The shocked and perplexed husband and wife glanced at the youthful figure.
They weren't expecting a child to emerge from the strange and enigmatic crimson meteor. In fact, they expected some unusual substance to erupt from it, similar to how red lightning converted the vibrant green grass into a pitch-black tint.
"He seems to be alive, his soul at least." The man was startled that a genuine child came from something so dangerous.
"Is that all you have to say? Can't you feel it? This kid's soul is just too strong! Even the most common Half Open Heaven realm master lacks this type of divine soul. He also appears to be rather young. Who exactly is he?" After witnessing the child's unholy amount of soul power, the woman called Luo Lan said with a startled face.
A groan was heard before they could complete their thoughts, and they began to pay closer attention to the person within the red meteor. Then something strange happened.
A dazzling light appeared, and the figure's soul began to take on a brighter and more vivid hue, which was revealed to be the most beautiful blue fire.
The individual's closed eyes eventually opened, exposing a fatigued expression beneath.
'Hm? Is this... Land?' He pondered.
There is no mistake, Liang Long was obviously the individual!
He experienced an ungodly amount of void turbulences immediately after being engulfed by the blue vortex, far more destructive and chaotic than what he had witnessed in the Primordial Chaos Origin Star Sea.
Furthermore, he had the impression that time and space were ethereal and desolate at that location, as if he were passing through an unique barrier, incredibly viscous but also a territory unreachable by any living being.
Because Liang Long could detect the ongoing fluctuation, he recognized that it would take him some time to arrive anywhere while traveling to the unknown.
He could have sped up to get to his intended destination in less time, but he opted not to. In fact, he might not even be able to do it since the chaotic energy was so disorienting.
So he began to solidify his understanding of soul cultivation as well as his comprehension of the kinetic abilities he had cultivated over the years.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Something had changed for Liang Long; his soul could no longer progress any farther. He gained nothing from the ancient grindstone, no matter how much time he spent within it, getting pulverized over and over.
He first believed that his method of soul cultivation had reached its limit. But he knew that was impossible. His master, Zhou Yuan, developed this cultivation technique with the assistance of his wife.
And he was certain that his soul was nowhere near that of his master. So there could only be one conclusion.
.
.
The issue is not with the technique, but with his soul, which has some kind of difficulty.
Liang Long had encountered a bottleneck.
°
°
°
Returning his focus to the present, he looked to his front, where three persons, who he thought were a family, were likewise watching him.
'Actual people?' While still questioning his words, Liang Long reflected.
He was obviously unaccustomed to the company of others. Other than his interaction with his master thousands of years ago, it was the first time he had seen other people.
He fixed his gaze on a tall man. He wore a purple robe and black pants and had long, linear black hair. His face was mature and gave the sense of a guy who had faced life's hardships.
Looking to the side, he noticed two stunning women. The woman he presumed to be the mother was clothed in a purple and black outfit. She had brown hair and a detailed sword wrapped around her waist.
The little girl next to her was a one-in-a-million beauty, according to Liang Long. Her looks were very similar to those of her father and mother, with certain qualities resembling theirs while others appeared to be her own.
"Who are you?" The tall guy inquired, his voice firm and stern. The red meteor nearly harmed or killed his daughter, so his suspicion of Liang Long was understandable.
"Long Tian.." Luo Lan didn't have to speculate on what her husband, Long Tian, was thinking. She, too, was alarmed, especially by the strange red light that encircled the chunk of rock.
Li Ming Yue on the other hand was only interested in the person that had arisen out of nowhere from the meteor.
"..." Liang Long could see the man he assumed to be the family leader among them wasn't pleased with him.
He didn't know why, but based on how they were positioned at the front, as if guarding their daughter against him, he inferred that his fall had given them some issues.
"My name is... Bai Li." He didn't know these people, so he made up a name out of thin air. If there are more people in this place and he chooses to use his real name in front of strangers, he may find himself in hot water later.
If they are thought to be trustworthy, he will naturally disclose his real identity. After all, they wouldn't keep him since he was simply being cautious, like them.
"How did you get here?" Luo Lan was the one who asked this time. She didn't want to send the wrong impression. Although it was normal for them to be wary, they couldn't force this individual to talk, even if it was the simplest method.
"I'm not sure." Liang Long told the truth. He'd never tell anyone where he was or how he became a soul without a body.
These were his innermost secrets, which he would carry until his death!
"Do you have no idea?" The man's pupils constricted. He is not a moron. To protect himself, the child is naturally lying behind a half-truth. It was a wise decision, but the timing couldn't have been worse.
"I've lived long enough to recognize when someone is lying." He said this with a neutral look and a firm tone. His demeanor with outsiders was significantly different from that of his family.
He will be compassionate and kind to his loved ones. For people he doesn't know, he'll be indifferent and unconcerned, but for those he deems enemies, he'll be ruthless.
"..." Liang Long was becoming irritated at this point. He is aware that his landing in this forest may have sparked some turmoil. But it doesn't imply he was willing to be interrogated by strangers.
With everything that had happened to him, he had developed a sort of impatient demeanor.
Without any thought or care, he began to manipulate the space around him and teleported to a distant location hundreds of kilometers away from his starting point.
"What?!" The husband and wife both exclaimed in surprise and bewilderment.
They noticed the space around them shifting slightly in less than a second, but then it abruptly moved and dislocated the blue figure. They could still feel his presence a few thousand kilometers away tho.
"He's actually proficient in the dao of space to this degree?!" Luo Lan spoke.
Teleporting to a few hundred kilometers is not difficult for those with great cultivation like her, but the speed with which space fluctuated and swiftly reverted to normal was the most amazing thing for her.
Not to mention that when she sensed him from afar, her divine sense was unable to determine the specific position due to the numerous signatures scattered over the region.
"Well, this surprised me." With a heavy sigh, the man remarked. He might still catch up to the youngster who had run away from them, but by then, the boy had hidden himself inside the void, leaving no traces for him to pursue.
As for the rest, it remained the same for him. He couldn't sense him anymore.
"Is that person actually that powerful?" The young girl tilted her head and pondered. Her parents were like deities in this world, and nothing could escape their sight.
She felt weird seeing that someone had the ability to flee from them.
Totally forgetting the fact that she almost died today.
"His soul is one of the most powerful I've ever seen, yet it's still unstable since that boy presumably spent a long time imprisoned within that meteorite." Long Tian spoke carefully, attempting to figure out who that child was and how he got here.
"If he exposes himself again, we will be able to detect it using our divine sense. If we don't press him too hard at that point, he could answer our questions." Luo Lan stated this while staring at her husband as if he were the culprit. She was too intrigued to find out what method the boy used to nurture his soul to such an extent.
The guy shrank a little before replying, sensing the intense gaze "I admit I was a little hasty. He almost killed our daughter, whether on purpose or not." Long Tian stated with authority.
His family is his top priority.
He would never leave things like this; he wanted an explanation for what had transpired today, and he knows his wife feels the same but prefers a different approach.
"Anyway, let's restrict this area. That red meteor is too dangerous for any creatures to be near. Who knows what it may do now?" He spoke with a peculiar look on his face; he had never seen anything like the energy flowing from the unusual red metal around the meteorite.
°
°
°
[In a remote place, deep within the void]
Liang Long decided to just leave that place by manipulating the space around him. He perceived those people to be extraordinary individuals and refused to interact with them.
He was applying one of the special abilities he had learnt and tested along the way inside the meteor. A space technique that allows him to conceal fully in the void and warp it to the point that it confuses the senses and makes him appear to be in many places at once.
Liang Long thought and created it on a whim.
It was still not completed. After all, developing techniques is not as simple as chopping off vegetables.
There are simpler abilities, yet with complex concepts that combine to produce a new perspective, allowing you to construct something completely new.
And he wanted to make the most of it in order to develop his own secret techniques.
°
°
°
Days went by as he investigated a large portion of the place to which he had been transferred, and he could tell he was no longer in the Primordial Chaos Origin Star Sea.
He was in another world; in fact, a great world to be more specific. For Liang Long, he could only think of one thing.
He had succeeded in leaving that hell hole! His pent-up emotions began to surface, and he finally smiled after millennia.
'My efforts were not for nothing. I did it, master. It won't be long before I'm reunited with you.' Liang Long mused. He was overjoyed right now, so much so that he wanted to jump in excitement.
.
.
And it was at that moment that everything was going to change.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
[1.876 words]
(A/N: Kono cliffhanger da!
You guys must be wondering what the mc looks like. Back in the prologue, Zhou Yuan could clearly see his astral form's appearance because he was a higher being.
However, Liang Long is not even close to reaching that level of strength, even with his kinetic powers. Therefore, the only people who can see his appearance are beings similar to or more powerful than Zhou Yuan.
But don't worry, it will be revealed when the time comes.
There are times when people think the author forgets something and it becomes a plot hole, but that hole, most of the time, is there for a reason.)