Chapter 1064: I and Heaven are Equally High

Chapter 1046

"Rumble..."

One after another, the feet of the Shi Juren stomped down from the sky.

Xiao Kongdong and Ye Xiaotian flashed away again, one using Kongjian Shunyi and the other Shikong Yueqian, reaching a temporarily safe spot.

"Huff... huff... huff..."

Xiao Kongdong was already panting uncontrollably.

He hadn't used the first realm of Huan Jian Shu at such a high frequency in years, and yet it wasn't even for fighting—it was just for escaping...

How shameful!

He was losing face for his teacher!

He should have transformed into his own appearance before meeting Ye Xiaotian!

"Can you even pull this off? It's been so long, and you still haven't found him?" Xiao Kongdong watched Ye Xiaotian's calm and composed demeanor, feeling both envious and irritated.

This voyeur maniac—did he have any real skills? After running for so long and using the Kongjian Jingmian to peek repeatedly, he still hadn't located the person.

"You've asked that at least eight hundred times already!"

Ye Xiaotian wasn't one to have a good temper, and after being questioned repeatedly, he snapped back in anger:

"At least I'm trying to find him. What about you? What have you even done?"

"You were the one who attracted the Shi Juren, and now Xu Xiaoshou has left Tiansang Linggong and joined your Shengnu."

"Don't you have any way to track him? You're just relying on me for everything?"

Xiao Kongdong was at a loss for words, then erupted in fury: "So what if I'm making you do the tracking? You're a space attribute user—might as well put in the extra effort. I even gave you the Bansheng Weige, and you're still complaining?"

Ye Xiaotian: ???

Did I ever agree to take the Bansheng Weige?

This was clearly you forcing it on me!

"Take it back then!"

Ye Xiaotian pulled out the crystal gem and slapped it onto the person in front of him. "I'm done with this mess. You clean up your own crap!"

With that, he activated the spatial essence under his feet, about to vanish.

"Stop right there!"

Xiao Kongdong clutched the crystal gem, his eyes narrowing sharply as tens of thousands of golden light swords descended from the sky to suppress everything.

"Boom!"

The space froze solid.

Ye Xiaotian's knees buckled, nearly forced to the ground, and he quickly retreated.

Wan Jian Shu, Juedui Diczhi... His eyes narrowed, his voice turning heavy: "What? You want to attack me?"

Xiao Kongdong gripped the crystal gem, his expression serious, and stepped closer to Ye Xiaotian. As the latter was on high alert...

He reached out and slapped the gem back into Ye Xiaotian's hand.

"Uh?" Ye Xiaotian took hold of the Bansheng Weige again, looking bewildered.

"Once I give something away, I don't take it back." Xiao Kongdong suppressed his pain, his tone indifferent.

You must be sick!

Ye Xiaotian nearly blurted out his inner thoughts.

But there was no denying that this person's abilities made him one of the most peak-level swordsmen Ye Xiaotian had ever seen.

Using "Shikong Yueqian" freely to escape, casually deploying "Juedui Diczhi" to stabilize space... Even after fleeing repeatedly and being in poor condition, he had only revealed two of his nine sword techniques, both at the first realm!

Terrifying? Absolutely terrifying!

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Ye Xiaotian couldn't figure out this guy's tactics anymore. He wasn't even clinging to the Bansheng Weige? Was it all an act, or just more acting?

"I didn't expect you to not care about the Bansheng Weige at all..." Xiao Kongdong sighed deeply, his thoughts aligning with Ye Xiaotian's. "This is a true 'Fengsheng Daogi'. Even for a Lianling Shi, they'd fight desperately to keep it, no matter the trouble from three or four hundred Shi Juren."

"Hah, it's all about having the life to take it and the life to enjoy it."

Ye Xiaotian sneered. As one of the Shenggong Siz, did he really need this?

"Strictly speaking, the only one who rebelled from Shenggong is your Shengnu Wuxiu. I just came down from the mountain to search for someone, and on the surface, I'm still affiliated with Shenggong."

Ye Xiaotian paused, standing proudly with his hands behind his back. "And once the Taixu realm's spatial essence returns to Siling Mountain, even if I had truly rebelled from Shenggong before, do you think Siling Mountain would refuse me?"

Xiao Kongdong: ...

You're really well-connected!

In the end, it all comes down to backing, doesn't it?

"But the Bansheng Weige is still rare, isn't it?" Xiao Kongdong decided not to dwell on it and got back to the point, asking seriously: "I just want to know where Xu Xiaoshou is?"

Ye Xiaotian furrowed his brows, then relaxed them, remaining silent for a while.

"You already know the answer, or you wouldn't have tried to leave." Xiao Kongdong smirked. "Ye Xiaotian, so you're this cold-blooded!"

"Sigh..." Ye Xiaotian sighed heavily and retracted all the Kongjian Jingmian. "I've pretty much scanned the entire Jiji Zhi Sen, and Xu Xiaoshou isn't here."

"He's right here!" Xiao Kongdong was absolutely certain; the Jian Nian he had left on Xu Xiaoshou had appeared in the range of Jiji Zhi Sen not long ago.

"Yeah, the problem is that one spot I didn't dare to look..." Ye Xiaotian turned back, gazing into the distance.

That direction was where the holy power fluctuations had erupted repeatedly while they were fleeing from the Shi Juren.

"Shuangbao Tai—Bansheng?" Xiao Kongdong's face darkened. "So, that's the only place left..."

This time, the two of them had been chased by the Shi Juren, circling Jiji Zhi Sen, but they had deliberately avoided the area with the Bansheng Weiya bursts.

Little did they know, after all the circling, that was the only destination left!

"I only have Sang Laotou as a friend, and Xu Xiaoshou is just a junior. My connection to him is all through Sang Qiye..."

Ye Xiaotian stared intently into the distance and said softly: "Pinning hopes on Xu Xiaoshou—who knows how long it would take for him to grow? It's better to wait until I achieve Taixu and rescue the person myself."

Xiao Kongdong didn't look back, but the more he stared at that distant spot, the tighter his chest felt.

He understood, of course, how powerful a Taixu achieved through spatial essence would be. Once that happened, as long as they found a way, nowhere in the world would be out of reach.

So, Ye Xiaotian's choice made sense.

But...

"This doesn't hide the fact that you're afraid." Xiao Kongdong shifted his gaze.

"That's a Bansheng! Not some Taixu who's consumed Shengxue, and not those fakes Xu Xiaoshou puts on!" Ye Xiaotian raged. "You can joke with your life, but I've trained for years—what for?"

Xiao Kongdong chuckled: "For 'not daring'? For 'surviving at all costs'?"

Ye Xiaotian froze, his anger flaring as spatial Lingyuan gathered, ready to strike.

"That's the gap between you and Sang Qiye..."

Xiao Kongdong remained unfazed, his words making the other stop abruptly.

"He could part ways with me because our paths differed, and for decades, he just did his own thing."

"And you? You've hidden in a small Tiansang Linggong all these years—your spirit has probably been worn down."

"Ye Xiaotian, think it over!"

Xiao Kongdong turned around, speaking earnestly: "Yuling Di is only how old, and he's already mastered the water system essence. With your talent, you should have reached this step long ago!"

"If you're still smug about breaking through after being delayed for decades, maybe your path ends here. Forget about Taixu!"

"Comfort won't make you progress."

"Retreating from challenges and playing it safe won't let any genius achieve Fengwei Chengsheng!"

Ye Xiaotian trembled, his pupils contracting.

These words—he'd heard them before...

Every time Sang Laotou returned from his travels, he'd share wine with them in the thatched hut.

And every time, what he said most was...

"Tiansang Linggong is just a cage. Birds in a cage, unable to see the outside sky, might be content with their current ease, but for greater breakthroughs, that cage must be broken... Otherwise, sparrows will always be sparrows, and great birds will always be great birds."

In his memories, after the night in Tiansang Linggong when Ye Xiaotian was severed by the eight Zun An, Sang Laotou's last words to him were the same.

"Ye Xiaotian, be more decisive in the future. When it's time to cut ties, cut them—I've told you that so many times!"

Yeah!

He was once one of the Shenggong Siz—when did he develop this timid, hesitant mindset?

It's like advice from close kin goes in one ear and out the other, but a stranger's concern can warm the heart.

Ye Xiaotian felt enlightened, finally realizing that Sang Laotou had spotted his issues years ago and advised him repeatedly.

And he had always been blind to it!

Was it that he hadn't realized? No—it was that he didn't dare!

He didn't dare pierce that veil, didn't dare see the outside sky again, content to be a frog in a well, guarding his little pure land!

"Hah..."

Ye Xiaotian shook his head and suddenly laughed.

He finally understood why that last step holding him back had inexplicably broken after he observed a war in the eight palaces.

He should have broken through long ago!

But because he'd imprisoned himself in the cage for years, he'd wasted so much time.

Why could Yuling Di master the water system essence around twenty? Because he was constantly in battle!

And he, as one of the Shenggong Siz, had been held back by so-called "cowardice," delaying his Lianling path for so long.

Even now, after mastering spatial essence, the moment he faced being crushed by Huangquan, he'd unconsciously sealed himself away again.

Yes!

It was "fear"!

This guy in front of him was spot on!

Ye Xiaotian was terrified of the eight Zun An and utterly afraid of Huangquan. He'd only acted twice in all these years, and both times he'd been beaten into seclusion, scared to death!

Gazing at the distant holy power fluctuations, Ye Xiaotian's mindset rippled, manifestations of the Dao appearing around him. Faintly, wind and thunder gathered in the nine heavens, forming tribulation clouds.

Xiao Kongdong looked up: ???

What was happening?

Had something changed with him?!

Ye Xiaotian looked up at the nine heavens' tribulation clouds and forcibly held back his impulse.

His gaze turned firm as he looked back at the person who had awakened him from his dream, his tone filled with emotion:

"I have to say, you're not just acting the part—you're strong, and you talk like a pro. You've got real substance."

"You... boy?"

Xiao Kongdong's eyelid twitched, and he snorted coldly: "Ye Xiaotian, watch your tone!"

"You're not the eight Zun An, are you!"

Ye Xiaotian smiled, not even phrasing it as a question.

"Oh?" Xiao Kongdong's heart tightened.

"If you were really the eight Zun An, with your lousy tracking methods, Xu Xiaoshou would probably be dead by now, and he wouldn't have gotten any help from you before dying."

"Given how far you're going to protect the eight Zun An, and considering your strength, you're not just some fanatic worshipper."

"In this world, the few who could go this far for the eight Zun An and master so many first realms of the nine sword techniques are limited."

"Wen Jianxian is one—the eight Zun An's friend—but he wouldn't risk his life like this."

"So, your identity is obvious..."

Ye Xiaotian paused, utterly convinced, and said slowly, emphasizing each word: "Can Yue Xiancheng's senior brother—Xiao, Kong, Dong!"

The faint mocking smile that had just risen on Xiao Kongdong's face froze instantly. He felt like the person in front of him had changed, suddenly becoming... a bit intimidating!

"How did you..."

"Stop pretending. There aren't many ancient sword cultivators who can reach your level, and I'm no stranger to the world." Ye Xiaotian interrupted.

Xiao Kongdong sighed heavily, dropping the act, and bowed slightly in respect: "Can Yue Xiancheng's Xiao Kongdong, greetings to the senior."

Not to mention, he was a generation behind.

This white-haired boy was Sang Qiye's friend, and Sang Qiye was his teacher's friend, so by extension, this was indeed his senior.

In Xiao Kongdong's heart, respecting teachers and upholding the Dao always came first.

"Not bad." Ye Xiaotian's lips curved up. "You've got manners, and your tone is respectful."

Xiao Kongdong felt a pang in his liver. How had the roles suddenly reversed, leaving him to attend to others now?

"Enough with the 'senior' talk. Xu Xiaoshou can't hold out much longer—we need to hurry over." Xiao Kongdong didn't want to linger on this.

Ye Xiaotian also sobered up, his expression turning serious.

He floated into the void and slowly advanced, saying: "I can go with you to face the Bansheng, but let me say this upfront—I'm not strong enough to fight a Bansheng."

"Hah." Xiao Kongdong instinctively puffed out his chest. "No problem, I'm..."

"You're not the eight Zun An, and you don't have his abilities!" Ye Xiaotian cut him off sharply. "You might fool others, but a Bansheng isn't as simple as you think."

Ye Xiaotian turned his head, his expression gravely serious: "Since you're not the eight Zun An, you've probably never even seen many Bansheng in your life, because your teacher wouldn't let you handle situations involving them."

Xiao Kongdong wanted to argue but held back, knowing it was true.

"I'm different..." Ye Xiaotian's eyes filled with deep wariness as he continued, "In my memories, a Bansheng could crush both of us with a single finger!"

Xiao Kongdong opened his mouth again but couldn't find words to counter.

"We have to try."

His teacher's task was to protect Xu Xiaoshou—he couldn't just ignore it.

"It's worth trying, but not by charging in headfirst like you. We need to plan this out..."

Ye Xiaotian paused, lowered himself slightly to be half a head shorter than the person in front, and spread his hands casually:

"I'll make this clear—I'm no match for Huangquan, and I can't withstand even one hit from a Bansheng, so..."

"How tall are you, exactly?"

"Me?" Xiao Kongdong was slightly stunned, then inhaled and straightened up: "As high as the heavens!"

"Oh? You're that tall?" Ye Xiaotian didn't believe it. The standard for the strongest below Bansheng was the eight Zun An—towering a zhang and eight chi, who dares claim otherwise with half a Qingju?

Xiao Kongdong was strong, but compared to the truly renowned predecessors across the five domains, he was just a regional powerhouse at best.

Where did he get the confidence to be as high as the heavens, only a head shorter than the eight Zun An?

"That's exactly how tall I am!" Xiao Kongdong stated firmly.

"Being that tall, how long could you last against a Bansheng?"

"Ten breaths!"