A group of demons heard this and turned to look at Yang Kai with peculiar expressions, silently muttering that this creature was anything but small—the thing was a massive colossus, wasn't it? Were this human blind or something? And this was only with the Soul Locking Chain suppressing it; without the chain, the creature would grow even larger, likely large enough to collapse the entire underground palace.
Before their thoughts had even settled, Yang Kai was already striding forward, heading toward the creature with broad steps. His eyes were filled with a complex maelstrom of emotions, and the entire world seemed to narrow down to that monstrous figure alone—nothing else existed.
Xie Wuwei was shocked and called out in a low voice, "Young Master Yang, be careful! This creature is savage and possesses monstrous strength! Please step aside for now and let this king handle it!"
He had no idea what Yang Kai was planning, but he had firsthand experience with how difficult that monster was to deal with. When he had tried to subdue it in the past, a whole wave of his subordinates had been killed or wounded, and even he himself had coughed up three liters of blood, nearly dying on the spot.
If not for recognizing the creature's formidable strength and wanting to recruit it for his own use, Xie Wuwei would have killed it long ago. Why else would he have kept it imprisoned here?
Yang Kai, a mere first-level Emperor Realm cultivator, was recklessly approaching it—even with the Soul Locking Chain restraining the creature, he would surely come to no good end.
Yang Kai ignored him and continued forward.
Xie Wuwei's brow furrowed and he was about to step forward to stop him, but then Zhang Ruoxi moved, placing herself in front of him and extending one hand to block his path.
"What is the meaning of this, miss?" Xie Wuwei glared at Zhang Ruoxi darkly. A mere third-level Dao Source Realm woman was being this brazen with him? If not for the fact that his Soul Seal was under control, he would have slapped her away without a second thought.
Ruoxi stood her ground without the slightest fear, speaking evenly, "If sir has chosen to act this way, then he must have his own reasons. Demon King, you should simply observe and see what happens."
She did not know what Yang Kai was planning either, nor why he had suddenly moved forward. She acted solely out of blind, unwavering trust in Yang Kai, not wanting anyone to disturb him.
Xie Wuwei was seething. He thought to himself that if it weren't for the fact that he was now a Soul Slave whose life and death were tied to Yang Kai's safety, why would he care whether this man lived or died?
His expression sour, he stood in place. His demonic energy was already secretly surging, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice to mount a rescue. At the same time, he shot a meaningful glance to his subordinates, signaling them to save the man at the first sign of trouble.
The gathered demons watched with anxious hearts. By then, Yang Kai had already arrived before the colossal figure.
It wasn't Xiaoxiao…
Yang Kai gazed up at the five-zhang-tall stone giant before him, and the excitement in his heart gradually faded. He was slowly realizing that this stone giant was not his Xiaoxiao. There existed a mysterious psychic bond between him and Xiaoxiao, and if this stone giant truly were Xiaoxiao, he would have sensed it long before getting this close.
More importantly, even though he had drawn near enough, the stone giant continued to roar in fury, looking as though it wanted nothing more than to kill him. It thrashed wildly, but the Soul Locking Chain held it firmly in place, rattling noisily with every violent movement.
"ROAR…" The stone giant roared, and the blast of wind struck Yang Kai's face so hard it distorted his features. Dust and debris swirled throughout the underground palace. The walls shook and groaned as though they might collapse at any moment.
Yang Kai extended his spiritual sense and attempted to communicate, only to find the creature mired in a state of berserk rage with absolutely no intention of acknowledging him.
Left with no other choice, he spoke aloud, "Are you one of Xiaoxiao's kin?"
Encountering a stone giant in this place that looked exactly like Xiaoxiao in its transformed state—how could Yang Kai not draw connections? Perhaps he and Xiaoxiao were not the only two Stone Puppets in this world. Perhaps there existed an entire peculiar clan of them. Perhaps Xiaoxiao had entered the Barbaric Ancient Land precisely because it had sensed its own kindred here!
And perhaps, this creature even knew Xiaoxiao.
"ROAR…"
The only answer was another furious roar, which sent a chill through the group of demons watching from afar. They thought to themselves that this human had an incredible amount of nerve—facing a stone giant that even their Demon King had nearly failed to defeat in single combat, yet remaining so utterly composed.
Setting everything else aside, his courage alone was enough to earn the demons' genuine respect.
Though he was also a bit foolish… they wondered whether he would be flattened into a meat patty before long.
"Then have you seen this?" Yang Kai extended a finger, projecting an image of Xiaoxiao in the air before him.
The projection clearly displayed Xiaoxiao's appearance from the day they had parted—silly and earnest-looking, bright-eyed, standing barely half a person tall. Its stone skin was sharply angular, like a layer of stone armor that looked impossibly sturdy.
Most importantly, it had a pitch-black staff slung over one shoulder. One hand rested casually on the staff while the other shaded its eyes as it gazed off into the distance.
The roaring stone giant abruptly fell silent. Its furious eyes fixed upon the phantom image, then darted up to look at Yang Kai, and the anger in its gaze gradually dissipated, replaced by a look of dazed bewilderment.
It was hard to miss—the Xiaoxiao carrying the Heaven Shaking Pillar on its shoulder was rather unmistakable.
"You've seen it, haven't you?" Yang Kai read the shift in the creature's expression, and delight surfaced on his face.
The stone giant was silent for a moment before slowly nodding.
As expected!
Overjoyed, Yang Kai immediately pressed, "Where is Xiaoxiao now? Is it doing well?"