Chapter 1852: Tower

Thirty-three layers of the Firmament Prison didn’t mean much. The world of immortals possessed thirty-three layers as well. Perhaps it was a coincidence.

All the same, Lu Yun’s heart clenched from the potential implications. He felt that he should know this place, that he should be very familiar with it. But he didn’t know there were thirty-three layers in the Firmament Prison.

It was a very uncomfortable contradiction.

However, he didn’t interrupt the golden armored warrior’s walking tour. The warrior kept up a constant stream of explanation as they walked, heading toward the inner depths of the Firmament Prison.

The thirty-three layers were one entity set in a major world; they were the thirty-three minor worlds of their major world. All of their layouts were similar to the thirty-three layers of the world of immortals.

As things stood now, the Firmament Prison had collapsed, the major world was destroyed, the minor worlds were demolished, and everything lay in ruins. The wreckage of the legendary primeval court lay beneath the thirty-three layers.

It’d perished before the Firmament Prison fell, becoming the base for the remnants of the Firmament Prison to land on. The prison buried everything that’d been the heavenly court. According to the golden armored warrior, they were the last batch of Infernum protecting the Firmament Prison in their past lives. The core essence of the warriors was Infernum!

In Taiyi’s court of the great wilderness, the soldiers that’d become yin gods were connected to the Firmament Prison in certain ways. They wouldn’t have become Lu Yun’s golden armored warriors otherwise.

“Are there Infernum in the Firmament Prison too?” Lu Yun asked.

“In response to master, it is the Firmament Prison when it is in the sky and hell when it is on the ground. The hell dao from the god of Mount Tai and the hells he crafted drew inspiration from the Firmament Prison.

“It further becomes Ruina when it enters the sea,” the warrior concluded.

“Do you know who created Ruina?” Lu Yun lit up when he heard Ruina mentioned.

“Yes!” The golden armored warrior nodded. “But that one’s existence is taboo. If I say her name, that might direct danger to her! She is by master’s side and those who wish to kill her search for her by your side.”

Lu Yun’s side… To the warrior’s former identity, residing in the Land of Reincarnation was the same as being by Lu Yun’s side. Compared to the chief worlds, the land was an insignificant speck of dust.

Lu Yun immediately understood and nodded, dropping the subject. His thoughts had been on the wrong track all along. When he learned that the demon of immortal dao was subordinate to the god of Mount Tai, he thought it was the mountain god who wanted to eliminate Mo Yi.

But now that he knew that the demon was a dog of war, that the latter might’ve been in the Imperial Seal all along, Lu Yun understood that the mountain god wasn’t behind things. It was the dog itself and the seal that wanted to kill Mo Yi!

In the thirty-three loops that he’d journeyed through, he’d seen Mo Yi die thirty-three times for him. The treasure that he made use of then was the Imperial Seal. Thank goodness he’d happened to toss the seal into the Tome of Life and Death this time and never brought it back out!

“Do the curses that turn me into a beacon of misfortune come from the withered wood, or from the Imperial Seal?” He couldn’t be certain anymore. Six hellfires had combined into the one and only, using the withered wood as its kindling. While there was stunning resentment on the wood, that hadn’t been the tree god’s original intention.

“The Imperial Seal!” He set his jaw. The original emperor had once owned the seal as well!

“Master!” The golden armored warrior suddenly broke their silence. “Master will have to continue alone after this post. I cannot help you!

“Be careful to not use the death arts in the heart of the Firmament Prison. Extreme danger will come for you if you do! Master must also be careful to not listen to anything we say. We are your servants only when the death arts call us. When we are not commanded by the Tome of Life and Death, we will seek your life.

“The Firmament Prison is the greatest of the three hells. After master refines it and consolidates the power of the three hells, you will manifest the true reincarnation cycle.” The warrior dissipated with dramatic flair.

Lu Yun nodded gently. While the Firmament Prison was the greatest of the three hells in the past, his hell was the strongest of them now. The six hells had become one and formed the origin hell. Most importantly was that hell was now the medium through which the Tome of Life and Death released the strength of reincarnation.

Hell was complete, but the Firmament Prison and Ruina remained shattered.

Thanks to the warrior’s guidance, Lu Yun met no obstacles along the way. He was already standing in front of the thirty-third layer. There seemed to be a strange power here—one that had destroyed the golden armored warrior. In contrast to the other thirty-two layers, there was an intact building preserved within the thirty-third layer.

A pagoda.

A black pagoda with an unknown height and width. It seemed as large as a world. Chu Xingran and Xie Tianxun were here, as were Yun Yi and the bizarre young man in white.

“A world in the shape of a pagoda?” Lu Yun spread out his hands and summoned God’s Army Pagoda. He looked at the black pagoda, then back at the Army Pagoda. They were astoundingly alike!

“You are correct.” The Soldier King walked out of the Army Pagoda and sighed when he saw the black pagoda.

“I what now?” Lu Yun blinked.

“This pagoda…” the king sighed again.

“Is the Army Pagoda based off of this pagoda?” Lu Yun interrupted.

“Never mind, you did indeed guess wrong.” The Soldier King pursed his lips. “The Army Pagoda draws inspiration from a certain tower, but not this one.

“This is also a Profound Pagoda, but whereas the Army Pagoda is a treasure and soul weapon, this pagoda is a true piece of architecture. It contains the thirty-third layer. Both pagodas are based off that tower.”

“What tower?”

“The one in your dao partner’s hands.”

“The… Hongmeng Tower?!” Lu Yun’s eyes widened.

“Correct,” the king nodded and quickly interjected, “Do not say her name here. It will attract trouble to her.”

Lu Yun swallowed his words. “What kind of existence is she that even the Firmament Prison of the primeval court is based off of her treasure?!”