Seeing the Monk was in extremely poor shape, Lin Yun stopped using his Thunderfire Bombardment. He had already made up his mind to capture both the Monk and the Daoist.

’Just think about it,’ he mused. ’Not only is their Combat Power formidable, but their skills in swindling and deceit are also top-notch. If I can keep them under my control, won’t my pockets be overflowing with a steady stream of Primordial Stones?’

The resources he needed for his current cultivation were immense. If he didn’t accumulate wealth quickly, he feared even breaking through would become difficult.

A faint smile touched Lin Yun’s lips. He spoke a few words to Little Ape, who nodded in understanding. In an instant, its body grew to be as tall as a man.

Just then, the Monk, who was less than ten meters away, realized that the Little Ape perched on Lin Yun’s shoulder was actually a powerful Demon Beast.

Now as tall as a man, Little Ape bore no resemblance to its previous adorable form. Covered in blood-red fur, it looked majestic and formidable.

As Little Ape exuded a thick, bloodthirsty aura, the Monk had no doubt that this creature’s Combat Power was likely no less than Lin Yun’s.

Without a second thought, the Monk shamelessly turned and fled with incredible speed. If it had only been Lin Yun, the Monk might have gambled that he too was a spent force.

But now, having seen Little Ape’s power, even a fool would know there was no chance of victory. The Monk couldn’t handle Little Ape at its peak, let alone in his current state.

With a wicked grin, Lin Yun commanded, "Trying to run? Little Ape, seize him."

At his word, Little Ape transformed into a streak of blood-red light, rapidly pursuing the Monk. Severely injured, the Monk was much slower than he was at his peak. It took Little Ape less than ten breaths to cut off his escape.

With nowhere left to run, the Monk roared, "Ah, you vile beast, get out of my way!" He then lashed out at Little Ape with a claw strike.

Little Ape’s fighting style was simple. In the face of the Monk’s Dragon-locking Claw, it threw a direct punch. Its fist, glowing with a thick, blood-red light, slammed violently against the Monk’s outstretched right claw.

The Monk was sent flying by the single blow. In his injured state, he was truly no match for Little Ape.

"Vile beast..." Cursing, the Monk struggled to his feet. However, Little Ape was already upon him and restrained him in a flash.

With the Monk firmly restrained by Little Ape, Lin Yun sauntered over. He looked down at the Monk and taunted with a smile, "Well now, bald donkey. Still want to kill me?"

"Aaargh! Lin Yun, I swear, we are irreconcilable enemies! The Buddha will not forgive you!" the Monk spat back, refusing to show any weakness.

With a small smile, Lin Yun ignored the Monk’s curses. His hands flashed through a series of seals, and he quickly tapped a finger on each of the Monk’s meridians.

"Lin Yun, what are you doing? ...Damn it, Lin Yun, you’re trying to seal my Elemental Power!" As Lin Yun’s fingers flew across his body, the Monk quickly understood his intent.

A hundred breaths later, Lin Yun had sealed every meridian in the Monk’s body. With his meridians blocked, the Elemental Power in his Qi Sea could no longer circulate. In other words, the Monk now only had the physical body of a Qi Sea Realm Martial Artist, but not a single shred of Elemental Power.

Once this was done, Lin Yun had Little Ape guard the Monk while he hurried over to the Daoist.

When Lin Yun reached the Daoist, he saw that the man had already been seriously injured by the Black-striped Tiger. "Capture him," he ordered the tiger, "but don’t kill him."

At Lin Yun’s command, the Black-striped Tiger pounced again. The Daoist, already on the losing end, was now caught between the tiger and Lin Yun. He was quickly subdued by the Black-striped Tiger.

Just as he had done with the Monk, Lin Yun sealed all of the Daoist’s meridians.

Having successfully subdued both of them, Lin Yun had the Black-striped Tiger and Little Ape carry them as the group quickly departed, heading deeper into the forest.

A battle this intense, fought within this Space, was bound to attract other Martial Artists. For that reason, Lin Yun didn’t linger. First, he had to find a safe place.

They traveled for dozens of miles until Lin Yun finally felt they were safe. Only then did he instruct Little Ape and the Black-striped Tiger to put the two men down.

With their Elemental Power completely sealed, the Monk and Daoist glared at Lin Yun, their eyes practically shooting flames, and cursed him mercilessly. "Lin Yun, you despicable bastard! What in the world do you want?"

"Me, a despicable bastard?" Lin Yun laughed. "You two aren’t exactly saints yourselves, are you?"

Knowing they were completely at his mercy, their tone softened slightly. "Hmph. Just spit it out, Lin Yun. What do you want?"

"You know who I am," Lin Yun said with a wicked smile. "So, what do you think I’m going to do?"

At his words, the expressions on the Monk and Daoist changed drastically. The implication was obvious: Lin Yun was going to kill them to keep his secret.

With their Elemental Power sealed, they had no way to fight back if Lin Yun decided to kill them. For him, it would be as easy as slaughtering chickens.

At this realization, the expressions of the Monk and Daoist changed in unison. The rage on their faces instantly vanished, replaced by the most sycophantic smiles.

"Hehe, Lin Yun, look, we go way back, right?" the Monk began with a laugh. "And you’ve already gotten plenty of benefits from us. How about this? Let’s just forget everything that happened before. Rest assured, in the future, as long as this Monk has food on his plate, you’ll have your share! We can team up, and all the treasures we find will be yours!"

"That’s right!" the Daoist chimed in, smiling. "Clergymen don’t tell lies. You can rest easy, Lin Yun. We will absolutely never reveal your identity to anyone. From this day forward, we’re brothers!"

The two of them swore their oaths with such conviction, one might almost believe they truly saw Lin Yun as a brother.

Even Lin Yun, who knew exactly what kind of characters they were, was rendered speechless. ’These two really have no shame... No, that’s not it. They’re just a pair of bona fide weirdos.’

’Looking at the obsequious smiles plastered on their faces, I have to fight the urge to slap them. No matter how I look at it, those smiles are completely fake.’

’I have no doubt that if I let them go, they’ll broadcast my identity to the entire world in less than an hour.’

’The words coming from their mouths are like farts—utterly worthless.’

"And I can trust your words?" Lin Yun asked, his wicked smile growing even wider. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Taking this as a sign that he was wavering, the Monk and Daoist doubled down on their efforts.

"Lin Yun, I may not have many other skills," the Monk said, "but you can rest assured of one thing. People of the Buddhist Family value integrity above all. I will absolutely keep my word."

"Right, right!" the Daoist added. "I may just be a simple Daoist, but I would walk through fire for my brothers! You have nothing to worry about. From now on, you’ll be our big brother!"

The two of them were a whirlwind of extravagant promises and flying spit.

"What you’re saying... does make a certain amount of sense..." Lin Yun said slowly.

"Lin Yun, rest assured! Our word is our bond!" they both declared. Hearing the first half of his sentence had made them incredibly excited. However, Lin Yun’s next words plunged them straight into Hell.

"However... I’d sooner believe pigs can fly than trust a word from either of you."