"If so, who are these Iron Guards?"
I ask Wei Wang, who is sitting beside me atop the flesh bird, in a low voice so that no one can hear us.
"They are responsible for the security of the sect and the areas it controls. Their duty is to arrest anyone who violates the sects' rules, whether they are a disciple of the sect or a stranger, and punish them."
"So they are like the police?"
Upon learning what kind of organization the Iron Guards are, I feel worry creeping into my heart.
"I don't know, but it certainly won't be something good."
Wei Wang sighs anxiously as he looks at the back of the Iron Guard member sitting in front of us.
I look at the empty plains of flesh that we are crossing over at tremendous speed and wonder whether I should jump toward the ground and end this cycle.
"At least I obtained a cultivation method in this cycle, so even if it ends now, that wouldn't truly be a loss."
Even so, I decide to be brave and wait to see what the Iron Guards want from me.
---
"We've arrived."
Wei Wang pulls me toward him as he points downward.
There, in the middle of the bluish-black plains of flesh, stood a gigantic iron tower without any kind of ornamentation—just a massive block of iron standing in the middle of nowhere.
"What is this?"
"The headquarters of the Iron Guards."
As I look at the environment surrounding the iron tower, I feel even more strangeness.
"Strange. I expected it to be near the main sect headquarters."
"The Iron Guards' headquarters was built there to be far from the power struggles within the sect. It also serves as a prison and a mining area."
This time, the one who answered me was the Iron Guard who owned the flesh eagle.
"I see."
Wei Wang nods in understanding upon hearing the Iron Guard's words, while I remain silent.
The flesh eagle begins to descend in front of the Iron Guards' headquarters.
"Follow me."
The Iron Guard member gets down from the back of the giant eagle and signals for us to follow him.
The gate of the gigantic iron tower was unexpectedly small, barely wide enough for two people to enter at the same time.
Likewise, the inside of the tower was narrow, filled with iron cells and branching staircases leading to unknown places.
"Ahhhh, please, someone get me out of here! I'll do anything, please! I can't do anything anymore!"
"Ahhhh, get me out of here! Get me out of here! Get me out of here, here, here!!!!"
"…"
The tortured screams of the prisoners and their pounding on the iron bars spread their echoes everywhere, creating a nightmarish symphony.
"Please, anyone, Mom, Dad, anyone."
Hearing one of the prisoners' screams, I can only stop in my place.
"That… that's a child's voice."
Indeed, the voice of the one screaming was undoubtedly that of a young child.
"Please, anyone, Mom, Dad, anyone."
The owner of the voice kept repeating the same words intermittently like a broken tape.
"Please, anyone… I swear I didn't steal anything, I'm innocent. Mom, Dad, anyone."
The child's screams continue to ring endlessly throughout the iron tower, merging with the screams of the other prisoners.
I feel a strange sensation in my heart as I hear the child's tortured cries.
But when I see the Iron Guard member and Wei Wang continuing to climb without paying any attention, I grit my teeth and follow them without saying anything.
"Come on, don't get flustered. This is a savage and strange cultivation world. There are certainly some monsters capable of imitating a child's voice. Perhaps the one screaming is one of those monsters."
I try to push the child's painful screams out of my mind and continue climbing with Wei Wang and the Iron Guard member.
"Mom, Dad, anyone."
And the screams of the tortured prisoners continue to echo with no one answering them.
---
After climbing to the middle of the Iron Guards' headquarters, the number of cells begins to decrease and iron doors appear in their place.
"We've arrived."
The Iron Guard member who was leading us stops in front of one of the iron doors and knocks on it.
"Enter."
A deep, resonant voice comes from inside the iron room.
"Alright, my role ends here."
The Iron Guard member bids us farewell and turns to leave,
leaving me alone with Wei Wang.
Wei Wang looks at the iron door as he gathers his courage.
"Let's go in."
Wei Wang opens the iron door and enters.
I try to stop my legs from trembling and enter behind Wei Wang.
"Welcome."
Behind the iron door was a simple office devoid of anything except a wooden table in the middle of the room.
And behind the wooden table sat the owner of the deep voice—a rough-looking black man with a muscular body and a bald head full of scars.
"Welcome, you two youngsters, to the Iron Guards."
The man smiles a welcoming smile at me and Wei Wang.
A wide smile that reveals his teeth—
strange teeth, unnaturally sharp like the fangs of a predatory beast.
"…"
---
I have returned.
Sorry for the long absence—almost a full month without publishing any chapters.
I truly apologize to anyone who was waiting for the new chapters and couldn't find them, and I also thank you for the energy stones, especially Mousa2215. I truly thank you; your constant donations are the reason for the novel's return.