Chapter 461: Team up? Little Fish?

Early morning.

A strong wind arose, and clouds soared high.

The adorable folks who rose early to toil for their livelihood stepped out and immediately sensed something amiss.

In the sky above, roars like swarms of meteors skimming the surface echoed deafeningly.

"What's going on?"

Looking up, they saw tens of thousands of soldiers in silver armor, like divine warriors, speeding through the void.

"Sheng Shen Wei?"

Those with some experience were stunned.

Sheng Shen Wei represented the combat forces from Sheng Shen Dian Tang.

They rarely moved.

When they did, it signaled a major upheaval.

This time, mobilizing tens of thousands of Sheng Shen Wei meant something obvious.

"Is a storm coming?"

The onlookers gazing upward barely had time to relax.

Then, following the disciplined formation of Sheng Shen Wei flying through the sky, came a group in white robes.

Compared to the Sheng Shen Wei ahead, these people were far more relaxed—some lounging, some upside down, some needing help when tired, in all sorts of bizarre poses.

Their numbers were minuscule compared to those ahead, just a few dozens, like a drop in the bucket.

Yet, the crowd below was even more shocked.

"Bai Yi?"

"Heavens, first tens of thousands of Sheng Shen Wei, then over a dozen squads of Bai Yi—what on earth are they up to?"

"This is Dong Yu Jian Shen Tian, not Nan Yu or Bei Yu—it's not that chaotic here!"

"Such a grand display hasn't been seen in decades!"

The early risers on the ground were truly startled by the birds in the sky.

They carried daily necessities, fresh vegetables, and various cultivation supplies, but now they stood frozen, exchanging uneasy glances.

"They're heading toward Dong Tian Jie," someone murmured.

"What's happening in Dong Tian Jie? I thought the Dong Tian Wang Cheng trial was still months away?"

"That's true, but don't forget the recent rumors about 'Bai Ku' and 'You Si Jian'?"

"You Si Jian? The sword of the eighth Jian Xian? Is that real?"

The person nearby fell silent.

Even though most dismissed it as just another rumor,

Even with Hong Yi's testimony, the distance was too great, and only a few were motivated enough to act.

But seeing the Bai Yi on patrol now, perhaps something extraordinary, a once-in-a-century event, was really unfolding in Dong Tian Jie?

"Look! That's—"

As the crowd pondered, a call drew their eyes to the final figure in the sky.

This was a middle-aged swordsman in a light blue robe, with flowing black hair and an otherworldly air.

He wore a blue-white headband, had sharp sword-like brows, a straight nose, and eyes that held a subtle, muted glow, as if he had witnessed endless worldly sorrows.

What drew the most attention wasn't just his ethereal swordsman demeanor, but the golden-pink, three-foot sword on his back.

This sword was strikingly vibrant, with faint pink tones mixed with gold flecks; its sheath, guard, and hilt were extravagantly carved with a hundred demonic figures, dominating the scene.

He moved with sword in tow, shrinking the distance with each step, though his strides were short, he stayed perfectly at the end of the group, no matter how fast those ahead went.

"Buzz—"

As he passed over the city, nearly all the swords of the sword cultivators below hummed in unison.

The majestic sound was like welcoming the true lord of the sword path.

"No way, am I dreaming?"

Some sword cultivators gripped their swords, tears welling up.

"In my lifetime, I get to see the true face of the seventh Jian Xian?"

"Seventh Jian Xian?"

Those nearby who weren't swordsmen were terrified. "That's the seventh Jian Xian?"

"Are you blind? Who else could it be but Wu Yue Jian Xian from the seven Jian Xian?"

The sword cultivators were furious, as if in Dong Yu, not recognizing the legendary seven Jian Xian was a grave offense.

"Even if you don't know the person, that sword on his back—don't tell me you don't recognize it?"

"That's—"

"You idiot!"

"How have you survived in Dong Yu? This is Jian Shen Tian—do us a favor and drop dead, okay?!"

"That's the seventh on the Ming Jian Bang, Nu Lan Zhi Sheng!"

"The demonic sword—you've never heard of it?"

"Heavens, that's the demonic sword..."

After this explanation, those still clueless were collectively stunned.

Among the twenty-one famous swords, only a few were truly renowned.

Most dated back to ancient times.

Their fame and stories were only vaguely known through history books or elders' tales.

But the demonic sword was different!

"Nu Lan Zhi Sheng—if I remember right, the last wielder was the legendary..."

The speaker, even if not a swordsman, trembled at the name.

"Eighth Jian Xian?"

"Exactly, the eighth Jian Xian!"

Below, everyone flushed with excitement, their discussions reaching a peak.

"The eighth Jian Xian roamed for three years with five swords: four famous ones and one Chaos Shen Qi."

"Nu Lan Zhi Sheng is the most famous besides 'Qing Ju' and 'You Si Jian'."

"Tian Gao Yi Chi Ba Zun An, Ban Ba Qing Ju Shui Gan Dang? Feng Lan Yao Ying Wu Cong Mi, Ye Ban Ge Hun Sheng Sheng Han..."

Someone recited with a nostalgic expression: "The last two lines are about the demonic sword, Nu Lan Zhi Sheng!"

"Yes, Tian Gao Yi Chi Ba Zun An... That line brings me back to that era."

"Back when the eighth Jian Xian had only 'Qing Ju' and 'Nu Lan Zhi Sheng', he could already dominate Dong Yu with his sword..."

"Whew!"

"Getting up early today was totally worth it. In my lifetime, I get to see the real seventh Jian Xian and the shadow of the demonic sword... I can die content tonight!"

"Huh?"

"Damn, old sir, old sir, what's wrong? Get up quick!"

Gou Wuyue shook his head with a faint smile.

He knew that even as one of the seven Jian Xian, holding a position as the master of Sheng Shen Dian Tang, and bearing the demonic sword Nu Lan Zhi Sheng,

Whenever he was mentioned, the conversation quickly veered off course.

"Ba Zun An, oh Ba Zun An..."

He sighed softly, touching the demonic sword on his back, feeling its slight tremble.

Gou Wuyue narrowed his eyes, which turned cold, tearing open the void to gaze into the distant unknown.

"So, are you still out there?"

"Senior Wu Yue!"

From ahead, a Bai Yi cupped his fists and stopped.

"Speak."

Gou Wuyue released Nu Lan Zhi Sheng.

The Bai Yi straightened up respectfully. "We've indeed detected the traces of the 'Sheng Nu' storyteller again. That guy really fled to Dong Yu. Your judgment was spot on, senior."

Gou Wuyue chuckled lightly. "'Sheng Nu' had three bases in Zhong Yu. Over a decade ago, I wiped out one and killed everyone except the leader."

"Now, those guys have gotten cautious."

"The moment they heard a whisper, they scattered and fled Zhong Yu entirely. We hadn't even drawn our swords, and they were gone."

"Heh, they've improved."

The Bai Yi laughed at that. "Just stray dogs, that's all."

Gou Wuyue advised, "Keep tracking them. Remember, the moment you find him, he'll detect you too."

"He might already be using diversion tactics, so don't fully trust your Ling Ji."

"Understood."

"And..."

Gou Wuyue paused, a hint of doubt in his eyes. "Bai Ku?"

The Bai Yi was taken aback.

He wasn't sure what Wu Yue meant, but he responded cleverly. "Yes, our mission is Bai Ku."

"'You Si Jian' reemerged there. Senior, are you worried about something?"

Gou Wuyue shook his head gently.

"You Si Jian" wasn't his main concern.

His true purpose in heading to Dong Yu was to uproot the second "Sheng Nu" base in Zhong Yu.

If he could capture that storyteller leader, it would be a great achievement.

But now, all clues pointed to Bai Ku...

Involuntarily, Gou Wuyue raised his hand and touched his chest.

Over a decade ago in that battle, it wasn't that he was powerless—or that Sheng Nu's second-in-command had escaped early.

Quite the opposite; he had fought and let him slip away.

"Wu Xiu·Chi Jiao Shou..."

Through his clothes, Gou Wuyue seemed to feel the scarred, unhealed wound on his chest.

Could that guy be here?

He slowly lifted his head, staring into the distance, and asked softly, "Xiao Yi, do you know what else came out of Bai Ku besides You Si Jian?"

"What?"

The Bai Yi man called Xiao Yi asked in confusion.

Gou Wuyue sighed.

"Of course not—you're all too young to have encountered it."

"Hundreds of years ago, that place had another extradimensional space outbreak. But it was too dangerous, so it was quickly sealed, and the intel was locked down."

"Back then, it wasn't called Bai Ku."

"That was..." Xiao Yi still didn't understand.

"Jin Zhao Yu Hai."

Xiao Yi's pupils shrank. "One of the seven Duan Jin?"

The seven Duan Jin were the most terrifying forbidden zones on the continent.

They were frightening because of their recurring nature.

Even if sealed, they could break free and reopen.

And these zones could reappear anywhere without pattern.

One time in Dong Yu, the next in Zhong Yu, or even the other three regions.

Each time, the danger increased.

They were nearly impossible to guard against!

However, two consecutive openings in the same spot had never happened.

So, saying "Bai Ku" was an enhanced version of "Jin Zhao Yu Hai" was baseless.

At least, according to Hong Yi's assessments, Bai Ku's difficulty was moderate, aside from "You Si Jian."

Thinking of this, Xiao Yi suddenly understood why a sword like "You Si Jian" had appeared in mere Bai Ku.

Perhaps it wasn't originally from Bai Ku.

It might have been used to suppress the previous extradimensional space, Jin Zhao Yu Hai.

"Right, one of the seven Duan Jin."

Gou Wuyue pulled himself from his memories. "Sheng Gong's Jin Zhao Ban Sheng came from there."

He slowly lowered his hand from his chest, feeling the lingering aura, and sighed.

"Hope it's not like that."

"But it feels all too similar..."

Bai Ku.

"Sizzle—"

The scorching air made the ground steam with dry fog.

The place was barren, the soil parched and infertile.

Even the air carried an indescribable heat.

Breathing it for too long burned the insides of one's throat.

"Cough, cough."

Xu Xiao Shou barely regained his senses before coughing from the irritation.

His "Breathing Method" had a habit of indiscriminately absorbing external Ling Qi.

He quickly filtered it with his Ling Yuan, feeling a bit better.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Behind him came violent coughing, as if someone was hacking up a lung.

Clearly, everyone was caught off guard and suffering.

Xu Xiao Shou, as a Zong Shi, was only slightly affected.

The one behind was truly tormented.

"Little junior sister, you're really not holding up well..."

Xu Xiao Shou turned back with a smile, ready to tease.

But his eyes froze.

"You're..."

The veiled woman with starry eyes behind him—wasn't that Yu Zhiwen?

But!

Xu Xiao Shou was baffled.

What about Mu Zi Xi?

And A Jie, Xin Gu Gu?

Weren't those three following him?

Yu Zhiwen had entered earlier— what was going on?

"Random teleportation?"

Realizing this, Xu Xiao Shou's heart sank.

This was too unfair!

He had four Ling Long Stones, and they still got scattered.

Then what was the point of summoning A Jie early to avoid a sneak attack?

Thinking of A Jie, Xu Xiao Shou's heart plummeted further.

"It's over!"

If it was random teleportation, A Jie must have separated from Xin Gu Gu and Mu Zi Xi.

The latter two were fine—one was a big shot with self-protection, the other was mysterious and probably safe if not provoking trouble.

But A Jie was different—a ticking time bomb. If he met a fighter, he might get wiped out.

If he ran into Hong Yi or Bai Yi...

"Damn it!"

Xu Xiao Shou had planned everything except this overlooked detail.

"So, Elder Qiao made me team leader... Ling Gong should have some spirit tool for communication inside Bai Ku, right?"

Thinking of communication tools, Xu Xiao Shou first tried the message jade slip from Jiao Tang Tang.

"Beep—"

Busy signal.

Obviously, it didn't work in extradimensional spaces.

"Heh."

Xu Xiao Shou sighed skyward, giving up the struggle.

Bai Ku hadn't even started, and he was already outmaneuvered?

Forget it.

With "Perception," he could manage. From now on, just go with the flow and find them.

"Hello, do you need any help?"

Regaining his composure, Xu Xiao Shou looked at the woman in front of him.

Yu Zhiwen didn't seem well.

Her cultivation wasn't high—seemed like Zong Shi fluctuations, but actually just Xian Tian peak.

Probably like Zhang Xin Xiong, suppressed at that level.

Based on Xu Xiao Shou's experience, he saw it at a glance.

Xian Tian peak, and already struggling in Bai Ku?

"Cough, cough..."

She didn't reply, glanced at Xu Xiao Shou, and lowered her head.

But then, as if startled, her head twitched, and she looked up again.

"Cough, cough, cough!!!"

"Suspected, passive value +1."

Xu Xiao Shou: "..."

Am I that scary?

"Xu Xiao Shou?"

Yu Zhiwen's heart tightened.

Was this fate or a curse?

Of all people, Xu Xiao Shou got teleported right to her?

"Are you okay?"

Xu Xiao Shou hesitated, then decided to act like a gentleman and show basic concern for a woman, stepping forward to ask,

"I see you're breathing heavily—want to take off the veil for some air?"

Yu Zhiwen was stunned. "Cough, cough, cough!"

"Cursed, passive value +1."

"No need."

"Really no need?"

"No."

Yu Zhiwen could barely speak.

But she responded out of basic courtesy and fear.

"What a shame..."

Xu Xiao Shou sighed, grabbed her hand, and sent his Ling Yuan probing in.

"What are you... cough, cough!"

Yu Zhiwen nearly choked in anger.

"Startled, passive value +1."

"What's there to fear? I'm not going to eat you. Why so timid?"

"Timid, yet you entered Bai Ku? And dared to recklessly absorb the Ling Qi here?"

Xu Xiao Shou figured it out with one check.

She wasn't fire-attribute; she was the opposite, yin-soft constitution.

But her body had an absurdly high amount of violent fire elements—far more than from normal breathing.

Clearly, she'd tried cultivating with the Ling Qi here as soon as she arrived.

The answer was obvious: it didn't work.

"Should I say you're dedicated or foolish?"

Xu Xiao Shou chuckled, pulling her hand to his mouth.

"You!"

"Feared, passive value +1."

Yu Zhiwen was terrified.

Her wide eyes were full of panic, even her ears turned red.

The worst had happened.

She was alone with Xu Xiao Shou.

Alone was bad enough, but he was up to no good?

No good, and he had her hand pinned—she couldn't pull away!

"Resisted, passive value +1."

"Hiss!"

But Xu Xiao Shou just took a quick suck, then let go of her hand.

"You, let go..."

Yu Zhiwen felt her thoughts were completely out of sync.

He'd released her hand, and only now was she speaking.

But as she did, she noticed something different in her body.

Probing with her Ling Yuan, the wild fire energy particles she'd absorbed but couldn't refine were gone.

"Huh?"

What kind of trick was this?

Yu Zhiwen blinked in confusion.

She was totally lost.

Xu Xiao Shou sighed.

"I'm a good person—you don't have to be so afraid."

"Meeting by chance is fate. I helped ease your pain, so don't do anything reckless again, okay?"

Yu Zhiwen's face flushed, realizing he knew her foolish mistake.

"Mm."

She replied so softly it was almost inaudible.

"So refreshing."

Xu Xiao Shou savored it.

"Urk!"

Yu Zhiwen turned her head away, her neck reddening, mind blank and speechless.

"Team up, Xiao Yu?"

Xu Xiao Shou invited.

"Mm."

"Huh?" She absentmindedly agreed, then realized her mistake.

How did he switch topics so fast?

"I don't—"

"You don't want to team with me?"

Xu Xiao Shou's face darkened. "I helped you, no strings attached, and you're acting like nothing happened?"

"So you're that kind of person..."

"I'm not!" Yu Zhiwen felt like crying.

She wished Cheng Xing Chu was here!

She couldn't handle Xu Xiao Shou alone!

"So, you do want to team with me?"

"...Mm." Yu Zhiwen felt wronged.

Xu Xiao Shou's eyes lit up. "Bai Ku is unfamiliar territory. Meeting is fate, so I agree to team with you."

Yu Zhiwen: ???

When did this become about me wanting to team with you?

She parted her lips slightly, suddenly realizing he'd flipped the narrative.

Forget it.

Stay quiet.

Yu Zhiwen knew her limits. Could she outargue him?

Better behave.

Yu Zhiwen was exhausted.

"Cursed, passive value +1."

Xu Xiao Shou patted her shoulder.

"Good, we're comrades in arms now."

Yu Zhiwen flinched in fear and quickly stepped back.

She didn't speak, just stood there, her big eyes staring at him, trying to make him uncomfortable.

Xu Xiao Shou paused, staring back.

"Why are you looking at me?"

"You want me to take off the veil?"

"Deal—one for one, you take yours off too."

"No." Yu Zhiwen panicked and stepped forward to stop him.

But he was faster, lifting his straw hat and revealing his face.

It was lean but angular, sunny.

His smile was bright, but also troublesome and challenging.

Yu Zhiwen's hand froze in mid-air.

Any further, and it would be touching his face.

She bit her lip, tears nearly spilling.

"That's not what I meant."

"What?"

Xu Xiao Shou widened his eyes, smile fading. "I took mine off—why not yours? You're tricking me?"

"I..."

Yu Zhiwen pulled back, protecting her face. "I..."

"Need help?"

"No, no, no." She recoiled in terror, jumping back dozens of yards.

Glancing around, Xu Xiao Shou was gone from his spot.

Her spiritual sense showed a shocking scene.

Xu Xiao Shou was right beside her, slowly reaching out...

"Ah—"

Her scream echoed, stirring the dust on the ground.

"Shocked, passive value +1."

Xu Xiao Shou jumped back in surprise.

"Just kidding."

"Little girl, with such a small heart, how did Sheng Shen Dian Tang let you out alone?"

Xu Xiao Shou eyed her tightly covered veil suspiciously. "You're not some cliché princess or saintess who got bored at home and sneaked out, are you?"

"I'm not!"

Yu Zhiwen's response was firm.

However.

"Deceived, passive value +1."