile already.”

Wang Chong couldn’t help but contemplate over the matter.

In his previous life, Wang Chong, as the Grand Marshal of the Central Plains, had seen and learned about the affairs many different experts, such as Su Zhengchen and the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

But Wang Chong had never heard of an expert being locked in the depths of the imperial prison. None of the experts he knew of matched the details of this elder either.

“Who in the world is he?”

Wang Chong muttered. Deep curiosity welled up within him.

But regardless of how intrigued he was, that mysterious presence had indeed disappeared.

No matter how Wang Chong tried to summon the other party, there was no response.

After a few more tries, Wang Chong could only give up.

Having successfully opened up the circulation pathways for the 《Little Yinyang Art》, Wang Chong was saved much time and effort. Thus, he turned his attention into reinforcing his foundations for the cultivation technique instead.

The next three months flew by swiftly. Unknowingly, it was already time for Wang Chong to leave the imperial prison.

【Congratulations, user. By interfering in the Consort Taizhen incident, you have successfully changed King Song’s destiny. Mission Accomplishment: 30%. Reward: 20 Destiny Energy.】

【Congratulations, user. By opposing the regional commanders policy, you have changed Great Tang’s destiny. Mission Accomplishment: 30%. Reward: 30 Destiny Energy.】

…

When the final day of his imprisonment arrived, the voice from the Stone of Destiny abruptly sounded in Wang Chong’s ears and two notices appeared in his head.

Wang Chong was taken aback. Frenzied joy filled his heart.

“50 Destiny Energy! I actually obtained 50 Destiny Energy!”

Wang Chong was surprised and overjoyed, and agitation grasped him.

This reward was indeed generous, far beyond Wang Chong’s expectations.

The previous time, Wang Chong had changed the destiny of the entire clan, and through it, changed the destiny of King Song. On top of that, there were additional rewards from unlocking the title ‘Destiny Struggler’. Adding up all of them, he was only rewarded with 50 Destiny Energy.

This time, he had only accomplished the two missions by 30%, but he was already awarded 50 Destiny Energy. If he were to complete it all together, wouldn’t he be awarded with more than 150 Destiny Energy?

This had verified a theory that Wang Chong had in mind.

“It seems like changing the destiny of a nation awards much generously than changing the destiny of an individual!”

Wang Chong thought.

The only regret he felt was that Consort Taizhen still eventually came together with the Sage Emperor. Despite his efforts, the main events were still going down the same path as before.

And the ‘regional commanders’ policy was eventually passed as well. All Wang Chong managed to achieve was to abolish the ‘utilizing Hu talents’ policy.

Otherwise, his rewards would surely be greater.

Turning his attention away from this matter, Wang Chong saw Zhou Xing leading a few prison guards toward him.

Unlocking the prison doors, before Wang Chong could say a word, a prison guard walked up to Wang Chong and pressed down on an acupoint at the back of his head.

“This again…”

With a bitter smile on his face, Wang Chong fainted.