Chapter 74: : The Myth
The calm before the storm, the cauldron demon could feel it. Any moment from now, Xuan would arrive inside the dried-up volcano lair.
But he wasn't worried. He believed the negotiation would work. As a cauldron demon who had taken many lives to prolong his, if he died, he'd face judgment by the gods.
Of course, for what he had done, there was no doubt he wouldn't enter the circle of reincarnation.
However, with the information at hand about Xuan using taboo techniques, he believed he would be spared.
Those who had pried into the matters of the gods knew about the history of the library, the gods, and how Prisoner 707 stole their knowledge.
If Xuan didn't want that to happen, the cauldron demon had another negotiation that would still aid him.
A smile arrived on the demon's face as he knew Xuan would be the one behind him.
But as he turned around, he was completely disappointed.
"There are limits to what I can do in this spirit form," 707 sighed.
"What? I helped—how are you alive, you monster?" As of now, the cauldron demon wasn't just scared, he was petrified.
Xuan's father looked behind the demon and saw the cauldron was still refining, but at the fourth stage. The last stage would be a black flame indicating immortality.
"Let the humans go, and I won't destroy it myself," he said. Overall, he was floating with chains over his hands, and his bare body revealed the marks of different whips.
"But that's impossible—not even a god can escape from that prison, wait," the demon stumbled backward. "That boy, he's... he's your son."
Xuan's father remained quiet. Just like how he had appeared to Xuan in a spirit dorm, he was here with the cauldron.
Even though chained in some other world, a mystic body cultivator like him could do the impossible.
However, a technique like this would cost him, and there were limits to the powers he could use. Right now, in a spirit form...
He could only use 1/10 percent of his mystic powers. The price to pay was a slumber for a decade, but that was enough.
If he didn't interfere and Xuan ended up killing the cauldron demon, then he would have nothing when he finally escaped.
After all, Mystic Body wasn't the last stage of cultivation, and he wasn't the type to let the gods get away with it after his sufferings.
"I said release them," he growled, with the tail of a red dragon appearing behind him.
"Like hell that's going to happen!" the cauldron demon yelled. He had killed this man before, so he could do it again.
He leaped toward Xuan's father and summoned a big divine sword. In one slash—boom!—the entire volcano moved, and dust covered the whole place.
"Hmph," the demon scoffed. The fact that his sword smashed the ground should mean he had sliced 707 into two parts.
But when the dust settled—"What?"—fear sank right back into his heart.
Xuan's father was still standing there. A mystic body cannot be harmed unless he somehow loses his guard, and that was a chance in a million.
Before the cauldron demon could grip his blade again, 707 lifted his palm, and the next sound was hard. Kweuk!
The demon coughed out blood, his body ruthlessly slammed against the volcano walls, speeding past Xuan's father.
Slammed against the right side—kweuk! The left side, and sometimes he slammed the demon against the ground.
"Don't worry, old friend, I do not intend to kill you," he said to the demon placidly. "All I want is their release. Haven't you heard of my No Void?"
After slamming him against the ground a few more times, he rose him up in midair. Although his hand wasn't placed on the demon's throat...
The demon was struggling as if an invisible hand was there. Right now, his nose and messed-up teeth were bleeding, and the invisible palm choking him was burning his torso.
"You haven't realized the difference between Mystic and Heaven Realm. I am the first human to be beyond mortals, and moments ago you believed an attack like that was enough?"
Kweuk! The cauldron demon couldn't reply; he was being choked hard, and the blood escaping his body was hot—steam could be seen.
Like Xuan's father had said, he wasn't here to kill him. Just to make him release Xuan's friends.
Not because he was a caring dad—far from it. If Xuan was here, he would kill the demon, resulting in the demon informing the gods about the location of Xuan.
And finding Xuan meant finding the library. Xuan's father would do anything to keep his interest safe.
Of course, he could kill Xuan if he wanted. In other words, he had use for the boy.
So he let the demon fall hard on the floor. Cough, cough—he coughed hard. For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
He didn't need 707 to repeat himself, so the cauldron stopped refining and started spinning around. At the moment, the three souls were brought out.
Fang Yuan, the pretend maid, and Han Bai were all on their knees breathing. After all, they had been cooked.
"Da—damn," Han Bai said. As he stood up, he saw Xuan's father and fell on the floor. It was like seeing the ghost of a myth.
And Xuan's father had a feeling Han Bai knew about him because they were both sharing a glance.
"Thank you for saving us, kind sir," Fang Yuan said, bowing his head. Even at that, 707 did not stop staring at Han Bai with a cold look.
Kind? This guy is far from kind, Han Bai thought. If the myth was true enough, then the things he had done would be as well.
"Leave this place."
As the three of them were leaving, the cauldron demon was pissed off. He stood, wiping the blood off his lips.
"Well? I've done what you asked."
It was after he said that, Xuan's father turned away from Han Bai. Soon, the volcano that was dried started heating up.
Thick flames began bursting from the rocks under 707's command.
"What are you doing?!" the demon yelled.
But he got no reply. What he got was a void black hole appearing behind Xuan's father, sucking in everything, including the cauldron.
"Liar!" the demon yelled. He was holding the ground, but he would soon let go unless he risked getting burnt by the thick lava.
---
Meanwhile...
Xuan arrived at the forest. He could already see the volcano from where he stood. "Han Bai?" he said. "Fang Yuan?"
Xuan jumped down from the tree and scared the shit out of Han Bai. On top of that, a loud explosion was heard from the volcanic eruption.
"How did—"
"Dude, you won't believe what just happened or who I just saw," Han Bai was excited. Fang Yuan and Li Lan had no clue about who the guy was, so they left the talking for him.
"Where's the demon? And the cauldron?" Xuan asked.
"Dude, listen to me already," Han Bai cried out. Xuan wasn't paying attention to what he was saying.
Fang Yuan looked behind them and saw the volcano was overflowing, so they needed to leave before it got worse.
"The guy who saved us must have the cauldron. You know, there was something different about his aura," Fang Yuan said.
"Yes, I couldn't sense his stage. It was as if he isn't a cultivator," Li Lan added.
None of them were making sense until Han Bai finally set the bomb. "That's because Heaven Combustion isn't the last stage for him."
This was very interesting to the power-hungry cultivator, Xuan. He was now looking at Han Bai for an explanation. They all were.
"Oh, so now you're interested, hmph," Han Bai scoffed. He sighed and explained anyway, but when he said the first word, Xuan felt fear.
"707 is a myth, man. I grew up reading stories about that guy."
"Why don't we start walking as you explain?" Fang Yuan brought everyone's notice to the approaching lava on the mountain, so they started moving.
"So where was I? Yea, 707."
Xuan wasn't listening anymore, something Li Lan noticed, and she slowed down to match his pace. Now Han Bai was explaining to only Fang Yuan.
"You seem off," Li Lan said.
Xuan kept quiet for a while. "The guy that saved you, how strong was he?" he asked, feeling ashamed of himself.
"Hmmm, well, he was strong enough to force the demon to let us go. Also, he looked a lot like you, you know," she said.
"Yeah, he looked exactly like Xuan," Han Bai overheard what she said and repeated it. Now everyone stopped walking and focused on Xuan.
"Hey, wait a minute, dude, do you know that guy?" Han Bai asked.
Xuan stared at them, and as he walked past them, he replied.
"No, never heard of him.", he said.
His father wasn't even present and still manhandles the cauldron demon, same demon Xuan struggled with.