Chapter 171: Leaving the Hundred Prisons

“In short, I won’t stay in the Dueling Arena any longer.”

When it came down to it, Jiang Yan wasn’t as sentimental as someone like Yang Qing. His goal had been clear from the very beginning.

That was to grow stronger through the Dueling Arena.

Over these past days, he had already condensed the 24th War Ruins Engraving. Jiang Yan had achieved his objective.

He wouldn’t continue running the Dueling Arena just because he had developed feelings for it along the way. Whether he had the ability to or not was irrelevant.

Once something could no longer bring him benefits, continuing it held no meaning whatsoever.

Part on good terms.

Jiang Yan left directly. Before leaving the Hundred Prisons, he still needed to complete the final step of his cultivation.

A Spiritual Power breakthrough to the Cave Heaven Realm!

Wind-Wound Cliff.

Malignant souls converged into droplets, swirling around Jiang Yan’s body. Baleful energy surged wildly, evil miasma proliferated, and eerie whispers rose and fell incessantly.

Suddenly, Jiang Yan’s Spirit Platform trembled, unleashing Supreme spiritual might. In an instant, the surrounding evil energy was swept away, and clarity returned to the space around Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan opened his eyes. His black-and-white pupils emitted a chilling, penetrating light. A spiritual vortex instantly formed within a certain radius. Stones danced wildly on the cliff face, and passing crows were frozen in place, unable to move a muscle.

The massive amount of corrupted remnant souls at the bottom of the cliff were absorbed and purified by Jiang Yan, as if he intended to drain the place completely.

Finally, after nearly half a month of cultivation, Jiang Yan emptied the entire Wind-Wound Cliff.

Cave Heaven, achieved!

From then on, this place would just be an ordinary cliff.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw a person standing atop the cliff wall.

Chang Yin.

Jiang Yan had already sensed his presence from below using his Spiritual Power, so he wasn’t surprised at all.

“Something the matter?”

Jiang Yan asked.

“I’m just a little short of comprehending the essence of the Source Domain Realm. I wanted to fight you.”

“The Dueling Arena wasn’t open today, so I couldn’t make it to King. Consider it… I owe you one. If in the future you—”

“Alright, this one’s on me.”

Twenty-four War Ruins Engravings floated before Jiang Yan.

“Just so we’re clear, I won’t hold back.”

“Alright…”

Chang Yin gave Jiang Yan a deep look and also shifted into a combat stance.

The Crimson Nether Mark writhed. Chang Yin’s control over his emotions was now much more proficient.

Thud!

Chang Yin fell to the ground, deeply embedded in a crater.

Jiang Yan squatted by the edge of the pit and asked, “Well? Did you gain any insights?”

Inside the pit, Chang Yin was covered in blood. He squinted his eyes and spoke with difficulty, “No… I didn’t…”

Jiang Yan wasn’t surprised at all. “Not every battle brings you benefits. But your memories will always have one more entry.”

Chang Yin inside the pit had already fallen unconscious.

Jiang Yan smiled and kicked a pebble onto Chang Yin’s face.

Without caring whether he woke up or not, Jiang Yan left Wind-Wound Cliff directly.

Secret Realm Exit.

The place was already packed with people.

“Look, it’s Jiang Yan! So the news is true. He really is giving up on running the Dueling Arena!”

A large crowd swarmed over, blocking Jiang Yan completely.

“Mr. Jiang Yan, may I ask why you don’t plan to continue operating the Dueling Arena?”

“Is it due to funding issues?”

“May I ask…”

…

A barrage of questions came one after another. The dense cluster of black microphones almost seemed like they would stab Jiang Yan to death on the spot.

Jiang Yan activated his Inner Astral, isolating everyone outside.

“Everyone, from today onward, the Dueling Arena will become history. As for the reason… well, we’re bankrupt.”

“Wow, that’s so touching. Could it be that the Dueling Arena didn’t make any profit at all after operating for so long?”

“To think there exists such a pure man in this world. Our Tianyuan Star… uh, Blue Star has truly produced a sage-like talent!”

…

Praise filled the air incessantly.

After answering a few selected questions, Jiang Yan refused to accept any further interviews.

A brilliant light flashed, and Jiang Yan appeared at the Secret Realm entrance—

Thousand Chariots Square.

“Bro Jiang!”

Looking up, what met his eyes wasn’t the dense crowd of reporters who had been waiting for a long time.

Two men stood before him.

One was Cheng Wu, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. The other—

Slightly plump, with features somewhat similar to Cheng Wu’s. Perhaps a relative of some sort.

“So you’re Jiang Yan! Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!”

The middle-aged man’s face immediately broke into a wide smile upon seeing Jiang Yan and he stepped forward at once.

Cheng Wu, however, wore a troubled expression, momentarily unsure of what to say.

This was his father, whom he rarely saw. Usually indifferent to him, his father’s attitude had done a complete 180-degree turn upon learning that he was acquainted with Jiang Yan, insisting he must meet this heroic youth.

These past days, his father had been very good to him. Cheng Wu, who had been raised by a wet nurse since childhood, felt dazed and overwhelmed by the sudden favor.

So familial affection could also become a bargaining chip for climbing the social ladder.

Therefore, when he saw his father eagerly stepping forward to engage in conversation, Cheng Wu remained silent.

He knew that man cared about Bro Jiang’s status, not about his own useless son.

Up ahead, the man continued his enthusiastic chatter, covering all sorts of topics, from far and wide, eventually steering the conversation to Cheng Wu.

“My precious son talks about your past exploits at home every single day.”

“Back when you slew that Demon Lord in the Secret Realm, if only I, Cheng Xuan, could have witnessed it myself.”

Jiang Yan’s expression remained unchanged. He felt no goodwill towards Cheng Xuan’s attempts at closeness.

“I have some matters to discuss with Cheng Wu.”

The implication was already quite clear.

Cheng Xuan’s expression shifted slightly, and he immediately understood.

“Alright, alright, alright. Actually, I have some matters to attend to as well, so I’ll take my leave now. Here’s my business card. If you ever need anything in the future, be sure to come find old Cheng here.”

After saying some pleasantries, Cheng Xuan left somewhat dejectedly.

“Why is it so deserted here?” Jiang Yan looked at the flustered Cheng Wu before him.

“Father had everyone nearby dispersed so he could meet you alone.”

“Tsk, that actually saved me a lot of trouble.”

“Bro Jiang, I’ve heard a lot about your exploits in the Hundred Prisons Hunting Ground. I wish I could be as awesome as you someday.”

Jiang Yan: “That probably won’t be possible.”

Cheng Wu: (Sigh)!!

…

After parting ways with Cheng Wu, Jiang Yan went alone to a hotel.

On the bed, Jiang Yan browsed his phone.

Displayed on the phone was a map of Tianyuan Star.

It marked various city districts, Secret Realms, spheres of influence, etc.

Upon deeper investigation, Jiang Yan discovered that Tianyuan Star wasn’t as peaceful as it appeared on the surface either.

Tianyuan Star experienced a major upheaval 4,600 years ago, essentially a war of conquest among the major powers.

That war lasted an extraordinarily long time. All major factions suffered heavy losses and were later forced to abandon the war, opting for a temporary peace.

4,546 years ago, the upper echelons of various powers formed the high-level government of Tianyuan Star. The interests represented by each faction differed vastly, which also led to discrepancies in government decrees.

Almost every time a new Chief took office, different laws would be formulated and promulgated. The underlying reason was the interests of the backing conglomerates.

Contradictory political groups gave rise to complex lower-level forces.

Various factions grew wildly. Yet, because the interests of the upper-level powers were entangled, these factions were never thoroughly eradicated.

The Descent Faction, the Heaven Demon Sect, the Sunset Pavilion, the Subversive Faction…

The reason these forces could exist for so long was essentially due to the tangled interests among the upper echelons.

This year.

Tianyuan New Calendar: Year 4546.