Long Xiao chuckled, making no move to dodge. He unleashed his own demonic energy and met the opponent's punch with his own.
The two powerful demonic energies collided, and with a *boom*, both figures were sent flying backward.
Long Xiao landed on the ground, and his internal injuries quickly began to self-repair. He noticed that since he had acquired demonic energy, his life force had become more vigorous. His body healed several times faster, and minor injuries could be mended instantaneously.
A wave of joy washed over Long Xiao. With accelerated healing, he felt confident enough to engage with opponents a level higher than himself in a direct confrontation.
Currently at the Great Perfection stage of the Earth Realm, he could now contend with Heavenly Realm experts without needing the Qilin Soul.
The cultivator who was sent flying back felt his internal blood and qi churning. He suppressed it fiercely, preventing a mouthful of blood from escaping.
"Not a weakling, Long Xiao. How did that old geezer capture you?" the cultivator asked.
Long Xiao grinned and replied, "Want to know?"
The cultivator nodded. "I do."
"I won't tell you. Come and fight me. If you can defeat me, I'll tell you."
With demonic energy now coursing through him, Long Xiao felt a surge of confidence. Previously, when he fought them using spiritual energy, he was clearly at a disadvantage.
The two cultivators exchanged glances. "Let's go together. If we can't capture him, we'll kill him. Otherwise, the Divine Son will hold us accountable."
Nodding to each other, they charged at Long Xiao, fists raised.
A pale grey demonic energy permeated the air, creating a misty atmosphere around them. Long Xiao hadn't anticipated the combined strength of the two cultivators' demonic energy to be so potent. Escape was no longer an option; he had to brace himself and charge forward.
As they exchanged blows, their fists had yet to connect when their demonic energies crashed against each other.
This time, the resulting explosion was far louder. Sand and rocks flew everywhere, and debris, accompanied by Long Xiao, was flung backward.
Long Xiao fared worse this time. Blood gushed out, forming a red mist that lent a touch of color to the grey demonic energy.
After spitting out the foul blood from his mouth, Long Xiao lay on the ground, unmoving, allowing his body to heal automatically.
The two cultivators did not fly back this time. They retreated a few steps, their internal blood and qi still churning uncomfortably.
"This kid's strength is formidable; we truly misjudged him," one cultivator remarked.
The other nodded. "Let's go. We'll hit him a few more times. If we cripple him, we can take him back. Otherwise, we can't bring him."
As the two cultivators approached Long Xiao, his life force surged within him, rapidly repairing his damaged internal organs.
In less than a minute, Long Xiao got back on his feet, shook off the dust and stones, and declared, "Again."
The two cultivators, nearing Long Xiao, froze in astonishment upon seeing him stand up.
"You're not injured?" one of them asked.
Long Xiao chuckled. "Of course, I'm not. With just your strength, you can't harm me."
While the two cultivators suffered minor internal injuries, Long Xiao remained unscathed. They were genuinely intimidated.
"His spitting blood was fake. Maybe we should run," one whispered.
The other glanced at Long Xiao. "If we run, how will we explain this to the Divine Son?"
"But we can't defeat him now, and he might kill us," the first cultivator countered.
As the two were deliberating whether to fight or flee, Long Xiao began walking towards them.
"Don't even think about running. You won't escape," Long Xiao said with a laugh.
Seeing Long Xiao approaching with a smile, the two cultivators panicked and turned to flee.
Long Xiao deployed his 'Chimei Xiaoyao Bu' (Ghostly Carefree Steps), his body blurring into afterimages. Before the two could run more than a few meters, they found Long Xiao in front of them.
Terrified, they turned back, only to find Long Xiao once again blocking their path.
Long Xiao's uncanny footwork deeply unsettled the two cultivators. They now firmly believed Long Xiao's strength far surpassed theirs and that their capture was part of a premeditated plan.
Long Xiao gestured as if to attack. The two cultivators, in abject fear, fell to their knees before him.
"Lord Long Xiao, spare our lives! We will never dare to capture you again," they pleaded.
Long Xiao looked at them and asked, "Besides the castle and the monastery, are there any other places here?"
The two exchanged glances. One replied, "Yes, there's Terror Island in the Infinite Sea, and also Immortal Valley."
The other chimed in eagerly, "And the Giants' Homeland, and many other mysterious places we haven't visited. Only the Divine Son knows what lies within."
"Where are you located in the world? Be specific," Long Xiao pressed.
The two looked bewildered. One asked, "What do you mean by 'world'?"
"The world... it means Earth."
"What is Earth?" the other asked.
This time, Long Xiao was stumped. These two didn't even understand the concepts of 'world' or 'Earth.' It seemed obtaining specific location details would be a considerable challenge.
Long Xiao didn't bother explaining and asked instead, "How did you get here?"
One cultivator explained that they all hailed from the Beast Monastery.
Cultivators at the Beast Monastery were brought there from birth. Each young cultivator had a beast companion, which stayed with them until they turned twenty.
Every year, the Divine Son would visit the Beast Monastery to select twenty-year-old cultivators. These two were chosen and brought here. They had no knowledge of where the others were sent.
"The Beast Monastery. What did you learn there?" Long Xiao inquired curiously.
The two cultivators told Long Xiao that from their earliest memories, they had been cultivating martial arts and reciting ancient scriptures at the Beast Monastery. Their daily tasks involved training, chanting, and sparring.
The fatality rate at the Beast Monastery was exceptionally high; typically, only 30% of the children survived to twenty, and even fewer were selected by the Divine Son, usually one or two per year.
These two had been relatively intelligent from a young age. Although their strength wasn't exceptional, they had survived and been chosen by the Divine Son to enter the Divine Realm.
"Have you ever left this place?"
Both shook their heads. One replied, "We haven't left since we entered at twenty. Some cultivators go out on missions, but our strength isn't sufficient for that yet."
After inquiring further about the Divine Realm, Long Xiao said, "You may go. Return and tell your Divine Son that you failed to capture me."
The two exchanged glances. One said, "That's a good plan, but we lost the 'Dragon Binding Lock.' The Divine Son won't believe us if we say that."
Long Xiao unfastened the yellow rope from his wrist and tossed it to one of the cultivators. "Take this back."
The two cultivators left gleefully, and Long Xiao began walking back along the path. Not long after, he spotted a dark shadow rapidly approaching him in the distance.
Instinctively, Long Xiao sidestepped, avoiding the shadow's charge. The shadow didn't pursue Long Xiao but instead continued running up the path toward the mountaintop.
Although the shadow was humanoid, Long Xiao sensed it wasn't a person. As he watched, he felt a sense of danger approaching and quickly moved sideways again.
With a resounding *boom*, the spot where Long Xiao had been moments before was cratered. Stones flew everywhere. Long Xiao quickly unleashed his energy, deflecting the debris.