Chapter 336: Secret Prison 3

“A lifeform of pure light?”

Han Su looked at the Little Lamb Girl, who was trying to push him away without success, and simply gave her a small smile.

He was finally beginning to understand why this secret prison didn’t seem heavily guarded. At the end of the day, it was still a prison, filled with grotesque lifeforms and strange phenomena. An ordinary person would be lucky to survive just stepping inside.

Even those with some degree of power would inevitably alert the guards while fighting these monsters. There was almost no one who could deal with them as silently as he could.

His own smooth progress was all thanks to the Emperor’s Book.

The Emperor’s Book was incredibly convenient for dealing with these things that weren’t particularly strong but possessed a high degree of pollution. The faster they polluted, the faster they died. It even brought him a tiny bit of new Divine Material, though the amount was hardly significant.

Right now, he was in a niche just a tier below an Independent Investigator. Unless Investigator Wei Ya herself showed up, there weren’t many things in Giant Horn City that could threaten him.

However, there was an awkward catch. It wouldn’t be easy to quickly improve to the point where he could confidently fight—or even overpower—those Independent Investigators.

He had already begun the process of Stealing the Emperor’s Text, and his strength was in a period of rapid growth.

With each passing day, his Spiritual Range and Spiritual Activity would see a significant boost.

This was a state most would only dream of, but reaching the level of a true Independent Investigator still required some time to accumulate power. It might only take a few months, which would be lightning-fast for an ordinary person.

But to him, it still felt insufficient. Too slow.

To increase this speed further, he would need to continue “Stealing.”

In other words, he had to sacrifice the power of mysterious sources in exchange for more of the Emperor’s Text to strengthen his own Divine Material.

Just like this lamppost-head monster.

It had tried to pollute his Divine Material, but he had simply handed it over to the Emperor’s Book, gaining information while also strengthening his own essence.

But these lamppost-heads were only Beast Level. The reinforcement they provided was far too little.

Beast Level, Clan Level, Faith Level, Civilization Level, and finally, Divine Level.

The higher the level of the mysterious source, the more his Divine Material could be strengthened.

Unfortunately, high-level powers weren’t just lying around everywhere. The most “valuable” ones he had encountered in his previous life were the Four Heavenly Kings. They all possessed high-density Crimson material, but they were his allies. He couldn’t very well try to suck them dry.

As for what he had on hand, the most valuable items were Copper’s Will and Bai Shi’s blood. But they were too useful to just consume, and he was reluctant to part with them.

‘So, how can I improve faster?’

He lifted his head and saw that he and the Little Lamb Girl had disturbed more than just the lamppost-head monster hiding by the roadside. More and more things were beginning to stir in the shadows, and a thought flashed through his mind:

‘Annihilate them?’

“…”

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

The Emperor’s Text had increased his resistance to pollution, but it was just an increase, not immunity.

If he fought so many monsters in this secret prison, the pollution he’d accumulate would likely exceed his limits.

Besides, he had no idea what kind of guards he might alert.

An army of ants can kill an elephant. He had to be careful.

“Then…”

Han Su paused, slowly raising a hand, and recited in a low voice, “By my power, a pious offering!”

Zero Sequence Encrypted Spell Number 10.

This was a Spell for precisely finding and locating the source of pollution in a chaotic area.

Judging from the wording, with terms like “pious” and “offering,” it sounded very polite. In reality, however, the Spell’s purpose was to spy and search. And once it found a mysterious source, it was often followed by merciless slaughter and destruction.

It was a bit like coaxing the target out of the shadows.

Something akin to, “Heeere, kitty kitty, come on out, I’ve got a treat for you…”

CRACKLE!

As Han Su chanted the Spell, the shadows around him instantly became tangible. He could almost see wisps of strange power, and even the ground beneath his feet seemed to warp.

Han Su felt the space before him shift continuously. Though he hadn’t moved, in a daze, he found himself before a series of black buildings.

At first glance, he thought he had returned to the Ancient Castle. However, while these black buildings were just as old, they felt unreal. Everything was pitch-black, and the architectural style was almost identical to the second floor where Lady Meat Horn resided.

Upon arriving, the Little Lamb Girl could no longer contain herself and ran inside excitedly.

She had always been clever, avoiding any actions that might make Han Su suspicious, but now she was too excited to control herself.

Han Su didn’t stop her. He slowly followed her into the complex, entering a corridor with high walls. On the right wall, he immediately saw a series of life-sized oil paintings, and the second one caught his eye.

It depicted a figure in an elegant black dress, her face veiled by a black cloth, with a single meat horn growing from her head. It was Lady Meat Horn.

He stopped in his tracks, looking up at the lifelike portrait as if he were truly facing her.

After a long moment, he slowly shifted his gaze and saw a new, half-finished portrait next to Lady Meat Horn’s.

But from the facial features, the posture, and the curved meat horn growing from the head, he still recognized her…

…It was a grown-up Song Yushi!

The ponytail!

Song Chushi’s sister!

‘Why is her portrait hanging here, and right next to Lady Meat Horn’s?’

His gaze swept further down the hall, and he saw portrait after portrait, all with similar features, the paintings growing progressively older and more ancient.

An answer was already taking shape in Han Su’s mind.

“Baa…”

As Han Su was taking all this in, the Little Lamb Girl, who had rushed into the corridor, let out an anxious bleat. Having left his side, her Invisibility Ability had faded. A rustling sound came from the dark rooms lining the corridor, followed by the patter of footsteps.

A group of startled children ran out, boys and girls, none of whom looked older than ten.

They stared at the Little Lamb Girl in delighted disbelief, jumping around her happily.

But Han Su’s gaze hardened, focusing on their backs.

A huge syringe was stuck into each of their backs. Inside the syringes was a viscous black substance, manipulated by an invisible force that either injected the black matter into their bodies or drew a little of it back out.

It was some kind of semi-intelligent pollution device.

Han Su’s eyes locked onto these devices, and a sudden tremor ran through him. He froze on the spot.

‘These children… they’re all normal humans!’

‘They’re just being forcibly injected with polluting substances, causing their bodies to develop all sorts of mutations…’

‘They’re even younger than the group of us who were kidnapped and taken to the Ancient Castle…’