Long Xiao felt disappointed and called out to Jack, preparing to leave the forest and return to Stone City.
As Jack left, he carried a larger animal he had hunted, saying it was to show filial piety to Old John.
The two returned to Stone City. Old John looked at Long Xiao, a strange smile on his face.
"Long Xiao, aren't you going to tell me how much your strength has improved?" Old John asked.
Long Xiao told Old John about his situation. Old John nodded and said, "It's quite a lot. Most demons and humans gain little from entering that forest; at most, they get some medicinal herbs."
"Lord of the City John, what is going on with that forest? Initially, the spiritual energy entering my body was abundant, but later it dwindled, almost to nothing," Long Xiao asked.
Old John told Long Xiao that the forest was very mysterious. The amount of spiritual energy each person could obtain upon entering it varied, and most people received none at all.
Since the discovery of the forest, many people had entered it. Jack was the only one who consistently gained spiritual energy each time he entered; others, even if they gained anything, it was limited.
After returning to Stone City, Long Xiao stayed for a few more days. He explored Stone City with Jack every day.
Gradually, Long Xiao lost interest in Stone City and prepared to leave. Old John called a young man named Wen An and instructed him to escort Long Xiao to the Divine Son's castle.
Jack reluctantly saw Long Xiao off outside Stone City. As they parted, Jack said, "Long Xiao, when my master takes me to human society, I will find you."
"Alright," Long Xiao patted Jack's shoulder and said, "When you go to human society, I'll take you to eat a grand human feast."
Jack watched Long Xiao cross the mountains and disappear before returning to Stone City with his head lowered.
Long Xiao followed Wen An over dozens of mountain peaks. Wen An's speed was indeed fast, but Long Xiao could barely keep up.
Wen An said nothing about Long Xiao's speed, as if it were perfectly normal.
The two traveled for a day and a night. At dawn, they stood on a mountaintop and saw the castle nestled in the mountain valley.
"Long Xiao, I won't escort you in. The cultivators in the castle are very strange, and I don't want to talk to them," Wen An said.
Long Xiao nodded and replied, "Thank you, Brother Wen An."
Wen An smiled, said nothing, and turned to leave.
Long Xiao walked down the mountainside and soon reached the vicinity of the castle. Still three or four kilometers away, Long Xiao had just slowed down when the man with the beard emerged from the castle and ran towards him.
The man with the beard's speed was similar to Jack's. Within minutes, he reached Long Xiao.
"Long Xiao, come with me. The Divine Son wants me to escort you away from here."
The man with the beard spoke with some urgency. Long Xiao asked in surprise, "What happened?"
"Don't ask. What's happening here has nothing to do with you. If you don't leave, you'll be implicated."
"I..."
The man with the beard interrupted Long Xiao, "Your strength is too low. The Divine Son said you would die here if you didn't leave. Hurry, or it will be too late."
Seeing that the man with the beard wouldn't explain, Long Xiao asked no more questions and followed him along the mountain valley.
The two sprinted along the valley, and as dusk approached, Long Xiao saw the distant coconut grove.
"We've reached the sea," Long Xiao said.
The man with the beard stood by the sea and said, "The sea is the gateway here. My strength is only enough to open it for five seconds. When you see waves rising on the sea, run into the water. Do you understand?"
Long Xiao nodded and replied, "I understand."
The man with the beard stood on the beach, striking a strange pose with his hands, and began chanting sutras. The sutras he chanted were exactly the same as those Long Xiao recited daily; it seemed the key lay in the hand gestures.
Long Xiao silently memorized the man's hand gestures. If this technique was effective, he might have an opportunity to return here in the future.
The chanting of the sutras grew longer, and the seawater began to churn, soon forming towering waves.
"Run!" The man with the beard shouted as he saw Long Xiao still watching.
Subsequently, the man with the beard's chanting grew louder, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Long Xiao had no time to think and sprinted towards the colossal waves with all his might.
After a moment of disorientation, the sea before Long Xiao vanished, replaced by an endless expanse of mountains.
Long Xiao ran for several hundred meters and stopped, looking around. Mountains stretched endlessly, some peaks so high their summits were covered in pristine white snow. Most mountains were covered in forests halfway up their slopes.
Long Xiao was currently standing on a mountain peak, the setting sun bathing the peak and himself in a golden hue.
As Long Xiao was observing his surroundings, he suddenly heard someone shout in English, "God, there truly are gods on Mount Olympus."
Following the sound, Long Xiao saw a group of monks in monastic robes. These monks, about five to six hundred meters away, were looking at him with ecstatic amazement.
The monks, seeing Long Xiao looking at them, joyfully ran towards him.
Upon reaching Long Xiao, all the monks knelt down and collectively chanted, "Revered Lord God, we monks from the Jikara Monastery greet you."
"You are from the Jikara Monastery. Where is your monastery located?" Long Xiao asked.
The leading monk replied, "Reporting to Lord God, our monastery is in the city of Athens, not far from here."
"Athens? Is this Greece?" Long Xiao asked.
The leading monk replied, "Yes, Lord God, this is your Greece."
"Then this mountain is Mount Olympus?" Long Xiao asked again.
"Yes, Lord God, this mountain is your Mount Olympus," the leading monk affirmed.
Long Xiao felt somewhat exasperated. With his Eastern features, how could these monks mistake him for a god on Mount Olympus?
"Are you sure you're not mistaken? I am not your god. Look closely, my face is different from yours," Long Xiao reminded the monks.
The other monks lowered their heads. The leading monk said, "Lord God has myriad faces. It is perfectly normal for him to manifest with an Eastern face now."
Long Xiao did not want to be their Lord God; all he wanted was to return to China. After some explanation, these monks began to harbor doubts. Most of them no longer believed Long Xiao was their Lord God, with only a few still holding that belief.
As dusk approached, Long Xiao said, "Let's go down the mountain. It gets very cold on the mountain at night."
Long Xiao followed the monks down the mountain. The monks' pace was slow, and it was dark before they reached the halfway point.
Finding a clearing, the monks sat in a circle and began chanting sutras. The sutras these monks recited were similar to those chanted by the monks in the castle, but about eighty percent of the pronunciation was incorrect.
The monks in the castle were demons. If these people were chanting the same sutras, they might also be demons.
After chanting for a while, the monks took out black bread to eat. Some monks offered the black bread to Long Xiao, but he refused.
The benefits Long Xiao gained from three days in the Feast Forest were not just doubled spiritual energy but also the ability to go without food for days without feeling hungry.