Only when the torture chambers along the entire street closed was Zhou Wen forcefully teleported out, returning him to the stone slab he was on.
Zhou Wen, Liu Yun, and Chu He looked at the stone slab beneath Zhou Wen’s feet and saw that the number on the stone slab had changed to 1369. In other words, Zhou Wen had obtained more than a thousand steps during the torture chamber’s opening. This was the same number Zhou Wen had secretly taken note of.
So this can really increase the number of steps. Zhou Wen felt a lot more relaxed. With the Hell King’s strength, the problem with insufficient steps was resolved.
However, he couldn’t completely relax. Although the Hell King’s strength could intimidate the torture chamber, it was unable to withstand the rules of Netherworld City.
Zhou Wen took a step while maintaining the Hell King Life Soul’s state. The subsequent steps would still decrease, indicating that the rules of Netherworld City were still effective on him.
Now, he had only resolved the problem of the number of steps. He had yet to resolve the three ironclad rules of Netherworld City. He had to think of a way to leave as soon as possible.
“You... How did you do it?” Chu He looked at Zhou Wen in surprise. He had never seen someone undergo such torture like Zhou Wen.
Liu Yun also wanted to know how Zhou Wen had done it. This fellow constantly surprised him.
He originally thought that he was doing pretty well. Although he wasn’t a member of the six families, he had the resources and skills that young geniuses of the six families didn’t have.
However, he never expected Zhou Wen to be even more equipped than him. He had all sorts of abilities, as though he could resolve anything he encountered.
“Perhaps my Essence Energy Art is effective against the white ghosts in the torture chamber,” Zhou Wen said half-truthfully.
“Junior Brother, tell me you won’t leave your adorable and kind eldest senior brother behind, right?” Liu Yun was somewhat worried that Zhou Wen would leave after he had enough steps.
“How can that be? I’m still hoping that you will take me to the Endless Sea of Stars,” Zhou Wen said.
“Junior Brother, you’re right. After we leave, I’ll definitely take you to the Endless Sea of Stars and help you obtain Star Stealer.” Liu Yun paused before saying, “You can walk freely, but I don’t have enough steps. What should I do?”
“When the torture chamber opens again next time, you and I will choose the same punishment room. When the time comes, I’ll get the white ghosts to take care of you. There you will naturally be given the needed steps,” Zhou Wen said.
“Teacher really has good taste. Junior Brother, you’re really an amazing genius. I think that no one can be as glorious as you even if the six heroes were revived...” Liu Yun said obsequiously.
Zhou Wen didn’t believe a word he said. Although he was someone who seemed truthful, no one knew which sentences were true.
If he hadn’t wanted to go to the Endless Sea of Stars, Zhou Wen really didn’t wish to be with Liu Yun.
Although he was also Fang Mingyuan’s student, perhaps because Liu Yun had entered society a few years earlier than them, he felt that he wasn’t trustworthy like Jiang Yan, Zhong Ziya, and Hui Haifeng.
Of course, it was also possible that this was because Zhou Wen had never interacted with Liu Yun.
The three of them waited for another hour. After the bell rang again, the torture chambers opened again. Zhou Wen chose to enter the torture chamber. Liu Yun and Chu He also chose punishment by whipping.
The three of them hung side by side in the whipping chamber. Immediately, three white ghosts appeared. Each of them had a vine whip and was about to whip them.
The moment Zhou Wen’s Hell King Life Soul appeared, the three white ghosts immediately knelt down and trembled as though Zhou Wen was about to eat them.
Hence, the three of them sat side by side in the whipping chamber to be punished. This was the first time Liu Yun experienced the feeling of being raised on a pedestal. He grunted comfortably and said, “Junior Brother, if I had known that you had this ability, I wouldn’t have suffered the pain of punishment by a thousand cuts so much.”
“I only realized it after entering the torture chamber,” Zhou Wen said casually.
After the torture chamber closed, Zhou Wen had close to three thousand steps. Chu He and Liu Yun had more than a thousand steps.
“As long as we do it again, we should have enough steps to reach the Netherworld Divine Throne,” Liu Yun said happily.
Just as Zhou Wen was about to say something, he saw someone explode on the long street. Blood splattered everywhere and was quickly absorbed by the ground.
“That person’s step count was used up. He couldn’t withstand the punishment and ended his life.” Chu He sighed.
Zhou Wen realized that there were fewer people on the long street. Now, there were only twenty-four people left. The few who had vanished probably died in the torture chambers.
The three of them continued waiting. As for Zhou Wen, he used the taboo power of Netherworld City to constantly train his jade infant.
The jade infant looked cold like a jade statue, but it later turned crystalline. However, with the baptism of the taboo power, the jade infant gradually softened. It was like a transparent jelly as if its body had turned soft.
Is it about to break through? Zhou Wen had a vague feeling that the jade infant was really about to break through. He was only half a step away.
Another hour passed. The three of them were once again tortured. By the time they came out, Zhou Wen’s steps had exceeded four thousand. The other two were almost nearing three thousand.
“This should be enough. Let’s go.” Liu Yun was in high spirits as he led the way.
Chu He naturally followed them. Zhou Wen wanted to bring Chu He out of this place before investigating if he was the real Chu He.
Soon, Zhou Wen discovered some problems. Chu He’s combat standards were very poor. He hadn’t advanced to the Epic stage and was only at the Legendary stage.
When he encountered dimensional creatures on the way, it was Zhou Wen and Liu Yun who helped him block them.
“Professor Chu, you don’t seem to be good at combat. How did you walk so far before we came?” Zhou Wen asked Chu He in puzzlement.
Chu He thought for a moment and said, “Before you came, I didn’t step on a stone slab that generated any cause of death.”
“Then, Professor Chu, your luck is really good.” Although Zhou Wen was somewhat suspicious, he couldn’t think of any other possibility other than this explanation.
Soon, Zhou Wen and company caught up to the people in front of them. However, all of them seemed numb. Zhou Wen and Liu Yun wanted to communicate with them, but all they did was grunt. It was as though they had fallen deep into despair.
“Forget it. There’s no way to communicate like this. Let’s go,” said Liu Yun.
Zhou Wen nodded and continued walking forward. Every time he encountered a person, Zhou Wen would attempt to communicate with them, but the further he went, the number they became. The subsequent ones ignored them like wooden statues.
These people seem to have some problems. When I first met Professor Chu He, he had similar tendencies. However, he was the closest to the city gate and had the mildest symptoms. It’s no wonder I felt that Chu He was a little odd from the beginning. I thought it was a result of not having spoken to others for a long time, but from the looks of it, that’s not the case, Zhou Wen thought to himself. However, he didn’t say anything because Chu He was beside him.
Soon, the three of them reached the end of the long street and stepped onto the stone steps. With every step they took, the consumption of their footsteps tripled. One step was equivalent to taking three steps on the stone slabs.
The 365 stone steps consumed just over a thousand steps.
Only Zhou Wen had enough steps. Chu He and Liu Yun didn’t have enough. Zhou Wen had no choice but to wait for the bell to ring again. He got them to find a torture chamber nearby and obtain enough steps before climbing the stone steps.
Clang!
After Zhou Wen struck the bell, he saw the golden divine throne slowly open. Behind it was Netherworld City’s exit, allowing him to see the desert outside.
However, City Lord Netherworld stood in the middle of the Netherworld Divine Throne, blocking their path. He glanced at the trio before his gaze landed on Zhou Wen.
Zhou Wen was already prepared for battle. He didn’t believe that he could leave Netherworld City so easily.
“The two of you can leave. He needs to stay.” City Lord Netherworld didn’t take action. He only extended his index finger and pointed at Chu He.
“He can also ring the Netherworld Bell. Why can’t he leave?” Zhou Wen asked with a frown.
“Because he’s already a dead person,” said City Lord Netherworld indifferently.
“What do you mean? He’s clearly a living person. How can he be a dead person?” Liu Yun said.
Zhou Wen suddenly thought of something as he turned to look at Chu He and asked, “Professor Chu, what’s the exact date of your entry to Netherworld City?”
“It should be March 8, 28. Why?” Chu He asked in surprise.
Zhou Wen’s expression changed immediately. This was because it was the year the old professor and company had gone to Zhuolu. In other words, Chu He had entered Netherworld City that year, but he had always believed that he had only entered Netherworld City today. There was only one possibility.
With Chu He’s ability, it was impossible for him to survive in Netherworld City. Therefore, he had died long ago.
However, Chu He was standing in front of him, looking alive. It was hard to believe that he was a dead person.