Chapter 1031: Zhen Xu Monument, You're Truly a Great Treasure

Communicating with a stone...

Xu Xiaoshou must be out of his mind!

Lei Xier was speechless, completely baffled by Xu Xiaoshou's antics.

But clearly, Zhen Xu Bei had no interest in dealing with the Ba Zi Ling, let alone this rude person in front of it.

No matter how Xu Xiaoshou brandished the token and blustered, or how he hurled insults, he got no response at all.

"Damn it, it's really ignoring me."

After cursing for a while and realizing Zhen Xu Bei wasn't one to be swayed by words, Xu Xiaoshou finally shut up.

He didn't dare actually swing his sword at it, after all—his life was more important.

A verbal sparring match was fine, but if he truly angered this damn stone tablet and it shot out a beam of light that vaporized him, what then?

"Leaving a name..."

Xu Xiaoshou stroked his chin, deep in thought.

Was it only after leaving a name that it would react?

Is that why so many seniors had inscribed their names on this broken stone?

"You give it a try?"

Xu Xiaoshou turned to Lei Xier.

After all, he'd already insulted Zhen Xu Bei so thoroughly that even if he left his name, the tablet probably wouldn't reward him with any treasures.

But Lei Xier was different.

She was good-looking and had a gentle temperament, and with his own brash behavior as a stark contrast, Zhen Xu Bei might just take a liking to her.

In that case, the chances of getting treasures after she left her name would be much higher.

"I'll try."

Lei Xier wasn't afraid. She gathered her Ling Yuan.

Soon, a sharp vine extended from her palm, which she used to attempt inscribing her name on Zhen Xu Bei.

Clang—

But when the vine touched Zhen Xu Bei, it produced a metallic clash.

The inscription failed!

Lei Xier's vine couldn't even scratch Zhen Xu Bei, let alone leave a mark.

"Well, I'll be damned!"

Xu Xiaoshou was getting fired up as he watched. "You little stone tablet, how dare you bully my junior sister?"

Lei Xier glanced at him silently.

"Use this and give it a good slash!"

Xu Xiaoshou encouraged her with an eager look, handing over You Si Jian as he spoke.

Lei Xier's gaze dropped to You Si Jian, enveloped in demonic energy, then she silently lifted her eyes back to Xu Xiaoshou without a word.

Received curse, passive value, 1, 1, 1, 1...

"Urgh!"

Xu Xiaoshou quickly realized that if Lei Xier touched You Si Jian, she might not even get to inscribe her name before something terrible happened to her.

"My bad, my bad."

He chuckled awkwardly and switched, offering Ming Jian Yanmang instead: "I've got plenty of swords. Try this one; it should work."

Lei Xier remained silent.

Xu Xiaoshou gestured with it: "Gu Qingyi could inscribe his name, probably because of Xie Jian Yue Lian. The top of the list can do it, and the third on the list can too, so Yanmang definitely can!"

Lei Xier:

"Mainly, will it agree?"

Buzz—

Sure enough, Yanmang trembled violently, flames flickering as if resisting being used by someone else.

"Hold on a second."

Xu Xiaoshou said with a smile.

He turned around and flicked Yanmang hard with his finger, then started lecturing it harshly:

"Are you stupid? This is one of our own, my junior sister!

"And Zhen Xu Bei—it's the Zhen Xu Bei of Xu Xu Island. Getting to inscribe your name on it is a huge honor!

"You've never had your name inscribed, right? You know how important fame is for a Ming Jian, don't you? If you keep being so stubborn, I'll use You Si Jian to inscribe it instead, and you can go cry in the Yuanfu world!

"You're so dumb. How did I end up with such a stupid bunch of swords? What a great opportunity, and you're not seizing it."

Thud, thud, thud!

After Zang Ku emerged, it had been hopping around on the ground nearby, full of endless energy like a playful child.

Hearing its master's scolding, it excitedly leaped up and bounded over to Lei Xier.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Use me, big sister! Use me—I want to leave my name in history too!

Xu Xiaoshou irritably pulled Zang Ku back: "Look at yourself—what rank are you? Trying to inscribe on Zhen Xu Bei? Dream on. Train properly, and maybe when you become a Ming Jian, you can get reused."

Zang Ku teared up: Hiss, hiss, hiss...

Watching this, Yanmang seemed to catch on that inscribing a name was a good thing.

But its arrogant nature persisted, and it felt awkward, not knowing how to back down.

"Give it a chance—just let her use you for a bit."

Xu Xiaoshou offered it a way out.

Yanmang buzzed once and finally nodded its sword tip in agreement.

Lei Xier watched the whole scene in silence, feeling her worldview starting to crack.

Was it because of Xu Xiaoshou that all the swords around him had such quirky personalities?

Or was she just ignorant?

Was this how ancient sword cultivators trained their swords?

Received suspicion, passive value, 1.

"Here."

"Oh."

Taking Yanmang and sensing the suppressed, surging power within it, Lei Xier still couldn't wrap her head around what had just happened.

She shook off the thought and focused, gripping Yanmang and turning back to face Zhen Xu Bei.

Without channeling any Ling Yuan.

But this time, unexpectedly, it went smoothly. As Yanmang's tip touched Zhen Xu Bei, stone fragments fell away, and soon three elegant yet sharp characters were etched into the tablet.

"Lei Xier."

Once the inscription was done, Yanmang buzzed triumphantly, as if accomplishing something noteworthy, and eagerly flew back into Xu Xiaoshou's hand.

"Where's the treasure? Where's the treasure?"

Xu Xiaoshou clutched three swords, his eyes fixed on Zhen Xu Bei, shielding Lei Xier behind him as he watched for any changes.

After a long wait.

Buzz!

Zhen Xu Bei trembled again, finally producing that rhythmic, mechanical voice:

"Sinner... Lei Xier...

"Sinner... number... 152384...

"Welcome... to... Xu Xu Island. Please... strictly follow... Xu Xu Island... order. Violators... will die!"

Lei Xier: ???

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

Both of them felt their hearts skip a beat, hardly believing what they heard.

The words from Zhen Xu Bei, combined with the terrifying legends of Xu Xu Island, cast a fog of unease over their minds.

Sinner...

Die...

"What the hell is this nonsense!"

After a moment of shock, Xu Xiaoshou erupted in anger.

No treasure was one thing, but this was a stone that recorded sinners' names?

The initial fear from Zhen Xu Bei's voice couldn't suppress the rage boiling inside him. If he'd known, he would have inscribed his own name and not let his junior sister take the risk!

"You piece of crap!"

Xu Xiaoshou raised You Si Jian, no longer holding back, intent on splitting the damn stone tablet open.

Screw this inscription game—he was done with it!

Maybe messing with the tablet would cause trouble, but he didn't care anymore.

They were so close to the inner island and its powerful figures, and he had the token representing the inner island's dual lineages. What waves could a mere Zhen Xu Bei make?

Could it outdo the Eight Venerables?

Besides, if anything went wrong, the wills of those great experts on him would handle it!

So...

"I'll see what kind of treasure you're hiding in there!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes blazed with ferocity as You Si Jian sliced through the air, striking down with full force.

"Wait!"

Lei Xier never expected Xu Xiaoshou to suddenly go berserk. She tried to stop him, but it was too late.

In an instant, a white mist swirled in her left eye, and with her Shen Mo Tong, divine power surged, enveloping Xu Xiaoshou to help ward off any potential backlash.

Xu Xiaoshou felt his mind clear in that moment, distractions fading, and a rush of power flooded his body, amplifying his strike by several degrees.

Whoosh!

You Si Jian descended.

Boom!

The void exploded, sending shockwaves rippling out.

But afterward, Zhen Xu Bei didn't crack at all. Instead, it withstood the blow from the ferocious sword.

Clang—

The sword and stone were evenly matched, sparks flying at the point of impact, sword intent raging wildly and startling Zang Ku into bending its blade, retreating to Xu Xiaoshou's neck.

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

You guys stop fighting! Put me down first—I don't want to be in the middle of this!

Beside them, Lei Xier stared in shock at the scene.

You Si Jian was one of the five great Chaos artifacts, the ferocious sword, yet it couldn't split Zhen Xu Bei?

This was truly beyond her expectations.

"Xu Xiaoshou, not even a scratch..."

With her Shen Mo Tong's keen vision, even through the turbulent space, fierce sparks, and scattering sword intent, Lei Xier could see that the contact point between the sword and stone was utterly unmarked.

Thud!

After ten breaths of clashing, the resilient Xu Xiaoshou could no longer endure the full force of the rebound.

With a sizzle, his palm split open, and You Si Jian flew back, eyes wide with shock.

"What the hell? I'm outmatched by a damn rock?"

Xu Xiaoshou peeled off the blood scab on his palm, gazing at the fresh skin beneath, unable to believe it.

Zhen Xu Bei remained completely unfazed, as if his feigned rage meant nothing, and it hadn't launched any counterattack.

But just that rebound force alone was enough to overwhelm his body?

"Incredible, it actually made me bleed."

Xu Xiaoshou summoned You Si Jian back, refusing to give up as he launched attack after attack, pulling out every trick.

Clang, clang, clang—

Boom, boom, boom...

Time and again, You Si Jian was repelled, and Xu Xiaoshou's injuries healed only to be inflicted again.

Yet Zhen Xu Bei showed no signs of damage.

"You're way too weak! Yanmang could inscribe its name, but you can't even make a scratch?"

Xu Xiaoshou shifted the blame to You Si Jian, lecturing it seriously.

You Si Jian: ...

It had nothing to say and shot back a series of speechless glares at this weak master who couldn't even hold his sword.

"No way, right?"

Lei Xier knew Xu Xiaoshou's physical strength well—this guy could brawl head-on with Tai Xu using just his body, let alone with You Si Jian.

But the fact remained: Zhen Xu Bei was unscathed...

"I'll inscribe my name."

Xu Xiaoshou wasn't convinced.

Hitting it did nothing, so maybe inscribing would work.

Perhaps Zhen Xu Bei's rule was that you couldn't harm it, but inscribing as a sinner was allowed.

Glancing at all the names on Zhen Xu Bei, Xu Xiaoshou hesitated briefly.

Soon, he nodded firmly and moved to the back of the tablet.

There, the words "Xu Xu Island" were engraved, and the rest was blank.

Everyone else is so civilized, inscribing on the back... Xu Xiaoshou reflected inwardly, unlike me.

"I'm about to inscribe!"

He shouted at Zhen Xu Bei and gently touched the stone with You Si Jian.

Sizzle—

Stone fragments fell.

Hacking didn't work, but inscribing did!

"Weird."

Lei Xier murmured to herself and walked over, curious to see if Xu Xiaoshou could provoke the tablet.

Based on past experiences, once he realized he'd been tricked, Xu Xiaoshou probably wouldn't inscribe properly.

After all, that ridiculous message on the Yunlun Mountains trial jade pendant—"Xiao Wanfeng, come find me quick"—was still fresh in her mind.

"I'm starting to write!"

Xu Xiaoshou yelled again. With no reaction from Zhen Xu Bei, he quickly began inscribing.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Soon, stone dust flew, and on the otherwise pristine back of Zhen Xu Bei, except for "Xu Xu Island," two small characters appeared in the upper left.

"Shou... Shen..."

Lei Xier murmured aloud, her face flushing red.

How shameless!

She felt embarrassed just saying those two words, yet Xu Xiaoshou had written them without a second thought.

"Shameless.

"So full of yourself, calling it 'Shou Shen.' Have some self-respect."

Received contempt, passive value, 1.

As she thought this, Lei Xier suddenly saw that after writing "Shou Shen," Xu Xiaoshou didn't stop—he added another "Shou"...

"Shou Shen Shou?

"What does that mean?"

Before she could ponder, the fourth character was done.

"Shou Shen Shou Shou..."

Scratch, scratch, scratch!

"Shou Shen Shou Shou Shou Shen..."

Scratch, scratch, scratch!

Even if Lei Xier was slow on the uptake, she could see what Xu Xiaoshou was up to.

This guy was planning to fill the entire front of Zhen Xu Bei before it could react!

Was he even human, or some kind of demon?

Lei Xier stared in a daze as Xu Xiaoshou inscribed more frantically, lost in thought.

Received astonishment, passive value, 1.

Xu Xiaoshou inscribed faster and faster, his expression growing more twisted.

"Wahaha, you little stone tablet, I already figured it out—you're slow to react, taking thirty breaths.

"In thirty breaths, I could fill both sides, but today I'll just do one as a courtesy.

"Not too many, nine hundred ninety-nine inscriptions. Once I'm famous, you can sell a chunk of this for a fortune.

"Excited? Thrilled?

"Heeheeheeheehee..."

Xu Xiaoshou's laughter turned maniacal as his hand blurred in motion, etching nine hundred ninety-nine names onto Zhen Xu Bei with You Si Jian.

He refused to believe that after this, Zhen Xu Bei wouldn't be furious enough to fight back.

No treasure? Fine. But if you can take this without striking me, Xu Xiaoshou, I'll remove a 'Shou' from my name!

Buzz—

Finally, after thirty breaths, Zhen Xu Bei reacted.

"Sinner... Shou Shen Shou... Shen Shou... Shou Shen... beast... Shen Hu... rope... uh?"

Zhen Xu Bei uttered an "uh?"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up, and he turned back to Lei Xier, pointing at Zhen Xu Bei and laughing wildly: "It's glitching! This is hilarious!"

Lei Xier: ...

She stood there, mouth agape, unable to comprehend the absurdity before her.

But why did it feel a bit funny that Zhen Xu Bei was glitching?

"Mm." Lei Xier smiled slightly at the corner of her mouth, starting to grasp the "Shou-style fun."

Was this what it meant to be broken?

Right now, Zhen Xu Bei was still struggling...

"Shou Shen... beast Shou... aunt... Shen aunt... collect... uh uh uh uh uh..."

After a while.

No more "Shou Shou" or "aunt aunt"—just a series of short, stuttering glitch sounds: "Uh uh uh."

Xu Xiaoshou had guessed that after millions of years on Xu Xu Island, Zhen Xu Bei might be malfunctioning from low energy.

But he never imagined it could be this bad, not even finishing its last two lines.

"Zhen Xu Bei, oh Zhen Xu Bei, you're a real treasure!"

Xu Xiaoshou swung You Si Jian a couple more times, and seeing that the tablet still wouldn't attack, he was overjoyed.

"Move aside." He planted his feet in a horse stance.

"What are you up to?" Lei Xier tensed up—this was clearly another scheme.

The poor Zhen Xu Bei was already ruined—what more did he want?

"Treasure, I tell you!"

Xu Xiaoshou stowed his three swords, rolled up his sleeves, and turned back excitedly: "This big treasure that just says 'uh uh uh' might not spit out little treasures, but since even You Si Jian can't damage it, what level do you think it is?"

Lei Xier was stunned: "You're saying..."

Xu Xiaoshou didn't respond.

But in the next second, Lei Xier understood.

He settled into his stance, reached out with both hands, and actually encircled the massive, human-height oval stone, then heaved with all his might.

Boom! Boom!

The ground under his feet shattered, his knees sinking into the earth—it was incredibly heavy.

But then...

Crash!

Golden light points burst from Xu Xiaoshou's body as "Blast Stance" fully activated!

Amid the "uh uh" sounds, Zhen Xu Bei was lifted by a human!

"Lei Xier, let's go!"

Xu Xiaoshou hoisted Zhen Xu Bei onto his shoulder, turning his head with fiery eyes: "Smashing a Semi-Sage with this thing would hurt like hell and feel amazing! As for Tai Xu... one hit, and it's done!"

Lei Xier: Uh...

Zhen Xu Bei: Honk honk honk honk honk...