Heroes' Prison

Chapter 1771 - 1691: Heroes’ Prison—Cell No. 4

As soon as he entered Cell No. 4, Huang Yi found himself under a night sky, where a blood-red moon hung ominously.

In front was an old European-style mansion, abandoned for a long time, surrounded by high walls with rain-streaked stains. There was only an intricately carved iron gate as the entrance, and above it twisted large letters—Reflection Paradise.

Inside the gate stood several twisted oak trees, their leaves long gone. On the bare branches crouched a few crows, their glowing eyes fixed on Huang Yi outside the gate.

Looking further inside, there was a large lawn. At the end of the lawn were several abandoned buildings, hidden in the darkness of the night, faintly outlining a silhouette, exuding an eerie and terrifying aura.

The carved iron gate of the mansion was ajar. Huang Yi took a few steps forward, pushed the gate open, and the crows on the oak trees cawed hoarsely, flapping their wings in a hurried flight.

The vast lawn ahead was overgrown with weeds, untouched for a long time. Huang Yi walked straight down the path in the middle of the lawn.

As he walked, something incongruous suddenly appeared in front of him—a well.

In a European-style mansion, this spot would typically feature a flower pool, but here, awkwardly, there was a well, surrounded by nothing but lawn, with no concealment.

Under the blood-red moonlight, the well exuded a bizarre atmosphere.

Huang Yi simply walked to the well’s edge, leaned over, and looked down.

The water at the bottom of the well was a dark red, resembling blood. At the center of the still water surface, the reflection of the blood-red moon appeared.

The blood-red moon seemed like the pupil of the well, staring unblinkingly at Huang Yi.

In a moment of distraction, Huang Yi felt an illusion, as if he was gazing into the eyes of a sinister being.

"Hmm?" Suddenly, he noticed something amiss: there was no reflection of him in the well water.

Although he clearly leaned over, his face did not appear in the water’s reflection, as if he were a nonexistent person.

Instinctively, Huang Yi extended his hand, waving it towards the wellhead, but still, there was no reflection.

Just then, ripples appeared on the surface of the well water, finally revealing his reflection.

Huang Yi stared at his reflection, his keen eyes scrutinizing every detail, but nothing unusual was found.

Such an occurrence could be explained by time; if there were a time delay, a delayed reflection could be possible. Besides this, certain illusions or mirage-like abilities could also cause such effects.

He shook his head, not delving further, and continued walking away from the well.

Unbeknownst to him, just after he left, his reflection in the well water did not disappear, but instead, it revealed an eerie smile.

Huang Yi crossed the large lawn to an abandoned building. The stone steps were covered in moss, and the walls bore the marks of rain erosion.

He pushed open the door and entered. Inside was pitch black, with only the blood-red moonlight penetrating the door, casting a faint red glow inside.

The interior was quite plain, equipped with a fireplace, chandelier, and candelabra, with oil paintings hanging on the walls. A spiral staircase led to the second floor.

Huang Yi circled the room, inspecting each room but finding nothing.

He explored until the last room on the second floor, and still, he found nothing.

This room had a mirror, and he stood in front of it to take a look.

The surroundings were deathly silent; in the darkness, he could hear his own breathing.

He gazed at the mirror for a long time, his expression suddenly changing.

To his horror, he realized that the reflection in the mirror blinked, while he did not.

The reflection in the mirror was not his true reflection!

"Come out! I know you’re in there!" Huang Yi said, staring at the figure in the mirror.

The figure in the mirror also opened its mouth, imitating his expression.

Huang Yi shook his head and smiled, "You were hiding in the well just now, weren’t you? Stop playing hide-and-seek. I am the Prison Warden of Heroes’ Prison. I came to offer you freedom this time. If you don’t want freedom, I’ll leave right away."

At this moment, the mirror’s reflection finally changed its expression, no longer echoing Huang Yi but staring straight through the mirror and actively speaking, "Really?"

Huang Yi nodded, "Of course it’s true. I’ve become the Reincarnation of the Death God, and even the Dead Star is under my control. Heroes’ Prison is also under my command. If I say I’ll set you free, I will indeed set you free."

"What are the conditions?"

"There are no conditions. I will hand you over to the current Underworld King, but not just yet. Due to your immense strength, I need to be in the Underworld to release you."

"The current Underworld King?" The Huang Yi in the mirror thought it over and finally nodded, "Alright, it’s better than being stuck here."

Huang Yi stared at his reflection and asked, "Why do you look like me? You don’t need to hide yourself anymore, reveal your true face!"

"No, this is my true face." The Huang Yi in the mirror shook his head with a smile, "I am the King of Reflections, the great Shadow Demon and Son of the Night Devil Goddess! Anyone who sees me will only see their own visage. I am like a mirror, like the surface of water, only revealing your reflections."

"Oh? Son of Demon?" Huang Yi was taken aback.

The Son of Demon is also a violation of Heaven Realm’s law, akin to a Son of God like the Barbarian God, except born of a Demon God.

Sons of Demon and Sons of God are equal, but both are weaker than the Nefalem, born from the union of a god and demon.

"Yes, I am the legendary Son of Demon. I have no original face, or rather, I am the face of all beings. Every reflection seen is me." The Huang Yi in the mirror nodded.

"So were you captured because of your demonic heritage?" Huang Yi asked.

"Quite the opposite." The Huang Yi in the mirror shook his head with a smile, "Actually, Heaven’s law is a very subtle thing. Those high above use it as a tool to rule others, while trampling it themselves. Some are hunted by The Gods and Hordes of Demons for violating Heavenly Law. But when others break it, there’s usually someone powerful backing them quietly. My parents were brought together by none other than the Death God’s covert support."

"Then how did you end up imprisoned?"

"The Death God wanted me to serve him, to mislead his enemies like the Underworld King and the God of Life. As you can imagine, I am someone who can easily disrupt the enemy’s mind. People often overlook the enemy within themselves. Whenever they look in a mirror, they see me, and I can subtly manipulate their psyche over time. I got caught because I dared to try and deceive the Death God, and he noticed."

The Huang Yi in the mirror stared intently at Huang Yi and continued, "Here’s a piece of advice! Remember, the you in the mirror might be someone else, you might not be you, or you might just be a puppet. When you truly control yourself, instead of being controlled by yourself, that is when you become the real me. My words carry two meanings, but most people only understand one. I hope you grasp both."

Huang Yi stared at his mirrored self for a long time and finally nodded, "I understand."

"Alright, you can leave! You hold secrets; I don’t enjoy staring at you. When you reach the Underworld, come back and set me free." With those words, the Huang Yi in the mirror suddenly vanished.

Huang Yi looked into the mirror, but there was nothing. He had lost his reflection and image.

It was as if the mirror held another world, full of mystery.

He gazed deeply at the mirror, then left the cell, returning to the Heroes’ Prison.

Beyond this, lay cell number 3, which held the highest-ranking criminal in the Underworld housed at Heroes’ Prison.

"Molei, please send over the keys to cell number 3. I want to take a look," Huang Yi called out to the void.

"No need, your current Strength isn’t enough to open cell number 3. I’ve roughly determined the needed requirements to unlock the top three cells," Molei’s voice echoed.

"Oh? Can you tell me what it takes to open cell number 1?" Huang Yi asked.

He was most curious about cell number 1, which was the greatest secret of Heroes’ Prison, and currently, he didn’t have a single clue.

"According to my estimation, you’d need to reach the level of a Supreme God, and fully master one Supreme Rule." Molei stated.

"A Supreme God?" Huang Yi pondered and nodded. Becoming a Supreme God was feasible; after all, he had mastered one of the four Supreme Rules, the Rule of Death.

Yet, he was about to become a true Creator Ancestral Spirit. He wasn’t sure if, after this transformation, he could still pursue the path of Divine Enthronement. There had never been a Creator Ancestral Spirit to attempt Divine Enthronement before. He would be the first, and only by trying would he find out.

Afterward, Huang Yi left Heroes’ Prison, reappearing on the treetop at Heavenly Son Peak.

The illusion of Sharp Sword had long vanished. Earlier, they had agreed over the phone that Huang Yi needed to venture into the Underworld to release the three prisoners.

Since he currently couldn’t unlock cell number 3, there was no need to go to the Underworld now. Once he became a true Creator Ancestral Spirit, he should have the strength needed.

Huang Yi raised his head, asking the sky, "Ice Queen, how many Time Flower Fruits have you collected for me?"

"Just these!" Soon, the voice of the Ice Queen echoed from the sky, and golden fruits slowly descended, floating in front of Huang Yi.

He gathered them all, finding there were 13 in total. Combined with his previous collection, there were 52 in total, already more than half.

However, Huang Yi had previously instructed Qin Shiyu to issue a purchase notice through the Hero Empire, offering a high price to players worldwide for the Time Flower Fruits. Money wasn’t an issue.

This way, they would soon receive a large batch.