When Scarlet Flame Monarch heard Xiang Shaoyun's words, his eyes shone, and he asked, "Master, h-have you regained your memories?"

Xiang Shaoyun shook his head, but he then nodded and said, "Some, but not all. Perhaps I really am the reincarnation of your master."

"No, you are him! Not some reincarnation!" declared Scarlet Flame Monarch firmly.

"Now is not the time to talk about this. The death of an elder will be a big deal to the academy. We need to leave as soon as possible," Xiang Shaoyun shifted the topic.

"You leave, Master. In my current condition, I won't be able to leave," said Scarlet Flame Monarch with a sigh.

"You can leave as long as we break these chains," said Xiang Shaoyun as the Radiant Saint Sword appeared in his hand. The saint sword glowed with a brilliant aura and brightened the entire room.

Scarlet Flame Monarch's eyes rippled with excitement as he said, "This is a high-quality saint sword! We can give it a try!"

The nine massive chains around him were saint chains. Without being such high-grade chains, they wouldn't have been able to keep him locked here. Apart from the chains, there was also a formation here that would activate and destroy the basement alongside Scarlet Flame Monarch the moment the chains were destroyed.

Fortunately, after spending years in the basement, although he was losing his vitality, Scarlet Flame Monarch had also developed many tricks up his sleeve. He was able to forcefully destroy the formation. Thus, there wouldn't be any formation activating even after destroying the chains.

Xiang Shaoyun raised the saint sword and brought it against the saint chains.

Clank!

A crisp sound erupted, and an aftershock blasted Xiang Shaoyun into the wall. If he wasn't wearing the saint armor, he would have been seriously injured.

"So tough," lamented Xiang Shaoyun after getting back on his feet again. He had thought that the chains could be broken easily, but it seemed like that was just wishful thinking on his part.

"You're still too weak. Too bad my body is sealed, and I can't hold a sword. Otherwise, I will be able to cut through these chains," said Scarlet Flame Monarch gloomily.

He had only been able to kill Yu Yuchen earlier by a complete fluke as he was utilizing the saint chain. In truth, he was barely able to move. Although Xiang Shaoyun had a saint sword, he did not have the strength to properly wield it, and he wasn't able to unleash the sword's true power. Thus, he couldn't break the chains.

"I refuse to believe I can't deal with some chains," said Xiang Shaoyun indignantly. His black hair whipped about, and his aura rose as he pushed his strength to the maximum. He used the Dazzling Sky Sword Technique, releasing a gorgeous ray of light in his attempt to break the chains with one strike.

With yet another series of sparks, he was blasted away again. The saint chains were not broken, but a crack had appeared. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was obvious enough to see with the naked eye.

"Haha, a few more times, and I'll be able to break the chain," said Xiang Shaoyun as he laughed cheerily.

Scarlet Flame Monarch's expression also changed as excitement grew in his heart. Xiang Shaoyun attacked a few more times, and each swing of his sword was sharper than the swing before. After slashing the same spot over 100 times, the cut became deeper and deeper. However, Xiang Shaoyun had also been blasted away many times and had suffered some internal injuries.

"Master, you need to take a rest," persuaded Scarlet Flame Monarch.

"It's fine. I need to free you as quickly as possible. If someone notices this, trouble will come," said Xiang Shaoyun with a wave of his hand.

He released the Nether Soul Domain, and his filthless soul flew out with the Nether Dragon Soul Headband on it. The soul took the Radiant Saint Sword from the main body and swung at the chains with its full strength.

Clank!

With a crisp sound, the chain was broken. This time, Xiang Shaoyun wasn't sent flying away. He was able to stabilize his footing after a few steps. This was the strength of his filthless soul, which was far stronger than his main body.

Xiang Shaoyun was overjoyed. "Haha, if I knew this, I would've used my soul body from the start. I can now break all these chains."

The filthless soul started slashing at the other chains.

One, two, three...and finally, all nine saint chains were broken. Scarlet Flame Monarch had regained his freedom. Dragging the broken chains behind him, Scarlet Flame Monarch had the urge to charge outside and roar at the world to vent his feelings that had been repressed for many years.

But the years of imprisonment had also taught him to be more calm. Thus, he suppressed the desire and did not act on it. Otherwise, he would have only invited great trouble. After all, he had yet to recover his full strength.

With tears dripping down his cheeks, he knelt down before Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Thank you, Master, for freeing me."

Ten thousand years of imprisonment and loneliness had finally ended today. His heart was filled with excitement and joy. He wasn't crying for the torture he had suffered. Rather, he was crying tears of joy due to Xiang Shaoyun's growth. He was excited because he could once again stay by Xiang Shaoyun's side. These were the thoughts of a truly loyal follower.

"Stand up. After you regain your full strength, and after I reach the top once again, we will have our revenge," said Xiang Shaoyun murderously.

"Yes, Master. Let's leave now," said Scarlet Flame Monarch.

"There is no rush. If we charge out like this, we won't be able to escape. The academy has many experts. In your condition, escape is impossible," said Xiang Shaoyun.

"I am tired of this. Even if I have to fight to the death, I no longer want to stay at this damned place," said Scarlet Flame Monarch.

"Don't worry. Since I'm here, I naturally have a way of bringing you out. Calm down, and do not resist. I will take you inside my astral cosmos sea, and we can leave together," said Xiang Shaoyun.

His astral cosmos sea was akin to an independent world capable of supporting life. This was previously unseen, a secret nobody knew apart from Money, the three vicious birds, and Lady Shura. To save Scarlet Flame Monarch, he had exposed his secret without hesitation. It was evident how much he trusted Scarlet Flame Monarch.

"Master, are you serious?" Scarlet Flame Monarch was stunned.

He also had an astral cosmos sea, but it couldn't store any life. That was supposed to be how an astral cosmos sea naturally worked. If one absorbed a living being inside, one would die from the exhaustion of one's life force and energy. Thus, no astral cosmos sea could store life.

"I'm definitely in no mood to lie at this time. We're running out of time," said Xiang Shaoyun.

Scarlet Flame Monarch did not dare to tarry and immediately dispersed his divine sense, allowing Xiang Shaoyun to place control over his body.