Chapter 1054: Semi-Sage... Twins?

Two shadowy figures flashed across the sky.

Each time they appeared, they lingered in mid-air for less than a moment before vanishing, leaving behind intense waves of spatial teleportation.

"Ba Zun'an, take your 'Ban Sheng Wei Ge' back—I don't want this thing!"Ye Xiaotian said in a fit of anger and frustration.

"I told you, once I give a gift, I don't take it back. Just keep it peacefully. What do you mean by 'returning a favor from afar'?"The disguised Ba Zun'an, played by Xiao Kongdong, was also getting angry from being chased. "Can't you take a different path? Why do you have to stick with me?"

"The problem is, the Stone Giants you attracted are the ones following me! You're clearly trying to make me take the heat for you!"

"That's exactly right. I gave you the 'Ban Sheng Wei Ge' so you could share some of the firepower. What's wrong with that? Opportunities come with risks!"

Ye Xiaotian almost spat out a mouthful of blood at that nonsense about opportunities and risks!

After getting the Ban Sheng Wei Ge, he was suddenly pursued by hundreds of Stone Giants.

These creatures looked even bigger than the Void Servants from Sin One Hall, and even Ba Zun'an had to flee, so Ye Xiaotian wasn't foolish enough to stop and fight them.

Truth be told, while escaping, Ye Xiaotian had tried running in a different direction.

He held onto a slim hope—maybe the Stone Giants were chasing Ba Zun'an for reasons other than the 'Ban Sheng Wei Ge'?

But that hope was quickly shattered.

As soon as he split off, about eighty or ninety percent of the hundreds of Stone Giants turned and chased him, scaring Ye Xiaotian into changing his route and sticking right back to Ba Zun'an.

Traveling alone versus having a companion—only a fool wouldn't choose the latter!

Besides, you can't just dump a hot potato like that on someone and walk away, leaving them to deal with everything. That's just immoral!

Ye Xiaotian felt lucky that he had spatial attributes, allowing him to run for so long and quickly rejoin Ba Zun'an if things went wrong, turning what should have been a solo pursuit into shared firepower.

If it were anyone else, they'd have been done for by now!

"Stop!"

Up ahead, Xiao Kongdong, panting heavily, suddenly halted his desperate flight and extended a hand, stopping in front of a vast ancient forest that was utterly devastated.

"Heh, Ba Zun'an, I never imagined you'd have such a wretched day—using 'Space-Time Leap' just to escape. This is really eye-opening."Ye Xiaotian stopped behind him, furious yet still glancing warily at the rear.

Though it looked empty back there, he knew that in half a moment, those hundreds of Stone Giants would locate them and come charging through the air.

Xiao Kongdong had no time to quibble over Ye Xiaotian's disrespect toward his teacher.

This persistent tag-along, no matter how rude, shared one goal with him:

—Survive!

"This place seems to have been the site of a great battle. Maybe our turning point is here?"Xiao Kongdong turned back to look at Ye Xiaotian.

With a sweep of his spiritual sense, Ye Xiaotian recognized it as the storm's center he had seen through the Space Mirror before—the Miracle Forest.

"How did it turn out like this?"

The chaos surprised Ye Xiaotian. He had been fleeing for less than a day, and now this massive Miracle Forest had been reduced to such a mess?

Broken wood littered the ground, everything in sight was wrecked and desolate.

It had gone from "Miracle Forest" to "Miracle Forest ruins."

"A fight between Ban Sheng?"

Ye Xiaotian raised his eyebrows, thinking of the Ban Sheng he had glimpsed in the mirror world.

He didn't quite believe a Ban Sheng would dare act on Void Island...

But Tai Xu's power probably wasn't enough to destroy the Miracle Forest this thoroughly in a single battle.

"Was it Xu Xiaoshou?"

Ye Xiaotian considered a second possibility.

In all the world, besides a Ban Sheng, only this guy could turn the Miracle Forest into such a disaster in just one day.

"Is there a Ban Sheng here?"Xiao Kongdong tensed up at first, then his attention shifted. "Xu Xiaoshou is in this area?"

Ye Xiaotian glanced at him, recalling the relationship between the Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou and the Holy Slave leader Ba Zun'an, and nodded. "Yes, I once saw him here using my spatial powers, above a medicinal garden in this area."

"Additionally..." He paused and added, "There's indeed a Ban Sheng nearby, not a native of Void Island—it seems to be a spirit refiner from Sheng Shen Continent."

Xiao Kongdong sized up this white-haired boy, feeling impressed in his heart—spatial attributes were truly useful.

With this kind of all-around awareness, how could they fail to set up a trap and bury those Stone Giants here?

"Our turning point has arrived!"Xiao Kongdong said with absolute confidence.

"You have a plan?"Ye Xiaotian, terrified from being chased by the Stone Giants, asked with a mix of surprise and delight.

"Heh."Xiao Kongdong chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "On this point alone, you're outmatched by your disciple Xu Xiaoshou. He can maneuver through multiple forces, retreat safely, pass through a forest of dangers without a scratch."

Ye Xiaotian snorted coldly. Even now, you still have to mock me?

But survival was the priority, so Ye Xiaotian didn't dwell on it. "So, what's your strategy?"

"I don't have a strategy."Xiao Kongdong shook his head bluntly.

Ye Xiaotian: ???

Then what's the point of saying all that!

If the Stone Giants catch up, we'll still have to run!

"But Xu Xiaoshou does."

Xiao Kongdong looked toward the devastated ancient forest and, for the first time, genuinely acknowledged that Xu Xiaoshou's ability to stir up trouble surpassed his own—not just because of the Miracle Forest, but solely based on the chaos Xu Xiaoshou had caused in East Heaven King City.

The establishment of Tian Shang First Tower right under Rao Yaoyao's nose, thriving there, and then entering Yun Lun Mountains, where Xu Xiaoshou had tricked so many people...

Even though Xiao Kongdong saw Xu Xiaoshou as a junior, whose combat strength couldn't compare to his own or to true elders, that ability to thrive in intense power struggles was no ordinary feat.

To put it bluntly, the guy was a master of chaos.

In a more positive light, his way of fighting with his brain and repeatedly succeeding was on par with Dao Qiong Cang and his teacher Ba Zun'an in their younger days.

Most crucially, Xu Xiaoshou was doing all this at the Master level, playing as a pawn against the players themselves.

Using chaos to counter chaos.

Ye Xiaotian had been in seclusion for years and probably couldn't pull that off now.

Xiao Kongdong hadn't done it much since founding Can Yue Immortal City.

But Xu Xiaoshou was in his prime and certainly could.

"Find Xu Xiaoshou!"

Having thought it through, Xiao Kongdong decided on their direction. "The Miracle Forest is in this state, and you said Xu Xiaoshou is here—I don't believe it's unrelated to him. He's definitely in danger and needs help."

Help...Ye Xiaotian pondered with a serious expression.

He believed the first part, but was it really Xu Xiaoshou who needed help, or was it Ba Zun'an?

Once again, Ye Xiaotian doubted the identity of the person in front of him.

"What do you plan to do?"Ye Xiaotian asked.

He wasn't so desperate as to need help from a Tian Sang Spirit Palace disciple, and he was on guard—maybe this guy wasn't Ba Zun'an at all, but someone trying to trick the Holy Slaves.

After all, anyone who had seen Xu Xiaoshou's ever-changing abilities would be skeptical of anyone's face.

Xiao Kongdong shook his head slightly and almost said, "I really don't know," but held back.

That would be too embarrassing and damage his teacher's image.

"Find Xu Xiaoshou and test him!" he finally said, turning his head and staring seriously at Ye Xiaotian. "If he has a way, it'll be like sending charcoal in the snow. If not, that's normal."

"By then, with all this chaos here, Xu Xiaoshou must be in a tough spot. I can't teleport others with 'Space-Time Leap', but your spatial attributes can pull him out and teleport us all away."

"Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Ye Xiaotian rubbed his forehead.

Your wishful thinking is loud and clear, but it's all empty!

Still, complaints aside, he had to admit Xiao Kongdong was right on one point—Xu Xiaoshou was likely in danger, and Ye Xiaotian couldn't ignore him, since he was Elder Sang's only hope.

"I'll try."

Without more words, Ye Xiaotian spread out his Space Mirror, layer by layer, focusing on the Miracle Forest area, trying to locate someone.

Xiao Kongdong moved closer without a hint of curiosity, craning his neck to watch this powerful scouting ability, once again updating his view of the white-haired boy.

You're so skilled at this—have you done a lot of sneaky things like this?

"No one..."

Ye Xiaotian first pinpointed the location where Xu Xiaoshou had appeared before.

But it was empty, not even the medicinal garden remained—just a vast black pit, as if the entire surface had been stripped clean, all taken by Xu Xiaoshou.

Is that possible?

Really?

Such a huge medicinal garden, completely emptied?

How did Xu Xiaoshou do it?

"That's where Xu Xiaoshou was before?"Xiao Kongdong's expression shifted at the sight of the massive pit, which looked like it had been blown apart. Not bad, Xu Xiaoshou!

"Yes."Ye Xiaotian said no more, but in his mind, he thought of something.

Yuan Fu!

He remembered that back at Tian Sang Spirit Palace, Cheng Xingchu had offered an abandoned Yuan Fu for a bet with Xu Xiaoshou.

Yuan Fu originated from a withered sub-dimensional space, with immense origins, but it was nearly impossible to activate successfully—it required a spirit refiner skilled in spatial arts and at least a Grandmaster of Spirit Arrays to assist.

Tian Sang Spirit Palace happened to have that, which is why Cheng Xingchu used it as a wager.

But he dared to bet it because, even with those conditions, the chances of activating an abandoned Yuan Fu were slim.

If not for Ye Xiaotian being from Sheng Palace and specializing in "Spatial Mysteries," and with Qiao Qianzhi's help—a genius among the "Sheng Palace Four" and no ordinary Grandmaster of Spirit Arrays—they wouldn't have succeeded.

Thus, Xu Xiaoshou ended up with an activated Yuan Fu!

—In the whole world, the number of people with an activated Yuan Fu could probably be counted on one hand!

After all, Ye Xiaotian knew of only three spirit refiners with spatial attributes: himself, Huang Quan, and Kong Yu Hen.

He knew little about Kong Yu Hen.

Huang Quan was strong in combining time and space attributes, but his spatial expertise was far inferior to Ye Xiaotian's—so even with Qiao Qianzhi's help, Huang Quan might not succeed in activating a Yuan Fu.

Ye Xiaotian realized that Xu Xiaoshou had the prerequisite to empty such a large medicinal garden.

But he also remembered that the Yuan Fu space was small, like a larger spatial ring, with the only advantage being it could hold living things.

So how had Xu Xiaoshou emptied such a vast garden?

Had his Yuan Fu world evolved to that extent?

"Xu Xiaoshou is definitely in danger!"Ye Xiaotian's expression grew grave.

From his Sheng Palace background, he understood Void Island and the Miracle Forest far better than most.

Whether it was emptying the garden or blowing up such a valuable area, Xu Xiaoshou would surely face pursuit from the Void Servants!

And now...

Seeing the Miracle Forest in ruins again, Ye Xiaotian suddenly understood.

Maybe this wasn't Xu Xiaoshou's doing.

It could be a Void Servant, enraged at having its home stolen from, venting its fury since it couldn't find the thief.

—That sounded just like Xu Xiaoshou!

"What do you mean?"Xiao Kongdong was baffled, seeing how Ye Xiaotian could reach this conclusion just by staring at a black pit. "There's no sign of Xu Xiaoshou here—how did you get that idea?"

"It's a long story..."Ye Xiaotian had no intention of explaining. "But not finding Xu Xiaoshou means he's safe for now."

As the spatial image shifted, a frenzied Void Servant rampaged through the forest, as if searching for something.

Even as it tried not to cause destruction, its massive body still sent splintered wood flying everywhere it went.

"A Void Servant!"Xiao Kongdong's expression turned serious, clearly aware of how terrifying these native giants of Void Island could be.

Seeing this, Ye Xiaotian was even more certain that the Void Servant was searching for Xu Xiaoshou!

This whole mess...

Was even more Xu Xiaoshou's style!

While I got inexplicably stuck with a 'Ban Sheng Wei Ge' and hundreds of Stone Giants on my tail...

You, on your own, managed to anger a Void Servant on Void Island and turn the Miracle Forest into this wreck.

Wait!

Miracle Forest, medicinal garden?

This was undoubtedly the Miracle Forest.

And the garden that Xu Xiaoshou emptied...

It probably, possibly, maybe wasn't the legendary Shen Nong Medicinal Garden, was it?

Ye Xiaotian thought of this, and his eyes widened.

Piecing together his knowledge of Void Island from Sheng Palace, he realized Xu Xiaoshou's actions might have invited universal outrage!

If he had emptied the Shen Nong Medicinal Garden, then it wouldn't just be one Void Servant after him.

Had the guy gone mad?

Didn't he know the trouble he stirred up could be bigger than the hundreds of Stone Giants chasing me and Ba Zun'an combined?!

"It's over, it's over..."

Ye Xiaotian's fingers trembled as they touched the spatial image, hoping desperately that his guess was wrong.

"Bang bang bang!"

The void behind them began to shatter, and the Stone Giants' figures were about to appear.

Time was running out.

"You need to find him!"Xiao Kongdong, confused, patted the white-haired boy's head. What are you doing, scaring yourself with two spatial images? Are you sick?

"So, where's Xu Xiaoshou?" he asked urgently.

"Now I actually hope Xu Xiaoshou doesn't show up in my Space Mirror..."

Ye Xiaotian said heavily, glancing back before focusing on the spatial image, feeling trapped on all sides.

With a flick of his fingertip, the two images vanished, replaced by a new one.

His gaze locked.

In that instant, Ye Xiaotian tensed up completely, his scalp tingling and his eyes wide.

Even Xiao Kongdong leaned in incredulously, then quickly looked away, not daring to stare.

"Shh!"

Just before the figure in the spatial image turned back, Ye Xiaotian hurriedly stopped his ability, shattering the image.

"What did I just see?"Xiao Kongdong swallowed hard, unable to believe what he'd witnessed.

Ye Xiaotian was equally shocked, stammering, "If I'm not wrong, it should be... two Ban Sheng?"

Xiao Kongdong swatted the white-haired boy with a palm, making Ye Xiaotian wince and cover his face, but neither dwelled on the minor pain.

"It's not a dream!"

Xiao Kongdong clutched the sack on his shoulder, even more astonished.

"So, Ye Xiaotian, can you explain why your spatial image showed two identical Ban Sheng in this forest?"

"The image must be wrong?"

"The image can't be wrong!"Ye Xiaotian's lips twitched, feeling the world had turned absurd. "Maybe... those two Ban Sheng are... twins?"