secret dice.

Chapter 753 Old Monster

Hu Pingwei frowned: "You mean that cannibalistic butcher?"

In the Northern Prison, no prisoner is unaware of Zheng Bailu's name. When this guy was active, most of the prisoners weren't even born yet, and even the current prison guards were hired after he was imprisoned.

It can be said that in the Northern Prison, whether it is prisoners or prison guards, in their minds, the number one prisoner, Zheng Bailu, is almost bound to the prison, as if he has been locked up inside since the prison was first established.

“That’s right…” the woman smiled and said, “Zheng Bailu has never left the Northern Prison in all these years. This time, his arrival at Ningdong Academy is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Senior Hu, who was once known as the Martial Arts Maniac, wouldn’t you like to witness the legendary cannibalistic butcher’s methods?”

Hu Pingwei snorted coldly: "I was indeed imprisoned because I was brave and violent and killed too many people. But just because I like fighting doesn't mean I'm stupid!"

As he spoke, his aura surged forth, and his gaze swept over the three men: "The fact that you guys could gather together to deal with Zheng Bailu must mean you have some benefit, right?"

"Senior is indeed a smart person." The short-haired woman chuckled, raised her hand and flicked a card at Hu Pingwei.

Hu Pingwei caught it, turned it over and saw that it had the symbol of the Yuanxiu Society on it, and it was gold.

"Elder's token?" Hu Pingwei frowned. "Who gave it to you? How did you bring it in?"

"You don't need to worry about that, senior," the woman said with a smile. "All you need to know is that the owner of this token entrusted me to kill that old pervert and promised that all prisoners involved in this operation would receive reduced sentences, or even be released directly!"

"With such a good thing, you're not going to keep it all to yourself..." Hu Pingwei chuckled. "Looks like you're not entirely confident facing that old pervert, are you?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over the three men: "That kid who likes to dig out people's spines isn't here, and where's that pretty girl?"

"The Marrow Hunter rejected my offer... What an ungrateful bastard." The short-haired woman sneered. "That guy surnamed Gong is just a cheap slut who knows how to flirt; he's useless!"

As she spoke, she continued to urge, "Senior, that old pervert probably hasn't fully recovered yet. If this drags on any longer, I'm afraid..."

Upon hearing this, Hu Pingwei chuckled and said, "Alright, I'll join!"

Just as the group was plotting, Gong Shiyue, who was the last to enter the area, was tiptoeing through the dense forest.

"Seriously, why was I classified as a six-star prisoner?" Gong Shiyue said with a bitter face. "The other six are either vicious or mentally disturbed. I only stole a few things. Why should I be locked up with them? Is it wrong to be beautiful?"

It's no wonder she complained. Although she was at the Concentration Realm level, Gong Shiyue had only reached the middle stage. Her basic foundation-strengthening and energy-cultivating level was not high. Apart from her unique charm technique, her combat ability was just so-so. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been chased to the point of desperation by Lu Fei, a student.

Of course, for her age, this level is already quite outstanding, but compared to those notorious criminals, it is indeed somewhat lacking...

As for this time, when she heard that she had been selected to take the exam at Ningdong Academy, Gong Shiyue was really looking forward to it.

Although her vitality was suppressed during her year in prison, she relied on her remarkable mental strength to mentally simulate and deduce her own abilities. While gaining insights, she also continuously searched for an opportunity to escape.

Finally, a little over ten days ago, she received a secret message from an old acquaintance, telling her that an opportunity to help her escape would soon arise, and that she should prepare. Shortly afterward, news spread that the prison was selecting inmates to participate in the Ningdong Academy entrance exam. Gong Shiyue was fortunate enough to be selected.

She realized then that this was the opportunity her old friend had mentioned, and while she looked forward to it, she also began to prepare for the opportunity to come.

However, it wasn't until three days ago that she was informed that she was an additional special challenge target, to be designated as a six-star target along with six other prisoners!
At first, Gong Shiyue didn't think much of it, but when she learned the names of the other six people, her world collapsed... What did I do to deserve being grouped with them?

If she were thrown onto the field and her energy restrictions lifted, she'd probably be killed by these big shots before any of the challengers even arrived... And if she encountered that legendary man-eating butcher, she might end up as sashimi... I wonder what kind of women these big shots like? Maybe I should research the popular styles from decades ago? That way, piquing their interest might just result in her being sexually assaulted, which is better than becoming a complete sex symbol...

The worst part is that her friend never contacted her again, and Gong Shiyue could only wait anxiously until today, when she was sent to the exam site.

Because her imprisonment was only for a year, she recovered quickly. After being freed from her restraints, she immediately hid and cautiously advanced through the jungle, fearing any danger.

"The exam won't start until dawn... What method is that guy surnamed Wu going to use to get me out of here...?"

Complaining, Gong Shiyue carefully walked through a bush, unaware that something was lying on the ground not far ahead.

Upon closer inspection, the person, whose vital energy was focused in their eyes, appeared to be tightly bound by restraints, resembling a large silkworm cocoon.

"That is..." Gong Shiyue felt her blood run cold. How could she be so unlucky as to run into this cannibal?
She instinctively held her breath, minimizing her presence, and slowly retreated, trying to get away from Zheng Bailu. But suddenly, a powerful aura enveloped the area, surrounding her as well…

The moment she sensed the aura, Gong Shiyue stopped in her tracks. She knew that if she moved even slightly, the owner of the aura would notice. The best course of action was to shield herself from all life force and remain motionless, disguising herself as a stone, which might allow her to escape the aura's scan.

Is this Zheng Bailu's aura? No, wait, this feels like some kind of advanced detection technique, but shouldn't this ogre be a member of the mystical faction...?

Just as Gong Shiyue was wondering, four figures emerged from the jungle, the one leading them being the short-haired woman with high cheekbones.

“Radar Huang Yue, is this her ability?” Gong Shiyue realized the origin of the aura: “What is she doing here? She has three people with her... Even the martial arts fanatic Hu Pingwei is with her…” Just as Gong Shiyue was wondering, she heard Radar Huang Yue speak: “Sure enough, the old thing that has been trapped for decades will have a hard time recovering in a short time. He couldn’t even break free of the restraints.”

To prevent Zheng Bailu from escaping, the Northern Prison spared no expense; the enormous execution wheelchair was actually a legendary artifact. However, the restraints he wore were merely ordinary items made of high-quality materials.

Now that the wheelchair has been removed, given Zheng Bailu's strength, if his internal energy had fully recovered, he would have broken free of the sturdy restraints long ago. The fact that he's still lying on the ground like a silkworm cocoon precisely indicates that his abilities haven't fully recovered!

"Now is the best time to kill him!" Huang Yue sneered, "Go!"

The two men beside her, one fat and one thin, suddenly sprang up and rushed to the "cocoon" in an instant. One of them conjured a long spear in his hand and pierced it into the binding garment with a "thud." The other raised his hands, his fists unleashing dazzling energy, and smashed them with all his might onto Zheng Bailu's head. From a distance, it looked as if his head had been flattened and deformed!
"Huh..." Gong Shiyue felt a headache when she saw this scene. She did not expect that as soon as she was put into the examination room, a conflict broke out among the prisoners, and that they attacked the strongest cannibal!
"How ruthless! Have they formed an alliance and are killing anyone they see? I absolutely cannot let them find me..." Gong Shiyue tried her best to control herself, but she still couldn't help trembling...

"Is it dead?" Huang Yue stood at a distance, cautiously watching Zheng Bailu. Her senses scanned the giant "cocoon" repeatedly, but she did not detect any signs of life.

"It seems the mission is complete..." Huang Yue breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's over so easily?" Hu Pingwei seemed a little disappointed. He cracked his knuckles. "I didn't even get a chance to play..."

"It would be best if it could end easily..." Huang Yue looked at Hu Pingwei: "Don't worry, I won't go back on my promise. I will tell the owner of the token that the four of us killed Zheng Bailu together!"

“However, we still need to confirm the body.” With that, Huang Yue gestured to the two prisoners who were working on the body. The two nodded and prepared to remove the restraints.

But just then, the straitjacket suddenly swelled up, like an inflated balloon!
"What's going on?!" Huang Yue clearly sensed something was wrong, and the two prisoners also realized something was wrong. Just as they were about to retreat, they heard a "bang" and the restraints suddenly burst open, with several jets of blood shooting out and piercing the two men!
The blood arrow was extremely powerful; neither of them could withstand it with their protective qi, and it pierced right through them, leaving several wounds. But the superficial injuries were just the beginning; soon, the two realized something was wrong!

From the shattered shreds of the restraints, a wrinkled, withered hand suddenly emerged. Then, supporting itself on the ground, an old man, naked, with shriveled, pale skin and dry, gray hair and beard, slowly sat up.

This is Zheng Bailu? That super prisoner who was imprisoned in the Northern Prison for over half a century?! And he's such a thin, emaciated old man who looks like he's about to die?

That makes sense. This prisoner is probably over a hundred years old and has endured decades of torture. If he still has a rosy complexion, then something is wrong.

However, just as everyone was astonished by Zheng Bailu's true appearance, the two prisoners who had been shot by the blood arrows suddenly let out a chilling scream. They collapsed to the ground, trembling all over, clutching their necks with their hands, their bodies hunched over in a twisted shape, blood flowing from their seven orifices, their skin visibly withering away...

"What's going on?" Hu Pingwei frowned. At this moment, Huang Yue suddenly pointed at Zheng Bailu: "Look at that old guy!"

The once aged Zheng Bailu, with his withered and shriveled limbs, began to plump up at a visible speed. His skin began to regain color, the wrinkles on his face faded or even smoothed out, and even his hair and beard grew wildly. The white parts kept falling off, and the new hair that grew back was all healthy black!

"This old monster is absorbing their life force!" Huang Yue immediately realized the problem: "This guy has been imprisoned for so many years, yet his evil magic is still so powerful!"

"Perfect!" Seeing that the two prisoners had been drained of their life force, Hu Pingwei stepped past Huang Yue and walked forward: "I always thought it was a bit too boring to kill the target so easily!"

At this moment, Zheng Bailu also slowly stood up. Judging from his appearance, he was no different from a middle-aged man in his fifties or sixties.

"Ahhh...it's been so long since I've tasted anything this delicious..." Zheng Bailu raised his head, licking his lips with a somewhat sickly expression: "Delicious, but not satisfying..."

As he spoke, he turned his head, his slightly cloudy old eyes looking at Hu Pingwei who was approaching, faintly emitting a green light.

“You look even more delicious than those two, and you seem to satisfy me.” Zheng Bailu’s eyes seemed to be looking at a zombie with fresh flesh and blood. His mouth was wide open, revealing jagged, yellow teeth, making him look like a vengeful ghost from hell, even more terrifying!
"Coincidentally, I'm also someone who's easily unsatisfied!" Hu Pingwei cracked his knuckles, his whole body emitting a series of popping sounds. "But what I need is the thrill of battle. I hope you can satisfy me!"

As he spoke, Hu Pingwei's aura surged, and he charged towards Zheng Bailu!
Zheng Bailu sneered and raised his hand, shooting out several more blood arrows. However, this time, the blood arrows struck Hu Pingwei's solid qi, but could not be shaken at all. They bounced off and pierced through the nearby trees. One of them even grazed the hem of Gong Shiyue's clothes, scaring her so much that she almost screamed, but she still dared not move.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Bailu's eyes lit up: "This is interesting..."

Just as he was admiring him, Hu Pingwei had already rushed in front of him with amazing explosive power and threw a punch!
boom!
A tremendous sound rang out, echoing far and wide through the dense forest in the dead of night.

"They've already started?" About a kilometer away, You Hao, who was at the edge of the challenge zone, turned around and looked in the direction from which the loud noise came.

"These guys actually asked me to deal with that old devil..." You Hao sneered, "My grandfather was stewed into a pot of human scorpions by him back then... In my father's words, my grandfather was also a famous genius back then, and I may not even be able to catch up with half of my grandfather's cultivation level back then... How dare Huang Yue think she can deal with that old devil with just those two?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than another loud bang rang out, this time even stronger than before, and You Hao felt the ground tremble.

"Wow, that's impressive..." You Hao's eyes also revealed surprise: "That woman, could she have persuaded that martial arts fanatic... Never mind, what happens to them is none of my business, let's figure out a way to escape first!"

As he spoke, he reached the edge of the arena, pondering how to gain his freedom.

Just then, a voice rang out from behind him:
"Hey, you punching bag, please don't step out of your work area."

(End of this chapter)