“But there’s one thing I can’t guarantee,” the man said. “It’s been over five hundred years since I was imprisoned here. I don’t know if the Blood Race still lives where they used to.”
Hearing this, Xu Zimo thought for a moment and replied, “You just need to show me the way. I’ll figure out the rest.”
“One more thing, can you really get me out without signing the Good-Evil Pact?” the man asked doubtfully.
“If he doesn’t agree,” Xu Zimo said calmly, “then I’ll beat him until he does.”
The Blood Race man was slightly stunned. After a long pause, he said, “My name is Ye Feiyang.”
Xu Zimo nodded slightly and looked at the mist outside the cage.
The white mist began to disperse, and the figure of Old Sir reappeared.
“Well?” he asked with a smile.
“He agreed,” Xu Zimo nodded.
“You really didn’t let me down,” Old Sir smiled.
He waved his hand, and endless spiritforce gathered around them.
In the white void, a huge crack opened in space. Thunder, lightning, and rain poured through as a piece of paper gently floated down.
The paper carried a vast, ancient power. It looked very old.
Old Sir held the paper in his hand and smiled at Xu Zimo and Ye Feiyang. “You two represent good and evil. Just sign here.”
“You might’ve misunderstood me,” Xu Zimo said, shaking his head slightly. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you.”
“What do you mean?” Old Sir asked with a frown.
“I’ll take him, but I’m not signing that,” Xu Zimo replied.
Old Sir was briefly stunned, then his smile faded as he sized Xu Zimo up.
“Young man,” he said with a cold chuckle, “do you know what it means to return a favor? The Inn of Good and Evil has helped you greatly. Shouldn’t you give something back?”
“I’ve heard the legends say the beast of good and evil loves the good and hates the wicked,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “But I also know it cultivates by devouring the fruits of good and evil. So instead of saying this inn helps people, it’s more accurate to say everyone here is your puppet, for your cultivation.”
Old Sir’s gentle demeanor suddenly changed.
His face stiffened, and his gaze darkened as he stared at Xu Zimo.
“Are you seeking death?” he asked slowly, word by word.
Xu Zimo waved his hand, and the space before him was torn open. Chaos’ massive body emerged.
The overwhelming aura of the Arcane Immortal Realm surged out. The moment Chaos appeared, all the struggling creatures in the cages fell silent.
They seemed afraid.
Old Sir glanced at Chaos without a word, and a twisted creaking sound came from inside his body.
He lifted his head. Pieces of skin on his face began to peel off.
His body became covered in scales, like dragon scales. His nose sprouted long whiskers.
His mouth grew larger, his lips thick and blood-red.
Most disturbing were his eyes, his left eye was clear like amber, beautiful and transparent.
But his right eye was blood-red and cloudy, full of evil and sin.
“Young man, you are guilty,” Old Sir said in a low voice.
His arms and legs transformed into dozens of spider-like claws. He crouched and stared at Xu Zimo with a sinister expression.
“So this is the beast of good and evil,” Xu Zimo muttered, finding it weaker than he’d imagined.
“Chaos, hold him off. I’ll try to open the cage,” Xu Zimo ordered.
Chaos roared and lunged at the transformed Old Sir.
They clashed fiercely. The beast was indeed powerful, almost on par with Chaos. It was clear neither would win quickly.
The entire space grew still from the battle. The creatures in the cages stared out numbly.
Their eyes were filled with deep sorrow and despair.
Roars and booming explosions echoed all around.
Xu Zimo arrived at the purple cage and examined the lock.
It was a seal, one he’d never seen before.
He struck the cage with his palm, but it remained unharmed. A force equal to his own rebounded and hit him instead.
“That’s the power of good and evil,” Ye Feiyang said bitterly inside the cage. “Unless the beast touches the seal himself, no one else can break it. Especially not with brute force.”
“You believe in that ‘good and evil’ stuff?” Xu Zimo laughed.
All beings have emotions and desires. He didn’t believe in concepts like good and evil.
Xu Zimo placed his hand gently on the seal and began to sense its power.
He channeled it into his life world to analyze it.
After a while, he opened his eyes.
“Just as I thought,” he murmured, looking at the energy within the seal. “It’s belief!”
“Belief?” Ye Feiyang looked at him, confused.
“Anyone who signs the Good-Evil Pact agrees to give their soul to the beast,” Xu Zimo said with a smile. “Eventually, they end up worshipping it forever.”
From what he knew, people in the Buddha Realm cultivated through belief.
He hadn’t expected the beast of good and evil to use the same method, only much more extreme.
It kept these people imprisoned to gather faith for its cultivation.
Breaking this kind of belief wasn’t hard. As long as your heart was strong and you didn’t worship anyone, just believed in yourself, you could break it.
Xu Zimo looked around.
Hundreds, maybe thousands, of cages filled the space.
The creatures inside weren’t really trapped by the cages or seals.
They were trapped by their own minds.
“Can you break it?” Ye Feiyang asked hopefully.
“If your heart is strong enough, you can free yourself. You don’t need me,” Xu Zimo replied with a smile.
“Big brother, you really figured it out,” a voice suddenly chimed in nearby.
Xu Zimo turned and saw a little girl sitting on top of a cage, swinging her legs and smiling at him.
It was the same little girl he’d seen when he first entered the Inn, the one who’d been sleeping on the desk and called out to Old Sir.
Xu Zimo studied her carefully, then asked softly, “You’re the beast of good and evil?”