Starfall Fortress.
Above the Nine Layers of Hell stood a great hall called the Patrol Hall.
Inside were arranged twelve seats, corresponding to the twelve Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, and so on.
That’s right.
This was where the Twelve Patrol Envoys gathered on ordinary days.
Second in status only to the Fortress Master, these twelve powerhouses were not only responsible for capturing prisoners, but also managed the Nine Layers of Hell in their daily duties.
Within the Patrol Hall existed numerous projection arrays that provided real-time surveillance of everything in the prison.
At this very moment, several powerhouses with deep, profound auras either crossed their legs or rested their chins on the backs of their hands as they sat in their chairs, eyes fixed unblinkingly on the surveillance screens.
Watching what?
Watching the eighth layer of Hell.
Watching Jun Changxiao, who had just entered.
Turns out when Gou Sheng had broken through from the first layer into the second and third layers, he had already drawn their attention.
The Patrol Envoys wouldn’t deliberately try to stop him, because since Hell had teleportation arrays connecting to lower levels, it meant such behavior was permitted.
However.
What they hadn’t expected was that this bald man would actually fight his way from the first layer all the way to the eighth, and moreover was proficient in literary contests, drinking contests, and singing contests!
Especially during the singing contest with Qin Linran, his completely off-key singing… if they hadn’t shut off the projection array in time, it probably would have exploded on the spot.
“Boss.”
The Patrol Envoy designated as ‘Yin’ said: “Should we report this to the Master?”
Breaking through the Nine Layers of Hell was permitted, but fighting from the first layer all the way to the eighth was really quite impressive.
The man sitting at the very front, with shifty eyes and a wretched appearance, crossed his arms and said: “The Master is recovering from injuries and is not to be disturbed.”
His code name was Zi.
The leader of the Twelve Patrol Envoys.
“…”
The Yin Envoy fell silent.
The Master had never left Starfall Fortress, so why would he be injured? And recovering for so long—the injury must be quite severe.
“Boss.”
The Chou Envoy said: “Who injured the Master?”
This was a question the Yin Envoy and the others very much wanted to ask as well.
The Zi Envoy shook his head and said: “I’m not entirely clear either, but to be able to injure the Master, their strength must definitely be above ours.”
“…”
Surprise rose in everyone’s hearts.
The culprit who injured the Master has strength above ours, wouldn’t that mean they’ve reached the Upper Void-Breaking Realm?
This kind of peak powerhouse who could ascend to the Upper Realm, why would they still remain in the mortal world? Could they have already become indifferent to fame and fortune, desiring nothing?
“Boss.”
Just then, a Patrol Envoy walked into the great hall and said: “Number Seven just sent intelligence that the Dark Demon King who brought disaster to the Tianyuan Continent was eliminated by someone else first.”
The Chou Envoy and the others looked astonished.
The Zi Envoy asked: “Who eliminated him?”
The newcomer pointed at the light screen and said: “Number Seven has already transmitted the other party’s portrait.”
The projection array at the front gradually displayed the image of a young man around twenty years old wearing black robes!
That’s right.
It was Jun Changxiao.
“The Dark Demon King was an evil spirit born from the mortal universe, with strength comparable to the top tier of Middle Void-Breaking Realm. He was taken down by some kid who hasn’t even grown all his hair yet?” The Yin Envoy expressed doubt.
The Zi Envoy said: “The image came from Number Seven, so there definitely won’t be any mistake. Perhaps the other party looks young but is actually an old monster who likes to pretend to be young.”
This statement gained everyone’s approval.
In the mortal universe, there were always some who had lived for thousands or even tens of thousands of years but insisted on presenting themselves in youthful bodies.
Making oneself look younger was still understandable, but what was unbearable was that some people with eccentric personalities liked to change their own gender!
For example…
Everyone unconsciously looked toward the Mao Envoy nearby.
This was the only female among the Twelve Patrol Envoys, devastatingly beautiful, so beautiful that it couldn’t be described too much.
“What are you all looking at me for!” The Mao Envoy furrowed her willow-leaf eyebrows.
“Damn!”
The Yin Envoy couldn’t help but roar: “Can you at least change your voice to a female tone too!”
“This old lady does as she pleases—is it any of your business?”
“…”
The Yin Envoy clenched his fists tightly.
If not for the Boss being present, he probably would have already made his move to beat this pervert who was originally a man’s body but changed into a woman’s body back to his original form!
“Everyone.”
The Zi Envoy opened his mouth to inquire: “Have any of you seen this person before?”
“No.”
Everyone shook their heads.
They had been enforcing law in the mortal universe for years and had seen quite a few powerhouses, but this young man was completely unfamiliar to them.
“Strange.”
The Zi Envoy said with some confusion: “If he could eliminate the Dark Demon King, it means this person is definitely no ordinary character. Why have none of us ever seen him?”
“Boss!”
The Si Envoy who had been sitting in the back remaining silent the whole time looked sharply and said: “This guy looks kind of familiar!”
“You recognize him?” the Zi Envoy asked.
The Si Envoy considered briefly, then looked up at the light screen showing the eighth layer of Hell and said: “Don’t you think that judging from body shape and build, the person in the portrait is very similar to that guy?”
“Oh?”
The Zi Envoy and the others all looked up, and after repeated comparisons, they all came to the conclusion—they really were similar!
Jun Changxiao and the Patrol Envoys had met outside Starfall Fortress using his true appearance. Although he had disguised himself in time afterward, what changed was merely his looks.
“Could it be…”
The Zi Envoy stroked his chin and said: “This guy is the one who eliminated the Dark Demon King? And right now he’s just changed his appearance?”
The Si Envoy said seriously: “It’s him!”
As soon as these words came out, several Patrol Envoys immediately believed it, because although this person didn’t speak much normally, he was skilled at observation and insight. As long as he confirmed something, there would definitely be no mistake.
“I understand now!”
The Yin Envoy realized: “No wonder this guy could break through from the first layer to the eighth—turns out he really does have the ability!”
“He’s hiding it deep.”
The Chou Envoy said: “I almost thought he only had Lower Void-Breaking Realm cultivation.”
Everyone marveled at Jun Changxiao playing the pig to eat the tiger, while only the Zi Envoy fell into brief silence, then said with a grave expression: “Why would he be in the Nine Layers of Hell?”
“Because he made a move in the city, obviously,” the Yin Envoy said.
They had long since investigated the files regarding Jun Changxiao’s imprisonment.
The Zi Envoy clasped his hands together, rested his chin on the backs of his hands, his shifty little eyes rolling around as he said: “The matter is definitely not that simple. This person came to Starfall Fortress and certainly has some scheme.”
“What scheme?”
The Yin Envoy joked: “Don’t tell me he’s going to break prisoners out?”
The other Patrol Envoys laughed.
Even if they guessed that Jun Changxiao had some scheme coming to the Nine Layers of Hell, they would never think he would break prisoners out, because… the Starfall Fortress defense system wouldn’t agree, and Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai wouldn’t agree!
With these twelve Patrol Envoys wearing the cloak of justice, just standing anywhere in the Nine Layers of Hell would radiate an extremely powerful deterrent force!
Confidence.
Made them fearless.
“Number Three.”
As the leader of the Patrol Envoys, the Zi Envoy was relatively cautious and said: “You go down below and take a look.”
“Mm.”
The Yin Envoy turned to leave.
Just as he reached the hall entrance, the Zi Envoy added: “If that guy defeats the chief prisoner of the eighth layer of Hell, you can make a move to test his depth.”
“Understood.”
A smile rose at the corner of the Yin Envoy’s mouth.
Among the Twelve Patrol Envoys, he was the relatively combat-loving type. Now having the opportunity to fight with the person who eliminated the Dark Demon King—that should be quite interesting!
“Kid.”
“Don’t you dare disappoint this Envoy!”
…
Eighth layer of Hell.
Jun Changxiao stood proudly holding the Jade Dragon Heaven-Questioning Sword.
Dust, pebbles, and other debris gradually floated up around him, radiating an incomparably sharp sword momentum.
On the boulder directly opposite stood a middle-aged man with a three-inch beard. He had nine ancient swords on his back, and surprise flickered in his eyes as he said: “So you’re actually a sword cultivator!”