The Prison of the Apocalypse

"Abandoned by the gods," the white-haired Ye Han re-emerged, facing two holy-tier powerhouses and two ninth-tier peak warriors without fear, resisting the holy-tier's might with his powerful sword technique, slaying Kristin of the Kleris family, a mid-holy-tier warrior.

This news spread throughout the Frostwind Empire in just three days. The empire was in turmoil, but due to the continent's regulations regarding the grand competition in three years, families dispatched their elites to Myatt City. Suddenly, Myatt City became the focus of the Frostwind Empire, with Ye Han as the target.

The Kleris family was pitied, as a holy-tier in their ranks was slain by a mere ninth-tier junior under their own pursuit, and the junior managed to escape. It was a disgrace.

Meanwhile, the Kleris family was discreetly searching for Ye Han in Myatt City, though some astute individuals noticed.

What puzzled everyone was the reaction of the lord of Myatt City, a descendant of the imperial family of the Frostwind Empire, who seemed to not only ignore the matter but also to support it covertly. Ye Han's destruction of Kelt City had infuriated the emperor of the Frostwind Empire, who once sent a hundred thousand troops to kill Ye Han. The lord's behavior only deepened the mystery.

As the city lord of Myatt, a major city, was traditionally a direct descendant of the royal family, it was unusual for them to act in such a way.

While the Frostwind Empire was being stirred by Ye Han's actions, he himself had vanished without a trace. No one knew his whereabouts, as if he had never appeared.

"Trash!" An enraged roar came from a luxurious estate.

Selt, furious, looked at the report from his subordinates, his expression ferocious, no longer composed. The mockery from a junior, the death of his son, and the escape under the pursuit of three of them had made him a laughingstock across the continent. The desire for that powerful sword technique was strong, but the result was empty-handed.

"Find him. Even if it means turning Myatt City upside down, find him," Selt ordered, driven to madness by the ridicule from all over the continent and the pressure from the city lord.

After reaching the holy-tier, what were family and emotions but trivialities? Everything could be forsaken in pursuit of higher power.

"Grandfather, can he be saved?" a voice like the sound of heaven inquired of an elderly man with white hair.

"I'm not sure. Normally, with shattered internal organs, major blood loss, and an extremely weak soul, survival would be impossible," the old man replied, obviously perplexed by the young man's condition.

Ye Han's unconsciousness was due to a significant loss of blood, preventing the zombie body from functioning normally. His soul was severely weakened due to overuse of the escape technique. If not for the timely absorption of his soul by the corpse pill within him, Ye Han would have vanished from the world.

A zombie's soul is inherently weaker than that of other beings of the same tier. Coupled with his recent comprehension of the speed secret technique and constant use, plus the final use of the escape technique, Ye Han's soul had almost dispersed.

A zombie's soul is forever trapped within the body, even if scattered, it remains within the flesh. As long as the corpse pill is not destroyed, over the long years, it can reassemble.

Therefore, when encountering a zombie, the only target is the corpse pill. Only when the corpse pill is shattered is the zombie truly dead. Of course, this doesn't apply to lower-level zombies without a corpse pill.

"If it weren't for that subtle energy within him constantly sustaining him, he would have died a long time ago," the white-haired old man said before leaving the room, casting a meaningful glance at Ye Han lying on the bed.

Three days passed before Ye Han's condition gradually improved and his complexion began to recover.

It was as if he had walked out of an endless void of darkness. The person on the bed slowly opened his eyes, and as the first ray of sunlight penetrated his vision, his eyes were filled with confusion.

As Ye Han's eyes adjusted from darkness to light, he looked around. The sight that met his eyes was a simple but tidy room, with a faint fragrance wafting in through the window, reviving his spirit. He tried to move and realized his body was wrapped in several layers of bandages.

"Where am I?"

"You're awake," a tender voice said, familiar to Ye Han, just as he wondered where he was.

Ye Han looked up to see a young girl with delicate skin like warm jade, cherry lips red and moist, and bright, intelligent eyes. Dressed in a light green gown and carrying a green ancient qin, she appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen.

"Where is this place?" Ye Han

 asked hesitantly.

The girl smiled slightly and walked to the table to set down her qin. "I was about to ask you how you got in here."

"What is this place?"

"Here..." The girl seemed unsure of the place herself.

"The Prison of the Apocalypse," an old voice came from outside. Moments later, Ye Han saw an elderly man with bright eyes and a smile, entering the room.

Confronted with the elder, Ye Han was taken aback. The old man emitted no energy fluctuations; he seemed just like an ordinary old man. However, Ye Han noticed from the elder's first step inside that each step was equidistant, and his footing always managed to avoid hypothetical attacks from all directions.

Ye Han quickly composed himself. "The Prison of the Apocalypse? Why haven't I heard of it on the continent?"

"Talk of it? Heh, no one speaks of it because no one who enters ever leaves," the old man said with a slight smile, though Ye Han could detect a hint of mockery.

It was not mockery at Ye Han's ignorance, but at himself, like a bird trapped in a cage longing for the freedom of its peers but only able to chirp helplessly.

"You can't leave this prison?" Ye Han said, astonished.

The old man looked out the window, seemingly talking to himself. "No one knows how this place formed. For countless years, everyone who has entered has never left."

Ye Han listened in confusion. If the elder, whose strength far exceeded anyone Ye Han had encountered, was trapped here, then...

"Why can't they leave?" Ye Han pressed.

"I don't know. For countless years, many powerful beings have tried to leave, but a barrier-like energy blocks them."

"Can't it be broken?"

"Broken? Heh, do you know how many years I've lived here?" The elder laughed, which really posed a question for Ye Han. After reaching the holy-tier, one could use internal energy to alter one's constitution and maintain youthfulness, so it was impossible to discern someone's age by appearance.

A seemingly middle-aged holy-tier warrior might have lived for a millennium, which is why the holy-tier is so coveted.

"Let me tell you, I've been here for nearly thirty thousand years," the elder said. "As for how long the Prison of the Apocalypse has existed, it's beyond our comprehension."

"Thirty thousand years?" Ye Han was shocked by the elder's revelation. Even as a zombie, he could not confidently say he would live for thirty thousand years.

While zombies are generally immortal, any sentient being craves power. In pursuit of power, one faces great dangers, and a single misstep can lead to death during cultivation. For zombies, who are taboos among all beings, the danger is even greater, both in breaking through levels and from external threats.

No zombie can assert with certainty that they will exist forever.

"Thirty thousand years, is that a long time?" The elder shook his head. "Here, there are many who have lived longer than I have. A hundred thousand, a million years. No one can be certain."

"Others have lived even longer than you?" Ye Han stammered out the unbelievable numbers.

The lifespan of a holy-tier is only ten thousand years, so those who have lived for tens or even hundreds of thousands of years must possess immense strength.

"May I ask who you are?" Ye Han inquired cautiously.

"Heh, I'm merely a lower god," the elder said.

"A lower god? A god-tier strongman?" Ye Han looked at the god-tier powerhouse in disbelief, his soul trembling. He had just regained his clarity, and now he was on the verge of losing consciousness again.