Chapter 1058: You Can't See Me, You Can't See Me...

"I was just using Jiang Buyi's face to scam people."

"But I didn't expect you, Teng Shanhai, to be so uncooperative. Now, I'll have to test the waters on you first..."

In his invisible state, Xu Xiaoshou watched from afar as Teng Shanhai was brutally beaten by the Void Attendant, feeling a slight tension in his heart while confirming his earlier suspicion.

The Void Attendant identified thieves by the aura of spiritual herbs and sacred herbs from the Shennong Yaoyuan!

To test this, he had reluctantly pulled up one sacred herb and three first-grade spiritual herbs, turning them into a medicinal juice that he smeared on Teng Shanhai.

If the Void Attendant already knew the real thief's identity, it wouldn't be attacking Teng Shanhai right now; instead, it would drop its current target and frantically search for the vanished Xu Xiaoshou.

But it didn't.

"So, from now on, if I want someone dead, I just need to smear the medicinal juice on them. The Void Attendant will go wherever I point it."

"The only downside is..."

Xu Xiaoshou thought about the cost—using spiritual herbs and sacred herbs—and felt a pang of pain.

"It's like harming the enemy for a thousand, but damaging myself for eight hundred!"

In the distance, Teng Shanhai was still getting pummeled.

Even with one arm unsealed and drawing on the power of the demon god, against the Void Attendant, he was truly like a toy, only able to take the beating without any chance to fight back.

Teng Shanhai tried to counterattack.

But the Void Attendant's body was too tough and could absorb energy attacks.

His Saint Blood power hit the Void Attendant and was instantly devoured, with whatever remained feeling like a mere tickle through a boot, unable to disrupt the Void Attendant's smooth and relentless barrage of strikes.

This attempt not only proved futile but also provoked the dark giant to become even more ferocious, striking harder.

"It really hurts..."

Xu Xiaoshou watched with growing alarm, but he noticed sharply that no matter how intense the Void Attendant's attacks became, Teng Shanhai appeared disheveled yet remained alive.

His full set of Cang Shen Armor only showed slight dents under the high-frequency assaults, without even a crack.

Although blood seeped from the armor's seams, most of the Void Attendant's attacks were absorbed by the Cang Shen Armor, indicating that Teng Shanhai was merely unable to fight back for now.

But the Void Attendant seemed unable to kill him?

"Is the Cang Shen Armor really that tough?"

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, vaguely remembering that even in the Tai Xu realm, those two dullards couldn't withstand a single kick from the Void Attendant, their bodies disintegrating on the spot.

Theoretically, a full set of Cang Shen Armor should only block attacks at the Tai Xu level, right?

This suggested that while the Void Attendant looked formidable, its attack strength hadn't reached the Half-Saint level.

Or perhaps Teng Shanhai's Cang Shen Armor was special, capable of withstanding even Half-Saint level attacks?

"Either way, Teng Shanhai probably won't die anytime soon. If it's just indirect attacks, how long would it take for the Void Attendant to shake him to death inside that armor?"

Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and decided to add more fuel to this bloody scene!

With a swift motion, he drew another image clone, tossing it out regardless of how unwilling its expression was.

Of course, it bore the face of the Half-Saint Jiang Buyi.

"Teng Shanhai, we agreed on a sixty-forty split of the Shennong Yaoyuan's spiritual herbs. I'm only cooperating with you out of respect for your position as the head of the Sheng Shen Hall's War Division, and granting you such equal treatment."

"Look at you now..."

"This is the fate of defying me!"

The "Half-Saint Jiang Buyi" entered the scene, crossing his arms and mockingly watching Teng Shanhai's bloody ordeal, jeering:

"Beg me—if you just ask, I can save you from this calamity."

"Roar!"

The Void Attendant halted its attack upon hearing the voice, scooping up Teng Shanhai with its left hand and clutching him tightly, refusing to let go.

It then turned its furious gaze on this other human enveloped in saintly power.

When had saintly power become so commonplace...

The Void Attendant barely had time to think that before it was drawn to the aura of spiritual herbs on this newcomer.

Soon, it recognized the face!

Earlier, this person had been confronting the one in its hand, discussing something together.

From his words, it seemed these two humans had a dispute over the distribution of the Shennong Yaoyuan's spiritual herbs? So, they were using it as a weapon against each other?

"Roar!"

Realizing this, the Void Attendant's eyes filled with blood again.

Damned humans—they must have emptied the Shennong Yaoyuan!

So, they weren't acting alone...

They were a gang!

"Roar..."

Teng Shanhai, dazed and beaten in the Void Attendant's grasp, couldn't hear anything clearly. His swollen single eye could vaguely make out that the figure opposite was an enemy.

But all he could do was let out a low beast-like roar along with the Void Attendant, unable to utter a single human word.

"Boom!"

The Void Attendant wasted no time, grabbing Teng Shanhai and stomping down, aiming to crush the other human as well.

But Xu Xiaoshou's image clones were expendable.

Faced with the Void Attendant's massive foot, there was no escape, so he simply let the image clone dissipate into spiritual energy, then tossed out another "Jiang Buyi" from another direction.

The enraged "Jiang Buyi" furrowed his brows, his voice turning cold, as if the surrounding world was affected, growing icy, with frost beginning to form on the ground.

"You insignificant Void Attendant, do you know what you're doing?"

"I'm giving you face by borrowing the Shennong Yaoyuan. Do you know my name? How dare you attack?"

"Roar—"

The Void Attendant didn't care what this human was called. In a rage, it hurled the Teng Shanhai in its hand straight at the "Half-Saint Jiang Buyi" in the new position.

"Boom!"

Space shattered on impact.

Teng Shanhai, clad in his Cang Shen Armor, became the hardest weapon in the Void Attendant's arsenal, plunging into the spatial fragments.

Yet the Void Attendant reached out and fished the indestructible "turtle shell" back, only to find its target had vanished from the attack site.

"You insolent brat!"

That detestable voice echoed again.

The increasingly irritated Void Attendant whipped its head around and saw the human Half-Saint had somehow flown behind it, now pointing and spouting arrogant nonsense.

"My status is not for a mere Void Attendant like you to profane!"

"If you have beef, come at me!"

"Most of the spiritual herbs in the Shennong Yaoyuan are on me. Let go of my friend, and I'll spare your life today!"

"Roar—"

The Void Attendant hunched over and roared in fury, having heard enough.

So, in their "sixty-forty split," this human Half-Saint took the "sixty percent"?

It was the one that had guarded the Shennong Yaoyuan for eons, only to have it all stolen in a moment of carelessness... The Void Attendant felt its anger boiling, its already faltering human speech becoming even more disjointed:

"You should be... struck into... the inner island!"

"Who... are you?"

This human's name wasn't on the Zhen Xu Bei.

The Void Attendant knew it was dealing with a Half-Saint level intruder and hadn't attacked again because its previous attempts had failed twice.

Thus, it suppressed its rage and asked.

"Hah!"

The image clone of Jiang Buyi laughed.

Hidden in the shadows, the real Xu Xiaoshou laughed too.

After waiting so long, this big guy had finally asked that question?

Very well!

As you wish!

Xu Xiaoshou manipulated the image clone of Jiang Buyi, lifting his chin arrogantly.

In the most provocative way, he pulled out one of the few second-grade spiritual herbs from the Shennong Yaoyuan, crushed it in his hand, letting the juice splatter everywhere.

Then, in the most irritating tone, he delivered what he thought was the most pretentious line:

"I am Jiang Buyi!"

"Now that you know my name, what can you do to me?"

At the edge of Miracle Forest.

The real Half-Saint Jiang Buyi ignored the hundreds of stone giants roaring in the nine heavens above and disregarded the battle erupting somewhere nearby.

None of that mattered to him.

Having heard sounds from the outside world in one of the nine great forbidden lands, the Youming Ghost City, he had broken through the confusion and entered this other forbidden land, Miracle Forest.

Jiang Buyi's original intention wasn't to cause trouble.

The dangers here were weaker than in Youming Ghost City, and the forbidden land's attributes were less likely to be triggered.

But as a Half-Saint, he knew every move he made could stimulate Miracle Forest.

So, upon arriving, he followed the thick scent of herbs, hoping to find something to soothe his journey.

Yet, after searching for so long, he had scoured most of Miracle Forest.

He hadn't found the legendary "Shennong Yaoyuan," not even a single weed—until suddenly, he sensed something and turned back abruptly.

"I am Jiang Buyi—"

From tens of thousands of miles away, a voice eerily similar to his own reached his ears.

This wasn't accidental.

On the contrary, directly invoking a saint's name was a clear challenge aimed straight at him!

"Who?"

Jiang Buyi's expression turned serious.

Without any visible movement, in that instant, Miracle Forest, spanning tens of thousands of miles, seemed as if time itself had frozen.

Directly invoking a saint's name was a grave disrespect!

As a Half-Saint himself, how could Jiang Buyi not understand that?

Moreover, from the essence of the voice, it was clearly imitating him, which was an even greater profanation of the "Half-Saint's dignity"!

"Shh."

Clouds took form.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Buyi's figure flashed to the source of the voice.

"Roar, roar, roar!"

The Void Attendant was still lost in the anger of that "Half-Saint impostor" vanishing again.

It hurled the Teng Shanhai in its hand high into the air and clamped its arms together.

"Bang!"

The explosive sound rang out.

This venting strike finally cracked the Cang Shen Armor with a snap.

The Teng Shanhai inside, protected within, couldn't withstand the impact and spat out a mouthful of blood, his wounds bursting open all over.

After the outburst of venting and pain, both seemed to regain a bit of composure.

Just then.

"Woo, woo..."

A great wind arose, kicking up dust and sand.

The sky darkened abruptly.

In the eyes of the Void Attendant, which had reappeared from invisibility, the so-called "Half-Saint impostor" seemed to have changed appearance?

But no, his image was unchanged; only his clothing was different.

This time, his appearance locked the entire world in place!

It wasn't "seemed" or "appeared"—the world was truly frozen!

Teng Shanhai's heavy breathing stopped.

The Void Attendant's motion of clapping its hands together, nearly shattering the "turtle shell," halted.

The flying sand and debris hung in the air, defying the terrible gravity of Void Island that should have pulled them down quickly; now, they were utterly still.

"Who dares invoke my name?"

Amid the swirling dust and chaos, Jiang Buyi stood with white hair and a long beard, dressed in white robes like a celestial being descended to earth, his calm tone laced with a hint of anger.

As the saintly voice emerged, the stillness shattered.

The white clouds in the sky shifted rapidly, as if making up for the paused time in an instant.

The stones and wood in the air thudded to the ground, instantly returning to their destined endpoints, settling into the dust.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

In his invisible state, the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale in Xu Xiaoshou's hand hammered against his senses wildly.

Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, gathered, and slid down, tracing over his brow bone. They didn't even linger on his cheeks, dropping straight from his long eyelashes.

"Stop!"

Xu Xiaoshou reacted swiftly, catching the drop of sweat, afraid that if it left his body, it would break his invisible state and alert the real Half-Saint Jiang Buyi.

The moment the true Half-Saint Jiang Buyi appeared, Xu Xiaoshou felt his heart stop beating!

"Terrifying beyond words!"

Was a real Half-Saint this frightening?

Xu Xiaoshou recalled the warnings from the Water Ghost deep in the sea:

"When the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale reacts, don't take chances or try to resist. Half-Saint power is beyond your current level."

"Run as far as you can!"

During his pursuit by Jiang Buyi in the deep sea, Xu Xiaoshou had felt death looming, but the threat then was nowhere near one-ten-thousandth of this!

Now, he finally understood.

The Half-Saint pressure he felt underwater had been weakened by the "forbidden barrier" to its safest level.

Without that barrier, the oppression from a true Half-Saint's every word and action was far more terrifying than any unknown in the world!

So...

"How did you, Water Ghost, dare to speak of blaspheming and slaying saints at the Tai Xu realm?"

"And the Eight Honored Ones, suppressing a group of such monsters—and even Saint Emperors—on Void Island's inner island?"

Xu Xiaoshou was on the verge of breaking down, his mind screaming, "Why drag me, a minor player, into your schemes as bait!"

He was filled with regret.

Xu Xiaoshou had encountered Zang Ren, a Half-Saint, but he was suppressed by internal forces.

He had faced the Evil Sin Bow's arrows of benevolence multiple times, only to learn that even a Tai Xu realm Water Ghost could withstand a strike with the Sea-Conquering Divine Halberd.

He had heard of the Eight Honored Ones suppressing Half-Saints and Saint Emperors, leading him to think that Half-Saints were just another realm—given time and means, anyone could reach it.

But now, he realized how wrong he was!

Terribly wrong!

These anomalies had lived too long and grown too strong.

As members of the Sheng Nu Nine Seats, who could stand against the Sheng Shen Hall, the Eight Honored Ones and Water Ghost were involved in shady dealings!

If even he, a novice with less than a year of cultivation, started getting arrogant and thought he could outmaneuver a Half-Saint with schemes...

That would be like an ant trying to shake a tree—utterly absurd!

"Huff."

After a long, deep breath, Xu Xiaoshou calmed his racing heart and suppressed the involuntary trembling of his body.

Dare to move?

He didn't dare move a muscle.

Even his "Disappearance Technique" felt unreliable; he desperately tried to evolve "Concealment" from a passive skill into an active one, pushing it to its limit, but it still wasn't enough.

Right now, he realized that "Concealment" was the true divine skill—as long as Jiang Buyi couldn't find him, that was all that mattered; no other demands.

"I've really gone completely mad..."

Thinking back on his earlier actions, Xu Xiaoshou regretted it deeply.

Invoking the saint's name wasn't an accident; it was part of Xu Xiaoshou's plan.

He had intended to escalate the fight, lure Jiang Buyi out, then use his "Mastery of Drawing" to sketch a hand for this guy and slap a Saint Fruit right in his face, smashing it to pieces and letting the juice splatter.

That way, even if the Void Attendant had some brains, under the buildup of his previous words, it couldn't help but clash with Jiang Buyi.

Then, Xu Xiaoshou could sit back and watch the tigers fight, like Xu Taigong fishing from his platform.

The plan was perfect! Wasn't it?

But now...

Huddled under the Disappearance Technique, Xu Xiaoshou looked at Jiang Buyi, whose every word carried saintly power and influenced the heavenly laws of Void Island, and felt a chill run through his entire body.

He wished his clothes were thicker for more security!

"Can't see me, can't see me, can't see me..."