The elder in charge of guarding the Castle of Darkness had long noticed that something had entered the ancient castle. The elder thus approached the castle, trying to see what had entered. But when he arrived at the hall within the central keep, apart from a large number of dark bats, he found nothing.

As for the basement, it had an isolation formation, so the elder was unable to sense what was going on inside. The elder would have to personally enter the basement if he wanted to see the situation inside.

However, he knew very well that the basement was a restricted zone inside the Castle of Darkness. There were rules in place preventing anyone from entering. Entering was punishable with death.

Thus, the elder held his curiosity in check and did not dare to even approach the basement entrance. Since nothing else seemed to have happened, there was no need for him to investigate further.

Meanwhile, Xiang Shaoyun and the Scarlet Flame Monarch were having a good time in the basement. Even after spending a day and a night in conversation, they still hadn't run out of topics.

"To be able to see the Overlord again, I no longer have any regrets in life. Don't waste any more time here. Leave. Only return to save me if there is an opportunity to do so," said the Scarlet Flame Monarch, who did not wish to waste more of Xiang Shaoyun's time.

"Ok. I will definitely think of a way to free you. It won't be long!" Xiang Shaoyun promised.

He then gave Scarlet Flame Monarch some emperor-grade spring liquid, soul spring liquid, and emperor medicines. These items might not be anything special for someone like the Scarlet Flame Monarch, but they were extremely beneficial tonics for him with his body's current condition. The Scarlet Flame Monarch did not stand on ceremony and swallowed everything offered to him.

"Thank you, Overlord. With these, I will be able to last longer. After leaving, don't tell Devouring Ghost about me. Otherwise, that fellow will definitely charge here. With his current condition, he is not capable of that. There is no point in making him anxious now," said the Scarlet Flame Monarch. "Let me send you out of the castle."

He then condensed a clump of power that sent Xiang Shaoyun out of the basement and the central keep. The only thing Xiang Shaoyun felt was his body turning weightless, and he was already outside the castle. As soon as he appeared outside, the dark bats noticed him. Sounds of screeches filled the air.

Their eyes turned red with fury as they all pounced on him. There was no lack of experts among the dark bats, with a considerable number having higher cultivation levels than Xiang Shaoyun. Instantly, they caught up to him, giving him a fright.

It hadn't been easy for him to escape the space of endless darkness, and the Scarlet Flame Monarch had subsequently injured him. After surviving the encounter, Xiang Shaoyun was now met with so many dark bats. He started lamenting his bad luck.

He quickly mustered all his strength and fled. He pushed his wind star to its limit, used the Overlord's Nine Nether Steps with all his power, and even used his footwork intent. His figure instantly streaked away like a gust of wind, moving at an unbelievable speed.

Even so, the dark bats did not give up on chasing after him. A few late-stage Emperor dark bats persisted in the pursuit. One of them was a peak Emperor dark bat, and it appeared above Xiang Shaoyun and clawed at his head. Its sharp claws were comparable to the sharpest of weapons. If struck, Xiang Shaoyun's head would be crushed even if it was made of steel.

Xiang Shaoyun was already a second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator, and he had reached mid second-stage. Even so, he still felt threatened by that dark bat. During the moment of crisis, he released his Nether Soul Domain and enveloped the dark bat.

Xiang Shaoyun sneered and said, "I didn't want to provoke you guys, but you guys actually have the guts to provoke me? Seems to me you have a death wish."

Instantly, numerous chains shot out and shackled the dark bat. The bat sensed that things weren't looking good for it, and it tried escaping. Unfortunately, its attempt was to no avail. The chains pulled and ripped the dark bat into pieces.

Next, Xiang Shaoyun released the ghostrunes, feeding the remains of the bat to them. As for the other dark bats that were hot on his tail, they all charged right into the Nether Soul Domain as well. One by one, they were all killed.

One ought to know that Xiang Shaoyun's soul had reached the level of a Sovereign. Hence, his Nether Soul Domain was capable of dealing even with Sovereigns. Although these bats were powerful, they were not strong enough to pose a threat to him.

After dealing with the bats pursuing him, he left, not willing to get tangled in any other trouble. However, he was able to sense that he had caught someone's attention. That person gave him a sense of danger that seemed no weaker than the danger he felt from the dark bats.

When Xiang Shaoyun looked in a certain direction, he saw a person and a mount gazing at him. He met the person's eyes, and illusory sparks seemed to appear between their gazes. It was as if he had met a potential rival that he had long waited to meet, causing a thirst for battle to rise within him.

The person and the mount were none other than Xiao Xie and his black qilin. From Xiao Xie's characteristics, Xiang Shaoyun recognized him. "Demonic Blade Xiao Xie!"

"Since you know me, you are definitely a disciple of the academy. Who are you?" Xiao Xie asked in a calm and unruffled manner.

Xiang Shaoyun's name had long spread throughout the academy due to his nine-star physique. However, the freaks who had entered the academy earlier had not met him before. Xiao Xie was one of these freaks. Thus, it was understandable that he did not recognize Xiang Shaoyun.

As Xiang Shaoyun walked over, he answered, "I am Xiang Shaoyun."

A look of astonishment flashed past Xiao Xie's face. "You're the Xiang Shaoyun residing at 1 Dragon Villa?"

"Yes," Xiang Shaoyun answered honestly.

"Haha, splendid. Knowing someone by his reputation really can't compare to meeting him in person," Xiao Xie roared with laughter. His eyes gleamed as he said, "Xiang Shaoyun, I challenge you to a duel!"

Xiao Xie could see that Xiang Shaoyun was only a second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator, but whatever Xiang Shaoyun had done to the dark bats was incredibly odd. Xiao Xie couldn't make any sense of what he had seen.

Those dark bats had been late-stage Emperors, but they had all vanished mysteriously just by approaching Xiang Shaoyun. It was unheard of. Thus, Xiao Xie did not dare to underestimate Xiang Shaoyun.

"Reason?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

"Why do you need a reason to fight? But if you insist, it is due to my curiosity of the capability of someone who had left the central keep safely," said Xiao Xie as he attacked.