Chapter 1788: Dusk Strikes

Ruoshui Prison.

Inner wall, guard tower.

The steel-forged high wall stood like an insurmountable chasm, sealing off the desolate Ruoshui Base.

Dozens of guard towers were situated all along the high wall; some were responsible for monitoring the base, while others were tasked with watching the streets outside... It was as if they were afraid of people coming out of the base, yet also afraid of people breaking in from the outside.

The Red Alert siren echoed in the air, and atop the guard towers, the figures were all in a panic.

"What's going on? What is this alarm?"

"I don't know..."

"You don't know either?"

"Aren't we all just transferred to Ruoshui Prison? No one knows more than anyone else!"

"Where were you transferred from?"

"I'm a disciple of Lord Li; I was originally in charge of grain transport at Lingxu Prison."

"Oh... so you're one of Lord Li's people too? I'm a distant cousin of Lord Li, from the Chengtian Realm. I used to help him manage some... *ahem*, interpersonal relationships."

"I was promoted in the military by Lord Tang. Lord Tang and Lord Li are on good terms, so counting it up, we're all family."

"I remember now! During the New Year last year, didn't you come to my house to pay respects with Lord Tang? I was wondering why you looked familiar."

"By the way, those Seventh-Order Grand Marshals stationed on the inner wall with us are also Lord Li's confidants."

"Yes, hahaha, so we're all acquaintances!"

"Yeah, all acquaintances... wait, what?"

A figure who looked relatively sharp-witted paused, feeling like something was wrong.

But the others didn't seem to notice anything amiss, continuing to laugh and chat about their connections. Only he, after a moment of hesitation, asked a question:

"Then... what about the original garrison of Ruoshui Prison?"

"They were all transferred to the outer wall." Someone pointed to the continuous, towering wall shadow in the distance. "The outer wall is responsible for resisting disaster invasions, while the inner wall is responsible for guarding the Ruoshui Base... Compared to them, most of us guarding the inner wall are just for show; nothing will happen here."

"Exactly. Besides, we have connections to Lord Li and Lord Tang; we won't be sent to the front lines to die."

"Furthermore, there are numerous Seventh-Order Grand Marshals sitting in command. Even if the sky falls, it won't be our turn to hold it up."

"This strange alarm is probably just a disaster attack; it shouldn't have anything to do with us on the inner wall..."

"I see."

“……”

As they chatted, the group felt at ease.

After all, in a sense, the inner wall and the Ruoshui Base it suppressed were the safest places in the entire prison, so what did they have to worry about?

Just then, patches of gray-white areas began to spread within the prison. Violent disaster figures emerged from the void, their thunderous roars accompanied by a suffocating pressure as they rampaged through the streets!

At this moment, everyone on the inner wall was stunned.

"Disasters..."

"They're inside the city??"

They all doubted if they were dreaming. After pinching themselves hard, looks of disbelief appeared on their faces!

"How is this possible?!"

"The outer wall hasn't been breached yet, how could disasters appear directly inside Ruoshui Prison??"

"It seems the Gray Realm has started to intersect with Ruoshui Prison... Damn it, what exactly is going on?!"

“……”

The resistance they imagined from the outer wall never appeared. These disasters appeared inside the walls like ghosts, crazily trampling the surrounding buildings. Large swaths of streets were ground into powder, and billowing smoke blotted out the sun.

Strangely, they didn't see many civilians, as if this prison, under the rampage of disasters, had turned into an empty city without them knowing.

Some disasters, after smashing through numerous buildings and seeing no humans, slowly turned their gaze toward the inner wall at the core of the prison...

They sensed danger here.

Thump!!

Accompanied by a roar that shook the earth, a skeletal giant elephant came charging toward the inner wall.

Its size was so immense that every step left deep craters in the ground. With the weight of this terror, it slammed into the inner wall, creating hideous cracks that nearly penetrated the entire structure!

Boom—!!!

In an instant, the many guards on the inner wall were nearly thrown off!

Following that, more and more disasters launched charges at the inner wall. They came from all directions, some even flying through the air, leaving these newly transferred guards at a complete loss.

Fortunately, there were still many Seventh-Order powerhouses from the Chengtian Realm among them. They immediately utilized the terrain to suppress the incoming disasters. Divine paths and disaster domains collided, turning the entire inner wall into a chaotic battlefield.

"Is it my imagination?" Someone rubbed their eyes, looking toward a certain direction in the streets.

"Why does it look like someone is moving against the disasters... coming toward us?"

Everyone followed his gaze.

There, amidst the ruins of the streets, a figure with light cyan long hair was walking slowly through the churning dust. He had a snake-shaped tattoo on his neck and his eyelids were lowered... At this moment, seemingly sensing the gaze of the few on the guard tower, a faint smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

The next second, his figure dissipated into faint mist and vanished into thin air.

"...Gone?"

"Did I see things?"

Just as the few guards were stunned, wisps of mist condensed behind them, gradually outlining the figure of the light cyan-haired youth...

He lifted his fingertips slightly, and a lightning bolt like a roaming snake burst forth, instantly linking the guards on the tower together like a chain!

Under the strike of the lethal lightning, the guards didn't even have time to cry for help before they turned into charred corpses and slumped to the ground.

The youth glanced at them casually, and his figure dissipated into mist once more...

When he reappeared, he was like a ghost in the nearest guard tower, wiping out the guards within with a wave of his hand... then the third, then the fourth.

He was like a silent phantom on the battlefield, constantly eroding the inner wall's defense line. By the fifth tower, just after he had finished killing, several strangely shaped puppets descended from the air, surrounding him within the tower!

Each of these puppets exuded a sharp killing intent. The youth narrowed his eyes as he scanned them, finally landing on a man who was slowly descending onto the tower...

"Seventh-Order Yellow God Path? I've never heard of such a person in Ruoshui Prison... Who exactly are you?" The man frowned, sizing up the youth.

"Tsk... discovered at only the fifth tower?" The cyan-haired figure shook his head with some regret. "I thought I'd be ahead of that old lady... Looking at it this way, the outcome is still uncertain..."

"What are you talking about??" The man's brow furrowed even tighter.

The youth’s gaze fell on the man. After a moment, he unhurriedly took a playing card from his chest, which emitted an eerie, faint light in the hazy mist. He spoke calmly:

"Dusk Society, 【Queen of Diamonds】... Please advise."

……

……

One more chapter, a bit later.