Soon, Yang Kai followed the man out of the dungeon. Once they were outside, the man turned back to look at him, seemingly about to say something, but upon seeing Yang Kai's current condition, his expression changed. He pointed a finger at Yang Kai, stammering, "You... your body..."
"Something wrong?" Yang Kai's expression was calm.
"Weren't you practically dying? How is your body..."
Previously, Yang Kai had lost a significant amount of flesh and blood, and his body had been pierced clean through. Everyone had been certain he wouldn't last much longer — death was inevitable.
But now he looked perfectly intact, and the man couldn't help but feel shocked. It was hard to accept.
"My recovery ability is stronger than most people's."
"That's way too strong." The man eyed Yang Kai with open disbelief, then suddenly barked, "Boy, do you have some kind of miraculous healing pill or medicine? If you do, hand it over quick, or you'll regret it later."
"I don't have anything like that." Yang Kai shook his head calmly.
The man looked Yang Kai up and down, apparently searching for traces of a spatial pouch, but came up empty. He looked somewhat disappointed, cursed silently, and shoved Yang Kai along toward a grand hall.
The hall was filled with quite a few people, and every one of them had a ruddy complexion, looking radiant and vigorous. Waves of heat — varying in intensity but all distinctly scorching — radiated from each of them.
Everyone here, regardless of gender or age, cultivated yang-attribute techniques just like Yang Kai, and their cultivation levels were far from low. The weakest among them was at the eighth layer of the Shenyou Realm, and several had reached the Transcendent Realm.
Over a dozen people had gathered in the hall. At the head sat an elderly man with a deep, far-reaching aura. He had red hair and an imposing presence that commanded respect even without anger — he looked remarkably vigorous for his age.
Standing beside the old man was a square-faced young man dressed in gray robes. Faint fluctuations of true yuan emanating from within his body were also quite powerful.
This young man had to be at the third level of the Transcendent Realm!
When Yang Kai arrived, the group had apparently been in the middle of a discussion. The moment they saw him, everyone turned curious eyes his way, abandoning their previous topic and showing great interest in the newcomer.
"Chief, the man has been brought!" The one who had led Yang Kai here cupped his fists and reported. The old man seated above gave a slight nod and waved his hand. The man respectfully withdrew, but before leaving, he shot Yang Kai a warning glare, silently suggesting he'd better behave.
"Yi Feng, this is the human you captured?" The old man stroked his beard and nodded slightly, his deep gaze settling on Yang Kai.
As he spoke, Yang Kai clearly felt a wave of searing energy penetrate his body, examining him thoroughly from the inside out.
"Yes, Chief," the young man standing to the side quickly replied. His expression toward Yang Kai had turned peculiar.
"Weren't they saying this human was near death? How is he standing here perfectly fine?" the old man asked again.
Yi Feng scratched his head and frowned. "I'm not sure either. When I brought him back, he really did look like he was about to die. I figured he wouldn't last more than a few days..." He turned to Yang Kai. "Hey — what's going on with you?"
Yang Kai glanced at him, then at the old man, and frowned. "From the way you talk, you're not human?"
Only beings of other races would refer to humans that way.
"Insolent!" Yi Feng's expression turned cold. "I ask, you answer. This is no place for you to run your mouth."
As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a surge of powerful energy shot from his palm like a whip, cracking across Yang Kai's body.
With a sharp slap, a bloody welt appeared on Yang Kai. With his true yuan sealed, he had no way to deflect such an attack.
Yang Kai's body remained rigid. He gritted his teeth silently, his expression fierce as he glared at the young man.
"Still got some backbone!" Yi Feng sneered repeatedly. Even as he spoke, true yuan surged from his hands, his posture suggesting he was about to teach Yang Kai a proper lesson.
"That's enough, Yi Feng!" The old man raised his hand, stopping the beating. He studied Yang Kai with some curiosity and smiled. "You humans do have some skill. If I'm not mistaken, your physical body is no weaker than an ordinary Sage Realm cultivator's — am I right?"
"Really, Chief?" Yi Feng's face changed in surprise. "But his cultivation is only at the first level of the Transcendent Realm."
"He must have spent years relentlessly tempering his body to reach this point. So young, yet already possessing such a formidable physique — truly remarkable!" The old man showed a look of approval, then asked, "How did you manage it?"
"Get whipped tens of thousands of times a day. Anyone can do it." Yang Kai grinned.
"A crude method, but it checks out." The old man, whether or not he realized Yang Kai was brushing him off, showed no intention of pressing the matter. He spoke amiably, "Because you're human, I spared your life and didn't kill you on the spot. If you were of the Demon Race, you wouldn't have been so lucky."
As he spoke, his expression cooled, and his voice turned deep. "Boy, I'm going to ask you some questions. If your answers satisfy me, I might let you live a few more days. If they don't... you know the consequences."
Caught in a position where he had no leverage, Yang Kai could only nod.
"Do you have some connection to the Demon Race?"