Immortal Martial Saint, something's wrong with my entry.

Chapter 137 Food Cave

"A food cave? What's that?!"

Li Youan was somewhat curious about this newly appeared name, because just from the name, it didn't sound like a good place.

This is the "Food Cave," the place where the monkey demons imprisoned their enemies and prisoners, all of whom ultimately could not escape the fate of becoming food.

As the middle-aged man spoke, he pointed to the pile of bones that Li Youan had just seen.

"Judging from the conversation of those monkey demons, this place used to imprison quite a few humans and demon beasts."

At this point, the middle-aged man paused, took a couple of breaths, and continued.

"However—you've seen the outcome; in the end, they all became food for those monkeys outside."

As he spoke, he pointed to himself.

"I was captured a month ago during a reconnaissance mission. I was the only one in my squad who survived. I wasn't killed, but knocked unconscious. But looking at it this way, it would have been better to just die quickly. Now I'm stuck here, living in fear and torment every day."

As he spoke, he looked at the young man who had fainted beside him.

"This kid arrived more than half a month earlier than you, but he's been unconscious since he came in and hasn't woken up yet. I don't know what's wrong with him."

"call-

'

The man spoke rapidly, as if he had been holding his breath for a long time, but due to his weakness, he couldn't keep up and hurriedly took a few deep breaths.

However, after saying all that, he didn't try to make conversation again and instead fell silent.

Looking at his expression of despair and numbness, Li Youan didn't know what to say for a moment.

Moreover, Li Youan couldn't tell whether this person was telling the truth or not; traitors within the demon race were far more cunning than those within the demon clan.

Li Youan also fell silent. He then recalled the last look Hou Da gave him before he fainted. It contained not only murderous intent and disgust, but also a deeper level of greed.

The monkey demon spared his life not because he was merciful.

"Why did these monkey demons keep us here—we? Why?" Li Youan looked at the middle-aged man, wanting to know the answer.

But the middle-aged man shook his head.

"I don't know about that. When I first entered this prison, there were three demonic beasts and two human cultivators besides me, but at that time, I was seriously injured and unconscious, and I was completely unable to communicate."

"But every now and then, a monkey demon would come in and ask some ambiguous questions."

"Ask a question?" Li Youan asked curiously.

"Yes, they will ask questions about the location of the outpost, the troop strength, the types and layout of the defensive formations, and the basic operation of the outpost—things like that."

"If they are dissatisfied, or feel worthless, then they will be—"

The middle-aged man didn't continue speaking, but the deep fear in his eyes said it all.

They interrogate everyone for information, compare and fill in any gaps, and squeeze out the last bit of value until they are worthless, at which point they become food for the monsters. They are truly cruel and cunning monsters.

Now Li Youan completely understood that the reason he kept the monkey general alive without killing him was most likely because he was interested in the monkey general's identity as a formation master. Since it was unlikely that he himself would know any secrets about the outpost, the most tempting thing was his knowledge of formations.

Thinking of this, Li Youan understood that although he would not lose his life immediately, if he continued to fight these monsters and had a blood feud with them, he would definitely not have an easy time. He would definitely be targeted and suffer all kinds of torture.

My most important task now is to find a way to recover some of my strength, at least to ensure that I have the basic ability to protect myself and find an opportunity to escape.

He closed his eyes, enduring the excruciating pain emanating from all parts of his body, and began to slowly but cautiously circulate the "True Scripture of Longevity Tribulation." However, as he circulated the scripture, Li Youan felt as if he had forgotten some crucial information, but he couldn't recall it for the moment.

It wasn't until he started circulating his cultivation technique that Li Youan realized the Spirit-Locking Vine's ability to suppress vital energy was exceptionally strong.

The vital energy absorbed through the cultivation technique is extremely difficult to move even the slightest distance in the meridians, and even this slight movement is accompanied by intense stinging pain, making it unbearable.

But this did not stop Li Youan's strong will to survive. He had no intention of giving up and continued to grit his teeth and persevere.

The vital energy, little by little, crawled through the meridians like a sea cucumber. Li Youan relied on this faint, flickering vital energy to slowly nourish his damaged meridians.

Of course, he first chose the meridians of his right arm because he needed to transfer the vital energy from his dantian to the Tian Shu ring on the fingers of his right hand.

This Heavenly Pivot Ring contains almost all of his wealth, including various kinds of pills. With the help of these pills, he can quickly recover from his injuries.

It's just unknown whether the suppression of vital energy by the Spirit-Locking Vine will allow him to still sense the Heavenly Pivot Ring.

The environment inside the cave remained unchanged, still dimly lit. Time passed slowly in the darkness and amidst Li Youan's pain. The middle-aged man no longer communicated with Li Youan; he too kept his eyes closed, seemingly doing nothing.

Li Youan was completely absorbed in healing his injuries, unaware of how much time had passed.

Li Youan was completely unaware of the passage of time. He didn't know how much time had passed; it could have been an hour or three hours.

A cacophony of sounds began to emanate from outside the cave, gradually growing louder, interspersed with the monkey demon's excited and wild roars.

"They're coming—"

The middle-aged man beside him spoke in a trembling voice. When Li Youan saw him, he shrank further into the shadows behind him, not wanting the monkey demons to see him.

The heavy stone door made a muffled rumbling sound as it slowly moved upwards to a height where one person could pass through.

Suddenly, blinding light shone in, produced by many burning torches, carrying with it a thick smell of smoke and the nauseating stench of the monster.

Immediately afterwards, several tall and broad-shouldered figures walked into the cave in front of the torches.

Li Youan saw that the monkey at the front was not a large monkey, but a monkey demon leader whose body was only two sizes larger than an ordinary monkey demon. It had several hideous scars on its face and held a bone club covered with spikes. Judging from its cultivation level, it was probably around the third level of the True Spirit Realm.

Behind the monkey demon leader were four or five monkey demon minions, all around the seventh or eighth level of the Kaiyuan Realm. It was the torches in their hands that provided the light.

The scarred monkey demon leader's brutal eyes quickly scanned the scene in the cave, and soon his gaze fell on Li Youan. He then grinned, revealing his jagged and yellowed fangs.

"Remember, this newcomer, the one the boss specifically instructed us to take good care of, is a human kid. Don't let him cause any trouble."

As the scarred monkey demon spoke, his tone was filled with cruel mockery.

"Yes, we understand, we will take good care of him," one of the monkey demons, who looked like a minor leader, replied.

The scarred monkey demon, swaying unsteadily, carrying his bone club, walked to a spot not far in front of Li Youan, looking down at him with curiosity and cruelty in his eyes.

"I heard you killed the second and third leaders? That doesn't seem like it at all. If you behave yourself and hand over what's in your head, I might give you a quick death."

The scarred monkey demon seemed to be negotiating, offering himself a better way out.

In fact, Li Youan understood that if he spoke out, he would be close to death; if he didn't speak out, he could still live.

So Li Youan didn't respond to him at all, but simply raised her head and looked at him calmly.

"Hmph! You little brat, you seem pretty tough. But it's useless. I've seen plenty of tough guys before. In the end, they'll still have to kneel down and beg for mercy."

As he spoke, the scarred monkey demon casually picked up the bone club he was carrying on his shoulder, stretched it out, and stabbed it into the wound on Li Youan's shoulder.

A sharp pain shot through his brain instantly, causing Li Youan's body to shudder and let out a muffled groan. His forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat, but he quickly gritted his teeth and stopped making a sound.

Not hearing the scream he expected, the scarred monkey demon was clearly annoyed, and the force in his bone club slowly increased.

Li Youan gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and didn't let out another scream. She just felt a little dizzy.

Seeing Li Youan's state, the scarred monkey demon did not continue to attack. After all, he had only come to take a look and assign some tasks to his little monkeys. It was not yet time to deal with this human array master.

Moreover, the boss is preparing a victory celebration banquet, and I can't afford to be late. I can't let the other leaders snatch the monkey wine that the boss specially bestowed upon me.

As if recalling the sweet and strong monkey wine, the scarred monkey demon couldn't help but smack his lips twice before looking at Li Youan.

"When I came, the boss said to let you rest properly in this 'food cave' for a few days, and let the men take good care of you. Once you've experienced the wonderful things here, your injuries will heal a bit. More importantly, your mind will be clearer, and then we'll have a proper chat."

Finally, the scarred monkey demon chuckled, his tone extremely sinister.

"I hope you're a smart person and that you'll be sensible enough to tell me everything that's in your head, as well as the latest situation of your human race in that stone cave. That way, you might suffer less in your final days and have a few more days of happiness."

After saying that, the scarred monkey demon waved the paw that wasn't holding the drumstick, "Get him some water and food. Don't let him die now, otherwise all of the boss's efforts will be wasted, and you'll be in for a world of hurt."

The henchmen following behind the scarred monkey demon hurriedly nodded and bowed in agreement. Then, the monkey demon at the very back quickly took out a dirty stone bowl from behind him, filled with murky soup that emitted a strange smell.

After placing the stone bowl on the ground in front of Li Youan, the monkey demon pulled out a dark, unidentifiable piece of dried meat from somewhere and threw it on the ground not far from Li Youan, right next to the stone bowl.

"You two are the same, you better behave yourselves, or I'll eat you up anytime."

The scarred monkey demon glared at the middle-aged man not far away and the unconscious young cultivator, then turned and left with his minions. As soon as the last monkey demon stepped out of the cave, the boulder crashed down, completely blocking the entrance.

The light in the cave where these people were imprisoned vanished instantly, plunging the cave back into darkness. The cool air brought by the monkey demons earlier dissipated rapidly, quickly being masked by the nauseating stench emanating from the dirty water and the hardened, black jerky.

Li Youan didn't look at the two pieces of so-called "water and food" at his feet.

With his cultivation level, he doesn't need to eat now and there's nothing wrong with that. These two things are more of a humiliation.

Li Youan understood that the most important thing now was to heal his injuries and take out the pills from the Heavenly Pivot Ring and consume them.

Soon, Li Youan closed his eyes, gritting his teeth and enduring the pain from his wounds.

Provoked by that scarred monkey demon, the wound has worsened, and Li Youan doesn't have much time left.

Moreover, the binding effect of the Spirit-Locking Vine on his body was extremely severe. Now, he could only focus more intently than ever before, slowly circulating the remaining vital energy within his body.

At the same time, Li Youan also focused most of his mind into his dantian and began to call upon the [Longevity Seed] that looked somewhat withered.

Once, twice, ten times —

Li Youan gritted his teeth and tried again and again, almost falling into a deep sleep due to extreme physical and mental exhaustion.

Suddenly, Li Youan sensed that above the spring in his dantian, the withered and shriveled [Seed of Longevity]—the one that had merged with his own primordial energy—was emitting a barely perceptible wisp of warm primordial energy, containing a powerful restorative force.

This [Seed of Immortality] is like a second heart hidden deep within Li Youan's dantian, beating tenaciously there.

This faint sensation would have been completely undetectable to Li Youan had it not been for the restorative power it contained. Moreover, the injuries to the meridians in his right arm were rapidly healing with the help of this restorative power.

Moreover, Li Youan seemed to be able to vaguely sense the Tian Shu Ring that had disappeared into his finger. This discovery gave him a sudden jolt and instantly filled him with hope.

The Heavenly Pivot Ring—it can still be sensed, and this intent is becoming clearer and clearer.