Reversing the Milky Way

These words sparked a flurry of discussion among the crowd.

The so-called "soul exploration" refers to the techniques that a cultivator can learn by condensing their own divine soul after opening their soul meridians.

Nie Chaosheng: "There's no need for Patriarch Shangguan to trouble yourself with this. Our Censorate will investigate this matter thoroughly."

Nie Chaosheng's words were resolute, leaving Shangguan Ba ​​no room for doubt or rebuttal.

Seeing that the matter was clear, Shangguan Ba ​​looked at Bai Cheng again.

Shangguan Ba: "Hmph! Let's go!"

Surrounded by a group of Shangguan family disciples, Shangguan Ba ​​turned and led everyone away.

Bai Zhentian: "Huh?! How can we let him just leave like that!?"

Bai Zhentian was furious, but then he saw Nie Chaosheng suddenly raise his hand to stop him.

Nie Chaosheng: "Let's leave it at that. Continuing this will not benefit anyone!"

In the following days, news of the break between the Shangguan family and the Bai family spread rapidly throughout Baifeng City, and for a time, the streets and alleys were filled with various rumors about the Bai family.

After that day, Bai Cheng was also imprisoned in the Inspectorate's dungeon due to an investigation. At the same time, the Bai family recalled all its disciples who were away. Five days later, after a series of discussions, the Bai family made a decision.

The Bai family withdrew all its businesses from the Shangguan family's territory, severed all ties between the two families, and completely disentangled all its cooperative projects with the Shangguan family. Furthermore, they declared that whatever happens to the Shangguan family in the future will have nothing to do with the Bai family.

This news was like a thunderbolt, adding another heavy blow to the already unsettled White Wind City. The Shangguan family also responded to the announcement issued by the Bai family.

They forbade all Bai family disciples from entering the Shangguan family's territory. Whenever a member of the Bai family appeared, the Shangguan family would send people to kill them. The two families went from being close friends to being mortal enemies.

Inside the dungeon, Bai Cheng, wearing the Spirit Binding Shackles, sat in a cell with a blank expression.

The dimly lit dungeon was filled with the damp and rotten smells. The faint light from the Spirit Storage Pearl only illuminated the doorway to his cell, and his storage bag had been taken away.

A series of footsteps approached.

Jailer: "Lunch is served!"

A jailer brought a steaming plate of food to Bai Cheng's cell. Because of the shackles, Bai Cheng was unable to circulate his spiritual energy, so his body's energy was being replenished by food.

After the jailer put down the food, he turned to leave, but Bai Cheng suddenly spoke up.

Bai Cheng: "Brother, please wait a moment."

The jailer paused, tilting his head slightly.

Bai Cheng: "I've been locked up here for several days now. When will I be released?"

Jailer: "You?!"

The jailer chuckled foolishly.

The jailer said, “Your situation is very special. You were personally brought in by the deputy governor. Without his permission, no one could release you.”

After saying that, he ignored Bai Cheng and his footsteps faded into the distance.

This is a prison set up by the Supervisory Office specifically for imprisoning cultivators. Bai Cheng initially thought he would be imprisoned in the prison below the City Lord's Mansion, but he did not expect that the Supervisory Office would also have a separate prison here.

After finishing his meal, Bai Cheng went to one of the walls of his cell and carved the character "正" (zhèng) on ​​the wall with a stone.

Because there is no light or darkness in the dungeon, sunrise and sunset are imperceptible, so Bai Cheng can only determine the time based on the two meals he eats each day.

After finishing this stroke, Bai Cheng was about to close his eyes and rest when he heard a creaking sound coming from the door of his cell.

Bai Cheng looked up slightly and found that only a furry mouse was looking at him.

Bai Cheng didn't take it seriously. He pinched a pebble in his hand, intending to knock the rat away with one blow.

However, in the next moment, the mouse suddenly became alert and disappeared into the darkness in a flash.

Feeling restless, Bai Cheng didn't know what to do. If it weren't for the binding of the spirit shackles, Bai Cheng would have used cultivation to pass the time. He had also thought about using the power of the fragments in his body to break the shackles and then pretend to be bound. However, when he thought that Nie Chaosheng had personally imprisoned him here, a trace of worry rose in his heart.

Two days later, as the footsteps grew closer in the dark dungeon, Bai Cheng assumed it was the jailer bringing food again and began to speak.

Bai Cheng: "How long are you going to keep me locked up? Ever since I came in, you haven't given me any information other than bringing me food every day. What exactly does your Deputy Envoy Nie want to do?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his footsteps stopped in front of Bai Cheng's cell.

He then realized that the person who came today was not the one who delivered the food, but Nie Chaosheng and Bai Fengze.

Bai Cheng immediately stood up and stepped forward. Before he could speak, he heard Nie Chaosheng speak with a half-smile.

Nie Chaosheng: "What's wrong? Kid? So eager to throw your life away?"

Bai Fengze also responded, "That's right, some things have happened these past few days, and I think it's necessary for you to know."

After speaking, Bai Fengze wrapped the three of them in a concealment array. Then, through Bai Fengze's narration, Bai Cheng learned about the current situation of the Bai family and the Shangguan family, as well as the news that he was wanted by the Shangguan family.

Nie Chaosheng came here for two reasons. First, because of the Chi Wu incident. The losses caused by Chi Wu had not yet been resolved, and now the Shangguan family incident had occurred.

Secondly, it was because of the Si Nan family. Since the establishment of the Surveillance Bureau in Baifeng City, Si Nan Qiu, the head of the Si Nan family, had been serving as the deputy inspector of the Surveillance Bureau. Although the chief inspector of the Surveillance Bureau in Baifeng City was Yang Hai, 70% of the inspectors under him were disciples of the Si Nan family. This time, due to the personnel changes in the Si Nan family, a huge vacancy was created in the Surveillance Bureau. Nie Chaosheng came here to temporarily take over the operation of the Surveillance Bureau in Baifeng City.

Even after learning this irrelevant information, Bai Cheng was still concerned about when he could leave.

Bai Cheng: "Then I wonder how much longer I will have to stay imprisoned in this dungeon?"

Nie Chaosheng: "This matter will probably depend on the information from the outside world. The real reason for imprisoning you here is to protect you. After all, the conditions offered by the Shangguan family are not small, and many rogue cultivators have been moved by them and are inquiring about your situation in the dungeon. The Surveillance Bureau is an institution established by the royal family, and they dare not force their way in. Therefore, you are safer here than in the Bai family."

Bai Cheng: "But..."

Before Bai Cheng could finish speaking, Bai Fengze echoed Nie Chaosheng's words.

Bai Fengze: "Commander Nie is right. Besides, he has already announced that you will be detained for a period of time for investigation, and..."

At this point, Bai Fengze hesitated for a moment when he looked at Bai Cheng.

Bai Fengze: "Moreover, because of this incident, your reputation within the Bai family has become extremely negative, so you should not go back for the time being."

Upon hearing this, Bai Cheng felt a sense of helplessness. He let out a long sigh and stopped speaking. He knew that the situation the Bai family was in was indeed related to him.

Nie Chaosheng: "That's the situation. Until I say anything, you can stay here in peace. This dungeon was built specifically to imprison cultivators. There are defensive arrays around the underground that isolate spiritual energy. No matter what kind of escape technique you use, you can't reach the bottom of this dungeon."

After saying that, he and Bai Fengze exchanged a glance, and Bai Fengze also removed the Hidden Spirit Array. The two then slowly left.

Bai Cheng felt a surge of helplessness welling up from the depths of his heart once again. He had originally wanted to live another life freely, unbound by others, but he never expected that he would feel the same way he did back then. However, Bai Cheng knew that once he came here, he had to abide by the rules of this world. He was just not strong enough to earn the respect of others for his realm and strength.

That night, Bai Cheng used the power of the fragments within his body to secretly break the shackles binding him.

The area where the Supervisory Office is located is a region with four times the spiritual energy of Baicheng. Bai Cheng, who was in the dungeon, had long felt the immense spiritual energy coming from underground.

As Bai Cheng began his cultivation, the flow of spiritual energy in the dungeon rapidly changed, causing pairs of eyes to open in the darkness deeper than where Bai Cheng was located.

In a dimly lit cell, the rat from before came to the feet of a man who was already filthy and disheveled.

Bai Cheng pretended to be bound by shackles, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

Without the aid of elixirs, Bai Cheng's daily cultivation, though in an environment with four times the spiritual energy, was progressing very slowly in his opinion. In this month of cultivation, he found that his progress was the same as if he had cultivated for three days in an environment with twenty times the spiritual energy and taking elixirs.

Only after doing this calculation did he realize what kind of blissful life he had been living before.

Bai Cheng: "No, this cultivation progress is far too slow. Staying here is simply a waste of my time."

Bai Cheng continued to make marks on the walls of his cell every day. Even the jailer who brought him food complained that Bai Cheng was drawing all day long, because he was using simplified characters that no one here could recognize.

As night fell, Bai Cheng entered his usual cultivation state, but at that moment, he suddenly heard a "squeaking" sound again.

As Bai Cheng opened his eyes, he saw the large, furry rat again.

Bai Cheng: "Tsk! I couldn't intervene before, so you got away. Let's see how you escape this time!"

After speaking, Bai Cheng put two fingers together, and a ball of light the size of a coin condensed at his fingertips. He dared not release too much spiritual power, lest he attract the attention of the prison guards.

Just as Bai Cheng was about to make a move, the rat suddenly stood upright, raising its two front paws high as if in surrender.

Bai Cheng: "Hmm?! This! I've long seen that the animals in this world are quite intelligent, but isn't this a bit too intelligent?"

At this moment, Bai Cheng also noticed that the mouse's eyes were bright and piercing, and it kept looking at him, as if it were a person.

Immediately afterwards, Bai Cheng saw the mouse suddenly pick up a stone from the ground, hold it with its paws, and rub it on the ground. To his surprise, the mouse started writing in front of him.

After the rat had been carving away, several large characters appeared before Bai Cheng's eyes.

"Fellow Daoist, please tell me your method of escape. I will be eternally grateful!"

Upon seeing these words, Bai Cheng stared in shock at the rat in front of him, which remained motionless as if it had lost its soul.

Immediately afterward, to Bai Cheng's astonishment, he saw the rat in front of him pick up the stone again and start writing and drawing.

After a series of actions, at least fifteen minutes had passed, and Bai Cheng looked at the words on the ground and finally understood the reason.

This rat is the pet of another cultivator imprisoned here. This cultivator calls himself Mi Hua and comes from the Spirit Beast Sect of the Moonflower Kingdom.

Bai Cheng only had some understanding of the location of Yuehua Kingdom.

It is said that the Yuehua Kingdom is as vast as the Huoyun Kingdom, but its territory is different. It runs southeast along another Beilan River. The Lingshou Sect is a sect in the Yuehua Kingdom that specializes in driving spirit beasts. The distance between it and Baifeng City is about the same as the distance between Baifeng City and the Imperial City, which is at least 5,000 li in a straight line.

The reason Mi Hua was imprisoned in the dungeon of the Censorate was because he had offended a powerful local family, and the person he had offended was none other than Si Nanxuan, the young master of the Si Nan family. As a result, he had been imprisoned here for two years.

After learning all this information, Bai Cheng hesitated. He was able to break free of the Spirit Binding Shackles not with his own spiritual power, so he couldn't teach him the method. If he insisted on breaking them, he would have to destroy the Spirit Binding Shackles directly.

After Bai Cheng conveyed his meaning to the rat in front of him, the rat did not leave, but paused for a moment and continued to write a reply on the ground.

'I observe that you have a close connection with this place, fellow Daoist. I hope you can help me leave; I am willing to repay you handsomely.'

Upon seeing this sentence, Bai Cheng looked up blankly.

For a moment, the mouse in front of me felt like a person.

Bai Cheng: "Something's not right! Even if it's a spirit beast, how did it know what I was saying here? And this rat in front of me doesn't look like a spirit beast at all!"

Seemingly sensing Bai Cheng's confusion, the rat in front of him began to move again.

'This is precisely the cultivation technique I'm reporting back to my friend, called the Beast Eye Spirit Technique...'

Just then, the mouse in front of me, which was writing this, suddenly had clear eyes and began to squeak.

In the dark depths of the dungeon, a man who appeared to be middle-aged suddenly opened his eyes.

"Damn it! It's not a spirit beast after all. It seems the accumulated spiritual power has been exhausted!"

Meanwhile, the rat in front of Bai Cheng seemed to have suddenly regained its wild nature. After squeaking twice, it ran into the darkness in the blink of an eye.

Bai Cheng: "What kind of supernatural power is this?"

Bai Cheng was certain that the rat from before and the rat that was writing with the stone were completely different. It seemed as if someone was controlling it when it was writing, and strangely, Bai Cheng couldn't sense that someone was controlling the rat at all.

In the distance, footsteps approached. Bai Cheng immediately put the Spirit Binding Shackles on his wrists and then erased all the writing on the ground.

A few breaths later, as the footsteps drew closer, two jailers passed in front of Bai Cheng's cell.

Jailer 1: "Damn it, if I had known the conditions in this dungeon were this bad, I wouldn't have come."

Jailer 2: "Who says otherwise! I thought I'd get a good job in the Censorate, but I never expected to be serving tea and water to cultivators."

Jailer 1: "Heh, you can't say things like that. If some hot-tempered big shot hears this, he'll be in for a world of hurt when he gets out!"

Jailer Two: "What's there to be afraid of? We haven't mistreated them! Besides, we're from the Censorate; we're officially part of the government."

As the sound faded into the distance, Bai Cheng gradually withdrew his gaze.