Chapter 1055: The Vest Fell Off? Xu Xiaoshou's Identity Exposed

Criminal number 800820, you have entered the Void Island Criminal Kill List. Death countdown: nine days. Please make amends for your crimes!

Xu Xiaoshou, wearing the face of Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi, had just emerged from the Yuanfu and stepped onto the ground of Void Island when a message suddenly flashed in his mind.

He was stunned.

The Void Island Criminal Kill List?

Only nine days left until death?

"I am being wanted? Just because of that small medicine garden?"

Xu Xiaoshou quickly figured out why. The only major thing he had done on Void Island was that one incident.

So...

"The heartbeat of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale—is it not just from the Void Attendant, but also from the Void Island's will?"

Xu Xiaoshou took out the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale and felt its steady heartbeat, sensing that he had grasped something new.

He suddenly felt anxious.

He had already moved the Shen Nong Medicine Garden, so there was no point regretting it now.

What he needed to consider was what would happen when the death countdown ended—was the Void Island's will going to erase him directly, or would it send executioners to carry out the sentence?

"If it's the former, my only options are to hide in the Yuanfu world ahead of time or keep using the Disappearance Technique to stay alive?"

"If it's the latter, maybe... there's still a chance?"

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

Receiving this message hadn't made him panic to the point of losing his reason, purely because the heartbeat of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale hadn't sped up.

That meant the threat of this message was less than that of "facing the saint."

It also suggested that there were still many opportunities for a turnaround, not a guaranteed death.

"Make amends for your crimes?"

Pondering the message, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't think of any way to do it.

It couldn't be as simple as putting the Shen Nong Medicine Garden back, could it?

Not only was he unwilling to do that, but Xu Xiaoshou also didn't believe that would count as making amends—it would be more like provoking the Void Attendant, a sure path to death.

"That's right, there might be something else that could make amends..."

Suddenly remembering what he had asked the Void Attendant about the use of Void Crystals, Xu Xiaoshou slapped his thigh as it came to him.

"Exemption Token!"

The Exemption Token was a resource that could be exchanged at the Sin One Hall. From what the Void Attendant had said, it seemed to grant immunity from death once, no matter how grave the crime on Void Island.

But he had no idea how many Void Crystals it would take to exchange for one.

"Is this forcing me to go to Sin One Hall?"

"Speaking of which, how do you get Void Crystals besides completing tasks for the Void Attendant?"

"Damn it, I should grab some veteran Spirit Refiner and ask them. I know way too little about Void Island—it's making me nervous..."

Xu Xiaoshou's mind was in turmoil, mainly because he felt incredibly ignorant.

He was afraid, of course.

But ever since his exchange with the water ghost deep in the sea, his mindset had already adjusted.

Perhaps before reaching the Grandmaster level, Spirit Refiners had to keep giving up things to survive.

But after Grandmaster, on the path to the throne, it involved contending for the Great Dao!

The Great Dao's contention couldn't avoid bloodshed.

One general's success is built on ten thousand bleached bones!

Without the mindset to risk his life for resources, he would likely be surpassed soon and become a "super resource" in the eyes of other madmen.

Xu Xiaoshou knew all too well how valuable he was.

This so-called "risking life for opportunities" was also one reason why he had chosen to empty the Shen Nong Medicine Garden despite knowing the risks.

He had moved the medicine garden.

What would happen next was unknown, but he would deal with whatever came—soldiers to generals, water to earth.

That was the heart of a strong warrior!

"Sin One Hall..."

As he paced forward, Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts lingered on the death countdown.

It had to be said, this put immense pressure on him.

"I don't even know where Sin One Hall is, but I figure it's no weaker than Miracle Forest—maybe even riskier, judging from the name alone..."

"Hmm, risk?"

His thoughts sharpened, and Xu Xiaoshou stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Just then, a notification popped up:

"Under surveillance, Passive Value +2."

Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled, and he focused all his attention on "Perception," but he couldn't spot anyone around.

Someone is spying on me?

From some unknown place?

Xu Xiaoshou was on high alert, his body tensing completely. Then he remembered he was wearing the face of Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi.

Based on his past experiences with facing the saint...

"Insignificant insects, how dare you spy?"

He relaxed his body, clasped his hands behind his back, looked up at the sky, and chuckled lightly, like a carefree master unconcerned with mere mortals.

A faint holy force rippled out around him.

With a boom, the ground shook for miles, ancient trees cracked, the earth split, and even space began to distort.

This release of holy force worked as expected—the tingling sensation quickly faded, meaning the spy wasn't at the Semi-Saint level and had been scared off.

"One after another... you sneaky bastards!"

Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself, still unable to find the enemy.

He couldn't help but marvel at how Void Island was full of hidden dangers, with enemies even "Perception" couldn't detect—it was a minefield.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

Before he could continue his act, anomalies erupted in the distant sky, with thunderous roars like the end of the world, as half the sky shattered.

From the black spatial fragments, massive giant feet emerged—not like those of the Void Attendant, but more like giants made of stone.

The number was terrifying—fully three or four hundred stone giants stepping out of the void.

The smallest were as large as the Void Attendant that had guarded the Shen Nong Medicine Garden, while the largest exceeded a thousand zhang!

"Holy shit..."

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't even started his trap yet and was so startled he nearly retreated back into the Yuanfu world.

He immediately concluded these were definitely coming for him—the executioners from the death countdown in his mind!

"But didn't I have nine days left?"

"Are they even giving me a chance to make amends?"

As he summoned the spatial passage to the Yuanfu world and stepped in with one foot, his remaining rationality told him to calm down—there should still be nine days, and the Void Island's will wouldn't lie.

The heartbeat of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale hadn't sped up.

Either these hundreds of stone giants were all bark and no bite, just massive in appearance with negligible power, or...

"These stone giants aren't after me?"

Watching as these colossal stone figures burst through the air, scattering in different directions—some even flying over his head without so much as a glance—Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded.

"You're kidding me—someone on Void Island is even crazier than me, drawing out this many stone giants?"

"They couldn't have emptied another medicine garden, could they?"

"No, emptying one would only attract one Void Attendant. Who is this guy? Did they even snatch a Semi-Saint position?"

Xu Xiaoshou stared in astonishment as these stone giants charged madly into Miracle Forest, clearly on a frenzied search, roaring and rampaging as if even the Ku Cha seeds had been stolen.

"Oh my goodness..."

For the first time, Xu Xiaoshou felt he had been too conservative.

Sure enough, everyone on Void Island had gone mad.

To draw out hundreds of stone giants for resources—he had no idea what outrageous thing that instigator had done!

In comparison, he was pathetic—was he really going to cower just because he attracted one Void Attendant? How could he achieve great things like that?

"No, I can't get carried away. I have my own principles. How can I compare my actions to others' destruction? That's not good—it would set a bad example."

Xu Xiaoshou patted his chest, deciding that since they weren't after him, he'd ignore it.

The more chaos, the better—it aligned perfectly with his original plan when he moved the medicine garden: the more disorder in Miracle Forest, the more opportunities for him.

Now, this situation was right up his alley.

"I need to find that Void Attendant."

"Why hasn't it shown up after all this time?"

"This is way too slow. I have no idea how it guarded the Shen Nong Medicine Garden for so long..."

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, thinking the Void Attendant's reaction was unusually delayed.

It couldn't have run into some big shot and gotten taken out in just one day, could it?

"No way, no way..."

"The Void Attendant is pretty invincible, after all."

With that thought, Xu Xiaoshou decided to go retrieve the Zhen Xu Bei first.

He had left the Zhen Xu Bei near the Shen Nong Medicine Garden before the theft.

Now, with Jiang Buyi's face, he was heading to find the Void Attendant anyway, so going back to its old haunt would be the easiest way to run into it.

Plus, the Zhen Xu Bei was right there, so he could recover it for emergencies.

"Framing and shifting blame in one go—I hope the Void Attendant is still as dim-witted and takes this 'Jiang Buyi' face seriously. Then it can chase him relentlessly instead of me."

Xu Xiaoshou got excited and quickened his pace toward the original location of the Shen Nong Medicine Garden.

"Gu gu gu..."

In the ruins, with rubble and broken wood scattered everywhere, a stone tablet stood quietly, emitting its eternal, monotonous gu gu calls.

"No one around?" The smoke dissipated as Xu Xiaoshou, disguised as Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi, stepped out of the space and murmured softly.

He didn't have Jiang Buyi's blood and hadn't seen him attack, so he couldn't mimic the other's techniques with Mimic.

He had only simulated a bit of the cloud-attribute ability based on what Jiang Buyi used to travel through the deep sea, combined with his own all-attribute powers.

It was all show, no real attack power.

But he figured the Void Attendant would fall for it—after all, it wasn't the brightest.

Reaching the Zhen Xu Bei, this spot was close to the Shen Nong Medicine Garden's main area, and the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale's heartbeat was starting to accelerate.

He guessed the Void Attendant had gone out looking for him and was probably sensing the spiritual herbs' aura on its way back.

"What's with all this black liquid?"

Squatting down in front of the still cackling Zhen Xu Bei, Xu Xiaoshou touched the sticky black fluid.

He didn't activate "Transformation," so it wasn't poison that the Void Attendant had cleverly sprinkled on his Zhen Xu Bei.

"A bit... bloody?"

Sniffing it, Xu Xiaoshou sensed it smelled like blood, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Whose blood was black?

He had seen golden blood from saints before, but black was strange. Had some non-human battle happened here, with heads rolling and blood spilling?

—The surrounding mess did look like the aftermath of a fierce fight.

Thump, thump!

Thump, thump!

The Saint Emperor Dragon Scale's heartbeat quickened further, and Xu Xiaoshou grew tense.

He kept it under control, making sure the heartbeat didn't exceed what it was when facing the saint—if it did, he'd disappear or retreat to the Yuanfu immediately.

"Is the Void Attendant coming?"

Xu Xiaoshou's lips curled up, feeling like the big fish was finally about to bite the bait.

He didn't pick up the Zhen Xu Bei.

That wouldn't suit Jiang Buyi's image, so he'd just wait here.

Whoosh!

Soon, a faint sound of breaking wind came from behind.

Xu Xiaoshou remained calm, hands clasped behind his back, stroking his beard leisurely.

"Here it comes?"

A dark shadow appeared behind him in "Perception," revealing a human form.

Wearing Cang Shen Armor, with a single eye sharp as an eagle, tall as a giant, exuding overwhelming pressure—Teng Shanhai!

What? You? Xu Xiaoshou was truly surprised; the first visitor he encountered here wasn't the Void Attendant, but the War Division Chief, Teng Shanhai, who had briefly fought him before.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't move, still facing away, acting mysterious and unfathomable, not even turning his head.

But Teng Shanhai's next words shattered his composure.

Staring at the white-haired, bearded elder in front, feeling the faint holy pressure, Teng Shanhai said in disbelief:

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Under fear, Passive Value +1."

"Under suspicion, Passive Value +1."

"Under affirmation, Passive Value +1."

Notifications flashed rapidly.

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

Have you lost your mind?

Which eye did you use to see that I'm Xu Xiaoshou?

I'm Jiang Buyi!

From the Pu Xuan Jiang family of the Northern Domain, Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi!

For a moment, Xu Xiaoshou even wondered if he'd made a mistake, using "Perception" to check himself, thinking maybe he'd forgotten to hide his signature four swords.

But no.

From appearance to holy force...

He looked exactly like Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi—even Jiang Xian would have to call him great-grandfather!

So why had Teng Shanhai immediately named his true identity?

"Kid..."

Though waves crashed in his heart, Xu Xiaoshou's face remained as still as an ancient well, turning calmly with a hint of confusion:

"If I remember correctly, you're from the Sheng Shen Hall, right? Teng Shanhai?"

"Jiang..."

Teng Shanhai scrutinized the face, his expression tightening, pupils shrinking as he suddenly bowed deeply:

"Junior greets Semi-Saint Jiang!"

"Whew."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed in relief inwardly.

Damn, you scared me—Teng Shanhai, you must have been terrified by "Thousand Changes Xu Xiaoshou," not actually recognizing me.

But before he could continue his bluff, Teng Shanhai, still bowed, suddenly straightened up, his single eye filled with ferocity and madness.

He yanked a bottle of saint blood from his spatial ring, poured it out, swallowed it in one gulp, planted his feet firmly, and generated a domain around them, sealing off all escape routes.

The movements were seamless, as if rehearsed countless times.

As his aura surged...

Saint-level power skyrocketed in his qi sea...

Teng Shanhai finally laughed menacingly, his eyes fierce, and a sky-covering killing intent pressed down.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

"Ha ha ha ha, keep pretending, Xu Xiaoshou!"

"This time, I'll beat you into the ground, or I won't call myself Teng anymore!"