Chapter 1039: Void Island's Great Bodyguard One Punch, One Little Friend

Xu Xu Island, silent for countless years, saw a white blazing sun fall today.

Even from thousands or tens of thousands of *li* away, some people still noticed this disturbance.

"Long Rong Jie..."

Mu Lin, with no eyebrows, finished writing beneath Sang Qi Ye on the Zhen Xu Monument and received a sinner number... Thus, he fell silent, choosing to explore Xu Xu Island and deciding never to be deceived again.

This time, his main goal wasn't to seek the so-called sanctification opportunity on the island.

For others, it was priceless, but for Mu Lin, it meant nothing.

The Sheng Gong was essentially a base for cultivating saints.

What Mu Lin wanted more was to quickly find his disciple Bai Lin.

Because, with Bai Lin's cultivation level of Dao Severing, even with many treasures, there was roughly a 10% risk of death on Xu Xu Island.

Bai Lin couldn't die!

If his disciple died, Mu Lin didn't even need to think about it—his own lineage's authority would fall back into his hands.

In short, it would mean losing his freedom...

After finally training a disciple and passing off the mess, enjoying the same carefree joy as his master Long Rong Zhi, how could Mu Lin take back the troublesome work he hadn't done in decades?

"But this Long Rong Jie doesn't seem like something Bai Lin could produce..."

Mu Lin gazed into the distance, lost in thought.

How long had it been since Bai Lin fought?

This guy now only had the means to smash people with treasures; he wouldn't waste his scant spiritual energy from Dao Severing on a technique with such huge consumption just to save his life.

The key was...

The essential power of this Long Rong Jie far surpassed ordinary Jin Zhao White Flame.

Even from so far away, Mu Lin could faintly detect a hint of "Jin Zhao Original Seed" from this source power.

He had never consumed it himself, only felt it on his master Long Rong Zhi.

If his senior brother Sang Qi Ye weren't currently in the Dead Sea prison of Sheng Mountain, Mu Lin would have sworn it was Sang Qi Ye causing a stir again.

But clearly, it wasn't...

"Bai Lin hasn't consumed Jin Zhao Original Seed either, so this technique, Long Rong Jie, must have been unleashed by Xu Xiao Shou."

"Has he encountered danger?"

"That doesn't make sense. Xu Xiao Shou is only at the Grandmaster level; how could he execute such a powerful Long Rong Jie?"

Black flames surged onto Mu Lin's hand in an instant.

He felt that the level of this Long Rong Jie was almost approaching his own power.

"No matter what, I need to go check it out."

"People of the Jin Zhao lineage, even on Xu Xu Island, won't tolerate being bullied!"

"What a massive explosion!"

Somewhere on Xu Xu Island, the man with an orange mask, Tian Ren Wu Shui, silently watched the white light in the distance.

After being forcibly pulled into Xu Xu Island by the Void Gate, he had lost track of Huang Quan and the semi-saint Jiang Buyi, leaving him alone.

However, the strange gravity and rules here, combined with the various anomalies above East Heaven King City before entering the deep sea, made it easy to conclude they were on Xu Xu Island.

"So, where would the so-called sanctification foundation be?"

Tian Ren Wu Shui adjusted the mask on his face, as if it was bothering him, and took it off.

But after thinking for a moment, he put it back on.

"Just a little more."

Originally, according to the plan, the deep sea would have been the best time to hunt the semi-saint Jiang Buyi.

At that time, with Huang Quan's powerful space-time abilities as assistance, the chances of slaying a saint would have been much greater.

Unfortunately, plans couldn't keep up with changes.

Now on Xu Xu Island, finding the "sanctification foundation" might be simple, but obtaining the "semi-saint position" would be extraordinarily difficult.

"There are one hundred and eight semi-saint positions. Besides those scattered outside that someone might stumble upon, anyone else wanting to become a saint must first slay a saint and take their semi-saint position..."

"How incredibly difficult?"

Tian Ren Wu Shui seemed troubled, staring at the white light in the distance that lingered for a long time without shifting his gaze.

"Jin Zhao White Flame... right?"

"And when everyone first arrives on Xu Xu Island, they're all thinking of avoiding risks. Even I don't want to run into Huang Quan or Jiang Buyi right away."

"Which fool dares to draw so much attention with an explosion to announce their arrival?"

Tian Ren Wu Shui thought about it, then chuckled and strode quickly toward the white light.

Regardless, since they had left the deep sea world, Xu Xu Island was the last chance to gain the "sanctification foundation" and the "semi-saint position."

If not here, returning to Sheng Shen Continent would make it even more impossible!

And now...

While everyone else was hiding in the shadows, this explosion had attracted all eyes.

Undoubtedly, everyone would flock to it.

Not necessarily to get any treasures, but to gather some intelligence about Xu Xu Island to better survive.

In that case...

The hunt would begin at the explosion's center!

"Explosion..."

Tian Ren Wu Shui figured this out, his steps growing lighter, eventually soaring into the air and transforming into a dark streak of light, speeding toward the target center.

"Ah, the familiar explosion... how nostalgic..."

"Boom!"

With a finger, Jiang Buyi shattered the strange ghostly entity in front of him and took its ghost crystal core, but his face turned extremely grim.

"You Ming Ghost Capital..."

"Damn it, how did I end up in this wretched place!"

As the head of a semi-saint family, Jiang Buyi knew all about Xu Xu Island, unlike outsiders.

You Ming Ghost Capital was one of the nine forbidden zones on Xu Xu Island, on par with places like Sin One Hall.

In normal times, these nine forbidden zones weren't very dangerous, and you might not even see any living creatures.

But once someone triggered a certain mechanism, the zones would activate, turning into abyssal traps that devoured lives, from which no one could escape—not even a semi-saint.

Jiang Buyi was panicking...

Because to this day, no one on Xu Xu Island had figured out where or how the mechanisms activating the nine forbidden zones were triggered.

Now that he had seen the ghostly entities of You Ming Ghost Capital, it meant the forbidden zone's attributes were slowly awakening.

Once fully activated, he might truly meet his end here.

"I need to find a way out, leave this place."

The sanctification foundation was out of reach for others, but Jiang Buyi discarded it like trash!

He was already a semi-saint!

And he had no desire for the "Saint Emperor position"!

Because the Pu Xuan Jiang Clan of the North Region hadn't passed down a Saint Emperor position, meaning he would have to hunt a Saint Emperor to succeed.

—How could that possibly happen?

"I've got no intention of rebellion, yet I've been framed."

"Ending up on Xu Xu Island is bad enough, and now straight into You Ming Ghost Capital—what a mess?!"

Tears for Jia Tong hadn't been obtained, and now he was in mortal danger; Jiang Buyi was furious.

This place was like a maze, and since he didn't specialize in soul or spirit paths, he couldn't find his way out. Without external intervention, Jiang Buyi felt he would just keep wandering in circles.

Just then...

"Boom!"

A point of white light bloomed in the distant sky, like a blazing sun falling, offering a guiding hope.

"This direction!"

Jiang Buyi's eyes lit up.

This had to be someone fighting on Xu Xu Island.

Though it wasn't for his sake, such a huge disturbance was visible even to him deep in You Ming Ghost Capital.

"Benevolent one!"

"No matter who you are, once I find you, this saint will reward you handsomely!"

Jiang Buyi etched that position and energy attribute into his memory, afraid he'd get lost in the traps of You Ming Ghost Capital as before.

Then, he enveloped himself in saintly power and charged straight ahead.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Wherever he passed, whether solid walls, ancient trees, or ghostly entities, all exploded on the spot.

Fearing any changes, Jiang Buyi planned to burst out of You Ming Ghost Capital in the shortest time!

As for obstacles...

In front of a semi-saint, they were all illusions.

Jiang Buyi barreled straight through!

"Swoosh, swoosh..."

White flames sputtered from the cracks in the ground.

"Boom!"

The next second, the active volcano behind spewed massive amounts of white lava into the sky.

Before Jue Jin Fire Domain, breathing the scorching wind, Mei Si Ren's action of fanning his paper fan lost its elegant air.

He sat cross-legged on a large rock, resting with eyes closed, as if he had been waiting for a century.

Beside him lay two roughly carved stone swords.

The swords were plain, without any intricate patterns or special abilities—barely even qualifying as a tenth-grade spiritual tool.

But these were what Mei Si Ren had prepared for himself and his next disciple.

"Sigh..."

After a while, noticing the white lava about to reach his feet, Mei Si Ren had to stand and move to a new spot.

"Xu Xiao Shou, when will you arrive?"

At Si Jiang Bank, entrusted by Ying Ba Zun An, Mei Si Ren had used the Void Order to enter Xu Xu Island unnoticed.

But after waiting so long, Xu Xiao Shou still hadn't shown up.

Thinking further, even if Xu Xiao Shou found his way to Xu Xu Island, it would take ages to reach Jue Jin Fire Domain and meet him—who knew when that would be.

Mei Si Ren regretted it.

Wasting so much time sweating it out before Jue Jin Fire Domain didn't match his identity as "Si Ren Mister."

Even if it was like a teacher waiting for a student...

This was seriously beneath him!

Mei Si Ren now wanted to leave Xu Xu Island. He gazed into the distance, pinpointed the gate's location, and decided to wait three more days.

If nothing changed in those three days, it meant he and Xu Xiao Shou were fated but not destined!

Just then, a white light flashed in the distant sky.

Followed by a low boom from afar.

"This is..."

Mei Si Ren's expression froze.

Was it this coincidental?

Wishing for something and getting it just like that?

From so far away, he didn't know what had happened there.

But even at this distance, the explosion's sound and light reached his ears and eyes.

One could imagine how immense the spectacle was at the center.

"Explosion..."

Mei Si Ren murmured to himself. His eyes, dim from waiting so long, brightened slightly.

He recalled the conversation at Si Jiang Bank with Ba Zun An.

"How will I find Xu Xiao Shou once I enter Xu Xu Island?"

"No need to search. Just wait at Jue Jin Fire Domain, and Xu Xiao Shou will go there himself."

"Jue Jin Fire Domain... But what if I wait too long?"

"If you wait too long, then check the explosion sites."

"Explosions?"

"Yes, where there's an explosion, that's where Xu Xiao Shou is."

How absurd... Mei Si Ren mocked in his heart, but he bent down, picked up the two stone swords, and hurriedly rushed toward the explosion's direction.

Though it felt ridiculous and far-fetched, since Ba Zun An had said so, he had to see it for himself to confirm.

More importantly, Mei Si Ren couldn't wait any longer.

"I say a word, and Yu Tu comes for chess without taking more than a day.

"You, Xu Xiao Shou, have quite the nerve, making me sit here drying up for so long?"

The more Mei Si Ren thought about it, the angrier he got.

Forget about the sword teaching method Ba Zun An suggested; even if it meant a beating.

Now, just based on his pent-up frustration, he wouldn't teach Xu Xiao Shou ancient sword techniques properly.

He had to give him a good thrashing to vent his irritation!

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

On the path to Miracle Forest, Xu Xiao Shou sneezed repeatedly.

"Are you catching a cold?"

Lei Xi Er glanced at A Bing below her, who had mastered ice elemental mysteries, and couldn't help asking.

"Are you kidding? I'm this strong; how could I catch a cold?"

Xu Xiao Shou wiped his nose, sometimes really annoyed by these sudden urges.

Why not just make my heart race? Or at least make me feel uneasy? What's with all the sneezing?

If this happened in a fight, would the great holy servant Xu Xiao Shou end up dying from a sneeze?

"So, what's going on?"

Lei Xi Er looked at Xu Xiao Shou with slight disgust as he flung his snot into the white flames near A Huo's eyes, deciding to look away.

"Ha, ha, ha..."

Poor A Huo was so huge it didn't even realize what had landed on it, but luckily, it burned everything away with a burst of flame.

"It's just a regular sudden urge..." Xu Xiao Shou replied without turning his head, pulling out water to clean his hands.

Lei Xi Er fell silent for a moment, then said, "Your 'regular' sudden urges come a bit too frequently."

Xu Xiao Shou chuckled: "Sometimes things are just hard to understand. Probably because the commotion from the fight earlier was too big and drew attention."

"I told you not to fight like that." Lei Xi Er muttered.

Xu Xiao Shou shrugged: "That was Tai Xu; if I didn't play my trump card, how could I keep him?"

"But that's still too showy."

"Not showy? How could that be me, Xu Xiao Shou?"

This left Lei Xi Er speechless for a while before she said, "Aren't you forgetting? The bare minimum here is Tai Xu level. When people come, you'll learn what 'death' really means!"

"Heh heh."

Xu Xiao Shou wasn't afraid at all, standing on A Huo's head, pointing at the rivers and mountains, overlooking the ancient forest.

"The more people, the better—it's more fun that way."

"One-on-one only uses brute force and is too easy to get killed, but one-on-many lets me use my brain."

"Things like diverting disaster, the golden cicada sheds its shell, driving tigers to devour wolves, borrowing knives to kill, then watching from the shore, stirring up trouble, and finally reaping the benefits as the biggest winner... Are these tactics for one-on-one?"

"In a word, I'm no good at singles, but in groups, I'm a beast!"

Lei Xi Er: "..."

She couldn't help rolling her eyes at Xu Xiao Shou. What kind of bizarre thinking was this?

The battle hasn't even started, and you've already scripted the whole drama?

But who would play along?

"People don't even know who's coming; do you think you'll succeed?" Lei Xi Er's tone turned mocking, thinking Xu Xiao Shou was just bragging like to his junior sister.

Xu Xiao Shou waved it off indifferently: "Who has the face to make me script a play for them? For Miracle Forest, it's first come, first served—as long as they dare show up, I can assign them a role!"

"I'm waiting for you to mess up!"

Lei Xi Er was a bit annoyed, but still worried: "And don't forget, there are semi-saints on Xu Xu Island!"

Xu Xiao Shou raised his eyebrows high, looking at Lei Xi Er, who was sulking like a junior sister, and laughed: "But don't forget, we have a big bodyguard on Xu Xu Island—one punch for each little pest."

"Who?"

Lei Xi Er looked around.

A Bing? A Huo? Or the four swords?

Impossible; none of them could stop a semi-saint!

"Void Servant, of course."

Xu Xiao Shou pointed ahead: "It went in this direction earlier. I even told you to remember it, and you already forgot? Do you have short-term memory loss?"

Lei Xi Er: "..."

"Receiving curse, passive value, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

"When did Void Servant become your big bodyguard?"

Lei Xi Er was speechless; this was clearly the biggest enemy ahead.

Because, according to Xu Xiao Shou, their next step was to head to Miracle Forest's Shen Nong Medicine Garden to pick herbs.

Even the "treasure/crisis" pointed out by Yan Mang would have to wait.

Xu Xiao Shou stared ahead, faintly smelling a stronger medicinal fragrance.

Hearing this, he chuckled: "You'll see."

"Later."