"Monkey, where did you learn this ability to create clones?"
Xu Xiao stepped forward and carefully examined Wukong's Clone Technique.
It certainly had the feel of magic, but the caster wasn't using pure Spiritual Power; instead, it was mixed with some Magic Power.
This world also possesses Spiritual Energy, but it is not as prevalent as magic, and is essentially a rare power.
Clearly, this is a method modified to suit the specific circumstances, which also demonstrates that the other party has a considerable grasp of magic.
"Mind your own business! If you come any closer, I'll smash you to death."
Wukong, gripping Doran's Staff, bared his teeth at Xu Xiao, and his clones around him followed suit.
"If you can do it, then go ahead and try."
Xu Xiao continued walking forward, completely ignoring Wukong's warning.
Seeing this, Wukong steeled his heart, and his clones on both sides rushed forward together, with even a bit of the Wind Travel Technique under their feet.
In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Xu Xiao and swung his stick to smash him.
This time, Xu Xiao did not use Arcane magic in the face of this attack. Instead, he simply stretched out his palm, which was covered with magic runes, and swung it at the attack as if swatting a mosquito.
With a series of thuds, the clones could not withstand Xu Xiao's palm strike and turned into scattered monkey hairs.
Meanwhile, Xu Xiao was holding Doran's Staff tightly in Wukong's hand, making it impossible for him to move.
"Is this all you've got? Little monkey, tell me where you learned these spells from. This isn't from this world."
Upon hearing this, Wukong's eyes widened in shock. How could he know that the power he had learned wasn't...?
Shocked, Wukong scoffed, "Hmph! This is my Native Magic. Never seen it before, Noxus!"
Okay! Looks like the soft approach isn't working, I'll have to resort to the hard one.
Xu Xiao's eyes turned cold. He squeezed the Doran's Staff in his hand so hard that it shattered into pieces. Then, he quickly reached forward and easily locked it around Wukong's throat.
"Null!!"
Master Yi was standing nearby, quickly broke out of his meditative posture, drew his sword, and charged forward again.
"Exile!"
Xu Xiao spread his five fingers and made a grasping motion towards Yi Xu, and a powerful Arcane force moved along with his will.
Just as Master Yi was about to transform into a streak of light and Alpha Strike, the surrounding space rippled and then shattered as if it were glass.
As expected, Master Yi's figure was instantly swallowed by the spatial rift and briefly banished to another dimension.
The spatial barriers of the world of Valoran are unstable, with alternate dimensions such as the Void and the Spirit Realm, and even parallel universes.
Banishing someone was one of Xu Xiao's few non-lethal tactics, which could be considered as sparing Yi's life.
After all, the opponent's swordsmanship was extraordinary, and the Wuji Way could even cause some damage to the Arcane shield with his mental will. If he was left on the scene, Xu Xiao would have to be distracted to deal with him.
Anyway, with Master Yi's strength, even if he were banished to the Void, nothing would happen to him in the short term.
As for whether he can return, that depends on whether the little monkey's answer satisfies Xu Xiao.
"Master!!"
Wukong struggled and roared, his eyes blazing with fury as he stared at the vanished Master Yi Yazi.
Then, the hand gripping his neck tightened again, instantly putting him into a brief state of congestion and disorientation.
The suffocating feeling was like death itself, but thankfully it only lasted a moment.
Xu Xiao loosened his grip slightly to allow Wukong to breathe, then spoke softly:
"Stop shouting. I've banished him to another dimension. If you want him to come back safely, answer my questions honestly."
"I've been very patient with you. Don't force me to use soul-searching and brainwashing techniques on you. Believe me, it's not a pleasant experience."
Upon hearing this, Wukong tilted his head back again, wanting to shout and curse, but when he met Xu Xiao's cold eyes, the angry words in his heart were suppressed.
He was afraid, not of Xu Xiao's soul-searching and brainwashing, but of his teacher, Master Yi, being exiled to another dimension.
Although he didn't know where that place was, Wukong knew it was definitely not going to end well.
"What do you want to ask? Ask away!"
Wukong raised his neck, but ultimately lowered his proud head.
"Very well, all I want to know is where you learned these spells from; that's very important to me."
Xu Xiao threw the monkey to the ground and looked very seriously into the other person's eyes.
"Don't try to fool me with fake news. I know the power you wield better than you do. Once I discover you're lying, not only your teacher, but I guarantee that every single one of the world's Vastaya will pay the price for your lies."
"I..."
Wukong's eyes flickered, but he ultimately abandoned his attempt at cleverness.
Deceiving someone with lies might truly invite unimaginable retribution; he can't afford to gamble with that.
"I learned this in a dream," Wukong said firmly, meeting Xu Xiao's gaze.
"In a dream? Tell me in detail, don't miss anything."
"Yes."
Wukong organized his thoughts and then began to speak slowly:
"About five years ago, I often dreamed of a being that looked a lot like Vastaya, just like me."
"However, he doesn't admit to being Vastaya; instead, he claims to be something like the Great Sage Equal to Heaven."
"At first, I only dreamed about him intermittently and didn't take it seriously, but later I dreamed about him almost every night."
"I started learning to talk to him and communicate with him, and later he said we clicked and taught me some special magic."
"At that time, I hadn't met my master yet, so I didn't take these things seriously. It wasn't until later, when I came into contact with the Wuji Way and began to explore the Spirit Realm, that I discovered it was an extremely powerful form of magic."
"I began to learn, use, and combine these spells with my own Native Magic."
Wukong finished speaking in one breath, then looked at Xu Xiao, "That's the whole process. Are you satisfied?"
Xu Xiao did not answer, but fell into deep thought.
'Five years! It seems the monkey's reincarnation awakened before me. But if he did awaken, why would someone dream about him?'
'Could it be that we're trapped in some strange place?'
This is not impossible. Even someone as powerful as Xu Xiao didn't actually have much power when he first awakened.
Even if it is the reincarnation of Golden Immortal's true spirit, all that it carries is memories and experience; it cannot instantly become invincible upon awakening.
If a monkey is born into a very weak individual or some other creature, or if it is discovered by some native beings just as it awakens, it is very likely to be imprisoned.
"Tell me more, tell me all your memories, without missing a single word."
"This... this is impossible. Those were dreams from several years ago. I haven't dreamed of him in over a year. How could I possibly remember?" Wukong said, dissatisfied.
Xu Xiao chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll help you remember."