Chapter 1114: I Cracked Open

Is this really a clone?

The kind with its own consciousness?

Indeed, after all, it split off half of my strength from head to toe and condensed from that.

Xu Xiaoshou found it both strange to see and confusing to hear, completely baffled by this sudden appearance of another version of himself. It took him a good while to recover before he asked, "What can you do?"

"Anything you can do, I can do," the second true body said with a smile.

"To what extent?"

"One hundred percent."

"Passive skills?"

"I have those too."

"Thinking?"

"If I want to, I can think."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt a wave of terror, a fear of the unknown and the uncontrollable. He immediately questioned, "Then what's the difference between you and me?"

"The biggest difference is that you're the true body, and I'm the second true body," the mirror-image-like other Xu Xiaoshou replied.

Second true body... Xu Xiaoshou pondered. It's not just a clone or a semi-saint avatar; it's a second true body. It inherits all my abilities, not just combat skills, but thoughts as well—essentially another me.

So, what if it yearns for freedom?

"I have a question." Xu Xiaoshou looked up, his eyes filled with an icy, terrifying coldness.

"Go ahead," the second true body responded politely, as if oblivious to everything.

"After all, I'm the one and only, and you're the second. We're not equal, right? That's the logic?"

"Yes."

"Since that's the case, it's not about two tigers on one mountain, but about ruler and subject. Am I correct?"

Before the second true body could reply, Xu Xiaoshou continued, "If it's about ruler and subject, then as the saying goes, if the ruler wants the subject to die..."

The second true body's face stiffened, as if realizing something, its lips turning pale. It hesitated and said, "The subject... wears no official robes?"

You little brat, you've got a bit of my style after all!

Xu Xiaoshou was so choked up he nearly spat blood.

He didn't hold back anymore. He tossed Zang Ku aside like a judge issuing a decree and said coldly, "Go ahead and kill yourself!"

"Sir, spare me..." The second true body dropped to its knees with a thud, its hand instinctively reaching for the suddenly excited and writhing Zang Ku.

"I know what you're thinking, but there's no need for that. If you wanted me dead, a single thought would do it. You said it yourself—you're the one and only, and I'm the second. I won't go against your will..." The second true body trembled as it placed Zang Ku against its neck, seemingly unable to defy Xu Xiaoshou's command.

"Shh shh shh"

Zang Ku's blade writhed wildly, as if kicking at the air, desperately trying to turn its sharpest edge toward the main body's artery—this seemed to be its greatest desire.

Xu Xiaoshou watched coldly, like a god on high, without a hint of mercy. "Sorry, I have to verify my idea, so you need to die once."

Tears streamed from the second true body's eyes as it strained to tilt its neck back, yet it involuntarily inched closer to Zang Ku's blade.

In despair, it cried out, "Even if that's the case, you could just make me explode. Why give that broken sword Zang Ku the satisfaction? We can't let it turn on its master!"

"A dying man speaks the truth." Xu Xiaoshou nodded, acknowledging the second true body's final words. Ignoring the resistance, he retrieved Zang Ku and said, "In that case, you can die now. Explode."

Flesh and blood flew, air surged, and the second true body died on the spot.

"Urgh—damn it—"

At the same time, Xu Xiaoshou doubled over in pain like a shrimp, clutching his head and slamming it against the ground.

The so-called second true body was, after all, split from half of him. When it died, its physical body, spirit, and soul were all extinguished simultaneously.

This was equivalent to Xu Xiaoshou cutting off half of himself—how could it not hurt?

Back when he faced Jiang Buyi and had to sever his own arm to survive, the pain was excruciating—not just physically, but the mental agony of self-mutilation!

It's like how you can endure an enemy's blade, but when you have to wound yourself, your mind just can't handle it.

Yet, this experiment confirmed for Xu Xiaoshou the unique definition of the "second true body":

"The second true body can perfectly replicate the original's abilities, including passive skills, and it contains another 'self.' Aside from having to submit to the 'original me,' it has its own intelligence."

"But it won't transcend or harm the 'original me,' because it must obey the 'original me'—that is, 'me.'"

"So, it's not another 'me,' but merely my tool—a perfect tool at that!"

Xu Xiaoshou took a long time to recover from the pain.

Once he understood the true nature of the second true body, the sense of exhilaration he felt was even greater than the relief from the pain.

"Since it won't surpass me, the 'second true body' is undoubtedly a divine skill!"

"If I had the second true body at the Ling Que Trade Fair, I might not have needed to ask Ba Zun An for help; in the Yunlun Mountains, Xu Xiaojia wouldn't have had to show up."

"Even when facing the semi-saint Jiang Buyi, I wouldn't have needed to cut off my arm. I could use the second true body to simulate a more realistic death, manipulate that old semi-saint, and even trick him further—after all, I'm not afraid of death anymore; it's just the second true body that dies."

"What's more, in the future, as the Bei Yu Tai Xiang Xu Family's semi-saint heir, Xu Shao Xu, I could have the second true body appear alongside the holy servant Xu Xiaoshou for a confrontation. From the old 'deception under heaven' to the new 'creating something from nothing'... the Bei Yu Xu Family will rise strong!"

Xu Xiaoshou felt as if everything about him had been illuminated by this sudden divine skill.

This awakening skill, which combines combat and support, could absurdly fill in all the gaps in his past and future plans—it's downright overpowered.

"The only downside..."

Xu Xiaoshou clutched his head as he stood up, still a bit unsteady, his eyes somewhat blurred. "When it dies, it really hurts me!"

It took a massive amount of "endless vitality," "full energy," and "transformation" to finally repair the damage to his body, spirit, and soul.

Xu Xiaoshou tried condensing the second true body again.

From a god's-eye view, he watched his own splitting process for the second time, and saw the previously deceased second true body come back to life.

"Luckily, the split only needs to happen once. After that's done, as long as the second true body doesn't die, I can just summon it directly without going through that initial pain." Xu Xiaoshou grasped another aspect of how to use the second true body.

"Congratulations on another successful delivery." The newly appeared second true body started spouting nonsense right away. "I think I'm not the first other you that you've summoned."

Xu Xiaoshou clutched his head to ease the pain, then felt a wave of dizziness.

This guy talks in such circles...

And delivery...

Delivery my ass!

So, is this the effort others have to put in when talking to me?

Looking at it this way, talking to me must be exhausting... I even want to kill myself, damn it!

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly thought of Shou Ye.

When that guy in red chatted with him, he must have been enduring this kind of pain the whole time, right?

After all, their conversations were always deep.

Hmm, come to think of it... after entering Void Island, he hadn't seen Shou Ye and didn't know if he had survived the Nine Deaths Thunder Tribulation. Sigh.

"How do you know you're not the first?" Xu Xiaoshou snapped back and asked.

The second true body chuckled, "How could I not know myself? With my cautious personality, the first one delivered must have died, and probably exploded to death, leaving no trace." It shivered.

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes repeatedly. "Please don't use the word 'delivery' anymore. And from now on, when you speak, refer to yourself as 'you,' not 'I.' I'm me, you're you—don't make it so convoluted; it makes my head spin."

"Oh." The second true body nodded and chuckled, "So you know that too."

Xu Xiaoshou: ...

Wait, you just got born, where did you learn this skill for veiled jabs? How are you so infuriating?

"If you keep being sarcastic, I'll explode you." Xu Xiaoshou's eyes turned cold.

"Sorry, sorry." The second true body immediately apologized, bending at the waist sincerely and saying, "I'm truly sorry. If I've offended you, I'll bow and apologize—please forgive me."

Then it exploded...

Xu Xiaoshou clutched his head and slammed it against the ground again, creating a big crater, still unable to believe that the second true body he summoned was so obnoxious!

Does it have a problem?

Xu Xiaoshou scolded it mentally, then suddenly realized—maybe the problem is with me?

"Do I really have a problem? Impossible!"

Clutching his head, he staggered a few steps and dismissed the question outright. If only there were a third party to verify—it must be the second true body that's wrong!

Damn it, its whole vibe is off—I wouldn't say "damn it"... wait?

Xu Xiaoshou quickly suppressed the thought, not wanting to dwell on something so complicated.

With a whoosh, he vanished and reappeared directly in front of the cozy little wooden house that Lei Xier had built at the broken tower—now Mu Zixi's residence.

He pushed the door open, and inside, a little girl in a fluffy green skirt with double ponytails, looking like a delicate young lady, turned around in slight panic. "What are you doing?"

Xu Xiaoshou got straight to the point. "Am I annoying to talk to?"

Mu Zixi: ???

Do you have a problem?

Is that even a question?

She didn't answer Xu Xiaoshou's query and instead grabbed her skirt, twirling around with a squinted, giggling smile on her face. "Xu Xiaoshou, I've changed back. Does this look good?"

"It looks good." Xu Xiaoshou nodded at first, then scanned her up and down, comparing her to Lei Xier's time, and sighed, "It's just a bit small."

Mu Zixi stumbled, nearly falling over. Her small face instantly filled with shock, and a tidal wave of killing intent surged in her eyes.

Clap clap!

"Little tree, rise!"

With a boom, Xu Xiaoshou was blasted into the sky by a massive ancient tree erupting from the ground, while below, his little junior sister shrieked in fury.

"Xu Xiaoshou, get back here—!"

"Can't deny it, the second true body turning out like this is partly my fault, but it's not a big issue."

Xu Xiaoshou washed his face with clear water to calm down, and after finally seeing himself clearly, he waited for his three passive skills to repair his injuries.

The damage to his spirit and soul was severe; even though the passive skills fixed the surface, Xu Xiaoshou still felt extremely fatigued mentally.

The best way to recover was to sleep for a long time, but he didn't consider that—he had no time to sleep.

The next best option was to use holy medicine to restore his spirit and soul, which would likely bring him back to normal right away.

But Xu Xiaoshou was afraid he couldn't handle the medicinal impact, having just taken Long Xingzi not long ago, so he didn't think about taking more drugs and just relied on his passive skills to bear the cost of... uh, splitting the second true body.

"I think I'm the third one?" The second true body appeared this time, seeming a bit more normal, yet not entirely.

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, realizing that to avoid the risk of choking himself, he should just be himself. So he said, "Then think again—what caused the first two to die?"

"I think I don't need to think; I already understand." The second true body seemed a bit scared, glancing stealthily at the original and not daring to spout nonsense, trying to let the original speak instead.

This was a survival tactic!

Little did it know, the first two had died exactly because of their nonsense!

"I'm satisfied with your attitude. At least for now, you're reading the room, knowing what to say and what not to say. I imagine you'll also know what to do and what not to do in the future." Xu Xiaoshou began to lay down the rules.

This third one seemed okay, at least for the moment—he didn't want to endure more splitting pain.

"I'll do that. I understand what you like best. As a tool, I'll just endure it for a bit." The second true body said.

Xu Xiaoshou: ...

Can't you keep things like "endure it" to yourself?

But seeing that the last three couldn't control their words, Xu Xiaoshou felt he understood something else.

Maybe he had wronged the first two?

This "second true body" was like having a heart-to-heart with himself; it didn't hold back at all.

Or perhaps, subjectively, they all saw themselves as "me"—so when I talk to myself, why hold back?

Fine, in that case, I'll reluctantly treat you as part of me... Xu Xiaoshou realized he had to tolerate this other him... oh, tolerate himself.

At that moment, his eyes twinkled with a playful idea.

"Come here." Xu Xiaoshou beckoned, but when the second true body didn't move, he tolerated it and stepped forward himself, leaning in to whisper something.

But the second true body immediately stepped back, glancing at him with a hint of distaste, clearly uncomfortable with such intimate male-to-male behavior.

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened as he instantly read the second true body's thoughts, nearly exploding it on the spot.

"Wait!" The second true body jumped in fright, realizing it had overstepped, and explained, "If you think it, that's enough. You don't need to say it out loud—we're connected; I know what you're thinking."

Xu Xiaoshou suppressed the suicidal urge—this really hurt too much.

"Then follow me." He gestured for the second true body to come along.

"You don't even need to say that—just think it..." The second true body muttered thoughtlessly, but quickly noticed a murderous glance from ahead and shut up, looking away to avoid eye contact.

Back at the wooden house, Mu Zixi had spent some time rebuilding the little house that had been smashed by the ancient tree. Now, she was inside, sulking and plucking flower petals.

"Damn Xu Xiaoshou, awful Xu Xiaoshou, hateful Xu Xiaoshou..."

Knock knock knock.

A knock came from the door.

The little girl's eyes lit up as she jumped off the stool, her short legs hurrying to open the door. Sure enough, it was Xu Xiaoshou knocking!

She put on a stern face, hands on her hips, and said coldly, "What do you want? Here to die?"

"I'm here to apologize." Xu Xiaoshou was very sincere, bowing immediately. "Sorry, I upset you earlier. That's on me as your senior brother—I won't do it again, I promise!"

Mu Zixi: ???

Has the sun risen from the west?

Xu Xiaoshou knows how to apologize?

Mu Zixi was touched for a moment and was about to say "it's okay"—this was exactly how she imagined a good senior brother should be!

But as soon as Xu Xiaoshou finished, he stepped aside from the door and pulled someone over harshly. "You come and apologize too—it's all your fault!"

Mu Zixi stared in confusion.

The next second, she saw Xu Xiaoshou pull out another Xu Xiaoshou!

What the... The little girl’s mouth formed an "o," her eyes wide with shock. Was this some kind of illusion clone? But no—using her Divine Magic Eyes, she saw that this second Xu Xiaoshou was real!

Absolutely real, identical to the first Xu Xiaoshou in every way!

"Suspicion detected, Passive Points +1."

The second Xu Xiaoshou was dragged out by the ear, looking aggrieved. He bowed and apologized sincerely, "Sorry for upsetting you. It was all my doing. If you want to blame someone, blame me—you can even kill me to vent if you need to."

Mu Zixi: ???

What... is... going... on...?

Her little face was blank with shock, her gaze darting between the first and second Xu Xiaoshou, unable to tell them apart even with her Divine Magic Eyes. So, did Xu Xiaoshou have a twin brother?

At that moment, the two Xu Xiaoshous saw that their little junior sister couldn't distinguish them even with her Divine Magic Eyes. They both burst into laughter, hands in their pockets, and with a flourish, scattered flower petals everywhere.

"Snake witch lies dead"

The two wicked guys leaned in together, grinning the same way, and said in unison:

"Ha ha ha, didn't see that coming? I've split!"

With a thud, Mu Zixi fell back on her butt, her face pale as a ghost, scrambling backward as if seeing demons.

Then she realized it was another of Xu Xiaoshou's pranks. Enraged, her face flushed red. She grabbed the "Zhan Fo Dao" and "Yu Kong Mo Zhang" from the house and charged at them with a shriek.

"Xu Xiaoshou, I'll kill you—!"