He smiled faintly, sat cross-legged facing the old man, but said nothing. He took out the pouch that Henry Morgan had given him, opened it, and inside were thirty-six extremely precious jade essence crystals—this bag of items was so valuable that even Henry Morgan wouldn’t dare to embezzle them.

Eric Bennett took one out and inserted it into a groove on the ground in front of him.

Surrounding the three massive stone pillars, there was a mysterious and profound formation on the outer edge. This formation had to be infused with spiritual energy every month, and this task could only be done by sending someone down—there was no other way.

But this job was the most dangerous duty in the entire Ruolu Prison!

No one knew the name of the old demon inside the stone formation, nor did anyone know when he had been imprisoned here, or how he had been brought in.

It seemed that ever since Ruolu Prison existed, he had been here.

Seventy-two ancient bloodline beasts sealed him, the Five Element Jade Mountains suppressed him, and twin dragons guarded him, yet even all this could not completely seal the old demon. Every month, someone had to be sent down to reinforce the seal with the invaluable jade essence crystals.

Thirty-six jade essence crystals— even for the Nine Great Heavenly Gates, producing so many at once was a strain. This enormous sum could bankrupt a mid-sized sect, yet it could only help the formation seal the old demon for one month.

The terror of this old demon didn’t end there. Ever since he was imprisoned, he had sat there motionless, but every person who came down would be driven mad by a few of his words, or become his follower.

It was said that in the beginning, Ruolu Prison was an absolute hardship post, and almost every two or three years, all the wardens would have to be replaced. Later, the heads of the Nine Great Heavenly Gates joined forces and lived in Ruolu Prison for three years before gradually figuring out a countermeasure.

But the countermeasure wasn’t aimed at the old demon himself. No one could withstand the old demon’s “preaching and debate”—even the heads of the Nine Great Heavenly Gates couldn’t bear it. The only remedy was that after those people finished reinforcing the seal, they were immediately captured, sent into a special formation, and fed a secret spiritual medicine.

Even so, there was still a thirty percent chance they could not be saved.

In Ruolu Prison, every month everyone drew lots, and whoever was chosen was simply unlucky. However, within three years, no one would be chosen twice.

Henry Morgan had been unlucky lately and happened to draw the lot.

He was forced into a corner and, in a “flash of inspiration!”, thought of Eric Bennett. After all, reinforcing the formation didn’t require any cultivation—just putting the jade essence crystals into the formation would do. But Eric Bennett was nowhere to be found, making Henry Morgan frantic. He finally managed to wait for Eric Bennett to return, and without another word, dragged him over.

The old demon saw that Eric Bennett didn’t respond to him, but he wasn’t arrogant or impatient, and continued to speak at length. After listening for a while, Eric Bennett gradually began to admire him: this old demon was indeed extraordinary, skilled at preaching to the human heart.

In fact, this was true. If the person who came was a martial arts fanatic, the old demon would lecture on the ancient demonic scripture, “The Vastness Sutra”; if the person was greedy for fame and fortune, he would patiently offer advice, laying out strategies for power that could help one reach the pinnacle; if the person was a womanizer, he would speak with a silver tongue, describing countless methods guaranteed to win the heart of any beauty in the world...

The righteous path once believed that those persuaded by the old demon simply had weak wills, until the day when Jack Turner, known as the greatest genius of the righteous path, was driven mad by the old demon in just five days, slaughtered thirty-six fellow cultivators, and broke out of Ruolu Prison. Only then did they realize it wasn’t so simple.

Jack Turner had tempered his heart in the mortal world for sixty years, endured all kinds of temptations, and ultimately returned unscathed, his cultivation second only to the elders of the Nine Great Heavenly Gates, with a will as firm as iron.

After being driven mad by the old demon, he also practiced the ancient demonic scripture “The Vastness Sutra,” and in just twenty years, became the most notorious demon in the world. The righteous path paid the tragic price of sixteen great experts to finally eliminate him.

From then on, even the heads of the Nine Great Heavenly Gates understood that the Abyss of the Departed was a place of great evil, and even they dared not set foot there lightly.

And now, Eric Bennett, who no longer possessed his once-dominant cultivation, was sitting in front of the old demon, listening to the most dangerous mouth in the entire cultivation world speak at length!

……

Outside, Henry Morgan waited for a while. Seeing that there was no movement inside, he relaxed.

Although the seal had to be reinforced every month, it wasn’t necessary to put all thirty-six jade essence crystals in at once, because the great sealing formation took seven days to complete one cycle. Each time a groove opened, a jade essence crystal could be inserted. It took seven days to insert all thirty-six crystals.

But the current record was five days, held by Jack Turner. Ordinary wardens could last at most three days before they were finished. However, it seemed the old demon had no intention of escaping and didn’t struggle much. Even the crystals inserted over three days were enough to sustain the seal for a month.

Henry Morgan didn’t care how many days Eric Bennett could last. Eric Bennett had no willpower and was a muddle-headed person—he’d probably be driven mad by the old demon and bash his head against the wall.

But Henry Morgan didn’t care at all. After all, he had passed this ordeal and could rest easy for the next three years. He clapped his hands and leisurely went back up.