My Crazy Upgrade System

Chapter 312: Chapter 311: Gaze of Hope

"Ding! Would you like to accept the temporary side quest: ’Destroy the Netherworld Prison and Rescue All Prisoners’?"

Just as they were about to press forward, a quest notification suddenly popped up, leaving him stunned.

’A temporary side quest? Accepted!’ Yi Tianyun accepted the quest immediately, without a second thought.

’This was my plan all along, so it’s a convenient bonus. How could I pass up a random quest? Especially now—the rewards are bound to be incredible. I have to take it, no matter what.’

’Besides, there’s no penalty for failure. Not that it matters; I’m going to finish it one way or another. There’s no way I’m letting that reward get away.’

"Ding! Quest ’Destroy the Netherworld Prison and Rescue All Prisoners’ accepted. Completion Rewards: 50,000,000 Experience Points, 100,000 Madness Value, 10,000 Sin Value, 200 Virtue Value, and 100 Commander Value!"

’No item rewards, just Attributes, but that’s more than enough. It’s a boost to almost everything. Not only is the experience massive, but the other Attributes get a nice bump too. All in all, I’m very satisfied. It’s all a bonus, so I can’t complain.’

’Not bad. It seems even the heavens want me to deal with you,’ Yi Tianyun thought with a cold smile.

Soon, led by Ye Qingxuan, they made their way through another long corridor. They eliminated numerous guards along the path, clearing it completely. Thankfully, no generals showed up, or they would have been in serious trouble.

Normally, the likes of General Long wouldn’t be stationed here. After all, who would wander around a prison for no reason?

"The Forbidden Spirit Zone is just ahead," Ye Qingxuan said, her voice growing heavy.

"The Forbidden Spirit Zone won’t affect us, will it?" Yi Tianyun asked.

"No, it only affects those inside the cages; it has no effect on anyone outside. Besides, it only works in conjunction with the shackles, so it’s irrelevant to us," Ye Qingxuan explained.

Yi Tianyun nodded and followed her.

When they reached a corner, Yi Tianyun peeked around and saw the Forbidden Spirit Zone. The layout was the same as the other prison sections, with sturdy cages on all sides, but the walls here were covered in Divine Runes that continuously drained all the Spiritual Power from the air.

The Spiritual Power here was practically nonexistent, making recovery impossible without consuming Elixir Pills. Inside the cages were members of the Spirit Race, all looking gaunt and haggard. Even without direct torture, the utter lack of Spiritual Power was incredibly harmful to them.

With the aid of Spiritual Power, they could go a long time without food or water. But now, without it, they looked completely drained and haggard, as if they had been starved for days on end.

Yi Tianyun’s gaze swept across the area. There were quite a few members of the Spirit Race imprisoned here—at least a hundred. The Spirit Race was small to begin with, so a hundred people represented a significant portion of their entire population. It was a staggering number.

Furthermore, everyone was locked up together, regardless of age or health—the old, the young, the sick, and the weak. The children seemed to be in the worst condition, collapsed limply in their parents’ arms, unable to even speak, let alone run and play like other kids.

All the Spirit Race members looked sickly and listless. This was the effect of severe Spiritual Power deprivation.

"Please, I’m begging you, give the children something to eat! They can’t hold on much longer..." one of the Spirit Race members pleaded, not for themself, but for the children.

The adults could still hold on, but the children, with their low cultivation levels, could not endure for much longer.

"Haha, want something to eat?" A guard brought over some food and dangled it in front of them. The children’s eyes, even as they lay weakly in their parents’ arms, flashed with longing, but they didn’t move.

After waving it in their faces, the guard took a bite himself and sneered, "If you want to eat, then obediently join our Netherworld Empire and serve us!"

The adults looked at their children, and just as they opened their mouths to speak, the little ones tugged at their clothes. "Father, Mother... don’t beg them. We can still hold on. We believe the Holy Daughter will come back and save us..."

"My child..."

Tears streamed silently down their faces. They didn’t want their children to submit to the Netherworld Empire either, but if this kept up, the children would die. By the time the Holy Daughter arrived, it would be too late.

Seeing that they remained unmoved, the guard furiously kicked the cage. "Still got some backbone, huh!" he snarled.

With a frustrated roar, he threw the food aside, his face contorted with rage.

"Lord Xu, please calm your anger. They’ll give in soon enough!" another guard said, trying to placate him.

"I hope so!" Lord Xu snorted. "They refuse to compromise, and they won’t take the Poison Pills. If I had the keys, I would’ve dragged them out for a beating long ago! At this rate, how are we supposed to make them surrender?"

Xu Chang’s face was a mask of frustration. His job was to intimidate them, but he couldn’t actually rush in to torture or beat them. He didn’t have the keys, so how was he supposed to get in?

"Don’t worry. When General Long gets here, we’ll report the situation. Then we can drag them out... especially the children. I refuse to believe they won’t compromise then!" The guards shared a sinister grin. As long as they controlled the children, the adults would have to surrender!

"That’s a good point. They’ve been stuck in here for a long time. I wonder how far the poison has progressed in the others, and if we can get any information..." Xu Chang shook his head. "I’m going to go check on them. You two stand guard here."

"Yes, Lord Xu!"

Just as they turned to leave, a cold glint of light appeared silently behind them. With flashes of red and silver, both Xu Chang and the guard beside him collapsed. The other guards looked over, only to find that two figures had appeared before them out of thin air!

"Who are you—"

SHLIIICK!

Before they could finish speaking, a figure flickered to their side. A series of red flashes later, they all collapsed, eyes wide in disbelief, losing consciousness before they even understood what had happened.

The figures who now stood before the prisoners were none other than Ye Qingxuan and Yi Tianyun, their eyes blazing with fury. They had taken advantage of the guards’ distraction to launch a flawless surprise attack, killing them all in an instant.

"H-Holy Daughter..." From within the cages, the eyes of the Spirit Race people suddenly lit up with a brilliant glimmer of hope!