He mentally whispered to the two girls, "Thank you for saving me, beautiful ladies, but I am not a gentleman who repays kindness with my life. I'll build a tomb for both of you when I escape. Thank you again, but I can't save you. Even if I wanted to help, this weak body of mine doesn't hold a speck of Qi. I'd only be meat for slaughter."
Technically, he wasn't just Xie Long from before; he was the Devil King, Xie Long now.
The previous owner of this body was so fragile that a single kick had rendered him unconscious. Mocking himself for his predecessor, he thought, *What a pitiful excuse for a warrior.*
"I will kill them in the future for you," he promised silently.
Meanwhile, the bandits were close to the door, but when they tried to open it, they found it unyielding.
Xie Long remained calmly frozen, waiting for the right opportunity to flee.
"Old Pang, there's a strange formation on this door," the younger bandit commented.
Pang, the older bandit, nodded. "Yes, it is indeed a formation. Deduced from its crudity, it must be a level 1 formation."
"Is there any way to open the door?" the younger one asked as the two bandits engaged in discussion.
While the bandits debated inside the hall, Yun Rong and Yun Ning prayed for a miracle to happen. Little did they know about the formation.
Listening to the bandits' conversation, Xie Long remembered that Yun Tian owned—a portable level 1 formation, akin to a talisman. They were easy to carry and use. They don't require much qi either.
But he didn't understand one thing: how can a person like Yun Tian, living in a distant village, afford this formation?
Even the cheapest formation costs a fortune.
Also, he remembered that Yun Tian has a special treasure which he values more than his own life. These bandits are talking about some treasure before they kill Yun Tian.
Maybe their purpose for attacking this village is that treasure.
But Xie Long himself didn't know about that treasure because Yun Tian never mentioned it to anyone other than his elder daughter.
He remembered that Yun Tian always carried a storage ring with him.
Generally, it is impossible for him to afford a storage ring. But somehow he had it.
On the occasion of Yun Rong's 18th birthday, he gifted that ring to her.
According to Xie Long, the treasure must be with her.
More specifically, it was in the storage ring which Yun Tian always used to wear and currently, it is with Yun Rong.
But currently, he is not interested in any type of treasure. Even if it is a supreme grade treasure.
The biggest treasure for him is his own life.
Xie Long thinks, "Currently, this lousy formation is the biggest hindrance in my path."
Formations are the most formidable things in the cultivation world. Even the weakest cultivator in the qi gathering realm can kill a core formation realm expert with the help of a formidable formation.
Some formations require a high amount of qi for activation.
While some of these formations don't even require much qi for activation. Like this one—it didn't require much qi for activation.
Even a person in the qi gathering realm can activate and use it.
This formation forbids entry from the outside, which means no one can barge in from outside; only the person inside can leave willingly.
The older bandit said, "Let's try to break it using our cultivation."
Both of them began smashing against the formation while using their cultivation.
Relying on their strength of the body tempering realm, they wanted to break this formation.
At that moment, Xie Long, who was hoping for the bandits' success, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Suppressing a cry, he was surprised. He remembered that he hadn't received any injury to his chest—so why was it cramping, and why was his blood rushing so rapidly?
He focused his soul strength inward, gaining clarity of his body from the inside out.
He saw his weak and dull dantian which didn't have an ounce of qi. It is completely empty, and it feels like it is nothing but a mere dead meatball.
He remembered that back in the Sacred domain, his dantian used to brim with power that could shake heaven and earth, but in contrast to this, his current dantian is as good as nothing.
All because of those people and my disciples. I swear to kill them one by one with my own hands, and I will make them beg for death! It's my vow as Devil King Xie Long.
I will not spare them…"
He came back to his senses, noticing his heart beating rapidly. Upon closer inspection, he realized that his soul was not entirely his; there was an unfamiliar presence intertwined within it.
His soul was both familiar and foreign, leaving him feeling confused.
Suddenly, he overheard a bandit asking another, "Old Pang, should we give up? No matter how hard we try, we can't break this formation. We can't stay in here for years; they will definitely come outside."
"And once they do, we will torture them and take that treasure."
At that moment, Yun Rong and Yun Ning had already come to understand what the formation was. They had overheard the bandits' conversation and guessed that it must have been left by their father for their safety.
Just then, the pain in Xie Long's chest stopped.
Xie Long became even more confused.
But when the older bandit reiterated, "No, we will not give up. If we can't break in by ourselves, let's call our captain. He will surely break this formation," the pain in Xie Long's chest returned.
Suddenly, a realization struck Xie Long.
"So that's it! My soul has fused with the previous owner of this body. He isn't completely dead; when my soul possessed this body, it resulted in a fusion of our souls. The pain I feel is more like a curse from the previous owner of his body.
His strong desire is to save those two ladies.
It means I have to save them!
If I don't save them, I will also be killed alongside them from the backlash of this curse."
He sighed. "What a pain in the ass…"
He contemplated escaping while the bandits were distracted, but now he realized he had to kill them to save those two beautiful women. It seemed like it was time for his very first murder in this life.
"Happy first kill day to me in advance."
A devilish smile spread across his face.