Chapter 476: The Land of Nurturing Saints

“Senior Wuyue, what did you see?”

Bai Yi Chang Yi stopped beside Gou Wuyue.

The main group was still heading toward the Bai Ku in Dongtianjie.

He had noticed the sudden surge of sword intent from Gou Wuyue at the rear of the team, which made him pause.

“Nothing.”

Gou Wuyue silently withdrew his gaze without saying more.

Doubts lingered in his heart.

Just a glance earlier, and he seemed to sense a very familiar aura.

“Xukong Dao?”

“Are those guys planning to make another desperate attempt?”

He pondered silently.

Yet, on the surface, Gou Wuyue showed no sign of disturbance.

This information was beyond the clearance level even for someone of Chang Yi’s high rank.

“Is that the direction of Bai Ku?”

He pointed toward the spot he had glimpsed through the boundary and asked.

Chang Yi was taken aback.

Because the direction the main group was advancing was completely opposite to where Gou Wuyue was pointing.

“This…”

“Probably?”

“I need to ask Da Sheng.”

“Da Sheng!”

Without delay, he turned back and called out, and immediately, a black, chubby man holding a spirit disk flew over from the middle of the team.

“Senior Wuyue.”

First, he bowed respectfully, then Da Sheng looked at Chang Yi. “What’s up?”

“The direction of Bai Ku?”

Chang Yi pointed to the spot Gou Wuyue had indicated.

Da Sheng furrowed his brow, took out the spirit disk, and began to calculate.

“That’s right.”

After a while, he confirmed, “We’re heading to Dongtianjie now, but we have to pass through Dongtian Wangcheng and use the teleportation array there to get there faster.”

“It might look like the direction doesn’t match our path, but the Tianluo Disk shows it’s normal. Why do you ask?”

Da Sheng was puzzled—why the sudden question about the direction of Bai Ku?

Gou Wuyue nodded silently upon hearing this.

He roughly understood.

So, those guys were trying to stir up trouble using the opening of Bai Ku as a cover?

Fortunately, the dimensional fluctuations of Xukong Dao couldn’t escape his notice.

After hundreds of years of failed attempts, they still hadn’t given up?

“They want to break out again…”

Gou Wuyue murmured with a furrowed brow.

Looking at the team in front of him, he suddenly felt a headache coming on.

This group was originally here for the Shengnu.

But if the matter of Xukong Dao was added to it, they might not be up to the task.

“Senior Wuyue, is something wrong?”

Da Sheng asked cautiously.

By now, anyone could see that Gou Wuyue had noticed something unusual.

Chang Yi anxiously grabbed Da Sheng’s sleeve.

He had already asked Gou Wuyue about it.

Since he didn’t want to answer, it meant they weren’t yet qualified to know.

Asking again would just make them seem foolish.

Fortunately, it was Gou Wuyue in front of them.

He wasn’t angry, but he didn’t directly answer Da Sheng’s question either. Instead, he said gravely, “Send a message to Cang Sheng.”

“Cang Sheng?”

Chang Yi and Da Sheng both felt a shock in their hearts.

Cang Sheng was one of the three emperors overseeing the headquarters of Shengshen Hall, with status almost on par with the Dao Hall Master.

The issue Senior Wuyue had just discovered required getting Cang Sheng prepared?

What exactly had happened?

They hadn’t noticed a thing.

“What should the message say?”

Da Sheng asked seriously.

At that moment, he didn’t dare relax at all.

Gou Wuyue chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal. Just tell him to be prepared—in case things change, we might need his single arrow.”

“A single arrow!”

The two Bai Yi trembled instantly, staring at Gou Wuyue in shock.

A single arrow?

This discovery not only required Cang Sheng to prepare but also his arrow?

And he called that not a big deal?

This was basically a world-shaking event!

“Understood.”

After a brief moment of astonishment, Da Sheng lowered his head obediently, not daring to discuss it further.

This level of affair was way beyond his clearance.

He felt annoyed with himself for asking so casually.

“Senior, do you have any other instructions? If not…”

Da Sheng was already eager to go and deliver the message.

Matters of this caliber made him uneasy even with a moment’s delay.

“Wait a moment.”

Gou Wuyue waved his hand to stop him, hesitated briefly, and said, “Also, have Yu Ling Di bring some people over.”

Yu Ling Di?

Chang Yi and Da Sheng exchanged a stealthy glance, their hearts filled with panic.

Yu Ling Di, the head of the Ling Department, one of the six departments of Shengshen Hall, needed to come personally?

Senior Wuyue, what on earth have you discovered?!

“Understood.”

Da Sheng responded repeatedly, suddenly realizing his voice was trembling.

Gou Wuyue saw their panic and smiled. “No need to panic. It’s just in case. Maybe nothing will be needed in the end.”

“Of course, it’s best if nothing is needed.”

“Yu Ling Di is just staying in the Ling Department… He doesn’t have much to do anyway. This is a chance for him to get out and about.”

This warm, soothing smile instantly calmed the two Bai Yi’s minds.

Looking at the man before them with his slightly graying hair and sword on his back, they suddenly felt the world grow peaceful.

That’s right!

This expedition already had one of the “Seven Sword Immortals,” Gou Wuyue, leading the way.

In this world,

what place couldn’t they reach?

What matter was there to fear?

Panicking like this was truly ridiculous!

“Go ahead.”

Gou Wuyue waved them off with a smile, like a kind elder.

His gentle expression made people feel at ease.

“Shengnu.”

“Xukong Dao.”

Watching them leave, he turned back to gaze toward Bai Ku, narrowing his eyes slightly. “And Bai Ku…”

He stared intently for a long time before lowering his head in silent thought.

An impractical idea began to take root.

But he found it utterly absurd.

“A coincidence? Everything coming together like this.”

“But these two shouldn’t have any connection, right?”

His mind was in slight turmoil.

The demonic sword Nulan on his back trembled spiritually with a buzz.

As the hum faded, Gou Wuyue lifted his head again, his eyes now calm.

“Don’t worry.”

He gently patted the sword’s hilt, assuring it he was fine, then looked down at the multitude below, his gaze filled with quiet resolve.

No matter how the heavenly path turns, what storms may come?

I, Gou Wuyue, have but this one sword.

One sword to bring peace!

Whoosh.

The illusion shattered.

Xu Xiaoshou returned to reality.

The scene felt like a fleeting dream, leaving him dazed.

“A saint granting a sword?”

“Sword intent breaking boundaries?”

This baffling state left Xu Xiaoshou feeling dizzy.

Yet, the dry, cracked skin on his body told a different story.

A gust of wind blew, and his sweat-drenched clothes clung tightly to him.

Xu Xiaoshou realized at once.

This wasn’t an illusion.

What had happened was real.

He had truly been noticed by a saint!

But…

“This saint seems a bit unreliable.”

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated.

If he had heard correctly, that saint hadn’t even stated his purpose before fleeing in panic.

And that final “clang” sound was probably the noise of forgotten chains.

He knew it all too well!

From what he had heard last,

even as the vast white world collapsed, that heavy chain rattle was still piercingly clear in his “perception.”

However,

“This is too absurd!”

“A imprisoned… half-saint?”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly thought he might have misheard.

In this world, Tai Xu was already the peak of power, and whether half-saints even existed was a vague legend.

Not to mention encountering one, and in such a wretched state.

How could anyone believe what he had seen was real?

“Hearing is deceptive, and seeing isn’t always truth.”

“Forget it!”

His intuition told him that if he took this seriously, he might plunge into another unknown vortex.

Xu Xiaoshou instinctively chose to forget.

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt a faint pain in his head.

Upon checking,

in his Yuanfu, there was now an extra white, scorching light bead.

“This is…”

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized this must be what the wretched saint had left after pointing at him.

Perhaps all the words the saint hadn’t had time to say were in here?

“This…”

Xu Xiaoshou panicked even more.

If he could choose to forget, he’d definitely end it all.

But now, there was this unknown object in his mind…

“First a sword thought, now a white bead—am I some kind of storage jar?”

Xu Xiaoshou wanted to cry.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to touch the white bead or just leave it alone.

“Xu Xiaoshou?”

“Xu Xiaoshou, are you okay?”

A few calls pulled him back to reality.

He snapped out of it and saw everyone around staring at him.

But apart from looking, there seemed to be no other reactions.

Even Shou Ye…

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Shou Ye.

The old man was just staring back at him oddly.

“So, none of that was noticed by even Zhan Dao?”

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked.

That wretched saint must really be a half-saint!

Otherwise, how could he do something right under the strongest fighter here without being detected?

If he wanted my life, he could end it in an instant?

“Huff.”

“Overthinking it. A being like that probably wouldn’t even bat an eye at my life and death, let alone kill me personally.”

Xu Xiaoshou gave himself a pep talk, then looked at Gu Qing San and said, “I’m fine, just a bit dizzy.”

“How long was I spaced out?” he asked.

“Just a few breaths.”

Gu Qing San asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

A few breaths…

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked again.

Never mind the eons he felt in that small world, just the conversation with the wretched saint alone wasn’t just a few breaths.

Was this true control over time?

Xu Xiaoshou exhaled lightly, momentarily speechless.

“Relax.”

Gu Qing San comforted him, “Your enlightenment time was actually short. I remember my second senior brother took even longer when his famous sword recognized him—he pushed his grandmaster intent to his peak and even comprehended the Void Condensation Sword Technique.”

“What you experienced is more like a loss—you were too quick, not enough time.”

“But then again,” he said with a smug smile, “not everyone is like my senior brother. You managing to get the sword to recognize you is already great!”

Xu Xiaoshou turned his gaze to the famous sword in his hand.

Recognition…

Though the phenomena seemed interrupted by someone, and even the enlightenment was cut short,

after a drop of blood, Xu Xiaoshou still felt the intimate connection with Yanmang fully established.

It was as if the sword had become an extension of his arm.

Wherever he wanted it to appear, it would be there.

Whatever action he wanted, it would perform.

And because of the sword’s spirituality, this bond felt even closer than with Zang Ku.

After all, their levels were incomparable.

Buzz!

With just a thought in his mind, Yanmang flew into the sky.

After a sudden stop, a burst of scorching red energy exploded, heating the air instantly and distorting even the void.

“A famous sword!”

“So this is a famous sword…”

Everyone was stirred by the sudden display.

Staring at Yanmang swirling in the void, continuously releasing its molten energy, the crowd felt envious.

“Envy received, passive value +252.”

“Jealousy received, passive value +213.”

“What a fine sword.”

Gu Qing Er looked up, genuinely admiring it.

His eyes were full of appreciation, but not a trace of greed.

If the sword were unclaimed, he’d fight to the death for it.

But now that it had chosen Xu Xiaoshou,

perhaps its discernment was sharper than anyone else’s here!

Glancing at Xu Xiaoshou, who was staring dumbly at the sword in the sky, Gu Qing Er chuckled.

“Little junior brother, let’s go.”

“Ah? Oh.”

Gu Qing San was startled, turned back, and saw his second senior brother already flying away without looking back.

“It’s time to continue Master’s task…”

Gu Qing San sighed helplessly and flew after him.

“Everyone, disperse.”

As everyone watched Xu Xiaoshou directing Yanmang with delight,

some indeed had ideas.

But as soon as they glanced at Shou Ye beside Xu Xiaoshou, their hearts sank.

What was the point of having ideas?

With a red robe here, forget snatching it—even getting close would be impossible!

Plus, Xu Xiaoshou wasn’t weak to begin with, and now with the famous sword’s boost…

“Disperse!”

The crowd scattered like birds, leaving a few reluctant ones who glanced back repeatedly.

But they didn’t linger.

Although Bai Ku would only be open for a few months, if the red robe’s task was completed early, all trial-takers inside would likely have to leave prematurely.

So, every second here was precious.

They couldn’t waste their valuable time just staring at a famous sword when there were so many resources in Bai Ku.

After all,

how long had they been in Bai Ku?

A famous sword had already appeared—so how far could the next one be?

“Hey, don’t go!”

Xu Xiaoshou was still playing with Yanmang when he noticed the crowd thinning out, and he called out anxiously, “The famous sword’s gone, but I still have Linglong Stones! I’m the specialist seller—come over!”

He pulled out a handful of Linglong Stones, but no one paid attention.

Xu Xiaoshou was too infuriating.

Even in Bai Ku, where Linglong Stones were a great lifesaver,

at that moment, no one wanted to exchange a word with him.

“curse received, passive value +241.”

Xu Xiaoshou disappointedly put the Linglong Stones away.

Looking around, the once crowded area was now left with only Shou Ye and one fish, Zhi Wen.

“So deserted…”

Xu Xiaoshou hated having few people around.

There was no wool to pluck—it was truly frustrating.

“Senior Shou Ye…”

As he looked at Shou Ye, about to speak, the other waved a hand. “Wait.”

The red robe then gazed into the distance.

“Lu Ke!”

A stern shout.

Xu Xiaoshou jumped.

He’d never heard the old man use such a forceful tone!

Then, through his “perception,” he saw a hooded young figure in the crowd that hadn’t fully dispersed shudder violently before flying away even faster.

“This is…”

Xu Xiaoshou was surprised.

If he remembered correctly, aside from the sword duo, the only one who gave him a sense of threat was this seemingly youthful boy.

Xu Xiaoshou could feel that ancient sword cultivator aura from him.

This guy was definitely not as simple as he appeared.

Even without any interaction,

after what had just happened, Xu Xiaoshou no longer dared to doubt his instincts.

“Is he also a sword cultivator?”

Xu Xiaoshou asked.

Shou Ye nodded with a scoff. “A mischievous one. He dared to escape—thinks he can ignore the rules just because of his master. He’s in for it when he gets back!”

Escape…

Master…

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. “A red robe?”

“A junior red robe,” Shou Ye nodded.

After a pause, he looked at Xu Xiaoshou and said, “One of those in the red robe ranks undergoing trials, with a good chance of succession.”

Xu Xiaoshou felt the intense gaze and felt a bit uneasy.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Shou Ye smirked. “Perhaps you’ll meet him someday.”

“No way.”

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head firmly.

Shou Ye didn’t respond, just sighed.

He knew Xu Xiaoshou still wasn’t very interested in organizations like the red robes.

But that was fine.

Some people are born with a strong sense of justice.

Most lack it because they haven’t seen the world’s cruelty yet.

Once they gain power and the ability to solve problems,

when faced with tough choices,

human morality will force them to decide.

No one can avoid choosing.

Even if the choice is agonizing!

Having seen through Xu Xiaoshou’s mindset and knowing he was opposed to the ghost beasts, Shou Ye no longer hid anything from the young man before him.

“The door to the red robes is always open to you.”

He said solemnly.

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

Even Zhi Wen on the side widened her eyes in surprise.

Though Shou Ye’s actions had hinted at it,

directly inviting an outsider like this, and a young one at that, without going through the Shengshen Hall system…

Zhi Wen thought that even she had never seen anything like it!

“I…”

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated; he hadn’t expected Shou Ye to lay it all out so directly.

Thinking of Tan Shen still lounging in his Yuanfu,

he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

It would be a lie to say he didn’t like the red robes or envy their privileges.

Xu Xiaoshou had even fantasized about joining when he first heard of the Bai Yi and red robes.

Just look at how Shou Ye’s countdown had scared off the ghost beast Hei Ming.

If he joined, he’d be incredibly imposing!

But was this really right for him?

Xu Xiaoshou asked himself again.

If it came to truly following the path of power, even in the red robes, how many could teach him?

Not even Shou Ye.

In contrast, the “Shengnu” path—when Luo Leilei and the masked one invited him that day, he might have been better off accepting right away.

At least, in terms of swordsmanship, the masked one’s few pointers would keep him learning for a long time.

As for justice…

Xu Xiaoshou had his own sense of justice.

He revered power but would never commit atrocities for it.

Just as he disliked the masked one slaughtering the Su family leaders for a famous sword.

Or the red robes opting for total extermination of ghost beasts in the name of justice without question.

“I’ll think about it?”

Xu Xiaoshou looked up at Shou Ye, his gaze cautious.

He feared the old man might suddenly lose his temper, slap him, and force his head down, yelling, “I’ve spoken—will you join or not!”

Clearly, Shou Ye wasn’t that irrational yet.

He smiled and said, “I know you’re still considering, so my offer is that the door to the red robes is always open to you.”

“As long as you’re not on our opposite side, with your abilities, I believe you’d shine even in our ranks.”

“Of course, this consideration has a time limit.”

“How long?” Xu Xiaoshou asked.

“Half a year.”

Shou Ye replied, “I’ll give you half a year at most.”

“Why half a year? Not a year, or ten?” Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes widened, and he stepped back. “Why not round it up?”

Shou Ye chuckled dismissively.

“I’m giving you half a year because you might still have a chance for the Shenggong Trial. If you pass that, it’d be even better than joining the red robes.”

“This is for your future… and you want ten years!”

Shou Ye was annoyed and swung a palm, but the guarded Xu Xiaoshou dodged it. He glared. “You’ve got some nerve—I don’t even know if I have ten years left!”

“The Shenggong Trial?”

Xu Xiaoshou was surprised. What trial could be better than joining the red robes?

This was one of the two peak authorities on the continent!

Wait, Shenggong?

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly remembered—Sang Lao had mentioned Shenggong?

And there was a big lake there—from where that old man had cultivated Jin Zhao Tian Fen?

“What’s the Shenggong Trial?”

Now Zhi Wen was the one baffled.

“You don’t know about Shenggong?”

“I know it, but not well.” Xu Xiaoshou turned to her.

Zhi Wen blinked her starry eyes, clearly taken aback. “Weren’t you suppressing your cultivation for this trial?”

Xu Xiaoshou sensed her innate peak aura.

He suddenly thought of Cheng Xingchu and many other young people who were clearly capable of breaking through to grandmaster but were holding back.

Like the late Zhang Xin Xiong…

He suddenly understood and turned back to Shou Ye. “Is Shenggong really better than the red robes?”

Shou Ye smiled lightly, amused by the question.

“Of course.” He affirmed.

“One is an organization of veterans fighting on the front lines, honing themselves through bloodshed.”

“The other is a true sanctuary for the youth.”

“How can they be compared?”

“A sanctuary?” Xu Xiaoshou was puzzled.

“Ever heard of half-saints?” Shou Ye asked suddenly.

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself, of course—I might have just met one.

But he wouldn’t say that.

“Half-saints… legends, right? Who hasn’t heard?”

He shrugged.

Shou Ye shook his head with a smile. “Half-saints aren’t legends. Shenggong has real half-saints, and more than one!”

“It’s the ultimate destination for prodigies and heirs of great families across the continent, the true inheritance of the sacred path.”

“A sanctuary, a sanctuary.”

“What it nurtures are genuine half-saints, even saints!”