C13 The Chaos of the Thvelond!

"No!" Ratty bellowed in fury, but to no avail; he was captured by Judas once more.

Subjected to humiliation, ridicule, and a brutal beating again, Ratty was covered in wounds. Judas bound him with iron chains and dragged him toward the Thvelond Temple.

"No, please, I'm begging you, don't take me there!" Ratty screamed at Judas from the ground, his face bruised and swollen.

He was filled with dread, knowing that being a deserter on the battlefield twice would mean a fate worse than death.

"Heh, it's not for you to decide!" Judas sneered, yanking the chains as he and his entourage of dozens laughed and made their way to the Thvelond Temple.

Trailing behind was Ratty, struggling against his restraints. His body was lacerated by the chains, leaving a crimson trail of blood that spoke of his sorrow.

Inside the Thvelond Temple, seated upon the Lord's throne, Ratty once again faced Hephaistos.

Hephaistos sat with a firm yet slightly pale expression, his eyes as cold and indifferent as ever, sending a shiver through Zopyrus's soul.

"Lord, the Chief Elder's disciple has deserted again. I have every reason to suspect he's a spy sent by the Demons to infiltrate our Thvelond!" Judas addressed Hephaistos with a bow and a tone of moral conviction.

"Zopyrus, you have truly disappointed me. You've defied my orders twice, and I cannot forgive you this time!" Hephaistos leaned forward, his golden eyes piercing into Zopyrus, who broke out in a cold sweat.

"No!" Ratty howled, his eyes wide as he glared at Hephaistos.

"I know what you're trying to say. Yes, the Lord has been away for a hundred years, so your life is spared for now!"

"Into the Gnashing Pit with you, to await the Lord's return for your execution!" Hephaistos's chilling voice echoed through the vast Thvelond Temple, extinguishing any last flicker of hope for Zopyrus's survival.

"The Gnashing Pit!" Zopyrus was horrified, and even Judas, standing beside him, involuntarily shuddered.

The Gnashing Pit was a purgatory renowned for imprisoning ancient demonic titans, a place from which there was no return. Once confined within its walls, survival was nearly impossible.

"Goodbye, little mouse!" Judas whispered into Zopyrus's ear with a light chuckle.

Zopyrus was filled with despair. His plan had been to bypass the front of Thvelond and make his way directly to the rear. He believed that as long as the Chief Elder was there, not even Hephaistos could touch him.

But as soon as he passed through the mountain gate, Judas was there waiting in ambush. It seemed Judas had anticipated Zopyrus's failure and subsequent flight, ready to catch him once more.

The Gnashing Pit held those ancient demons claimed to be undying, a veritable hell on earth. Zopyrus couldn't fathom surviving the Gnashing Pit, let alone escaping it.

For the first time, he sensed the chilling presence of death.

Perched atop a cliff on the side of Thvelond, the Gnashing Pit loomed. The entrance was a dark void in the rock face, with sheer cliffs that rose and fell like blades, offering no hope of escape for its prisoners.

Zopyrus was led down by the Punishment Envoy, descending deeper into the bowels of the Gnashing Pit.

The journey revealed no prisons, only winding tunnels, an oppressive gloom, and the suffocating chill of the air.

It was a path that seemed to lead straight to hell, and Zopyrus had no idea where it would end.

Devoid of light, hope, or the company of loved ones, Zopyrus walked alone through this purgatorial abyss.

"Enter!" The Punishment Envoy suddenly commanded, pointing ahead and issuing the command with an icy tone.

"Isn't this a dead end?" Zopyrus thought, eyeing the solid rock face before him. In the cover of darkness, he contemplated escape.

Then, with a sudden "Thud!" the Punishment Envoy's boot connected with Zopyrus's waist, sending a jolt of pain that felt like it could snap his spine.

Propelled by the agonizing blow, Zopyrus's body soared through the rock face and into a sinister, enigmatic realm.

It was a bizarre and pitch-black World of Darkness, devoid of the slightest glimmer of light.

Zopyrus was overwhelmed with a sudden, uncontrollable surge of irritation; he despised the darkness.

"Cough! Cough!"

Out of nowhere, a violent cough erupted, accompanied by rapid, gasping breaths, as if he were about to cough out his lungs.

"Who's there?" Zopyrus's face hardened as he abruptly rose from the ice-cold, damp ground, scanning his surroundings with a wary gaze.

"Crack!"

From the shadows above, a Golden Immortal Whip burst forth, radiating with intense Divine Light. It struck like a whip, viciously lashing the figure before him.

"Splash!"

In the dark, a stunning spray of blood shot out like a fountain, splattering across three thousand feet.

"Senior Brother!"

In the brief illumination, Ratty witnessed a scene he couldn't believe.

Before him was a figure riddled with wounds, a sight of utter misery. His light blue robe was now nothing but tattered strips, hanging limply from his frame.

His slender body was marred with deep, bone-revealing gashes oozing with thick blood.

The man hung his head low, his face pale beneath a tangle of disheveled black hair.

"Senior Brother!"

Zopyrus bellowed, his eyes nearly bursting with rage, as he charged toward Clayton.

"Crack!"

Suddenly, the Golden Immortal Whip flew through the darkness, striking Zopyrus with force.

"Ah!"

A scream of agony escaped as Zopyrus's slight frame was sent flying, crashing against the solid rock wall with a thunderous impact.

Pain seared through him, his mind went blank, and his soul seemed to shudder and shrink.

A long, deep gash split open his chest, nearly cleaving him in two, his skin torn and blood gushing uncontrollably.

"Senior Brother Clayton!"

Zopyrus cried out, tears streaming from his eyes. His heart ached for Clayton, and he struggled to comprehend what had transpired.

"Kid, have you reclaimed your dignity?" Clayton's voice, weary yet tinged with a faint chuckle, cut through the darkness.

"Senior Brother, what's happened? Where's the old man, and why are you imprisoned here?" Zopyrus shouted, his tear-filled, reddened eyes fixed on Clayton.

"I don't know. I don't know what's happened. As for why I'm locked up here? It's nothing but the despicable tactics of a coward!" Clayton's head hung low, too exhausted to even glance at Zopyrus.

"Impossible. Senior Brother, you're the Supreme of our Thvelond Sect. Who could possibly imprison you here?" Zopyrus bellowed, unwilling to accept the reality before him. Why did it seem that those who were kind to him never met a good fate?

"I've been afflicted with Planar Dust; my cultivation has been sealed for a long time now," Clayton lamented.

"Planar Dust!" Zopyrus was struck with horror and disbelief.

Among the nine continents, there were ten legendary panaceas, and Planar Dust was one of them. Legend had it that anyone affected by Planar Dust would have their cultivation completely sealed. Their primordial spirit, Divine Sense, and even their physical strength would all be locked away, rendering them as helpless as any mortal.

Such a pill was dreadfully potent. Aside from the Great Emperors, no one could withstand its effects.

Even a Supreme, upon ingesting this pill, would find all their powers sealed, reduced to the state of a mere mortal.

Consider that a single drop of a Supreme's blood could obliterate a whole region, but once struck by Planar Dust, that same Supreme would be rendered a mere mortal, and their once star-destroying blood would become no different from that of any other human.

A Supreme's body, impervious to even the Holy Weapons, would become vulnerable to the most ordinary of blades after exposure to Planar Dust—a truly fearsome prospect.

"Senior Brother, I'll save you!" Zopyrus wept, gripping the Azure Smoke Blade tightly as he swung it at the steel chains binding Clayton's limbs.

"Stop!"

Clayton's cry came too late.

Boom!

The sound echoed through the Dark Prison as dozens of Golden Immortal Whips materialized from the ether, mercilessly striking Zopyrus's body.

"Ah!"

Zopyrus's agonized screams filled the Gnashing Pit. The relentless whipping was a sight of pure torment. Zopyrus lay on the ground, writhing and rolling in pain, his slender frame marked by deep, bone-revealing lacerations.

In the cramped darkness of the prison, the pitiful cries of Zopyrus eventually faded away.

The Golden Immortal Whip vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, never to be seen again.

"Senior Brother, I've crawled out from a pile of corpses twice. Does that make me useless?" In the darkness, Zopyrus's voice, weary with exhaustion, broke the silence. "I watched helplessly as my junior brothers and sisters died before my eyes. I had just grasped my dignity, and in the blink of an eye, it slipped through my fingers again. I'm filled with hatred!"

"Little devil, did those people bully you again?" Clayton's warm chuckle echoed in the darkness.

Zopyrus couldn't make out Clayton's face or any details about him, but he simply knew, with a deep-seated intuition, that Clayton would never harm him; even if Clayton were to harm someone, it wouldn't be him.

"Senior Brother!" In the dank and musty cell, Zopyrus lay there, limp, clutching the Azure Smoke Blade tightly to his chest as he sobbed.