Chapter 596 - 596: A Married Couple in the VIP Prison

Jiang Xinghai followed Tan Yuan to the entrance of a basement. The air was thick with darkness and damp, creating a sense of oppression and unease.

He cautiously followed behind Tan Yuan, descending the stairs step by step into the depths below.

Walking ahead, Tan Yuan opened the great door to the prison, and Jiang Xinghai saw the scene within.

Under the dim, yellow light, a huge space was revealed. Countless iron chains dangled from above, each shackling a prisoner. They looked incredibly weak, and some were already dead.

Seeing all this, Jiang Xinghai felt a pain as if his heart were being stabbed.

'Are my parents among them?'

He fought the urge to rush forward and examine each prisoner's face, desperate to find a familiar figure, but he managed to hold himself back.

"Do you find my methods a bit cruel?"

Tan Yuan had noticed the change in Jiang Xinghai's expression. Stroking his beard, he chuckled faintly. "You don't understand their identities. If I don't do this, there's no way to pry the answers from their mouths. Do you think this method of extracting confessions through torture is appropriate?"

"I don't understand. What crime did they commit? Does it warrant this kind of torture?"

Jiang Xinghai was seething. "If I remember correctly," he said, "the Island Country did these sorts of soulless things to the Dragon Country last century. You can't be unaware of that, can you?"

"Last century? The Island Country?"

Tan Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "The affairs of the Mortal World are not something we from the Celestial Profound Realm interfere with. Though I have heard of it, there was nothing we could do to help."

"So, you believe the Celestial Profound Realm is superior to the Mortal World?"

Jiang Xinghai asked bluntly again, "Let me ask you, then. What kind of blood flows in the veins of people from the Celestial Profound Realm?"

"What do you mean?" Tan Yuan frowned.

"I've heard that the Celestial Profound Realm was founded within the Dragon Country thousands of years ago. In that case, doesn't the blood of the Dragon Country flow through your veins as well?" Jiang Xinghai had heard his master, Yao Gu, mention this before.

Tan Yuan was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "So many years have passed. Who still remembers?"

"Fine. Let's not talk about the past. Let's talk about the present."

Jiang Xinghai raised his hand, lit a cigarette, and pointed at the men and women bound in chains ahead. "I'm very curious. What unforgivable crime did they commit? And what answers are you trying to get from them?"

"Are you questioning me?" Tan Yuan's voice grew colder.

"I'm merely curious. And this will factor into my decision on whether or not to join the Shadow Sect," Jiang Xinghai said calmly.

"Sometimes, curiosity kills the cat."

Tan Yuan's expression gradually warmed. "Of course, it's no secret. We simply select people from the Mortal World who have potential for cultivation—you could call them geniuses. Those who agree are sent to the Celestial Profound Realm in a group during the twelfth lunar month each year. As for those who refuse... well, this is what happens to them."

"I have to say, your methods are quite tyrannical."

Jiang Xinghai's face became solemn. "Doesn't that mean if I don't agree, I'll suffer the same fate as them?"

"You probably wouldn't end up like them."

Tan Yuan's lips curled slightly. "After all, you're so young and already at the Middle Stage of the Human Emperor Realm. Even if you refuse, I will still treat you well... in a VIP cell."

"A VIP cell?" Jiang Xinghai sneered.

'These days, even prisons have different classes.'

'But hearing those words from someone from the Celestial Profound Realm just felt strange.'

However, when he heard "VIP cell," he immediately thought of his parents.

He was certain that his parents were not among the men and women in this prison hall!

'Does that mean his parents are in the VIP cells?'

"Care to see the VIP cells?" Tan Yuan asked meaningfully.

"Of course, if it's convenient." Jiang Xinghai hadn't expected him to make the offer, so he certainly wasn't going to refuse.

Tan Yuan nodded slightly, walked swiftly to the center of the hall, and pressed a button.

"RUMBLE!"

In a corner of the hall, another hidden door appeared.

Looking from afar, the light from within the secret doorway was bright and clear, like a modern, high-end villa.

Who would have thought that such an "Underground Palace" would be built on Lightning Island, out in the middle of the sea?

"Come."

Tan Yuan walked ahead, motioning for Jiang Xinghai to follow.

Jiang Xinghai followed without hesitation. "There's something else I don't understand," he said, looking up. "Since you want to cultivate geniuses from the Dragon Country, and as far as I know, the Imperial City has the most geniuses, have they also been 'invited' by your Shadow Sect?"

"Well... only some of them."

Tan Yuan wasn't being evasive about this and slowly explained, "In the Imperial City, quite a few geniuses have family elders who have long since gone to live in the Celestial Profound Realm. So, they have their own paths and don't have to rely on the Shadow Sect as their only option. Does that explanation make sense to you?"

Jiang Xinghai had a sudden realization.

'Of course!'

'The vast Celestial Profound Realm doesn't just have one sect like the Shadow Sect!'

"We're here!"

Suddenly, Tan Yuan's voice grew louder. "I'll ask you one more time. You now know all the secrets of Mirror Lake Manor, and you've shown an interest in joining my Shadow Sect. Once you step into this VIP prison, you must give me your answer."

"And if I don't?" Jiang Xinghai smiled faintly.

"If you don't—"

Tan Yuan didn't care what Jiang Xinghai was thinking. "You will be locked in here, too, until you agree."

As he spoke, Tan Yuan had already stepped into the corridor of the VIP prison, quietly waiting for Jiang Xinghai to enter.

In that instant, a thousand thoughts raced through Jiang Xinghai's mind.

He quickly used a Divine Sense transmission to contact Zhong Yunman and Cao Qing, telling them he had successfully entered the prison at Mirror Lake Manor and that they should be ready to act as the situation developed.

"You... hesitated." Tan Yuan's voice was filled with cold severity.

"A little hesitation, just to steel my resolve."

Just like that, without a backward glance, Jiang Xinghai lifted his leg and stepped into the VIP prison corridor.

From this point on, things would be fine if he agreed. If not, he would be imprisoned here.

At least, that was the situation on the surface.

The real question was whether Tan Yuan actually had the power to detain Jiang Xinghai.

"Excellent! It seems you've made your decision!"

Seeing this, Tan Yuan relaxed slightly, though he still didn't fully trust Jiang Xinghai. He immediately said, "There are eighteen VIP cells here, each meant to hold one person. Let's start from cell number one and take a look. We'll see what kind of outstanding geniuses they are."

"Eighteen cells, and they're all occupied?" Jiang Xinghai asked.

"Currently, only two."

Tan Yuan walked forward. "A man and a woman. And they're husband and wife..."

"Husband and wife?" Jiang Xinghai's eyes lit up.

'As expected. It must be his parents, Jiang Wendong and Ji Qingya!'

"It's a pity. They've been imprisoned here for five long years, and we still haven't managed to break their silence. But, on the bright side, for the sake of tormenting them, the couple hasn't seen each other in all that time. Five years! Right next door to each other, yet unable to meet... Can you imagine how that feels?" Tan Yuan let out a wild laugh.