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Chapter 842: The Eighteenth Level of Hell

The mist-shrouded Qingqiu Holy Capital was adorned with numerous floating islands in the sky, bathed in infinite golden light descending from above. The vast fortune here surpassed that of Lingxiao Heavenly Court by several times!

Within these sprawling mountains, the capital was divided into several regions, each with its own bustling market area.

"Qingqiu Holy Capital!" Zhong Shan took a deep breath, muttering to himself.

Upon returning, Sima Zongheng landed at the entrance of a bustling market area on the western side of Qingqiu Holy Capital. Several officials from Taichu quickly approached. The leading official wore an octagonal felt hat, his face covered in wrinkles, looking extremely unattractive.

"My lord!" the leading official bowed, simultaneously glancing at Zhong Shan beside Sima Zongheng.

Rumors had been rampant in Qingqiu Holy Capital lately. A Holy King had been taken hostage? Could this be him? Was this Zhong Shan?

A hint of malice flashed in the lead official\'s eyes.

"Sima Sanguang, this is the Great Zheng Holy King Zhong Shan! He has been sealed and is now no different from a mortal!" Sima Zongheng said indifferently.

"Oh?" The officials all turned to look at Zhong Shan.

At this moment, Zhong Shan, clad in a black robe, still carried himself with grace, showing no signs of being a prisoner.

"My lord, is this the man who killed our Third Young Master?" Sima Sanguang asked venomously, staring at Zhong Shan.

"Sima Ce was not killed by him, but he was involved. Now that he is a vassal to our court, you must not be disrespectful to him!" Sima Zongheng warned sternly.

"Uh?" Sima Sanguang was slightly taken aback.

Must not be disrespectful?

"Then where should we send him as a hostage...?" Sima Sanguang began to ask but was cut off by Sima Zongheng.

"He has no freedom now anyway. Send him to your place!" Sima Zongheng said.

"To my place?" Sima Sanguang asked in astonishment.

"Yes, find the quietest place you have," Sima Zongheng said with a sinister smile.

"The quietest? The eighteenth level?" Sima Sanguang asked tentatively.

"Yes, that will do. Treat him well!" Sima Zongheng replied with a wicked grin.

Seeing Sima Zongheng\'s expression, Sima Sanguang immediately understood. Treat him well? The eighteenth level? Could anyone be treated well there? Given the close relationship between Sima Ce and Sima Zongheng, and Sima Ce\'s death being related to Zhong Shan, how could Sima Zongheng not make him suffer?

"Yes, I will not disappoint you, my lord!"

"From here to your place is ten miles. Zhong Shan is now a mortal, don\'t rush. Let him take a good look at Qingqiu Holy Capital!"

"Yes!"

"Hahaha!"

After giving his orders, Sima Zongheng laughed heartily and vanished with a flick of his sleeve.

"Holy King Zhong, please come with us!" Sima Sanguang said with a broad smile.

Sima Sanguang\'s heart was filled with satisfaction. The dignified Holy King had now become his prisoner?

In a place like Qingqiu Holy Capital, filled with countless nobles, Sima Sanguang\'s position as the warden of Qingqiu\'s great prison was indeed lowly. Constantly under pressure and looked down upon, he now found himself in charge of a Holy King\'s fate. How could he not be pleased?

"Mm," Zhong Shan nodded. There was no need for him to get angry at someone like Sima Sanliang.

A group of people walked along a main street.

Sima Sanliang, still unsatisfied, thought for a moment and then said, "You few, spread the word everywhere. Tell them Zhong Shan has arrived in Qingqiu, is on Prison Street, and is about to enter Qingqiu\'s great prison. Go quickly!"

"Yes!" Several prison guards immediately flew away.

"And the rest of you, the arrival of Holy King Zhong Shan cannot go unnoticed. Beat the gongs and clear the streets!" Sima Sanliang ordered the remaining guards.

"Yes!"

"Hahaha!" Sima Sanliang was immensely proud.

"Bang!" "Bang!" The sounds of gongs reverberated through the street as people retreated to the sides, watching this peculiar procession.

"Everyone, this is the Great Zheng\'s Holy King Zhong Shan!" Sima Sanliang shouted.

"The Great Zheng Holy King?"

"Is he really the Great Zheng Holy King?"

"What is happening? Where is Sima Sanliang taking him? Shouldn\'t he be going to the hostage palace?"

"Are they imprisoning him?"

"The Great Zheng Holy King in prison?"

The entire Prison Street buzzed with excitement, as people curiously watched Zhong Shan in the center.

A Holy King being imprisoned was unprecedented and extremely unusual. Word of this quickly spread in all directions.

"Holy King Zhong Shan has arrived on Prison Street!"

"He is parading on Prison Street, about to enter Qingqiu\'s great prison!"

More and more people gathered. Just days ago, this news was merely a rumor, but now it was confirmed.

Ten miles of street were not easy to traverse, especially with Zhong Shan in his current mortal state.

The crowd grew larger and larger.

"Look, that\'s Zhong Shan!"

"See, the Great Zheng Holy King is just like anyone else!"

"In Qingqiu, no matter how strong or noble you are, you must bow down!"

People chattered endlessly. Sima Sanliang was visibly proud. He had never received so much attention before; although the attention wasn\'t directly on him, it was because of him that so many people had come.

Zhong Shan remained silent throughout. Being treated like a spectacle was indeed uncomfortable, but he understood these people\'s mentality. Only cowards and those unworthy of the stage would delight in others\' misfortune. Today, he was a prisoner mocked by others. Tomorrow, he would rise again, and their expressions would be worth seeing.

Of course, Zhong Shan had never suffered such humiliation before. Though calm on the surface, the pride in his bones made him remember this moment deeply.

Sima Sanliang was pleased but slightly dissatisfied that Zhong Shan did not resist. If Zhong Shan had resisted, cursed, or fought back, it would have been perfect, giving Sima Sanliang a chance to showcase his ferocity. But Zhong Shan was too compliant, silent, and therefore a coward in Sima Sanliang\'s eyes.

Coward? Once Sima Sanliang witnessed Zhong Shan\'s true strength, he would no longer think so.

Traversing the ten-mile-long Prison Street, Zhong Shan endured endless mockery without uttering a word, until he reached the end, a heavily guarded area surrounded by a formation.

The Qingqiu Great Prison was a deep and complex place. Passing through over a dozen checkpoints, Zhong Shan and his escorts finally arrived at the inner section, where numerous palaces stood. The largest palace had a plaque with the character "Prison" inscribed on it.

The commotion outside had already aroused the curiosity of all the officials within the Qingqiu Great Prison. As Sima Sanliang brought Zhong Shan in, everyone craned their necks to get a good look at this extraordinary Holy King.

"Liu Ding, Liu Jia!" Sima Sanliang shouted.

"My lord, here we are!" Two prison guards hurriedly came forward.

"Find a remote place and send him to prison!" Sima Sanliang ordered.

"But my lord, we are in charge of the eighteenth level of hell! Is it really appropriate to send him there?" one of them asked.

"Inappropriate? What\'s inappropriate? I\'ll take responsibility for anything that happens. Now, hurry up!" Sima Sanliang commanded.

"Yes!" Liu Ding and Liu Jia responded immediately.

Since the lord had spoken, what reason did they have to refuse?

"Holy King Zhong, please follow us!" Sima Sanliang sneered.

"Mm," Zhong Shan nodded.

Without arguing, Zhong Shan followed Liu Ding and Liu Jia towards the palace labeled "Prison." As he walked away, Sima Sanliang\'s eyes grew colder.

Inside the grand hall were eighteen circular black platforms.

"Step onto this prison platform," Liu Ding and Liu Jia instructed.

Zhong Shan stepped onto the platform, and suddenly, countless colorful lights flashed around it, making the entire platform seem to tremble.

For five full seconds, the platform vibrated. Zhong Shan felt an immense weight descend upon him, as if he were carrying a mountain. The colorful lights vanished, and even the black platform disappeared.

Zhong Shan found himself in a different place.

The sky was gloomy, with countless plague-bearing insects floating around. The air was thick with the stench of decaying corpses. This was a vast, circular valley with a diameter of a hundred miles. Thick black mist enveloped the mountains, exuding a menacing aura. At the center of the valley, a beam of light shot straight into the sky.

Leaning against the foot of a mountain, Zhong Shan found himself in a ten-zhang-wide circle, half of which was embedded in the mountain. As he approached the edge, the circle emitted a lot of black light, making it impossible to touch.

A prison marked by a line. Unable to leave, Zhong Shan could only move within this ten-zhang area.

In this valley, there were nearly twenty thousand such circular prison cells. Some cells held only one prisoner, while others held several. Many prisoners looked haggard, with disheveled hair.

"Crack!" Suddenly, one prisoner\'s chest collapsed inward, and he spat blood, dying instantly!

He had been crushed by his own weight.

Zhong Shan quickly realized the peculiarity of this place. The gravity here was over twenty thousand times normal. The prisoners, their powers sealed, had to rely solely on their physical bodies to withstand this immense gravity. The eighteenth level of hell was not a place for ordinary people.

With his extraordinarily strong body, Zhong Shan did not feel much burden.

Leaning against the foot of the mountain, Zhong Shan sat cross-legged.

"Snore! Snore!"

As soon as he sat down, he heard a strange sound. Turning his head, he was slightly taken aback.

A bonsai? Air purification? Numerous bonsai plants surrounded a central table and a large bed. The table was laden with various delicacies, and on the bed lay a chubby man in yellow clothes. With cotton balls stuffed in his ears, he hugged a pillow and slept soundly, his snoring surprisingly pleasant in the otherwise harsh environment.

Enjoying himself in the eighteenth level of hell?

"Hey, kid, what crime did you commit to be sent to the eighteenth level of hell?" a burly man with a fierce face suddenly called out.

"Yeah, we\'ve been here for eight thousand years. Tell us, what\'s it like outside?" another prisoner asked.

"I\'m talking to you, kid! Are you looking for death?" the burly man shouted.

Zhong Shan ignored them, sitting cross-legged as if in deep meditation.