Chapter Thirty-Five: Submit to Me, or Die! [Second Update]

War Wolves.

The prison wardens of the fifth basement level—Infernal Frost Hell—were so vicious that if they were released on any other floor, they would devour every other beast warden and prisoner without leaving a trace.

Despite the cover of wind and snow, the overwhelming scent of blood drifted far and wide. Packs of starving war wolves dashed out, their ravenous eyes fixed on the corpse exuding that tantalizing aroma. Unable to resist, they lunged upon it.

“Go ahead and eat... Make sure not a scrap of this filth remains,” Shu Mingyuan said, tossing Sergey Karch’s body toward the wolves. In just a few breaths, the corpse was torn apart, limbs scattered, as some wolves even cast their savage gazes at him.

“Get lost!”

With a thunderous shout, lightning exploded around Shu Mingyuan. The wolves that leapt at him were instantly repelled by the intense current enveloping his body. Having channeled the Chidori Current through endless battles on his way here, his ninjutsu power had surged, and its might had grown considerably.

Sensing that this human was not to be trifled with, the pack focused solely on tearing apart the corpse, leaving flesh and blood strewn about in a scene of utter savagery.

...

Shu Mingyuan returned to his cell and sat down to recover his energy. From Level One above the sea to the fifth level underground, he had pressed forward relentlessly. Yet, with his lightning-speed tactics, the results were clear—he had reached the heart of Infernal Frost Hell without expending too much effort.

After resting for a moment, he opened the system interface he hadn’t checked in a while. His stats had transformed dramatically:

Character: Mengqi D. Shu Mingyuan
Rank: Lower Ninja
Chakra: (32,751/50,000)
Justice Points: 18,964
Acquired Ninjutsu: Lightning Release: Chidori, Chidori Current, Lightning Release: Thousand-Year Spear, Clone Technique, Fire Release: Grand Fireball, Fire Release: Phoenix Fire, Super (Partial) Expansion Jutsu, Super Beast Imitation
Acquired Taijutsu: Shadow Dance Leaf, Lion Combo
Ninjutsu Value: 676
Taijutsu Value: 641

By mastering the Super Expansion Jutsu and Thousand-Year Spear, the system had rewarded him with a great many Justice Points. Even after spending 8,000 on the bug-tier Super Beast Imitation, he still had over 18,000 left. His taijutsu and ninjutsu values had nearly reached 700 through ceaseless combat.

This foray into Impel Down had brought him more benefits than he’d anticipated—and this was only the beginning. On the fifth basement level, he would claim what he sought, but the true targets were those erased by the government on the sixth level below.

Two hours later, Shu Mingyuan emerged from deep meditation, his stamina and chakra mostly restored. He opened the cell door and strolled through the other cell blocks. With chakra shielding his body, the minus-eighty-degree cold was hardly unbearable.

After some thought, he dismissed the chakra armor enveloping his body, choosing instead to harden himself against the freezing cold with only his flesh. To grow stronger, he would have to let his body adapt to any environment—this world of endless ice and snow would become a crucible for his body.

He passed several cells along the way but found fewer prisoners than he’d expected. Many had already turned into frozen corpses under the cruel cold.

“Hey, is anyone still alive?” Shu Mingyuan rapped on another cell door, his bare torso already sheathed in a layer of thin ice. After a few breaths, seeing no reaction from the five or six people inside, he was about to leave.

“Young man, I’ve noticed you wandering outside for quite some time now. What exactly are you looking for?” A dry, cold voice came from within.

Shu Mingyuan paused, then turned and broke open the cell with his Thousand-Year Spear before stepping inside.

This cell was much like the others, offering scant shelter from the cold. Surveying his surroundings, he saw three people rouse from feigned death, ice and snow falling from their bodies. Each wore only a single seastone cuff. Shu Mingyuan understood—they were Devil Fruit users.

“Kid, was it you who made Sergey Karch scream earlier? What did you do to him?” An old man stepped forward to ask.

“Killed him. Fed him to the wolves.”

Shu Mingyuan shrugged. The prisoners here in Infernal Frost Hell were all called the vilest pirates, but their strength had been sealed by seastone. Most could barely muster a fraction of their true power. Particularly for Devil Fruit users, aside from basic movement, their abilities were completely nullified. Here, he had nothing to fear—if anything, he was more wary of the taijutsu maniacs.

His words changed their expressions. They knew Sergey Karch’s power—a man with a formidable physique and a bounty of 130 million Berries was no pushover.

Even restrained and pierced through the shoulder blades, as a taijutsu specialist, he was still stronger than most Devil Fruit users here. Yet this youth had killed him so easily?

What a joke!

“Kid, you’ll have to answer for your words! Otherwise, you won’t make it out of here alive.” Another man stepped forward, tiny devilish wings sprouting from his shoulders and back, much like Magellan.

“Oh? You think you can? No one in this world can kill me.”

Shu Mingyuan shook his head and laughed. In a flash, he vanished, then slammed a heavy fist into the stomach of the winged man. The man crashed against the wall, taking a moment to stagger back to his feet, blood at his lips and a grimace on his face.

“Heh, you’ve got some strength, kid,” he gritted out.

“Perhaps you’ve forgotten something: In this prison, I can use my abilities however I wish. Not even seastone can suppress me! Here, I am the only king!”

Lightning flickered around Shu Mingyuan. The Chidori Current’s electric armor cloaked him completely, making him look like a god of thunder, the crackling of his power filling the cell with awe.

The others’ pupils contracted.

A lightning-based ability—the most fearsome force in nature. Was this boy a Devil Fruit user too? But how was he unaffected by seastone?

“Kid, what do you want?” the three demanded in low voices. A terrifying Logia-type user was enough to make them treat Shu Mingyuan as an equal.

“What do I want?” The youth’s lips curled, his hands open wide.

“Submit to me, or die!”

PS: [Thanks to readers 312***, Naruto Uzumaki, A Wisp of Wind, ???, Salute to the Birth of the King, Reverse Spirit Mist, Naruto, A, Sunny Life, Weiliang, and He for your recommendation votes supporting this book!]