Chapter 421: Has Killing Gone to His Head? Xu the Great Demon King Provokes Zhang Taiying

Who else?

Who among you dares to move?

Everyone watched as Xu Xiaoshou hovered in the void, the evening breeze gently tousling his hair and making his clothes rustle.

His bearing was extraordinary, his demeanor unmatched.

In such a posture, who would dare to resist?

"This guy is all-around talented!"

"He's skilled in physical combat, swordsmanship, and spiritual refinement, and any one of those alone could crush everyone else."

"What's the point of this competition?"

"Going up there would just mean letting Xu Xiaoshou toy with you in every way possible."

"Restrictions?"

"He doesn't even bother with those rules and limitations. With any skill he uses casually, he could beat you into the dust."

Everyone stared at Xu Xiaoshou's face in the sky, grinding their teeth in frustration.

But frustration aside, when it was time to yield, they still had to bow their heads.

"Received curse, passive value, 1222."

"Received loathing, passive value, 643."

"Received admiration, passive value, 865."

"Received affection, passive value, 211."

That single "Who else?" instantly made the information panel flash red with activity.

The passive value finally kicked open the door to over 100,000 at the end of this battle.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes welled up with tears.

"Passive value: 101,405."

How long had it been since he'd seen such an impressive six-digit number?

The last time he had numbers this exciting was back in Tianxuan Gate.

He wondered if he could break that record tonight.

Xu Xiaoshou felt it might be a stretch, but even if he didn't break it, tonight was still an absolute windfall.

He stood in the arena, his gaze fixed entirely on the information panel in his Yuanfu.

To outsiders, after defeating his opponents with various skills in succession, he looked even more imposing, his momentum soaring higher.

At that moment, anyone who challenged him would likely end up hurting themselves.

"No one?"

Fu Xing was momentarily captivated by Xu Xiaoshou's presence.

But he still remembered his duties, so after waiting a while with no one stepping forward, he spoke up.

Xu Xiaoshou snapped back to reality at his words.

He looked down at the surging crowd.

They all had hidden vaults of passive value, yet they were holding back, refusing to contribute generously.

"What a waste..."

With a soft sigh, Xu Xiaoshou swept his gaze around, and everyone quickly lowered their heads.

This young man floating in the void had clearly gotten a bit arrogant.

His eyes locked onto a somewhat familiar figure.

It was a man in an ice-blue robe, wearing a tall coronet, exuding an air of grandeur.

Xu Xiaoshou noticed him not because of his striking appearance, but because this guy had been standing next to Wen Song back at the banquet.

He was likely from the Wen family.

"Young man, you're not planning to come up and challenge me? You were shouting the loudest earlier, weren't you!"

Before the fight had even started, this guy had been among those clamoring to take down Xu Xiaoshou.

He was probably gearing up to avenge the Wen family.

After all, Wen Song had been escorted out of the banquet hall by Fu Xing, leaving this guy all alone and quite pitiful.

But now, after witnessing Xu Xiaoshou's abilities, the Wen family man with the tall coronet lowered his proud head.

"Don't lower your head, or your coronet will fall off," Xu Xiaoshou said with a smile.

"Received curse, passive value, 1."

The Wen family youth didn't dare fight back or even muster the courage to say another word.

The lesson from Xi Yusheng was right there—if you argued with Xu Xiaoshou, not only would you lose the argument, you'd get dragged onto the stage and beaten senseless afterward.

Who could handle that?

Xu Xiaoshou saw that the young man had lost all his fighting spirit and found it utterly boring.

He turned his gaze to the other side.

That should be someone from the Chao family, a young man with decent strength, probably at the half-step Zongshi level.

But as soon as Xu Xiaoshou glanced at him, the guy acted like he'd gone blind, his eyes losing focus as he slipped away, blending into the crowd.

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

"Forget it."

He looked at Fu Xing, shrugged, and said, "I'm invincible."

"Received awe, passive value, 844."

Fu Xing forced a smile, but Xu Xiaoshou's innocent expression just made him more irritated.

He almost couldn't hold back from taking action himself.

"Half an incense stick's time!"

Fu Xing turned to the crowd and announced loudly, "If no one dares to fight in the next half an incense stick's time, Xu Xiaoshou will take the five Bai Ku spots!"

As soon as "five" was mentioned, the crowd erupted in commotion.

But when they saw Xu Xiaoshou's excited gaze at the stir, they immediately fell silent again.

"Damn, this devil!"

"I mean, how is there such a freak? He's fought three matches and doesn't even look tired. Tonight, those five spots are as good as gone..."

No one dared to move.

Amid mutual suspicion, encouragement, and eventual collective silence, the half an incense stick's time passed just like that.

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head, looking helpless as he descended from the sky.

"I don't want to be invincible, but unfortunately, you're all just too weak."

He clasped his hands behind his back and, instead of flying over the crowd, landed directly on the platform below, right in front of everyone.

As people silently grumbled about Xu Xiaoshou's behavior, his sudden appearance made them all scramble to back away in panic.

It was as if he had a one-zhang exclusion zone around him.

Within that zone, no one could stand their ground.

"This guy is leaving, so why not just fly away?"

"What's he doing? Does he plan to walk through here?"

"Received curse, passive value, 422."

"Received curse, passive value, 221."

That was exactly what Xu Xiaoshou had in mind. He cheerfully took a step forward, and the crowd had no choice but to shift aside.

Even if someone stepped on a stranger's foot, no one apologized or complained.

After all, the great demon king Xu was walking through—who would dare speak up?

What if they got dragged away for it?

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Thus, as Xu Xiaoshou moved, a ridiculous scene unfolded below the platform.

Hundreds of people, full of discontent, parted like waves as he passed, dodging him as if he were the plague.

"Damn it!"

"He's so infuriating—how can anyone be this obnoxious?"

Everyone watched as Xu Xiaoshou finally exited the encirclement, and they let out a collective sigh of relief.

But then, he stopped at the edge of the banquet area, paused, and turned back.

"Hmm? It seems like something fell..."

Everyone: ???

What was this guy up to?

"Received suspicion, passive value, 1420."

Under everyone's incredulous stares, Xu Xiaoshou acted as if he'd dropped something, slowly retracing his steps in an S-shaped curve through the crowd, then heading back up the platform.

He tilted his head, thinking for a moment, then showed a look of sudden realization.

"Oh, nothing's lost."

"Fuck!" At that, everyone's hearts felt like they'd been trampled by mythical beasts, their pores tingling as if they were about to explode.

"He's unbearable! That guy must be doing it on purpose."

"I give up on this Xu Xiaoshou. He's got way too much free time!"

The scene was dead silent, but Xu Xiaoshou, seeing another wave of updates on his information panel, knew exactly what was happening.

"Received resentment, passive value, 464."

"Received muttering, passive value, 1089."

"Received hatred, passive value, 1222."

"Heh, sorry to hold everyone up."

Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand and, amid gazes that could kill, continued back the way he came, tracing another S-shaped curve.

Finally, after looping around, he made it back to the banquet area.

"Perfect."

"I've covered everyone."

Xu Xiaoshou was grinning from ear to ear, his smile seemingly permanent.

"Passive value: 111,820."

Just from that loop, he'd gained over 10,000 passive points, nearly hitting 20,000.

Oh my god.

Fighting was nothing compared to this—just one walk had increased his total by a tenth!

If Xu Xiaoshou didn't seize the moment while they were all shocked and angry to pluck this wool, how could he face the folks back home?

Xu Xiaoshou smiled as he passed Fu Xing, patting his stiff shoulder.

Then he saw Shou Ye's stunned, incredulous face and greeted him with a smile.

Next, he spotted Su Qianqian, who now had a smile back, and lightly patted her head.

Finally, he approached Zhang Taiying.

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Xu Xiaoshou."

He said with a smile, without extending his hand, and added, "I killed your son."

Zhang Taiying felt a surge of rage threatening to burst his skull!

With a bang, the wine table he'd barely controlled himself from flipping earlier was suddenly crushed by the pressure of his Wang Zuo aura.

But that overwhelming presence hit Xu Xiaoshou like it was sinking into cotton—completely ineffective.

"First time meeting?"

Zhang Taiying gritted his teeth. "Are you sure?"

"Maybe."

Xu Xiaoshou tilted his head and smiled brightly. "Or maybe in your dreams, I've died hundreds of times already."

The night raid on the Zhang residence was something they both knew but couldn't admit out loud.

In Tiansang City, that was against the rules.

Xu Xiaoshou had always played by the rules and never openly admitted to breaking them.

"Thud!"

Zhang Taiying stood up, and his chair exploded beneath him.

Fu Xing couldn't stay seated any longer.

"Zhang family head, I know there are grudges between you, but tonight is the Bai Ku spot competition. Mind your manners."

Even facing a Wang Zuo, Fu Xing didn't back down.

With his father missing, he was acting as the city lord.

The lord of a city couldn't be intimidated by the head of a single family.

Zhang Taiying turned back and gave Fu Xing a cold glance, not arguing.

Then he took a deep breath.

"Get out!"

The word exploded like a wave, stirring up a gust.

It was as if the heavens were bound by rules, making everyone's clothes flutter.

Xu Xiaoshou remained unfazed and just wagged a finger.

"Bye-bye."

Everyone was stunned.

Zhang Taiying was notoriously powerful—who didn't know that?

Yet Xu Xiaoshou had beef with him too, and after dominating the younger generation, he dared to challenge one of the top figures among the adults.

This left everyone utterly speechless.

"Does this Xu Xiaoshou have a death wish?"

"Does he think beating a few Xiantian peaks means he can leap over the Zongshi three realms and mock a Wang Zuo?"

"He's insane!"

The gap in rank, status, and cultivation left everyone gaping in disbelief.

This confrontation was something they'd never even dreamed of, and here it was, playing out right in front of them.

A Yuan Court realm youth challenging a Wang Zuo?

"What a joke! Is this whole night just a dream for me?"

Someone exclaimed, and everyone nodded in agreement.

No one dared slap their face or pinch their leg to check.

They were afraid that if it was real...

How far ahead had Xu Xiaoshou left them?

Probably beyond reach!

Shou Ye in his red robes watched Xu Xiaoshou's smiling, retreating figure in silence, lost in deep thought.

"This kid is full of contradictions."

"He's so showy, milking every bit of advantage from fights among his peers, flaunting his arrogance and conceit without shame."

"But how can someone so shameless and lacking in character stand before a Wang Zuo with such poise at the Yuan Court realm?"

"This..."

Shou Ye was caught in a strange dilemma.

At first, he looked down on Xu Xiaoshou, but after hearing his intel on the "gray fog people," he wanted to use him.

Later, seeing his prowess, he thought about grooming him as a successor.

But the kid's personality was terrible—overly self-assured and proud.

Shou Ye had lived a long life, and this was the most ridiculous young person he'd ever met.

Loving the spotlight and reveling in it was laughable.

Yet, how could someone like that switch off that ridiculous demeanor and show such unyielding dignity?

"Is this even the same person?"

"Has he been possessed?"

"Which one is the real Xu Xiaoshou?"

Shou Ye was driving himself crazy with these thoughts.

He clutched his head, sat back down, and started chugging wine.

"Damn, tonight's cursed!"

"Xu Xiaoshou."

Mu Zixi watched as Xu Xiaoshou sat down, her little face beaming with uncontainable joy.

After all, her senior brother had soared above all the top talents in Tiansang County, securing three straight victories—more like instant wins—and claiming five Bai Ku spots.

Who wouldn't be thrilled?

Mu Zixi was practically jumping with excitement.

She knew that the entire Tiansang Spirit Palace had only been allocated ten Bai Ku spots.

And Xu Xiaoshou had single-handedly taken half of them.

It was unbelievable.

"Stay calm, don't get too excited yet."

Xu Xiaoshou pressed the ecstatic girl back into her seat.

He sat down and stayed quiet for a while before the crowd's attention finally shifted back to the ongoing fights.

The battle for Bai Ku spots couldn't stop just because of Xu Xiaoshou.

In fact, this great demon's performance had stirred up everyone's inner passion.

They might loathe and hate him, but if they had that kind of power, who wouldn't want to be like Xu the demon king? Who wouldn't want to dominate everything?

With the massive weight lifted from their heads, everyone felt their energy unleashed. Even though the platform was damaged in two spots, they divided into three areas and dove back into the fights.

"Impressive."

Xu Xiaoshou watched the intense battles on one platform and two ruins, feeling a twinge of envy.

He couldn't pull off fights that lasted this long and looked so spectacular.

After all, his battles always ended in an instant kill.

Sometimes, Xu Xiaoshou wondered why he was so strong.

He eventually figured it out—it wasn't that every move of his equaled someone else's trump card.

It was simply because...

He was already invincible.

"Ah, how lonely..."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed softly, leaning back in his chair.

After sighing, he glanced at Mu Zixi, who was rolling her eyes to the sky.

"Aren't you going to fight?"

Mu Zixi was taken aback. She hadn't even considered it.

She was only at the Ju Wu realm.

Even at its peak, given how Xu Xiaoshou had fought earlier, she'd probably be taken out in one move.

Xu Xiaoshou saw right through her worries and encouraged her:

"Don't sell yourself short. Ju Wu peak is already impressive, and with your special explosive wood attribute, plus your vampire fangs..."

Seeing Mu Zixi's glare turn icy, Xu Xiaoshou quickly changed tack.

"Anyway, you're already very strong."

"Not everyone is like Xu Xiaoshou. Go for it!"

"Your shine is just overshadowed by my brilliant moon-like glory. Anywhere else, you could be a star."

Mu Zixi watched as Xu Xiaoshou got more carried away, and she fumed.

He was supposed to be motivating her, but how had it veered off like this?

Couldn't he go without being so self-absorbed?

"Stop."

Mu Zixi covered Xu Xiaoshou's mouth. "I do want to fight, but the situation isn't great right now."

"Hmm?"

Xu Xiaoshou paused, suddenly understanding.

Mu Zixi had just swallowed the "world source point." Even with her unusual constitution absorbing the energy, fully refining it would take time.

In the short term, she couldn't risk fighting recklessly.

If her spiritual energy went haywire, the consequences would be disastrous.

"In that case, play it safe."

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment, then switched topics: "Once you refine that thing, will you become the new..."

He raised an eyebrow.

"World source point?"

"World lord?"

Mu Zixi was horrified.

"Are you trying to get us killed?!"

"Can't you just use telepathy instead of blurting it out?" she transmitted angrily.

Xu Xiaoshou shrugged.

"I'm still learning."

Back when he chatted with Luo Leilei in the pavilion, he'd gotten the "telepathy technique" spiritual skill, but it wasn't in the categories of "swordsmanship," "cooking," or "textiles"—his areas of mastery.

So, learning it was slow...

They dropped the topic. Xu Xiaoshou saw that everyone's attention was back on the platform and stood up.

"I'm heading out for a bit."

"Where to?" Mu Zixi tensed up.

"Outside."

Xu Xiaoshou pointed toward the window.

The girl frowned, hesitating. "Now? Are you about to blow up the city lord's mansion?"

Xu Xiaoshou was startled and flicked her smooth forehead.

"What are you thinking? I'm just going to make some preparations."

"Preparations for what?"

"Didn't I say? Pulling radishes needs someone to do the pulling."

"Who?"

"Never mind, kid. Just wait here and make sure no one follows."

Xu Xiaoshou smiled and turned, slipping away along the wall, out of sight.

Fu Xing was the first to notice Xu Xiaoshou's movement.

He wasn't naive enough to think Xu Xiaoshou was just going to the restroom.

This guy could blow up two platforms and set off fireworks right under his nose.

Out of sight, who knew what chaos he'd cause next in the city lord's mansion?

"Follow him."

Fu Xing whispered an order, and an elder with no presence at all vanished into the shadows.

Shou Ye observed the exchange, surprised.

They'd agreed to be friends, but even for a quick trip, he had to send a Wang Zuo after him?

What kind of friendship was that?

But since he didn't fully get Xu Xiaoshou, he didn't pursue it further.

Zhang Taiying noticed too. He was one of the three who saw Xu Xiaoshou leave.

He was dying to tear the boy apart, but for now, the Bai Ku spots came first.

"Wait until the final challenges end."

He decided in his heart, "Hold back. Tonight, Xu Xiaoshou won't leave the city lord's mansion alive!"

The only ones who noticed the subtle movement were drawn to Xu Xiaoshou's exit.

Completely overlooking that, not long after he left the banquet hall, an unassuming figure from the young observers also slipped away.

Xin Gugu followed the scent and found Xu Xiaoshou behind a dark wall.

Then, the two vanished into thin air.

Soon after, an inconspicuous pebble also faded from view.

"Where did he go?"

Not long after, an old man descended from the sky, looking shocked.

Fu Xing had warned him that the boy was suspicious, so he hadn't followed too closely or locked on with his spiritual sense.

But in that brief moment around the corner, the guy had disappeared?

"Shit, something's off."

"This Xu Xiaoshou..."

"I have to report back to young city lord Fu right away!"

He flashed away, leaving a trace of spiritual sense behind as he retraced his steps.

In the Yuanfu.

Xin Gugu watched Xu Xiaoshou tossing flower seeds to feed fish and cats, and asked, "So, you're making a move?"

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head.

"Not yet."

"Zhang Taiying has recognized me, and you probably didn't escape his notice either."

"But he's no ordinary guy. Even if he wants to chop me to pieces right now, he can still hold back."

"The Bai Ku spots aren't secure yet, so even if I give him a chance, he won't come after me."

Xin Gugu steadied his breath.

Following Xu Xiaoshou, he realized just how thrilling the guy's life was.

A Yuan Court realm plotting against a Wang Zuo—this was unbelievable, even as he was part of it.

Would Zhang Taiying ever suspect it?

Absolutely not!

"What do you plan to do?" he asked seriously.

"Most of it's already set."

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at A-Jie, who was squatting on the ground curiously examining the "corpse" of Xu Xiaoji, and said slowly, "I'll sketch a map of the flower sea for you. Take A-Jie and hide there first."

"Once I lure Zhang Taiying over and lead him there, just signal it—pull him into the domain without anyone noticing, got it?"

Xin Gugu shook his head.

"Noticing is inevitable. There was already an unfamiliar Wang Zuo tailing us earlier—who knows how deep the waters are in this city lord's mansion!"

"I can only maintain it for a short time."

"How long exactly?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"Half a quarter of an hour."

Even saying it made Xin Gugu's scalp tingle.

Assassinating a Wang Zuo with only half a quarter of an hour...

It was next to impossible!

"You'll have half a quarter of an hour at most—maybe less. Go over that, and you'll definitely be detected!"

"Half a quarter of an hour..."

Xu Xiaoshou murmured.

He knew Wang Zuo were tough to kill. The red dog earlier had nearly overwhelmed him with a few techniques, and it was only thanks to that disheveled uncle that he won.

Zhang Taiying was on another level.

War, capture, kill—the difficulty multiplied geometrically.

And tonight, in the city lord's mansion, it was even harder.

"This is our only shot."

"Outside the mansion, it won't be just one Wang Zuo—it'll be the whole Zhang family."

"Delay any longer, and Zhang Taiying will kill me for sure!"

Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth and called, "A-Jie."

"Mama?" A-Jie turned curiously.

"Time to work..."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly noticed Xu Xiaoji on the ground, who wasn't just recovered but seemed to have gained a surge of power.

Yet, even with that power, Xu Xiaoji didn't dare resist.

He just lay there like a fossil in a museum, letting A-Jie examine him.

As Xu Xiaoji had said, this seemed to be another Wang Zuo?

A cowardly one?

Ha, what a joke—Wang Zuo weren't weak!

And in Xu Xiaoshou's Yuanfu, no one got to slack off and play dead!

Xu Xiaoshou teased, "A-Jie, pick up that guy in front of you. Time to work."

Xu Xiaoji: ???

His tightly shut eyes flew open, pupils contracting as two red lights loomed before him.

In that instant, his feet went cold.

"Received curse, passive value, 1."

"Received resentment, passive value, 1."

"Received longing, passive value, 1."