I Am Loaded With Passive Skills

by Stayrr

Outer yard disciple of the Tiansang Spirit Palace, Xu Xiaoshou, had average talent. However, after coming out of his death seclusion, he realized that everything had changed. He had received a Passive System with many strange, miraculous passive skills: He would become stronger with every breath. He would become stronger when he got attacked. He would become stronger when he got m

5. 141

Read I Am Loaded with Passive Skills Chapter 141 - Pulling Turnips? online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 141: Pulling Turnips?

"This is…"

Xu Xiaoshou broke through three layers of barriers and flew to the top of the Black Cliff.

He was stunned by the sight that greeted him there.

A young woman in a white dress had her back facing him, and her butt was sticking so far up in the air that she was hardly the picture of dignity and grace.

"Ah!" She was using everything that she had to pull something out of the ground.

"Are you trying to get a turnip out?" Xu Xiaoshou asked. "Do you need help? I'm really strong!"

"Who is it?" The young lady whirled around and fell onto her butt in shock. "Xu Xiaoshou?"

Everyone in the Spirit Palace knew who Xu Xiaoshou was. At first, no one in the Inner Yard had known much about him, but then Zhao Shu died, and by the next day everyone in the Inner Yard had come to know who he was.

"It's a sword?"

Xu Xiaoshou finally saw what she was trying to pull out of the ground. The turnip-shaped item was a sword that was stuck in the ground…

Hold on. It wasn't a sword. It was a scabbard!

The scabbard was black, plain-looking, and appeared to be ancient. It didn't seem special.

That was when Xu Xiaoshou remembered the white sword energy that he'd seen at Black Waterfalls. This scabbard was half-buried at the top of the cliff. Could those sword energies have come from this?

Besides…

The sword energies had ceased appearing after some time. Was that because this girl had been trying to pull the scabbard out of the ground?

"That's what it gets for slashing me 280000 times," he thought. "It got what it deserved."

Xu Xiaoshou's gaze landed on the young woman on the ground.

She had a pretty face and a slim build. Her cheeks were flushed, most likely because of all the effort she'd been exerting to try and pull the scabbard out of the ground. Her white dress was soaked through with perspiration and was so closely stuck to her skin it was almost see-through.

"May I ask the lady for her name?" Xu Xiaoshou asked politely.

"Luo Leilei!"

Xu Xiaoshou could very clearly sense the near-imperceptible murderous vibes emanating from the young woman as soon as she gave him her name.

Were all youngsters so hotheaded nowadays? Did they have to be so rude when someone asked them for their name? Something must be terribly wrong with them.

Xu Xiaoshou spoke first. "You want to kill me."

Luo Leilei was speechless.

For a second there, she nearly choked from panic.

The thought had crossed her mind, but how had he managed to glimpse that fleeting thought?

"Cursed, Passive Points 1."

When she didn't say anything, Xu Xiaoshou asked another question. "How old are you?"

"Cursed, Passive Points 1."

"Who the h*ll asks for a lady's age as soon as they come up to them? There must be something wrong with this guy!" she thought.

"How did you get here? Why are you here? And… put some clothes on!" Luo Leilei glanced at his muscles, which all look toned and defined.

Xu Xiaoshou froze before hurriedly pulling on some clothes. He'd forgotten that he was in only his underwear.

He ignored Luo Leilei's questions and solemnly mumbled to himself, "You look quite young. You probably haven't hit 30, have you? Why is a young woman like you so hot-tempered? That can't be good for your health."

Thirty? Hot-tempered?

Luo Leilei's jaw clenched.

"You're really asking for it."

"Ha…" Xu Xiaoshou laughed wryly as he buttoned his clothes. "Why are you still trying to put on an act? We both know your cover's blown."

He had suffered Lan Xinzi's nonchalant murderous vibes once. He wasn't going to let his guard down so easily again.

This young woman wanted to kill him even though they'd only just met. Wasn't the reason for her intentions clear as day?

Zhang Xinxiong must've sent her!

He'd thought the man had only sent Yuan Tou after him. He hadn't expected Zhang Xinxiong to have a contingency plan as well…

Xu Xiaoshou laughed internally. The man never seemed to know when to stop!

Luo Leilei had been dying to attack Xu Xiaoshou. She hadn't expected him to blow her cover so directly. She was stunned, and was starting to panic.

When did she blow her cover?

She'd been concealing her real identity so well!

Had the Spirit Palace sent him after her? Was that how he knew what was going on?

Impossible!

The Spirit Palace couldn't know her true identity. She hadn't slipped up or done anything to warrant their suspicion…

But Xu Xiaoshou had sounded really confident. Why?

Luo Leilei's eyes lit up. Was he here for the Black Scabbard too?

Was he one of them?

A test was necessary.

"Is that what you're here for too?" Luo Leilei pointed at the Black Scabbard.

"Suspected, Passive Points 1."

"Suspected, Passive Points 1."

Xu Xiaoshou turned his thoughts from the notifications popping up on the Information Bar. What was going on? Was the woman possessed by Feng Kong? She was causing a flurry of activity on his Information Bar.

He eyed the scabbard… he had to get his hands on that. How could he give it up? Just by looking at it you could tell how extraordinary it was.

But…

"Go ahead and have a go at pulling it out. Don't bother about me. I'll take over when you give up."

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't worried at all. From what he'd seen earlier, it was clear the young woman couldn't pull the scabbard out.

Noting that Xu Xiaoshou wasn't denying that he'd also come here for the scabbard, Luo Leilei came to a decision. Since they were both here for the scabbard, they could work together.

"Since we're here for the same thing, I'm not going to hide the truth from you. Honestly, I can't get this thing out."

Xu Xiaoshou froze momentarily. Why had she sounded so full of herself when she admitted she hadn't been able to get the scabbard out of the ground?

"But I'm sure that we'll get it out if we work together. We can discuss how to split the loot after that." Luo Leilei stuck her chin out.

"Work together?" Xu Xiaoshou was tickled.

He was raring to go. Why should he team up with someone else?

"There's no need for that. I'll give it a go when you give up. I know the rules. The person who comes first gets first shot," Xu Xiaoshou said earnestly.

Luo Leilei scrunched up her nose, not expecting the young man to turn down her offer.

This was something that even she couldn't get out of the ground. Did Xu Xiaoshou, who was only at the early-stage Origin Court Level, believe that he stood a chance?

Hold on a second. The Origin Court Level? …the last she'd heard, he was only at Spiritual Cultivation Level Nine.

"I knew it," she thought. "You can't trust rumors."

"Well, why don't you have a go then?" she asked, smiling disdainfully. But, trying to appear magnanimous, she added, "Don't worry. When you come begging to team up with me in a while, I'll say yes."

Something flickered in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. "Are you really giving up? Don't you want to give it another go?" he asked.

"That's right. I'm giving up."

"And if I manage to pull the scabbard out…"

Luo Leilei was tickled. What a naïve young man.

"It's yours if you pull it out!"

"Great! You're a woman of principle!" Xu Xiaoshou shouted suddenly, giving Luo Leilei a fright.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

"Step aside. I'll show you what I'm made of!" He rolled up his sleeves.

He had a Master Level Physique. What was the point of him hanging around if he couldn't even pull a scabbard out of the ground? He might as well throw himself off Black Cliff!

The unburied length of the scabbard was exactly the span of two fists and just long enough for him to grab it with two hands.

Xu Xiaoshou gripped the scabbard with both hands and tugged hard.

Plop!

He fell onto his butt, his hands empty.

Luo Leilei burst into laughter. She'd been in his place just moments before.

It felt great seeing someone else meet the same fate!

"You can't do it, can you?" she teased.

Xu Xiaoshou laughed sheepishly and wildly waved his arms, saying, "I miscalculated."

The stupid scabbard wasn't any ordinary scabbard after all. No wonder it'd been stuck as some kind of treasure on top of Black Cliff. He shouldn't have underestimated it.

He grabbed the scabbard again, but this time he didn't attempt to yank it out. To prevent his fingers from slipping, he gradually increased his strength as he tried to pull it out of the ground.

Luo Leilei laughed at him when she realized what he was doing. "Don't bother. I've tried that a dozen times!"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't answer her. His face flushed red as he gathered his strength, his butt sticking out in the air.

"Out you go!"

Luo Leilei had wanted to fling a few more mocking words at Xu Xiaoshou, but then the ground under her feet started to shake. The cliff was rumbling, and the ground was cracking.

"Is he trying to get it out with sheer brute force?"

She was dumbstruck. That young man wasn't utilizing any bit of his spiritual source at all. He was relying on pure physical strength alone…

Was he still human? He was a monster in human skin!

Buzz!

Cracks started to appear on the invisible seal around the black scabbard while streaks of light started appearing on the scabbard.

Luo Leilei couldn't believe it. Was Xu Xiaoshou ripping the seal off the scabbard with sheer brute strength?

Suspected, Passive Points 1.

He wasn't done yet. He saw an opening and was going for it. His eyes widened, and the veins on his neck throbbed violently.

Boom!

The earth shattered with a loud explosion. The scabbard was yanked right out of the ground while Xu Xiaoshou was sent flying into the air from the force of the explosion.

After steadying himself to avoid taking a long fall down the cliff, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good game."

Chapter 142: Xu Xiaoshou Never Makes the First Move!

"Is this a joke?"

Luo Leilei felt terrible.

Through sheer brute force alone, this punk had managed to easily yank off the seal she'd been struggling so hard to breach without success.

She started to seriously doubt her own capabilities.

Suspected, Passive Points, 1.

Hovering in midair, Xu Xiaoshou scarcely had a chance to take a good look at the scabbard before it shook violently, tore itself from his fingers, and flew into the distance.

"It's telepathic?"

The last telepathic object he'd come across was Su Qianqian's Epitaph of City Snow.

Xu Xiaoshou's curiosity was piqued. Judging from the size of that scabbard, it would perfectly sheathe Hiding Pain!

Well, the scabbard might actually be too good for Hiding Pain…

But that was alright. That was the price it had to pay for hitting him 280000 times!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't care if the scabbard wanted to run.

He wasn't going to let it get away so easily!

A Master-Stage Agility wasn't something one could afford to underestimate. In the blink of an eye, Xu Xiaoshou appeared in front of the scabbard.

His sudden appearance seemed to shock the scabbard, because it froze momentarily, then turned tail and flew off in the opposite direction!

"So it does have a mind of its own."

He dove toward the scabbard again and grabbed it. He wasn't going to let something that had caught his eye escape him!

He caught a streak of purple electricity in his periphery, and the next moment, a pale, snowy hand landed on top of his own hand on top of the scabbard.

Luo Leilei?

The scabbard was struggling in their hands. Standing before him was Luo Leilei.

Xu Xiaoshou stared at her incredulously. "You…"

"What?"

Luo Leilei knew that she was going against her word and how bad this made her look, but this wasn't the time nor place to worry about her reputation. All her years spent infiltrating would've been for nothing if she failed to get her hands on the scabbard!

"Let me teach you a lesson today… women are all liars!"

Xu Xiaoshou stared at her with wide eyes, his mouth gaping open. His gaze fell on her hand, which was still tightly clutching his own. His voice was full of shock when he spoke next: "…Are you trying to cop a feel?"

Luo Leilei felt as if she'd just been struck by lightning.

What?

She was going after the scabbard! She wasn't trying to cop a feel!

She looked down and saw her hand on top of Xu Xiaoshou's…

"Cursed, Passive Points 1."

A blush spread across her cheeks, and she jerked back her hand as if she'd experienced an electric shock. "I didn't mean to…"

Swoosh.

How agile were Xu Xiaoshou's reflexes? Well, he was as agile as a Master Level cultivator!

As soon as Luo Leilei pulled away her hand, he pulled the scabbard out of her grasp within the blink of an eye.

And with a few steps, he carried the scabbard away and placed a significant distance between himself and Luo Leilei.

"You want to teach me a lesson?" He gave the young woman a once-over before scoffing derisively. "Maybe when you've wised up a little!"

"You!" Luo Leilei could feel her guts churn painfully with anger.

Was he doing it on purpose?

He'd managed to put on such a flawless performance, feigning outrage of his modesty despite the tense situation. How had he managed to do that?

There was something seriously wrong with the man!

"Leave the scabbard and I'll spare your life." Luo Leilei's eyes darkened.

"Are you panicking?" Xu Xiaoshou seemed tickled, and he taunted, "I seem to remember someone saying that the scabbard would be mine if I managed to pull it out."

Luo Leilei's eyelids twitched violently. How could she have known that this fellow would be a freak of nature…

She had only her own youth and naivety to blame for her earlier declaration.

"Did I say that? I forgot!" she puffed her chest out and declared shamelessly.

"Hah! Women!"

With a blur, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly disappeared along with the black scabbard in his hand.

"Come get me!"

Luo Leilei was speechless.

What a scoundrel!

One could almost hear Lu Leilei's teeth grinding she was so livid. The manner in which the young punk had spoken to her was absolutely infuriating!

"You have no idea who you're up against!"

Her fingers curled into tight fists, and her clothes billowed and hissed in the wind.

The sound of loud crackling erupted in the air as purple electricity surrounded Luo Leilei, her eyes each lighting up with a single streak of purple lightning.

"Heavens!"

Xu Xiaoshou extended his spiritual senses as he darted away from the young woman. She looked terrifying. She was no ordinary cultivator. She seemed to possess the Innate Elemental Power of lightning.

His heart jumped at the thought.

That d*mn system. He would've had an equally enviable Innate Elemental Power too if he hadn't swallowed it.

Crackle!

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a sudden crackle of lightning. Enveloped in electricity, Luo Leilei appeared right before him.

"What the h*ll! Did you hack the system?"

With his current speed, Xu Xiaoshou would've left his former opponents in the dust.

How had the young woman caught up with him?

"You're one of the newly appointed Inner Yard Thirty-Three, aren't you?" Xu Xiaoshou blurted out in shock.

"That's right!" Luo Leilei said unabashedly. "If you know what's good for you, you'll hand that scabbard to me. Otherwise, don't blame me for not showing you mercy."

She paused momentarily. She was in the wrong for going against her word, after all, so she added, "I'll make it up to you. If there's anything you lack, I could get it for you as compensation."

She really shouldn't have spoken so soon. If not for feeling so badly for going against her word, she would have simply snatched the scabbard from Xu Xiaoshou.

She was too softhearted.

Xu Xiaoshou attempted to fly away, but Luo Leilei's face darkened, and she went after him and caught up with him again.

"Stop trying. You're too slow. You won't be able to escape me," she said kindly.

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath. He hadn't expected the gap between members of the newly appointed Inner Yard Thirty-Three to be so great.

"Hah…

"I'll admit that you're the fastest cultivator amongst the young cultivators that I've met. But if you want the scabbard…"

Xu Xiaoshou's lips curled into a smile as he stowed the scabbard away in his ring. "…You can forget about it!"

Swoosh.

But he didn't get to be smug for very long. A dark light shot out of his chest and rose into the heavens.

"Hahaha!" Luo Leilei burst into laughter before hiding her smile behind her hand. All traces of mirth vanished from her face the next moment when the scabbard reappeared in her hand.

"Xu Xiaoshou, you still have much to learn. Don't you know that spiritual items can't be stored in a space ring?"

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

"What the h*ll!" he thought.

He'd miscalculated!

He finally realized why Su Qianqian was always lugging around that huge sword of hers.

How was he supposed to know that you couldn't put this stuff away in storage?

"Luo Leilei, if you know what's best for you, you'll return what's mine to me. I'm a gentleman. I don't like to hit women," he said seriously.

"Are you panicking now?" Luo Leilei finally had the taste of sweet revenge. She disappeared without a trace.

"Come get me!"

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

What a horrible woman!

She was the first person who'd dared to play him for a fool. She was more hateful than the scabbard that had hit him 280000 times!

"Get you?

"You think too highly of yourself. I, Xu Xiaoshou… never makes the first move!"

He pinched two fingers together, and faint sword energy appeared on his fingertips. The ordinary power of thought gathered and darted across the heavens without any fanfare.

The next moment, akin to a display of the gods' fury, spiritual mist started to roil in the sky and on land. It was as if a dragon had just swept across the heavens, leaving howling winds and roiling clouds in its wake.

Luo Leilei felt her hair stand on ends. She felt as if she'd run right into the arms of death. She whirled around and was greeted by the sight of a sword energy that seemed to have the power to rip the very heavens apart. It was upon her!

Boom!

A glazed look appeared in her eyes momentarily as the sword energy hit the scabbard and sent the scabbard smacking her squarely in the chest.

Crack. Luo Leilei felt her ribs snap, and she spat out a mouthful of blood as she was flung into the distance.

Tears appeared in her palm as the scabbard shook violently and ripped itself out of her hand.

Swoosh.

Aboard his flying sword, Xu Xiaoshou appeared above Luo Leilei and easily caught the scabbard.

He placed the two fingers that had unleashed the terrifying sword energy a moment ago under his lips, then laughed once, softly. A wisp of spiritual mist seemed to emerge from his lips and rise into the sky.

His cool voice filled the heavens:

"One Sword, One Will!"

Chapter 143: A Lie That Led to a Mind-Blowing Revelation

"Xu… Xiao… Shou!"

Luo Leilei's face turned deathly pale, but she seemed to look much better after clutching her chest and swallowing an elixir.

She knew she'd gone against her word. Thus, she'd had the intention of having a proper discussion with Xu Xiaoshou. She wouldn't have minded trading something in return for the scabbard.

She had other valuable items on her she could've traded for it. In fact, she'd been willing to trade multiple items.

But Xu Xiaoshou had attacked her first before she could make the first move.

He hadn't held back at all, and had hit her hard. What was that he'd said about not hitting women?

"Men are all liars!"

Nevertheless, his attack had shocked her. She'd done her homework on the new cohort of Inner Yard Thirty-Three, and they were hardly her match.

She'd known she wasn't going to run into any worthy rivals during her short stay in the Tianxuan Gate.

But then she'd come across Xu Xiaoshou…

His physical strength and resilience were incredible, and his swordsmanship also seemed quite accomplished.

Compared to Brother Shuangxing…

Well, they were worlds apart.

"Xu Xiaoshou! You're really asking for it, aren't you?" She got mad once again, and her eyes burned with anger as she glared at him.

Suspected, Passive Points 1.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Missed, Passive Points 1.

"Missed?" he thought, and he hurriedly stopped his flight. His two fingers looked ready to destroy his enemy.

"Why has she started missing me?"

He wasn't frightened of being cursed. What he was terrified of was being remembered and missed, especially when it was a woman doing the missing.

Nothing good ever happened when that particular notification popped up.

If he was remembering correctly, the last time it appeared it'd come from the masked intruder!

Xu Xiaoshou shivered uncontrollably.

"Hold on a minute. I'm not asking for anything."

He raised his hands in a placating manner. "You tried to snatch my scabbard from me, so I hit you once. We're even. We can go our separate ways now.

"…You go do whatever you're supposed to do while I go on my merry way."

Luo Leilei was so shocked she almost threw up another mouthful of blood.

Did he just call his attack and her attempt at taking the scabbard from him a fair exchange?

His attack had landed, so shouldn't he let her have the scabbard, then? This man had absolutely no shame.

She had to control her temper.

There was something not quite right with him. This was a man who, like her, had been chosen to go on an undercover mission. He wasn't someone to easily trifle with.

He must be trying to provoke her. She had to keep herself from blowing up!

Xu Xiaoshou stared at Luo Leilei as she panted violently, not saying a word, and couldn't help but be taken aback.

Was she that weak? She'd taken an elixir, hadn't she? So why was it taking so long for her to recover?

"Are you dying? I have some medicinal juice I just brewed. Would you like to try it?" He paused, then smacked his lips together. "It should taste delicious."

"I…" Luo Leilei's eyes widened with incredulity. She was unable to believe her ears.

Did he just ask her if she was dying? No decent man would've asked that! Had he forgotten who'd hit her in the first place?

Hnn!

She could no longer keep it in and finally spit up blood.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Resented, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou started to panic. He had no intention of killing her. Even though Zhang Xinxiong had sent her after him, she seemed different from the others…

She seemed less aggressive.

She was like a dog whose bark was worse than its bite. She might talk about killing him, but she never seemed to do it.

Xu Xiaoshou felt bad for trying to kill her.

He pulled out a bottle of medicine. "Try it? It tastes really sweet."

As a result of Cooking Expert, Amber Juice had turned out sweet without being excessively so.

Xu Xiaoshou had a few bottles of it on him. When he had nothing else better to do, he would treat it like soda and drink it.

This was a chance to test its efficacy on someone else and maybe even promote the elixir.

Luo Leilei's eyes darkened with anger as she swiped the blood from her lips.

"Hah…"

She told herself not to blow up.

This was the first person in years who'd managed to infuriate her to the point of puking blood.

She'd always been the one to infuriate people! Not the other way around!

Luo Leilei decided to be honest with Xu Xiaoshou and spill the truth. "Xu Xiaoshou, stop that act of yours. We both want the same thing. Honestly, we really need that scabbard. Why don't you sell it to me?"

"We?" Xu Xiaoshou thought, raising an eyebrow. His spiritual senses flooded the area, but he didn't sense anyone in the vicinity.

Was she trying to mislead him?

Did she think he had only his spiritual senses at his disposal?

He extended Sense but failed to sense another presence in the area.

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

That was interesting.

He had to admit it. He was stumped.

Had the enemy somehow hidden his presence?

Sense could detect anything in all directions. Yet, it didn't detect anyone else in the vicinity… Was Luo Leilei trying to trick him?

It was unlikely that there was someone hiding out there. He would've believed this were the case if they weren't in Tixanxuan Gate. But only ten of them had passed through the gate.

None of the ten could have slipped past Sense.

The other possibility was that Luo Leilei was trying to trick him.

Well, two could play this game.

Xu Xiaoshou raised his chin slightly and feigned a look of scorn.

"Well, let's show our cards, then.

"We need this scabbard very much too. We're already having trouble deciding how to split the scabbard amongst the group."

So she had one other person hiding out there, didn't she? Well, he had a whole group of invisible lurkers out there!

Two could play this game.

This wasn't his first rodeo. He pretended that he had an entire army and had successfully gotten two assassins killed with this deception of his. Luo Leilei had met her match.

The young woman froze. She'd thought that Xu Xiaoshou's organization was a small and insignificant one, but it appeared that they had something ambitious planned.

"Are you sure? You know of the Heaven's Vision, don't you? As soon as this scabbard leaves the barrier, the people outside will sense it immediately.

"When that happens, the next time the Tianxuan Gate opens again… you'll be greeted with the Spirit Palace's upper management!" Luo Leilei laughed.

What was going on?

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly bewildered. What was Luo Leilei going on about? He had a feeling that they weren't talking about the same thing at all.

There must be a few screws loose in her head…

He was still in the middle of ridiculing the young woman internally when Luo Leilei continued in a mocking tone, "It'd be a pity if you were to lose both the scabbard and your life when you leave the Tianxuan Gate despite the great lengths you've gone to steal it. It'd be such a loss."

Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat.

Was this theft?

He felt a sudden prickling numbness shoot up his spine… could it be that the both of them had never been on the same wavelength?

Had she been trying to steal the scabbard all along?

Oh my god!

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbstruck. He was reeling with shock.

He took a deep breath and swallowed his heart back into his chest. Then, he spoke as clearly as he could, enunciating precisely so that there would be no misunderstanding, "Do you… know who Zhang Xinxiong is?"

"Zhang Xinxiong?" Luo Leilei barked out a laugh. This young man was definitely an eccentric fellow. They'd been having a serious conversation, and here he was, interrupting it with a sudden change of subject.

"Of course. He's been in the Inner Yard for a while. Everyone knows who he is. Why do you ask?"

"Of course? What the h*ll!" Xu Xiaoshou cursed inwardly. It seemed that… Zhang Xinxiong hadn't sent Luo Leilei after him.

He realized that the situation had gotten out of control. In fact, he might end up in a terrifying predicament, one where his life might be put at risk.

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou bravely struggled to get the gears in his mind to spin rapidly.

He was a decisive man in moments of crisis.

Everything that Luo Leilei had said and done since they'd met flashed through his mind.

Xu Xiaoshou got rid of the assumptions that he'd had of Luo Leilei and placed everything in the correct context of her attempted theft of the scabbard. It was clear that the young woman had planned everything. She had entered the Tianxuan Gate to steal the scabbard!

Xu Xiaoshou's heart grew cold…

He couldn't believe his luck. How could he have bumped into something so unlucky during a simple trip to the Tianxuan Gate?

Was the scabbard extremely sought after?

He revealed no hint of what was going on in his mind as thoughts flashed through his mind at lightning speed. Then, he said casually, "I've made plans to deal with the aftermath when I leave Tianxuan Gate. I'm not afraid at all…"

"How about you? Aren't you afraid? I'm curious. Who are you?"

Luo Leilei rolled her eyes. The man truly knew no shame.

Would anyone answer such a question?

"How can you ask me that question when you haven't made a proper introduction." Luo Leilei curved her lips into a smile and tilted her head. "Where are you from?"

He'd decided to trick her, he naturally wasn't going to hold back.

"I was worried that the name would terrify you…" He folded his hands behind his back, paused deliberately for a moment, then lifted his chin slightly. "I'm from the Holy Vassal!"

The Holy Vassal… was the organization that the masked man belonged to. It was a terrifying organization whose members could take on the entire Tiansang Spirit Palace alone!

Xu Xiaoshou activated Sense so he could observe the young woman's reaction to his words in detail, but the expected shock and horror didn't appear. Instead, he was greeted with a stunned look.

"The Holy Vassal?" Luo Leilei looked unconvinced. "Are you a part of the Holy Vassal? Why don't I know you?"

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbstruck.

Clang.

Hiding Pain dipped suddenly, and Xu Xiaoshou took an immediate plunge towards the ground.

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Chapter 144: Something Only Grown-ups Can Play

Things had… gotten out of hand!

The Holy Vassal?

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't expected his casual deception to reveal such a shocking truth! He hadn't expected the young woman to be a part of the Holy Vassal.

He couldn't be blamed for being distracted. This revelation would've blown anyone's mind.

He'd just said he was a part of the Holy Vassal a moment ago, and then his cover had been blown because the person standing before him was actually a part of the Holly Vassal…

Who alive could've withstood that kind of mind-blowing shock?

Luo Leilei's heart skipped a beat when she saw Xu Xiaoshou plunge toward the ground. She wasn't an idiot. She instantly realized what was going on.

The Holy Vassal had few members. Both the young and old in the Holy Vassal were powerful cultivators with incredible means, and all were generally familiar with one another.

Xu Xiaoshou, on the other hand… was someone that Luo Leilei had never seen before, and his reaction to her outburst clearly pointed to something being amiss.

"You tricked me!" Her lovely eyes shone with incredulity.

Xu Xiaoshou tried to ease the tension and said with measured calm, "That's not true. You shouldn't accuse me of something I didn't do…

"You've got a masked man in the Holy Vassal. He thinks highly of me. I'm not lying.

"Erm…" Xu Xiaoshou found himself floundering. The shock had rendered him speechless. "Well, we've all got a long way ahead of us. Till we meet again!"

After a short pause, he raised the scabbard and clasped his hands. "Farewell!"

Then, he turned tail and ran.

Luo Leilei shook violently. She didn't bother to say anything else. With a sudden loud thunder, a pair of flashy Purple Lightning Wings sprouted from her back. She fluttered her wings and, within the blink of an eye, reappeared right before Xu Xiaoshou and stood in his way again.

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the beautiful lightning wings on the young woman's back as if he were staring at an angel that had descended upon the earth. His eyes flashed with envy, and his tone was hostile when he spoke.

"Get out of my way! I won't get into a fight with you on account of your being part of the Holy Vassal. Don't force me to fight you."

Luo Leilei's fingers curled into tight fists. Lightning flashed and thunder boomed deafeningly around her petite form, her dark hair taking on a tinge of purple. She was ready to battle.

"You don't want to get into a fight with me. Well, I have plenty of reasons to get into a fight with you."

She'd been tricked into revealing her true identity. It didn't feel good to be played for a fool. Luo Leilei wasn't interested in talking anymore. Without any hesitation, she sent her fist flying at him.

Purple electricity sped across the heavens at a speed as fast as that of lightning… No, it was racing at the speed of lightning!

Boom.

The sound of her fist hitting Xu Xiaoshou's chest resounded in the air.

Xu Xiaoshou hardly had a chance to react before he was struck by the fist and assailed by waves of numbing pleasure… It felt so good that he nearly moaned out loud.

He staggered backward a few steps from the force of the blow. Luo Leilei, on the other hand, was sent flying into the distance from the impact.

"Are you trying to tickle me…" But his smile froze before it could fully unfurl on his lips as he saw a black bolt of lightning as wide as a bucket descend from the heavens and then pierce right through him.

"It tickles… hahaha… oh my god, it tickles!"

Xu Xiaoshou stiffened. His body was scorched black while his hair was standing on end.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head. It felt as if his soul might've been charred from that lightning strike.

Luo Leilei's eyes were filled with disbelief. She couldn't believe that Xu Xiaoshou had emerged unscathed from her punch.

She had summoned Thor's Form. Every punch that she unleashed would be followed by a bolt of lightning. The lightning bolt was what gave the attack its destructive punch.

Perhaps mere punches and kicks wouldn't work on this guy… Perhaps she needed to resort to spiritual techniques instead.

But didn't he have an Innate Level Physique? That punch of hers should've gone right through his chest!

Realization struck Luo Leilei then. "You don't have an Innate Level Physique, do you?"

Xu Xiaoshou had finally recovered from the electrifying and burning numbness of the lightning bolt. The attack hadn't caused him much damage, but the paralysis that it had inflicted on him had been something.

He looked at the young woman, also known as Thor incarnate, and nodded solemnly. "That's right. I have Innate Level Physique."

Suspected, Passive Points 1.

"Heavens… you've attained a Master Physique, haven't you?" Luo Leilei murmured to herself in disbelief, not seeming to have heard what Xu Xiaoshou said.

She had only come across two cultivators with the Master Physique in her lifetime. The first was her father, and the second, her elder brother.

But they were reclusive hermits who were living the dream of a secluded life.

She hadn't come across anyone her age who possessed a Master Physique. In fact, even cultivators with Innate Level Physique were few and far between.

Yet standing before her now was an Outer Yard disciple who possessed the same ability as her elder brother and father.

"Xu Xiaoshou, come with me!

"Your talents will be wasted if you remain at the Tiansang Spirit Palace. You deserve a bigger stage to showcase your gifts!"

Luo Leilei's eyes shone with approval and respect. Her desire to develop and put talent to good use had been ignited.

This fellow might have tricked her, but the fact remained that he was a smart and talented man. She was confident that he would gain someone's favor and regard if she recommended him to the powers that be.

Suspected, Passive Points 1.

Admired, Passive Points 1.

Invited, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou froze momentarily. An invitation?

"I refuse."

Only an idiot would accept this offer and seek out the masked intruder. She must be joking!

There was an earnest look in Luo Leilei's eyes. "Why?"

Xu Xiaoshou waved his arm. How he wished he was wearing an impressive cape now. Regardless, he put on a solemn expression and said, "I'm doing it in the name of justice!"

Luo Leilei stared at the stupid look on his face and couldn't help but smack her forehead with her palm.

This guy… might just be as idiotic as her brother!

She started to regret extending the invitation…

No!

This was a talent. The Holy Vassal must have him!

"What do you know about this world? What you think is just and right might not be true justice!" Luo Leilei said seriously as she folded her hands behind her back, and her eyes flashed dangerously with purple lightning.

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily distracted by how pretty the young woman looked then.

"Just look at those enormous wings of purple lightning," he thought. "I want those too!

"D*mn this system!"

Luo Leilei wanted to say something more, but the odd, burning look she caught in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes made her swallow the words on the tip of her tongue.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing."

Xu Xiaoshou yanked his thoughts back to the present, then stared unblinkingly at her. "Are you trying to convert me? It's not going to work!"

Luo Leilei fell silent.

Xu Xiaoshou was simply too infuriating!

Luo Leilei sighed. "I'm serious. If you want to pursue true justice, come with me. I'll show you true darkness and true light."

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head profusely. "I'm not interested. I didn't mean what I said."

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

"Well, you've got no choice in the matter. You're going to come with me!" she said angrily.

"Is that so?" Xu Xiaoshou's lips curled upward. "Are you going to kidnap me? Do you really think you're up for the task?"

"We won't know until we try, now will we?" At that moment, a thought flashed through Luo Leilei's mind, and a sly look appeared in her eyes. "Let's make a bet."

"I don't partake in prostitution, drugs, or gambling," Xu Xiaoshou coolly shot back.

Luo Leilei's pupils contracted, and you could almost hear her collarbones creak.

Ah!

She was going to blow up this very instant!

Purple electricity crackled violently around her as she fumed.

She told herself she was going to control her temper and pretend that she didn't hear what he'd just said.

"If I win, you have to come with me. If I lose, you can do anything with me!" Luo Leilei said.

"Anything I want?" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up, and his gaze slid down her body before flying up to meet her eyes again. "Are you sure?"

His stare was making Luo Leilei's hair stand. She caved and replied weakly. "Well… not that."

"That? What?"

"Xu Xiaoshou, don't go too far!"

"Haha!" Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes and turned away. "Little young, why don't you run along and get back home? Bets… are something that only grown-ups make."

"D*mn him!" she thought.

Luo Leilei's eyelids twitched violently, and she felt a sudden clarity take over her mind.

"Fine. It's a deal!"

Chapter 145: Incredible Close-Combat Skills

The heavy snow never stopped falling in Tianxuan Gate.

Hovering in midair above the Black Cliff was Luo Leilei. With a pair of purple wings on her back and electricity buzzing around her, the young woman looked like a god that had descended upon the earth.

Before her was an ordinary young man with nothing but a sword in his hand.

Xu Xiaoshou smacked Hiding Pain, then turned and smiled. "You sure about this?"

"Yes!" Luo Leilei snapped back with stubborn determination in her sweet voice.

Xu Xiaoshou guessed he couldn't stop youngsters from their reckless impulsiveness… He shook his head and said mildly, "Your parents will mourn your decision."

Luo Leilei fell silent, and her eyes flashed dangerously.

"How do you want to do this?" Xu Xiaoshou appeared unfazed.

He'd just advanced to the next level and was still uncertain about what he was capable of. It wouldn't be a bad idea to pit himself against a worthy opponent.

Yuan Tou, the other newly appointed member of the Inner Yard Thirty-Three, wouldn't have quite made the cut.

But this young woman was different. She was part of the Holy Vassal… How impressive was that?

Xu Xiaoshou generously laid out the options. "Close combat, a sword fight or a fight using purely spiritual techniques Pick your poison."

These were the three types of battles he knew right now. His impression of prodigies was that they excelled equally in physical fighting and the magical.

He was great with swords, spiritual techniques, as well as a simple old-fashioned fistfight. He was better than the average prodigy!

"I'm going to thrash you!" Luo Leilei scoffed coldly. Her four fingers touched and formed a triangle, and through that triangle, one could see Xu Xiaoshou right smack in the center of it.

She had no idea how physically powerful Xu Xiaoshou was. Naturally, she wouldn't try to fight him head-on. She wasn't a swordswoman. So, the only option left was long-range combat.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately sensed danger when he saw that hand seal, and he looked up to see dark storm clouds gathering above him with wildly dancing silver serpentine streaks.

"Are you trying to force an ascension on me?"

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't going to stand there like an idiot and wait for lightning to strike. He immediately shot up and burst through the gathering storm clouds.

A wave of burning, prickling numbness assailed him. But the sensation was mild and tolerable.

"Haha, I wonder if your lightning bolts travel upwards too!"

Luo Leilei was stunned by Xu Xiaoshou's unexpected move, and it took her a moment to recover from her shock.

"Hah, you guessed it!"

Buzz…

A streak of purple lightning darted across the sky like a serpent and charged at Xu Xiaoshou.

He was prepared this time. He knew that he wasn't going to be fast enough to evade the lightning bolt… but he also knew his physics very well!

He flung Hiding Pain away, then darted aside. The move instantly drew the lightning bolt towards his sword.

Boom!

The nearby explosion nearly blew out his eardrums, and he could only pray that Hiding Pain was alright. He gazed at the thick clouds beneath him, then tightened his fist.

"Infernal Heavens!"

The spiritual source inside him diminished suddenly while the air around him rapidly started to heat up.

It was as if the ancient spiritual energies that had been floating leisurely between heaven and earth had just been given a shot of adrenaline. They transformed into wisps of mist and rose into the air.

The clouds hovering near the ground vaporized instantly with the tightening of Xu Xiaoshou's fist.

Without the layers of clouds between them, Xu Xiaoshou could see the amazement in Luo Leilei's eyes when their gazes met.

Pain flashed across her eyes the next second.

Crackle! Pop!

"Infernal Heavens… In a Blink of an Eye!" Xu Xiaoshou was immensely tickled.

The invisible flames of Infernal Heavens were burning Luo Leilei!

His spiritual techniques were extremely aggressive techniques, and nearly all of them had immediately taken effect!

"What kind of sorcery is this?"

Luo Leilei was having a taste of what Shao Yi had suffered that night. She'd reflexively used her spiritual source as a shield, not expecting the flames to burn through her spiritual source as well!

Xu Xiaoshou was no longer the Xu Xiaoshou of that fateful night.

He had advanced to the Origin Court Level. Even though he was still at the early stage, the quality and quantity of his spiritual source were considerably more impressive now.

As someone who had acquired his spiritual source at the Acquired Stage, the subsequent transformation that his energy reserve had undergone at the Innate Stage was a growth that bordered on freakish.

He didn't need to level up High Spirits at all. His spiritual source remained unchanged despite the spiritual energy he was constantly expending. Hence, he wasn't worried about it at all.

Xu Xiaoshou caught Luo Leilei in the midst of building a shield. With a curl of his finger, the flames of the Infernal Heavens burning on Luo Leilei shrank in size and intensified at the same time.

With his Cooking Expert at the Innate Level, he could now control his flames remotely.

Luo Leilei's body was ravaged by pain. She didn't have an Innate Level Physique, so if it wasn't for Thor's Form shielding her from most of the flames and mitigating the damage, she would have already been burned to a crisp.

"Why are his spiritual techniques so powerful too?"

Luo Leilei knew few defensive spiritual techniques, so she decided that the best defense was offense.

She curled her fingers into claws, stabbed the air, and ripped a tear in the very heavens.

"Forbidden Lightning Purgatory!"

A Master Stage spiritual technique!

As far as the eye could see, the very space around Xu Xiaoshou for hundreds of yards collapsed, and black lightning formed a web that crossed and converged with one another like the roots of an ancient tree that had just gained sentience.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Endless lightning bolts rained down on Xu Xiaoshou as the heavens became like a deadly see of lightning where only corpses could float.

Luo Leilei panted heavily. The attack had taken a lot out of her. Without any warning, her pupils contracted and her scalp prickled with numbness.

A bathtub… had appeared in the middle of the Forbidden Lightning Purgatory!

What was that?

Where had Xu Xiaoshou gone?

She extended her spiritual senses, then whipped her head up to the sight of a sphere of energy with an unsteady glow heading toward her.

"Lesser Fireball!"

The scorching heat of the refined fireball was a terrifying sight to behold, and Luo Leilei instinctively dodged it.

Boom!

A loud explosion sent waves of heat rippling across the sky, and the falling snow vanished as the heat turned it into a mist, a mushroom cloud appearing in the heavens.

The force of the explosion sent Luo Leilei flying into the distance.

She was horrified when she realized that another Refined Fire Seed was waiting for her in the distance.

Farther away was Xu Xiaoshou with an infuriating smile on his face and three more Refined Fire Seeds in his hand.

"Don't worry," he said. "Let's take it slow.

"You may have dodged the last one, but there's another one waiting for you. After you dodge that one, you'll still have another three to deal with!"

Luo Leilei was quickly approaching the Refined Fire Seed. When she heard these words, she immediately reacted to dodge the impending danger.

"Purple Flash!"

Xu Xiaoshou stared as Luo Leilei shifted and transformed into a bolt of golden lightning that dodged the Fire Seed in the nick of time.

"Yellow Flash?" Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

How he envied these cultivators who had such a wide arsenal of cool and flashy spiritual techniques.

Unfortunately, with his level of talent, he was fated to be stuck with boring spiritual techniques that he'd created himself and had to rely on their actual destructive force to intimidate his enemies.

While Xu Xiaoshou's mind was wandering, Luo Leilei chose to pull closer to Xu Xiaoshou instead of rapidly retreating, and appeared right in front of him.

Buzz. Zap. Buzz.

What sounded like the birdsong of a hundred starlings rang in Xu Xiaoshou's ear, and he caught sight of the electricity coiled around Luo Leilei's hand…

"Chidori?"

"Lightning Strike!" Luo Leilei thrusted her clawed hand forward in what seemed like an attempt to skewer Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou might have a Master Physique, but so what? Her Master Stage spiritual technique was possibly the most powerful attack that a single cultivator could unleash on her enemy!

Gasp!

It was then, at that most critical moment, that Xu Xiaoshou suddenly took a sharp breath in her face.

This was the amazing close-combat skill that Xu Xiaoshou had stumbled upon in an epiphany at the Spirit Library Division and had used to consume Elder Sang's Infernal Fire Seed.

Contrary to the stench that he'd had to endure then, the scent that Xu Xiaoshou caught was the refreshing perfumed fragrance of a young woman.

Buzz.

The sudden churning of her spiritual source inside Luo Leilei left her bewildered. She had no idea what was the cause of this.

The electricity snaking around her hand weakened instantly and only managed to burn Xu Xiaoshou's clothes… Her clawed hand didn't manage to pierce his skin at all and instead became a gentle caress.

Xu Xiaoshou stared stupidly at the snowy hand that Luo Leilei had placed on his chest.

"Are you copping a feel again?"

Luo Leilei was livid. But before she could blow up, Xu Xiaoshou grabbed her pale wrist and yanked it up, leaving her chest vulnerable to attack.

His fingers turned into blades, and Xu Xiaoshou showed no mercy for his female opponent as he pierced her chest with his fingers!

"Hnn!"

Luo Leilei widened her eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood that landed on Xu Xiaoshou's face.

Xu Xiaoshou exhaled softly, a distant look in his eyes.

This was his first battle since reaching the Innate Stage. He'd expected Luo Leilei, who was an Upper Spiritual Level Holy Vassal, to be stronger than him. But, honestly… she was extremely weak!

"Remember, no matter how powerful your spiritual techniques are, you shouldn't try to engage in a close-combat battle with me. That's a hopeless fight."

He wiped the blood off his face, and, as he stared as Luo Leilei's eyes gradually glazed over, said in a measured voice, "You lost."

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Chapter 146: My World

"You lost."

As if these three simple words were the last straw to break the camel's back, the brightness in Luo Leilei's eyes disappeared.

Her Thunder God's Body faded away, and her purple lightning wings broke.

She was angered by Xu Xiaoshou's words and actions. She'd finally been defeated by his odd move.

"Why did my own spiritual energy burst just from this guy taking a breath?" she thought. "Shouldn't I be in control of my own spiritual energy?"

Luo Leilei's eyes gradually lost focus, and Xu Xiaoshou became a blur, but it seemed to her that he looked a little panicked.

"Heh, this guy…" she mused. "He said he doesn't hit women, but every blow he landed was more severe than the last one."

Xu Xiaoshou was panicked.

He was really flustered.

After saying a few words and savoring his victory, he'd realized that the girl in front of him didn't have an Innate Level physique and that she probably didn't have Eternal Vitality either.

So that hole he'd punched through her chest could kill her!

Yet, Luo Leilei couldn't die!

If she'd been sent by Zhang Xinxiong, then her dying wouldn't have mattered, but she was a member of the Holy Vassal!

"If she dies, what should I do when the masked man comes to duel with me?" he thought.

Xu Xiaoshou took out a jar of golden liquid to drink, intending to let her drink all of it, but thought better of it.

"Well, she probably doesn't have Breathing Technique, so she could die from taking it! A drop of this red gold liquid is much stronger than the Red Gold Pill," he thought.

Xu Xiaoshou used his finger to pick out a small piece and carefully jammed it between Luo Leilei's pale lips. Though this girl had fought violently, Xu Xiaoshou found her small mouth rather soft and warm.

Noticing that the medicine was kicking in, he pulled his right hand out from her chest.

The red gold liquid was indeed the best of Xu Xiaoshou's invention. Its efficacy was excellent when it was still within its shelflife.

Soon after, the wound on Luo Leilei's chest healed, and her chest returned to normal without a trace of a scar.

Xu Xiaoshou forcefully pulled his gaze away from her chest and focused on the girl's face.

"Pah, pah!"

He hit her cheek twice. "Wake up!"

"Hmm?" he thought. "It's quite soft."

He couldn't help but pinch it, and the pain awoke Luo Leilei.

She saw Xu Xiaoshou's face and said in surprise, "Xu Xiaoshou! Are you dead too?"

Xu Xiaoshou: "…"

Luo Leilei finally remembered what had happened and became angry. However, she was so weak that she couldn't stop his hands from pinching her.

"What are you doing?!"

Xu Xiaoshou was calm and collected. "To save you, and wake you up as well."

"I'm already awake!"

"Oh." Xu Xiaoshou's hands didn't stop moving. "According to the rule of the wager, your whole person has lost to me even though you're awake now. So it's not outrageous to pinch you."

Luo Leilei's face was red. Whether this was from Xu Xiaoshou's pinching or because she was angry was unclear.

"Xu Xiao… um!"

Xu Xiaoshou jammed the honey on his finger into the girl's mouth, muffling her words.

The sweet and sticky fluid melted in Luo Leilei's mouth, and she asked crossly, "Xu Xiaoshou, what did you feed me?"

"Poison." Xu Xiaoshou dropped her on the Black Fallen Cliff, got up, and said, "In order to prevent you from going back on your word, I have to feed you this."

He pointed to a jar of honey-like medicine on the ground. "This stuff is yours now. Don't finish it too fast, because by the time it's finished, you'll be close to death."

An uncertain, gloomy look appeared on Luo Leilei's face.

"I've been an outstanding person all my life. I never expected that I'd fall into the hands of such an evil man," she thought, her eyes red.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou had no intention to spend time with her, but he couldn't kill her either. On the other hand, he would face a great deal of trouble if he let her live.

He remembered what the girl had said earlier: "Even if you get the scabbard, you won't be able to transport it out of here."

As such, she must have a way to transport it out since she'd said this much while knowing the strength of the Tiansang Spirit Palace.

Then, when the Tianxuan Gate opened again, it would be another fight to the death.

What a headache!

Xu Xiaoshou covered his head with his hands, thinking that he'd better leave first and stay far away from here. Then that masked man probably wouldn't fix his attention on him again.

"I'm leaving, and don't follow me again." Xu Xiaoshou looked back at her and said, "It's impossible to give you the scabbard. You've lost, so it's not that unreasonable for me to take it."

"This girl is very fast, but I defeated her in this fight, so it would be dishonorable for her to continue following me," he thought. "As such, I can act alone again."

Luo Leilei propped herself up on the ground with her hands, and, to her surprise, found that she'd regained some of her energy and felt that she could possibly fight again.

But when she thought of Xu Xiaoshou's strength…

"Forget it," she thought. "This guy is a monster with a Master Level Physique, swordsmanship, and magic techniques. I guess only Brother Shuang Xing will be able to defeat him."

Her eyes drifted to the side. "You can leave, but you must give me the antidote."

Xu Xiaoshou was amused at how she'd actually believed him.

"There is no antidote."

Luo Leilei glared at him angrily. "You…"

"I only developed the poison, and have no intention of giving the enemy the antidote. But," Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes sideways and suddenly teased, "there is a way to save you!"

"What way?"

"Fight poison with poison!"

Luo Leilei froze. "What kind of poison do I need to fight it with?"

"Haha." Xu Xiaoshou flew up into the blue sky with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering in the wind. "Missing someone is a kind of intestinal poison. Whenever you think of me, the medicine will cure the illness."

Luo Leilei was speechless. "Xu Xiaoshou, you're sick!"

It was then that she realized she'd been tricked again. This guy probably hadn't dared to poison her.

"Oh, right." Xu Xiaoshou suddenly turned his head around mid-flight and pointed his finger at the girl's chest. "I forgot to mention this to you; put on clothes," he said slowly.

"Also," he continued, unable to help but add this remark, "now that you're a grown-up, you need to learn to buy some new clothes for yourself. You can't always wear clothes of such a small size; it's suffocating."

Startled, Luo Leilei lowered her head and saw that the clothes on her chest hadn't returned to normal although the wound passing through her chest had.

A slight blush spread across her cheeks, and she almost ground her teeth to pieces.

"Xu… Xiao.. Shou!"

Missed, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou was startled to see her try to fly up again.

"Stop," he said. "You don't need to chase me anymore. Even if you catch me, you can't beat me."

Luo Leilei was immediately at a loss for words, and she really wanted to cut his tongue off.

She was so angry!

But there was nothing she could do.

She pulled the clothes over her chest, and her tone softened as she said seriously, "Xu Xiaoshou, are you really not going to go with me?

"As long as you want, this girl will stay with you and take you away once we're out of the Tianxuan Gate. I heard that you were refused entry by the Spirit Palace."

"No way!" Xu Xiaoshou interrupted her. "I didn't do anything to you, so you can't ask me to be responsible for you. I was kind enough to have reminded you."

Luo Leilei: "…"

"Don't joke around. I'm serious," she said gravely.

Xu Xiaoshou stopped grinning, which hardly ever happened, and called back the small bathtub he'd knocked away during the fight. It had turned black after the strike.

He retrieved Hiding Pain. Fortunately, it wasn't broken!

He looked at the girl on top of the cliff. "Don't you hate me since I injured you like this?"

Luo Leilei casually waved her hand. "This big girl doesn't remember a small man's fault. I appreciate your qualifications."

Xu Xiaoshou smiled and shook his head again. "I refuse."

"Are you serious?"

"I'm serious!"

"Do you know what you're refusing? What you will lose?" Luo Leilei was furious. She thought she'd been sincere. She hadn't gone this far with anyone else before.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know." Xu Xiaoshou rubbed Hiding Pain and mercilessly chose to run away.

"Xu Xiaoshou!" Luo Leilei stopped him. "You really don't want to take a look at the outside world? Maybe it's more exciting than you think!"

"It's my world. I'll go see it for myself."

Luo Leilei watched him fly away. She cupped her hands around her mouth and said loudly, "Without someone to protect you, you'll only end up bruised all over!"

"Even so!" he yelled.

Luo Leilei was shocked by Xu Xiaoshou's serious tone. She was dumbfounded as she watched him fly away into the distance, a peculiar look in her eyes.

"It's my world. I'll go see it for myself, even if I end up bruised all over?" She muttered Xu Xiaoshou's words to herself.

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Chapter 147: He is Very Gentle

Five men were gathered inside a dim, cramped room.

Qiao Qianzhi added a pair of chopsticks and a bowl for Zhao Xidong. The task of guardian was hard, so he deserved such treatment.

Zhao Xidong finally go to taste the coveted food of Elder Qiao and was almost moved to tears.

A big red ham in sauce slid into his stomach, and a glass of fine wine burned his throat.

"Cool!"

He heavily slammed the cup down on the tabletop, feeling a great sense of pride.

"Pah!"

There was a crunching sound that clearly hadn't come from the tabletop.

The four people next to him froze and looked at Zhao Xidong and then behind him.

Zhao Xidong's heart skipped a beat.

"No way, not again!"

He turned his head with difficulty and found that the bead above the "Twelve Beads Spiritual Curtain Plate," which had lost its protective power of the barrier, was cracked and appeared dim.

"It can't last long, as expected." Xiao Qixiu let out a sigh.

Since the three layers of protective barrier could be broken through, he figured that the seal couldn't stop the spy either.

"Perhaps it's like what Elder Sang said, and they've sent someone in to intervene in the Tianxuan Gate?" Elder Qiao frowned.

Ye Xiaotian looked at Elder Sang. "What do you think?"

Elder Sang sucked his finger and said calmly, "Maybe what you said is true, and the current situation isn't the worst yet."

Everyone was startled. Even though they didn't want to admit it, this could most likely be the case.

On the first day of the disciples entering the Tianxuan Gate, they'd already lost two of the treasures that protected the barrier. What would happen in the next two days?

"Don't worry. Those people should have a sense of caution. After all, if more than four treasures are taken, the Tianxuan Gate will blow up, and they won't be able to come out alive," said Elder Sang.

The Tianxuan Gate might blow up?

Zhao Xidong was stunned. This was his first time hearing this, and it made him think of his earlier dream.

It was a possibility that his dream would come true.

Qiao Qianzhi was anxious. "Then it's necessary that we intervene right away. Otherwise, what will happen to our disciples inside the Tianxuan Gate?"

Elder Sang calmly waved his hand. "Don't worry. The Tianxuan Gate won't blow up. No one will die."

"Are you sure?" he thought. "I'm afraid there is a possibility!"

Ye Xiaotian found the old man was as stubborn as ever and couldn't help but say, "Your two disciples are still inside!"

"Yes, they are still inside." Elder Sang didn't show the slightest hint of anxiety, which made the other four people feel worried.

As Ye Xiaotian was about to speak again, he saw the old man turn his head sideways, his thin eyebrows knitted as if he'd thought of something.

Elder Sang had a flash of inspiration.

If Xu Xiaoshou had followed the map he'd given Mu Zixi, then he should've reached the bottom of the Black Fallen Cliff. However, judging by the image they'd seen, he had already climbed to the top of the cliff.

Everyone was ignoring the fact that Xu Xiaoshou was in the air at that moment!

Moreover, when Elder Sang thought about it more carefully, he realized that he hadn't actually seen that lad with the black sword under his feet.

Had he broken through to Master Level?

Elder Sang was a little surprised. He remembered that the last time he'd seen Xu Xiaoshou, he was merely at the ninth level.

The "going through fire and rebirth!"

Elder Sang thought of the steps he'd taken back in the day. The last step of the "Infernal Heavens" was to break through and develop.

He hadn't waited until Xu Xiaoshou had broken through because he firmly believed this lad with amazing perseverance could come through, so he'd taken him as a disciple first.

Now Xu Xiaoshou should have reached this step and, as such, must have successfully broken through to Master Physique.

"You're doing great, lad," he thought. "You're going to be better than your master."

To think of himself back in the days. It'd taken him three days to break through to Master Physique!

Then…

Elder Sang looked at the crowd. "What is the cultivation level of that Leilei on top of the Black Fallen Cliff?"

"The Late Upper Spirit. She is the strongest among the thirty-three newly promoted people this time, and also the best qualified one too, with thunder attribute," Ye Xiaotian replied. "Why? What's wrong?"

"The Upper Spiritual Level," Elder Sang murmured under his breath. "She shouldn't be able to beat Xu Xiaoshou."

The other four: "…"

Zhao Xidong was dumbfounded, and felt like his ears needed to be cleaned of earwax.

"What reason do you have to be so confident in this disciple Xu Xiaoshoui? He's merely someone of the ninth level!" he thought.

Of course, he didn't dare to speak his mind. All he could do was silently eat his meal, which was his show of stubbornness.

There was a hint of brightness in Elder Sang's eyes. He reached out his chopsticks again and said, "This old man already knows who the spy probably is. There should be two of them; one is Leilei, and there is another one."

The crowd looked at him expectantly.

"Well, he conceals himself very well. This old man doesn't know either."

The wind was blowing the snowflakes, which were as large as goose feathers, and there were few stars hanging in the sky.

In the whistling wind, a row of footprints faded into the distance amid the drifting snow.

Mo Mo looked rather calm, but although she looked ordinary, she had an elegant calmness about her. She looked like a pure white snow-lotus in this world, and it seemed that there was nothing in this world that could disturb her mood.

Her right hand still held the copper stove with sandalwood incense burning in it. The remaining ashes gave off a few wisps of immortal smoke.

Her left hand had a white stone not seen before. It was the size of a fist and didn't show any spiritual energy.

"The Stone of Seal has been obtained. Are you awake?"

Her right hand quivered, and the smoke of the small copper stove grew thicker, which then converged into a fuzzy human face.

"I'm awake. I didn't respond to you earlier because someone was eavesdropping on us. So, be careful."

The voice was as fuzzy as the figure. One couldn't judge whether the voice belonged to a man or woman, and it was even difficult to determine whether it spoke human words.

"Eavesdropping?" Mo Mo was a little surprised. She didn't ask more questions and put it out of her mind. "I should have completed my task. When do I release it?"

"You've only completed half of the task!" the fuzzy voice interrupted her. "Moreover, my existence is more beneficial than harmful to you."

Mo Mo clutched the stone. Though her voice was soft, a hint of stubbornness could be heard as she said, "I don't need your protection."

"Next, kill two people."

Hearing the unquestionable tone, Mo Mo slowly closed her eyes. "Who?"

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

She abruptly opened her eyes, full of astonishment. "Why?"

"He's discovered me."

"Impossible!"

"Oh? You're defending him?" The fuzzy voice had a little more emotion in it.

Mo Mo's voice became calm. "Even the elders of the Tiansang Spiritual Palace failed to find out, so how could Xu Xiaoshou have discovered you?"

"You don't need to know this; just carry out the mission."

"I won't kill Xu Xiaoshou," Mo Mo said, a look of determination on her face.

"You like him?"

Mo Mo froze, a fleeting blush clouding her pretty face. She thought of the finals on the Competition Arena again, and the frisky guy who'd complimented her beauty.

"It's not about liking; it's just that I don't want to kill him."

"Why?"

Mo Mo thought of the black sword that had pierced the two of them, and the apprehension she'd felt when she'd fallen from the sky in his arms as she feigned being faint.

"He is very gentle." A gentle smile came over her face. "There are always some people who don't deserve to be hurt."

The smoky human face was silent and then completely dissipated, seemingly respecting Mo Mo's wishes.

However, the next second, the voice rang out emotionlessly, "The second person, Zhao Xidong."

Mo Mo halted in her tracks. "What, the Law Enforcer Zhao?" she thought.

She'd only met him once in the Inner Yard.

"Why kill him?" she wanted to ask, but the smoky man had already dispersed.

"Ugh."

The snow was falling, and Mo Mo had no choice but to continue onward, as her task was only half-completed.

What would happen later should be dealt with later!

She looked ahead in the direction of the "Secret Forest of Moro."

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Chapter 148: Haha, a Shoddy Sword!

The Tianxuan Gate, the place of a hundred battles.

This was a very large martial arts arena on which rested two weapons racks full of swords, broadswords, spears, sticks, axes, hammers, daggers, bows, and shields.

All kinds, styles, and all sorts of weapons.

Yuan Tou stood with his spear in his hand, his aura rising.

Soon, a stir occurred in the empty space, and he broke through to the late Upper Spirit Level.

As he opened his eyes, the spiritual mane disappeared, but his energy reserve kept on surging.

The Mysterious Overload Spear shook in his hand, and Yuan Tou felt he had the power to destroy the gods. He was unstoppable!

"It's been a day."

As a master of time management, even if there was only one star, not to mention the alternation of day and night, he was still able to pinpoint the time to the minute and second.

Bringing back his spear and jumping up, Yuan Tou flew up high into the sky.

The "Place of Hundred Battles," the martial arts arena, had been blasted to ruin by him. As far as the eye could see, it was full of big craters.

This was the power of his innate attributes—they were as powerful as ten thousand pounds!

However, the most significant gain of this trip wasn't this, but the intermittent spear intent.

If he were given more time, perhaps this extremely difficult spear intent would be forced out. Yet, he had more important matters to take care of first.

"Xu Xiaoshou."

He couldn't believe that he'd trusted Xu's words, went all the way westward, left the last trial secret realm half a day ago, and arrived at the "Place of Hundred Battles."

However, he hadn't found even a single person here!

"D*mn it!" he cursed.

"That lad must have known from the beginning that I was on him, but pretended not to know about it in an attempt to avoid the disaster of being killed.

"He is indeed someone who killed Chao Shu and is thought highly of by Zhang Xinxiong!

"Fortunately, I had a breakthrough in this place, so this trip wasn't a total loss."

Yuan Tou floated in the empty space and lifted his head to look around.

"If he's not in the Place of Hundred Battles, then he must be at the Black Fallen Cliff."

He didn't know much about the secret trial places of the Tianxuan Gate except for four or five of them, but he knew about the famous "Black Fallen Cliff," the place sword cultivators must go through.

If Xu Xiaoshou wanted to go to the secret realm after entering this land, he would have no other place to go but the "Place of Hundred Battles" and the Black Fallen Cliff!

It was the second day since they'd entered the Tianxuan Gate. The "lost plan" had to be carried out. If it was further delayed, everyone would converge at the exit.

The possibility of being discovered would be much higher by then!

Swoosh!

The Mysterious Overload Spear turned into a flash of dark light along with Yuan Tou, and they disappeared into the horizon.

"Xu Xiaoshou, wait for me!"

"Hiss, Ah-choo!"

Xu Xiaoshou sneezed.

"Is something wrong again?" He scratched his head curiously, feeling somewhat perplexed.

Usually he didn't sneeze much, but every time he did it foretold a life lost. Actually, an enemy's life lost.

At first, he thought this sneeze was just a coincidence, but then he thought again. "This time, is another person coming over to die?" he thought.

"This should be an ability only the most powerful people have: the whim!

"Or is it a special effect of Sense?"

Xu Xiaoshou chose to believe the former.

"Forget it. Keep on heading west."

His purpose for going west was, of course, to encounter Yuan Tou by chance.

In the past, he'd had no choice but to hide his whereabouts, but now that he'd had a breakthrough, he naturally wanted to find out Yuan Tou's true intentions.

As the saying goes, "Although one doesn't fear the thieves, one is afraid of being watched by the thieves!"

Yet he wasn't in a hurry to catch up. He should be invincible in the TIanxuan gate at present, as he had enough strength to achieve the so-called "Kill God while being blocked by God and kill Buddha while being blocked by Buddha."

More importantly, he had to figure out the weapon in his hands.

The "Black Fallen Scabbard."

Since he'd pulled the black scabbard out from the Black Fallen Cliff, he'd given the sword this name. He'd been checking it out for a long while but couldn't figure out how to use it.

Naturally, it'd be easy to use if it was just a sheathe for a sword.

But Xu Xiaoshou was someone who held a grudge, and he hadn't forgotten about those 280,000 white sword energies!

"This scabbard doesn't even have a sword. How can it emit sword energy?" Xu Xiaoshou was very curious.

If this was a sword with spirit, it being able to emit sword energy would make sense.

But this was merely a sword scabbard.

Could it be that this scabbard could also be used to cause damage? A white sword energy?

Or could it be that this thing's predecessor had protected a great sword, and the interaction with the sword had also made this scabbard spiritual?

Xu Xiaoshou pulled out Hiding Pain. The black sword drooped, a stark contrast to the scabbard, which was constantly quivering and struggling.

The black sword had even lost the impulse to devour its master after being struck by lightning.

Xu Xiaoshou hated the fact that his sword wasn't as powerful as he wished it was. "Look at that scabbard. It's more spiritual than you, a sword!" he said, talking to his sword.

"You've lost the ability to devour your master, and you've become weaker and weaker!

"You've been shivering for a long time, but there's no way you can escape from my palm. Can't you cut it out?" Xu Xiaoshou said to the scabbard, expecting it to respond in some way.

The scabbard started to quiver more and more. In anyone else's hands, it might've had a chance to break free, but the scabbard had no chance to do so in the tight grip of someone with a Master Level Physique.

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, pondering this.

In order to stimulate the formidable white sword energy, he'd tried all kinds of methods, including the spiritual source infusion, kindly persuasion, violent beating, and slamming.

All in vain!

"Is it really necessary to recognize the master?" Xu Xiaoshou dripped a droplet of his blood on the scabbard, but the blood slipped off, and his efforts were still in vain.

"It's preposterous!"

Xu Xiaoshou was angry.

He held up Hiding Pain and threatened, "If you don't give in, I'll stick you in it!"

Buzzing!

The black fallen scabbard quivered even more as it tried to break free from the big hand that controlled its fate, but it was unable to do so.

"Good, the more you resist, the more excited my sword will get!" Xu Xiaoshou said viciously.

As he was about to insert Hiding Pain into the scabbard, the sword wimped out and became soft and bent.

Xu Xiaoshou was perplexed.

"What's wrong with you? You're that much of a wimp?"

"You've been enjoying devouring your master. And now that I've found a scabbard for you, you wilt at the critical moment," he thought. "This might be a scabbard for a mighty sword. How many swords out there would like to have such a soul mate, yet you become soft when I get it for you."

"Straighten up for me!" he yelled.

Hiding Pain, with sword will infused into it by Xu Xiaoshou, straightened with a buzzing sound and emitted a formidable sword aura.

The scabbard quivered even more fiercely, like a virtuous woman who would never submit to the procurer.

Clang!

A crisp sword sound echoed in the empty space as Xu Xiaoshou sheathed Hiding Pain in the scabbard.

It was at this moment that the whole world seemed to fall silent as the scabbard seemed to stretch a little before weakening.

The scabbard stopped quivering. He wondered why.

Looking at Hiding Pain, Xu Xiaoshou could feel its joy even though it pretended to resist the forced arrangement.

"Haha, a shoddy sword!"

But…

If this scabbard had become spiritual because of the last sword, could it help Hiding Pain becoming spiritual too?

Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his chin, pondering this.

As a hot-blooded lad, he had a dream of "venturing the world with a sword" in his heart, but he didn't want to abandon Hiding Pain because he'd become too strong for the sword to keep up.

"But reality is cruel," he thought. "My fingers are now more powerful than this black sword. If it won't improve, it will not escape the fate of being abandoned."

"Come on, little Hiding Pain," he told it. "I will try to find something to help you improve later, otherwise…

"Your master will have no choice but to find another sword!"

Buzzing?

The Black Fallen Scabbard was desperate enough to stay motionless.

Hiding Pain paid no attention to what Xu Xiaoshou said, but it groaned cheerfully, seemingly pleased with its new companion.

Xu Xiaoshou's black hair fell onto his forehead.

"Sure, a shoddy sword."

Chapter 149: Roundhead?

For the first time, the Black Fallen Scabbard emotionally moved Xu Xiaoshou.

It never gave in, and was a touch aggrieved.

Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed, and he wondered if it could communicate with him.

This was a good thing!

"As long as you can communicate with me, recognizing me as your master will happen soon enough," he thought.

He patted the scabbard and comforted it, saying, "Don't worry. As long as you keep following me, you'll become famous on the continent."

The Black Fallen Scabbard didn't respond.

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, and he wondered if the scabbard didn't like the way he tried to comfort it.

"Don't look down on little Hiding Pain. Although it's currently weak, it might become a popular and famous sword in the future, so you don't have to feel aggrieved," he tried persuading it.

The Black Fallen Scabbard still wasn't moved.

Xu Xiaoshou started to become impatient. "Life is like having sex," he scolded it. "Since you can't refuse it, you'd better enjoy it!

"Anyway, you can't even run away from me, yet you're still so arrogant. You'd be better off listening to me. But if not, I don't care!" he snickered and flew forward, yet his Sense still continued to carefully observe it.

The Black Fallen Scabbard stirred with a great deal of anger, and Hiding Pain inside it became so scared that it almost came out.

Xu Xiaoshou held the black sword down with his hand.

He was only kidding. If he drove the sword away now, how could he make the scabbard yield later on?

The scabbard wouldn't yield while Hiding Pain was sheathed inside it, so he couldn't just let the sword come out. After the matter was settled, he intended to use this scabbard to develop many powerful moves!

"Don't make a scene," he told it. "With me, you'll have meat to eat. Or, I'll help you find your former master. Are you still upset because you were abandoned?" Xu Xiaoshou inquired.

The Black Fallen Scabbard showed a hint of joyful emotion.

Xu Xiaoshou looked pleased, and he wondered if this was, in fact, the reason why the scabbard was so stubborn.

"Did someone really abandon you?"

The scabbard became angry.

Xu Xiaoshou was amused. It turned out that the sword's breakthrough had come from the previous master. That was fantastic!

"How about this. You stay with me for the time being, and I'll try to help you find your former master. But I have no idea if he'll want you back. After all, he threw you into this sh*tty place," Xu Xiaoshou said casually.

Having had such a breakthrough, he believed he could eventually win the heart of the scabbard.

This scabbard seemed rather powerful, so it'd be worth the extra effort.

The Black Fallen Scabbard seemed to hesitate.

Xu Xiaoshou added, "I don't know how long you've been here, but if you don't come with me, you'll have to live your whole life alone when I leave in two days.

"And no new master, let alone the old master, will come this way again!"

Buzz!

The scabbard shook, and it was at this moment that Xu Xiaoshou felt he had a connection with it, just like he had with Hiding Pain.

Of course, his intimacy with Hiding Pain was incomparable to that he now felt like he had with the scabbard.

Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed. "It's done!"

"This scabbard seems to have an illustrious background. It wouldn't have such an arrogant temper otherwise. I must have picked up a treasure," he thought to himself.

"As long as the scabbard doesn't run away, I'll blame everything on Luo Leilei after I get out of the Tianxuan Gate. No one will know that I have the scabbard in my possession."

"Yo ho ho ho, yo ho ho ho ho," Xu Xiaoshou laughed a strange laugh, and he laughed so much he almost sounded like he'd gotten drunk off of fine wine.

He was too happy.

Phew!

A black shadow flew past underneath his feet.

After flying for a while, Xu Xiaoshou stopped as an afterthought. He leisurely turned around, and the figure did the exact same. Both of them were aghast.

"Xu Xiaoshou?" A smile spread across Yuan Tou's face.

"Roundhead?" The corners of Xu Xiaoshou's mouth gradually quirked up.

It was indeed a small world!

Both of them lamented the same feeling at the same time.

Yuan Tou's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness. As the saying goes, "You looked high and low till your iron shoes were worn out but still to no avail. Then you chanced upon it without even looking for it." This lad wouldn't get away today!

What?

Wait!

How was he able to fly?

The ruthlessness in his eyes was replaced with surprise, and Yuan Tou's whole body froze. "Have you broken through to Innate Level?"

Just a day ago, at the entrance to the array of the Tianxuan Gate, he'd witnessed with his own eyes this lad break through the ninth level of Spiritual Cultivation to reach the tenth level.

That was merely a day ago. How could he have achieved innateness so soon?

Even though he was in the Tixanxuan gate, his cultivation speed couldn't be that startling!

Yuan Tou felt like his entire worldview had collapsed, and he wondered if what Xu Xiaoshou had achieved fit the saying, "It's like three years passed after one day apart."

Suspected, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded graciously. "Yes, I'm already at the Innate Level."

"Xu Xiaoshou, don't think you can hide what level you're really at by using a little trick like flying," he sneered. "Today you'll be lost inside the Tianxuan Gate!"

Suspected, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned by this guy's intelligence, "Look at my body energy and tell me it isn't Innate."

"A little foolish trick. Do you really think I can't see through it?" Yuan Tou slammed his spear on the ground and jumped into the air.

Suspected, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou: "…"

He had no intention to have more exchanges with him and got straight to the point. "So you're the one that Zhang Xinxiong sent, right?"

"Not bad!" One corner of Yuan Tou's mouth twitched up. "Your path has come to an end. Remember this in your next life: it's not a good idea to touch a woman you shouldn't!"

"Woman?" Xu Xiaoshou was astonished, and he wondered if he meant Wen Chong.

This…

He stumbled a little. This information was a little too much to take in!

"So, Wen Chong is actually…" he thought.

Wrong!

That didn't feel right!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't believe it and asked sincerely, "Before I die, can you tell me who this woman is?"

"Heh. You're really going to pretend to be confused?" Yuan Tou's tone was morose.

"No, I really don't know who you mean. If you really can't tell me who she is, at least tell me this person's true gender," he said eagerly.

Yuan Tou" "…"

"What's wrong with you?" he thought. "I already told you that it's a woman!"

He couldn't help himself, and said, "Rao Yinyin."

"Rao Yinyin?" Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. So the woman turned out to be this gurgling person.

He remembered that he'd come in contact with some woman named Lan Xinzi when choosing his site in the Inner Yard, and that she'd guided him.

Well, Lan Xinzi?

Lan Zhang Rao?

"Am I being killed because of a love affair?" Xu Xiaoshou put a palm to his forehead. He was a little confused by the situation.

He'd thought that the cause of this matter was just Wen Chong, but the issue seemed to have changed.

"So you really came here to try and kill me?" Xu Xiaoshou gave up on trying to process it and chose to face the outcome head-on.

Yuan Tou shook his head. "The Tianxuan Gate will be open for only three days. If you don't get out in time, you'll only get lost in this small world."

He stared at Xu Xiaoshou. "I've never killed anyone. You got lost yourself."

"Huh!"

Xu Xiaoshou sneered. "I'm lost?" he thought. "Do you think this is the fifth personality?

"Self-deception!" he said lightly. "I, Xu Xiaoshou, have never killed an innocent person. If this matter has nothing to do with you, I advise you not to interfere.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at Yuan Tou and slowly extended a finger. "I'll give you a chance to leave immediately, and I'll pretend that I didn't see you here."

Yuan Tou's body suddenly gave off clicking sounds. He looked rather formidable in his set of black armor.

"Give me a chance?" He tilted his head and sneered, "You're teasing me!"

He pointed the Mysterious Overlord Spear diagonally at the blue sky, and his cold tone, as if seeping out from the cold prison of the Nine Hells, echoed beneath the firmament as he yelled, "The Mysterious Realm!"

After he shouted this, the gravity in their surroundings increased by tenfold. The spiritual energy in heaven and earth fell all of a sudden, and the ground instantly collapsed more than ten dozen feet.

Boom!

Xu Xiaoshou's shoulders sank suddenly, like a heavy mountain was pressing down on him, and he fell straight to the ground and was deeply embedded in it.

"Gravity change?"

He gritted his teeth and quickly straightened his back, the bones in his body making snapping sounds.

"I have a Master Level Physique, so there's nothing you can do to me!" he thought.

With cold eyes, Xu Xiaoshou gripped Hiding Pain in the Black Fallen Scabbard, and an eerie sword will emanated from him.

Even though he knew that Yuan Tou had been sent by Zhang Xinxiong, he'd tried his best to sincerely ask him to give up his assassination attempt, so he now had no choice but to kill him.

"People who are about to die have no need to speak!" he thought. This was more advice for himself rather than for Yuan Tou.

"Let's fight!"

Chapter 150: Tousand Leaf Stream, Sword-Draw Style, Black Fallen Strike!

When he saw how Xu Xiaoshou gripped the hilt of his sword, he knew what the lad's next move was.

"Sword-draw style?" Yuan Tou snorted.

As one of the few people who knew Xu Xiaoshou's true fighting ability, and as one who'd even witnessed Chao Shu's death, Yuan Tou had taken the time to carefully study the various moves of the youth before him.

It was unknown where this lad had learned such a strange "sword-draw style," which had an amazing power, but the more amazing thing was his sword speed!

Few people at Master Level would be able to respond to such a formidable sword speed in time without being prepared for it in advance.

Unexpectedly, Xu Xiaoshou spoke a few simple words while holding Hiding Pain in his hands.

"The Sword-draw Style… Evolved!

"Thousand Leaf Stream, Sword-draw style, Black Fallen Strike!"

Yuan Tou was baffled. He wondered if this was… an extended tactical term.

Then he saw the lad lower his head and pat the scabbard in his hand, whispering, "Make me look good and cooperate with me…"

Yuan Tou didn't feel so good!

Was this lad playing him?

His strongest long-range move was the "Mysterious Realm," but this spiritual technique seemed to have no effect on Xu Xiaoshou's Innate Level Physique.

The only option left was close-range combat… Yuan Tou was waiting for Xu Xiaoshou to strike, but the strike never came. Xu Xiaoshou continued dilly-dallying around.

The Mysterious Overlord Spear shook once, becoming impatient.

Yuan Tou no longer hesitated. Even if Xu Xiaoshou were to suddenly strike, he had no choice but to draw closer to him.

Swoosh!

A hundred meters away, a strike arrived.

The Black Fallen Scabbard in Xu Xiaoshou's hand shook once, and Yuan Tou suddenly felt sword energy coming from it.

His heart beat faster. As long as he could block the sword energy, he would be able to seize the opportunity to finish Xu Xiaoshou off.

Clang!

Seeing Xu Xiaoshou reluctantly draw his sword and strike hastily, a sinister smile almost appeared on Yuan Tou's face, but then he froze suddenly.

"My God!" he thought. "How come there's so much sword energy?"

As far as he could see, the frequent sword energies kept getting stronger as Xu Xiaoshou pulled out his sword. They filled the space around him.

"Crap!"

Yuan Tou was panicked. As far as he could remember, there was no mention of such a formidable "sword-draw style" in the information he'd gotten!

This couldn't be the freaking sword-draw style. It was more like a human splicing machine.

Due to the momentum, Yuan Tou was unable to turn back. All he could do was raise the Mysterious Overload Spear and seize an opportunity to slash it down.

"Mountain Heavy!"

Boom!

The powerful force knocked the incoming white sword energy into pieces as if it were paper mache!

But before Yuan Tou could being to feel thrilled over this, he froze again.

His pupils gradually dilated, reflecting the white sword energy… behind the shattered white sword energy.

"How many freaking layers are there!" he thought.

"There's at least one thousand layers of sword energy!"

A large amount of meaningless white sword energy passed through his body, but a great deal of sword energy also remained inside his body.

Yuan Tou just managed to turn his heavy spear around to block the sword energy in front of him, but he was unable to block much of the energy, and the spear was knocked away by the sword energy.

The rest of the sword energy cut through his body.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked.

The moment he got the Black Fallen Scabbard, he'd had the idea of improving the "sword-draw style" because of the white sword energy on the Black Fallen Cliff.

But he hadn't expected this scabbard to have such a powerful effect after cooperating with his sword will.

"Who could withstand this?" he thought. "I should know. This is the sword energy that knocked me around, and I have a Master Level Physique!

"With the addition of my own sword will, the power has increased rather than decreased!"

"It's too strong!"

Xu Xiaoshou was excited. Looking at the Black Fallen Scabbard, he believed he'd truly picked up a treasure.

Among those sword energies that had been emitted earlier, only one of them had actually been emitted by himself. The rest was the power of this scabbard.

"Cough, cough, poof!"

In the distance, the sound of someone coughing up blood rang out. Xu Xiaoshou was astonished that his opponent hadn't died yet.

Yuan Tou was indeed alive, but he'd been greatly injured.

If it wasn't for his habit of wearing the "Black Mysterious Heavy Armor" before battles, he probably would've died here.

Looking at the armor, which had been struck to pieces, Yuan Tou felt his heart ache.

This was a seventh-grade defensive spiritual armor!

Its value was comparable to that of an attacking spiritual weapon at Master Level, but it'd been destroyed…

Yuan Tou reached out his hand to grab the Mysterious Overload Spear, intending to get up from the ground.

"Ka, ka!"

The spear had also shattered…

"Poof!"

Doubly struck, Yuan Tou spurted out a mouthful of blood.

"D*mn it…"

He looked at Xu Xiaoshou in the distance and wondered how the lad had grown in strength so fast in one day.

"Didn't this guy barely win with blood all over his body after fighting Chao Shu in a life and death battle?" he thought. "Why is it that I've lost in my fight with him just after one hit?"

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou had turned his attention away from his scabbard and was looking at his opponent.

To be honest, even though he'd killed Chao Shu and severely injured Luo Leilei, he didn't dare to treat this person differently.

This was because, in his opinion, all three of them were equally weak.

All of them were ants to someone like him, who was at Master Level!

But he really hadn't expected Yuan Tou to be so weak…

In his line of sight, he saw Yuan Tou, who was trapped in a deep pit, take out a small blood-red bottle and pour out… a drop of blood?

It was a golden blood… which was something he hadn't seen before.

Was this Yuan Tou's backup plan?

It was understandable that he'd probably prepared for this fight before coming since he'd witnessed the death of Chao Shu.

Yet Xu Xiaoshou didn't do anything to stop him.

He aspired to fight with someone in the hopes that they could push him to his limit. He didn't intend to win with just one strike every time.

That would put him in a confusing situation.

Yuan Tou swallowed the golden blood and grimaced.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at him curiously, as if he were observing a lab rat.

Rumble…

His muscles bulged and his hair grew.

Yuan Tou's eyes turned scarlet, and he grew by more than half of his own height, with bulky waist and shoulders. He looked like a giant!

Xu Xiaoshou felt disgusted, wondering what he'd become to have all this hair over his body.

"Yuan Tou… an ape… returning to the body of his ancestors?"

Ten feet tall, Yuan Tou stood up from the deep pit, looking quite formidable.

"Xu Xiaoshou…" His voice became rough and hoarse. "You have indeed become stronger, but eventually you will die because of your pride!"

Yuan Tou was also surprised that Xu Xiaoshou hadn't stopped him from taking the "throne essence blood." However, since he'd swallowed it, Xu Xiaoshou…

He would have to regret it in h*ll!

Xu Xiaoshou looked at him calmly and said indifferently, "If this is all you can do, then you're not worthy of my pride."

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Whoosh!

Yuan Tou, though his body looked clumsy, abruptly appeared in front of Xu Xiaoshou and slapped him across his face, sending the stunned Xu Xiaoshou flying!

Boom!

Xuan Tou found his hand being knocked backward at the same time. As a result, he was also sent flying!

"Cough… poof!" Xu Xiaoshou spurted blood!

"Holy shit! What the h*ll. This speed…"

Shocked, he wiped the blood off his lips.

That golden blood turned out to be extraordinary, as it'd improved Yuan Tou's strength to such an extent!

He'd thought that, with such a bulky body, this guy would move like a snail, so he'd failed to react fast enough to avoid the swift strike.

Xu Xiaoshou stood in the empty space and looked at Yuan Tou.

Though Yuan Tou's eyes were scarlet and had gone berserk, he hadn't completely lost his sanity.

Yuan Tou was also stunned.

What was it that when he'd slapped him he was knocked away, even though Xu Xiaoshou had obviously failed to react?

What was the reason for this?

His bloody pupils flashed with rage. Yuan Tou grew impatient and disappeared with a whooshing sound.

When he reappeared, he'd already arrived in front of Xu Xiaoshou and blasted him with a thrusting fist.

"Good timing!"

Faced with a fist the size of a maternity basin, Xu Xiaoshou didn't dodge. With a whistling wind, he thrust his own fist forward and didn't even bother adding spiritual elements.

Yuan Tou's eyes were full of disdain. He didn't even see Xu Xiaoshou's incoming fist. In his scarlet eyes, there was only a bean-sized man!

There was no sound at all as their fists clashed. The air exploded and shot up into the sky.

The falling snowflakes in the thousand square feet area were swept away by the soundless waves.

One second vacuum!

"Boom!"

The next moment, an earth-shattering sound resounded as the two fists clashed, and the two of them were sent flying backward at the same time.

Ten feet, a hundred feet, a thousand feet… Xu Xiaoshou could barely steady himself.

Ten feet, a hundred feet, a thousand feet… The giant-like Yuan Tou plummeted to the ground and then stopped.

It was a tie!

His scarlet eyes widened in shock. Yuan Tou was completely flabbergasted.

"How can this guy, with just a flesh body, match me, someone who just swallowed the 'throne of essence blood?'" he thought.

"He must be a freaking fiend!"

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Read I Am Loaded with Passive Skills Chapter 151 - The West Wind amid Fading Snow online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 151: The West Wind amid Fading Snow

"Heh!"

Xu Xiaoshou huffed a little and popped back in his dislocated fist. Thanks to the effects of Eternal Vitality, the injury was healed in the blink of an eye.

He was a little surprised.

Even though he looked a few sizes smaller than Yuan Tou, he had a Master Physique but was failing in terms of Strength.

That drop of blood… had the terrifying effect of increasing one's strength!

It must contain a power above that of Master Level…

Throne Level? Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank, and he realized he'd been overly arrogant earlier. He shouldn't have let this guy take the blood.

However, Yuan Tou certainly wouldn't last long after forcibly taking that stuff!

"Hahaha…"

Yuan Tou's laughter sounded a bit creepy. It didn't sound at all human.

Though he wouldn't be able to last much longer, the blood's effect would afford him enough time to complete the task, which was to behead Xu Xiaoshou.

"The lad's flesh strength actually resisted my blow," he thought. "It looks like his Innate Level Physique has already made a breakthrough… But so what?"

"The strength of 10,000 pounds!" Yuan Tou shouted.

He slammed both his fists on the ground, and his whole body sank halfway into the ground with a booming sound.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyelids twitched wildly when he saw this scene.

"This guy can change gravity. Ten thousand pounds… Is this the strength of his Innate attribute?"

As he was marveling at this peculiar attribute of Yuan Tou's, the giant disappeared again.

Xu Xiaoshou tightened his body. Then, he closed his eyes to help himself react more quickly with the help of Sense plus Agility.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

In an instant, he dodged Yuan Tou's heavy strikes, backward sweeps, and knee bumps…

However, Yuan Tou's reaction speed had obviously doubled. He seized an opportunity to grab Xu Xiaoshou and knocked him flying in the air with a furious blow from both his hands.

Bang!

Blood splashed.

Xu Xiaoshou was sent flying high into the sky like a kite with a broken string. Yet, during the uncontrollable flying journey, his injury almost healed…

Recoil also sent Yuan Tou flying backward. He had no idea what skill Xu Xiaoshou had employed to achieve this… But based on his experience, it was truly nasty!

He was unable to attack Xu Xiaoshou again. All he could do was wait for the Recoil effect to end to strike again.

"D*mn it!"

He tightened his legs, ready to jump up; but found that something was wrong.

With scarlet eyes, he looked at his palms and saw a fire seed on each of them. He wasn't sure when they'd been etched on his palms.

"From the blow earlier?"

The only explanation was that Xu Xiaoshou had taken advantage of their moment of contact to secretly employ a technique…

"So, he intentionally let me hit him?" he thought.

Yuan Tou felt his scalp prickle, and he looked at his palms again. But by the time he discovered the compressed fire seeds, the violent energy in them had already exploded.

Boom!

Boom!

Yuan Tou was knocked away.

His thick palms were pierced through. However, the power of the "throne essence blood" in his body was stimulated, and his injuries recovered.

Within a few moments, new flesh grew over the wounds!

"What's going on?"

He paid no mind to his own injuries and instead looked at Xu Xiaoshou, who was in the sky, in confusion, wondering… why the lad hadn't taken the opportunity to strike again.

Xu Xiaoshou, not faraway, tilted his head to look at his two fists. Who knew what he was thinking.

"What's wrong with him? He's fallen into a dazed state during the fight again."

Yuan Tou had a sneering look on his face, but he soon noticed that something was wrong.

It seemed there was a terrifying energy building atop Xu Xiaoshou's fists.

Yuan Tou's pupils shook as his spiritual thoughts swept over Xu Xiaoshou.

"This lad…" he thought.

"There's an additional compressed fire seed on each of his fists… Does he intend to clash fists with my fists, which have the added force of 10,000 pounds?"

Yuan Tou didn't feel so well.

This wasn't fair!

He'd bombarded Xu Xiaoshou with punches and could tell that he was severely injured, yet the lad was now alive and well again only a few moments later.

On the other hand, Yuan Tou had to take time to recover after each attack from Xu Xiaoshou's compressed fire seeds!

"How can I fight this?"

After the analysis, Yuan Tou the giant felt intimidated for the first time and thought that he shouldn't continue the fight anymore because the lad was too formidable. He might meet a very bad end!

However, he had no intention of yielding just yet. At the same time, the Infernal Heavens suddenly came out from underneath Xu Xiaoshou's feet and came at Yuan Tou.

"Little Roundhead, you're strength is very good!"

There was an excited smile on Xu Xiaoshou's face, as he thought that fighting was indeed the fastest way to prove himself.

"I've developed a new move. Let's have some fun!

"Little fireball fist!

"Ahh!"

With a furious shout, Xu Xiaoshou brought his fist toward Yuan Tou. Having suffered from the compressed fire seeds before, Yuan Tou had no intention to clash fists with Xu Xiaoshou's.

He slammed the ground with both hands and leapt into the air, dodging Xu Xiaoshou's punch.

Yuan Tou's face a little twisted.

"Why?" he thought. "Why do I have to avoid his direct attack? Strength is obviously my specialty. This combat is… too humiliating!

He wanted to pull out his "Mysterious Overload Spear," but the weapon was broken…

He felt even more humiliated!

Boom!

As he complained, Xu Xiaoshou, who was below him, struck another punch and missed, but he didn't stop his momentum and allowed the fire seeds to explode.

Yuan Tou wanted to jeer at him, but then he saw the lad rapidly flying toward him though he'd spurted some blood earlier.

"Good opportunity!"

His first thought had been to take advantage of the injuries he'd caused Xu Xiaoshou to kill him.

However, he'd instead witnessed that lad recover while being knocked away and, moreover, using the force of the counter-thrust to accelerate his next punch.

"Dodge!"

Yuan Tou instinctually reacted and tilted his head without a second thought to dodge it.

Woosh!

The wind whistled as Xu Xiaoshou punched the air, but he smoothly turned around and fiercely kicked Yuan Tou when Yuan Tou had no way to take advantage of his own strength.

"Foot of Little Fireball!"

Bang!

Yuan Tou was kicked into the depths of the ground. However, this blow didn't cause him much damage. Based on the name of the attack…

As expected, he looked down and saw the compressed fire seed between the footprints on his chest.

"D*mn!"

Boom!

A mushroom cloud rose up into the sky along with some fresh blood.

"Holy sh*it…"

Xu Xiaoshou's shoulders shrank in shock. He realized that the person in the ground had nowhere to retreat and would bear the blunt impact of the attack!

However, based on lessons learned, he didn't intend to give Yuan Tou a chance to survive.

"Five Fingerprint Seeds Technique!"

He erected all five of his fingers, and five fire seeds burned on their tips.

As a matter of fact, after achieving Innate Level, Xu Xiaoshou now had more proficient control over this self-created spiritual technique.

The number of fire seeds was no longer three and a half, but a full five!

Boo!

With a snap of his fingers, the five compressed fire seeds shot out like falling shooting stars and cut a perfect parabola as they all fell straight down toward the ground.

"Xu… Xiao… Shou…"

There was a large hole in Yuan Tou's chest, but he could still move. Yet, he felt extremely frustrated, as he'd been beaten back every step of the way so far during this fight.

He jumped from the deep pit.

Looking up, he happened to see the five compressed fire seeds falling from above.

Yuan Tou: ???

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Mushroom clouds rose up one after another, shooting up into the sky. The temperature rose to extremes in an area of several thousand square feet, and no spiritual fog could be seen between heaven and earth…

It was all dried up!

Looking down at the deep pit from a bird's eye view, blood and flesh were spraying everywhere, and it was hard to watch.

"Poof, cough… poof!"

After a long while, a commotion could be detected below.

Yuan Tou was shattered from head to toe, but he was being healed by the power of the essence blood. He was fully aware that it would be difficult for him to leave the Tianxuan Gate alive.

He hated himself!

Why did he have to wait another day?

Why didn't he follow his heart's desire and blast him to death when he'd seen him break through to the Tenth Level of Spiritual Cultivation?!

"Ahh!"

With red eyes, he tilted his head back and roared, straining to stand up again with his disabled body.

"I don't think it's fair… whoa!"

His eyes widened. Yuan Tou paused and then quickly covered his neck.

As far as he could see, there was no Xu Xiaoshou in this world.

"I gave you a chance, but unfortunately, you didn't cherish it," that abhorrent voice came from behind him.

Yuan Tou twisted his head around with difficulty. He felt pain in various parts of his body, but he failed to notice that he'd… turned his head one hundred and ten degrees around!

Pah!

Xu Xiaoshou slowly sheathed Hiding Pain, the hilt of the sword gently resting on the mouth of the Black Fallen Scabbard.

"White clouds drifting, number five: the west wind amid fading snow!"

A snowflake falling from the sky paused briefly. As if it'd been cut in half by a sharp blade, the snowflake broke in half, but its spiritual energy didn't disperse.

Dang!

Yuan Tou's big head fell from his neck and rolled onto the ground.

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Chapter 152: Picking up a Price

Heavy snow fell from the sky.

The snowflakes were all spiritual energy because of their structural components. They had nothing to do with the temperature between heaven and earth.

Xu Xiaoshou silently got up and put Hiding Pain and the scabbard into the ring on his chest.

The Black Fallen Scabbard seemed to sense Xu Xiaoshou's unpleasant mood, as it didn't come out to make trouble.

With his white clothes stained with blood, Xu Xiaoshou crouched down on the ground and took a look at the large corpse in front of him.

The surging power was still seeping into this world. It must be the remaining energy of the golden blood.

"Why should I mind?"

As far as killing humans was concerned, he didn't think highly of the idea. Yet, facing the giant corpse in front of him, he didn't experience the heart palpitations he'd felt the first time.

After all, he'd changed…

Xu Xiaoshou gently shook his head. He was just a little too sentimental.

Yuan Tou could've lived, but he'd insisted on getting himself involved with matters concerning Xu Xiaoshou and Zhang Xinxiong, and this had ultimately put his life and death beyond his control.

"Maybe the world operates this way. Choices sometimes mean life or death."

Puff!

Xu Xiaoshou lit a fire and watched as the giant in front of him gradually disappeared.

Suddenly, he flew up and rushed into the flame of the Infernal Heaven; and he pulled out…

A ring.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled broadly. "My God, I've finally gotten some loot from a fight for the first time."

He'd killed several people, yet either he'd hit his opponent a little too hard out of fear that they wouldn't die if he didn't hit hard enough, or other incidents would occur after he killed them.

In short, he'd never experienced the joy of picking up a prize.

"Ahem, sorry. I forgot you were still here."

Xu Xiaoshou put on a mournful look, hid the ring at his waist, and waited until the flames had burned out and causality was broken to joyfully take it out again.

He swept his spiritual thoughts over the ring and found that the guy had more inventory than he did.

Well… He was a senior disciple of the Inner Yard, so that was to be expected.

In addition to some miscellaneous items, the most noticeable thing inside the ring was the spiritual crystals numbering in the tens of thousands that were all piled up into several small mountains.

Xu Xiaoshou had never seen so many spiritual crystals in all his life, and he almost started drooling.

He'd fought in the perilous Wind and Cloud Competition, and just the spiritual crystals in this one ring outnumbered the rewards he'd gotten for becoming champion. No wonder people were so interested in committing robberies to get rich…

"Pooh, this isn't a good idea. I, Xu Xiaoshou, is a righteous person who would never do such a fly-by-night thing!"

He continued combing through the contents in the ring.

Apart from the spiritual crystals, there were many bottles and jars.

Spirit pills, red gold pills… There were thousands of such fundamental magic pills.

Xu Xiaoshou's jaw dropped.

"This is too rich," he thought. "And…"

Origin Court Pill!

Seeing the familiar but unused pills numbering in the hundreds, Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

"My God, this is Yuan Tou's entire inventory. How long did it take him to collect all this?"

Xu Xiaoshou searched around for a while, but he didn't find what he'd wanted most: the golden blood.

For such a precious item, just one drop would've been enough.

"What a pity. If I'd know that was all he had, I wouldn't have let him eat it."

After learning such a lesson, Xu Xiaoshou decided that he would never again give his enemy such a chance in the future.

"Having a mishap isn't a big deal," he thought. "The main thing to be learned here is that once used, the trump card is gone forever!"

"The next time I encounter an enemy, I must kill them in one blow. In so doing, I'll be able to harvest more…"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded grimly and added one more clause to his "strategy against the enemy" in his mind.

The "strategy against the enemy" didn't have much content. It was mostly from lessons learned after encountering enemies in the past.

Liu Zhen: This enemy hides their cultivation level.

Wen Chong: Chooses a proper angle for a sneak attack.

Feng Kong: The enemy's cultivation skill possibly wasn't as high as one imagined.

Now there was one more…

Yuan Tou: Kills with one hit in order to get a bigger prize…

Having written down these notes, Xu Xiaoshou gave himself a pep talk. "Come on, Xu Xiaoshou! The road ahead is still long, and life experiences need to be summarized in order for one to keep improving!"

After emptying the ring, he burned the other miscellaneous items inside, then used his spiritual thoughts to sweep the surroundings. There was no one nearby.

"Very good. Roundhead has successfully vanished."

Xu Xiaoshou leapt up and left this place full of mishaps.

The battle had made a big impact on him. Yuan Tou, who'd taken the golden blood, had finally been able to inflict damage on him, but it'd also showed him just how powerful his own fighting strength really was.

With Eternal Vitality and Recoil, his envisioned tug-of-war strategy had fully formed. As long as the enemy couldn't kill him in seconds, only death would await them.

With the support of various passive techniques, he'd found that he could suppress and restrain his opponent in close combat, even if said opponent had the power of a Master Level Physique.

The "Small Fireball Fist" he'd created from a stroke of genius could take advantage of the difference between his and his opponent's attributes to accomplish an explosive attack.

Well, the reinforcements this time had been really explosive!

Yet, if employed carelessly, the end result would be crushed bones and body.

The ending technique "west wind amid fading snow"…

Xu Xiaoshou was very satisfied with the name. He'd finally broken away from the series of "white cloud drifting" names and come up with a new naming system. He'd become a little genius in naming techniques!

This technique had made full use of Agility and the super cutting power of sword-drawing to accomplish the beheading.

But the power itself wasn't important.

Xu Xiaoshou was more interested in how the spiritual technique had enabled him to suddenly appear behind his enemy and then slowly withdraw his sword to finish off his opponent.

WIth Agility this time, he'd finally realized his little dream.

The only thing that had gotten in the way was…

Xu Xiaoshou felt that he'd talked too much, and that if he'd talked less, the situation would've been better.

"Well, the situation now is quite good. One can't be too demanding. Well, that's it!"

Phew!

Sensing the change in Xu Xiaoshou's mood, the Black Fallen Scabbard came outside the ring along with Hiding Pain for some fresh air.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately grabbed the scabbard. Though this thing seemed to have recognized him as the owner, he still wasn't so sure.

But nothing was more real than what was held in one's hands.

Hiding Pain made a buzzing sound, seemingly a little dissatisfied with Xu Xiaoshou's preferential treatment.

Xu Xiaoshou was amused.

How could it compare itself with the scabbard?

The "Thousand Leaf Flow, Sword-Draw Style, Black Fallen Strike" had not only scared Yuan Tou, but also himself!

He'd originally intended to enhance the power of the "sword-draw style," not expecting that its power would be magnified a thousand times after being reinforced by the Black Fallen Scabbard.

The process had changed the most powerful single technique into the most powerful group of techniques!

"Tsk."

"Unknowingly, I, Xu Xiaoshou, have become this strong?"

He giggled happily, and, in an excited mood, flew aimlessly in the sky.

"Calm down. Don't get too conceited…"

After a long while, he calmed down and activated his will, making a jade scroll appear in his hand.

It was the map of the Tianxuan Gate Mu Zixi had given to him. Xu Xiaoshou pressed it to his forehead, and the contents inside immediately surfaced.

"Where should I go?" Xu Xiaoshou scratched his neck.

Assuming that each trial secret realm had a treasure similar to the Black Fallen Scabbard, there should be twelve treasures at the twelve markers on the map.

Calculating the time, there was only a day or so left before the Tianxuan Gate opened again.

"Emptying all those treasures in such a short time would be impossible, but I could at least find one or two more…"

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the map again and found that there were two big markings on it.

One was the "Black Fallen Cliff," which he'd already been to.

The second was the "Moro Secret Forest." This should be the place where Mu Zixi did her trial.

"Elder Sang probably marked them!" Xu Xiaoshou speculated. Theoretically speaking, it was very likely that these were the places Elder Sang had recommended each of them to go to cultivate.

Yet, being that the old man had recommended them, these two places were most likely anything but simple and were possibly the best two of the Tianxuan Gate's trial secret places.

The best secret places must have a great deal of treasure…

Time was tight, and Xu Xiaoshou wanted to seek the best place, so he immediately made up his mind.

Using a star in the sky that always pointed north, Xu Xiaoshou found the direction and sped away.

"Little sister, your senior brother is coming to see you!"

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Chapter 153: The Life Spiritual Seal

The Moro Secret Forest.

The ancient trees were lush and green, their canopies completely covering the heavens and the earth.

Unlike the sullen deadness of other trial secret realms in the Tianxuan Gate, this was the only place with life.

Almost every hole under the big tree could accommodate several nests of squirrels.

Under the dim light beneath the tree canopy and above an ancient well, spiritual energy and life force were riotously converging as if they were being sucked in by a black hole.

The direction of the airflow was clearly visible; it was coming in all directions and converging on a small girl.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…"

Mu Zixi, who was covered with all kinds of greens, trembled with relief and joy, bubbles frothing from her lips.

She was like a salted fish on the grill. Involuntarily, she turned over and over again, receiving a roasting of life force on all sides.

The most direct source of life force was coming from the ancient well underneath.

The gold-green energy was rushing into her energy reserve. Mu Zixi had been in this state for more than a day, and her cultivation level was improving from the infusion of energy.

Her cultivation level had skipped the middle stage, reaching the late of the Origin Court Level from the early stage, and just kept improving.

"Boo-boo."

In the ancient well, a commotion suddenly occurred. It seemed like the water bubbles were rupturing.

The gold-green energy column grew bigger and thicker, as if something inside had ruptured, then leaked out an even more majestic life force.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the ancient well shook violently, and a gold-green light shot out.

The light coincidentally shot directly into the mouth of Mu Zixi, who'd just so happened to turn over face down.

"Whoa!" Seemingly choking, the careless girl instantly came back to her senses and stuck a finger down her throat.

"Vomit, vomit."

Mu Zixi tried to vomit twice, but the stuff seemed to be stuck in her throat and wouldn't come out nor go down. Drool dribbled out of her mouth while her eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"I… I'm going to die like this. This is ridiculous."

Her eyes were dark red, and hot tears were pouring down her cheeks.

It's said that your life flashes before your eyes before you die, so Mu Zixi struggled to keep breathing to see all the scenes from years before that she could remember.

Yet, all the scenes ended with the familiar entrance to the Tiansang Spirit Palace and didn't show anything before this.

"Sure enough, it's all a lie."

She wiped the tears off her cheeks, intending to shake out the thing that was stuck in her throat by employing her spiritual source, but the thing unexpectedly released an amount of life force that was larger than what'd she absorbed by the ancient well earlier!

"Whoa!"

Mu Zixi's pretty eyes were full of disbelief. She straightened her entire body and pushed out her stomach as far as she could.

A fragrant aroma leaked out from various parts of her body. The tall ancient trees in the secret forest rustled, dropping their branches toward the source of it.

"Mm."

An alluring moan rang out. If Xu Xiaoshou were here, he would've empathized with her temptation to groan.

The spiritual energy swirled, and her cultivation experienced a breakthrough, reaching the peak of the Origin Court Level!

Anyone's jaw would've dropped to the ground if they'd witnessed such swift cultivation progress.

In fact, at the level of the Origin Court, even if it was the early and middle stages, the spiritual energy contained at the level was much more than the sum of all the spiritual energies at the tenth level.

However, this kind of cultivation breakthrough was happening to this girl.

Her twin ponytails stood up as Mu Zixi pushed her whole body higher and higher until she almost reached the top of the tree. Then, she bent forward like a deflating ball.

"Puff!"

She vomited out a fist-sized delicate seal. She hastened to grab the wet object, and, after checking the item's size, her eyes suddenly widened.

How could such a large seal have gotten into her throat?

She was totally stunned. She landed on the ground while holding the seal, and it was then that she found something was wrong with her surroundings.

It looked like the ancient trees were a few inches higher than they were yesterday.

D*mn it!

Or had she shrunk?

"No way," she thought. "Did I suck too much in again?"

Horrified, Mu Zixi slapped her chest with her hands, then heard a snapping sound—the sound of bone meeting bone.

"Ahh!"

Her shriek pierced the air, startling the birds resting amid the ancient forest, and was followed by a choked and desperate sigh.

"Woo, woo, woo. Why have I grown smaller again?"

The little girl squatted next to the ancient well and helplessly hugged her knees. She stuck her head into the well. Although it was dim inside the well, she could still see her own reflection on the surface of the water and found that her own cheeks looked a bit more tender now.

"Woo, woo, woo…"

A hint of regret could be heard in her sobs. It was the flesh, but how come the grown flesh was gone?

She grabbed her twin ponytails with one hand and fiercely waved her other hand, which was holding the gold-green seal, in the air.

"D*mn it. I'll never suck it again!"

Snap!

There was the sound of a tree branch being trampled.

Mu Zixi lowered the gold-green seal from under her nose and curiously looked in the direction of the noise while flicking her twin ponytails.

"Senior Sister Mo?"

It was none other than Mo Mo. She was in a green dress, and the small copper furnace was still in her hand. She looked calm and elegant.

Seeing the gold-green seal in Mu Zixi's hand, Mo Mo couldn't help but utter in surprise, "The Life Spiritual Seal. You got it?"

It was the Life Spiritual Seal! Mu Zixi's long lashes fluttered as she looked at the small seal in her hand and subconsciously held it more tightly.

"It's mine!" She turned her body sideways, obviously vigilant.

This was something she'd obtained after painfully dragging it out of her throat. Although she had no idea how it'd appeared, she was certain it was a precious treasure since it'd demonstrated such a strong life force.

With this stuff, she could save herself the large expenses for the "Shengxuan Pill," which meant many more skirts and snacks for herself!

"Can you give it to me? I could give you something in return," Mo Mo said while coming closer.

Mu Zixi hurriedly backed up, slightly alarmed. "No."

She didn't have much contact with Mo Mo. In fact, she almost had zero contact with Mo Mo. But since the outer yard 'Windcloud Competition, she'd always kept an eye on this elder sister.

The woman seemed rather unusually dangerous.

Mu Zixi didn't know why, but she had such a feeling for some reason and thought it was her sixth sense.

Even though Xu Xiaoshou was very powerful, in her opinion he wasn't as dangerous as Mo Mo.

Mo Mo looked very serious. "I really need it."

Mu Zixi wrapped the "Life Spiritual Seal" in her arms while moving backward. "I also need it," she said solemnly.

It became quiet for a while. The wind was blowing up sand and stones, and the grass and trees were slightly bent.

Mo Mo looked at her. "I'll make a move."

"Okay, go ahead!" Mu Zixi leapt to the top of the tree and smiled slightly. "But this is my territory, so you may not be able to beat me."

Mo Mo hesitated.

Even though Mu Zixi was only at the peak of the Origin Court Level, aided by the favorable Moro Secret Forest her true fighting strength might be unmeasurable.

Not to mention that she was merely at the Unoccupied Void Level. Even someone at the Upper Spirit Level might suffer a defeat in her hands!

However, before she could give up on the idea of attacking, her right hand tremored slightly, completely dispelling the thought.

Mo Mo looked at the girl in green atop the tree again and said gently, "Be careful!"

Swoosh!

She instantly disappeared after making this remark.

Mu Zixi's eyes were ablaze.

From the bottom of her heart, she had no intention to fight Mo Mo, but she wouldn't back down if she had to.

She clapped her small hands and said delicately, "Dear trees, rise!"

Charge, charge, charge!

All the trees within a hundred-foot radius instantly became agitated. They twisted their trunks and branches like they were possessed and went mad, growing higher at once.

"Wave!"

The endless branches crisscrossed like innumerable carps crossing the river, vying to be the first to reach the bank.

Boom!

Though Mu Zixi couldn't see where Mo Mo was at the moment, all she needed to do was launch an attack in the nearby surroundings.

Under the relentless pounding of the uncontrolled branches, even the air would explode, not to mention Mo Mo!

A silhouette could be seen flying up into the sky and getting close to Mu Zixi.

Yet, Mu Zixi didn't panic. As she watched Mo Mo fly up into the sky with a stunned expression on her face, she felt pleased.

"Hehe."

A devilish smile crawled across her mouth, and two tiger's teeth glittered between her lips.

Mu Zixi lowered her gaze, fixing her eyes on the tree branch that was wrapped around Mo Mo's waist. Then, she clapped her small hands.

Phew!

Mo Mo was pulled down.

"Little trees evolve into big trees!"

With a booming sound, a dozen ancient trees moved into position after being forcibly blended together and circled around Mo Mo!

Boom!

After another booming sound, hundreds of ancient trees were called in and violently bombarded Mo Mo! It was like a monument built with giant trees on the ground.

Buzz!

Thousands of ancient trees shook.

The fire blazing in Mu Zixi's eyes dimmed slightly, and she calmed down.

Not so much, not so much.

Yet, she relentlessly clenched and unclenched her hands.

"Explosion!"

Chapter 154: The Six Dust-Sealed Gates

"It's a pity having to destroy such a pretty young lady. Why did she have to attack me?" Mu Zixi thought.

She lifted her head and proudly looked up at the sky, a trace of regret in her big eyes.

However, the expected violent booming sound didn't occur.

She looked down in confusion.

"Explosion!"

She clapped her small hands, but nothing happened below except for a few "pah" sounds.

What was going on?

"Explosion!!!"

She clapped her hands so hard that her palms hurt, but, it was still deadly quite below.

"Awkward, awkward…"

A few birds flew by overhead, and their chirping sounds were rather loud given how quiet the environment was.

There was a gloomy look on Mu Zixi's face, and she was so angry that she almost knocked the two birds down.

"Why didn't they explode?" She asked herself, suspicious.

She could detonate the entire Moro Secret Forest, not to mention the "wooden monument" built by hundreds of ancient trees below.

Ahem. It might be difficult to detonate the whole forest, but it would be easy for her to blow a patch of it up.

So why didn't anything happen?

As she pondered this, a slight noise occurred at the "wooden monument" below, and she strained her ears to listen.

Clang.

Clang.

Clang, clang, clang…

The peculiar noise grew louder and louder. Mu Zixi's pupils shrank. She could tell that the "wooden monument" was rapidly being destroyed from the inside out, as if a trapped beast were trying to claw its way out of its cage.

Bang!

The next moment, wood splinters sprayed in all directions, and a figure in a green dress calmly walked out.

The small copper furnace was still in Mo Mo's hand, and sandalwood incense was rising from it. She seemed quite composed, her face showing neither joy nor astonishment.

Mu Zixi was dazed.

"Completely unharmed?"

Even though there hadn't been an explosion, shouldn't she have at least been injured a little from being blasted by hundreds of ancient tree branches?

Why did she still look strong?

Moreover, besides a few crinkles in her dress, it looked like nothing at all had happened to her.

"Is the power of dust-sealed gates really so formidable?" Mu Zixi's heart sank, and the happiness she'd felt before disappeared in a flash.

Mo Mo tilted her head up, saying nothing. The seal in her hand flew up.

Mu Zixi felt a cold chill prickle her scalp. She'd witnessed the battle between Xu Xiaoshou and this woman and knew that the battle would overwhelmingly side in the woman's favor if she set up the seal.

"Since I don't have the Innate sword will, especially the one that can control an opponent, it'll be hard for me to turn the tide of the battle," she thought to herself.

"OMG, why are you looking to fight me? I don't want to fight anymore…"

Mu Zixi wanted to flee. This fight wasn't worth her while. She would gain nothing if she won, but she might lose the "Life Spiritual Seal" if she lost.

"I don't like making losing trades!" After making this excuse, she grabbed a large number of seeds with both of her hands and leapt backward to leave.

Mo Mo stayed calm. The seal stopped, hanging in the air.

"The great wind speaks!"

No sooner had she spoken these words than the heavens and earth changed colors, and a very eerie, gloomy wind seemed to sweep across the entire "Moro Secret Forest."

Woosh, woosh…

Mu Zixi looked up and was horrified to see black clouds bearing down on her.

"Is it true that a swordsman at Master Level can use their own cultivation to affect the environment on earth and in the heavens?" she thought.

Mu Zixi fixed her eyes on Mo Mo and found that the woman in front of her was only at the beginning of the Innate cultivation level…

"Master Spiritual Skill!"

This was the only explanation, as what she'd demonstrated wasn't an ordinary master spiritual technique but a super high-level one.

Yet, a high-level master spiritual skill was rare, even in the Tiansang Spirit Palace!

"Senior Sister Mo has an illustrious background…"

Her premonition from a long time ago had now been confirmed, but Mu Zixi didn't feel at all happy.

Before she could go far, the gloomy wind sealed a large portion of the forest.

It was at this moment that Mu Zixi felt herself lose all connection with "Moro Secret Forest." It'd been severed… Well, to be more precise, sealed.

She couldn't receive any useful information, nor judge the situation by means of her grass and wood heavenly eyes. But this wasn't the worst of it…

Soon, Mu Zixi could only see a few steps in front of her.

The rest was a complete blur!

"Woosh!"

Mu Zixi, who was leaping through the air, suddenly forcibly stopped, not daring to set down her foot, which hung suspended in midair.

As the wind swept by, a gray gate was intermittently visible.

Phew!

She threw the seeds in her hand over the gray gate. However, the seeds turned into fossils and sand and then broke into pieces before they could finish the process of growing into ancient wood.

Mu Zixi: ? ? ?

She could smell the faint whiff of death in the air, and stumbled.

"Sister Mo! Stop, I'm not worth it!"

But her voice was scattered by the wind before it could go far. Mu Zixi knew that everything around her was sealed by this gloomy wind and that the words she'd said from her heart probably wouldn't reach Mo Mo.

"Mo Mo… is really this strong?" The little girl's eyelids fluttered. She was somewhat baffled.

She was confident that Mo Mo wasn't this powerful that day she'd fought against Xu Xiaoshou…

She turned around and changed directions. However, before she could take another step, she stopped again.

To her left was a gray gate…

As she turned around, she found there was another one to her right!

Mu Zixi circled back and forth and finally found that all sides were blocked by this gray gate.

She was surrounded?

"Help!"

But her desperate shout was only audible inside her lonely soul.

Beyond the gloomy wind…

Mo Mo's fingers were interlaced, her hands hanging in the air.

"Six Dusty-Sealed Gates!" her emotionless voice rang out.

Boom!

As the dust settled, six gray gates closed in and turned into a six-sided grey mist crystal, trapping Mu Zixi within.

"Scatter!"

The gloomy wind scattered, and the world saw light again.

Mo Mo's delicate body swayed slightly. It must've taken a lot out of her to employ this type of sealing technique.

But this was the only style of sealing technique that could trap the enemy without hurting them.

"This is…" Inside the grey mist crystal, Mu Zixi looked at the four walls with shock, feeling an inexplicable sense of deja vu.

Obviously, she'd never seen this style before, but why could she all of a sudden understand everything about it?

And an unheard name even popped into her head…

At this time, she could already see Mo Mo and thought her voice might reach her.

"Seal of Holy Emperor…"

Mo Mo swayed again. It seemed that employing such a spiritual technique was incredibly taxing, as she was hardly able to remain standing.

"Whom?" Mu Zixi asked curiously.

"The Six Dust-Sealed Technique?" Seeing Mo Mo's reaction, Mu Zixi believed that the terms that had suddenly appeared in her mind were most likely real.

It might have something to do with her lost memories…

"Senior Sister Mo, who the h*ll are you? Sealing attributes themselves are rare, let alone the one you used. Whom did you learn this sealing technique… from?"

Mu Zixi held her two ponytails, feeling a little relaxed now that she knew Mo Mo had no intention of killing her.

As long as she didn't jump over the "Dust-Sealed Gates," she should be safe.

Of course, if she couldn't find a way to break out, then she would be trapped in here forever.

Mo Mo swallowed a pill. "You can't beat me, and I don't want to hurt you," she said, not answering Mu Zixi's question. "Still, I could give you a treasure in exchange for your 'Life Spiritual Seal.'"

Mu Zixi was silent.

She tried to communicate with the outside world beyond the grey mist crystal, but her efforts were in vain.

"The seal must be a kind of energy…" she thought. She took out the "Life Spiritual Seal" and added spiritual thought. Life force surged into her body.

She reached out her hands and touched the gates.

Click, click…

Her palms fossilized, but the fossilized area instantly shrank as it was attacked by the life force.

There was a pained expression on Mu Zixi's face, but her expression turned joyful soon after.

"Senior Sister Mo, this seal can't trap me!"

Mo Mo was a little surprised. She didn't expect the little girl to use the "Life Spiritual Seal" to turn the tables. This little smart girl…

"Don't try it!"

Seeing that the little girl was ready to jump out, Mo Mo pinched her fingers, and gray fog poured out from the crystal. Mu Zixi immediately felt her whole body grow weak, and her spiritual source was even sealed.

D*mn it…

The little girl tried her hardest not to fall into the grey foggy gate below, but she had no way to fight back since her spiritual source was sealed!

"Should I meekly hand over the 'Life Spiritual Seal'"? she thought.

Mu Zixi was very upset. Doing so would mean she'd been choked for nothing.

Mo Mo took out a ring and said quietly: "Give me the seal, and this ring is yours."

"I…"

Ths sealing power was simply too terrifying. Struggling, no matter how hard, would only delay the inevitable outcome.

Mu Zixi was just about to give up her struggle and say something when a cheerful laughter was heard in the distance.

"Whoa, you're having so much fun over here. Let me, Xu Xiaoshou, join you!"

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Chapter 155: Senior Brother, Help Me!

It'd taken Xu Xiaoshou, who'd ridden all the wind and cloud waves, half a day to get here.

In such a short period of time, he'd already stabilized his initial entry into the Innate Level by employing Breathing Technique, and his level had improved.

This was probably the difference between active and passive cultivations. When he was in an environment like this that had such a high concentration of spiritual energy, he could improve his cultivation, even if all he did was stand still.

Though the "Moro Secret Forest" was very large, finding two people was very easy.

Looking down with a bird's-eye view from the sky, he could see a deep green with a bald patch in the middle, which was rather conspicuous.

Xu Xiaoshou stopped atop a tree. On one side was the surprised Mo Mo, and on the other was Mu Zixi, who wanted to leap but didn't dare to move.

"Xu Xiaoshou, help. She wants to rob me!"

Mu Zixi had finally found a savior, and that savior was none other than her senior brother, with who she shared the same master!

Xu Xiaoshou looked the small girl, who was in the midst of the gray mist crystal, up and down, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. Why had she grown smaller again?

He quickly focused on the gold-green seal in the hands of Mu Zixi. If he was right, the two of them were fighting for this thing.

The life energy inside was so strong it was just like the magic pills. Just by looking at it, one could feel themselves become a few years younger.

Xu Xiaoshou turned around and cupped a hand behind his ear, shouting, "What did you call me?"

Mu Zixi paused for a moment before crying without the slightest shame, "Senior Brother, help me!"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded in satisfaction. "Good. You won't die because of this answer."

Won't die?

Mu Zixi was dumbfounded. She wouldn't die, even without his help. All Mo Mo wanted was to rob her. The worst that could happen was her having to trade the seal with Mo Mo for something else, so why would she die?

A second later, Xu Xiaoshou's voice rang out again. "Can you throw me the item in your hand?" he called. "This senior brother wants to have a look first."

Mu Zixi's expression turned gloomy.

She wasn't stupid enough to let her Senior Brother take the "Life Spiritual Seal" from her hands. She believed that Senior Brother and Mo Mo had the same intentions.

Curse, Passive Points 1.

"Get me out of here first, then I'll show you!"

"Hey, this girl is quite clever," Xu Xiaoshou thought. She'd realized what his plans were, and now he couldn't do anything.

He looked to the other side.

Mo Mo also floated up to the treetop and looked at this uninvited guest who intended to break the deadlock. "Xu Xiaoshou, this matter has nothing to do with you," she said calmly. "Don't interfere."

She didn't know that Xu Xiaoshou was also a disciple of Elder Sang. She thought the two calling each other brother and sister was simply them following the habit established in the Outer Yard.

Hearing this, Mu Zixi almost laughed out loud, thinking it impossible for Xu Xiaoshou to do nothing.

It was impossible!

She passionately looked at her own Senior Brother, but Xu Xiaoshou simply took a step back after hearing what Mo Mo said, and then stood aside with his arms folded in front of his chest.

"Okay, you guys go ahead and fight. I'll watch from the side." Xu Xiaoshou felt that since he couldn't get what he wanted, he should simply be a fisherman and wait for the fish to drop on his lap.

Mu Zixi: ???

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

She was so angry that her twin ponytails flew straight up and she almost rushed out of the grey mist crystal to fight Xu Xiaoshou. But, fortunately, the little bit of sanity she still had left suppressed the impulse.

"Xu Xiaoshou, you're crazy!" she shouted. "Break this grey mist crystal with your sword energy right now."

It seemed that the only thing that could blast this crystal was a long-range, high-output attack.

Melee combat wasn't desirable while encountering sealing power.

Xu Xiaoshou was amused. "Why should I help you?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" Mu Zixi, thought, pausing for a second before becoming furious. "You're my senior brother now. How can you sit back and watch your little sister being bullied?

"D*mn it!"

Cursed, Passive Points 1, 1, 1, 1.

Mu Zixi looked back at the grey mist crystal in despair, feeling somewhat hesitant.

Although she'd tried it earlier, she might be able to force her way out of the "Dust-Sealed Gates" with the protection of the "Life Spiritual Seal." But what if she failed?

She couldn't afford to gamble!

One mistake could end her life!

On the other hand, since all three of them wanted the spiritual seal, whoever made the first move would surely be the first to fall.

Thus, it'd be better to let these two people fight for it first, as she'd be the one to at once benefit from their misfortune!

There was a cunning look on Mu Zixi's face as she rolled her eyes. She said to Mo Mo, "Senior Sister Mo, help me to untie the seal and I'll give you the spiritual seal!"

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, unsure what this girl was trying to achieve.

Mo Mo slowly shook her head. "Throw me the item first, then I'll unseal it."

"Hehe, that's fine too." Mu Zixi revealed another devilish grin, then threw the spiritual seal. "But you have to keep your word!"

The "Life Spiritual Seal" passed through the grey fog gate and instantly fossilized, but, the next second, the stone cracked open with a click, and a rich life energy leaked from it.

The seal cut an elegant parabola as it fell. Its destination was neither Mo Mo nor Xu Xiaoshou, but the middle of the two.

Xu Xiaoshou understood at once.

"This little girl is quite clever. She wants to swap places with me to become the fisherman who will benefit from others' misfortune!"

Once he and Mo Mo started to fight, this girl would be in his current position.

But…

There was an odd look on Xu Xiaoshou's face. He wondered if she had the ability to benefit from a fight between two powerful swordsmen.

Swoosh!

Xu Xiaoshou and Mo Mo moved almost at the same time, yet Mo Mo was surprised to find that Xu Xiaoshou's speed was many times faster than it'd been in the last battle.

"What…"

She immediately changed targets and slapped Xu Xiaoshou's back with her palm of highly concentrated sealing force. If he insisted on taking the seal, then he should expect to receive such a blow.

"Xu Xiaoshou, don't interfere!" she advised.

"Hey, the treasure is always reserved for the one who's destined to obtain it."

Xu Xiaoshou saw the impending strike behind him, but didn't care much. He grabbed the seal first.

As anticipated, the item didn't have the pure spiritual attribute yet.

Yet, because of previous lessons he'd learned, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't foolish enough to put this seal into his ring, as it would be too late for him to regret it if it came out.

By the time Mo Mo approached, he'd curled up his body and enveloped himself in a large bathtub.

"Dang!"

A prolonged shout echoed throughout the secret forest like an ancient bell being struck, and Xu Xiaoshou's brain buzzed, and he almost passed out.

Yet, he managed to strike, slapping his palm through the tub's wall.

Clang!

Dang!

Weird sounds mingled. From Mu Zixi's point of view, she saw Xu Xiaoshou's palm clash with the thrusting palm of Mo Mo's on the surface of the bathtub, and Mo Mo was knocked flying backward.

Mo Mo's eyes widened, and she wondered what…

"Isn't this the large bathtub in the Spirit Library Division? No, the Magic Pill Tripod?" she thought. "Wait a second. This is a smaller one!"

"It turns out that the magic pill tripod can be used for fighting and it had incredible power!"

She felt tremendous regret. If she'd known, she would've taken it herself when cultivating medicinal liquids in the Spirit Library Division.

As expected, the situation was the same. After missing her chance to strike Xu Xiaoshou, Mo Mo had apparently lost total control over the grey mist crystal.

The next moment, Mu Zixi threw the seed in her hand up and then hugged it. Soon after, the seed broke open and turned into a huge ancient tree that was difficult to be held.

Mu Zixi held the pillar-like tree and violently swept it. With a loud boom, the grey mist space shattered.

Woosh!

She instantly jumped out of the circle, and her connection with the outside world was restored.

"I'm out again!" The little girl sounded very joyful.

"Xu Xiaoshou, give me back the Life Spiritual Seal and I'll help you block Senior Sister Mo!" Mu Zixi shouted.

Xu Xiaoshou had just retrieved the Magic Pill Tripod. Seeing the impressive strike, he thought she was indeed a violent girl.

The moment he flew up, a white light shot out from his body and he said, "Okay, your Senior Brother was just testing your strength. Now it's up to you."

Mo Mo, who was still, saw the white light fly toward Mu Zixi, and immediately flew out.

"You're giving it back to me!" Mu Zixi shouted happily, and grabbed the white light. However, for some reason, Xu Xiaoshou turned around and ran away right after giving her the item.

But there was no time to wonder about his odd behavior.

That was because Mo Mo was already catching up to her!

Mu Zixi grabbed the item and was about to run away when she discovered that the item didn't feel right. She lowered her head.

A spiritual crystal!

Mu Zixi: ???

She watched, petrified, as Xu Xiaoshou flew further and further away.

Cursed, Passive Points 1, 1, 1, 1.

Missed, Passive Points 1, 1, 1, 1.

Seeing the spiritual crystal in Mu Zixi's hand, Mo Mo stopped and swayed once in the air.

She turned her head around and looked at the youth flying in the distance, a doubtful and suspicious look on her face.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Chapter 156: Grey Mist Figure

Pursued, Passive Points 2.

Pursued, Passive Points 2.

Xu Xiaoshou felt that he seemed to have infuriated everyone there was too infuriate. The two who'd been going at each other's throat had all come after him instead.

If it wasn't for his Master Level Agility, he would've been forced to stop shortly after running.

It was fortunate that while the two of them had formidable powers, they completely lacked the terrifying speed that Luo Leilei had, preventing them from being able to even keep up with him.

Yet, they were anything but slow and were actually faster than usual.

It was during the chase that he was able to tell that not only was Mo Mo already at the peak of Voidness Level, but Mu Zixi was already at the peak of Origin Court Level.

He continued to scratch his head as he ran, feeling quite puzzled.

He wondered if Elder Sang had duped him or if his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Well, as far as Mo Mo was concerned, this wasn't surprising given that she was very weird to begin with. Both her progress and level were nothing less than shocking, so he could understand her being so fast.

"But what's the deal with Mu Zixi?" he thought.

"Is she actually even more of a genius than Su Qianqian?

"It's only been a day since I last saw her, and she's already faster at making breakthroughs than I am? What the…"

All these thoughts rendered him quite dizzy. He looked at the red interface in his Origin Court and pondered this.

"Maybe they have their own cheats too…" he mused.

"Xu Xiaoshou, you liar! Stop right there!"

Mu Zixi, who was chasing him from behind, was truly infuriated. She had warned herself over and over again that Xu Xiaoshou was a crackpot, yet a lapse of judgment had caused her to fall for his tricks all the same.

"That ba*ard!" she thought. "He's really a piece of work, and spiritual crystals… Arrgghhh, I'm going crazy!"

Swoop, swoop, swoop!

The girl's vines lashed out as she cranked up her speed. She used the vines as she pouted, her face all twisted. She looked sinister.

She swore she would give him a good whipping with her vines when she caught up to him.

The swishing branches whipped about as they moved, and using the terrain to her advantage, she managed to increase her speed to where she was only a little bit behind Xu Xiaoshou.

Mo Mo, who was dressed in a green dress, was soon left in the dust by Mu Zixi as her speed slowed, her expression becoming increasingly pained.

The incense above the small cauldron in her right hand burned quicker, and smoke billowed like crazy from it, seeping into her body as she kept moving forward.

"No!"

She finally stopped chasing them abruptly after struggling to keep up. The two of them before her kept chasing one another, and they seemed to be having a good time, which prevented them from noticing what had happened to her.

"Those two, I can't…" she said, squeezing the words out through her gritted teeth.

She shuddered and looked up.

Her eyes turned red in an instant, and the last two words she hadn't managed to get out before casually escaped her lips:

"Kill them!"

However, her voice was no longer composed and had become indistinct.

Xu Xiaoshou, who was running away like a breeze at the very front, shuddered all of a sudden. He felt the hairs all over his body stand on end and a cold shiver go down his spine.

He quickly realized that Mo Mo was no longer within the vicinity of his Sense.

He scanned the place around with his will and found her struggling at the very tail end.

However, that presence there was no longer Mo Mo herself.

The very next instant, Mo Mo, who was standing in the same place like a log, crumbled to dust and instantly disappeared.

"Holy sh*!"

Xu Xiaoshou became thoroughly frightened. He could tell from his scan that her cauldron was next to where she'd been standing.

That was something she'd never left behind ever, and the way Xu Xiaoshou saw it, that thing held far greater symbolic meaning than the actual meaning of its own existence.

She was no longer holding that thing. Was that to say…

"Her right arm… the seal is undone?"

His pupils contracted, and he saw that behind Mu Zixi, who was giving chase at blitzing speeds, there seemed to be a whiff of grey mist following them.

"Look out!"

Xu Xiaoshou thought of turning around and immediately put this thought into action. Sparks flew from under feet as he managed to finish the hard turn in an instant.

However, it was still too late.

He was simply still too far away.

The grey mist behind Mu Zixi solidified, and Mo Mo's silhouette was vaguely seen, yet he was able to determine that it was definitely someone else in there instead.

Xu Xiaoshou charged at Mu Zixi as he warned her, "Behind you!"

Mu Zixi, despite being in a state of rage, wasn't lacking in reason. She simply said coldly, "Don't even think about duping me again, Xu Xiaoshou!"

"Sh, this is getting out of hand!" he thought.

"Behind you, you doofus!" Xu Xiaoshou shouted.

He trembled all over after that shout, and his skin crawled.

This was because other than what his eyes and Sense could tell, he was unable to detect Mo Mo's presence in his spiritual sense at all.

He knew that this meant that so long as Mu Zixi didn't turn around, it would be almost utterly impossible for her to detect the grey mist behind her.

"What the f*k! What kind of level of power and spiritual technique are these?" he thought.

He wanted to just turn around run, but his emotions completely overwhelmed his reasoning. His Agility was cranked to the highest, and yet he regretted not having put more points into it instead.

He was still too late.

He saw that dumb girl continue to charge at him. Not only was she completely oblivious to the danger looming over her, but it looked like she was grinning, completely pleased with herself.

"Okay, she really is dumb!" he thought.

She was still completely oblivious to it all. The grey mist figure behind her extended its right hand as she continued to speed up by stepping on her vines.

Booom!

It was a hit.

Mu Zixi's body was completely twisted, and she was sent flying in another direction. Her body felt like it was about to come apart, and she spurted blood, all of it flying into her face.

Crack!

Xu Xiaoshou's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, his gaze turning completely cold.

"Mo Mo…" he thought. "No, that grey mist has completely taken over Mo Mo. I should be calling this the grey mist figure instead."

The grey mist figure sent Mu Zixi flying with a single thrust of her hand and it actually didn't keep attacking. Seeing Xu Xiaoshout shoot in the direction Mu Zixi was falling, it turned its head around and grinned.

Swoop!

He managed to make it there to catch her just as she was about to hit the ground.

In order to avoid his Recoil causing her further injury, he went even further beneath her and dug his legs into the ground.

He managed to land safely.

"You stupid or what? I just told you to look behind you!" Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but shout at her.

He scanned his body with his spiritual source and found that her entire energy reserve was sealed, which made him realize why she hadn't been able to defend herself.

That hit had almost destroyed the meridian pathways in her, causing her to almost be reduced to a cripple.

Yet she somehow there was lifeforce seeping out of that wreck of a body of hers, which then began to repair her body.

"Eternal Vitality?" he thought.

"No… this is probably the result of all those pills she pops in her free time. Residual energies, then?"

Xu Xiaoshou fished out the Spirit Mark of Life.

Theoretically speaking, the mark would heal best when plastered on the abdominal area, but he couldn't bring himself to do so, as she was wearing a one-piece dress.

To plaster it on her abdominal area, he would have to go up her dress from below, and that would be rather unsightly.

He hesitated for a bit before tearing off her clothes without a care and shoving the mark into her chest.

Lifeforce instantly surged into her energy reserve and started to spread its healing effects. Her body shuddered slightly as her eyelids remained closed.

"You liar…" What remained of her consciousness obviously wasn't enough to enable her to talk much.

Her eyes looked dazed as they flickered about, making it apparent that she had little consciousness left in her, yet she was nonetheless able to ask with a very drowsy, weak tone, "Who hit me?"

"She really is dumb!" he thought.

He was completely flabbergasted. He wiped the blood off of her face and gently put her on the ground before turning around to look at that grey mist figure.

It became apparent that the grey mist figure's goal was to get him rather than of Mu Zixi.

He took a look at its right arm. Whatever was there had been completely activated, and Mo Mo had become something else altogether.

Xu Xiaoshou had wondered just how terrifying that thing actually was that was sealed in her right arm, but he'd never thought that it was an old man.

What the f*k, man…

The presence of that grey mist figure soon broke through Voidness Level and climbed to Upper Spiritual Level before continuing to make for Master Level.

Vooom!

However, their surroundings trembled at that moment, suppressing its aura.

"Heh, this truly is some crappy small world. Barely breaking Master Level and no further eh…" an indistinct voice was heard saying.

Run!

This was the thought that immediately came to mind, yet his legs felt like they'd taken root instead. It wasn't that his legs were getting wobbly like they used to in the past; they were standing their ground out of utter fury.

He wiped the blood on his hand with his sleeve and said coldly, "You've hurt my sister-in-training."

"You seem hardly surprised by my presence." The grey mist figure's indistinct voice sounded very screechy and unpleasant to the ear.

The young man, who was slowly taking to the air, didn't reply to what the grey mist figure had just said. Instead, he simply repeated to himself mechanically, "You've hurt my sister-in-training!"

The grey mist figure could hear the suppressed fury in his voice. It smirked and asked, "What of it, then?"

Crack, crack.

The Infernal Heavenly Flames washed all over the place as crackling sounds were heard hundreds of meters radius from where he was, burning anything and everything there was within the vicinity.

"Nothing much…"

Xu Xiaoshou's expression relaxed, along with his clenched fists. He snapped his fingers.

"I'm just p*ssed."

Chapter 157: Hehe, That's Just a Prank…

Xu Xiaoshou had long stopped thinking of himself as a good person, as he'd gotten too much blood on his hands.

However, seeing his own sister-in-training almost get killed right before his eyes had ignited the fury deep inside him all the same.

He knew that the best course of action to take at the moment was probably to pick his sister-in-training up and immediately run.

Yet he didn't do so.

So long as they're alive, and so long as their blood runs warm, people need to stand their ground.

The temperature of the Senluo Woods at the moment was extremely high, and the tract of woods where they were standing had already been reduced to a wasteland. There was nothing to be seen inside the charring flames, as everything around had all been reduced to nothing by the high temperatures.

The ordinary power of thought and Sharpness were gathered in his hand, and there were compressed flames above each of his fists.

At the moment, Xu Xiaoshou was all ready to fight.

"Who are you?" he asked while focusing and getting ready to make his move.

The grey mist figure seemed to be chuckling in a low tone, and the mist on its body was dancing. After quite a while, that indistinct voice was heard again. "I think you'll be quite terrified to learn who I am. I'm the…"

Swoop!

In the blink of an eye, Xu Xiaoshou came behind that grey mist figure. He never intended to hold a conversation with that thing to begin with; he simply asked that question so the grey mist figure would let down its guard while it responded.

He tightened his chest and twisted his hips using the force from his legs to hit the thing on the back and on the head with both fists.

"Like I care who the h*ll you are! Die already!"

The grey mist figure was caught off guard. It actually fell for it. Unable to defend itself in time, it was immediately sent flying.

Xu Xiaoshou was actually able to hear the sound of bones cracking.

"Very well. That one's for my sister!"

That grey mist figure immediately spat out blood.

It was completely confused.

'What the f*k is this guy pulling all of a sudden?' it thought. 'Is he really not curious about my true identity?'

"Furthermore, couldn't you have at least let me finish my line?"

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

The grey mist figure's powers had broken through to Master Level, yet Xu Xiaoshou's Master Physique was also nothing to scoff at.

It actually took quite a while for the grey mist figure to regain its composure from taking two simultaneous punches.

It was fortunate for it that the sealing qi emanating from the surface of its body had been able to negate part of the damage. Otherwise, it probably would've dropped to its knees from that one hit alone.

But the grey mist figure had no time to fret over the intense pain it was feeling all over. The grey mist figure willed and very quickly twisted its body about, throwing both its hands out at Xu Xiaoshou and blasting a great whiff of grey mist at him.

This wasn't an attack. It was a defensive move.

This was because Xu Xiaoshou, who was standing far away, had drawn his sword after throwing those punches.

"Thousand Leaves Style, Blade-draw Technique, Black Falls Slash!"

Swooooopp!

He slashed his sword at the air, which brought about a sword aura blast like an army riding out into battle. The grey mist figure was stunned.

The move was so quick, and it looked like it was tearing through space itself as it slashed toward his face.

'The h*ll,' he thought. 'This power is probably above that of a Master Level spiritual technique, man!'

'What the h*ll is with this kid!? How is he able to beat me up like this?'

The grey mist figure's sealing aura immediately burst outward, cranking up several levels.

"Barrier of Three Heavens!"

Intense mist wrapped around the incoming blast of sword aura as it tore through the air, and the attack actually failed to tear through the Barrier of Three Heavens' defense.

Clang, clang, clang…

Snapping sounds were heard, and the grey mist figure smirked. It looked past the blast of sword aura and said dismissively, "There is nothing in this world that I could not seal."

"Hehe, is that so?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, a faint smile on his face. "Do you know what art is?"

The grey mist figure was baffled. It was finding it difficult to keep up with the young man's thoughts. Was it no longer able to keep up with the times because it'd been asleep for so long?

It looked at the Barrier of Three Heavens blocking off all that sword aura blast and answered proudly, "Art is all about 'sealing.'"

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head and threw his sword upward.

"You're wrong."

"Art is all about explosions!"

After these words fell, the grey mist figure, who was inside its Barrier of Three Heavens, became stunned, as he suddenly realized that in addition to the stinging pain in its back, there also seemed to be a terrifying energy imprinted on it.

"Lesser Fireball, explode!"

Xu Xiaoshou snapped his fingers.

Boom!

Boom!

Rumbling explosions erupted.

The explosions took place from within the protection of the barrier, which pushed all the sword aura up into the air. The grey mist figure was completely shocked as it was sent flying yet again.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Xu Xiaoshou finally got to see that thing get injured. As he'd expected, the sealing power was indeed very powerful when actively used.

However, he could nonetheless still hurt that thing if its defense was a passive one.

But…

The thing was using Mo Mo's body.

Xu Xiaoshou grabbed Hiding Pain, which was falling from the sky, and frowned, feeling that it would be difficult for him to dish any more hits.

The mushroom cloud parted, and the grey mist figure appeared again, revealing a sinister look.

It'd never expected itself to be caught in a ditch within the time span of a single question to where Xu Xiaoshou could keep drawing blood.

It wondered just how many years it's been since something like that had happened.

That man was but a youngster with Innate Level powers, yet he'd been able to hurt it all the same.

It swore that it would definitely make him pay.

"Xu Xiaoshou, I take it. You're done for…"

Hmm!

Before it was able to finish talking, the grey mist figure shuddered, and blood leaked out of the corners of its mouth.

It looked in front of itself and saw no one around.

It then slowly turned its head around.

Clack!

Xu Xiaoshou was sheathing his sword behind the grey mist figure, and his voice was heard gently saying, "Withering Snow of the West Wind."

"Huh?"

The grey mist figure cradled its neck in disbelief, yet it was futile.

Pfftt!

Blood immediately gushed.

It felt like its head had just been split in half.

It conjured sealing power and immediately sealed the wound up, yet the intense pain was still there. The grey mist figure felt dizzy and like it might faint.

"Black Pattern, Self-binding Art."

A mark appeared on that thing's chest, and black patterns instantly spread all over its body, making it look incredibly frightening.

All of its injuries actually stopped altogether after the black patterns managed to spread all over its body.

The injuries weren't healed; they were simply stopped.

It was the same as telling oneself, "Quit bleeding. I'm in the middle of a fight. You can bleed afterward," and then it actually stops bleeding right then and there.

Xu Xiaoshou finished sheathing his sword, and when he saw this scene, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Naturally, knowing that the grey mist figure's body was actually Mo Mo's, he'd chosen not to cut the thing's head off right then and there. Yet he was still baffled at how the thing had stopped its injuries.

'D*mn,' he thought. 'Now I've seen everything.'

The power of sealing. Was that really something that could seal everything? So much so that it could halt injuries? Xu Xiaoshou gulped, as he knew that things were taking a turn for the worse.

That thing, which should have sustained massive injuries, had held on to its half-snapped neck and hardly looked different from how it had before.

No.

If one were to pay close attention, they'd see that something actually was different.

He could tell that the fury in its eyes had almost taken solid form.

"Hehe, that's just a prank. No need to be serious."

Xu Xiaoshou crossed his arms in front of his chest and chuckled. "I didn't know you were actually so powerful. Well, then, let's get back to where we left off."

"Umm, you said something about your name? What is it, then?"

The grey mist figure was so stunned that it wobbled, and blood seeped out of its neck again, making Xu Xiaoshou's skin crawl.

'Dude, that wasn't my intention!' he thought.

"Gentlemen don't fight with their hands. We can just talk this out. Whoever gets physical will be the one in the wrong."

"Holy sh*?"

Chapter 158: Tricked Again!

The grey mist figure was about to explode with rage.

It swore that it would never again say anything else to that young man.

That kid was simply too shrewd, and the grey mist figure knew that it would fall into another one of his traps if he wasn't careful.

The spiritual source on its hand fluctuated, once again enveloping the grey mist figure in a sphere that shielded it from everything on the outside.

The indistinct voice was heard again. "Six Paths, Shrouding Heavens!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened in disbelief… That thing's powers had climbed yet again!

"Oh, h*ll no!" he thought.

The Tianxuan Gate was a world unto itself. The highest level it could accommodate was but the peak of the Innate Level.

Even if one were to stretch it, one could only get to Master Level, and that was only possible as some cultivator had actually managed to breakthrough Innate Level into Master Level.

Yet, that grey mist figure before him had actually managed to fool the world and crank itself to even higher levels.

This… was keeping one's existence a secret from the heavens in order to continue making breakthroughs?

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked.

He wondered just how powerful one had to be to get that far, as well as if such methods so far surpassed spiritual techniques that one would have to "get in touch with the Great Path" to get to such a level.

When it came to comprehending the Great Path, Xu Xiaoshou thought that one probably wouldn't be able to get that far if one lacked the knowledge and experience.

As such, that meant the grey mist figure was really terrifying.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately made the decision to slash at the grey mist figure.

While the power of his sword aura was formidable, that thing's sealing power was so unbelievable that it simply deflected his attack with a clang.

"Oh, f*k this sh*! How am I supposed to fight like this?"

He immediately dashed to Mu Zixi's side, picked her up, and started running.

"Sis, your brother here has taken revenge for you. Two punches and one slash. Strictly put, you've already earned your fill, and now…

"It's time to bail!"

Mu Zixi's injuries had mostly been healed from Spirit Mark of Life's healing effects, yet she still seemed a little dazed, as she didn't even respond when Xu Xiaoshou hoisted her up and ran away.

"Do you really think you can run?" The grey mist figure then said coldly, "Winds!"

It pressed its hand together, and eerie winds blew all over the place again.

Xu Xiaoshou was alarmed.

Before coming here, he'd swept that thing with his spiritual thoughts and found that the wind actually gradually severed one's connection to the outside world when one was inside it.

He had no idea if this would hinder his Sense, but when he recalled how his Sharpness had been wiped away in his fight against Mo Mo during the Wind and Cloud Contest, he immediately knew one thing:

Can't try, can't touch!

He was no longer the Xu Xiaoshou he used to be. He'd made quite a lot of progress.

He enveloped himself in those formless flames of his, and the wind was burned to nothing as soon they got close to him, preventing the wind from hitting his body.

The Infernal Heavenly Flames had no form, were of super-high temperatures, and could burn down just about anything.

"Spiritual sense is now useless, then…"

Even though he'd yet to be hit by the wind, he was no longer able to search the road outside using his spiritual sense.

He became rather flustered. He knew that if he were to be lost in the grey mist, then what had happened to Mu Zixi would quickly happen to him.

He immediately peered that that red interface in his mind.

Passive Points: 38694.

At this moment, he was feeling incredibly grateful for his foresight, as he'd avoided having to spend all of his passive points and left behind more than 30000 just in case.

Sense (Innate, Lv.1)

Sense (Innate, Lv.6)

He immediately dumped 25000 passive points into Sense.

He'd learned through his earlier experience that so long as the grey mist figure's sealing qi didn't touch him, his techniques wouldn't be sealed.

After upgrading Sense the last time, the clarity had been so greatly improved that he'd felt as if he were seeing everything with his very own eyes. However, there was still another thing that could be upgraded.

That something was none other than range.

As expected, after the skill's level was upgraded, the number of scenes and things he could perceive in his mind greatly increased.

After the upgrade, his Sense's range immediately from its original 10 meters or so to nearly 500 meters, which was a considerable range of half a kilometer!

Furthermore, the clarity was as clear as could be, which was the complete opposite with spiritual sense, where he had to struggle to figure out what he'd just perceived.

"Awesome!"

Xu Xiaoshou saw that the grey mist figure was in no rush to attack and that it had secretly fished out pills while his Sense was muddled and was popping them.

"Man…" Xu Xiaoshou was baffled by this.

"Could you get any more prideful than this?" he thought. "You could've taken the pills before but picked now to do so?

"By the way, Red Gold Pills, huh…

"D*mn, look how far you've fallen!"

He was very pleased with himself. He pretended ignorance and looked as if he were fumbling about to try and find his way while all the while slowly moving outside.

Distancing himself from his enemy probably wasn't the best way to fight, but he was all about running and no longer cared about all of that.

That grey mist figure had apparently found ranged attacks more to its style. It popped the pills and managed to ease its injuries somewhat.

It mobilized some of the spiritual source it'd gained earlier from forcing a breakthrough, then performed yet another seal.

"Six Paths, Dusty Gate!"

Six gates shimmering with grey light slowly moved toward one another right under Xu Xiaoshou's nose. When they clicked together, Xu Xiaoshou guessed it would become that grey mist crystal that had trapped Mu Zixi before.

But…

D*mn, this was slow.

There was an odd expression on Xu Xiaoshou's face. He finally realized why the winds were needed before that other skill could be used.

"If Mu Zixi hadn't had her senses shrouded, she probably would've been able to escape the barricade right away," he thought.

Xu Xiaoshou casually twisted his body, making it look like an accident, and slipped through the cracks between the six gates and moved further outside.

That grey mist figure was baffled.

Was this a coincidence?

It had to be.

"I'll give it another try while that kid has yet to see the gates," it thought to itself.

The grey mist figure performed yet another seal, and six more gates shimmering with grey light appear in the air again and slowly closed in on Xu Xiaoshou.

"Ouch!"

Xu Xiaoshou acted as if his legs had just given out from under him and slipped through the cracks between the gates yet another time.

The grey mist figure was speechless.

Could it really just be a coincidence?

Doubted, Passive Points 1.

That grey mist figure put its hands together. "Six Paths, Dusty Gate!"

Six gates appeared yet again.

However, he no longer pretended this time and immediately slipped through the cracks between the huge gates and broke through to outside the scope of that eerie wind, finally able to breathe fresh air.

The grey mist figure was stunned.

"Is he toying with me?" it thought.

"He was actually able to see everything!?

"D*mn it!"

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

The grey mist figure was incredibly furious. It immediately disappeared from where it was standing and gave chase in complete mist form.

"Xu Xiaoshou, how dare you dupe me?"

"Dupe you?" Xu Xiaoshou put on an innocent look, but he didn't at all stop his legs from moving. "My leg really was sprained and just managed to fix itself. Did anything just happen back there?"

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

That grey mist figure was so furious that it felt like it was about to explode. It no longer bothered talking. It swore to not talk to that kid anymore so as to prevent itself from being duped again.

Xu Xiaoshou discovered that his Master Level Agility had met its match for the second time. The grey mist behind him stuck to him like some kind of stubborn glue, preventing him from shrugging it away.

When he took a closer look at it, he could even see that the thing's speed was actually somewhat faster than his own.

He gasped as he commented, "Master Level beings are really, really terrifying indeed."

He carried Mu Zixi, who was so jostled about that drool kept falling all over the place from her mouth, as he ran. He then slipped his hand into her chest and took that Spirit Mark of Life out.

"Stop chasing me. Your sh*… umm, no, your mark!"

Xu Xiaoshou gestured for the grey mist to stop and began to bargain. "I'll let you have this thing, and then we'll just part ways, alright?"

Passive Points: 13694.

Passive Points: 3694.

Sword Technique Expertise (Innate, Lv.1).

Sword Technique Expertise (Innate, Lv.3).

Massive amounts of knowledge immediately flooded his mind. He looked at the Senluo Woods beneath his feet. The wind was howling through the trees, and fallen leaves were everywhere.

He immediately had an epiphany.

He turned around again and saw that, as expected, the grey mist figure was still charging at him. However, Xu Xiaoshou stood his ground instead of continuing to run.

"Don't come any closer. I'm very sincere here. We could trade from her!" he said, his voice full of desperation.

That grey mist figure's eyes were full of disdain. Being that Xu Xiaoshou was willing to trade the mark for his life, it figured that the kid had truly run out of tricks.

"Today I'm out to get the mark, as well as your life!" it thought.

It didn't say anything and simply kept charging.

However, the grey mist figure did so only to rush into the range of Xu Xiaoshou's new technique. The grey mist figure felt the hairs on its body stand on end, and it tried its hardest to stop moving.

Xu Xiaoshou lowered his head.

While the ancient trees below looked like they were still very lush, the truth was that they'd all completely lost their foliage.

Every single leaf, whether they had dropped on their own or been withered by something else, were all infused with potent sword will as well as the "ordinary power of thought" that he'd learned not too long ago.

He scanned the place and found that the leaves probably numbered in the tens of thousands at least.

The grey mist figure was stunned.

"H-He set me up again?" it thought.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Chapter 159: The System Putting on a Show

Xu Xiaoshou used to be very envious of Zhao Qingteng's "Formless Great Cold" technique, dreaming that one day he too could control his surroundings and make everything around him into swords and reign supreme.

He knew that if he were to focus on picking up spiritual techniques, he wouldn't be able to get anywhere, even after a dozen years at it. As such, he'd focused on deepening his understanding of sword will instead.

He then developed "All Things are Swords" and had even tried to make use of that awesome spiritual technique of his one night.

However, it was unfortunate for him that not only was he unable to make practical use of the skill, but he'd even somehow made Hiding Pain develop the tendency to hurt its owner instead.

But then again, that had been the case with the acquired sword will back then. Lacking what it took to become a full-fledged spiritual technique was understandable.

However, he'd now broken through to Innate Level and had even put two more points into "Sword Technique Expertise." The surge of additional knowledge had made him come to an epiphany in the Senluo Woods, and he'd stripped all the trees around of their leaves.

Wherever his will treaded, his sword will withered all. Wherever his thoughts were, everything bowed to his will.

If there were birds up above, they would've seen Xu Xiaoshou lift a finger and point into the air. The leaves moved without any wind blowing, and all the foliage about shrouded the grey mist figure.

"Fleeting White Clouds Six: Ten Thousand Swords Style."

Under his command, tens of thousands of leaves in all the other leaves no longer hid and glowed with sharpness.

Furthermore, they'd already managed to cut down the snowflakes falling down from the sky into shreds without doing much.

The grey mist figure was shocked to its core.

Before, it'd been confident that it could take thousands of white sword aura blasts from Xu Xiaoshou with its Barrier of Three Heavens because most of those auras came from Xu Xiaoshou drawing the sword from the scabbard.

However, the leaves all around them were all personally controlled by Xu Xiaoshou. Furthermore, with the psychokinetic power of the sword imbued in every single one of the leaves, every leaf seemed to be more powerful than the sword auras from before.

"How should I block this?" he thought.

Despite being at Master Level, there was simply no telling that it could successfully block such an attack.

Xu Xiaoshou performed the seal and shouted, "Strike!"

Tens of thousands of leaves around rumbled and charged at the grey mist figure like they were out to eat it.

Waves of leaves washed all over the place.

The grey mist figure's pupils contracted and it shouted, "Barrier of Three Heavens!"

Three layers of grey mist barriers appeared around it, which was two more layers than there'd been before, and did their best to shield him.

The grey mist figure thought of making use of defensive spiritual techniques of greater power, but his spiritual source reserve was running out.

Having made so many moves before, the grey mist figure's spiritual source reserve was already dwindling, even with the spiritual source he'd acquired from making further breakthroughs in secret taken into account, which meant he had little to spare.

His spiritual source had almost completely run out after pulling that move.

"D*mn it," it thought. "If only I were in my prime…"

Pffftttt!

The grey mist figure wasn't even able to form a complete sentence before it saw to its despair the outermost layer of the barriers shredded like cardboard and torn open by the leaf swords.

Clang, clang, clang!

It finally heard that familiar sound from the second layer, which meant it was holding, bringing the grey mist figure some relief, but then shortly afterward the barrier was instantly filled with cracks before shattering.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

That grey mist figure was completely baffled.

Its "Shrouding Heavens" was right inside the third layer of the barrier.

If that layer wasn't able to hold, then it wouldn't even need to wait for the leaf swords to tear it to pieces, as the power of the laws of the Tianxuan Gate world would completely snuff it out.

Clangs rumbled in its ear, and the sound that usually brought it so much pleasure was making him incredibly restless instead at the moment.

The grey mist figure steeled itself determinedly.

It couldn't wait any longer. The third layer of the barrier was already caving in.

"You've forced my hand, Xu Xiaoshou!"

The grey mist figure crossed its arms across its chest, and mirages instantly formed. The subsequent seals were so complex that Xu Xiaoshou was completely baffled by them.

He could very clearly remember that before that thing had overtaken Mo Mo and come into being, it didn't need to perform any seals, no matter how powerful the move was.

"Okay, this one sure is gonna be a big one, then," he thought.

Xu Xiaoshou recalled that "World Sealing Chains" move that had hoisted him in midair back in the competitions. If it hadn't been for Mo Mo swallowing his sword aura, that would've been the end of him.

However, the move that was about to come seemed to be more terrifying than even the "World Sealing Chains."

Pfftt!

The grey mist figure immediately spitted blood. It managed to finish the seals just as the last layer of barrier containing the "Barriers of Three Heavens" shattered.

Their surroundings rumbled in that very instant, and it was obvious that the "Shrouding Heavens" was no longer able to contain such powerful pressure. The world itself knew what was happening.

Yet, the grey mist figure pushed on and finished its next move, taking the risk of being pulverized by the laws of the world.

It pressed its hands together and huffed, "Six Paths, Celestial Dragon Seal!"

The "Barrier of Three Heavens" was shattered, yet everything in the world, all the leaves included, seemed to stop moving that very moment.

The very next second, the grey mist figure let out a shrill dragon howl.

"Screeeeeecccchhhhh!"

Even though he had Master Physique, that screeching howl was so intense that Xu Xiaoshou's eardrums weren't able to take it, and he immediately lost his hearing. His clothes were torn, and gashes even appeared behind his ears.

He felt like his soul were being howled out of his body. He then shockingly discovered that he had lost control of his body.

The very next second, after the grey mist figure's howl, he saw that a specter of a dragon was hovering in the air, continually shooting for higher heights.

All the leaf swords in their surroundings were all washed up into the clouds.

"It broke?" His eyelids twitched with fury. He felt as if he'd been cast into an icy cave.

He couldn't believe it'd actually taken his godlike sword move of his apart.

That was the most invincible move he could come up with, and given that the grey mist figure definitely didn't have something like Eternal Vitality, it definitely would've died if the sword leaves had been allowed to hit it.

But, what the…

"Just what kind of level is this 'Celestial Dragon Seal' attack at? How was it able to break my move just like that?" he thought. "Just what the h*ll is that damned mist anyway? Should that even be found in the Tianxuan Gates? Who the h*ll could withstand that?"

A sinister grin appeared on the grey mist figure's face. Seeing that Xu Xiaoshou was completely immobilized, its hands shot down.

"That thing isn't done yet?" Xu Xiaoshou thought.

Xu Xiaoshou was completely shaken. When he finally managed to wrestle some control over his body, he saw the Celestial Dragon Seal specter appear above him with his Sense.

That thing was coming down at him right away.

"Sh*!"

He mustered all of his strength and finally managed to move his finger, which he then flicked Mu Zixi, who was still on his shoulder, away with.

He had no intentions of making the girl a meat shield, as such a flimsy body like hers wouldn't be able to take the hit anyway.

Booom!

The dragon howled, and the thing surged into his body as the world around him rumbled away.

Everything was silent, and night came. His senses were all sealed.

His body dimmed, rendered completely unmovable, and his spiritual techniques were all sealed.

His will was snuffed out, and his heartbeat stopped. His body and mind were all sealed.

After the dragon surged into his body, everything inside Xu Xiaoshou was sealed in less than a second.

That wasn't all. The dragon thing then surged right into his Origin Court, making its way to that trembling soul of his.

He was no longer able to do anything to stop it.

He'd never thought that the sealing power could be so unnervingly powerful.

All he felt at the moment was regret. He shouldn't have taken that grey mist figure on in the first place, for he'd long speculated that the thing sealed within Mo Mo's right arm was anything but simple.

He wondered why he'd done all of that in the first place.

That thing was just as dangerous as that masked man from the so-called "Holy Vassal." He was far from able to stand against people of such levels to begin with.

Xu Xiaoshou was feeling bitter. "Am I gonna die now?"

That dragon opened its mouth and bared its fangs in his Origin Court, preparing to chomp down on his soul.

Boom!

Still trembling, he was able to see a red beam blast the dragon before it was able to chomp down on his soul, immediately blasting it to shreds.

He slowly looked up and saw that the red interface, which had always hid itself, had somehow appeared.

It seemed incredibly furious and offended over how the dragon had actually invaded its territory.

The blast of red beams had yet to disappear. Over 100 red beams came down and tore the dragon completely apart.

"Oh my gosh." Xu Xiaoshou was completely baffled.

That wasn't all. The red beams then crisscrossed and tore at the dragon, reducing it to specks of light. From the looks of it…

Whipping the dead, huh?

Chapter 160: A Trigger! The Raging Giant!

The grey mist figure was baffled.

The "Celestial Dragon Seal" it'd hidden from the heavens to cast had completely disappeared after entering that kid's body. How was this possible?

What just happened here? There was some kind of treasure… inside that kid's body? But what kind of treasure could block his Six Paths Sealing Art's strongest attack and even devour that dragon?

"What the…"

The grey mist figure was stunned. If Xu Xiaoshou had any strength left to resist after all of that, then maybe it was its turn to run.

All of the spiritual source in its body… was truly completely gone, given that it'd even spitted blood. There was simply no way it could squeeze out another attack.

However, the grey mist figure looked at Xu Xiaoshou, who'd been rendered immobilized where he stood, and hesitated.

"Is he truly sealed now? Or is this… some kind of trick again?" The grey mist figure felt rather scared.

Given that the dragon had been completely snuffed out, it doubted whether that attack had actually sealed everything inside Xu Xiaoshou.

If this really was just a trick he was pulling to lure him out at his weakest and then kill him directly, then…

The consequences would be unthinkable.

There was no on else around at the moment besides for the girl who was in a coma. The grey mist figure took out several pills and swallowed them.

Some bit of its spiritual source regenerated. Seeing that Xu Xiaoshou still wasn't moving, it gritted its teeth and took out a sword from its ring before charging at the kid.

This one strike would determine who lived and who died!

Thump.

Thump, thump.

Heartbeat?

The dragon had been snuffed out, yet Xu Xiaoshou's consciousness was still trapped inside the Origin Court. He was still able to think, but he couldn't feel or move his body. He couldn't even open his eyes.

It seemed like… his soul had been separated from his body.

At that moment, he suddenly sensed danger and knew that the grey mist figure had definitely made a move.

Yet he was unable to do anything.

"So I just have to wait here to be killed?"

All his passive skills were sealed, and he had no idea if the effects of his Master Level physique were still there.

If the effects were no longer there, the grey mist figure would probably be able to skewer him right away with the blade.

Even if the effects were still there, if he were unable to regain control of his body, the sealing power would probably just keep wearing him down and he would still eventually die.

"I need a trigger."

He needed only a single trigger to enable himself to regain consciousness. Then he would be able to take that grey mist figure down.

If his guess was correct, that thing probably had little to no spiritual source left, even if it was at Master Level.

He looked at that red interface above him, wanting to call out to it, but was unable to make a sound.

No matter how anxious he was and how desperately he wanted to call out to it, the thing was unmoved!

"Stupid System!" he shouted angrily.

At that moment, he sensed a rumbling in the depths of his consciousness. There seemed to be some kind of primitive, rumbling energy awakening, and he felt like he needed a release of some kind.

"What the h*ll is going on?" he thought.

The image before his eyes was restored for a second, and he saw the grey mist figure stab its sword through him, and then it was dark again.

Was this his chance?

He came to wonder if the System wasn't asleep and also wanted to do something.

Pfftt!

He finally felt pain in his body, and that raging, primitive desire resurfaced again. He then saw that grey mist figure stab another hole into his body.

"Godd*mn, are you insane?" he thought.

"Just how many times do you wanna stab me?

"Are you trying to torture a vegetable here?"

The image before his eyes continually flickered, and his consciousness became cloudy. He could sense this his life force was starting to leave him.

"D*mned System, wake me up already!

"You'llbe in deep sh*t yourself if that thing ends up killing me!"

The red interface remained unmoved, seemingly having no desire to do anything at all.

Vooom!

His mind buzzed, and that raging power appeared again and woke up his dormant consciousness.

He immediately realized something.

"Something isn't right here."

This definitely wasn't the red interface trying to help him. He knew that thing wouldn't try to do anything to help him, as it was only out to gobble up his powers.

This was…

Raging Giant!

The awakened effect of "Strengthen," something that had yet to be seen!

"Is its raging power something that will only appear when I'm in mortal danger?"

He sensed pain in his body again and no longer allowed his raging consciousness to disappear only to reappear again, instead going out to connect with it on his own to try and take it into his body.

"A trigger!

"Come on, I need you!" he thought.

The grey mist figure was shocked.

It was only when the kid's body let out a clanging sound when it stabbed its sword through him that it realized that the kid was more than just very, very good with a sword; his body was extremely durable as well.

It realized that his body was actually a Master Physique, something rarely seen on the entire continent.

Just what kind of a monster was this kid?

It'd already stabbed him several times over, yet that kid was able to stay alive simply because of the regenerative powers of Master Physique.

It had to do something else.

After realizing that it'd finally recovered some of its powers, the grey mist figure finally siphoned some of its sealing power into its sword.

Instead of stabbing him, it took to cleaving him instead.

It brought the blade down hard on him, trying to cut him into two.

Booom!

But before the grey mist figure was able to bring the sword down to bear on him, a loud rumble exploded right before it. Golden, glittering light went everywhere, and a massive force sent it flying backward.

"What the h*ll?" it thought.

The grey mist figure was baffled, and he wondered if something had happened with Xu Xiaoshou, who was already completely immobile.

It turned around and was shocked by what it saw.

The golden light had faded, and Xu Xiaoshou was nowhere to be found. In place of where he'd been standing was a golden Buddha statue of 10 meters tall standing there instead.

No, that wasn't a Buddha statue.

That face…

The grey mist figure almost fell over from shock from what he saw next. That face was none other than Xu Xiaoshou's.

In that golden giant form, he looked like a god of war. A raging aura emanated from all over it's body, and it had blood-red eyes.

The giant roared at the sky and locked its blood-red eyes with the grey mist figure.

The grey mist figure searched its energy reserve and found only a minuscule supply of spiritual source left. It gulped and uttered, "Thi-this is all a misunderstanding…"

Rooaarrrr!

The golden giant let out an anguished roar that uprooted the trees within a radius of several kilometers, destroying everything within its immediate vicinity.

The grey mist figure was sent flying by the resulting gale and felt as if his soul were being crushed.

It managed to halt in midair after it was sent flying.

By this point, it was completely stunned, but it soon came to its senses, its eyes filled with nothing but a golden color. Its legs started to wobbe.

It figured that the golden colors before its eyes were probably the fingers of that giant Xu Xiaoshou.

Doubted, Passive Points 1.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

"This is all a misunderstanding! Don't do it!"

Boom!

As soon as it finished shouting, the grey mist figure felt itself being thrown to the ground, and then felt as if all the bones in its body were about to splinter.

That wasn't the end of it. The grey mist figure was hoisted up again.

Xu Xiaoshou roared at the sky, churning up a gale, and pinched the grey mist figure's head before throwing it to the ground again.

Boom, boom, booom…

The ground continued to rumble, and the Tianxuan Gate trembled yet again, seemingly sensing a power that was every bit on par with that of Master Level.

Yet, when the heavens peered at the source, it found that Xu Xiaoshou's powers were but at early Origin Court…

"What is happening?"

The disciples from the Inner Yard, who were training on the several training grounds nearby, were rather curious.

The Tianxuan Gate had been trembling continuously for quite a while, and now there was even an earthquake. Even though it was quite a distance away, they could still feel it.

Was there like some giant pounding on the ground causing the ground to quake?

"Okay, you've been overthinking things. The Tianxuan Gate is about to be opened, then?"

"… Hmm, not quite right. Although I haven't been keeping track of time, at best only two days have passed. Don't we have three days to spend in here?"

Their curiosity wasn't enough to get them moving elsewhere. Those three days were precious, and while they were all shocked and surprised, they went back to their training nonetheless.

Boom!

Yet another quake from the ground snapped them all out of their training state, and they almost lost control.

"What the f*k! Quit it already! Can't you just let us train in peace here?"

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Read I Am Loaded with Passive Skills Chapter 161 - Afterwards online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 161: Afterwards

The Gold Giant stood in the middle of Senluo Woods, and even the tallest tree in the forest was barely able to reach the giant's waist.

Ridden with craters, the area was a complete mess and a terrible sight to behold.

Xu Xiaoshou had ceased his frenzied attacks because the target of his attacks, the grey mist, had disappeared, and only Mo Mo's face remained in his line of sight.

His golden hands held onto the young woman as a flicker of humanity gradually returned to his fierce crimson eyes.

"What is…"

Xu Xiaoshou slowly came to his senses as he stared at the bloodied person in his arms.

He had no idea what had just happened. Something had changed after communicating with that insane being of consciousness.

Destruction, devastation, utter violence…

These primal and violent urges that had taken over his mind had taken control over his actions as well.

Xu Xiaoshou struggled to connect what he was seeing with the battle that had occurred, and came to the easy conclusion that he'd sustained a life-threatening injury from the grey mist figure, and that that had awakened the Raging Giant.

He'd entered a berserk rage state and had somehow pummeled the grey mist figure into sheer nothingness.

This Awakened Effect seemed quite violent and quite a hazard!

And it made him temporarily lose all sense of reason too.

Xu Xiaoshou was slightly displeased. This Passive Skill was hardly useful if he couldn't remain in control of his mind and lost all reason. What if he were to hurt the wrong person…?

Well, but it wasn't completely useless…

He stared at a crater and fell into deep contemplation.

Suddenly, Xu Xiaoshou was seized by a wave of exhaustion, and he felt his body tremble. The golden light enveloping him shattered, and he regained his ordinary human form once again and, with Mo Mo in his arms, began to plummet from the sky.

The two collapsed into a heap on the ground—Xu Xiaoshou from sheer exhaustion, and Mo Mo because she was unconscious… Hold on. Was she still alive?

He remembered the frenzied attacks he'd unleashed…

A that moment, the terrifying rejuvenating quality of Master Level Eternal Vitality made itself known. Theoretically speaking, Xu Xiaoshou should've experienced a prolonged state of exhaustion after that violent rage, but with the Passive Skill working in the background, he regained mobility within moments, and seconds after, felt like he was ready for another fight.

Without thinking, Xu Xiaoshou stuck his finger out in front of Mo Mo's nose to check if she was still breathing. Sure enough, she was beyond his help…

Hold on a second.

He thought he heard the sound of a faint heartbeat.

He leaned in. Mo Mo's chest appeared to be rising and falling ever so slightly, and he waited for a long while before he finally sensed the near-indiscernible thud of a heartbeat.

"She shouldn't have survived those attacks…"

Now that Xu Xiaoshou had shrunk back to his former size and was now sitting in the crater he'd created with his punch, he was struck by how terrifying his blows must have been while he was a giant.

With the effects of Raging Giant coupled with his Master Physique, he could kill a man with just a punch!

The smallest crater on the ground looked like the aftermath of a meteorite crash. Xu Xiaoshou stared at one of the craters, which spanned the length of a dozen feet and the height of a few meters…

He couldn't imagine what the grey mist figure had had to suffer during his momentary loss of reason.

Maybe it'd tried to beg for its life…

It didn't matter. Xu Xiaoshou couldn't remember anything.

Having regained more of his strength back, he hurriedly activated his spiritual source and took a look at Mo Mo's condition.

There was nothing he could do if she were dead.

Even though Mo Mo's body had only been a vessel for the grey mist figure, when it came down to a fight, you didn't care whom you were hitting as long as it was your enemy. Honestly, Xu Xiaoshou believed that he'd held back during his initial round of blows.

He didn't blame himself for what he'd done.

But he still had to try and save Mo Mo. He didn't mind extending a helping hand if he could.

The grey mist figure's array of strange spiritual techniques had truly broadened his horizons. These weren't just your every-day spiritual techniques, which meant the grey mist figure must be someone incredibly important.

Was it… dead?

Xu Xiaoshou highly doubted it.

Mo Mo wasn't dead, which meant the grey mist figure couldn't have died that easily. Perhaps the thrashing that it'd gotten had pummeled it into its original form and sent it back into hiding.

From the looks of Mo Mo's condition, she wasn't alive because she'd survived the final onslaught of attacks. She was alive because her sealing power had seemingly seized what little vitality she had left and bound it to her body so that she might await rescue.

As for her heroic rescuer…

Realization instantly dawned on Xu Xiaoshou. "That guy definitely knew what he was doing!"

If the grey mist figure had, in fact, survived, then it must've known that Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't kill Mo Mo on account of their knowing each other. It must've been confident that he would save her!

Should he save her?

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated. He wasn't sure if he would be rewarded for saving someone who was going to be trouble. In fact, he might just earn himself an enemy's retribution.

But to not save her…

Through Sense, he caught the Spirit Mark of Life lying on the ground. After some thought, Xu Xiaoshou grabbed the artifact and placed it on Mo Mo's stomach.

He knew his debts and paid them to whom they were owed. Mo Mo was a gentle soul. He believed that she wasn't in the same faction as that grey mist figure.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't bring himself to sacrifice a good person in order to rid the world of an evil one…

Besides…

Xu Xiaoshou pointed at Mo Mo's right arm and yelled, "If you dare show your face around me again, I'll beat up you and send you right back!"

He didn't receive a response.

Xu Xiaoshou burst into laughter.

Since he'd sent that thing back once, he could do it again. Besides, that fellow must be seriously injured and probably wouldn't be out wreaking havoc anytime soon.

Xu Xiaoshou had no idea if it would be more powerful the next time it emerged, but he was confident that he wouldn't be at his current level when that happened.

"Losers don't deserve to be feared!" Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself, feeling that this line sounded rather cool and imposing.

When Mo Mo regained her consciousness, he could try finding out more from her!

He prayed that she wouldn't fall into a coma …

Xu Xiaoshou sympathetically shook his head. An old geezer's harassment might be fate's golden ticket to greater cultivation heights, but oftentimes it was a disaster waiting to happen.

If the grey mist figure harbored any ill intentions, Mo Mo wouldn't be able to stop him. In fact, she might remain trapped under his thumb forever.

Xu Xiaoshou thought about the red interface in the recesses of his mind…

The red interface had mercilessly slain the Celestial Dragon when it entered his Origin Court. Perhaps it, too, possessed a mind of its own.

Was his mind currently being controlled by someone else?

Xu Xiaoshou froze at the thought.

He recalled the series of encounters he'd had. At the time, they'd seemed like the result of destiny at work, the natural fruition of some other event and yet also the consequence of nothing in particular.

He laughed at himself. He must've been brainwashed by the "infinite cage" conspiracy theory that Elder Sang had shared with him. Unexpected coincidences didn't happen all the time, and neither did mind control.

He shook his head to clear his mind of these strange thoughts, then downed some red gold liquid that he dug out, healing himself completely.

After some thought, he fed Mo Mo some red gold liquid as well.

"How can you be so weak? Falling to your feet after a battle. You're hardly powerful at all…" Xu Xiaoshou said teasingly.

He energetically jumped to his feet, then stretched his limbs, his joints letting out a series of cracking sounds.

Then he inspected his energy reserve. He'd regained most of his spiritual source and was steadily progressing to the next cultivation level following his last battle.

Xu Xiaoshou smiled happily. Now that was unlimited battery life for you!

If another grey mist figure appeared, he could take it on no problem, he had so much energy left. He wasn't afraid at all!

He was truly getting more powerful…

"That's right. We're missing another person."

Xu Xiaoshou remembered Mu Zixi then. He'd forcibly thrown the young woman away when the Celestial Dragon fell.

She was such a fragile little thing. Had she crashed and died upon impact?

His Sense currently had an incredible range. After a brief search, Xu Xiaoshou was surprised to discover Mu Zixi a mere hundred meters away from him.

The trees in the vicinity were bare of leaves, which Xu Xiaoshou was to blame for, and he effortlessly caught sight of the young woman hanging off a branch.

Her legs were straddling a forked tree branch, which had prevented her from falling to the ground.

Her back was bent over backward and her head was hanging down. Her ponytails drooped lifelessly while drool streamed from her parted lips down into her eyes…

Muack. Muack.

She appeared to be asleep and was munching on something in her dreams. Her hand haphazardly swiped across her drooling mouth before limply falling away to sway gently in the breeze…

Xu Xiaoshou froze in disbelief.

He'd been fighting for his life, and here she was, napping on a tree!

What a free spirit!

Look at how she was sleeping…

Was she trying to hang herself?

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Chapter 162: I Thought You Were My Friend

Crack!

Sword energy smoothly swept down Mu Zixi's green dress before splitting the branch beneath her with a surgical slash. Her perch destroyed, the young woman instantly plummeted earthward.

Xu Xiaoshou crossed his arms and watched with mild interest as the young woman fell.

Boom.

An enormous red flower blossomed from the ground right before she crashed, and Mu Zixi bounced heavily on the red floral cushion before landing on her feet.

"Xu Xiaoshou, you didn't help me up!" the young woman yelled angrily before noticing that her face was slightly wet. She swiped at her cheek, then sniffed at her fingers. It was drool…

Her lovely face instantly flushed, and she whirled around to hastily clean herself up.

"Of course not. You were awake, so why would I help you up?" Xu Xiaoshou flashed a bright smile at Mu Zixi as he watched, bewildered, as her hands quickly moved to wipe off her face.

"Hah!"

Mu Zixi scoffed, and she couldn't help but turn around. "You threw me out and nearly got me killed. Shouldn't you have at least helped me down the tree?"

"Are we settling our debts now?" Xu Xiaoshou was tickled, and his voice was calm when he spoke next. "You should be thankful that I didn't use you as a human shield."

Mu Zixi was speechless.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

The man was absolutely infuriating!

"Fine, that doesn't count. I forgive you… but what's your explanation for lying to me earlier?" Mu Zixi sulkily retorted.

Xu Xiaoshou was curious. "When did I lie to you?"

"You said that you would let me have the Spirit Mark of Life, but you gave me a Spirit Crystal instead."

"Did I say that?"

"You didn't…" Mu Zixi suddenly froze in the midst of her tantrum.

He was right. When did he say that?

Xu Xiaoshou openly and loudly denied her accusation. "I didn't promise you that! You were the one who assumed that. Besides, you were the one who asked for the Spirit Mark of Life. I never said I would let you have it."

"But how come you gave me a Spirit Crystal?" Mu Zixi glared with her lovely wide eyes. She sounded incredulous. "What was the meaning of that?"

"Was I supposed to let you have the Spirit Mark of Life just because you asked for it?" Xu Xiaoshou murmured to himself, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"I gave you the Spirit Crystal as a reward for throwing the Spirit Mark of Life out. As for your misassumptions…

"Well, you can't blame your stupidity on someone else, can you?"

Mu Zixi was rendered speechless.

Cursed, Passive Points 1, 1, 1, 1…

"My dear junior …"

Xu Xiaoshou placed his hand on the young woman's head and gently ruffled her hair. "Your good senior is trying to teach you a valuable lesson. You can't trust anyone in this world. The only person you can trust is yourself.

"Do you understand?"

Mu Zixi scrunched up her nose, slapped Xu Xiaoshou's hand away, then turned around and marched off.

"Hah! Spoiled brat!" Xu Xiaoshou giggled before suddenly realizing that something was amiss. The young woman looked as if she were being led away by the sudden scent of prey, and from the looks of where she was headed…

Mo Mo?

No!

It was the Spirit Mark of Life!

Realizing that her intentions had been seen through, Mu Zixi dropped all pretense and leapt into flight, but Xu Xiaoshou wasn't going to let her get what she wanted.

He extended his Master Level Agility and grabbed the spirit mark before she could reach it.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou instinctively covered his ears when he caught the dangerous glint that flashed across the young woman's eyes.

As expected, a deafening roar erupted the next second.

"Xu… Xiao… Shou!"

"That's mine!"

Mu Zixi pouted and glared furiously at the spirit mark in his hands.

Xu Xiaoshou was the picture of innocence. "Didn't you throw it away just now? You didn't want it. It's not like I had it easy trying to get myself a second-hand artifact."

Cursed, Passive Points 1, 1, 1, 1…

A sudden series of coughs interrupted their bickering.

Mu Zixi's thunderous roar had failed to intimidate Xu Xiaoshou, but it had successfully awoken Mo Mo, who was lying on the ground.

Xu Xiaoshou was slightly startled. The Spirit Mark of Life was an incredible artifact indeed!

It had dragged Mu Zixi back from the gates of hell after spending a few moments in her arms, and now it had saved Mo Mo after merely resting briefly on her stomach.

His fingers tightened around the artifact.

Well, he supposed if he wanted to be particular about this, he couldn't attribute everything to the spirit mark's efforts. There seemed to be something odd about both these young women…

He wasn't surprised about Mo Mo, but… a strange glint flickered in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes as he stared at his junior.

Mu Zixi had been ambushed by the grey mist figure. He'd inspected the condition of her injury as soon as he could've and found her body repairing itself.

Even without the Spirit Mark of Life, it would only be a matter of time before she awakened again…

Mu Zixi had no idea what Xu Xiaoshou was thinking. She watched as the bloodied figure on the ground gradually regained consciousness, then stuck her hand out at Xu Xiaoshou.

"Lend me your sword."

"What do you want to do with it?"

Xu Xiaoshou froze momentarily before pulling out Hiding Pain. He clutched his sword before the young woman could unsheathe the blade.

Was she trying to get payback?

For the slap just now?

"Calm down now!" Xu Xiaoshou hastily put his sword away. "She wasn't the one who slapped you!"

"Who else could it have been?" Mu Zixi retorted furiously.

She'd trusted Mo Mo. The both of them had pursued Xu Xiaoshou together. She hadn't expected Mo Mo to sneak up on her unawares while she was defenseless.

If there was one thing she hated most in this world, it was having her trust betrayed!

Mo Mo watched the two bicker, then turned to look at the craters around her marring the ground. Seeming to have come to a certain realization, she cast her gaze downward.

She sighed bitterly. "Junior Mu Is right. I shouldn't be allowed to live."

Xu Xiaoshou seized Mu Zixi's agitated hands in a single-handed vice, then slapped his other hand over her lips. He turned to look at Mo Mo and frowned. Then, after a slight pause, he said, "I agree."

Mo Mo felt a sudden tug in her chest, and her heart started to race much faster than a normal person's.

"If you don't intend to explain yourself," Xu Xiaoshou added.

Mo Mo froze momentarily before lowering her head. "There's nothing to explain."

"You didn't survive because of me. You survived because it decided to let you live…"

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, and he hooked his foot around Mu Zixi's restless legs. Forced to stand on one foot, the young woman didn't interrupt him again when he spoke next.

He kept his eyes on Mo Mo. "It's still alive, isn't it?"

Mo Mo knew who the young man before her was talking about, but she remained silent.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't save Mo Mo so she could play dumb with him.

He would be leaving himself a ticking timebomb if he didn't figure this out, and it might blow up in his face at the most inopportune moment.

He might as well let Mu Zixi loose and have her kill Mo Mo for him. That would save him a lot of trouble.

"Is it some kind of seal that you're supposed to keep a secret?" he asked solemnly. "If not, I think it should be perfectly fine for you to tell me.

"If I hadn't discovered the grey mist figure, you wanting to continue keeping it a secret would be understandable. But I beat it up quite badly, and it should be severely injured now…it probably can't hear us now, can it?"

Mo Mo trembled slightly. She didn't refute what Xu Xiaoshou said.

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent., deliberating how he could convince Mo Mo to open up to them.

It wasn't an easy feat to pry a person's deepest and darkest secret from their lips, and an ancient secret like the grey mist figure no less.

Xu Xiaoshou believed that the vast majority of humankind on this world were kindhearted souls.

Sometimes, people kept secrets, not because of any ulterior motives but simply because they didn't want to get someone else dragged into their mess.

Xu Xiaoshou had a feeling that Mo Mo's reason belonged to the latter group, and he knew how to get people like her to open up.

That was because he'd been one of them in the past.

Coercion would only make them clam up more. If you truly wanted someone to open their hearts to you, you had to put yourself in their shoes and allow your sincerity and empathy to be the driving force.

Basically, you had to pretend that you were a sorry soul yourself!

"Perhaps you wish to shoulder the burden alone and that's why you're not telling us," Xu Xiaoshou said gently and slowly. "But I've seen the grey mist figure…

"It's going to remain a threat to my life if I don't figure out where it came from. I won't be able to sleep!

"Have you considered my feelings?"

Mo Mo stared at him, her eyes rippling with emotion. Then, she tore her gaze away from him.

Xu Xiaoshou's heart leapt when he caught her reaction, and his voice brimmed with earnestness when he spoke next. "Tell me. What exactly… is that grey mist?"

Mo Mo clenched her jaw, and her fists clutched her bloodied dress. She seemed torn between silence and spilling the truth.

Xu Xiaoshou noted her reluctance and finally decided to go for broke.

He hooked his ankle around Mu Zixi's foot and sent the young woman, who'd been struggling tirelessly in his arms, to the ground while falling to his knees at the same time. With his arms still tightly wrapped around Mu Zixi, Xu Xiaoshou stared Mo Mo straight in the eye, and his piercing gaze seemed to stare straight into her soul.

"I thought you were my friend!" he said, his voice brimming with sincerity and emotion.

Mo Mo couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes instantly turned teary. She was going to tell him everything.

She was startled when pain filled the young man's earnest eyes. Xu Xiaoshou yowled. "Ah!

"Were you a dog in your past life?" The moment was shattered by a furious yell.

Xu Xiaoshou completely lost it. He yanked the hand he had over Mu Zixi's mouth away. It was stained with blood.

How had this young woman managed to sink her teeth into a Master Physique?

His eyes were filled with disbelief.

Mu Zixi snorted. "Xu Xiaoshou, you have a friend! What a surprise!"

Ridiculed, Passive Points 1.

Mo Mo was speechless.

Her lips parted, then moved soundlessly for a brief moment before falling shut again.

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Chapter 163: The Demon Beasts

"Don't butt in!"

Xu Xiaoshou pushed Mu Zixi's cheeks up like he would a dog. He really wanted to just throw the Spirit Mark of Life out there. The girl would definitely chase after it without a moment's hesitation.

However, there was the question of whether she'd bother returning the mark to him afterward.

Mu Zixi glowered at Xu Xiaoshou and kept quiet altogether.

After all, she had enough emotional intelligence to tell that Xu Xiaoshou's previous words meant something out of the ordinary.

And when she linked them to her battle with Mo Mo, she came to remember things.

She figured that Mo Mo's secret probably had something to do with that gap in her memories.

The two of them looked at Mo Mo after they stopped fighting. No longer able to stand the two of them staring at her, she gave in.

Mo Mo weighed her words before saying, "That thing has always been in my right arm. There's no way anyone would know about it."

She cradled her right arm and sensed that the thing was still there. Fortunately for all of them, it was currently dormant.

However, Mo Mo still didn't dare to say much else.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't pursue the matter further, as he would overstep his bounds if he did so. Fishing out secrets… umm, no. Counseling required proper guidance, after all.

He then tactfully repeated one of Mo Mo's words. "It?"

"Yes." Mo Mo was apparently led on to say more. Her eyes flickered with memories. "To this day, I still have no idea what its identity is, but my Innate Elemental Power was awakened because of it."

This shocked Xu Xiaoshou.

Something capable of guiding the awakening of Innate Elemental Powers, and in such a specific direction? Just how powerful did something need to be to do something like that?

Even the likes of Elder Sang could only take his chances when the elder had given him a fire elemental power to train with when he was still at Acquired Level. And that had only amplified his chances of awakening fire elemental traits after he stepped into the Innate Level.

"Beings that are masters of the sealing element and known by name are few and far between," Mu Zixi interjected before Xu Xiaoshou could continue trying to prompt Mo Mo. "What does Holy Emperor Fengtian have to do with you?"

"Holy Emperor Fengtian?" Mo Mo's eyes flickered with confusion. "I don't know."

"You're lying!" Mu Zixi said decidedly.

Xu Xiaoshou turned around and glowered at Mu Zixi. "What the hell is wrong with this girl?" he thought. "Who the hell interrogates people like that? What could you hope to get out of asking her such a question?

"Go slow and steady, get it?"

Mu Zixi rolled her eyes and said, "Xu Xiaoshou, what's that look supposed to mean?"

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

"Signals, little sister!" he thought. "Do you know what signals are?

"Doofus!"

Then, to tell her to shut up and let him do the talking, Xu Xiaoshou simply gestured for her to zip it.

He turned around and continued gently, "Don't mind her. That kind of person… umm, thing, I guess even if it told you its identity, you couldn't afford to belief it wholesale.

"But, I'm sure you've been curious about who it is, and given how there's no way that thing could keep an eye on you all the time, are you… sure that you've never looked into it?"

Mo Mo hesitated and nodded slowly. "I have."

"Hmm?" Xu Xiaoshou then leaned forward, all ears.

He remembered how in his past life those devils in white garb back in the hospital had asked him stuff just like this.

Mu Zixi then pulled at his collar and asked exasperatedly, "What are you trying to do sticking so close?"

Xu Xiaoshou was exasperated.

"Oh my sweet little sister, could you just shut the f*k up!?" he thought. "Is it really so excruciating for you to keep quiet for just a single moment?"

Mo Mo was rather amused by these two's interactions and replied slowly, "I've looked into it, and the conclusion was a rather simple one: The Demon beast."

Demon beast?

The siblings-in-training were stunned. That was a new term that they had never heard of before.

"What's a Demon beast?" Mu Zixi asked, feeling curious.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't stop her from talking this time, as he'd been about to ask the same question.

Mo Mo probed the presence in her right arm and confirmed that the thing was really dormant before continuing uneasily, "You both know that the Tianxuan Gate is a small world unto itself, right?"

Both of them nodded their heads.

"The Tianxuan Gate is a training ground that was created by the Tiansang Spirit Palace's authorities specifically for the disciples of the Inner Yard to train in," she began.

"However, outside the spirit palace and throughout the entire continent, extradimensional spaces like that are actually abundant."

Mo Mo paused for a bit, the continued, saying, "Most of those spaces were born naturally."

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. He already knew about those extradimensional spaces, but he wondered what any of that had to do with the grey mist figure.

She then continued, "Most extradimensional spaces produce things not found throughout the continent, and those places are seen as treasured places.

"But, there is one type that isn't, as not only does it produce things, it also produces extradimensional beings that are humanlike.

"Extradimensional beings of low intellect know nothing but destruction, but among those of high intellect, some are just as intelligent as humans."

"The Demon beast, then?" Xu Xiaoshou then asked.

Mo Mo nodded. "Indeed. Demon beats are very hard to come by. Sometimes not even an entire extradimensional space can produce one, but when they do…" She then smiled bitterly.

Xu Xiaoshou more or less understood what she meant.

So, the demon beast wouldn't be satisfied just going about wrecking things, then. Who wouldn't want to have a look at the world out there, eh?

But then again, how would one get out of the extradimensional space, and could one get out? Would they be detected by the sentinels guarding such spaces when getting out?

All these questions needed answering.

There might even be demon beasts that were seen as common extradimensional beings and were just cut down by said sentinels, seeing them as nothing more but things out to wreck things.

Under such an extremely harsh living environment… any capable of making it out of the extradimensional spaces undetected and come to the continent…

Boy, just how powerful both their intelligence and combat capacity indeed!

It took mere seconds for him to finish analyzing the matter and realize that there were holes in Mo Mo's story.

"According to what you've just said, you were still weak when you caught the attention of that demon beast, so how did you get into one such space, then?"

Mu Zixi eyed Mo Mo with just as much curiosity as Xu Xiaoshou.

Mo Mo smiled bitterly and asked instead, "You think only extradimensional spaces produce demon beasts, then?"

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled.

"That's right!" he thought.

"The fact that demon beasts are found in extradimensional spaces doesn't mean they're not found in our world!"

Instead, those who'd been able to escape a long time ago and evade being hunted down by the spiritual cultivators would be even more unimaginably powerful!

That thought sent shivers down his spine.

Running into the grey mist figure while he was still in the Tianxuan Gate had been quite the coincidence, which meant it was bound by the rules of this small world, which prevented it from bringing about powers that were higher than Master Level.

If he'd run into it outside the Tianxuan Gate, he definitely wouldn't have shirked from fighting it and would've given that pompous attitude he'd taken on after making his breakthrough.

And that attitude would've brought about his downfall.

Xu Xiaoshou then added yet another line to his "Tactics against Enemies."

Grey mist figure: An enemy far more powerful than you can imagine. Only by hiding like a coward can you live long!

Right, hide like a coward.

He committed the words to memory like this was the only thing in the world important to remember. It was imperative that he never do anything rash before he was 100 percent sure of what he was doing.

He'd been lucky this time…

He let out a long sigh inwardly, and voiced his puzzlement. "Given how powerful the demon beast is, it could bring about mass destruction, eh?

"So why would those huge forces out there just let these things do as they pleased, then? Shouldn't they have joined hands to take it down or something?"

Mo Mo sighed and answered, "The Holy Divine Palace had been pursuing it the whole time, taking a kill-on-sight policy with extreme prejudice.

"However, this caused any surviving ones to become even more careful, and when it comes to the art of hiding, do you think any are more capable than these beings?"

Xu Xiaoshou immediately realized what was going on. "So one of these remnants targeted you, then?"

She unexpectedly shook her head. "No."

"I was probably invaded by a demon beast from an extradimensional space, making me a first-generation 'demon beast host.'"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know what to say. "So we're now back to the very beginning after all of that?" he thought.

Mu Zixi couldn't help but ask, "First generation? So you're saying that you actually entered an interdimensional space when you were still weak? How is that possible?"

Such spaces weren't opened to everyone. Only those who were sufficiently powerful could gain access.

Mo Mo shook her head again. "I didn't."

Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi were puzzled.

She'd never entered an interdimensional space and yet she was a first generation demon beast host? Was she messing with them?

"Have both of you forgotten that extradimensional space incident in Tiansang Prefecture several years ago?"

Mu Zixi looked baffled as she rummaged her memories.

Xu Xiaoshou spaced out, doing his best to recall what had happened, yet he was still unable to find any relevant information in the fragments of his faded memories.

It was Mo Mo's turn to be speechless as she looked at the two of them.

What was with these two? Had they been living under a rock or something?

Had they really been nowhere else but the Tiansang Spirit Palace their whole lives? That event had rocked over a dozen cities and prefectures out there, it was so huge, and yet they knew nothing of it?

She was unable to take it any longer and immediately blurted:

"The White Cave!"

Chapter 164: Sealing Stone

The White Cave?

Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi glanced at each other at the same time, seeing nothing but awkwardness on each other's faces.

It was obvious they didn't know this term as well.

Exasperated, Mo Mo went on to explain, "'The 'White Cave' is a huge extradimensional space somewhere in the Tiansang Prefecture. It's the only one with demon beast appearances throughout those found in the over a dozen cities around, thus making it even more renowned.

"A spatial explosion took place several years ago, and the Holy Divine Palace was unable to get to it in time. Many extradimensional beings emerged, and there were massive casualties."

"The commotion was eventually gotten out of control, and all the extradimensional beings were eradicated. They claimed there were no loose ends, but…"

She smiled bitterly, and her meaning was obvious.

Xu Xiaoshou completely understood what she meant and asked, "So you were around when it happened?"

"I was there the whole time…" There was a somewhat sad look in her eyes as she reminisced and continued, "Not everyone is born rich. Some are…"

"Well, I guess you could call this fate eh." She wore a smile on her face and said nothing more.

"No one should stay near such spaces, but some… they really don't want to stay in cities.

"Somewhere in the wild with a hut and about half a hectare of farming land, just enough to sustain one's living. Such is the life of those who are not rich."

"I wasn't nearby back then…" She looked unwaveringly at Xu Xiaoshou.

"That was my home."

Xu Xiaoshou was silent.

It was only then that he realized that no matter which world one was in, some truly had to give it their all just to stay alive.

Such was the case, and it applied to all—common folks and spiritual cultivators alike.

The difference was merely in how it was specifically done.

Mu Zixi felt rather pained hearing that. She opened her mouth to say something, but Mo Mo looked at her and said instead, "It's all in the past."

Both of them knew that Mo Mo didn't want to say more about her past.

The answer of what would happen to common folks who were attacked by extradimensional beings was more than obvious.

Xu Xiaoshou stood up and said solemnly, "I, Xu Xiaoshou, am a man of my word, and I do not go about telling lies."

"What?"

Puzzled, Mo Mo looked up, confused at what he was trying to get at.

Mu Zixi also didn't understand what he was talking about, and looked at him like he were an idiot.

"I consider you a friend," Xu Xiaoshou explained, then paused before continuing, "Should you need any help, just say the word.

"Coincidentally, I'm getting rather interested in the demon beasts…"

There was a look of yearning in his eyes.

To put it more precisely, he was actually interested in that grey mist figure's sealing powers rather than demon beasts as a whole.

Throughout the whole time he'd been a spiritual cultivator, the only thing that had been a real threat to his own passive skills was the element known as "sealing."

Even the likes of Elder Sang and the masked man had fallen more or less to his own passive skills.

This gave him an idea. If he were to find a way to break sealing power and even learn it, he'd probably be invincible.

He then thought about that red wheel. While the odds of getting any prizes from draws were getting increasingly lower, everything he'd gotten so far had been very useful to him.

For instance, Eternal Vitality, Cooking Expert, Agility…

The order and time at which they'd appeared made it seem like the red wheel was out to answer his needs, giving him whatever he lacked at the time.

He then recalled how that red interface in his Origin Court had gone about killing that dragon, and he was able to further confirm that the System indeed had a measure of intelligence.

While the System hadn't been all that supportive, it nonetheless knew his needs.

"Given that I was held back by the power of sealing this time, maybe I'll get something like 'Sealing Expertise' on my next draw," he thought.

"Ohohohoho…"

Xu Xiaoshou laughed, a smug grin on his face, at the thought before remembering that there were people around him, and immediately covered his mouth.

The girls looked at him with shocked looks on their faces.

He immediately changed the subject and looked at Mo Mo, his eyes full of sincerity. "Trust me. Come to me if you have any needs in the future. We'll keep in touch…"

He then paused, figuring that keeping in touch with Mo Mo would mean getting around that grey mist figure more often.

"Do I have a death wish or something?" he thought.

"Well, maybe not in touch. Pigeon messages would do as well." Xu Xiaoshou nodded solemnly, figuring that to be quite a good idea.

Mu Zixi then chuckled derisively behind him. "Xu Xiaoshou, didn't you just tell me that you can't trust anyone in this world but yourself?"

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled.

"Do you really have to be so petty?" he thought. "What the h*ll are you doing picking up all those useless phrases, eh?"

"That's something that your master taught," he said. "I was just reiterating it, and I didn't say that I agreed with it."

Xu Xiaoshou flapped his sleeve and continued, "The most important thing in the world is friendship. Like they say, 'there wouldn't be a world without friends around.'"

Mu Zixi was speechless. "Alright, you win," she thought. "Good stuff or bad stuff, you know it all, and there's no refuting anything, eh?"

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou then realized something. "By the way, when will it wake up?"

"I don't know, but it shouldn't take long." Mo Mo frowned. "At least three to five days. Longest would be a week."

A week? Longest?

Xu Xiaoshou was feeling quite a headache coming on. Why wouldn't it take three to five years for that thing to awaken instead given how bad it'd been trashed before?

Mo Mo's expression was bitter as she continued, "This thing recovers very quickly. Even if it can no longer move like it did before, it should regain consciousness faster than expected.

"It's probably already awake as we speak…"

Xu Xiaoshou felt his skin crawl, and he immediately took a couple of steps back.

"What kind of a monster is this thing?" he thought. "How does something so d*mn insane exist in the world…"

"Don't try to scare me," he said.

"I'm telling the truth," Mo Mo chuckled, as she'd already gotten used to it.

Xu Xiaoshou looking frightened was quite a rare sight.

She hadn't completely lost consciousness after the grey mist figure took over her body. She'd simply watched from the sidelines as Xu Xiaoshou and the grey mist figure fought.

The images had been blurred and intermittent.

Yet, she nonetheless knew more or less how Xu Xiaoshou had slowly lured his enemy into his trap, eventually retaliating and killing the enemy with a massive blow.

To her, that golden giant was nothing less than stunning.

After getting out of combat mode, It was unimaginable to her that this young man would look so scared.

"Is there any way to solve this?" Xu Xiaoshou felt rather desperate. "I mean, the type that prevents it from awakening?"

"There is."

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't actually hoping to get anything useful by asking this, and he totally didn't expect such a firm answer. He then asked further, feeling surprised, "What is it, then?"

Mo Mo then took out a white stone the size of a fist from her ring. He didn't sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from it.

"This is the 'Sealing Stone,'" she said. "One of the two missions that thing gave me when it told me to come here.

"The other one was the 'Spirit Mark of Life' that's in your possession."

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. He took the stone and looked at it intently, but he didn't find anything out of the ordinary about it.

However, when he infused it with spiritual energy, that familiar sealing aura appeared at once.

Xu Xiaoshou willed, and the grey mist immediately went to wrap around Mu Zixi. She wobbled and almost fell to the ground.

"Xu Xiaoshou! What are you doing?"

The sudden attack immediately infuriated Mu Zixi, prompting her to throw a punch at Mo Mo.

Xu Xiaoshou reacted quick enough to catch her punch right there and then. He casually pushed her hand back, sending the girl reeling.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

"Hehe, just trying things out. No need for the temper."

Mu Zixi glared at him nonetheless.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't bother with her any further and turned his gaze back to the "Sealing Stone," his eyes ablaze.

This was a treasure!

He'd just been thinking about mastering sealing power mere moments ago, thinking that it would probably make him invincible, and such a treasured piece had immediately come right to his door.

Xu Xiaoshou turned around and clasped his hands together. "Thank you."

Mo Mo was unable to react to it in time.

Report chapter

Chapter 165: A Bangle

"Hehe, just kidding."

Seeing how irked the two girls were, Xu Xiaoshou immediately shrank back.

He tossed the white stone into the air and caught it. He'd never expected such a plain-looking stone to actually be a treasure comparable to that scabbard he'd found at the Black Waterfalls.

Counting the "Spirit Mark of Life" in his possession, this stone was the third treasure he'd encountered.

He figured there were probably twelve of such treasures throughout the Tianxuan Gate, and he'd already gotten his hands on a quarter of them. Given that they still had a day to spare, he figured he might just be able to get himself one more.

"So what can this thing do?" Xu Xiaoshou then asked. "Since it has sealing attributes, could it seal the grey mist thing?"

"Can't do," Mo Mo answered. "At most, that would only delay its awakening. Furthermore, to truly put this thing to use, one has to smelt it first."

She sighed. Where could one find a smelting pot in the Tianxuan Gate?

Even if she was able to bring that thing out with her by the time they could exit Tianxuan Gate, it wasn't like she could ask the elders of the spirit palace for help.

It was something she'd stolen, after all, so there was no way she could just go about announcing to others about her find.

As such, using the "Sealing Stone" against the grey mist figure was simply impossible.

The reason why she'd chosen to hand the stone over was simply that she wanted to give it to Xu Xiaoshou while that thing was still dormant.

It would be nothing short of a source of disaster if it were to stay in her hands.

"Smelt?" Xu Xiaoshou's interest was piqued as he recalled his own Infernal Heavenly Flames. "How do you go about doing that?"

Mo Mo shook her head and said, "Not something one could do here. Not only would doing so require special means, but one would also require flames of extremely high temperatures…"

She then immediately recalled the woods that Xu Xiaoshou had ended up burning when he was fighting the grey mist figure.

Crackle.

Xu Xiaoshou reached out his hand and started burning the stone with his Infernal Heavenly Flames.

"I don't dare to make claims, but when it comes to flames of high temperatures, I dare say that, besides for two people, no one could claim they can ignite flames of higher temperatures than mine."

Mu Zixi stuck her head out and said, "Two others. Shouldn't it be one?"

Whack!

Xu Xiaoshou immediately whacked her across the head and retorted, exasperated, "You forgot about your own master, eh?"

Mu Zixi said nothing.

Cursed, Passive Point 1.

Mo Mo stared at Xu Xiaoshou's palm for quite a while before finally scanning it with her spiritual sense. The feedback "scorching" was sent back to her.

There was so much joy in her eyes that her voice rose a pitch. "So you could really smelt this 'Sealing Stone?'"

"Indeed."

Xu Xiaoshou then continued, "But that special means you mentioned…"

He was feeling rather troubled. Given his utter lack of talents, such means wasn't something he could easily pick up.

"No need to worry about that. I'll do it." Mo Mo grinned and continued, "Just smelt that thing, and when you get it into shape, I'll be the one to do the sealing."

"That should do it." Xu Xiaoshou was pleased to hear this. The longer he could keep that thing sealed the better, as he was really afraid the grey mist figure would wake up as soon as they got out of Tianxuan Gate and come after his head.

But, well, even after they left, Elder Sang and the others would still be around, so that thing probably wouldn't dare.

However, a thief setting their sights on someone was still more terrifying than said thief actually making a move.

"Is there any way to solve the problem once and for all, like completely removing it from your body?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"I wish that were possible…" Mo Mo turned rather glum.

"Heh, well, sealing it is better than nothing. We'll deal with it one step at a time." Xu Xiaoshou wasn't going to get his hopes up. If it were actually that easy to get rid of, it would've been gotten rid of a long time ago.

He held the stone in his hand and asked. "So how do you want the process done?"

"Melt it into liquid form as best you can. I'll just infuse the sealing means into it before it becomes solid again," Mo Mo answered.

"Need my help with anything?" Mu Zixi butted in, feeling that if she kept quiet any longer, the two would forget that she was still there.

Xu Xiaoshou stepped back for a bit and took out his bathtub. He put it on the ground and said to the girl in a serious tone of voice, "There is something."

"What's that?" Mu Zixi flipped her pigtails, pleased to find that she was needed.

Xu Xiaoshou pressed on her head and said, "Stand aside and don't get in my way."

Arrghhh!

The girl was p*ssed and flailed about in frustration.

It was too bad that Xu Xiaoshou had a longer reach and had had the foresight to press down on her head beforehand, preventing her from being able to get to him.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

"Alright, quit it already."

Xu Xiaoshou pushed her backward and put the bathtub between the two of them. He glared at the girl and then pointed at the stone in his hand, signaling to her that he needed to get to work.

Mu Zixi pouted and continued to mumble to herself under her breath. Xu Xiaoshou saw his Information Bar continue to refresh and felt the scene was rather amusing.

"Can we begin?" He looked at Mo Mo, who then nodded.

He immediately lit up a fireball and had it burn under the cauldron. Then, he threw the white stone into the bathtub.

Mo Mo checked the temperatures and commented, "Not high enough."

"Well, the stone isn't some kind of ingredient, and it isn't that fragile, then…" Xu Xiaoshou thought as he immediately pulled back the external layer of flames, causing the temperature to instantly spike.

Crackle, crackle.

The white tub turned red hot in an instant, causing the air above the tub to warp, but the stone still didn't melt.

"Well, well, isn't this something indeed."

He then flicked a fire seed into the tub, which caused the stone to tremble.

Swoop!

He flicked another inside.

Unable to take the heat any longer, the Sealing Stone cracked from the high temperatures.

Mo Mo was utterly surprised. She hadn't expected the smelting process to be so easy, and she wondered just how long it'd taken to burn the stone before it cracked.

She glanced at Xu Xiaoshou, who looked to be completely at ease. It was apparent that he hadn't even reached his limit.

"He truly has become powerful…"

She sighed inwardly, knowing that if it wasn't for that grey mist figure, she'd be drastically behind Xu Xiaoshou right now, unable to even begin to keep up with his progress.

No.

"If it wasn't for that thing, I never would've been able to enter the spirit palace, and I never would've gotten the chance to know him in the first place," she thought.

Mu Zixi's expression turned increasingly strange as she looked at how Mo Mo was looking at Xu Xiaoshou.

Hold on a second.

Cough, cough.

She covered her mouth and coughed a little.

Xu Xiaoshou looked up at her. "Do you have a sore throat?"

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled. This girl cursed at just about everything! He was being nice! What did he do wrong?

"Are you like the queen of cursing?" he thought.

Mu Zixi's cough immediately made Mo Mo snap back to her senses. She pulled her gaze away from Xu Xiaoshou and turned her attention back to the stone.

"Turn down the heat. Spiritual source is siphoning. It's about to liquefy."

"Sure," Xu Xiaoshou acknowledged, and fluidly controlled the entire smelting process.

After all, melting down a stone was a lot easier than doing alchemy. There was no need for him to consider the fusion of medicinal effects, and he didn't need to think about how to mold them into pills or anything. All he needed to do was simply boil the thing inside as he would a soup.

"It's a pity this isn't a rib or something," he thought. "I'd have dumped some herbs in it otherwise."

The stone cracked before long and melted into white liquid.

Mo Mo twirled her fingers about and performed several seals, which she then infused inside the liquefied stone.

"Quick, get it into shape." She sounded rather desperate.

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled. "What shape then?"

Mo Mo looked at her right arm, considering the stone's volume. It wouldn't be possible to make a huge cast out of it for sealing the grey mist figure.

"A bangle?"

"Huh?" Mu Zixi's eyes widened when she heard this, and she looked at Mo Mo in disbelief.

She realized it sounded wrong as soon as she said it, as she was basically asking Xu Xiaoshou to make her a bracelet.

Wait, wouldn't that mean…

She blushed and glanced at Mu Zixi. "That's not what I meant."

Mu Zixi blinked and eyed Mo Mo. "What do mean by that?" she asked.

The girl waved her hand dismissively at Mo Mo. "You're overthinking things."

Mo Mo then let out a sigh of relief.

Cursed, Passive Points 1.

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled. For a while, he didn't know which one of them had cursed him, but he knew who was behind it the next moment.

Envied, Passive Points 1.

"Boy, the girl sure knows how to pretend like she doesn't care," he thought.

"What are you thinking of?" He shot Mu Zixi an exasperated look. "The stone is just that big. What else other than a bangle could you make out of it?"

"I didn't say anything!" Mu Zixi stood with her arms akimbo and pouted.

"I said nothing, and yet you picked on me instead?" she thought.

Talked back at, Passive Points 1.

Begrudged, Passive Points 1.

"Yeah, sure." Xu Xiaoshou didn't say anything more. "Sure, you said nothing. Don't go about having weird thoughts in the first place, and you won't have to cover anything up," he thought. "Begrudged, eh? That doesn't seem like your first. I'd like to see your notes if you dare to show them."

"You sure think of weird stuff for someone your age," Xu Xiaoshou jokingly chastised her.

Mu Zixi lowered her head, finding that she'd actually run out of comebacks.

Cursed, Passive Points 1, 1, 1, 1…

Report chapter

Chapter 166: The Suave and Gentle Big Brother

Xu Xiaoshou turned his attention back to the liquefied stone.

A ring began to form in the tub before long.

He kept his eyes still while he scanned with his Sense, enabling him to confirm the circumference of Mo Mo's wrist.

A rather thick bangle began to take shape. Xu Xiaoshou frowned, not believing that that thing was his work.

"Too much…"

Thinking so, he siphoned some of the white liquid out, slimming the bangle down considerably. It was only then that he nodded with satisfaction.

He dispelled the flames and flicked his hand, sending the bangle flying.

The bangle was freshly forged and was still hot.

"Well, that's what I feel holding it," he thought. "Anyone else's hands would be burned to a crisp."

He sucked and took out the excessive heat from the bangle before looking at Mo Mo.

"Your hand, please."

Mo Mo was stunned, and she was blushing hard, thinking that Xu Xiaoshou was about to put the bangle on her.

"I'll just do it myself…"

"I'll do it."

An obtrusive noise caused Xu Xiaoshou to slowly turn his head around. Mu Zixi again…

"None of your business, girl."

Mu Zixi puffed out her chest and said adamantly, "Man and woman aren't supposed to just touch each other, get it?"

"Umm, well, that kind of makes sense…" It was only then that Xu Xiaoshou understood what was happening. He held the bangle in his hand, not knowing who he should hand the bangle to. His eyes darted between the two of them.

"I'll just do it myself." With a grin, Mo Mo took the bangle and put it on her wrist. "Thank you," she said.

"Don't mention it."

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes and grinned, asking, "How's it feel?"

Mo Mo was impressed. "Very good. The sealing was such a success that my powers are suppressed now."

"Umm, I meant how's the size…"

Her smile froze, and she turned the bangle on her wrist about a little before saying, "It fits nicely, thank you."

"That's what friends are for."

Xu Xiaoshou was pleased to find that she liked the bangle. He'd even gone out of his way to use his spiritual source as a sword to carve some patterns into it.

With the carvings on it, the milky white bangle looked rather nice.

"I kept a little bit of liquefied stone for myself. I hope you don't mind."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the remaining liquefied stone in the tub and explained, "If I'd dumped all of it into the bangle, it would've made it look super thick and ugly."

"It's fine."

Mo Mo didn't mind at all. In the beginning, she'd simply thought of giving the stone away, so just getting a bangle out of it in return was quite a bargain.

Furthermore, that bangle had some other significance to it…

Mu Zixi pouted as she watched Mo Mo play with the bangle around her wrist, feeling very jealous deep down.

"Xu Xiaoshou, I want a bangle too!"

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes. "What do you want a bangle for? It's not like you're possessed by a demon beast," he said without turning around, going about shaping the remaining liquid in the tub.

The remaining liquefied stone wasn't much, but it was enough to make a ring nonetheless.

He'd been able to invoke the sealing energies from that white stone by siphoning spiritual source into it, and he figured that he might still be able to do the same after making a ring out of it.

So long as he was still able to invoke the sealing energies, be it in stone form or ring form, the item would definitely come in handy.

Mu Zixi thought for a bit and figured that she really had no reason to ask for anything, but that couldn't do. That brother of hers had no reason to give Mo Mo a bangle and give her—the sister—nothing.

"I don't care. I want it."

She glared at him and took note of the remaining white liquid in the tub. She then said, "By the way, you owe me a greeting gift."

Xu Xiaoshou remained unfazed and focused his attention in the tub. The ring started to take shape before long.

He then went about meticulously carving and finally polished it to the point where he considered it perfect.

"No bangle, but there's a ring. You want it?" Xu Xiaoshou said in jest and flicked the ring up, finding it light. It would make a good accessory.

Mu Zixi's ears burned. A ring? Well…

"Isn't this above a bangle?" she thought.

"I want it!"

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

"Man, you actually dared to ask, then?" he thought. "In your dreams!"

Xu Xiaoshou suppressed his twitching brow and asked in a very gentle manner, "How about I put it on your finger, then?"

"P-Put it on my finger?" Mu Zixi thought.

Seeing that Xu Xiaoshou was looking very, very gentle, she felt her chest start to pound very, very hard.

She figured that if this young man were to just behave himself, just that face of his alone would make him extremely attractive.

And he'd look just like the big brother-in-training she'd dreamt of meeting when she first became that elder's disciple.

Suave, gentle… someone who would just come and pat her head, even if she'd done something wrong, and just tell her in a doting manner that everything would be alright, as he was still around.

"Arrrgggghhhh. I'm gonna die!" she thought.

Mu Zixi slowly closed her eyes, her face still head, and answered almost inaudibly, "Okay."

Xu Xiaoshou struggled to keep his eyelids from twitching. How dare you!

He lowered his voice, and, trying to sound as gentle as possible, mimicked Mu Zixi's tone, saying, "Gimme your little hand, then."

"Huh?" she thought. "Gimme your little hand?"

Mu Zixi felt like she were about to pass out. She extended her trembling hand and heard the man before her say, somewhat hesitatingly, "Hmm, which finger should I put it on?"

"No, not this right now…" she thought, resisting the impulse. Finally, rationality prevailed over her emotions, and she put her ring finger down.

"An-Any finger would do…"

Before she finished speaking, she felt something warm come over her fingertips, and she shuddered like she'd been electrocuted as she felt something being put on her index finger.

The seconds felt like years.

Time passed, and the ring was finally put on her finger. Unable to take the embarrassment anymore, she turned around, covering her face.

"Thank you," she said in a nearly inaudible voice.

"So hot!" she thought. "It's scorching!

"Why is my face so hot? Cool down, quick!"

"You're welcome," she heard Xu Xiaoshou say behind her, but…

He sounded rather far away.

Dumbfounded, Mu Zixi turned to find her brother-in-training actually hovering high above.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded at her and flashed a beaming smile. "Take a look at how it fits."

Her heart thumped again, and she pulled her gaze away from her senior brother and looked at the ring on her finger.

Such a beautiful ring. The carving, the color…

"Huh?" she thought. "Why is it gold?"

Mu Zixi was stunned, her eyes filled with disbelief. Her pupils gradually dilated.

She probed with her spiritual sense and found that there was quite a space inside the ring, and that there was a can of honey in it.

"A-A space ring?"

Feeling like the world had collapsed on top of her, she immediately started fuming.

"Xu… Xiao… Shou!"

Her roar seemed to pierce the heavens, and caused the entire Senluo Woods to echo and tremble.

Cursed, Passive Points 1, 1, 1, 1…

Xu Xiaoshou continued looking suave and gentle while hovering midair. He was sure that Mu Zixi wouldn't be able to hit him from such a distance, which was why he maintained his demeanor.

"Do you like your present? I picked it specifically for you. That was my reward for becoming the champion of the Wind and Cloud contest back then!"

Mu Zixi took a deep breath. She was so angry she felt like she could puke blood.

Seeming to recall something, Xu Xiaoshou snapped his fingers. "Oh, right. There's a story to the ring."

"What story?" Mu Zixi was baffled.

"A champion's ring… does that mean it has some special sentimental value to Xu Xiaoshou?" she thought.

She started to feel somewhat better.

Xu Xiaoshou flapped his sleeve and turned to look at the sky in the distance before beginning his story.

"Back in my hometown, there's a type of pigeon called the pink pigeon…"

Mo Mo was immediately baffled. Why was he bringing up pink pigeons all of a sudden?

Mu Zixi was starting to get a bad feeling about things.

Xu Xiaoshou then continued with his story. "A lot of people like them, but when people who keep pink pigeons become more and more common, you start to see them everywhere.

"Sometimes, back in my hometown, some people would mistake someone else's pigeon for their own and end up feeding the wrong pigeon…

He then looked at that sister of his on the ground and paused for a bit before continuing. "In order to prevent such mistakes, owners started putting rings on their pink pigeons to prevent them from mistaking someone else's pet for their own.

"So you get it now?"

He fixed his eyes on the little girl.

Mu Zixi lowered her head, her pigtails drooping. She was actually keeping quiet.

Xu Xiaoshou checked his Information Bar.

"Weird," he thought. "Why isn't there like a torrent of curses flooding the information bar?"

He turned around to find that little sister squatting on the ground. What was she doing?

Xu Xiaoshou started shaking with fury at what he saw.

Mu Zixi looked up abruptly, her eyes completely bloodshot.

She lifted her hands from the ground, and tightly packed seeds shot out of the earth, immediately turning into towering ancient trees, and rushed at him.

Every single tree seemed to be crimson and was swelling as if they were about to explode soon enough.

Tens of thousands of them were all over the place.

Holy sh*!

Xu Xiaoshou's face turned ashen.

"You go this far over a story? Can't you just play nice?" he thought.

"Just kidding…" he said.

"Don't do anything rash!"

Chapter 167: They're Here

Back at Tiansang Spirit Palace.

The entrance of the Council Hall in the Inner Yard.

The pagoda tree, as always, was saying leisurely in the breeze, but right underneath it was a densely packed group of people dressed in black. All wore serious expressions on their faces.

Zhao Xidong stood next to the elders as he held the "Spirit Curtain Wheel of the 12 Pearls" in his hand.

The evening sunlight shone on all of them, and that piece of treasure looked rather dilapidated at the moment. Three pearls were dimmed, and there was a massive gash on the bottom piece.

For everyone, this confirmed that the incident in the Tianxuan Gate had actually happened and that there were probably some extraordinary people in there, as the wheel wouldn't have such a gash on it otherwise.

It was a sign that the world was about to collapse.

A man in black stepped forward and bowed. "Sir, the personnel are all accounted for."

Ye Xiaotian hovered midair, yet he was gazing at something far away in the distance.

After hearing the report, he simply nodded, looking completely unfazed.

Zhao Xidong was all flustered, and he wondered why the elders still weren't opening the gate. Then he wondered if they would only do so when the world in there finally collapsed.

He then nudged Elder Qiao with his elbow.

He was a nobody, so it would obviously be better for Elder Qiao to say something instead.

Exasperated, Qiao Qianzhi tilted his head asked, "Should we open the place up?"

Ye Xiaotian slowly shook his head.

"We wait."

The wind blew, and the tree swayed again. None of the men in black below dared to even make a noise.

Paying no mind to the rules, Qiao Qianzhi blurted out, "We wait? Three treasures were taken away in just two days. If we wait any longer, the Tianxuan Gate will really collapse."

If four of the 12 treasures stabilizing the world were lost, the Tianxuan Gate would become extremely unstable, and if the place collapsed, the Inner Yard would be the first to take the brunt, and the incident would probably bring about massive casualties.

Ye Xiaotian's eyes never left the sky as he said, "How are the preparations on the other side?"

"All done," Qiao Qianzhi answered. "Xiao is keeping watch now. If they dare to show up again, we'll absolutely give them their money's worth this time."

"Yeah."

The place fell silent again.

The wait…

Seemed like it would never end.

Crack!

Under everyone's gaze, the protective barrier of the fourth pearl on that Spirit Curtain Wheel of the 12 Pearls broke, causing the pearl to flicker.

Zhao Xidong immediately almost cursed.

This…

Someone found the seal of the fourth treasure stabilizing the world?

He shot a look at Elder Qiao, and his meaning was obvious: are we going to wait any longer?

Qiao Qianzhi didn't ask a question this time. He merely frowned as he looked at the silver-haired figure nearby.

Ye Xiaotian definitely knew how urgent the situation currently was, yet he was still gazing at the sky…

What was he looking at?

The Holy Servant?

"They're here," Ye Xiaotian said all of a sudden, causing all of the law enforcers before the hall to straighten up and wonder if it was time for action.

Zhao Xidong was rather baffled. Why had these people shown before the spy had yet to come out?

These people must not be afraid of death if they dared to come all the way here just to pick up one of their own.

While this was the elders' judgment, Zhao Xidong actually refused to believe any of it. He refused to believe that the one they called the "Holy Servant" would show up.

They were all massively prepared for it, after all, and were just waiting for those people to fall into the trap.

"I'll head out for a bit," Ye Xiaotian quipped, and disappeared from the front of the hall.

Everyone was stunned and then felt relieved.

So, it wasn't the Holy Servant that had shown up, but some kind of reinforcements, then?

Compared to the situation in the Inner Yard, where everyone was on edge and things were tense, the Outer Yard looked very lively under the setting sun.

The newly recruited disciples of the spirit palace had apparently gotten used to the place over the past several days. Be it Goose Lake, the woods, the pavilions… everywhere was filled with training future spiritual cultivators.

"Hey, look, someone's flying!"

A shout alerted everyone around, tugging the heartstrings of many. All of them stopped in the middle of their training and curiously looked up.

Any from the Outer Yard capable of flight was considered rare—a handful among thousands—so much so that such people could be counted with just one hand.

"Flying huh… that should be someone at Innate Level, then. Boy, I'm envious. I have yet to even get to level one, man."

"Hehe, shows that you really know nothing. Those at level 10 are actually already capable of flight."

"You kidding me? I've been in class for the past two days, you know."

"Heh, you've been living under a rock, then. Don't you know anything about the legend of the Outer Yard?"

"Huh?"

"Rumor has it that Big Brother Xu of the Outer Yard was able to fly by riding a sword while still at the Acquired Level. He cut someone at Innate Level down and even killed several people with just a sneeze."

"Oh, Big Brother Xu? I've heard of him but… umm, can he still be considered a human?"

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Well, rumor has it that he has like three heads and six arms… or is it four pairs of wings and two heads?"

"For real?"

"Sure as h*ll more real than gold."

The person who was flying in the air was getting increasingly closer. They soon stopped above the spirit palace, seemingly having trouble getting inside.

Everyone started to feel restless when they saw that there were three people on that cloud instead of just one.

With the exception of that middle-aged man with silver hair who was taking the lead, the man and woman behind him looked as though they were merely several years older than the disciples below.

"Wait, are those two at Innate Level as well?"

"How could that be? Definitely just someone following the elder. How could someone so young already be able to fly?"

"Yeah, if they could fly, what would that make us? Trash?"

Everyone checked their energy reserves, most of them discovering that they didn't even have such a thing to check on yet.

The very next second, they all saw the cloud split into three as the group remained hovering in midair.

Everyone below was speechless.

This was a blow to all of them.

The young man and woman up there were actually already at Innate Level despite being around the same age as those below.

All of them wondered who those three were, given how terrifying their powers seemed to be.

At that moment, a fissure was seen in midair, and a young man with silver hair slowly emerged from it.

"Holy sh, splitting space?"

"Who is that young man from? Did he like begin training when he was still in the womb?"

"Shut up. That's the dean from the Inner Yard!"

Ye Xiaotian glanced at the noisy crowd below, then extended his hand to open up the great array of the spirit palace and let the visitors in.

"Well, this is rather awkward, Hallmaster Jiang."

Jiang Bianyan touched his silver hair and said with a beaming smile, "Oh, you're being polite. The spirit palace truly is full of talented people and is very lively. This is a sign of prosperity."

Ye Xiaotian then looked at the young man and woman behind him and said quietly, "As far as capable people are concerned, which cultivation force throughout the continent could compare with the Holy Divine Palace indeed?"

"Hahaha, Palace Lord Ye, you really do flatter us. We're but of the side hall. We're nothing worth mentioning."

"You're being too humble, Hallmaster Jiang. Even those from the side hall are somewhat more powerful than the other forces."

The continuous straightforward compliments caused the young man standing at the back to feel rather proud, and his eyes showed a touch of pride.

It was indeed true that someone the Holy Divine Palace, even just from the side hall, was considerably stronger than those of the other forces found throughout the Shengshen Continent.

The woman was wearing a veil over her face, obscuring her expression, yet one could tell that she was unfazed from the look in her eyes.

Ye Xiaotian nodded inwardly. One was trash, but the other wasn't that bad. The side hall was…

Not bad indeed.

But…

What was he doing bringing two disciples with him?

Did they have a death wish or something?

He looked further behind Hallmaster Jiang, but saw no one else.

"Palace Lord Ye, are we going to talk more inside?" Jiang Bianyan smiled and asked. If anyone else had stayed talking to him at their doorstep, he would have just left a long time ago.

Ye Xiaotian raised his eyebrows and figured that the line meant that no one else would be coming.

"So there are only the three of you, then?"

Report chapter

Chapter 168: Cheng Xingchu and Yu Zhiwen

Jiang Bianyan knew what Ye Xiaotian met, but he still asked in return, without making it obvious that he knew, "Yes, is there anything wrong?"

If they hadn't requested assistance from the spirit palace, and if they hadn't witnessed the rise of the Tiansang Spirit Palace over the last several decades, Jiang Bianyan might not have decided to show up personally.

No matter how well-written the letter for assistance, having several elders show up to help was quite the turnout.

Wasn't it enough for him to come to her personally to keep things in check?

Ye Xiaotian narrowed his eyes. He was really getting somewhat angry.

Holy Servant!

It was the Holy Servant they were talking about here!

Did the people at the Holy Divine Palace lose their minds? Was this situation something they could afford to take lightly?

He'd made it very, very clear in the letter that it might very possibly be the leader of the "Holy Servant" that they were dealing with here, and that more than one of them might possibly show up the next time.

But those people weren't idiots. They most likely wouldn't expect to just walk right in without running into a trap. They would definitely come prepared.

But…

Just a hall master of a side hall had come? And two kids who knew nothing?

"You people really think that those people are here to play?" he thought. "You people really think that this is all fun and games, huh?"

Ye Xiaotian clenched his fists. This would've been a great opportunity to apprehend those people once and for all, which was something the Holy Divine Palace had been looking forward to as well, as that letter wouldn't have reached them otherwise.

But now…

Ye Xiaotian's heart sank to rock bottom, and, as he recalled what Elder Sang had said, he wondered if the Holy Divine Palace had really been leaving the "Holy Servant" to their devices.

He wondered if what Elder Sang said had been true all along.

He fell silent for a while and, as he hardly bothered to conceal his feelings, everyone could see that he was in a bad mood.

That young man standing behind the hall master was so furious that his eyes were ablaze with anger. He had never seen anyone dare to treat those from the Holy Divine Palace like that, even if that someone was the silver-haired young man before him who was palace lord of a spirit palace.

"Palace Lord Ye, looks like you're thinking that the Holy Divine Palace isn't sending people important enough, then?" His voice sounded rather cold.

Jiang Bianyan's heart sank quite a bit.

"Is this brat really getting too comfortable in the Holy Divine Palace? How dare he say something like that here?

That guy isn't just some ordinary person at the Sovereign level here. Even if he truly is at the Sovereign level, do you really think that you, someone at Innate level, could talk back to someone so formidable and who had truly touched the Great Path?"

After what the young man said, the situation became tense.

Jiang Bianyan was about to say something when Ye Xiaotian raised his hand to stop the hall master. He then looked at him interestedly.

"What's your name?"

A terrifying pressure washed all over the young man, causing him to shudder and almost fall off of the cloud. He felt himself break out in a cold sweat.

However, he managed to steady himself and realized that it might be some kind of trial from a senior. After all, he had experienced such situations quite a lot of times back in the Holy Divine Palace.

"Cheng Xingchu." There was a determined look in the young man's eyes.

"Cheng Xingchu…"

Ye Xiaotian titled his head as he mulled over the name. He then looked at the young man again and focused.

Booom!

The space around them collapsed, and the cloud dispersed.

Cheng XIngchu's body went limp, and he immediately lost mobility and fell from the sky, flailing like a dog.

Arrgghhh!

His terrified shouts could be heard throughout the heavens.

"No!" Shocked, Jiang Bianyan made his move right away. It was only when he extended his hand that he found himself someplace hundreds of meters away.

The power of space…

His pupils contracted, as he seemed to have realized something.

Ye Xiaotian's power was an elemental power that could almost make him invincible among his peers of the same level, and Ye Xiaotian already had a record of killing enemies at a higher level than him.

That young man with silver hair wasn't at Sovereign level for nothing. He had truly built up a reputation for himself through his winning track record in combat.

Cheng Xingchu felt as if there was a black hole sucking at him from below. He was utterly unable to control his movements.

He lowered his head.

He found that there was really a black hole underneath him…

"Sh*!" he thought. "What kind of f*king test is this? You're out to kill me!"

"Are you nuts? You dare to kill me? Do you know who I am?" Cheng Xingchu shouted in panic, yet to his despair, he discovered that he just kept falling.

Voom!

Darkness swallowed everything before his eyes.

I'm dead?

His eyelids twitched as opened his eyes.

Everything was light again, and the sky remained yellowish, but there was a beauty to it all.

His vision came into focus, he saw that Jiang Bianyan was right before him. That young woman with a deadpan look was still standing beside him. Ye Xiaotian, who looked like he was about to kill someone, remained looking at him.

Is this a dream?

Cheng Xingchu wanted nothing more at the moment than for everything to be nothing more than a dream. However, the jeers and laughter beneath him reminded him that his image was ruined…

"Hahahaha, look at that, you guys. He's about to pee himself, eh?"

"Oh please, he's still a guest and someone at Innate… Hahahahaha, d*mn it, I can't hold it any longer. That guy is at Innate level?"

"Where did that young master come from? Has he got to his weaning stage already? Oh gosh, he was scary!"

"Hey, you dare to kill me? Do you know who I am?"

Cheng Xingchu looked down and saw faint marks on his pants. It was too bad he didn't have a blade in his hand. If he did, he would have rushed below and killed all those ants at Acquired Level.

His spiritual source dried up the liquids without making it obvious. He then took a deep breath. "I…"

"The grown-ups are talking here, so you kids better just keep to yourselves," Ye Xiaotian said causally.

He saw that the eyes that seemed to have harbored a blackhole focused again, and he almost passed out. He felt that he might have nightmares from here on out.

"D*mn you, Tiansang Spirit Palace," he thought. "Just you wait!

"When I got more powerful, I shall…"

"What an embarrassment."

A dismissive, cold female voice rang out, and Cheng Xingchu's mouth twitched. His throat quivered, and yet he found that he was still unable to say anything.

Ye Xiaotian turned his attention to the young woman.

Her veil covered her face, and her eyes were mesmerizing. Her powers… were nothing to shout about.

He then smiled at Jiang Bianyan and commented, "The disciples of the Holy Divine Palace really are something else indeed, daring to shout out loud even when caught in a pinch and even remaining calm and collected when facing something out of their league. Disciples like that are indeed hard to come by."

"The way I see it, Cheng Xingchu has what it takes to become the holy emperor. Best to foster him to the best of your ability, Hallmaster Jiang."

The corner of Jiang Bianyan's mouth twitched.

Ye Xiaotian then extended his hand and then uttered a single word:

"Please."

Even though Ye Xiatian was simply pointing with his finger, judging by his words, he was clearly telling Jiang Bianyan to get lost. Jiang Bianyan was able to tell that much.

He was indeed fuming deep down as well.

"Ye Xiaotian really is too much," he thought. "I'm still a hall master of a side hall of the Holy Divine Palace. Couldn't he just give me face for a bit?

"Scaring Cheng Xingchu until he peed in front of everyone. That's an insult to me, Jiang Bianyan, all the same. I was the one who brought the kid out, after all!"

He really wanted to just ignore the request for help and leave the spirit palace to their devices.

However, Jiang Bianyan hesitated when he realized that he still had an important job to do…

"Please."

He wore a pleasant expression on his face as he moved in the direction in which Ye Xiaotian was pointing.

Ye Xiaotian was dumbfounded. He wondered if he hadn't been going far enough, or that the other party was just so good at putting up pretenses.

Please?

"Well then, let's go…" He shot a glance at the young man and woman behind Jiang Bianyan before heading off to the front to lead the way.

Cheng Xingchu was dumbfounded. He didn't understand why they were heading inside despite the fact that the host was almost literally telling them to get lost.

He wondered if the hall master has lost his mind.

The young woman at his side flew past him. He then looked at the noisy crowd below and felt disgusted.

He didn't want to stay in such a disgusting place for a moment longer.

"Ms. Zhiwen, wait for me!"

The Outer Yard was quiet again. The arrival of the three guests dressed in white became gossip material, and it also boosted the morale of those who had just joined the spirit palace.

It was the veterans who had been in the spirit palace for some time who ended up spacing out while looking at the sky.

"The Holy Divine Palace, eh?"

"What are those people doing here in the spirit palace? Is something serious about to happen?"

Duk duk!

The broken willow next to Goose Lake grew anew, and a young man in plain clothes walked under its shadows. The man was holding a stick, and his eyes were closed, making him look like a blind man.

His head was slightly lowered. A goose in the lake flapped its wings and struck the water with its beak.

The fish glided about, evading the fatal strike.

The blind young man reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to touch the water, yet he only managed to touch the white jade fence… If he'd managed to touch the water, he would have dropped into the lake altogether.

The last sliver of the setting sun was gone, and the night wind came.

"Summer has ended, and the breeze of early autumn is here… Yu Zhiwen…"

"You're here, eh?…"

"Yo!" A woman dressed in skimpy clothing walked over to him from not too far away and immediately rested her hand on his shoulder.

"So, you're from the same batch as us, then? How come I've never seen you before?"

The blind young man turned his eyes to the side, seemingly looking at the hand on his shoulder.

He then turned his head around. A face full of ugly scars appeared right before the young woman who had walked over to talk to him.

Thump!

The young woman was frightened enough to drop to the ground. Her eyes were filled with terror.

"Y-Y-You…"

"Excuse me!"

She then bolted.

Chapter 169: The Nightmare has Come True?

[The Council Hall, Inner Yard]

As Jiang Bianyan sipped his cup of hot tea, his thoughts were somewhere else.

It wasn't until he had gotten into the Inner Yard that he'd discovered the tense atmosphere of the place, where everyone was ready to strike out at anything. It differed totally from the Outer Yard, and the two locations felt like two different worlds to him.

He frowned as he shot a glance at the men-in-black under the tree by the old pagoda next to the entrance. "Palace Lord Ye, is there a need to have such a conspicuous presence?" he asked.

Jiang Bianyan simply didn't believe that they positioned there those people for him. There was only one possibility—the "Holy Servant" mentioned in the letter had requested help.

"Is there such a need, you ask?"

Ye Xiaotian put his cup of tea down and replied, "The three of you have come a long way, so I've arranged for your lodging for the duration of your time here."

He didn't even bother explaining.

"Conspicuous presence, you say?"

"I wish we could have a more prominent presence!"

Jiang Bianyan touched his grey sideburns and wore a rather irked expression.

He had not seen Ye Xiaotian bear any semblance of a pleasant disposition ever since he entered the spirit palace. He cursed to himself—God damn it!

Qiao Qianzhi noted the prevailing tension and elaborated. "Hall Master Jiang, there are some minor incidents in there that need to be attended to. I beg your forgiveness for not being a good enough host."

Despite his more amicable tone and choice of words, his persuasions were identical to that of Ye Xiaotian.

"The Tianxuan Gate is in great peril, and it would have been better if they had sent us a more formidable force."

Yet there was only one who was considered formidable enough in their group.

But it didn't matter—it would not do them any good getting on their bad side. He only hoped they would stay out of their way, at least.

Jiang Bianyan could tell that the two officials were desperate. Curious to find out more, he asked, "minor accidents?"

Qiao Qianzhi looked at the spirit wheel in Zhao Xidong's hand. Four pearls were flickering, and they looked like they would be snuffed out at any moment.

"Just some private matter."

Cheng Xingchu was already fuming by then, on account of how these officials were being evasive with them, although it was they who asked for help to begin with. In his view, this was nothing less than an act of contempt to the three of them.

He was just about to speak when he caught sight of a silver-haired young man on the main seat, and it caused him to swallow what he was about to say.

"If I'm not mistaken, that would be the 'Spirit Curtain Wheel of the 12 Pearls,' am I correct?" An icy, calm female voice filtered from his side.

Qiao Qianzhi looked at her and answered, "That is correct."

"The wheel is spiritually tied to the Tianxuan Gate, a treasured realm of the spirit palace. Judging from what I see, I suppose there have been some incidents at the Tianxuan Gate?"

The three of them were quite taken aback, noting how perceptive the girl was. Such a measure of knowledge and judgment was not something common among most folk.

Zhao Xidong cast his eyes upon the girl's veil. He was instantly enraptured by the mere sight of her eyes and wondered how he would react if the veil was removed.

"May I…"

"Yu Zhiwen," she replied, and there was a slight crease seen on the veil as she smiled.

"Good name, indeed."

Those alluring eyes of hers enraptured Zhao Xidong right away. Having just broken up with his girl recently, he simply could not resist her charm and stuttered.

"M-My name is Zhao Don…"

"Umm, no, Zhao Xidong."

He puffed his chest, holding his head high, and said, "A pleasure to meet you."

He put the spirit wheel aside and rubbed his hand on his clothes nervously before extending his hand.

However, the girl had no intentions of shaking hands with him at all.

Zhao Xidong quickly directed his hand to Cheng Xingchu. His movement was so fluid that it took no more than half a second and barely appeared awkward.

"Cheng Xingchu."

The young man hesitated briefly before deciding to give them all face. He felt a great sense of anxiety after what he had just been through.

As soon as their hands touched, Zhao Xidong pulled his hand back as if it had electrocuted him. He then discreetly rubbed his hand on his clothes and returned to where he stood.

"Well met," he said, but he kept his eyes on Yu Zhiwen instead.

Cheng Xingchu's mood had just gotten even worse.

Is there anyone in this spirit palace with any sense at all? Why is it that there only seemed to be lunatics around here? Gosh, this place is sickening!

He then ambled awkwardly and returned to where he stood.

"It is said that the Tianxuan Gate is very similar to the 'Shengxuan Gate' of the Central Region Holy Palace. I wonder if I'd one day have the pleasure of visiting it," Yu Zhiwen said.

Haha, haha, haha…

Qiao Qianzhi laughed for a bit and then noted that everyone was wearing a peculiar expression. He covered his mouth right away and said, "you seem to know your stuff, girl. It's something that you know of that holy palace."

"It's a pity that the Tianxuan Gate only opens once a year, and the opening for this year was already used up two days ago."

"It would be near impossible to get inside, but if you all were to stay around, you will be able to see the gate opened again."

There was a tinge of disappointment in her eyes. "That would be a pity."

Qiao Qianzhi then shifted his focus back to the wheel and said, "the reason we have requested your aid has something to do with the matter of the Tianxuan Gate, anyway."

"However, it remains to be seen if we would eventually need you, Hall master Jiang, to assist us."

"If what happens in the Tianxuan Gate is indeed just minor accidents…"

The hallmaster shifted the topic back to the minor accidents, and Elder Qiao interjected right away. "It is getting late, and truth to be told, something has happened inside the Tianxuan Gate that needs our immediate attention. I hope you would understand."

He rose right away and cupped his hands at Jiang Bianyan, before turning to Ye Xiaotian and said, "we can't afford to wait any longer."

Ye Xiaotian nodded and appeared at the entrance of the Council Hall with both Zhao Xidong and Qiao Qianzhi.

Cheng Xingchu raised his eyebrows, baffled at what he just saw.

He had finally seen how the Tiansang Spirit Palace treated their guests.

The persons-in-charge first humiliated one of the guests, then simply left them hanging without bothering to do much with them. He wondered if said persons-in-charge would just kick the three of them out if they weren't in the mood.

"Hallmaster Jiang, I don't see why we should stay back in this place. How about we just leave? This is humiliating!"

Jiang Bianyan simply sipped his tea nonchalantly and truth to be told, he had become curious about what happened in the spirit palace, wondering if they had to deal with problems both inside and out.

He was still a hall master and yet, that was the treatment he received, which made things even more peculiar.

He had his business to attend to with the spirit palace, yet judging from the situation, it was yet time to do so.

"Doesn't matter. If you're tired, just head out and rest at the place they've prepared for us. I'll stay and look around.

Cheng Xingchu rolled his eyes deep down and said nothing more. He rose and left right away.

"Ms. Zhiwen, let's go out and take a break."

He began walking and noticed that no one was moving behind him. He turned around and saw that there was no longer anyone around.

Cheng Xingchu went outside the hall and saw the two of them looked at the men-in-black curiously.

Damn it!

He stomped furiously for a bit before leaving where he stood right away.

Qiao Qianzhi took out a purple array wheel without saying much.

He had initially thought that the reinforcements from the Holy Divine Palace would have been worth waiting a little longer, yet those three were all who came. It made him feel like the time he had spent chatting with them had been an utter waste.

"Tianxuan Gate, open."

He shouted, and spirit energy churned all around them. Array patterns shimmered in midair and a rustic gate flickered into existence.

The red patterns materialized and the door rings bearing the motif of a ferocious beast were visible again—and the Tianxuan Gate appeared before their eyes.

All the law enforcers that were gathered there became anxious. It was the first time in history that the Tianxuan Gate had been opened before the three stipulated days.

Training inside it for a single day would have been equivalent to having trained outside for months. Therefore, to Qiao Qianzhi, the time lost was extreme.

Yu Zhiwen's eyes lit up. "This is the Tianxuan Gate?" he asked.

"Indeed."

Jiang Bianyan nodded slowly, and said, "This treasured place alone has allowed the Tiansang Spirit Palace to stay afloat, among all the spirit palaces with longer histories in the surrounding cities." One could imagine just how valuable the Tianxuan Gate truly was.

Yu Zhiwen looked at that huge black gate that was over 10 meters tall and thought differently about it.

If even the Tianxuan Gate, located in a place like Tiansang Spirit Palace, was already something this grand, she wondered just how magnificent the Shengxuan Gate of the holy palace would be.

"Get ready!"

Ye Xiaotian gave his order and all men-in-black readied themselves.

BOOM!

Qiao Qianzhi put his hand on the gate and pushed hard.

Raging spirit energy gushed from the crack that was gradually widening. Instantly, everyone looked sharp.

CREAK! THUD!

The gate, only half-opened, suddenly got stuck and trembled.

"What is happening?"

Everyone panicked, wondering why the Tianxuan Gate would get stuck.

It was something unheard of and had never happened before.

Qiao Qianzhi's pupils dilated when he realized something amiss. He immediately turned around to look at Zhao Xidong.

CRACK!

The fourth white pearl above the Spirit Curtain Wheel of the 12 Pearls finally gave in and cracked.

Zhao Xidong was so shaken that his eyes looked dead.

The fourth pearl cracked. So, this means…

The prophecy has come true?

Report chapter

Chapter 170: A Massive Egg

[The Ice Dragon Lair, Tianxuan Gate]

Beyond the gate, they found an icy world with temperatures that were freezing. It was so cold it could easily freeze any low-level spirit cultivator to death.

And even Zhao Qingteng shivered as he entered the enclosed space.

He explored the place as soon as he walked through the Tianxuan Gate, but he did not find any unusual concentration of spirit energy anywhere within. He settled down, trained for just one day, and noticed his powers had been considerably boosted.

Despite the considerable result he gained, he didn't linger on but went about searching for the lead that he had paid a lot of money for. And he finally found the Ice Dragon Lair.

The lair was a cavernous one, and except for icy stalactites hanging from above, there was nothing else but cold springs in front of him.

The place was frigid and the "Ice Dragon Spring" turned out to be that spring before him.

He tried to waddle into the spring but felt as if his soul was about to be frozen solid. He could only stay at the outer fringes to train.

Despite this, the progress he made was still several times greater than the other common areas found in the Tianxuan Gate.

That was utterly unimaginable.

Zhao Qingteng withdrew from his training state after finally having stabilized his foundation at the middle stages of Origin Court.

"The Ice Dragon Spring…"

He looked out at that blue spring water as he caressed his Ice Stream Sword, and muttered, "Is she dead?"

A girl garbed in purple robes forced her way into the Ice Dragon Lair about half a day ago.

She dived into the Ice Dragon Spring right away after entering the lair, seemingly not having noticed his presence at all. The memory of that scene made Zhao Qingteng's skin crawl.

If his memories served him correctly, that girl was probably the most powerful among the newly appointed batch of 33 of the Inner Yard.

"Luo Leilei…"

"Isn't she of the lightning element? Why would she come to the Ice Dragon Lair then?"

He felt what she did was puzzling.

He lowered his head above the surface of the Ice Dragon Spring and looked in. He touched the spring water and instantly pulled his hand away, for it was freezing!

Crack, crack.

The ice on his hand fell off, and he was still reeling from the experience.

"Probably dead, then. No one could have survived such low temperatures, even if she was at Upper Spiritual Level."

Boom!

The Tianxuan Gate suddenly shook violently, catching Zhao Qingteng off-guard and causing him to fall into the spring.

He was frightened.

Holy sh*!

Shocked, he instinctively tried to escape but was frozen into an ice sculpture in less than half a second. Even his soul seemed to be suspended in animation.

"Move!"

Zhao Qingteng panicked when he discovered that even his energy reserve had been frozen solid, preventing him from using his spiritual source.

Crack, crack.

The cold seeped into his skin and he tried his best to internalize the cold, but his efforts proved futile.

Such feats were not something that someone at the middle stages of Origin Court Level could accomplish.

That was why the elders of the spirit palace did not allow the Inner Yard disciples who entered the Tianxuan Gate for the first time to head to the training grounds.

Something similar had happened a very long time ago.

He gradually lost consciousness. He had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that his life would be so short.

He found it even more ridiculous that a cultivator at the Innate level like him would end up dying in a treasure site of ice element.

Damn it…

"No, I couldn't die here! I have yet to defeat Xu Xiaoshou! I can't just die like this!"

"You have yet to avenge your cousin, Zhao Shu. Zhao Qingteng, how could you just die like this?"

"Get up! Xu Xiaoshou is laughing at you!"

Arrgghhhh!

His soul was screaming in anguish as he gradually lost consciousness.

His eyes looked dazed and his vision blurred as he saw the icy stalactites at the top of the cave turn from blue to pitch-black.

"Damn it…"

When he was about to be swallowed by the darkness altogether, he seemed to sense something ramming into him, but he lost consciousness all the same.

"Ouch!"

Luo Leilei doubled over atop an Ice Dragon Egg, cradling her head with her other hand. She looked at the ice sculpture that she just rammed into in disbelief.

Isn't this Brother Zhao? What the hell is wrong with him? Why would he want to come inside the Ice Dragon Spring?

She frowned and put her hand on the sculpture.

Hmm, he's still alive…

Whatever, I'm about to leave, anyway. I'd just take it as a chance of dumping all the sentiments I have for the spirit palace for the past several years onto you then.

Lightning flashed, and the ice broke.

Luo Leilei looked at Zhao Qingteng, who was already frozen to the core and laid one hand on his chest.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three shocks and she yanked Zhao Qingteng back from the clutches of death.

Cough, cough!

Zhao Qingteng began to regain consciousness.

BOOM!

The Tianxuan Gate trembled violently again. The young man, still covered with a layer of smooth, slippery ice on his back, almost slipped back inside the spring again. Luo Leilei caught him in time.

"Th-Thank you."

Zhao Qingteng looked at the girl before him again and sensed that she was no longer a mortal.

He saw that the girl emanated golden light and had white wings behind her. She also carried an egg…

Well, forget about that.

She's an angel. An angel who emerged and saved me twice!

Luo Leilei left the young man behind and looked at that massive egg that she was cradling, and mumbled, "what is happening? Even if that kid had taken that scabbard, there should only have been two treasures taken…"

"The intensity of the quake. Is someone attacking the place from outside?"

Her eyes lit up. "Brother Shuangxing and the others are here?"

BOOM!

Yet another massive rumble was heard. Luo Leilei realized that something wasn't right and ran outside the cave to look. She saw massive black gashes in the sky.

"What? Is the sky falling apart?"

Luo Leilei's heart sank, looking at that massive egg in her hand in disbelief. "Does it mean that this is the fourth treasure stabilizing the realm?"

"So does it mean there have been two others already taken away then?"

She thought of Xu Xiaoshou but quickly dismissed the possibility.

Even if Xu Xiaoshou were to have unusual means, his speed wouldn't have been able to match hers, which meant that he could have only taken one more treasure other than the scabbard. He couldn't have obtained two so quickly.

Is there someone else out there seeking these things?

Luo Leilei was flustered, thinking that how a puny Tiansang Spirit Palace could have so many spies lurking about.

"Sh*. It is over. I can never get out of here…"

She wanted to put the Ice Dragon Egg back into the spring, but that wouldn't repair the damage.

Zhao Qingteng walked out of the cave from behind and was stunned by the massive holes in the sky as well.

"This is…"

"Shut up!"

Luo Leilei was flustered, pacing about back and forth.

How do I get out?

Xu Xiaoshou!

She thought of Xu Xiaoshou again. If that world were to crumble and someone were to make their way out through the spatial turbulence, only someone with the Master Physique like Xu Xiaoshou among those of the entire Tianxuan Gate would stance a chance to do so.

Still, the likelihood was that they would all die inside.

Suddenly, she saw yet another gash opening up in the sky far away, and a rustic-looking but majestic gate stood within the gash.

"The Tianxuan Gate!"

Their eyes lit up, and they took flight in an instant.

The gate was their only hope.

However, as they made their way there, the half-opened gate stopped opening and got stuck, leaving only a small gap to the outside, and turbulence formed around it.

Luo Leilei despaired right away, convinced that she had gotten herself into big trouble.

She wondered who had the audacity to yank the other two treasures out.

Why did being a spy have to so difficult? Couldn't people at least some common sense? Didn't you know the place would blow up?

At that moment, a voice could be heard reverberating throughout the domain inside the Tianxuan Gate.

"Everyone, gather at the gate!"

Luo Leilei's eyes lit up right away.

Ye Xiaotian!

The dean!

Yes, he has spatial elemental powers. There's probably still a chance for us…

Let's go!

Zhao Qingteng saw the girl before his eyes turned into a bolt of lightning and suddenly vanish into the sky. His eyes became dull right away.

She had never so much as looked him in the eye even once throughout the whole time they were outside.

He clutched his heart was and felt a sense of hollowness. An indescribable feeling welled up in him, and that was something that he had never experienced before.

Maybe I'm just not good enough…

"Hurry up! I can only hold on for a quarter-hour!" Ye Xiaotian's voice was heard again.

A quarter-hour?

Zhao Qingteng's eyes lit up, recalling he had taken almost half a day to get from the gate to the lair.

Holy sh, hang in there!

He instantly vanished into the air in a boom.

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Read I Am Loaded with Passive Skills Chapter 171 - The Array Gate online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 171: The Array Gate

[The Moro Secret Forest]

Xu Xiaoshou stared anxiously at the dark crack in the sky. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he would probably have rushed right into it.

To resist the tremendous suction of the crack, he forced himself to the side.

But the redwood trees coming from below were not so lucky and were sucked into the black void.

"Is this the spatially broken flow?"

Xu Xiaoshou remembered Ye Xiaotian's "Ripping Hand of Heaven" technique from the other night when the Master Dean had done the same thing with his bare hands.

BOOM!

The Tianxuan Gate rumbled again, and this time it did not return to a calm state. Instead, the confines of the Small World hummed with a strange energy and trembled.

"What's going on?" Mu Zixi stopped and looked at the earth in panic.

"I'm afraid that something is wrong with the Small World."

No sooner had Mo Mo spoken, when the three of them heard Ye Xiaotian's voice at the same time.

"A quarter of an hour."

"Gather at the Array Gate."

Xu Xiaoshou hurriedly descended to the ground and grabbed hold of his junior sister tightly. He looked around and simply could not locate the Array Gate.

"Whoa, let go of me!" Mu Zixi struggled violently.

"You're close to death now. Stop making a scene!"

Mu Zixi went silent for a while, then fumed and growled, "Pink pigeon! You're the one who's a pink pigeon! Your entire family comprises pink pigeons!"

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled and wondered if she was that vindictive.

He turned toward Mo Mo and said, "The Moro Secret Forest is too far from our initial landing point, and I'm afraid the Array Gate is located there."

"It's only a quarter of an hour. Can you make it there?"

Mo Mo lowered her head. Had the gray fog man not fainted, she would have been able to reach in a quarter of an hour, but now…

As she thought about it, she realized that heaven and earth had turned upside down and the world was flying backward.

No!

It was Xu Xiaoshou who picked her up with one of his hands.

She struggled, feeling awkward and somewhat embarrassed. "Let go of me," she hissed.

Xu Xiaoshou ignored her. Judging by her appearance, he knew that Mo Mo was helpless right now.

In her present condition, she was so weak that even walking on her own felt like death itself.

With one in each arm, Xu Xiaoshou carried the two of them and soared into the sky. He employed the Full Master Agility, and flames roared under his feet before his entire body streaked through the air.

"So fast"

"Who would have thought! Surely, his speed has never reached this limit before!"

Mo Mo, secure in Xu Xiaoshou's arm, stirred when she saw the youth's angular jawline. Against the whistling wind, she buried her slightly red cheeks in his chest.

Da, dum. Da, dum. Da, dum.

Pressed against his chest, she could hear his heart thumping. And the rapid heartbeat was in time with her own.

Her long black hair fluttered about wildly, partly covering her face. She touched the white bracelet on her right wrist.

Just at this moment…

"Xu Xiaoshou! Can you not carry me on your shoulder? I'm feeling dizzy!" Mu Zixi cried and bounced on the youth's shoulder, feeling like she was going to throw up.

"Pull off your skirt. It's blocking my face!"

"Cursed, passive point, 1."

"Can't you turn me over?"

"Yeah, it seems I can."

The corners of Mo Mo's mouth curled up, feeling amused. She looked over the shoulder of the lad and at the black crack in the sky.

BOOM!

The sky exploded once again. Many pieces of mirror-like shards were falling, turning everything in their world into nothingness.

It appeared like after this moment, not a trace of anything would remain here.

There were few people in the Tianxuan Gate. Seeing what was happening in the Small World and hearing Ye Xiaotian's call, everyone realized that something was very wrong and rushed to the Array Gate.

When Xu Xiaoshou arrived, he found that a small group of people had already gathered at the entrance.

These were among the newly promoted thirty-three, each with excellent cultivation levels, especially in escaping skills. Besides, they were not far away from the place, so they arrived promptly.

The only person who was not experienced was Chao Qingteng.

He couldn't even make his way here initially, but…

The lad who not usually one to care, but now a kinder countenance appeared on his face after he looked to the side and saw a woman clad in a purple silk dress.

It's the third life.

Seeing Xu Xiaoshou rush over with the two of them in his arms, they were all excited.

"Here they come. We're all here. The passage should open now!"

"There are still two missing."

"We can't wait for them. We will all die if the passage doesn't open right now."

Xu Xiaoshou stopped and threw the two women to the ground. Then he turned his head around and looked back at the rear.

The space shattered inch by inch, as if it were the end of the world. The black hole seemed to swallow everything, gradually encroaching on the place where they passed only moments ago.

"What passage?"

He looked at the only person with whom he was familiar—Luo Leilei.

"The dean said if the Small World within the Tianxuan Gate does not shatter, the passage could still be forcibly pushed open. But the present situation is too unstable. Probably, a spatial passage connecting the outside world has to be opened first, and even then, will last one second." Luo Leilei explained, which was rare for her.

"One second is enough! What are you waiting for, open it now!"

Xu Xiaoshou was a little anxious. He did a headcount and found there were eight of them in total.

Oh, yes, Yuan Tou was lost.

There is one more…

He turned his head back and forth and realized that most of the guys were those he had met only once. But Zhou Tiansen, whom he was familiar with, was nowhere to be found.

He looked at Chao Qingteng and asked, "Zhou Tiansen hasn't come yet?"

Chao Qingteng frowned and didn't speak, shaking his head slightly.

So, Xu Xiaoshou and Senior Sister Leilei also knew each other?

Damn it!

He clenched his fist, but saw Luo Leilei approach Xu and said, "Xu Xiaoshou, I've asked everyone here. No one has touched the Treasure of Suppressing Barrier."

"What Treasure of Suppressing Barrier?"

Luo Leilei rolled her eyes and rebuked, "The Black Fallen Scabbard!"

"So?"

"So, what else did you take?"

Xu Xiaoshou was on his guard, wondering if Luo Leilei still wanted to snatch it.

"What's it to do with you?"

"Nothing. I'm just asking. Have you also taken the other two?"

Xu Xiaoshou thought about it and figured he got the "Life Spiritual Seal" and "Sealing Stone". Though the latter was only a ring left, it was a treasure.

He nodded his head. He believed this girl would be unable to beat him, so nothing bad would happen to him by admitting it.

"As I thought."

Luo Leilei suppressed the impulse to smack this lad. Seeing the innocent expression on his face, she grew furious.

You have just destroyed this world!

That said, how did he get the other two treasures of suppressing barrier in such a short time?

Who is the spy then?

After taking a deep breath, Luo Leilei spoke no more. "There is no time. Let's communicate with the dean and get out of here first!"

She took out a jade scroll left behind by Ye Xiaotian. She was the first person to arrive and hid it.

"Wait!" Xu Xiaoshou raised his hand to stop her. "The passage has only one chance, but is there only one chance to communicate as well?"

"Right!"

Luo Leilei narrowed her eyes. "You want to wait for the two of them?"

Hearing what she said, the others were anxious, thinking that this world was on the brink of extinction and that they would not have enough time to think of others.

"Xu Xiaoshou, we have agreed that we would leave when more than half of our people assembled here. You're pretty lucky that we waited for you three."

"Indeed, it's better to think more about yourself right now. We do not know what has happened to those two guys. Maybe, they have already died in the spatial rift."

"Stop!" Seeing the anxiety growing in the crowd, Xu Xiaoshou said, "Whoever said I wanted to save them?"

"Eh?" The crowd looked stunned.

If you didn't want to save them, why did you stop the communication?

"Suspected, passive points, 7."

"What do you want to do?" Luo Leilei asked.

"Can I be the one to communicate?" Xu Xiaoshou looked at the jade scroll in Luo Leilei's hand and rubbed his hands.

Luo Leilei put away the jade scroll instinctively, wondering what the lad intended to do this time.

"Forget it if you don't want to." Xu Xiaoshou gestured with his hands indifferently and said, "But when you communicate, can you ask a question for me?"

"What question?"

Xu Xiaoshou looked a bit embarrassed, and said, "I just want to ask if the other treasures will be blown out when the Tianxuan Gate explodes."

A glint could be seen in his eyes as he thought of the eight other treasures left!

It was a pity not to take them!

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Chapter 172: Moxi Moxi?

Luo Leilei had almost struck him with thunder.

This guy must be evil. How could he ask such a question at such a time?

"Xu Xiaoshou," she seethed, suppressing her emotion, then approached him holding the jade scroll, and whispered, "After we get out, you come with me!"

Even if the lad was rather mischievous, his overall strength was undoubtedly outstanding, even outside of the Spirit Palace!

This sort of man was worthy of a second chance.

Xu Xiaoshou was initially tempted by the solicitation, before he deliberately took a step back and said, "I won't go with you!"

"Huh?"

The people around became confused for a moment, and their eyes glowered green with envy.

Though they couldn't hear what Luo Leilei had said, they could hear Xu Xiaoshou clearly!

What is this situation here?

Is he confessing his part in causing the ending of the world?

Is she being cruelly rejected?

Mu Zixi looked at the two of them with suspicion, casting her eyes from one to the other, wondering if Xu Xiaoshou had ended his other love affairs since there was now another woman involved!

"Suspected, passive points, 7."

"Cursed, passive point, 1."

"Resented, passive point, 1."

Resentment?

Xu Xiaoshou instantly stared at Mu Zixi to find out if something was wrong with her!

She had only been dishing out curses so far.

Where did this "resentment" come from?

Luo Leilei's pretty face turned red immediately. She knew clearly that everyone misunderstood their relationship.

Yet, she didn't bother to explain but simply ignored the group and asked, "Why don't you come with me?"

Hearing this, the crowd became excited.

Had it not been because the end of the world was nigh, and given their nature, the group would have pulled out small benches from their rings and sat down to watch.

"I have already told you. What is the point of asking again?" Xu Xiaoshou said, and added, "Let's not delay any further. We have to contact the dean quickly."

Mu Zixi opened her eyes wide. She couldn't believe that her senior brother could be so cruel in his rejection of anyone.

She touched the ring on her index finger, believing that she could get this item was a good outcome.

But…

Pink Pigeon.

"Cursed, passive point, 1."

Luo Leilei was so angry that she seethed through clenched teeth. "You don't want to give it a second thought?"

"I refuse!"

Xu Xiaoshou was quite decisive.

Everyone looked sympathetically at the woman in front of them, thinking well of her as a person, and wondering how anyone could fail to cherish her.

This is the end of the world.

Well, not quite!

Someone looked behind and saw that the collapse of the world had already expanded, coming ever closer to them, and said, "Senior sister Leilei, this is not the time to get sentimental. Hurry, we need to contact the dean. You can't…"

He was really afraid that the woman might sacrifice everybody for love because she was so angry!

Luo Leilei glared at him and then posted the jade scroll on her forehead.

Xu Xiaoshou pondered as he watched her.

Why have the elders not detected the identity of this girl? Does it mean that the masked man will come again after the opening of the Tianxuan Gate since she is so sure that she would be able to leave?

As he was pondering this, he was drawn to the "resentment" that kept appearing on the information bar.

What's going on?

Who is the good guy who doesn't pray for something when he's dying and keeps contributing passive points to me?

His eyes searched around and finally settled on Chao Qingteng.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Chao Qingteng's body suddenly tensed up, and he wondered if he was a match for Xu Xiaoshou in his current condition.

Though he had a breakthrough, Xu Xiaoshou…

How come he is an Innate?

Isn't he only at the 9th level?

Is this guy a Fiend?

As Xu Xiaoshou saw the "resentment" changed to "suspicion" on the information bar, his eyes glinted with a playful expression.

The "resentment" seemed to have appeared after Luo Leilei had spoken to him.

It can't be?

It seemed impossible that the trip into the Tianxuan Gate had bound their two hearts!

He went forward and slapped his right hand on the young man's shoulder, and said, "Age is not a problem. You just need to be brave enough to tell the other party you love her."

"Secret love is not desirable!"

The group had already calmed down from the earlier episode, but his remark almost made them think of pulling out their small benches again.

What's the situation?

Is Junior Brother Chao in love as well?

People are indeed prone to fall in love in their last days!

Chao Qingteng's handsome face instantly turned red. He pushed Xu Xiaoshou's hand away. "What are you babbling about? I don't have a crush on Senior Sister Leilei!"

"Crap!"

Several people were so stunned, they fell to the ground.

Mu Zixi picked herself up with great effort and looked at her peers incredulously. To think that they had only just returned to the Inner Yard for a short time!

It would probably be the first time Luo Leilei witnessed a scene like this. And…

Xu Xiaoshou nodded stiffly and said, "This is what a man should be like."

Dong!

Chao Qingteng suddenly realized what was going on and collapsed to the ground in a daze.

Luo Leilei was astounded. She took the jade scroll off her forehead and walked over to him.

"No, Senior Sister Leilei, listen to me," Chao Qingteng said, fumbling with his explanation.

The woman ignored him and walked on toward Xu Xiaoshou, handing over the communication jade scroll. "Asking for you."

"Huh?" Xu Xiaoshou responded, a little shocked. "Asking for me?"

He took the jade scroll, and a long-lost familiarity re-emerged in his heart.

He put one hand into his trouser pocket and turned around unconsciously. After taking a few steps away from the crowd, Xu Xiaoshou brought the scroll to his ear.

"Hello, who is it?"

The crowd almost fainted, observing how he was speaking to the Master Dean and in such a casual tone.

Xu Xiaoshou frowned when he could hear anyone on the other end of the line.

He moved to the spot where Luo Leilei had made the call earlier and spoke again. "Moxi Moxi?"

Still nothing.

Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank. No way!

He looked at Luo Leilei and asked, "No signal?"

Luo Leilei gave him an incredulous look.

What signal?

She looked at Xu Xiaoshou and immediately saw the way he was holding the jade scroll.

"Put it on your forehead! Sweep with spiritual thoughts!"

She felt the urge to jump up and punch the lad in his face.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately realized his error. He shrugged and put it on his forehead.

"Xu Xiaoshou?" It was the voice of the dean—a very solemn one.

"I am."

"Do you know the locations of all twelve treasures of suppressing barrier?"

Xu Xiaoshou thought of the map, but he wondered if he could tell the dean about it.

In case it was the information that Elder Sang had risked his life for…

"I don't know."

"Very well, go find a site of Suppressing Barrier nearby and put the jade scroll into the seal. Remember, you have little time."

Xu Xiaoshou, "Huh?"

Is he trying to test me?

"I really don't know!"

"No more nonsense. If you keep dawdling, the Tianxuan Gate will blow up. The Black Fallen Scabbard is in your hands, right? After you complete this task, I won't charge you when you get out."

Xu Xiaoshou felt his feet go weak instantly, wondering how the Master Dean knew.

He forced himself to calm down and replied, "Not in my hands. Luo Leilei snatched it from me. She seems a little odd to me."

Some things shouldn't be declared explicitly, for a combination of false and true information could have an unexpected effect.

After a few seconds of silence, the dean said, "We do not need to dwell on this matter for now. You go complete the task I've given you first."

Did I fool him?

Xu Xiaoshou felt pleased, but he soon realized something—Master Dean seemed to know the identity of Luo Leilei.

I need to confirm it!

"My speed is not the fastest."

He was vague again. As far as the speed was concerned, Luo Leilei was unquestionably the fastest among the group. She was a woman who could manipulate lightning. He was certain that the dean must have known this.

"But you are the most trustworthy!"

As he expected.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at Luo Leilei, standing next to Qingteng, talking about something in a low voice. It seemed like she had just finished speaking.

Since the dean only trusted him…

He thought of the "Life Spiritual Seal" and "Sealing Ring" he had on him, and wondered if he could put the blame on Luo Leilei for everything that had happened here.

One blame is the same as many. Since he was not a friend or relative of this woman, he figured he had nothing to worry about.

However, it's such a pity. Chao Qingteng was a good guy, but unfortunately, the relationship would be ended even before the romance even began.

"Is there any reward?"

Xu Xiaoshou asked again. The purpose of asking for a reward was so that the others wouldn't mind about the treasures he got in the Tianxuan Gate, even if he didn't get the reward after getting out.

Instead, he heard a suppressed growl from Master Dean.

"Do it quickly!"

Xu Xiaoshou was lost for words.

Before he could say anything else, the communication ended with a "beep".

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Chapter 173: Killing Field

"How dare you hang up on me? How rude!" Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself.

It was a pity that he did not get the answers to his questions. It was probably hard for him to get his hands on the other treasures of Suppressing Barrier.

He looked at the jade scroll in his hand as he thought about the request which the Master Dean had made.

"This appears to be more than just an ordinary communication jade scroll. Could it stall the Small World in Tianxuan Gate from shattering after I put it into the seal of the Treasure of Suppressing Barrier?"

Xu Xiaoshou wondered how such a simple jade scroll could allow people to communicate between the two worlds.

He felt fired up. Could the item possibly be an extraordinary treasure? Perhaps it was. It probably might be.

No, no. It was a life-saving item. Xu Xiaoshou told himself that he should not get too greedy!

"Ladies and gentlemen!"

He looked at the crowd regretfully and said, "I have some bad news to tell all of you. You may have to wait for a while more before you can get out."

"What do you mean?"

"Although I do not enjoy this. But, as the Chosen One, I might have to be your savior this time!"

Xu Xiaoshou flicked the sleeve of his robe dramatically and looked up at the sky. Then with a soft sigh, he added, "Alas, the Heavens rendered me an important task."

"Suspected, passive points, 7."

"Mocked, passive points, 4."

"Xu Xiaoshou, stop acting so self-important. Just tell us what the Master Dean told you to do. Quickly!"

"Well, if it is about saving the world, it is impossible for it to be you since Senior Sister Leilei is here!"

Luo Leilei felt surprised upon hearing it. She wondered why the Master Dean wanted to talk to Xu Xiaoshou when she was still there.

She had a vague understanding of what was happening.

Xu Xiaoshou had no intention to explain further. He felt that there was no need to speak to them anymore.

Although they were among the Inner Yard thirty-three, they probably did not understand why the Tianxuan Gate was collapsing. It would be useless to say anything more.

His gaze swept across the crowd and finally rested on Luo Leilei.

"Protect the passage. Wait for my return!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

"Xu Xiaoshou, leave the jade scroll with us. Do not take it with you when you are about to face death!"

The situation instantly incensed the rest of the group. To them, Xu Xiaoshou was merely at the beginning stage of the Origin Court level, and there was little he could do.

The guy was not just taking away the jade scroll, but their lives with it!

Who would not be angry?

One of them wanted to catch up with Xu Xiaoshou, but Luo Leilei stopped him.

"Senior Sister Leilei, what do you mean by stopping me?"

Luo Leilei said nothing. Her pretty eyes narrowed, and her body radiated with electric light.

"Shut up!"

She had figured it out. There was only one passage. If they wanted to get out of there, she had no choice but to trust Xu Xiaoshou, no matter how he had acted earlier.

Besides, she was fully aware of the situation, even though the others were not.

In terms of strength, Xu Xiaoshou was the strongest amongst everyone present. Luo Leilei wondered what he could achieve this time.

Perhaps he would save the world, as he said.

"You…"

Luo Leilei rebuked three infuriated people from the group. They were among the newly promoted thirty-three and became a little wary. Though they were not familiar with Xu Xiaoshou, they knew Luo Leilei very well!

Did the woman intend to fight the three of them by herself?

What kind of joke was it?

"He is doing it to save Zhou Tianshen!"

"Yeah. Look, this world has collapsed to such a state, so what are we awaiting death by staying here?"

Some of them were still sensible, thinking that they should avoid a fight if they could.

However, Luo Leilei felt annoyed, and retorted, "I said, shut up!"

The atmosphere became tense, and they were almost getting to the verge of a fight.

It was then that Mu Zixi and Mo Mo stood behind Luo Leilei, indirectly showing their support.

After some hesitation, Zhao Qingteng walked over and stood with them.

The other three were so full of rage that they burst out laughing as they vented out their anger.

"Do you think that you and these three scums who have just entered the Inner Yard can fight us?"

Luo Leilei glared disdainfully and scowled. "You guys think too highly of yourselves. I have enough to deal with you!"

The three of them bounded toward her. Luo Leilei raised her hand, and a bolt of purplish lightning shot down from the sky, instantly giving them a good roasting.

ZAP!

They did not have the body of a Master. They collapsed to the ground, spurting blood and twitching in pain.

"What the hell! How could she be so strong?"

The three were all bewildered. Luo Leilei was like a different person compared to her previous state.

What was happening?

How could she have improved so much after entering the Tianxuan Gate?

Or perhaps she was all along just pretending to be weak?

After dealing with the troublemakers, Luo Leilei looked at the pitch-black sky, feeling a slight sense of uneasiness.

She was less worried about this world, but when she considered the outside world, it was another story.

She shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

BROOM!

Another bolt of lightning struck from the sky, knocking down the three who tried to get up.

They felt like crying.

They did not wish to fight anymore, and all the three wanted to do was to get up!

But seeing how Luo Leilei was acting, they did not dare to move.

"Wait!"

Luo Leilei looked to the south. It was the direction in which Xu Xiaoshou was heading.

Xu Xiaoshou rushed to the place where the "Killing Field" was located.

If he was right, Zhou Tianshen should be there as well.

"This guy might have over-cultivated, so he does not even know the world is about to blow up!" Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself. It was a likely situation for the tall guy.

Honestly, he wanted to save Zhou Tianshen, but he had the jade scroll in his hands.

Unfortunately, all he could do was to think about it!

If he made a round trip, the passage would open, and those people would have left by the time he came back. What should he do then?

Should he sacrifice for Zhou Tianshen?

Although he and Zhou Tianshen had a good relationship, the reality was cruel. One death is always better than two deaths, he thought.

He felt much less guilty knowing he was merely abiding by Ye Xiaotian's order.

Since he was looking for a potential Secret Realm to place the jade scroll, he could take a detour to check what the guy was doing.

BOOM! BOOM!

As he heard the explosions in the space up ahead, Xu Xiaoshou hurriedly dashed toward the gradual darkness at top speed, atop a small fireball at his feet.

Xu Xiaoshou could reach the destination in a quarter of an hour at full speed, but the others would take half a day to do so.

A high wall blocked the way.

He felt an ominous sense of murderous energy lurking near him. The heavy smell of blood was disgusting. Xu Xiaoshou covered his mouth and nose. He could feel deep in his heart that the killing energy was attempting to draw out his violent and destructive desire.

Based on the experience of awakening the Berserk Giant, the murderous energy could not form a magic barrier. So, he did not lose his mind.

"This shoddy place is evil!"

Xu Xiaoshou immediately realized why Zhou Tianshen did not come out.

The tall man had probably died. Or maybe the killing energy attacked him, making him lose his mind. So, there was no way he could not leave the place.

"I am too overconfident. I should not have come to look for Zhou Tianshen."

Xu Xiaoshou felt a tinge of regret. He did not have the confidence to stay there for half a day. Zhou Tianshen…

Was he still alive?

He continued to fly onward. And soon, his line of sight passed over the high wall. He could see the view inside.

It was a black-walled arena for gladiators, and bloodstains were visible on the ground. All eight iron doors leading into the center were open, and the steel puppets with swords kept walking out from behind those doors into the arena.

Each puppet was over two meters tall, and they looked powerful!

In the middle of four or five puppets stood a one-armed youth with red eyes. The muscular young man was holding a dazzling golden sword.

Clang! Clang!

The angles of his strikes were rather extreme, for his sword was flashing very close to the stump of his severed arm. With each strike, he was cutting some part of the surrounding steel giant bodies.

"Zhou Tianshen?"

Xu Xiaoshou fixed his gaze on his severed arm. The guy…

Did he chop his arm off himself?

Judging by the way he struck, it was a safe bet. Is the simpleton cultivating an evil spiritual skill?

The power was strong.

The muscular youth did not notice that someone had approached. He had his hands full combating the puppets. Xu Xiaoshou shook his body once and disappeared from the sky.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After a few muffled sounds, the terrifying steel giants got flung into the sky like toys. Xu Xiaoshou held Zhou Tianshen down by his shoulder.

"Oh?"

Zhou Tianshen turned around and stared at him with his scarlet eyes.

Suddenly, a golden Blade Light bore down from the sky. The terrifying killing energy made the stone plates under Xu Xiaoshou crack.

Clang!

Xu Xiaoshou caught the golden blade with two of his fingers. The red-eyed Zhou Tianshen looked flabbergasted.

He wondered why the man of flesh was even harder than the steel puppet.

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the information bar and found no additional information. He was quite annoyed after realizing that there was no benefit to gain.

"How dare you attack me!"

He slammed his head onto the tall man's forehead. Powerful energy waves surged and sent Zhou Tianshen spinning into the high black wall and trapping him there.

His eyes rolled up, and he passed out!

Xu Xiaoshou clapped his hands and nodded with satisfaction.

It was as he had expected. With his current combat power, he could effortlessly defeat someone who had just entered the Innate State, even if they were in a Red-eyed State.

In the past, he had always fought those who were at higher combat levels than him. Sometimes, they were even several levels higher. Often, he had to fight hard at the risk of death.

He finally experienced the joy of fighting at the same level.

He could kill within a second!

Yeah!

He looked around and found more steel puppets walking out from behind the eight iron gates. After assessing the situation, they looked stunned and quietly retreated.

Xu Xiaoshou watched them in silence.

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Chapter 174: The Underground Life

Are they intelligent?

Xu Xiaoshou pondered as he watched the steel puppets retreating.

With his heightened perception, he could "see" through the darkness behind the iron door. These enormous blocks of iron surprisingly curled up and laid on the ground after they entered.

There was a light screen in the rear, but it appeared that the puppets could not go beyond that point.

"Hm, I might just need their help if I want to find the seal of the treasures of suppressing barrier. Perhaps I should explore this option?" Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself, excited by the idea.

He took no action directly and instead advanced toward the side of Zhou Tiansen.

He couldn't see it from a distance, but upon closer inspection, he realized that this simpleton's body had cracked completely because of the shock. Perhaps the attacks by those large iron blocks had caused them, he thought.

The internal injuries within his body were also severe. Zhou Tiansen's tendons and blood vessels were badly damaged.

Xu Xiaoshou also detected a very sinister "sword will" energy that was gradually compromising his body, wounding all of his internal organs. In all likelihood, he wouldn't survive much longer and would die where he stood.

The most serious…

Xu Xiaoshou carefully pulled part of his garments aside and looked at the broken arm.

The wound had coagulated into a scab. He was unsure if tetanus existed in this world.

It was a miracle that Zhou Tiansen was still alive now!

"Well, I can try my black jade… no, red gold liquids."

Xu Xiaoshou pulled out a homemade jar of honey, scooped out a heap, and stuffed it into Zhou's mouth. Then he scooped out even more and applied it to the wound on Zhou's broken arm.

Searching with his "perception" ability, he couldn't locate the whereabouts of Zhou Tiansen's severed arm. Maybe it had been shredded into pieces during the fight.

"What a pity…"

Still, he doubted that the medicinal effect of the red gold liquid could regenerate another arm. After all, it was only a modified version of the tenth-grade magic pill.

But it was a pity that he didn't have a chance to try it, for Zhou Tiansen suddenly stirred.

"Ahem!"

The blood in his eyes gradually faded, but he still looked rather tired, and there was residual blood in his eyes.

"Xu Xiaoshou?" he said, looking at the youth in front of him with surprise.

He gazed up at the sky behind Xu Xiaoshou, and his eyes almost popped out when he saw what appeared like the start of an apocalypse.

"Oh, My God, what's happening?"

Looking at the shock on Zhou Tiansen's face, Xu Xiaoshou pondered for a moment with his hands clasped, and said, "Alas, time flies like a white horse passing through a gap. Ten thousand years had just passed by in the blink of an eye."

Zhou Tiansen looked stunned.

His pupils dilated sharply, then shrank again.

"Really?"

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the information bar, and didn't find the "Suspected".

This guy believed it?

He is nothing more than a simple-minded swordsman!

Zhou Tiansen swallowed his saliva with difficulty and said, "You are right, it is the end of the world."

"I remember all those years ago when you were still in…" Xu Xiaoshou said, then paused briefly.

Zhou Tiansen frowned and seemed to ponder…

"The Tianxuan Gate!"

He cried, as something triggered in him and his memories, spanning ten thousand years or more, suddenly flashed across his mind.

Xu Xiaoshou pretended to sigh longingly, and responded, "Yes, the Tianxuan Gate. What a nostalgic name."

"How could it be so? How can this be so?"

Zhou Tiansen suddenly panicked and said, "But, why don't I have the memories of these 10,000 years?"

"Ahh…!"

Xu Xiaoshou instantly put on a look of anguish with a mourning, confused expression in his eyes, and lamented in a whisper.

"I don't have them either…"

"It would seem only two of us have survived!"

He grabbed Zhou Tianshen's shoulders excitedly and said, "We are the Chosen Ones! Only the Chosen Ones can survive and have…"

He stared at Zhou Tianshen's forehead, which was red.

"A third eye!"

Zhou Tiansen was baffled. He seemed to sense that he had something between his eyebrows. He focused his will and felt a vague pain there.

I have the third eye?

"I… I'm the Chosen One?"

He felt a surge of elation in his heart.

"But, why don't you have it?" He looked at Xu Xiaoshou's eyebrows and couldn't find the "Chosen Eye".

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly laughed wryly, and said, "Of course I don't have it, because I'm a destroyer, not a savior!"

He turned around and walked away.

"You have already lost to me. I will destroy this world by me!"

Xu Xiaoshou knew that when dealing with the hot-blooded youth like Zhou Tiansen, the idea of saving the world could evoke the most primal reactions in their hearts.

"Xu Xiaoshou, stop right there!"

As expected, it upset Zhou Tiansen. "10,000 years ago I lost to you, but now, I will not lose!"

Xu Xiaoshou was on the brink of laughing out a mouthful of blood, and hurriedly departed without turning his head around.

Zhou Tiansen straightened his body twice and found himself still embedded in the wall. He looked up into the sky helplessly.

"Pull me out of here, so we can have a duel!"

"What kind of hero are you?"

Xu Xiaoshou arrived at one of the eight iron doors.

But time was running out. He had no intention to fool around with this simpleton any longer because he had the treasures of Suppressing Barrier to search for.

"Tell me honestly, where is the treasure?"

Facing the cowering steel puppets, Xu Xiaoshou raised his fist.

He confronted the first one. But this particular iron lump appeared enraged. Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself—I thought these puppets were in retreat, but this monster is up for a fight. And he doesn't think I'm a person at all!

As the puppet straightened up, Xu Xiaoshou smashed his fist down. With a booming sound, the steel puppet fell to his knees again.

"I know you all have some form of intelligence. Tell me honestly and I'll spare your life," Xu Xiaoshou declared.

The iron lump did not reply. Xu Xiaoshou's immediate response was to employ a common strategy in such situations. "If you don't tell me, I have eight more of your friends remaining for me to extract the answer."

Suddenly, it occurred to him that the puppet might be unable to speak.

"If you can't talk, then just nod your head."

CLANG!

The enormous head of the steel puppet fell to the ground.

Xu Xiaoshou was perplexed and wondered what had just happened. He only asked it to nod its head, not drop it!

Almost in unison, he heard several more clanging sounds outside. He was certain that those were the heads of the other puppets.

Xu Xiaoshou was disconcerted and thought it was rather strange!

Spiritual intelligence?

How can these guys have spiritual intelligence? It should not happen!

And now that all the heads have fallen off. Could it be because…

"Someone is controlling them. Now the controller has taken away the spiritual attribute from them," he muttered.

Having concluded, Xu Xiaoshou turned around and looked at the ground.

To be more precise, he was looking under the ground.

"Who is it?"

His "perception" sensed that the deep under the ground of this black arena of gladiators there was a faint vitality.

It's growing vigorous!

"I'm sure that the treasures of Suppressing Barrier should be located there—perhaps it is the seal!"

Xu Xiaoshou looked toward the shattering sky and realized that the time was limited and it was too late to think any further. He had run out of options.

In his heart, he didn't think that the treasure of Suppressing Barrier could turn the situation around. He rushed to the arena, spreading his hand.

"The Art of Five Fingerprint Seeds!"

His technique generated a high temperature. Xu Xiaoshou thrust his hand down and the arena of gladiators melted through before he touched the ground.

The Infernal Heavens that could burn everything descended in a spiral pattern and bored through the ground until it reached a spot several hundred meters below.

At the depth, the underground life energy greatly surpassed that of ordinary people.

Xu Xiaoshou had a bad feeling, but he thought of the Black Fallen Scabbard and believed that nothing could be stronger than it.

There's no way a person can suddenly emerge from it!

"Heh!"

Xu Xiaoshou laughed wryly. Suddenly, his hand froze.

He touched a black rock. After the Infernal Heavens burned away the surrounding soil, he discovered it was in reality a waist-high black crystal.

Strong life energy was emitting from it.

Xu Xiaoshou thought of the Six-sided Crystal spiritual technique used by the gray fog man to seal Mu Zixi and wondered if this crystal also had a seal in it.

He touched it cautiously.

One punch.

BAM!

No response at all?

Well, there is a crack!

Xu Xiaoshou had enough power now to punch through a mountain, given enough time to do so. Yet, this black crystal had only a mere crack?

BAM!

One more punch.

The cracks looked like a spider's web.

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes. He was resigned to the possibility that he would be fighting this thing all day!

He raised his fist.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

Each time his fist struck, there was a corresponding echo inside the crystal. It seemed to have figured out his punching frequency based on his two previous punches.

He punched the crystal with both of his fists. The black crystal soon opened up.

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded!

Gauging by the force of his punch, he figured that the crystal wouldn't break for sure, even if it took a hundred punches.

But now… it was already broken?

There was no doubt the life energy inside it was doing something!

He looked down and found that the black crystal was already open, gradually revealing the content inside its dusty and hazy interior.

A human head?

Chapter 175: Ma Ma

It was a round-shaped head of a bald child. It was hard to tell if it belonged to a girl or a boy.

He was now deep in the ground. Xu Xiaoshou was so frightened that he kept stepping back until he hit the earth wall and mud fell on his head.

"It's a child?"

Many thoughts flashed through his mind in those few moments.

Could it possibly be that the Tiansang Spirit Palace was an evil organization, and the Tianxuan Gate was a prison specifically designed to detain children?

He thought about Elder Sang and Ye Xiaotian.

It was quite possible!

Crack!

There was a noise, then the head raised with great difficulty and looked into Xu Xiaoshou's eyes.

It had red eyes, looking just like those of the frenzied Zhou Tianshen. And it possessed a formidable aura.

Shortly afterward, Xu Xiaoshou realized he was wrong about the head.

Could the thing be…?

It was a puppet!

Unlike those iron lumps outside, the puppet had the external form of a human child.

"Ma Ma."

The puppet child spoke with a hoarse mechanical voice. It was as if someone forgot to lubricate its throat.

Xu Xiaozhu had goosebumps all over his body.

"Mom?"

In the dim, barricaded underground cavern, the puppet child kept calling for its mother and seemed to have spiritual intelligence.

Damn it!

What kind of place was it?

Could it be the Treasure of Suppressing Barrier?

"Ma Ma."

The puppet child's voice rang out again. It appeared to be struggling. Even though it had discarded its black crystal cage, the lower half of its body remained in it, and it could not get out.

"Double sealing?"

Xu Xiaoshou saw it as a bad omen. He wondered if he could defeat the puppet child if it freed itself from the ground.

He was very confident of himself when digging the tunnel, but he wasn't so sure anymore at that moment.

Boom!

The trembling at the Tianxuan Gate became more pronounced. The soil overhead fell in large chunks. Xu Xiaoshou knew he had no time to go to a different place!

"Ma Ma."

The puppet child sounded a bit more desperate.

"Child, do not be afraid. Mommy is here, and I will pull you out."

Xu Xiaoshou reached out his hands with some hesitation and added, "You cannot hit me after you come out. Remember my face. You called me mommy. Do not be mischievous, alright?"

"Ma Ma."

Xu Xiaoshou felt a chill in his heart and held his hands back momentarily.

"You should stretch out your hands. If you do not put your hands out, I have no choice but to pull your head."

"Ma Ma."

The puppet child seemed unresponsive.

Xu Xiaoshou quietly stared at the puppet child and had some doubts.

He took out the communication jade scroll and wondered if the item would react in the sealed land.

However, the jade scroll did not move or respond, which meant that he had to remove the second seal around the puppet child.

He recalled what Luo Leilei had previously said. If the puppet child was a Treasure of Suppressing Barrier, it would mean that the Tianxuan Gate will be in trouble if the child escaped from restraint.

Jade scroll.

The shabby thing looked weaker than the Black Fallen Scabbard. Could it withstand the destruction of the small world?

In the end, Xu Xiaoshou chose the Master Dean's advice.

Honestly, he could not find a way out and there was little choice but to believe the Master Dean at that point!

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the pair of scarlet eyes, gritted his teeth, and held down its head.

He felt a warm sensation, and the head was soft to touch.

It was the sensory experience of touching a human head!

"Ma Ma."

The two words uttered by the hoarse voice were strangely eerie. It played with Xu Xiaoshou's mind as he held the head and gave him goosebumps.

Xu Xiaoshou felt a chill run down his back, and he unconsciously stiffened his body.

"Do not detach your head and spray my face with your blood!"

Without further hesitation, Xu Xiaoshou put his hands under the jaw of the head and pulled forcefully.

Whoosh!

The seal, which bound the lower half of the puppet child's body, was revealed immediately.

"Ma Ma!" the puppet child called out, sounding agitated.

Xu Xiaoshou shrank back in surprise. The move had almost made him release his hands and let go of the head.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the puppet child apprehensively. His expression said it all—my goodness, can you stop screaming? You make me feel nervous!

As the two balls of flames under his feet fired up, Xu Xiaoshou used the force to assist in the effort. With a booming sound, the seal ripped apart completely.

"Ma Ma!"

A mournful roar bellowed out close to Xu Xiaoshou's ears. The seal finally released the lower half of the puppet child's body, and the child came loose from the ground.

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils suddenly dilated as he focused on his vision.

It was actually…

The lower half of an ordinary child!

The fleshy body was almost indistinguishable from that of a normal human being. The only difference was that the hands and wrists, feet, and ankles appeared shackled with black iron. And the chains had broken.

He moved his eyes to a spot to satisfy his utmost curiosity.

The puppet child's crotch was a flat triangle.

"No gender?" Xu Xiaoshou whispered to himself, and he looked baffled.

It was just then that Xu Xiaoshou quickly let go of the puppet child's head as he sensed lurking danger.

The child opened its arms, intending to wrap them around Xu Xiaoshou's neck.

"Hey."

Xu Xiaoshou ducked to avoid it.

"Ma Ma!"

The voice sounded dissatisfied. Xu Xiaoshou saw a blur in front of him and the puppet child disappeared.

The next moment, he felt a pain in his abdomen, and then there was darkness.

When he regained his sight, Xu Xiaoshou found out that he was punched and sent flying high in the air. But he did not fly up through the tunnel he had dug. Instead, he went sent hundreds of meters deep underground!

"Sneak attacked, passive point, 1."

Poof!

It was then that Xu Xiaoshou felt a sharp pain, and he looked down to see a fist mark on his abdomen. It was bloody.

It stunned him.

He had the body of a Master!

The puppet child was undoubtedly destructive.

"Ma Ma."

Xu Xiaoshou heard a friendly voice behind him and instinctively dodged. He saw with his Perception Ability that the puppet child had already appeared behind him.

This…

He was still traveling in the air from the powerful punch. He wondered how fast the child was and how the child could catch up with him after one punch.

He did not think that even Luo Leilei was as fast as the child!

"Ma Ma!"

When he heard the voice sounding a little annoyed, Xu Xiaoshou realized that something was wrong. Perhaps he probably should not have dodged earlier.

Boom!

He saw the shattered sky when he opened his eyes again.

"Sneak attacked, passive point, 1."

A deep crater over a hundred meters wide appeared in the black arena of gladiators. Xu Xiaoshou collapsed in it, unable to move.

A gaping hole appeared on his back, and fresh blood flowed copiously everywhere.

If he had not possessed the passive technique, he would have died!

Dean.

Elder Sang was right. He should believe no one except himself in such a world he found himself in.

It was a piece of misinformation that he could find a sealed place to put the jade scroll in. The Dean should have told him to stay away from that place!

"Ma Ma."

He heard the affectionate voice again. Xu Xiaoshou did not wish to dodge that time around. He laid quietly on the spot, allowing the curious child to check him out.

"Gazed, passive point, 1."

The puppet child was in a crouched position. The child did not attack him when Xu Xiaoshou remained still.

"Monster. It is a monster!"

The Eternal Vitality had healed his injury. But Xu Xiaoshou still did not move.

He thought about the steel puppets he had encountered earlier. He was sure they were the same as this child.

However, they were not on the same level!

It was highly probable that the child was a manufactured puppet. But in terms of physical qualities, the puppet child was much superior to those he saw earlier!

What was more important was that it had spiritual intelligence!

Items like the Black Fallen Scabbard were merely psychic at most, while the puppet child could think. But he was not sure if its mind was an anomaly.

"Good baby, I know you are probably expressing goodwill to me by touching me. But to be honest, your strength is a bit too strong for me."

Xu Xiaoshou craned his neck and tried to communicate with the puppet.

The puppet child's scarlet eyes looked thoughtful.

Xu Xiaoshou was pleased to see the expression and thought his approach had worked.

Since his strength could not match the child puppet's, he should try a fresh approach!

The verbal approach is the art of kings!

He opened his mouth to speak again.

BAM!

The puppet child held his head down and pushed it into the cracked ground.

The wind was chilly. The time seemed to have slowed down. Xu Xiaozhu's legs swayed in the air for a while and then dropped helplessly.

"Sneak attacked, passive point, 1."

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Chapter 176: Be A Good Baby

F*cking piece of shit!

Xu Xiaoshou could feel his face contort from the horrific blow. He could imagine how weird he must have looked and even wondered if his face would be permanently deformed.

The excruciating pain from having his nose broken by that blow made him bleed uncontrollably, and tears formed in his eyes.

He was truly provoked now.

There was an unspoken rule when it came to a fight: Never go for the face! Even if his opponent was just a chunk of a metal block, it should understand the reason behind this rule!

When the puppet child lifted its hand again, Xu Xiaoshou instantly discharged a stream of compressed tinder from his mouth, and it was delivered with an almighty force.

Even at such proximity, that child merely tilted its head sideways and dodged the tinder effortlessly.

"Huh? It even dodged my counterattack?"

Xu Xiaoshou was completely at a loss.

He slammed his feet on the floor and leaped, clawing the air as he formed the Five Tinder. Then, without even looking back, he struck a blow in that direction.

The puppet child was so swift that Xu Xiaoshou could not remotely strike it using his "sense" ability, even when he could capture its movement. Hence, his only option was to predict its movement.

But his strike missed! All he felt was thin air…

To Xu Xiaoshou's complete shock, the puppet child was standing calmly and observing him with its arms crossed.

And even more shocking, it was standing right behind where he landed.

"I wouldn't have tried to predict his movement, had I known it could…" Xu Xiaoshou swallowed his saliva with much difficulty, as he felt a great sense of trepidation.

This puppet was just too scary. Who created it? It was a machine created especially for combat!

The puppet child's terrifying attack, speed, and reaction time had completely overwhelmed Xu Xiaoshou's physical strength and abilities. It was invincible and did not seem to possess any weakness.

Xu Xiaoshou straightened his back and was preparing to take on the next attack head-on when he realized that this puppet child was showing no intention to strike him. He remained still after a long pause.

"What's going on? Why are you stopping now?"

He turned around and stared at it. He just could not figure out what it was thinking.

There was a look of confusion in the puppet child's eyes, as it was no longer looked at Xu Xiaoshou, but toward the sky.

It became clear that the world on the brink of destruction was a lot more interesting than a mere weakling of a human.

"Ma Ma…"

"Hm?"

The puppet child glanced at Xu Xiaoshou again.

The corner of Xu Xiaoshou's mouth started twitching. He swore he did not mean to mock the puppet child, but he truly was curious about how it processed its thoughts internally.

This was the first time in his life that he had met an inanimate object with a mind of its own. It was so intriguing, and he could not fathom it.

"If you understand what I'm saying… Hey, hey, stop attacking me!"

Xu Xiaoshou was trying to make conversation when he noticed the puppet child's hand move, and it made him react to it immediately.

It appeared to get the message, retracted its hand, and cross its arms in front of its chest.

"Ma Ma?"

Xu Xiaoshou detected a gentler, almost questioning tone in its voice.

He felt excited and wondered if he had found the way to deal with this puppet child. As long as its arms remained crossed, then he could not strike out for sure!

"That's right, my child. Keep your hands like that, don't move around, and talk to Mommy in that sweet voice, okay?"

The puppet child observed Xu Xiaoshou rubbing his hands together in high spirits. The puppet child was indeed a precious treasure. It could easily break the Master Physique with a single punch. If he could bring it along with him, then he would surely like to give Elder Sang a taste of the puppet child's incredible power.

Xu Xiaoshou noticed the puppet child staring at him, then he realized it was trying to rub its hands together as he had done.

What the heck!

Xu Xiaoshou crossed his arms in mock sternness and said, "Don't copy me!"

Inwardly, he just wasn't sure if the puppet child would just rub its hands or decide to smack his face the moment he let go. So, to prevent the worst from happening, he thought it'd be better that they chatted with their hands crossed.

"I'll forget about the few punches you threw at my face. I won't hold it against you."

Xu Xiaoshou could see it was still staring at him, and promptly declared that he would generously forgive its previous misdeeds.

He had no other choice. Since he could not defeat it, all he could do was to play along with it.

"So, you have seen it, too. The sky has cracked up, and this tiny world is on the brink of destruction."

He pointed at the sky, and the puppet child looked in that direction. Its eyes portrayed a hint of human-like intelligence.

It's working…

In his heart, Xu Xiaoshou was feeling good about how this was turning out, and continued, "I'm going to be very frank with you. It seems like you are someone who values freedom. So, I rather think you do not wish to be buried alive in this tiny world, am I right?"

"Come with me!"

"The world outside is vast and wide. There are many more beautiful things to see and experience, and maybe you could even find the love of your life!"

Xu Xiaoshou flashed his warmest smile and spoke convincingly in his most earnest tone, but he still did not dare to reach out with his hands.

The puppet child reacted with an utterance. "Ma Ma…"

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.

So what kind of answer was that? Can I make my move now?

How he wished he could decipher this puppet child's language. But, he could not make out what it meant, and replied, "Sorry to have interrupted you…"

I'll stay put as long as the enemy stays put!

This way, I will avoid getting injured for sure!

Xu Xiaoshou learned the truth.

BANG! BANG!

The destruction of this world had sped up. The looming black sky that stretched across the horizon was approaching rapidly, and it was waiting for nobody.

It seemed like this puppet child was indeed the treasure of this world. Was it because he had broken the seal that the destruction of this world was now hastening?

"Damn it…"

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes and looked down below anxiously. He was thinking if he should risk getting punched in the face again by descending to the ground, or should he just continue engaging the puppet child verbally, as he was now doing?

"How about this, child? Let's keep our hands still. I will slowly move toward you, and you'll do the same, okay? Slowly…"

Xu Xiaoshou took one careful step after another as he advanced toward the puppet child. Then he noticed it trembled slightly. Xu Xiaoshou hurriedly explained in a calm voice. "I'm not trying to hit you, don't worry. You and I are going to save the world, okay?"

He took out the jade scroll and flashed it before the puppet child. "I have to place this where I found you. If not, everyone will die."

The puppet child's eyes widened immediately upon seeing this jade scroll. Despite its frightening red eyes, Xu Xiaoshou could detect emotion hidden within.

"Oh, dear…"

Knowing that this puppet could pounce on him at any time and go for the scroll, he kept it right away.

"Sorry, I can't give you this. If you take it away and bring it back to the hole, then nobody can save you!"

The puppet child looked intimidated as it looked down at the deep hole in the ground. It was only for a fleeting moment, but Xu Xiaoshou could see the fear in his eyes.

Suddenly, Xu Xiaoshou understood everything.

Being confined in darkness was simply too horrifying an experience for any creature with intelligence and wisdom. In addition, he did not know how long was it had been confined within the hole, but he was sure it did not like it very much.

To force the puppet child to return to that world of darkness alone was something it would never agree to. It was impossible to make it go back there!

Xu Xiaoshou saw the opportunity to leverage on the puppet's fear.

Regardless of how powerful a creature was, if it had fear, then it had a weakness that could be exploited.

This puppet child before him had intelligence, but it had not developed in maturity. He could observe this from how it conducted itself. All its actions so far suggested it merely possessed the intellectual level of a child.

It possessed a power that was greater than a Master Physique but had not the wisdom to use it. It was perhaps adequate for its child-like body to function, or perhaps not. Its lack of wisdom limited its true potential for now.

Why the puppet child had beaten him earlier, Xu Xiaoshou did not know, and he suspected even it probably did not know why as well.

Maybe it just wanted to vent off its frustration after being confined for so long? It was understandable, as anyone locked away for a long time would feel that way.

"Be an obedient child and wait for me here. Don't move around. Mama will destroy your prison below, okay?" Xu Xiaoshou said.

"Ma Ma…"

He could not tell its emotional state from its monotonous voice. Xu Xiaoshou frowned and strode bravely toward it. He braced himself mentally and prepared for the worst scenario.

It did not react!

It was looking at him with its arms still crossed!

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Chapter 177: Tree seed

It was just a simple hole that did not take too much effort to make. Depth-wise, it could easily bury half the body of a child.

"Can this thing work differently with the jade scroll?"

Xu Xiaoshou was still skeptical as he anxiously took out the jade scroll given to him by the Dean.

To his surprise, the jade scroll began vibrating lightly, before waves of spiritual energy in Tianxuan Gate gravitated toward Xu Xiaoshou and swirled thickly around him.

Suddenly, he felt all the energy surge into him.

Xu Xiaoshou was at a loss for words.

His body had healed completely after undergoing continuous stimulation over the past two days. Hence, his body would automatically absorb any surrounding spiritual energy under any situation, taking it in at the maximum rate.

The jade scroll vibrated even more violently as if it was about to explode at any moment. Xu Xiaoshou hurriedly closed off every pore on his body and managed to regulate the amount of spiritual energy he was absorbing.

The jade scroll then started to draw in the spiritual energy, and it was indeed ravenous.

Could it be that the jade scroll could only transform after being fed an enormous amount of spiritual energy?

Xu Xiaoshou believed so and blew into the jade scroll carefully.

Puff!

Instantly, a surge of spiritual energy, a hundred times denser than it was earlier, flowed into the jade scroll. Then everything fell silent, and the scroll stopped vibrating. Suddenly, with no warning, it blew up.

Xu Xiaoshou looked utterly baffled.

Did I f*ck it up?

He panicked when the jade scroll exploded. A moment later, he realized it did not blow up to smithereens. Instead, an object was left behind that resembled a seed.

The seed had fallen from the sky, and it seemed it had been intentionally dropped into the hole to take root.

Xu Xiaoshou reached out and intercepted it with his hand.

"A seed?"

Looking at how the sky was slowly cracking like a mirror, Xu Xiaoshou could not help but wonder.

Could the seed be some legendary treasure, such as the seed of Yggdrasil, that had been intentionally dropped to provide stable support to this crumbling world?

It was indeed a mythical item!

He suddenly became obsessed with this item and clutched it tightly in his hand. There was no way the seed could break free of the grasp of a Master Physique.

"Since I cannot lay my hands on the other treasures of this world… perhaps, this seed shall…"

"Be mine?"

Xu Xiaoshou was overcome by temptation. A conflict played out in his conscience between justice and evil.

Justice: Excessive greed will eventually cost you your life. Do not commit a crime just because you think it is minor.

Evil: You can only count on yourself… Yourself and nobody else!

Justice: If it does not belong to you, you should not even take a bit.

Evil: F*ck you!

Justice: I concede defeat.

It did not take more than half a second for Xu Xiaoshou to come to a decision. And just when he was about to keep the seed, an anxious voice came from behind him.

"Ma Ma."

Xu Xiaoshou wavered and scratched his head awkwardly. "Why are you so impatient? I am just about to plant it!"

The puppet child also seemed to recognize the importance of the seed. Or perhaps it just wanted to fill the dark hole that had been his prison for a lifetime.

The moment the puppet child called out, Xu Xiaoshou's conscience awakened, and there were no more doubts in his mind.

One must not keep ill-gotten gains!

He let out a sigh and hesitated no more. He then threw the seed into the hole.

The seed touched the ground and instantly set off a dramatic explosion. Gigantic python-like roots burrowed through the soil and became intertwined underground.

Xu Xiaoshou took flight immediately as the giant tree below him suddenly shot up a few hundred meters from the deep hole toward the sky.

It was not over yet. It continued to shoot up as if it wanted to pierce the clouds to offer support for the crumbling world.

Spiritual energy came howling from all directions. Xu Xiaoshou could no longer absorb everything, even when he opened all his pores. The intensity and the amount of spiritual energy were incomparable to the conditions earlier.

At most, he could absorb 0.001% of the total reserve.

Xu Xiaoshou was thoroughly shocked.

What a giant tree it was!

After absorbing the essence of Heaven and Earth, it had turned from a mere seed into a sky-piercing tree. A tree which indeed pierced through the sky!

The thick trunk appeared out of thin air and almost filled up the entire black arena. It looked like a tall mountain and was impossible to surpass.

Its height had even exceeded the maximum range of Xu Xiaoshou's "Sense" and extended to a point beyond his ability to detect.

Xu Xiaoshou regretted his decision!

It was undoubtedly a mythical item, and he could not believe that he had just given it up so easily. Had he known earlier, he would have thrown the other few treasures he possessed into the hole instead!

Maybe they could stop the world from crumbling, and he would get the seed in exchange.

Ring!

At the very moment the giant tree pierced the sky, the disintegrating of Heaven and Earth seemed to slow down. He also noticed that as the tree grew taller, the sky was gradually recovering.

"So it worked?"

Xu Xiaoshou was quite excited, being the person who planted the seed and seeing it grow within a few seconds in front of his eyes. It had given him an immense sense of achievement.

"Ma Ma…"

The puppet child behind him also looked up to the sky and murmured.

[At the Array Entrance]

The few of them who had waited there all this while also saw the giant tree soaring skyward. Even the pessimistic trio who were on the ground were quite shocked.

"It worked?"

"Xu Xiaoshou made it work! We do not have to die now?"

Mu Zixi looked at the ancient tree in awe, and she was literally drooling.

What a big mistake! She should have followed him. It had such an overwhelming life force and would have been immensely beneficial if she had been able to even get a small bit.

"Xu Xiaoshou…"

She suddenly thought about Zhou Tianshen and recalled what the tall man had once mentioned at the Spiritual Library Division. He said that if they were to follow the champion around, they would get a share of the spoils.

She did not believe it then, but now, it was clear that Tianshen was well versed in the rules of survival!

[At the Council Hall, Inner Yard]

Every single pair of anxious eyes had turned to Zhao Xidong's Spirit Curtain Wheel of the 12 Pearls. The item had stopped shaking.

It had been full of cracks, but now it had repaired itself and was glowing with green light.

"Tianxuan Gate has been repaired!" Zhao Xidong immediately announced with much excitement.

Qiao Qianzhi was also elated as his spirit wheel was back in working condition. He now no longer needed to repair the array of Tianxuan Gate, and it would save him so much trouble and effort.

He looked at Ye Xiaotian and said, "Since Tianxuan Gate has been repaired, should we stay on till the last day?"

Unlocking the Tianxuan Gate was an arduous task. So, it was highly beneficial for the youngsters to stay inside for another day.

After all, he had witnessed the development of these youngsters since they were at the Outer Yard. Although there was a spy amongst them, he still wanted everyone else to benefit from the experience.

However, Ye Xiaotian shook his head.

"I understand what you mean. But our small world beyond the Tianxuan Gate has just been subjected to great destruction. Even though the place is being repaired now, it is still too unstable."

"It is just too risky to continue to stay inside. We have to get everyone out right now."

Qiao Qianzhi let out a long sigh. Of course, he knew that the small world of Tianxuan Gate was unstable. And as even Ye Xiaotian could not stabilize it, he could not insist on keeping the youngsters inside.

He took out the Array Token to reopen Tianxuan Gate.

But Ye Xiaotian stopped him.

"Let me do it!"

"The Array supports the space tunnel. There would be some risk of opening the space tunnel at this moment. Since the world inside is being repaired, I will connect the paths connecting the two worlds and also bring the youngsters out."

Qiao Qianzhi nodded.

"Fine, it would reduce the risk from traveling back and forth and reduce any chance of accidents."

They did not speak loudly, but neither were they whispering. The girl with a veil heard what they said and was rather surprised with their casually they made it out to be.

"Connecting the path of two worlds, all by himself?" Yu Zhiwen remarked with a look of shock.

Jiang Bianyan nodded solemnly and said, "If it is Ye Xiaotian, then it is possible. He possesses the Space Elemental power, an object considered rare throughout the entire continent."

Then, they both saw the small child with white hair insert his hands into the void, and used his powers to form two paths.

"Impressive…"

Jiang Bianyan looked at the girl beside him whose jaws dropped open, and said, "It is exceedingly difficult to master the Space Elemental power, so it is not surprising that you have not seen it before."

"Well, since you can now observe the force of the world up close, it is indeed an opportunity to absorb everything!"

"After all, he has something in common with you. He is also from the Central Region…"

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Chapter 178: The Spirit Place with full of hidden talents

Yu Zhiwen watched, mouth agape with amazement.

Even though she had a veil covering her face, the look of surprise on her face was evident to everyone around her.

"The Central Region?"

"That is right!"

Jiang Bianyan nodded and added, "How do you think Tiansang Spirit Palace could rise to power so quickly? It has only a couple of decades of history and yet it has already surpassed over ten Spirit Palaces within its vicinity."

"And they could not have attained all of their achievements without Ye Xiaotian!"

He paused and thought wistfully. Then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he murmured.

"Had he been born earlier and experienced a few more years of cultivation, he would probably have qualified for one of the Ten High Nobles of the Central Region."

"If that is the case, then he wouldn't have had stooped so low as to come to such an insignificant corner of the world."

Being continuously fed with such revealing information, Yu Zhiwen felt she had benefitted a lot from her visit that day.

"The Ten High Nobles?" Yu Zhiwen asked curiously.

However, Jiang Bianyan stopped answering her questions. He shook his head and said, "You are far from their level. Let us not dwell on this topic. We did not come here for this reason. Let us get ready for the White Cave affairs first!"

Yu Zhiwen nodded slightly. Although she looked calm on the outside, her mind was still filled with doubts and even more questions.

Space Elemental power. Was it that powerful?

It seemed reasonable. Yu Zhiwen had not seen anyone with that kind of elemental power, even at the headquarters.

"That's right!"

She suddenly thought of something and said, "I have heard that the last Palace Master was the man who must be given the most credit for the rise of Tiansang Spirit Palace. What is his name again?"

Yu Zhiwen frowned as she tried to recall the name.

Jiang Bianyan smiled gently and answered, "Elder Sang."

"This old man retired many years ago. He is presently holding the title of the Inner Yard Vice Dean and is hardly at the Spirit Palace. He frequently travels to the different regions."

"Hm, I think he returned recently, yet nobody has seen him at all this time."

"Elder Sang?" Yu Zhiwen asked curiously, "Between him and Ye Xiaotian, who is stronger?"

Jiang Bianyan appeared amused by the question. He chuckled for a moment before answering her. "Little girl, remember, this is not an issue about who is stronger."

"Hm?"

"Would you not say that Ye Xiaotian is exceptionally powerful?" Jiang Bianyan replied to her with a question instead.

Yu Zhiwen looked over at the white-haired kid connecting the two worlds with his hands and instantly nodded with her reply.

"Of course, he is strong!"

She could see he possessed worldly power. How could he not possibly be strong?

"Well, when facing Elder Sang, all even Ye Xiaotian can do is only sit still and listen to his teachings!" Jiang Bianyan surprised her with his words.

Gasp!

Yu Zhiwen almost sucked her veil into her lungs as she replied in disbelief, "He is above the Sovereign Stage?"

"No, no, no. It is deference accumulated over time that led him to be so. It is respect for the elder."

Jiang Bianyan laughed out loud and suddenly realized that all eyes were on him. The piercing gaze of hundreds of the black-clothed men was quite intimidating, and so, he ceased the conversation.

Noticing that Ye Xiaotian did not turn his head, he then lowered his voice further. He whispered, "I heard that Elder Sang had taken a new disciple recently. The Elder has very keen eyes for spotting talents. Maybe you might find yourself a rival here."

"Oh?"

Yu Zhiwen was interested in the disciple's identity and asked, "Who is it?"

"I am not so sure. But it seemed like the new disciple is a young girl too. Maybe you guys will have a chance to meet each other inside the White Cave."

A young girl?

Yu Zhiwen's calm mind suddenly felt troubled. If she had not spoken to Jiang Bianyan, she would probably not have any motivation during the trip.

However, upon hearing the piece of news…

Elder Sang's new disciple?

It was exciting!

"It seems like Tiansang Spirit Palace is full of talents!" Yu Zhiwen exclaimed, feeling a renewed sense of enthusiasm.

"That's right."

Jiang Bianyan had stopped talking, but he seemed to have other things to express. His eyes swept around the area and finally landed on Qiao Qianzhi, who was always half a step behind the rest and perpetually had a silly smile on his face.

He watched as Qiao Qianzhi started laying out the array. Jiang Bianyan could tell that the man, ordinary-looking in terms of cultivation rank, was a person who hid his true strength well.

He was most probably at the level of a Spirit Array Master. Maybe even a Great Master.

If he is the latter, then it would be utterly terrifying!

A Spirit Array Great Master was someone who could beat ten enemies if he had a location advantage. They were a rare few who could defeat people who ranked higher than them, and that was impressive!

Out of the blue, Jiang Bianyan felt fear in his heart.

The strength of Tiansang Spirit Palace was unquestionably high. But why was a letter dispatched seeking help? Could it be that the Holy Vassal was planning to descend to the mortal world?

Hm, it was highly unlikely…

Those shameless flies attracted to the honey of fame and power would never choose to be in the bright sunlight, if at all. If they dared to show themselves, the holy beam of the Holy Divine would exterminate them in ab instant!

Buzz! Buzz!

Two soft buzzes interrupted Jiang Bianyan's train of thought. Ye Xiaotian had completed his construction of the world paths.

He did not take more than fifteen minutes to connect the two worlds. Such speed had once again shocked the two of them.

"Mm!" Jiang Bianyan grunted suddenly.

The place went dead silent.

Even Yu Zhiwen instinctively held back on asking more questions. She closed her eyes to feel the surrounding.

It was the same with the hundreds of men in black not far from them. Even Zhao Xidong, holding the Spirit Curtain Wheel of the 12 Pearls, anxiously looked down and carefully studied the wheel.

A faint "Force of Great Path and Rules" slowly manifested. However, what was more tangible was the extremely dense Space Elemental power.

The former was the Path itself, while the latter was the manifestation of the Path.

Only Sovereign-ranked experts could sense the Force of Great Path and Rules. Most of the people there had yet to reach that level. To them, it was the perfect opportunity for a breakthrough!

Just one look was all it took, and many had already entered the world of Zen.

Ye Xiaotian was breaking out in a sweat as it was rare for him to push himself to the limit. So, the opportunity was indeed rare.

Everyone present, including the personnel from the internal of the Spirit Palace, had never seen Ye Xiaotian using his Space Elemental power in such a strenuous manner.

Jiang Bianyan looked at the visible Force of Rules in the path and secretly sighed.

Had he not reached the Sovereign stage and already found his Path, the clear and visible Force of Rules before him right now would surely improve his cultivation by a vast margin.

However, it was impossible at present.

Every Sovereign has his unique Path. The fight for the Great Path was exceedingly cruel, and if Jiang Bianyan rejected his Path over Ye Xiaotian's, then the path he had already chosen would become meaningless.

He looked away as there was no point staring at two Paths that were destined not to cross.

However, Qiao Qianzhi was meticulously observing the force of space. It could be used in different ways and was exceedingly valuable for one who delved into the world of Spirit Array Caster.

He was thirsty for every moment and had immersed himself in the force as he absorbed everything he could.

Ye Xiaotian could not neglect the most urgent matter, just because everyone was in the Zen mode. To him, the most critical issue at present was to save the people inside the Tianxuan Gate.

With every minute he wasted, it became more dangerous for the people inside!

The path connecting the two worlds had finally stabilized, and Ye Xiaotian projected his voice into it. His command was clear was simple. He shouted, "Get out!"

"A spatial path!"

The three of them, who laid face-down at the entrance of the Tianxuan Gate array, jolted in surprise, pointing to the back of the crowd.

Luo Leilei turned around in surprise and realized that on one side of the array entrance, there was another spatial path that was now open.

"What is going on?"

"Is Xu Xiaoshou not back yet? Who has informed the Dean?"

Mu Zixi stared at the pillar-like gigantic tree and made an assumption. She said, "Maybe after Xu Xiaoshou has succeeded and the mini world gets repaired, perhaps then Mr. Dean can intervene again?"

"Why are we waiting? When are we going to escape, if not now?"

Three of them charged out, and Luo Leilei could not stop them in time. All she could see was the three of them getting into the spatial path and vanishing before her.

"Let us go. Xu Xiaoshou should be able to make it in time, right?"

Momo held the bronze cauldron and checked the bracelet on her arm. She hesitated and then said, "We cannot wait any longer."

They really could not afford to wait any longer!

None of them was dumb or simple-minded. All the youngsters knew they could wait for too long after the path had opened. For the period it would last was an unknown variable to them.

If they were to wait for everyone to leave together, then they were not guaranteed a safe path back.

Momo stepped onto the path first. Mu Zixi hesitated for a moment, but she followed suit shortly afterward.

Zhao Qingteng walked for two steps and paused. Then he turned back and reached out with his hand and said, "Let us do it together."

"F*ck off!"

He was speechless.

He turned and left without waiting.

Luo Leilei looked at the spatial path and felt that every step was difficult.

She was not waiting for Xu Xiaoshou. But Luo Leilei feared the world outside.

If she assumed correctly, what awaited her outside was probably an enormous group of men in black clothes.

She clenched her teeth and finally took a leap of faith.

"Brother Shuangxing, please hurry over."

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Chapter 179: Cheng Xingchu's travel experience

Meanwhile…

After Cheng Xingchu excused himself from the council hall, he did not head straight to his spiritual site to rest. Instead, he took a detour around the inner yard for a long stroll.

"This is really odd. Why have I not seen a single person around? Is this Tiansang Spirit Palace inner yard merely a decoration? Why are there so few people?"

He thought of the letter seeking help.

"Could it be that they have all gone into hiding?"

"Tsk! If it is the case, then the Tiansang Spirit Palace is surely overrated."

Cheng Xingchu had a cynical smile and decided not to loiter any further.

Although there was nobody in the inner yard, there were still people in the outer yard. There were so many people out there when he arrived, and they possibly had not received any instructions to hide. It was probably why there were still many people having fun outside.

He remembered being mocked by those scums who had reached the Acquired Stage. The memory of it provoked him, but he could not find a place to vent it out.

As for the reason they mocked him, Cheng Xingchu had deliberately wiped it from his mind.

As he walked past the Spiritual Library Division toward the outer area, he soon reached the threshold between the outer and inner yard.

He thought to himself—the guards of this Spirit Palace are seriously weak. I have seen no disciples around. Are they also short on personnel for the law enforcers? There were only a few at the council hall.

He wondered, how could there be no one guarding the inner yard entrance?

Dhak! Dhak!

A slow and rhythmic knocking sound came from around the corner, and Cheng Xingchu tilted his head to look over. What he saw gave him a huge scare.

"Oh, my God, what an ugly blind man!"

It was a man with a badly scratched face. It looked like someone had cut him up badly in a frenzied knife fight. It was impossible to tell his exact age just by looking at his face.

Oh, no!

It seemed someone had undoubtedly cut up the man's face!

Cheng Xingchu felt nauseous looking at his face as the man walking toward him was not merely ugly—he was exceedingly hideous!

As he watched, he noticed that the man was using a walking stick, and that was the source of the knocking sound.

The walking stick was thin and light-purplish. There were also some carved lines on the handle. The walking stick was the only delicate item on the hideous blind man covered in dust.

"How did you enter the Spirit Palace?" asked Cheng Xingchu.

He was curious and wanted to know if the Tiansang Spirit Palace did not care about its prestigious status. How could they take in such a disciple?

Regardless of how a Spiritual Cultivator could alter the works of Heaven and Earth and manipulate the essence of the Sun and Moon, nobody could salvage such a sorry-looking face!

The blind young man with the walking stick seemed oblivious that someone was talking to him, and he continued to tap on the road and went on his way.

However, the entrance to the inner yard was only that wide, so Cheng Xingchu blocked the blind man by standing in the center of the road.

"Are you deaf as well as blind?" he mocked.

As his eyes rested on the man's hand holding the walking stick, Cheng Xingchu raised his eyebrows in surprise.

In contrast to the dusty robe he was wearing, the little deaf and blind man's hands were surprisingly clean. His fingers were slender, and each knuckle was well-defined. It would appear that the man did not do hard chores at all.

This is a pair of hands only a woman could possess, he thought. Even then, it would take a great deal of careful maintenance. Such delicate fingers… how could such a face match up to these?

Cheng Xingchu was feeling conflicted and out of sorts.

With his observation of specific details, such as the man's hands and the walking stick, his extensive training and experience told him that the man standing before him suffered from mysophobia.

But such people… mm…

How could he possibly tolerate the dirt on his body and the sorry state of his face?

"Excuse me."

The young blind man spoke. To his surprise, the man had a pleasant voice, and it was rich and slightly deep.

Cheng Chuxing frowned as his intuition warned him to leave immediately, but he stubbornly refused to heed it!

The man had zero cultivation potential and probably belonged with the scums milling outside—presumably, newbies just recruited to the Spirit Palace.

Excuse me?

Did he think he could enter the inner yard?

Did he even have any clue about the rules of this world?

And even more important, was that the proper attitude to show toward a semi-Master expert?

It annoyed Cheng Chuxing to no end. He thought of how Ye Xiaotian had bullied him because of his background. He was so scared that he even peed in his pants.

So, what gave this ordinary man the right to be so calm in front of him?

He had been on the lookout for the few Outer Yard disciples who mocked him. Since he could not find them, this scum would do perfectly…

Ho, ho! It seemed like the blind man ran out of luck for Cheng Chuxing needed to vent out his anger.

"Not this road!" Cheng Chuxing said harshly.

The young blind man finally stopped moving. If he had not done so, they would have crashed into each other.

"Excuse me."

The man tilted his head and blew out some air from the corner of his lips. His long hair, which was partially covering his face, blew to the side. He spoke in the same tone, and there was not the slightest change in emotions.

Cheng Chuxing was now even more provoked, and his anger sent him into a frenzy.

He despised people who had no actual strength or talent but were pretty good at putting up a show! It was the number one item on his hate list!

"What if I say no?" Cheng Chuxing said as he looked at the man scornfully.

"If you say no? Then, die."

The occasional night breeze added to the bizarre scene, and the blind man's unbound long hair tossed about, giving him a charming appeal. If one did not look at his disfigured face, he would have been a perfect sight to behold.

Cheng Xingchu seemed amused as he laughed out loud. He asked, "Die? Who gave you the courage to talk to me like this?"

His eyes focused as if possessed by the haunting memories of Ye Xiaotian. He planned to bring the man down with an almighty force.

At that moment, all he could think about was crushing the blind man's kneecaps on the ground and shattering them to pieces.

WHACK!

However, after delivering his blow with intense force, the young blind man remained standing in the same position. Cheng Xingchu felt like he had struck at a piece of fabric and there was little effect.

He was speechless.

He focused once again!

WHACK!

He threw another powerful blow at the man.

How could it be possible? Why is there no reaction at all?

He tried to focus one more time.

He could not do it anymore. His eyes narrowed into two slits. If he went any further, he would have to shut his eyes tight.

The situation was awkward. The silence felt like lethal poison, slowly spreading out in the air.

Cheng Xingchu moved the corner of his lips and realized he did not know what to say.

Silence prevailed.

The blind young man waited for a long time and realized that the man in front of him was just a paper tiger. He stayed his ground briefly, then he tapped his walking stick around.

Dhak! Dhak!

It was not an attack. The man was probing to find his way.

He also said nothing. Since the guy in front of him decided not to continue his attack, the blind man treated him as a passer-by.

The young man took a detour, feeling his way around Cheng Xingchu with his walking stick, and walked past him quietly.

"Damn it," Cheng Xingchu muttered to himself.

His head was burning with fury, and it made his brain feel like it was about to explode.

The feeling of being ignored was far worse than being pranked by Ye Xiaotian. On top of it, the blind man in front of him was an ordinary man with no cultivation power!

"You are asking for it!" Cheng Xingchu roared.

His low, growling voice came out of his clenched mouth. Overwhelmed with anger, Cheng Xingchu threw out a punch infused with spiritual power, and he aimed it at the back of the young man.

SWOOSH!

Instantly, the blind young man did not turn around at all but squatted. Cheng Xingchu's fist went wide and slipped over his opponent's shoulder.

By the time Cheng Xingchu realized that something was off, the blind man had pulled his hand forward and threw him to the front using his momentum.

"Huh? He is not an ordinary man!"

Cheng Xingchu's pupils dilated as the smooth counterattack shocked him. Although he had a rough gauge of the man's power, it was still a shock to him when he experienced it firsthand.

How did the blind man evade the Spirit Observation Technique—the hidden skill of the Holy Divine Palace?

He had observed the man earlier, and he did not possess any cultivation power for sure. What was this?

Cheng Xingchu did not have too much time to ponder, and it was a bad idea to expose his back to the enemy. After Cheng Xingchu regained his balance, he immediately turned around.

Dhak!

The light-purplish walking stick was pointing at his heart.

Cheng Xingchu swallowed his saliva with much difficulty. The walking stick had become a long sword instead of a harmless stick.

If he had used more force?

"Ugh!"

Before he could apologize, the blind young man had already put down the stick. Then he started probing around again and turned to leave.

It astonished Cheng Xingchu.

"What is going on?"

"Why did he not put an end to me?"

"Ptui! As if he could put an end to me!"

Cheng Xingchu was feeling terrified at heart. The blind man was positively creepy. He resembled a God of Death who was merely passing by and was not interested in taking his life at all.

Was he a Spiritual Cultivator?

But if the man did not have any skills, how could he dodge the attack? He even countered flawlessly.

Why did the man let go of the opportunity to end his life?

Cheng Xingchu was in awe as he stared at the blind young man's back. He wanted to catch up to him and save his face.

However, his legs felt unusually heavy, as if laden with lead. He could not even move a step as he stood rooted to the ground.

BAM!

Suddenly, a spirit tree exploded from approximately thirty meters away, and it scared the hell out of Cheng Xingchu. He felt a chill running down his spine.

The tree was right on the attack trajectory of the blind man's walking stick just a while ago!

Was the man trying to warn him?

Crack!

A cracking sound came from his waist. Cheng Xingchu looked down in horror and realized that his protective jade had cracked up.

It was a protection jade that could withstand a full-power strike by a Master Stage expert!

"I…"

Cheng Xingchu fell on his bottom as he stared in disbelief at the blind young man from afar.

He was not dumb and immediately realized that the man probably possessed the power of a Master Stage!

But looking at his age, the man was probably only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old!

"Are the people from Tiansang Spirit Palace all this powerful?"

His murmurs could not hide his shocked state. All Cheng Xingchu could feel was despair as he picked up the shattered jade. He was in a daze.

It seemed he would have died already.

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Chapter 180: Warmth and guilt

[At the council hall]

Even though Ye Xiaotian was sweating profusely, the two paths connecting the worlds were as steady as a rock.

After the worlds connected, one of the paths shone brighter, and a silhouette emerged.

"Someone is coming out!" shouted Zhao Xidong. He looked pleasantly surprised.

Shortly after, a second silhouette and then followed by a third one subsequently emerged from the same path.

The feeling of dizziness brought about by traveling through the connecting path was extremely intense. It took the three of them some time to recover.

However, when they opened their eyes and realizing that there were at least a few hundred men dressed in black clothes, they almost collapsed in shock.

"This is…"

What kind of formation was that? Were the black-clothed men there to apprehend them?

They could not bear to find themselves in such a situation.

They tried very hard to recall their deeds inside the Tianxuan Gate and felt sure that they had done nothing wrong. So why were there so many men in black waiting there?

As they turned to look around, they saw both the Dean and Elder Qiao looking at them with concerned eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Dean!"

"Hello, Elder Qiao!"

"Ugh, Hello Executive Zhao!"

They immediately greeted their Elders and looked rather anxious.

They even greeted Zhao Xidong, who was on the staircase. If they knew the identity of the middle-aged man and the lady behind the veil, they would probably greet them as well.

"Haha!" Looking at the anxious faces of these three, who unwittingly broke the rules all the time, Zhao Xidong's response was only a mirthless laugh.

However, the three wrongly perceived the laugh and misinterpreted it.

Quite upset, Qiao Qianzhi asked, "Why are you guys here?"

In his eyes, even if the world was on the brink of destruction, they should at least let the younger people escape first.

To him, it was not just a problem of order, but a problem of attitude!

The three of them panicked when they heard the question. The leader of the three looked at Zhao Xidong with teary eyes and frantically explained, "It was not us! We honestly did not blow up Tianxuan Gate!"

Zhao Xidong almost burst out in laughter. Those cowards had assumed that the blame for blowing up the Tianxuan Gate was upon them?

Those guys were not even qualified to make it on the suspect list!

Qiao Qianzhi was speechless and snorted, indicating that he did not wish to talk to these three anymore.

The path of the world shone brightly again, and Momo emerged from it. Like the others before her, she also felt dizzy and took some time to regain her sense of balance.

The others did not react when they saw Momo, but Zhao Xidong started frowning.

"The weird feeling. Has it disappeared?"

Maybe because he had many girlfriends in the past, his sixth sense was very accurate in most circumstances. So he seldom predicted wrongly.

When he was with Elder Sang at the little hut the last time, he had answered Elder Sang's question of who he thought was the spy. Based on his sharp instinct, he had said it was Momo.

And presently?

"Have I made a mistake?" he muttered to himself.

"No. According to Elder Sang, there are two spies. Luo Leilei is one of them for sure. But the other one? If it is not Xu Xiaoshou, then it could only be her!"

He locked his eyes on Momo. After she had recovered slightly, Zhao Xidong squinted his eyes into narrow slits, and he slowly shifted his gaze away discreetly.

However, he was feeling turmoil in his mind.

Momo had glanced at him first when she recovered!

Why?

He remembered having met her only once in the past. There were so many other prominent people there, such as the Dean and Elder Qiao. She could even have looked at the few hundred men in black clothes. Why did she choose to look at him? He was the least conspicuous person there.

If it had happened in the past and he had received such special attention, Zhao Xidong would feel nothing but wild with joy. However, in the present circumstances, he could no longer enjoy the attention.

"F*ck! A man is indeed happier if he does not care too much about everything…"

Zhao Xidong carefully kept his belongings and stopped thinking pessimistically. Should anything happen, he had the backing of the Vice Dean. So, there was no point worrying about problems that had not occurred yet.

A flash of light sparked from afar again.

After both Mu Zixi and Zhao Qingteng emerged, the path of the world quietened. And then, a girl in a purple veil walked out of it.

It was Luo Leilei!

She was the only one who was unaffected by the dizziness brought about by traveling between the worlds, so she was unquestionably well-prepared.

Once she landed, her eyes immediately fell on the few hundred men in black clothes, and her heart sank.

Nobody uttered a single word nor made any move, but everyone realized the situation had changed.

The atmosphere was heavy with tension, very much like how dark clouds would gather when a thunderstorm was brewing, before destroying anything in its path.

"Is it her?"

Yu Zhiwen suddenly declared, "This woman is exceedingly powerful!"

Jiang Bianyan shook his head and said, "She is not Elder Sang's disciple. If I'm not wrong, she should be…"

His eyes turned to look at the girl in green with her hair tied up in two ponytails. She was still curiously looking around.

Was it really her? Jiang Bianyan was a little suspicious.

She was one of only two people who had not suffered from the dizziness.

The other one was Zhao Qingteng.

Yu Zhiwen's face underneath the veil changed as she realized she had become competitive a tad too early.

A peak Origin Court Level?

Was that the person Elder Sang had taken as a disciple?

Ugh, maybe she got something interesting hidden up her sleeves!

Ye Xiaotian was still maintaining the paths between the two worlds, and Qiao Qianzhi's eyes locked on Luo Leilei. After destroying her mental line of defense, he then smiled and questioned her.

"Leilei girl, where are the rest of you?"

Luo Leilei had mentally prepared to fight to the death but did not expect that question.

She stared into Qiao Qianzhi's eyes, surprised not to find a single strand of coldness. What she saw was the usual intention of warm encouragement.

Does he know?

But she also wondered why he would still look at her that way.

Luo Leilei clenched her fist as she tried to quell her overwhelming guilt, dismissing all the fond memories of playing around in the outer yard.

She opened her mouth but could find nothing to say.

Damn it! He was just a terrible Elder who would scold her for half a day for taking some cultivation subsidy.

Her nails were pressing into her palms. With much difficulty, Luo Leilei answered, "Xu Xiaoshou went to the other side and has not returned yet. The other two have gone missing."

"The other two?" Qiao Qianzhi let out a long sigh and asked, "Yuan Tou and Zhou Tianshen?"

He did not know about the former, but he roughly knew what was up with Zhou Tianshen.

According to the images from Heaven's Vision, the guy had probably stayed too long in the Slaughter Cape. Basically, after spending three days in Tianxuan Gate, he should be able to wake up naturally. So what happened?

Hm?

The Slaughter Cape?

Somehow, Qiao Qianzhi sensed there was something amiss, but he could not pinpoint the problem.

He tried to analyze, running through the thoughts in his mind.

Xu Xiaoshou seemed on friendly terms with Zhou Tianshen. To finish his mission, he would probably head toward the Slaughter Cape.

If Xu Xiaoshou had discovered the Sky Tree's seed, then he would have inevitably got his hands on the Seal of the Secret Treasure.

"That is right. The Secret Treasure!"

Qiao Qianzhi's pupils were dilating, and he felt increasingly anxious.

He suddenly turned to Ye Xiaotian.

"If Xu Xiaoshou had indeed gone to the Slaughter Cape… Jie?"

Confused by his inconsistent words, Ye Xiaotian got distracted. The two paths of the world started shaking as if they would explode at any time.

Everyone was shocked!

"F*ck! Do not get all worked up. Stay calm!"

Qiao Qianzhi snapped at Ye Xiaotian. Then the paths of the world slowly stabilized. But Qiao Qianzhi felt a sense of trepidation.

There should be no one walking on the paths at present.

Everyone present looked at Ye Xiaotian—they were all shocked.

Their Dean would not even flinch when he had sweat dripping into his eyes. He would not even break a sweat if he saw an entire mountain collapsing. But he had almost let go of the paths of the world. All because of a word uttered by Qiao Qianzhi.

"Jie… What is that?"

Many people had taken note of the odd word.

Jiang Bianyan tried to recall everything he knew about the word. After some time, he realized that there was no such word in his memory, so he gave up trying.

After Ye Xiaotian had once again stabilized the paths, he took a deep breath and murmured to himself, "Xu Xiaoshou… It cannot be. Things should not turn out so badly!"

Qiao Qianzhi looked bitter as he was still relatively confident in the hardworking kid. But at present?

He looked up at the sky. In his eyes, there were looks of uncertainty.

"Hopefully so!"