Chapter 1029: Just Very Ordinary, a Saint Emperor, the Treasure Granted to Me

"Gulu gulu..."

Lava bubbles burst one after another, sending waves of heat surging upward and distorting the surrounding space.

At the center of the volcanic lava sea, a white flower bloomed, revealing an elderly man with his upper body bare and shackles on his wrists.

He lay in slumber at the heart of this scorching lava, as if the white flames and the entire volcano were part of his lower body.

Time passed, though how long was unclear.

"Pu pu..."

A faint unusual sound emerged, and the elderly man at the flower's center suddenly opened his eyes.

In that instant, intense holy power fluctuations erupted.

With a thunderous boom, the entire volcano boiled over, white lava erupting and shooting straight into the sky.

"Finally, it's here..."

"A hundred years? Three hundred years? Or how long?"

"After all this time, I've finally waited for a successor to arrive!"

The elderly man murmured, his eyes filled with primal wild intent and deep joy.

Not long after.

Seeing the volcano awaken, a holy power descended from afar, taking human form. Even from a great distance, it bowed respectfully and said:

"Old Ancestor, you're awake?"

"That black dragon from the Black Pulse is roaring again. This time, it wants to challenge you."

"It says that if it loses, it'll hand over thirty percent of their people to us and won't disturb our activities for three years."

"But if you don't agree, it'll disrupt all of White Pulse's activities... That madman!"

In the white volcanic lava sea, the elderly man chuckled upon hearing this: "Black Dragon? Didn't Qi Shu fight it last time?"

"Yes, Emperor Qi Shu fought it to a draw, no winner or loser, so the previous bet fell through. And with that black dragon's physique, it's back to full strength in just a few months."

"Accept it."

"Alright, I'll go dismiss it right away... Ah? What did you say, Old Ancestor?"

"Accept it."

"Accept it? Old Ancestor, you're not planning to fight it, are you? That guy is just arrogant because of its invincible body. You don't really need to bother with it..."

"Today, I'm in a good mood."

"...Fine, then I'll go reply to that black dragon! This time, with you stepping in, Old Ancestor, it'll definitely meet its end!"

"Tell the Black Dragon that if it loses this time, on top of the previous conditions, it has to add three drops of its 'Long Xin Xue'. One drop to me, one to the White Pulse treasury for events, and the last one..."

Damn!

Long Xin Xue!

Is the Old Ancestor serious this time, planning to settle things with that Black Dragon?

The semi-saint outside the volcano was thrilled.

Next, the inner island is in for a great show.

And if the Old Ancestor wins, one drop of that "Long Xin Xue" will go into the White Pulse treasury.

That means everyone in White Pulse has a chance to win it?

"So, about that last drop of 'Long Xin Xue'..." the semi-saint cautiously probed.

"Have the Black Dragon personally deliver it to the outer island, to a person."

"Who?"

"My successor, the young man who wields the famous sword Yanmang and belongs to the Jinzhao lineage."

"Young man... What's his name?"

"Xu Xiaoshou."

"Achoo!"

"Who's trying to screw me over?"

On the Void Island, in front of the great stone stele.

Xu Xiaoshou rubbed his nose and warily scanned his surroundings.

This place looked harmless, but he believed it was full of hidden dangers, fitting for something called the "Sheng Mi Void Island."

Moreover, it probably harbored a bunch of his enemies.

Rao Yao Yao, Ye Xiao... those from the Sheng Shen Hall.

Shuang Dai, Xie Lao, Gui Po... the remnants from San Zhu Xiang that he hadn't eliminated yet, what a shame.

Huang Quan... given his smarts as the Yan Wang leader, he must have figured out he was tricked by the Water Ghost.

And the Sheng Nu Water Ghost, who shares the same origin as Sheng Nu Xu Xiaoshou.

If they ran into each other here, it wouldn't be surprising if they killed Sheng Nu Xu Xiaoshou to vent their anger.

"I wonder if his promise to have me join Yan Wang for some big scheme still holds?" Xu Xiaoshou daydreamed. He thought that if they met, offering to join Yan Wang a bit could resolve the grudge—a clever move for a gentleman.

After all, a gentleman doesn't stand under a dangerous wall.

And then there's...

Jiang Buyi!

That's a semi-saint!

Probably the biggest threat on Void Island, aside from the native dangers.

Of course, Jiang Buyi probably doesn't know yet that he was tricked into coming here because of Sheng Nu Xu Xiaoshou.

But that doesn't stop Xu Xiaoshou from mentally drawing clear lines.

In short, with this semi-saint, avoid if possible; if not, just keep bluffing and deceiving—no fighting.

"I'm only at Zong Shi level..."

Thinking about his own cultivation, Xu Xiaoshou panicked again.

Time's not enough!

Luckily, the Water Ghost promised that Void Island is a place of both risks and opportunities. Hopefully, he could find some opportunities before danger hits and boost his cultivation.

"Come on..."

He psyched himself up, stopped dwelling on risks, and felt full of curiosity about Void Island.

Having grown to this point, he had his own insights and judgments about the "big picture."

In chaos, small fries can grow better.

With the Water Ghost's "education" as a precedent, now entering a dangerous place, Xu Xiaoshou's first reaction wasn't to play it safe but to think about how to gain more benefits for himself.

After all.

"In this place, I probably won't die easily!" Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists.

While lost in these thoughts, he had already sensed the basic rules of Void Island.

First, the gravity was intense.

It was about a hundred times that of Sheng Shen Dalu.

Moreover, the qi sea of spirit refiners was suppressed by Void Island's rules, making it hard to mobilize spiritual energy.

"Pu pu..."

Xu Xiaoshou tried to condense a Jinzhao fire seed.

It took a full breath before his ability fully manifested.

"That means, even for Tai Xu experts, as long as it's a spirit refining technique, it'll be restricted by the local rules, which is a real hassle in battle.

"If I have to use spirit refining abilities with such a delay, then in a fight, even if a Tai Xu is stronger than me, they'd still need half a moment to launch an attack.

"Half a moment—that's a long time!"

"In other words... this is my territory!"

Xu Xiaoshou thought, getting excited.

He wasn't just a spirit refiner; he was also a body cultivator and an ancient sword cultivator.

The latter two weren't affected by the local rules and could be used instantly.

Plus, with his array of weird passive skills...

If a fight broke out here, taking advantage of the delay in a spirit refiner's attack to take down a Tai Xu wouldn't be impossible, right?

"Still, better safe than sorry..."

Xu Xiaoshou reined in his arrogance and focused on his situation.

"My big bodyguard Xiao Kongtong is gone, and the adult hostage Si Tu Yong is also missing. Now I'm alone and need a partner..."

Thinking this, he opened his Yuan Fu.

The outer island of Void Island, as expected, had no forbidden barriers, just some annoying rule suppressions.

But that wouldn't stop his various tricks.

Soon, a spatial passage opened, and a black-clad girl stepped out.

"What's this?"

Lei Xier appeared and immediately sensed the different rules of this world compared to Sheng Shen Dalu. She looked puzzled at Xu Xiaoshou.

"Remember what I said before? Next time we meet, I'd take you to a great place." Xu Xiaoshou smiled.

As a Wang Zuo realm expert, Lei Xier had her boundary, the Bai Ku small world, and even the Shen Mo Tong that could control someone like Rao Yao Yao.

In this place, teaming up with her, they might even take down a semi-saint.

She'd be the perfect fighter!

"So?" Lei Xier remained unmoved.

"This..." Xu Xiaoshou pointed to the ground, "Void Island."

"Void Island?" Lei Xier's face flashed with surprise.

How did they end up on Void Island?

Last time they met, they were still at Gu Yin Cliff in Yun Lun Mountains.

No matter how much trouble Xu Xiaoshou could stir, how could he get here in just a few days?

"Is this Void Island the one in Yun Lun Mountains, called 'Void Island' as a trial ground, or...?"

"It's in Yun Lun Mountains, alright, and it's there now, but as for a trial ground..."

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment and nodded: "Yeah, you can say it's a trial ground, the kind with 'Feng Sheng Dao Ji'."

Isn't this the Sheng Mi Void Island, the Sky City?!

Lei Xier's red lips parted slightly, a bit stunned.

How did they pull this off?

Following Xu Xiaoshou's style, did he blow up everywhere in Dong Yu and now come to mess with Void Island?

"You..."

Lei Xier started to speak but stopped, unsure what to say.

She had only been confined in the Yuan Fu world for a short time, so why did she feel out of touch with the world?

"Heh, the process doesn't matter; it's all minor stuff. Anyway, we're on Void Island now, so we need to watch out for some people. You'd better prepare yourself mentally." Xu Xiaoshou said, deciding not to go into details.

"Watch out for who?" Lei Xier glanced ahead, taking in this legendary world from her childhood.

"The Jiang clan of Bei Yu, the semi-saints." Xu Xiaoshou stared at the silver-haired girl in front of him, knowing these words might trigger some special reaction in her.

"The Jiang clan..." As expected, Lei Xier froze for a moment, and her Shen Mo Tong suddenly burst with intense black and white mist, as she sharply turned her gaze. "What did you say?"

Xu Xiaoshou sighed: "As I thought, this Jiang clan has some ties with your Lei family..."

Lei Xier was silent for a while before softly saying: "The Lei family was destroyed, and the Bei Yu semi-saint Jiang clan was one of the accomplices."

A blood feud?

Xu Xiaoshou had already guessed as much.

Jiang Xian could openly use the San Yan Tong in front of Sheng Shen Hall without repercussions, which said a lot.

When Jiang Buyi entered the scene as a semi-saint, it became even clearer—they must want more of the Lei family's Tong.

After all, a normal force, even a semi-saint one, wouldn't dare cross Sheng Shen Hall to seek powers linked to the old Lei family.

This implied that the Jiang clan had gained benefits from the Lei family massacre back then and now, seeing time had passed, wanted even more.

But clearly...

Jiang Buyi hadn't realized that the Lei family matter wasn't over.

The Lei family's remnants had grown a bit under different Sheng Nu's care.

In fact, under certain conditions, they even had the ability to influence or strike back at their old enemies.

"You're being rational now, right? You know we can't go seeking revenge on those enemies?" Xu Xiaoshou asked uncertainly.

Hearing this, Lei Xier raised an eyebrow: "So, the Jiang clan has people here?"

"Gulu"

Xu Xiaoshou swallowed hard but didn't hide it: "Jiang clan's semi-saint is on Void Island right now, but we don't know where exactly."

"Hah!"

A swirl of wind and sand rose at her feet, and clusters of eerie black and white Bian Hua flowers bloomed suddenly, with killing intent in Lei Xier's eyes.

"I understand."

I hope you really do... Xu Xiaoshou watched the change, thinking that he hadn't released her just to send her to her death.

But standing before him was Lei Xier, not Mu Zi Xi, and Xu Xiaoshou knew she had her own decisions.

He didn't want to interfere too much and waited until she calmed down and retracted her power before asking: "How much do you know about Void Island, or Sky City?"

Know yourself and know your enemy to win every battle.

Void Island was just a legend to Xu Xiaoshou, a grassroots guy; that's all he knew.

But the old Lei family was a prosperous Tai Xu clan, with experts rivaling semi-saints, so they should know more than he did.

At this, Lei Xier shook her head slightly:

"I don't know much; I was young when the Lei family was around.

"I've only heard bits about Void Island, limited to terms like 'Zhen Xu Bei', 'Sheng Xing Square', 'Zui Yi Dian', 'Void Shi', and..."

Lei Xier said, her beautiful eyes turning serious as she looked at him.

"This place is extremely dangerous, with countless hazards; even a semi-saint could perish if not careful."

"Received fright, passive value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat.

This was just the outer island of Void Island, not the Seven Breaks Forbidden zone, right?

The Seven Breaks Forbidden was the inner island, where true saint-level exiles were held.

But even on this outer island, those so-called "hazards" could kill a semi-saint?

"...This is just messing with people, isn't it?"

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded.

Water Ghost, you scum! You promised opportunities, didn't you?

They say fortune favors the bold, but to get that fortune, you have to go to places that can kill semi-saints... Is this a joke?!

"Let me calm down."

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment and stopped pretending.

He pulled out the famous sword Yanmang from his Yuan Fu world, along with the other four swords of Xiong Jian, holding one in each hand tightly before saying: "Go on."

Lei Xier looked at the fully armed, on-edge Xu Xiaoshou and couldn't help but smile slightly.

So, even you have moments of fear?

Just then, before she could speak, the Yanmang that had come out of the Yuan Fu world suddenly trembled violently, buzzing and straightening as if trying to fly upward.

"What's going on?"

Xu Xiaoshou quickly gripped the troublesome sword.

Has this thing been corrupted by Zang Ku? What's with this behavior? Yanmang used to be so gentle!

He couldn't help but summon Zang Ku, and while that broken black sword was wriggling excitedly like a worm, he smacked it with Yanmang.

"You did this!"

Zang Ku nearly snapped in half and lifted its blade with a series of question marks: ???

It's not my fault! Who wouldn't get excited coming out for air?

Yanmang is one of the two elders; how dare I corrupt it?

Yanmang: Go! You've finally come here; I'll take you to find treasure!

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

He glanced at Yanmang, then Zang Ku, then the other four swords that were bored, and finally had no choice but to look at Lei Xier.

Am I the only normal one here?

"It says it wants to take me to find treasure..." Xu Xiaoshou raised Yanmang, his mouth twitching. "What do you think it means?"

Lei Xier: ???

"Received curse, passive value +1."

"Like master, like sword?" Lei Xier raised an eyebrow.

"Received sarcasm, passive value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou: "It's serious!"

Serious... Lei Xier fell into thought. If Xu Xiaoshou wasn't joking, then this was probably real.

"Yanmang, where did you get it from?" She thought of something and suspected Yanmang had some connection to Void Island.

"From Bai Ku!" Xu Xiaoshou said matter-of-factly.

"How did you get it?"

"Just normally..."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly paused, remembering the disheveled saint he met when he got Yanmang in Bai Ku.

He was confused, his eyes twitching as he said weakly:

"Just normally... a Sheng Di gave it to me as a treasure..."