Chapter 1085: Meeting and Passing By, A Heaven-Sent Opportunity

Dawn broke through the clouds.

In the vast expanse of the Giant Kingdom, three human figures moved along the long street, appearing minuscule against the immense scale.

"Finally, we've escaped from that damned place!"

Xie Lao, the ragged and limping old man, gripped a dim, withered branch tightly in his hand. His face still bore traces of gloom and terror, though a flicker of relief gleamed in his eyes after surviving the ordeal.

That ghostly realm, with its blood-red moon hanging in the sky and endless seas of corpses and blood, was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Especially the seven towering blood trees rising from the blood sea, their branches hung with horrifying corpses—it was a nightmare within a nightmare!

Had he not fled quickly and relied on his mental defense techniques...

Xie Lao believed that even with his Tai Xu cultivation, he would have ended up like those who were lured in, becoming just another set of dry bones on the blood trees.

"It's good that we've made it out..."

"From this distance, those monstrous things probably can't track us anymore."

Gui Po, hunched over and panting heavily, had torn clothing that revealed blurred flesh wounds and ugly scars still oozing pus but healing rapidly.

She didn't mind.

It was the price of survival, and as long as she was alive, that was enough.

She too clutched a withered branch firmly in her hand. After catching her breath, she stroked it gently from end to end as if it were a precious treasure, then lifted her face with a sinister smile and said:

"Xie Lao, Huang Yang Zhen Ren, remember what you promised in the Xue Jie. This time, you both owe me a huge favor!"

"Hehehe..."

Huang Yang Zhen Ren, reduced to wearing nothing but tattered robes, chuckled. His face was pale, but he couldn't suppress his exhilaration.

"Don't worry, I'm not like you two from the San Zhu Xiang assassins. One of my sect's core principles is integrity. You saved my life this time, and I'll repay you in the future." Huang Yang Zhen Ren assured them solemnly, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the eerie blood-red bead he held in his hands, where a subtle red glow flickered in his gaze.

"How many years have we been associates?"

Xie Lao also chuckled, looking at Gui Po with no hint of ulterior motives. "We've collaborated for so long; there has to be some basic trust, right? At least, this old man won't kill you for your treasure."

In the assassin world, the trio known as the "family of three"—Xie Lao, Gui Po, and Xiao Ren—had already made a name for themselves.

For others, post-escape betrayal might be common, but Gui Po and Xie Lao knew each other too well. Such mutual harm would benefit neither.

Besides, what they had gained this time was evenly split.

—Xue Shu Yin Zhi!

They had risked their lives in one of the nine forbidden zones, the Xue Jie, to snap off real branches from those seven illusory blood trees—one for each, so there was no issue of unfair distribution.

If anyone were to turn on each other...

Xie Lao and Gui Po exchanged glances and simultaneously turned their eyes toward Huang Yang Zhen Ren.

"What are you doing?"

Huang Yang Zhen Ren was quick to sense the tension. He shifted his gaze from the blood-red bead and eyed the two warily.

"Cough, cough..." Xie Lao coughed twice, sounding weak. "Nothing much. This old man is just curious—what exactly is that thing you fought so hard to grab at the end?"

Gui Po looked on with the same curiosity.

They had been teleported from the deep sea to Sky City, where seven Tai Xu experts gathered and ended up trapped in that Xue Jie.

After struggling for more than a day in the sea of corpses and blood, the seven had dwindled to three, with the other four devoured by the blood trees.

Gui Po had used her soul secret arts to break free and, under the desperate pleas of Xie Lao and Huang Yang Zhen Ren, helped them escape as well.

She and Xie Lao each obtained a Xue Shu Yin Zhi, while Huang Yang Zhen Ren got nothing.

As the blood trees launched their final attack, she and Xie Lao had already fled, but Huang Yang Zhen Ren had turned back, charging into the blood sea's grasp to dig out that blood-red bead. Somehow, he had managed to follow them out.

There was no denying it—this Daoist was incredibly greedy!

But his greed had paid off, and Gui Po felt a grudging admiration. If it had been her in that situation, self-preservation would have come first; she wouldn't have dared to turn back.

"Heh." Huang Yang Zhen Ren just smirked. "You two escaped with your lives and each got a Xue Shu Yin Zhi as your prize. If I had left empty-handed, wouldn't that make this near-death adventure a total loss?"

Xie Lao let out a sly laugh, but his attention remained fixed on the bead. "So, what is it?"

"I don't know." Huang Yang Zhen Ren shook his head. "Since I couldn't get a Xue Shu Yin Zhi, I had to grab something. I don't know what this is, but I can feel it's at least a Tai Xu-level treasure. Who knows? Once I figure it out, it might even give me a 'Feng Sheng Qi Ji'."

"Hey!" After self-deprecatingly joking, Huang Yang Zhen Ren tucked the bead away and laughed again. "Honestly, my bead probably can't compare to your Xue Shu Yin Zhi, but having something is better than nothing, right?"

Xie Lao and Gui Po both laughed.

That was true. The Xue Shu Yin Zhi, plucked from one of the nine ancestral trees, the blood tree, offered terrifying boosts to combat power.

What in the world could be better than that?

Seeing that Huang Yang Zhen Ren didn't want to elaborate, the two assassins dropped the subject.

Once they had recovered from their harrowing experience, Xie Lao glanced around at the unfamiliar, massive ancient city and asked, "So, what's the plan for you two?"

Without waiting for a response, he paused and continued:

"Sky City lives up to its name—full of opportunities, but the dangers are equally terrifying."

"This old man's suggestion is, since we've all been through life and death together as 'fellow Daoists,' why not stick together? We can watch each other's backs."

Gui Po had no objections and nodded immediately. "Good."

Huang Yang Zhen Ren, though he had spoken of repaying favors, had no intention of traveling with these two assassins. He could see they were eyeing his treasure.

Moreover, the mysterious "death countdown" that had suddenly appeared in his mind left him with only one goal—Zui Yi Dian!

They had shared intelligence about Sky City while trapped in the blood sea, and he had learned from a now-deceased Tai Xu that the Zui Yi Dian exemption token might resolve the strange countdown in his head.

Just as he was about to refuse, a whistling sound pierced the sky above.

Whoosh!

The three tensed up instantly, crouching low and darting into the shadows of the ruined ancient city, their hearts pounding. That aura...

They didn't need to look; they knew it was far stronger than theirs.

But curiosity got the better of them, and the three Tai Xu experts instinctively released their spiritual senses toward the sky...

A small giant, fully three zhang tall, wore simple hemp clothes and resembled an enlarged human. In its left hand, it carried a normally sized elder in luxurious golden robes, with pale golden hair and an imposing presence.

At first glance...

Thud! Thud! Thud!

In the shadows of the ancient city, the three dropped to their knees, blood seeping from their seven orifices as their bodies cracked, creating craters in the ground.

"Ban Sheng!"

"Two Ban Sheng!"

The faces of the three unaware Tai Xu turned ashen, sweat and blood soaking their bodies as their minds screamed in regret.

Sky City truly had Ban Sheng experts! And here were two of them!

What the hell was I thinking, using spiritual senses to scan unknown figures in this terrifying place?

It's over—I've just gotten this treasure... It's all ruined!

"Yan Wu Se, the three below are Tai Xu... the San Zhu Xiang assassins Xie Lao and Gui Po, and the Xuan Men lineage's Huang Yang Zhen Ren... They seem weakened, likely from a recent battle."

Er Hao spoke as he carried the person, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Don't bother with them. They're just ignorant fools." Yan Wu Se looked irritated. "Our priority is to complete the mission."

Grasping his pale golden hair, Yan Wu Se's expression was far from pleased.

Their task was to reinforce the seals on the inner island of Xu Kong Dao.

But after the "Duo Yuan" incident, the spatial passages were all disrupted. Forget reinforcing the seals—they couldn't even find where the seals were.

—Duo Yuan, one of the nine forbidden zones, was the only safe link to the inner island of Xu Kong Dao that Sheng Shen Dian Tang had discovered.

"Someone must have tampered with the Xu Kong Dao seals. Can you figure out what's going on? Like that charlatan Dao Qiong Cang's methods."

Yan Wu Se scanned the Giant Kingdom with his sacred sense, searching for suspicious figures, while trying to lighten his workload by asking Er Hao.

"Could be the inner island folks causing trouble, or someone on the outer island messed with the seal array."

Er Hao replied calmly.

"The inner island is unlikely—they can't get out, and interfering with the seals is tough. The chances are slim."

Yan Wu Se shook his head.

"You're right."

Er Hao nodded.

Yan Wu Se's brow twitched in anger. "I'm asking for solutions, damn it!"

"This is your job..."

Er Hao said flatly, but suddenly noticed an odd shift in the person's aura he was carrying, so he quickly changed tack:

"Three options.

One, the will of the Xu Kong Dao spirit... But that's also unlikely. It's basically inactive and won't respond to anyone, let alone have its will twisted.

Two, check the other eight forbidden zones. As long as the 'core' is intact, the seals won't fail.

Three, the Zhen Xu Bei—find the 365 Zhen Xu Bei. If their array positions haven't changed, the seals will be fine."

Yan Wu Se couldn't help but laugh.

Er Hao's three solutions boiled down to just one.

First, the Xu Kong Dao spirit was as good as nonexistent, so no point considering it.

Second, who would be foolish enough to mess with the Zhen Xu Bei? Besides suppressing the inner island seals, they were useless, and only someone incredibly strong could even move them—refining them didn't work, and sword arts had no effect; you could only inscribe your name on them.

It wasn't like some body-cultivating maniac on Xu Kong Dao was going to haul those stones around for squats or something ridiculous!

With so many heavenly treasures to grab, who would bother with rocks? Only an idiot would!

"Which forbidden zone is closest?"

Yan Wu Se asked, focusing on the second option.

Er Hao thought it was the most probable too and replied without hesitation: "Three, from nearest to farthest: Xue Jie, Jue Jin Huo Yu, and Qi Ji Zhi Sen. Which one first?"

"Xue Jie."

Yan Wu Se decided instantly.

Jue Jin Huo Yu was unbearable even for him—too hot—and its core, the "Jin Zhao Zhi Xin," was unapproachable, even for the Jin Zhao lineage of Sheng Gong.

Qi Ji Zhi Sen had Xu Kong Shi guardians, and its core "Long Xing" had self-defense properties, so anyone trying to pick its fruits would face trouble. That place was stable.

Xue Jie was different!

Every time Xu Kong Dao opened, Xue Jie devoured hordes of practitioners.

Yan Wu Se had already investigated: The last inner island seal loosening was suspected to involve a ghost beast hiding in Xue Jie, luring outsiders, parasitizing them, and escaping Xu Kong Dao. This time, the key might be in the heart of the chaos—Xue Jie!

"Xue Shi Zhu..." Yan Wu Se murmured quietly, hoping for no surprises.

Fortunately, though more people had entered the island this time than ever before, most were Tai Xu and shouldn't have the power to touch the "cores" of the forbidden zones.

Glancing down below, Yan Wu Se withdrew his gaze, vaguely feeling he might have overlooked something, but even that thought vanished in an instant.

"Let's go—head to Xue Jie first!"

Whoosh!

They came swiftly and left just as quickly.

Below, Huang Yang Zhen Ren, soaked in blood and sweat through his ragged clothes, felt the terrifying auras recede. He waited a long while before daring to stand, his heart filled with lingering fear.

"That was terrifying—two Ban Sheng appearing at once..."

Nearby, Xie Lao and Gui Po also shakily got up, their faces etched with shock and terror.

"Damn it, good thing this old man hid fast, or that Xue Shu Yin Zhi might have drawn a Ban Sheng's attention."

Xie Lao muttered.

"As if a mere Xue Shu Yin Zhi would catch a Ban Sheng's eye," Gui Po scoffed, then quickly grew serious. "Enough about Ban Sheng—don't jinx us by discussing them."

Xie Lao shuddered and nodded in agreement. Turning back to the other end of the long street, he asked quietly, "What about you, Huang Yang Zhen Ren? You've seen the dangers of Sky City. Want to travel together?"

Huang Yang Zhen Ren, who had already put distance between them, had no desire to linger. He shook his head. "No, thanks... I prefer to go alone. Farewell!"

A red glint flashed in his eyes as he instinctively chose a direction and vanished on the spot.

"You're not trusting us?" Gui Po called out suddenly.

"Exactly!" Huang Yang Zhen Ren stopped, turned back with a smile, and said, "I owe you a great debt, and I'll repay it someday. But right now, if you were in my shoes, would you feel safe?"

With that, he flickered and disappeared.

"Should we go after him?" Gui Po asked, glancing sideways.

Xie Lao watched the fading traces in the distance, looked up at the sky, and sighed. "Forget it. The Ban Sheng just left—let's not stir up trouble. Besides, killing a prepared Tai Xu in broad daylight would be tough, let alone two against one?"

"We could take him!" Gui Po licked her lips, still fixated on the blood-red bead.

"He might take one of us down with him! Don't forget, in the blood sea that devours everything, that Daoist ran out unharmed while holding the bead. Maybe he's been hiding his strength."

Xie Lao wasn't willing to risk it.

"Or maybe it's the bead's power?" Gui Po had her own theory.

"Anyway, this old man values his life—count me out!" Xie Lao pulled out his Xue Shu Yin Zhi and chuckled. "I'm content with this. Let's focus on refining it first. You should too."

"Heh, the older you get, the more cowardly." Gui Po sneered but didn't argue further. She walked alongside Xie Lao, quickly leaving the area.

The ancient city was desolate, as if devoid of life since time immemorial.

The more they walked through it, the more uneasy they felt, the unknown and immense fear growing with every step.

After passing countless districts, more districts stretched ahead, seemingly endless.

Xie Lao and Gui Po had stopped talking, the crisp sound of their footsteps echoing in the silent Giant Kingdom. Eventually, they switched to flying, not daring to make a sound.

Tap.

Suddenly, Gui Po stopped and landed.

"Something's up?" Xie Lao asked warily, turning to her.

"Three soul auras..." Gui Po instinctively wanted to use her spiritual sense to scan, but she suddenly recalled the terror of facing the Ban Sheng and halted.

"Don't use spiritual sense—use your 'Mian Hun Ban'."

Xie Lao knew what she was worried about.

Gui Po nodded, pulled out her dark, eerie soul banner, and formed seals with her hands, channeling energy into it.

Soon, three vague, illusory faces appeared on the banner.

"This..." Xie Lao's pupils shrank.

He didn't recognize the two more mature faces, but the younger one in the middle was all too familiar. In an instant, Xie Lao and Gui Po exchanged looks, both their faces lighting up with intense delight.

"Xu Xiao Shou?!"

"A heaven-sent opportunity!"