The four newcomers consisted of three men and one woman, all of them wiry and lean.
"For years, we've minded our own business and never crossed paths with you. Why have you come here today?"
One of them spoke, his tone faintly accusatory. Judging by his voice, he was the same person who had answered Ian Song earlier.
"How dare you! My master has come to recruit you. If you know what's good for you, surrender quietly and let him plant a restriction on you. Otherwise, you'll learn exactly what we're capable of!"
Old Freak Zhou jumped out and pointed at the man, shouting.
"That's right! My master is wise and mighty. You four should count yourselves lucky to serve under him—it's a blessing you earned in your past lives!" Not wanting Old Freak Zhou to hog all the attention, Black Widow quickly jumped in to shout as well.
"Heh."
The other side just sneered, "We don't want to be your enemies, but we're not the type to be bullied either. Leave us alone and don't disturb our sleep."
"How dare you!"
"You don't know what's good for you!"
Hearing this, Old Freak Zhou and Black Widow couldn't help but fly into a rage.
Just then, Ian Song raised his hand, and Old Freak Zhou and Black Widow immediately shut their mouths.
"May I ask why the four of you were thrown into the Demon Prison?" Ian Song stepped forward and asked in a deep voice.
The other side replied coolly, "That's none of your business. We don't want to be enemies, but please don't provoke us either."
Ian Song wasn't angry at this; instead, he looked even more intrigued. After all, he had eighty-one late Soul-Split cultivators on his side, while the other side had only four people, yet they showed no fear at all. Clearly, they had something to rely on.
"Old Freak Zhou, Black Widow, take some men and capture those four!"
As he spoke, Ian Song stepped back.
Old Freak Zhou and Black Widow were delighted, and together they led ten men to surround the four.
"Go!"
In the next moment, twelve late Soul-Split cultivators lunged at the four together.
"Courting death!"
The four's eyes turned cold, meeting the attack head-on without a hint of fear.
As soon as they clashed, the four unleashed terrifying combat power. With a sweep of their long arms, they sent eight attackers flying in succession. Seeing this, Ian Song narrowed his eyes slightly; he wasn't the type of villain who waits for the protagonist to slaughter his underlings one by one before making a grand entrance.
So he waved his hand. "All of you, go! Crush them!"
Immediately, the remaining sixty-nine late Soul-Split cultivators surged forward, joining forces to attack the four.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Energy exploded everywhere. Surrounded by eighty-one attackers, the four seemed forced onto the defensive, unable to fight back. But Ian Song, watching the battle, realized they hadn't revealed their true strength yet.
So he raised the stakes: "Whoever kills one of them gets a hundred top-grade spirit crystals!"
In the Demon Prison, where there's not a trace of spiritual qi, spirit crystals mean cultivation and life itself. So all eighty-one cultivators went all out, fighting like madmen against the four.
Only then did the four finally feel the pressure. Forced to the limit, they had no choice but to unleash their true power.
Crash! Whoosh! Crash! Crash!
Their robes tore apart as their bodies abruptly swelled in size.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
With their bodies enlarged, the four's strength surged two- or even threefold. They strode forward, throwing punch after punch, sending cultivators flying.
In just moments, more than ten people were seriously injured and lost their ability to fight.
Now Ian Song saw the truth: all four had trained in a formidable body-refining technique. If they were outside the Demon Prison, able to draw on the power of heaven and earth, they might not appear so overwhelming.
But here, with no spiritual energy in the air, the Soul-Split cultivators' strength was greatly reduced. By contrast, the four's power soared.
"Everyone, fall back!"
Ian Song shouted.
Old Freak Zhou, Black Widow, and the others breathed a sigh of relief and quickly withdrew, their gazes wary as they watched the four.
Ian Song withdrew his Manifesting Heaven and Earth technique, flashed past the four, and implanted a Puppet Mastery Divine Art sigil into each of them.
"You're dreaming!" The four's faces darkened with anger.
Ian Song smiled. "Your body-refining technique is impressive, but it must have a time limit. And with no spiritual energy in this world, you can't replenish yourselves. If I have so many men, we could just wear you down!"
At these words, the four's pupils contracted—they'd been seen through.
Before long, all four were enslaved by the Puppet Mastery Divine Art. Ian Song waved his hand, signaling Old Freak Zhou and the others to step aside, then fixed his gaze on the four. "Tell me about yourselves!" he demanded.
"Greetings, Master. We are disciples of the Phoenix Heaven Church!" The four knelt and spoke in unison.
Hearing this, Ian Song was shocked. He hadn't expected the Prime One Church to be so bold as to imprison disciples of the Phoenix Heaven Church in the Demon Prison.
"Can we trust your word?"
"You have no choice but to trust me," Ian Song replied with a light laugh.
"Fine. I hope you keep your word!" one of them said angrily.
"Watch out!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ian Song took a step forward. In an instant, his body swelled to over ten zhang tall.
Manifesting Heaven and Earth!
"Kill!"
Transformed into a giant, Ian Song's power surged. He swung his hand, striking out four times at the four opponents.
"Kill!"
The four didn't flinch, charging straight into Ian Song's attacks.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the next instant, the four were sent flying like straw, crashing down hundreds of meters away.
"Young Master is mighty!"
Seeing this, Old Freak Zhou was greatly encouraged and shouted loudly. The others joined in, cheering as well.
After a while, the four slowly got to their feet, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths—clearly, that blow had left them badly injured.
"Want to keep going?" Ian Song asked with a smile, his voice like thunder.
"Kill!"
The four charged again, but Ian Song swatted them away like flies. Once more, they were sent flying.
"Aagh! Aagh! Aagh! Aagh!"
Struggling to their feet, the four couldn't help but cough up blood. After taking another blow from Ian Song, their injuries grew even worse.
"Still trying to hold out?" Ian Song mocked.
"Fine, we submit to you!"
"Very good!"
Ian Song withdrew his Manifesting Heaven and Earth technique, flashed past the four, and implanted a puppet spell into each of them.
At once, the four's expressions twisted in pain.
"Don't resist, or you'll die!" Ian Song threatened.
At his words, the four hesitated, but in the end, they gave in.
Before long, all four were enslaved by the puppet spell. Ian Song waved his hand, signaling Old Freak Zhou and the others to step aside, then fixed his gaze on the four. "Tell me about yourselves!" he demanded.
"Greetings, Master. We are disciples of the Phoenix Heaven Sect!" The four knelt and spoke in unison.
Hearing this, Ian Song was shocked. He hadn't expected the Prime One Church to be so bold as to imprison disciples of the Phoenix Heaven Sect in the Demon Prison.