"Grandpa, what do you mean?" Mason Liu felt like Elder Liu had something on his mind.
Elder Liu's only family and trusted confidant here was his grandson. He said quietly, "Try to get them talking about that cave. If you can, see if you can get a few people to go in and test it out."
"Getting them to talk is easy, but getting someone to actually go in? That's a lot tougher," Mason Liu replied.
"Tough or not, it has to be done. That blood-water is extraordinary—there must be something incredible inside. If it's some kind of treasure, it'll be worth all the trouble," Elder Liu insisted.
Mason Liu nodded, then went out to find some people to drink with. Following Elder Liu's instructions, he started fishing for information.
"Hey Brother Li, is there really a monster in that cave?" Mason Liu asked one of the drinkers.
"Monster? Yeah, and it's terrifying. Anyone who goes in gets their soul wiped out," the drinker replied, sipping his wine.
Mason Liu was startled, but kept a straight face and smiled, "No way, that's impossible."
"You don't believe me? I'm telling you, it's true. If you don't believe it, ask some of the cultivators who've been here a long time—they've seen it themselves. The peak lord didn't believe it either and sent people in, but all that came out were souls wiped clean," the drinker said when Mason Liu doubted him.
Mason Liu asked, half skeptical, "Who were the ones that went in? Were they low-level cultivators?"
"Yeah, I've already picked my target. As soon as tomorrow's banquet is over, I'll send him in." Mason Liu replied.
"He's not from this peak?" Elder Liu asked, curiosity in his voice.
Mason Liu nodded. Once Elder Liu was sure, he said, "Alright, I'll leave this matter to you. If anything happens tomorrow, let me know right away."
"Got it, Grandpa," Mason Liu answered.
"The peak lord made me vice peak lord because he values my strength, but he still doesn't fully trust me. So we need to keep a way out for ourselves. Especially with everyone gathering, it's not a simple matter. Keep an eye out and see if you can dig up any information from the other peaks or disciples." Elder Liu instructed, glancing at Mason Liu.
Mason Liu always answered Elder Liu without hesitation.
"In a few days, my body will start failing again. Go find me some more living people, and stash them at the old place down the mountain. Make sure nobody finds out," Elder Liu ordered.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. I remember everything," Mason Liu replied.
"Alright, get to it," Elder Liu said.
Mason Liu nodded and left. Elder Liu watched his grandson's fading figure and cursed to himself, "Fiend Palace... and that brat... Just wait. One day, the Liu clan will return to the Fiend Realm and rule it all."
Neither Mason Liu nor Elder Liu realized that Evan Yang had been watching them the whole time, overhearing every word of their conversation.
They never imagined that, right under Elder Liu's nose, with no disciples nearby, someone was listening in on their every word.
"They want to send me in? Ridiculous," Evan Yang sneered coldly.
"Why are you laughing?" Little Leo asked, puzzled as he saw Evan Yang smile.
"Tomorrow, someone's planning to visit your cave and test if there's really a monster inside," Evan Yang chuckled.
"What? No way! We have to stop them!" Little Leo exclaimed, panicking.
"Why?" Evan Yang teased, wanting to mess with Little Leo.
Little Leo explained, "You don't get it. Now that I'm bound to you, my statue in the cave is just a stone shell—no power at all. If they destroy that statue, my true body will never recover."
Evan Yang realized, "Oh? So that's how it is. The statue's lost its power and phantom now. If someone really goes in, they could easily destroy it."
"That's why I'm begging you—whatever it takes, you have to stop them. Make sure everyone outside still thinks there's a powerful monster inside." Little Leo pleaded.
"This is going to be tricky. What if they really send me in tomorrow? I can't just kill myself, can I?" Evan Yang muttered, frustrated.
Little Leo glared at Evan Yang. "Can't you come up with something?"
"It's not easy, especially since you used to wipe out everyone's soul before. If you'd just left them badly injured, I could at least pretend," Evan Yang complained.
"If I didn't annihilate their souls, how else could I keep my secret safe?" Little Leo retorted.
"Looks like I'll have to think up something new this time," Evan Yang said, suspicious.
"So, what are you planning to do?" Little Leo asked, curious.
Evan Yang thought for a moment. "Right now, only me and Mad Elder know what's really inside. I'll help you out and do some work in there."
"What kind of work?" Little Leo pressed, still curious.
"Come on," Evan Yang said, heading toward the cave. He saw a few guards posted outside—not high-level cultivators, just there to keep anyone from going in and angering the 'monster.'
With a few quick steps, Evan Yang slipped into the deepest part of the cave and looked at the statue. "Are you sure this thing can't be destroyed?"
"Yeah. If it's destroyed, I'm in real trouble," Little Leo sighed.
"Who sealed you here, anyway? Don't they check on you? What if they notice you're gone?" Evan Yang wondered aloud.
"Don't worry. They won't kill me—they just want me to submit," Little Leo replied.
"You sure? Whoever sealed you must've been seriously powerful to pin down Blaze, the Lion King," Evan Yang said, skeptical.
"Yeah. But what about you—what's your plan?" Little Leo asked, curious.
Evan Yang thought for a moment. "Since that's the case, I'll set up some illusion formations, plus a few killing and trapping arrays. That should keep outsiders away for now."
"You know how to use formations?" Little Leo asked, skeptical.
"Yep." Evan Yang nodded and began laying out formations all around. He set up more than a hundred, each linked together. Even a formation expert would have to break them one by one. But since Blaze's reputation as a monster is so strong, nobody would dare enter—except maybe Elder Liu.
So Evan Yang planned to use these formations to protect Blaze, while also deceiving Elder Liu.
When the hundred-plus formations activated, some of the illusion arrays even projected a giant phantom of Blaze, just like before.
"Kid, you're impressive. These formations aren't top-tier, but they're good enough to fool everyone outside," Blaze praised.
Evan Yang grinned. "Of course."
Once he finished, Evan Yang left, heading back to his own room. He saw Mad Elder there again, drinking as usual—never far from his wine.
"What's your relationship with him, anyway?" Evan Yang asked, curious.
"No relationship at all," Blaze replied stubbornly.
"Then why does it feel like you two are so familiar?" Evan Yang pressed, confused.
"We only met recently," Blaze replied.
"Alright, whatever you say," Evan Yang said, dropping the subject.
He sat down to meditate and cultivate, preparing for tomorrow's test.
The night passed quickly. By dawn, the entire peak was bustling. Everyone was talking about the monster cave—today, someone would finally enter to investigate.
Evan Yang got up early. He saw Mason Liu and Elder Liu, along with the other peak elders, all gathered and looking serious.