Chapter 1124: Slaying God

Ye Xiao?The Anbu Shouzuo's Ye Xiao?This couldn't possibly be the same name, could it!Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly realized where the vague sense of familiarity from earlier had originated.

"I have seen her before..."

On Gu Yin Ya, after the Water Ghost's final deep-sea wave shattered the space and swept everyone away, there had been a fleeting glimpse of a figure in the spatial rift.Going further back, during the battle against Yi, when reading Yi's memories, that figure had crossed paths multiple times.In the early memories of assassins like Shuang Dai and Jin Zu, there were vague recollections of this black-feathered woman."But I was absolutely certain I had never seen her..." Xu Xiaoshou furrowed his brow, confident in his own perceptions.

So, was this interference from Sheng Di's will?If it had reached the level of Sheng Di's will, even knowing the name "Ye Xiao" now, it would be impossible to recall such minor details.

"Anbu Shouzuo, Anbu..."As Xu Xiaoshou pondered the title, he gained some insight.It truly lived up to the word "Anbu"—she had the ability to erase others' memories of her appearance, a technique perfectly tailored for assassins and underground operatives!Unfortunately, no matter how strong the ability, as long as it hadn't reached the Sheng level, it couldn't affect the deep impressions left by "perception"... Xu Xiaoshou remembered everything.

Lifting his gaze, he saw Ye Xiao's gaze—cold and death-like—piercing through the shadow of her hood from a distance, revealing only the lower half of her face.That lower half was stunning every time he saw it.Because the impression from the previous encounter would fade almost completely once he looked away.

"You recognize me." Ye Xiao suddenly spoke, her tone utterly certain.

Xu Xiaoshou sighed inwardly; if this woman shed her black-feathered cloak and dressed like an ordinary person, she could walk right past him, and he wouldn't recognize her unless she introduced herself.Of course, she wouldn't do that—it must be absolute confidence in her own abilities.After all, as one of the six department leaders, who wouldn't be confident?Confidence is a person's greatest flaw!

"Of course, I have heard of you, Lady Ye Xiao, the Anbu Shouzuo." Xu Xiaoshou chuckled lightly, steadying his thoughts while feeling immensely grateful that his first reaction to surprises was always to adopt a new identity—a method that avoided ninety-nine percent of dangers.

Chen Tan, you're a lifesaver!Chen Tan has saved my life!Xu Xiaoshou smirked inwardly, spread his hands, took a couple of steps forward, and spoke with a tone of reverence as he walked:

"One of the six departments of the Sheng Shen Hall, the dark underbelly of the continent's foremost righteous force, the unseen executioner lurking in the shadows of the world."

"Lady Ye Xiao, your name has reached even me in the Southern Domain."

"But hearing about you is nothing compared to meeting you in person. I never imagined that the Anbu Shouzuo would have such a breathtaking face... Tsk!"

Xu Xiaoshou's tone was both respectful and playfully irreverent, full of curiosity about the six department leaders—that was Chen Tan's persona.

Since the woman before him was the Anbu Shouzuo, overseeing the dark side of the Sheng Shen Hall with the authority to act first and report later, and having a deep connection with Yi Bu Shouzuo Yi, her wisdom, strategy, and tactics were not to be underestimated.As Xu Xiaoshou walked, he reviewed his current identity.The hastily fabricated identity of Chen Tan, combined with his new techniques—did it have any flaws? Could it fool the Anbu Shouzuo's keen eyes?In an instant, Xu Xiaoshou completed his self-assessment—there were no flaws!

Even if Shou Ye came, they couldn't link "Chen Tan"—who mastered Guimen evil arts, Guijian ghost sword techniques, resided in the Southern Domain, and had ties to the Feng family led by one of the Seven Sword Immortals, Feng Wuhen—with "Xu Xiaoshou, the wandering prodigal of the Eastern Domain."Everything Chen Tan knew, the Xu Xiaoshou of a few days ago didn't.And yet, even in that situation, Ye Xiao hadn't fully believed in the "Chen Tan" identity and had tested him earlier... This made Xu Xiaoshou respect the Anbu Shouzuo's vigilance even more, reinforcing his resolve to be extra cautious moving forward.

This silent, laconic Ye Xiao might be even harder to deal with than Rao Yaoyao—Rao Yaoyao rarely tested people, always waiting until the situation was settled before acting, but a settled situation was precisely what made it unpredictable!

"Lady Ye Xiao, I never expected that in this spatial chaos, I could team up with you. It's misfortune turned to fortune—my safety is assured now."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the Anbu Shouzuo, who remained unmoved by his flattery, while inwardly fleshing out Chen Tan's persona to differentiate it as much as possible from his own. He tried to build rapport as he stepped closer:

"Still, I think we should avoid tests like the one just now. I, Chen Tan, have never done anything harmful to the Sheng Shen Hall—I swear to that—so there's no need for you to act against me."

Xu Xiaoshou raised his hand solemnly and said, "This labyrinth is incredibly dangerous. Bu She Ting doesn't sound like a benevolent place. We're better off working together—mutual benefit over mutual harm. Backstabbing is rare for people in the Central Domain, but it's what we in the Southern Domain fear most."

Ye Xiao said nothing, didn't even glance at Chen Tan, and simply walked deeper into Bu She Ting.

"How about we explore together? I'm quite capable. If we find something jointly, we'll split it evenly; if it's individual, it stays with the finder. Fair and square, just like the Sheng Shen Hall, right?" Xu Xiaoshou smiled as he followed, trailing behind Ye Xiao into the inner hall.

I need to find a way to take her out!"Hidden" concealed the killing intent beneath Xu Xiaoshou's smiling expression.Based on the memories of assassins like Shuang Dai and Jin Zu from the San Zhu Xiang, Ye Xiao was likely the one who issued the "Black Gold Bounty."

"This vicious woman is after my life."

"If she spots even the slightest inconsistency with 'Chen Tan,' she won't say a word—she'll just strike fatally... She's an assassin, after all."

So, better to take the initiative than wait passively—leave her here for good!

But...

"Can I even take her down?"

Xu Xiaoshou kept walking, his thoughts racing. He recalled Yi, who was nearly impossible to kill—without Wu Ji Laozu's seal, Yi would have escaped.He thought of Teng Shanhai, that simple-minded brute with overwhelmingly powerful limbs... Under the Demonic God force, the only option was to flee, not fight head-on.Given that, Ye Xiao, as one of the six department leaders, couldn't be ordinary.The Sheng Shen Hall had granted her the power to act first and report later, affirming her superior strategy and judgment, while indirectly highlighting her terrifying combat strength and secretive methods.

"A Tai Xu who combines strategy, power, and status must be more than just an ordinary Tai Xu—treat her as capable of assassinating a Ban Sheng."

"And indeed, she seems to come from San Zhu Xiang, possibly even a 'Three-Color Hunting Order' assassin."

"A Three-Color Hunting Order—that's above the Red, Purple, and Gold cards. The promotion requires successfully assassinating a Ban Sheng... Is that even possible? Are Shuang Dai's memories reliable?"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt troubled.His conclusion was that he might handle an ordinary Tai Xu alone, but killing or capturing one, let alone a peak Tai Xu like Ye Xiao with her bizarre attributes and abilities, would be nearly impossible.

"Bide my time for now!"

"If I strike and miss, I'll be facing a peak Tai Xu head-on."

"There's no deep-sea prohibition array here, and she clearly has Sheng blood. I don't have many advantages."

Flying into the hall, Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the plaque overhead, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Bu She Ting..."

"Hope you bring me some surprises."

Stepping from the outer hall into the inner hall, the layout was completely different.Bu She Ting was essentially an open-air execution ground, with a vast inner space displaying over a hundred types of torture instruments.Some of these cold, blood-stained tools were enormous, towering over a hundred zhang high; others were small, clearly designed for human proportions.

"This is an execution field. Those larger instruments must be for punishing Kong Xu Shi?" Xu Xiaoshou concluded.

Suddenly, Ye Xiao stopped ahead and turned her head to stare.

Xu Xiaoshou snapped back to his senses, realizing he had slipped up.From the souls of various ordinary Tai Xu, he knew that on the Sheng Shen Continent, most people still referred to "Sky City" for "Kong Xu Dao" and had only vague knowledge of "Kong Xu Shi," at best calling them "Dark Giants."Thus, a Southern Domain native casually mentioning "Kong Xu Shi" clearly indicated familiarity with Kong Xu Dao and Zui Yi Dian.

"Hey!"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't panic. He raised an eyebrow and continued with a smile, "Looks like you're sensitive to Sky City information, Lady Ye Xiao. You know about Kong Xu Shi too?"

After a pause, Xu Xiaoshou feigned realization and murmured to himself, "Of course, you're from the Sheng Shen Hall, a major power in the Central Domain..."

He didn't hide his knowledge of Kong Xu Dao.After all, Chen Tan wasn't an average person—what's wrong with that?Besides, ordinary people couldn't have survived this far in Zui Yi Dian—they'd have been crushed under the Kong Xu Shi's feet.

"Where did you get your Kong Xu Shi intelligence?" Ye Xiao surprisingly spoke up.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately showed interest, leaning in a bit and asking curiously, "Want to trade information? I can share mine, but you'll need to offer something equivalent, Lady Ye Xiao."

He never forgot that he was playing a Southern Domain native.The Southern Domain revered evil gods, with its top forces being intelligence networks; even the Sheng Shen Hall struggled to establish branches there, let alone rank among the elite.These details came from his earlier chats with Xiao Kongdong, and Xu Xiaoshou used them to refine Chen Tan's persona.

Ye Xiao fell silent, withdrawing her gaze and examining the surroundings, clearly uninterested in trading information.

Xu Xiaoshou breathed a silent sigh of relief—this woman was incredibly perceptive. From now on, it was best to say less; more words meant more mistakes, and dealing with smart people was exhausting.

"Ah, among the six department leaders, I still prefer dealing with someone like Teng Shanhai!"

Passing through the "torture instrument exhibition hall," Xu Xiaoshou couldn't resist his curiosity and casually touched a nearby device called "Liejiao Chi."

It was a weapon shaped like a beast's maw, lined with fangs, forged from some unknown dark-silver ore, and equipped with mechanisms, gears, and specially designed springs. With just a light press, the fangs would snap shut and tear outward.

"Liejiao Chi" was human-sized, likely used against miscreants on Kong Xu Dao.Xu Xiaoshou tested it—not as the victim, of course, but as the executor.

With a loud "bang," it clamped shut with tremendous force, even tearing open spatial rifts. One could imagine the agony it inflicted on a defenseless prisoner.

Xu Xiaoshou shuddered at the sight.The noise also made Ye Xiao pause and glance back, but she merely swept her eyes over it and continued on.

"Impressive..." Xu Xiaoshou's eyes burned with excitement.Even a simple tool like this had such power. With hundreds of weapons here, some massive enough to use as clubs in a fight, it was basically a treasury.

"Split them?" He looked toward Ye Xiao, but got no response.

Boring... Xu Xiaoshou pulled his gaze from the black-feathered woman, glanced at "Liejiao Chi" again, then shifted to her feet.

"No, hold back! I'm not Xu Xiaoshou right now—I'm Chen Tan. Showing too much greed... er, my liking for treasures, would hinder what comes next. This woman's too sharp."

Xu Xiaoshou ultimately suppressed the urge to stash all the hundreds of instruments into his Yuanfu and followed Ye Xiao into the main hall.

The layout of Bu She Ting's main hall was peculiar.It featured only a massive table and chair fit for a giant, with scattered items on top, facing the vast execution ground.Clearly, this emphasized the judge's superiority over the condemned.

Strangely, the walls here lacked murals; instead, there were rows of side rooms.These side rooms were uniform in size, enormous, with identical doors and iron bars, resembling prison cells for inmates, their cold metal exuding an unapproachable aura.

Ye Xiao approached the third side room from the left on the table's side, as if sensing something. She lingered at the door but didn't act rashly or touch anything.

"Very cautious..."

Xu Xiaoshou noted—this was the proper mindset for an explorer.In an ancient place like this, especially an obvious prison, who knew what dangers lurked if you messed with things?

For a moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt ashamed of his earlier actions with "Liejiao Chi" and his thoughts of taking all the instruments—it was basically suicide and could trigger some special array, collapsing Bu She Ting.

"Tian... San..."

Glancing at the side room where Ye Xiao stood, he read the two ancient characters aloud, looking puzzled. Tianzi No. 3 cell? His guess was confirmed—these were indeed prison cells?

"Hmm?"

As he drew closer, Xu Xiaoshou felt something pulling him, even more than the "Tianzi No. 3" cell. It drew his attention to the high table.

A treasure?

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up, and he soared up.

The table was for giants, its legs like massive pillars.To avoid blowing his cover, Xu Xiaoshou didn't use "One Step to the Sky" and relied solely on flight to land on the table.

The vast surface was cluttered with giant-sized items, each about ten zhang long, but these dust-covered objects didn't catch his eye. Instead, he focused on a half-person-tall... token!

The ancient token emitted a faint glow, clearly a treasure, though small compared to giant standards.Xu Xiaoshou picked it up and scanned it with his perception. On the front was a heart-shaking character: "Chi." It made his eyes blur.Flipping it over, two complex ancient scripts hit him, their immense power stunning his spirit and soul for a while.

Shaking his head to recover, Xu Xiaoshou was alarmed. Once he regained his senses, he deciphered the two large characters:

"Zhan Shen!"

What audacity to inscribe "Zhan Shen"!What could dare bear the word "Shen"—like the "Shen" in Jian Shen Gu Louying?Xu Xiaoshou almost laughed, but before he could think more, a pale hand covered in black feathers shot toward him at blinding speed, accompanied by Ye Xiao's hoarse, androgynous voice:

"Give it to me."