Chapter 1038: Wan Pi Si Truly Exists

The **Zhen Xu Bei** gently pressed down.

**Shuang Dai** felt his **Qi Sea** quiet down, just like him, giving up any struggle.

At the same time, that wisp of Saint Power from the **Sheng Ji Guo** seemed to have its recovery speed suppressed, becoming extremely slow, painfully slow...

The world suddenly slowed to a crawl.

"**Xu Xiaoshou**, what do you want to ask?"

**Shuang Dai** knew that **Xu Xiaoshou** had kept him alive not out of mercy, but likely to extract some answers from him.

"I doubt you'll tell me everything you know without holding back."

The super berserk giant looming over him, with its single crimson eye, enveloped **Shuang Dai**'s entire field of vision.

"Gulp."

**Shuang Dai** swallowed hard, his face strained: "As long as you let me go..."

What wishful thinking!

How could **Xu Xiaoshou** let a tiger return to the mountains? That would be asking for trouble.

"Agree to one condition."

"Go ahead."

"Watch my cat."

**Shuang Dai** was stunned.

Before he could think further, from the silver-haired woman standing in the golden giant's palm, a cat suddenly flew down and landed with a thud on the **Zhen Xu Bei**.

It was light.

But for the utterly weakened **Shuang Dai**, this was like a second blow.

"Pfft!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood and couldn't help but turn his gaze to the cat.

The next second,

"Meow."

**Tan Shen**'s left eye flashed with a gray pattern as the **San Yan Tong Mu** activated.

"How does it feel? Can your **Ling Yuan** and **Sheng Li** still move under the **Zhen Xu Bei**'s suppression?" **Xu Xiaoshou** asked.

"Meow meow meow." **Tan Shen** translated.

**Shuang Dai**'s eyes grew vacant, and he spoke haltingly: "**Ling Yuan**... can't... move, **Sheng Li**... recovering... very... slowly..."

As expected, it can't fully suppress **Sheng Li**!

**Xu Xiaoshou** realized, but the **Zhen Xu Bei** seemed to slow the recovery of **Sheng Li** when pressing down on a person, so it still had some use.

In that case...

If you put ten **Zhen Xu Bei** on a **Ban Sheng**, could he still move?

Clearly, **Shuang Dai** couldn't answer that.

**Xu Xiaoshou** got to the point: "When was the most recent time you saw a **Ban Sheng**? It doesn't count if it was just a distant glance without eye contact."

"Only... eighteen... years... ago... once, but no... contact..."

"In that case, I won't hold back."

Without hesitation, **Xu Xiaoshou** picked up **Tan Shen**.

It was about what he expected—someone like **Shuang Dai**, from his background, would find it nearly impossible to meet a **Ban Sheng** face-to-face.

Unlike those from **Ban Sheng** families or the **Sheng Shen Hall**, where even a minor member might casually encounter a **Ban Sheng** disguised as a humble sweeper on the family grounds.

"Soul Reading!"

A flash of light in his crimson eyes, and **Xu Xiaoshou** began to read **Shuang Dai**'s soul memories.

"Urgh..."

Soon, amid **Shuang Dai**'s painful convulsions, **Xu Xiaoshou** experienced his entire life firsthand.

Insights into the metallic Dao principles...

The special secondary attribute, various applications of the divided attributes...

The story of a genius spirit refiner from a small county town, who ventured into the wider world only to have his confidence shattered by scions of great families, then joined the Three Incense organization, clawing his way up through hardship, constantly hunting for resources...

Of course, the most important parts: **Xu Kong Dao**, Miracle Forest, and **Shen Nong Yao Yuan**...

"Hiss!"

Snapping back from **Shuang Dai**'s life, **Xu Xiaoshou** couldn't help but suck in a breath.

This guy...

His life had been full of ups and downs, mostly downs.

Yet, enduring to the end, that wave at **Shen Nong Yao Yuan** almost let him leap from fish to dragon, turning his life around.

Just three months...

Or even one month, or half a month—if **Shuang Dai** could get familiar with the **Sheng Ji Guo**'s power and let his **Sheng Li** grow a bit more—he would undoubtedly become the top **Tai Xu** below **Ban Sheng**!

In fact, **Xu Xiaoshou** seriously doubted that even without consuming Saint Blood, the Water Ghost might not have defeated **Shuang Dai** six months later.

That was the terrifying power of the "**Sheng Ji Guo**"—a peak Saint medicine, an absolute treasure!

What a shame...

"You ran into me."

**Xu Xiaoshou** sighed deeply, full of regret.

Life's encounters are truly unpredictable.

Fortune and misfortune are intertwined, and fate is inescapable.

If **Shuang Dai** hadn't targeted him, he might have escaped from the **Xu Kong Shi** and soared to new heights.

But from the moment he accepted the Black Gold bounty, his fate seemed sealed.

Of course, from another angle,

If **Shuang Dai** hadn't taken that Black Gold bounty, he wouldn't have become a gold-tier hunter, and he wouldn't have fit into the Three Incense organization.

In that case, from the start, he couldn't have risen up and grown to become a **Tai Xu**.

"Living is really tough..."

Recalling **Shuang Dai**'s final despairing remark,

**Xu Xiaoshou** glanced at the man still writhing in pain from the soul reading's side effects.

After a moment's thought, he dispelled the highly draining Berserk Giant and gigantification, returning to his normal form. Wrapped in White Flame, he quickly changed into a fresh set of clothes.

"Pitiful fool."

"Since that's what you want, I'll give you a quick end."

Without waiting for **Shuang Dai** to regain consciousness, **Xu Xiaoshou** drew one of the Four Swords and severed his head.

The **Tai Xu**, gold-tier hunter, and the first spirit refiner below **Ban Sheng** to master **Sheng Li**—**Shuang Dai**...

Had fallen!

"Is he dead?"

**Lei Xier** landed gracefully and watched as **Xu Xiaoshou**, without a hint of emotion, used White Flame to incinerate **Shuang Dai**'s body to ashes.

This person had truly changed.

"Yes, dead for good."

"He had no other abilities to escape."

"Or maybe he was waiting to wake up, let his **Sheng Li** recover a bit more, and try one last time to flee."

"I have to say, his will to survive was strong..."

**Xu Xiaoshou** paused, then turned with a smile: "But I knew he couldn't succeed, so I gave him a clean death."

**Lei Xier** fell silent.

A **Tai Xu**, just like that, was gone.

She found it hard to accept for a moment.

After all, from start to finish, **Shuang Dai** had been completely dominated by **Xu Xiaoshou**, with no chance to fight back.

Not even his **Sheng Li** had a chance to unleash; in the end, it was only used for escape, and it failed.

It sounded normal, since **Shuang Dai** was in a weakened state from the beginning.

But the abnormal part was that the one who crushed a weakened **Tai Xu** was just a junior at the Grandmaster realm.

"How strong are you now, exactly?"

**Lei Xier** raised an eyebrow, asking hesitantly.

She recalled the **Xu Xiaoshou** from earlier, nearly touching the sky, amplified by various ice and fire powers, like a demon god.

Was that really **Xu Xiaoshou**?

He had always been by her side—when had he grown to this level?

Even if **Shuang Dai** wasn't weakened, **Xu Xiaoshou** in that form might still have a fighting chance against him, right?

The key was...

**Lei Xier** remembered that **Xu Xiaoshou** had another demon god form.

The one where he fused the murderous aura of the Four Swords into himself, turning into a blackened giant as his ultimate move.

In other words, when facing **Shuang Dai**, the Grandmaster-level **Xu Xiaoshou** hadn't even gone all out...

"Received condemnation, Passive Value +1."

"Received silent criticism, Passive Value +1."

"I don't really know how strong I am now..."

**Xu Xiaoshou** scratched his head, a bit sheepishly.

Honestly, using "Transformation" to gigantify his body, then activating Berserk Giant for a second boost in size, strength, and the Embers Origin Seed's endurance—this tactic was something he came up with on the spot.

It was powerful!

But before this, in the **Yun Lun** Mountains, because he was being watched, **Xu Xiaoshou** hadn't dared to use it, so he hadn't even considered it.

Every battle was either picking off stragglers or using schemes to wear down a **Tai Xu**'s strength before fighting...

Anyway, thinking back, he seemed to have never fought a **Tai Xu** at full strength one-on-one, so it was hard to gauge his own power level.

"Hmm?"

**Lei Xier** wrinkled her nose, her eyes showing dissatisfaction with that answer.

Truth be told, she had always used **Xu Xiaoshou** as a benchmark to measure herself and as someone to surpass.

That obsession dated back to her time as **Mu Zi Xi**.

**Lei Xier** had thought that after breaking through to the King Seat Dao Realm and with her Divine Demon Pupils, she could at least challenge **Xu Xiaoshou**.

Now, it seemed...

In front of him, she was still just support, not quite ready for a direct confrontation.

"I really don't know!"

**Xu Xiaoshou** spread his hands. He couldn't just find a full-strength **Tai Xu** and duke it out on the arena to test it, right?

No normal Grandmaster would think that way.

But in terms of life-or-death battles, factors like timing, location, and human elements should all count, and schemes and luck could be part of one's strength.

Thinking about it that way...

"I'd say I'm probably not eager to fight a **Tai Xu**, but if I had to go all out, I could likely take one down or leave them crippled."

**Xu Xiaoshou** thought for a moment and added seriously: "But the one who survives in the end would only be me."

With "Disappearing Technique" plus "One Step to Heaven," and his own stockpile of Saint Blood, plus the protection of **Ban Sheng** and Saint Emperor wills...

**Xu Xiaoshou** didn't believe there were many **Tai Xu** he couldn't handle head-on, except maybe someone like **Yao Yao** the sword immortal.

Of course, that would involve using a lot of external forces and resources.

Additionally, some tricky Dao Severing or **Tai Xu** experts, like those with time-space attributes like **Huang Quan**, weren't even in his considerations.

**Lei Xier** fell silent again after getting that answer.

She kind of regretted asking; it only ended up discouraging her.

Because even now, she wasn't fully confident in facing a **Tai Xu**.

Take **Shuang Dai**, for example—even weakened as he was, **Lei Xier** wasn't sure she could kill or capture him.

But for **Xu Xiaoshou**... it was effortless!

"Received curse, Passive Value +1, +1, +1, +1..."

"Heh."

Seeing the info panel, **Xu Xiaoshou** chuckled:

"The standard I'm aiming for is **Ling Bu Chief Yu Ling Di**. I heard that when he was in the King Seat Dao Realm, he could take down a **Tai Xu** single-handedly."

"I figure even a full-strength **Shuang Dai** back then would have been easy for him."

"If I don't keep boosting my strength, I might not even escape if I run into him later."

**Lei Xier** nodded silently.

That made sense.

But soon, she caught on and looked up in surprise.

"You..."

**Yu Ling Di** was already in the King Seat Dao Realm!

You're still just a Grandmaster, and at the first stage of that, the Celestial Phenomenon Realm!

How can you compare?

**Xu Xiaoshou** naturally read her thoughts and smirked: "Time is the same for everyone."

Just then, the battle ended, and the **Xu Kong Shi**, who had been watching from afar, stepped over.

"Congratulations, mission complete."

With a wave of his hand, two beams of golden light fell.

**Xu Xiaoshou** caught them quickly and saw they were two fist-sized black hexagonal crystals, containing compressed, pure energy that was incredibly vast.

Just holding them, his Breathing Method unconsciously drew in a breath.

**Xu Xiaoshou** felt his **Qi Sea**'s **Ling Yuan** stirring, on the verge of breaking through its limits.

"Good stuff!"

**Xu Xiaoshou**'s expression shifted.

This was a treasure!

It was probably even better than those third- or fourth-grade King Seat cultivation pills.

Because the energy in these crystals was attribute-less and could be fully absorbed by the **Qi Sea** without needing conversion through the Breathing Method.

"**Xu Kong** Crystals?"

**Xu Xiaoshou** held the two black hexagonal crystals, realizing they were the reward for the "Eliminate Invaders" mission.

"**Xu Kong Shi**, sir, what are these **Xu Kong** Crystals for?"

**Xu Xiaoshou** felt that since they were called "**Xu Kong** Crystals" and not just cultivation crystals, they must have some connection to **Xu Kong Dao** beyond simple cultivation.

Facing the sinner numbered 800820—the invisible giant and ice-fire human bomb— the **Xu Kong Shi** didn't ignore him this time and buzzed in response:

"**Xu Kong** Crystals can aid in cultivation or be exchanged at **Zui Yi Hall** for survival resources on **Xu Kong Dao**."

**Zui Yi Hall**?

**Xu Xiaoshou** turned his head. He remembered **Lei Xier** had mentioned this place.

"I only mentioned it, but I don't know what **Zui Yi Hall** looks like or what resources can be exchanged there." **Lei Xier** gave him a look, and **Xu Xiaoshou** understood.

"May I ask, **Xu Kong Shi**, sir, what survival resources can be exchanged at **Zui Yi Hall**?"

"Many."

"For example?"

"For example, a 'Pardon Token,' which lets you avoid death once."

**Xu Xiaoshou** was taken aback.

Avoid death...

Was that referring to evading the death penalty as a sinner on **Xu Kong Dao**?

Interesting, but not overly so.

"What else?"

**Xu Xiaoshou** pressed on; he found the **Xu Kong Shi**'s responses too curt.

"Also, for example, a 'Pass Token,' which allows passage through a certain restricted area."

Still as vague as ever.

"And more?"

"And... various treasures. You'll find out when you go to **Zui Yi Hall**; it has descriptions."

The **Xu Kong Shi** stopped there, impatiently brushing off **Xu Xiaoshou**'s further questions: "Mission's over; I need to return to my guarding post."

"Uh..."

**Xu Xiaoshou**, lacking experience with such giants, just waved goodbye: "See you then."

The **Xu Kong Shi** stood tall, arms crossed, and said mockingly: "You won't want to see me again."

With that, a booming sound echoed as he took a massive step and strode away.

"But we will meet again..." **Xu Xiaoshou** muttered quietly as he watched him go.

"What did you say?" **Lei Xier** turned her head.

"Nothing." **Xu Xiaoshou** pointed at the **Xu Kong Shi**'s retreating figure: "Remember that silhouette, that path."

**Lei Xier** followed his gaze.

"So?"

"Remember it, big treasure!"

"Big treasure? What do you mean?"

"You've seen a million kinds of **Sheng Ji Guo**-like Saint medicines, haven't you?" **Xu Xiaoshou**'s eyes suddenly lit up with intensity as he stared at **Lei Xier**'s delicate face.

**Lei Xier** stepped back, tempted to check if he was daydreaming or feverish.

But **Xu Xiaoshou** held up **Tan Shen** and waved it emphatically:

"I've seen one, for real!"

"Playful Death exists!"