Mushroom Man

It won’t take long…

Not long after the blind old dragon led Xiao Chusheng, they arrived at the first level of the Dragon-Trapping Prison.

That's right, the Dragon Prison is not simply a single layer, but is divided into three layers according to the severity of the sins.

The first level usually only imprisons dragon people who have made minor mistakes and are given slight punishment.

The second level is for imprisoning dragon people who have committed serious crimes but whose crimes do not warrant death, and who are required to be imprisoned for life.

The third level is extremely rare; very few beings can be imprisoned here.

They are usually deeply sinful, vicious, and have caused great damage to the Dragon Palace.

The reason these guys weren't executed was entirely because the Dragon Palace hadn't fully exploited their remaining value.

The cannibalistic guard Dai, whom Xiao Chusheng was looking for, was obviously imprisoned on the third floor.

"Good job, old blind man!"

At this moment, Xiao Chusheng followed behind the blind old dragon, and along the way he saw many dragon-man jailers.

Most of these dragon-human jailers were at the second or third level of cultivation, and they all greeted the blind old dragon.

They were very curious about Xiao Chusheng's unfamiliar face appearing in the Dragon Prison.

However, because the blind old dragon was leading the way, they didn't ask any questions.

Clearly, the blind old dragon held a high position in the Dragon Prison.

And it is indeed true...

The blind old dragon is actually the warden of the first level of this Dragon-Trapping Prison.

Each level of the Dragon-Trapping Prison has a prison warden with a cultivation level of four rank.

These fourth-level prison guards came to the Dragon Prison to live out their old age because they were nearing the end of their lifespan and could no longer serve the Dragon Palace.

Although it's called retirement, no matter what, he's still a fourth-level mushroom master, and no matter how old he is, he's still better than a third-level mushroom master.

As the saying goes, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse.

Don't you see that even the White Horn leader of Bajiao Mountain, when his lifespan was almost exhausted, nearly forced the three prodigies Wu Liang, Morobi, and Bai Lai to their deaths?

And there are as many as three fourth-level mushroom masters like the White Horn Leader in a godforsaken place like the Dragon Prison!
This shows just how terrifying the Dragon Palace's resources truly are.

Meanwhile, as Xiao Chusheng followed the blind old dragon deeper into the prison, one by one, the dragon people locked in iron cage mushrooms came into view.

These dragon-men were bound with iron chain mushrooms, which made a rattling sound with every movement.

Apart from that, there are no other constraints.

Cage mushrooms and chain mushrooms are both very common secondary mushrooms.

Most of the dragon people here are not sealed off by the mushrooms; they can break free of their cages at any time if they want.

However, no dragonman would be foolish enough to do that.

After all, they only made some minor mistakes, and they will be released when the time comes.

But if they were to escape, it wouldn't just be a minor punishment; they could be locked up on the second level.

For this reason, the guards on the first level of the Dragon-Trapping Prison were not very strict, and could even be described as quite lax.

"Huh, what's this guy doing here?"

Just then, through the blood-sucking mosquitoes, Wu Liang unexpectedly saw a 'familiar face' in one of the iron cages.

The 'acquaintance' was lying leisurely in the cell, legs crossed.

There were also seven or eight beautiful dragon maids nearby, busying themselves with various tasks.

Some fed it fruit, some massaged it, and some fanned it.

This scene, placed within the dark and gloomy prison, seemed utterly out of place.

It was as if this guy wasn't there to suffer, but to enjoy himself.

"Your Highness, is this iron cage I arranged comfortable for you?"

"If you feel uncomfortable, I will have someone change it for you at any time."

The blind old man stopped immediately when he passed by this man's prison.

He was hunched over, with a fawning expression and a respectful tone.

This person could make an elderly, fourth-level mushroom master fawn over him so much, even addressing him as "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

In the vast Dragon Palace, there was no one else but Prince Ao Tang.

That's right!

The person imprisoned in the cage was none other than Prince Ao Tang.

The reason he was here was because of Wu Liang.

Despite being the crown prince, he was provoked by a mere maid, lowering himself to fight against the filthy humans.

If he had won, that would have been fine, but he actually lost, which completely disgraced the Dragon Palace.

Under these circumstances, after the Golden Dragon King took him away, he naturally had to punish him, which is why he imprisoned Prince Ao Tang in the Dragon Prison to reflect on his actions.

The first level of the Dragon's Prison has no restrictions on mushroom masters, making it a good place for seclusion.

The Golden Dragon King imprisoned Prince Ao Tang here, clearly intending for him to focus on overcoming his bottleneck and break through to the fourth stage as soon as possible.

However, judging from his appearance, he clearly did not reflect on his actions as the Golden Dragon King had hoped.

Prince Ao Tang was of noble birth; he had never suffered any hardship.

He had just been imprisoned in the Dragon Prison when he asked the blind old dragon to find him a dragon maidservant to serve him.

Given his current state, people would believe he's here to enjoy a life of luxury, let alone be punished.

"Oh, you blind old man..."

"It's alright, but there's no bed, so sleeping on the floor is really uncomfortable."

"When the time comes, I'll trouble you, old man, to have someone bring my dragon bed over, and also bring a few potted plants, otherwise this shabby place looks too monotonous." Crown Prince Ao Tang didn't even lift his eyelids before lazily giving the order.

"Very well, I will have someone prepare as soon as I finish what I'm doing."

Upon hearing this, the blind old man quickly and respectfully agreed.

Prince Ao Tang waved his hand, signaling him to leave quickly, not minding what he was busy with.

Having remained completely unnoticed and silently observing the scene, Xiao Chusheng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, feeling quite curious about it.

'Your Highness?'

'Could this guy be the offspring of one of those two dragonmen?'

'If that's the case, if I could take this person hostage, I wonder if I could threaten those two fifth-rank dragon beings to release me from the Dragon Palace?'

Thinking of this, Xiao Chusheng immediately felt a little eager to try.

However, he did not act rashly. Instead, he planned to rescue Wei Dai and then, after gaining more help, take hostage the Dragon Palace prince who had come to his doorstep.

Perhaps it was because they would need to help Prince Ao Tang obtain the dragon bed he required later.

The blind old man's legs and feet were noticeably more agile, as if he wanted to finish dealing with Xiao Chusheng's matter as soon as possible.

They stopped stopping and started walking, and continued downhill, soon reaching the second level.

The second floor is much darker than the first.

The dragon people imprisoned here all seem to be in poor spirits.

They were not only bound by iron chain mushrooms, but also adorned with pipa mushrooms, severely suppressing their cultivation. All the mushrooms were also taken away.

It can be said that the dragon people trapped here see no light and have no hope of regaining their freedom.

The jailer in charge of the second level was an old woman who was a fourth-level dragon.

She had difficulty hearing, so she was also known as the Deaf Granny.

The deaf woman and the blind old man seemed to have some conflict with each other, and they couldn't agree on anything, so neither of them wanted to talk to the other.

Therefore, the blind old man brought Xiao Chusheng down without saying goodbye to the deaf woman, and immediately left the second floor and came to the last third floor.

The third level of the Dragon-Trapping Prison was pitch black and completely silent.

Very few dragon people are imprisoned here; they have either been executed or are hanging unconscious on the dragon pillar.

That's why it seemed so quiet and lifeless.

Compared to the iron cage mushrooms on the first two floors, these are replaced by coiled dragon pillars.

Rows of dragon-shaped pillars stand here, binding one half-dead dragon-men after another, creating an indescribably eerie scene.

These dragonmen may have been very powerful in the past, with some even being fifth-level mushroom masters.

They either committed heinous crimes or betrayed the Dragon Palace; all of them were unforgivable, and now they have been imprisoned here for who knows how many years.

To some extent, they can also be considered part of the Dragon Palace's foundation.

If one day the Dragon Palace faces any crisis, the Dragon King can use slavery to revitalize these Dragon People and use them as puppet warriors for the Dragon Palace.

"Old man, what's that?"

Xiao Chusheng didn't pay much attention to these dragon people.

He merely glanced at the dragon people before his attention was drawn to a well.

The well was square, its surface covered with moss, and gilded dragon patterns were faintly visible.

The sudden appearance of this well is not only extremely abrupt, but also extremely eye-catching.

That's why it attracted Xiao Chusheng's attention.

"Cough cough cough..."

"You young man, you certainly have a strong sense of curiosity."

The blind old man shook his head and coughed as he began to talk about the so-called Dragon-Locking Well.

"This well is called the Dragon Locking Well, but as for why it is called that, I don't know."

"It is said that a dragon-man mushroom fairy was once locked up in this well, which is why it got its name."

"Whether it's true or false, we'll have to wait and see."

"In my opinion, it might actually be true."

"After all, this well already existed when the Dragon Palace was first built ten thousand years ago."

"In such a long period of time, who knows if there were any dragon-human mushroom immortals who were locked inside because of serious mistakes? Who can say for sure?"

"Moreover, this Dragon Locking Well is no ordinary well. Our Dragon Palace once had a leader of the dragon people who went down into the Dragon Locking Well and never came back up, didn't he?"

"Since that time, the Dragon Palace has added a rule that no dragon people are allowed to approach the Dragon Locking Well."

"So it's fine for you and me to chat, but please don't be silly and go over there."

Old Man Xia seemed worried that Xiao Chusheng might not know the rules and cause trouble, which is why he said so much.

However, the old man's worries were clearly unnecessary.

Xiao Chusheng only asked out of curiosity; he wouldn't go looking for trouble and waste time figuring out something like the Dragon Locking Well.

If he had that time, he would rather quickly rescue Wei Dai, take the Crown Prince hostage, and escape.

In contrast to Xiao Chusheng, Wu Liang, who had witnessed everything, was quite interested in it.

"Lock Dragon Well..."

"It has existed since the very beginning of the Dragon Palace..."

Wu Liang's eyes were deep and thoughtful, as if he had thought of something.

If he wasn't mistaken...

At this very moment, he has most likely already found the Eight-Turn Immortal Mushroom House left behind by the Hidden Dragon Ancestor... 'Dragon Palace'!
(End of this chapter)