Chapter 4580

“Oh, stop asking and just eat!” Liu Zhongnan tried to deflect Kai’s questions.

“If you won’t tell me, I’ll reveal your trips outside the city!” Kai threatened, leveraging Liu Zhongnan’s secret excursions.

Hearing this, Liu Zhongnan sighed in resignation. “Fine. The truth is, the Beast City prison isn’t really a prison—it’s a massive soul-sucking formation.”

“The ancient tree is designed to absorb the spiritual energy of the monks in the cells. Once their spiritual energy is completely drained, they die.”

“The absorbed energy is stored in the ancient tree and then used by the City Lord’s Mansion for cultivation.”

“Resources in Beast City are scarce, so the City Lord’s Mansion relies on this method to maintain their power.”

“This is a closely guarded secret of the City Lord’s Mansion. If Zang Lao hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known either. Don’t go spreading this around,” Liu Zhongnan warned, his tone serious.

“If this secret gets out, the city will descend into chaos. Who would willingly let themselves be arrested and thrown into prison knowing this?”

Kai listened carefully, and everything suddenly clicked into place. He now understood why Beast City’s rules were so strict and why even minor infractions led to imprisonment.

This dark secret explained the lifeless exhaustion he’d noticed in the monks he had seen in the prison, including the younger brother of the girl he’d met.

Even the faint pulling sensation he’d felt in the cells wasn’t a coincidence—it was the ancient tree draining the spiritual energy from the prisoners.

The process was so subtle and insidious that the monks likely died without ever realizing what had happened.

Kai’s curiosity about the ancient tree grew stronger. However, he knew that with its location at the center of the prison, getting close to it would be nearly impossible during a routine visit.

The limited time allowed for visitors wouldn’t give him the opportunity he needed.

Kai frowned slightly, deep in thought.

If he wanted to get close to the ancient tree, his only option might be to deliberately violate the Beast City’s rules and get himself thrown into jail.

Once inside, he could wait for the right moment to escape after studying the ancient tree.

Kai weighed his options carefully, formulating a plan.
Breaking through the formation around the prison and escaping was an easy task for Kai.
However, he barely paid attention to the meal, his thoughts preoccupied with the ancient tree. That tree, capable of absorbing and storing the spiritual power of monks, was far more valuable than any resource he had ever encountered.

After dinner, Kai followed Liu Zhongnan out of the private box.

Just as they exited, they crossed paths with Qiu Yu and his group, who were leaving the Tianzi box. Both parties headed down the staircase together, with Kai and Liu Zhongnan in front and Qiu Yu’s group trailing behind.

“Move aside! Get out of the way! You’re as slow as a pig!” one of the young monks shouted arrogantly, demanding that Kai and Liu Zhongnan clear the path.

Though Liu Zhongnan was visibly angry, he stepped aside to avoid trouble.

Kai, however, stood his ground. Turning to face the shouting monk, he asked coldly, “Is this your house?”

“No!” the monk replied.

“Then why are you yelling? What right do you have to demand I make way? If you call me ‘dad,’ I might consider it,” Kai retorted with a smirk.

“You—” The monk’s face flushed with anger, and he started moving toward Kai, ready to strike.

But before he could act, Qiu Yu held him back. “Don’t fall for it! He’s provoking you on purpose. If you attack first, you’ll be the one in trouble.”

Realizing the trap, the monk stepped back reluctantly.

Qiu Yu sneered at Kai. “Who do you think you are? Didn’t you see Liu Zhongnan step aside without a word? If you bow and respectfully call me ‘Master,’ I might consider sparing you a beating.”

Clearly planning to handle things himself, Qiu Yu stepped forward.

“Spare me?” Kai said mockingly, grabbing Qiu Yu by the collar with lightning speed.

With a powerful heave, Kai hurled Qiu Yu down the staircase.

Bang!

Qiu Yu’s body crashed onto a table below, shattering it and leaving a deep dent in the ground.

Had he been an ordinary person, the fall might have killed him outright.