Chapter 477: A Map?

“Holy Emperor?”

Xu Xiaoshou’s heart suddenly felt a chill.

Even the Semi-Sage realm was already a legend.

Could there really be such a person as the Holy Emperor in this world?

If so, that would no longer be human, but a divine being transcending the Heavenly Dao!

Shou Ye nodded and said,

“Yes, it’s the Holy Emperor.”

“However, even with Sheng Palace’s centuries of heritage, there has never been a rumored Holy Emperor appearing in the outside world.”

“And information about Sheng Palace is essentially not public.”

“Therefore, if you want to understand the so-called Holy Emperor realm, perhaps the only way is to go there yourself.”

Shou Ye smiled faintly.

Sheng Palace was a force that stood above the continent, almost like a paradise in the Spirit Refining Realm, something ordinary people could never reach.

Even as a Dao Slayer and a Red Cloak, his knowledge of Sheng Palace was still only superficial.

“Holy Emperor…”

Xu Xiaoshou was immersed in this invincible title, unable to extricate himself for a long time.

If he could reach that height,

Then those so-called powerful schemes would just be like children playing house, right?

“What is Sheng Palace like?”

He was full of curiosity.

“That’s something you’ll have to prepare for yourself. If you can get in, I won’t need to explain.”

“If you can’t get in, saying more would be useless.” Shou Ye replied.

Xu Xiaoshou asked again, “So, how can I enter Sheng Palace?”

“The Sheng Palace Trial!”

Shou Ye explained, “But before that, you need to secure a spot in the Sheng Palace Trial, which is the selection competition held in Dong Tian Wang City in about a few months. The exact date isn’t set yet.”

“What are the conditions?”

As soon as Xu Xiaoshou spoke, he suddenly realized, “Zongshi realm or below?”

“That’s right.”

Shou Ye added, “The younger generation, Zongshi realm or below. No matter how harshly you suppress your cultivation, as long as you’re in the Xian Tian realm before the Sheng Palace Trial, you qualify.”

“To get this spot, almost all the top talents across the continent are pushing themselves hard, refusing to break through.”

“Those absolute top ones can even slay Zongshi as Xian Tian and fight against Wang Zuo.”

“So, your current cultivation and combat strength are decent, but that’s only relative to Tian Sang County.”

“If you look at the entire Dong Tian Realm, or the Eastern Domain, or even the Sheng Shen Continent, it might be a bit lacking.”

Shou Ye paused, then continued, “But don’t worry, I said the Red Cloak’s doors are always open to you.”

“If Sheng Palace doesn’t want you, we do.”

Xu Xiaoshou: “…”

This hasn’t even started yet!

How do you know Sheng Palace won’t want me?

He calmed down a bit, not expecting to get such explosive news right after entering Bai Ku.

More importantly, this news seemed directly related to him?

Xu Xiaoshou remembered that Elder Sang’s master was also in Sheng Palace, right?

So, if he got in there, wouldn’t he be able to do whatever he wanted?

With that lineage connection, he could probably act as recklessly as he liked without any consequences!

“Maybe…”

Perhaps Elder Sang was already preparing for him to take the Sheng Palace path after finishing in Bai Ku?

That old guy hadn’t leaked a single hint!

Turning to look at Yu Zhiwen, Xu Xiaoshou sized her up and asked, “So, you’re suppressing your cultivation for the Sheng Palace Trial too?”

It’s a real steal, worth installing—surprisingly supported on both Android and Apple phones!

“Mm.”

Yu Zhiwen nodded.

“You need the Sheng Palace Trial too?”

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t believe it.

“Maybe.”

Yu Zhiwen said, slightly distracted, then suddenly reacted, “Oh, yes, I need it.”

Xu Xiaoshou and Shou Ye were both startled.

“Maybe?”

They were sure they hadn’t misheard.

In other words,

This woman in front of them might not need to go through the Sheng Palace Trial to enter that extraordinarily transcendent Sheng Palace on the continent?

“This one is…”

Shou Ye asked in surprise.

“This humble girl is Yu Zhiwen, greetings to the senior.”

Yu Zhiwen quickly bowed in respect.

Shou Ye nodded calmly in response.

But despite his many doubts about the woman before him, he didn’t ask more.

Glancing at the sky, though he couldn’t tell much,

The matters here were settled, and he had no time to linger.

The main group was still heading deeper, so he had to leave immediately.

“Xu Xiaoshou.”

“Mm?”

“Remember, the famous sword in your hand has official recognition, but there are still many outlaws in this world.”

Shou Ye said seriously, “This sword can bring you convenience, but it can also bring fatal disaster.”

“I know.”

Xu Xiaoshou naturally understood.

He had known the risks when he got this sword.

“As long as you know.”

Shou Ye knew Xu Xiaoshou was cunning, but still advised, “You can take it easy with some people, but there’s one organization—if they target you, you must be extremely cautious.”

“What organization?”

Xu Xiaoshou asked.

“The Holy Slaves!”

Shou Ye’s eyes flashed with wariness. “This organization has already started causing trouble across the continent.”

“What they’re after is the Twenty-One Famous Swords.”

“Not just the one in your hand, including the one those two sword wielders had earlier, or famous swords from others or other places…”

“They seem to have some kind of sensing ability, always able to find them precisely.”

“Didn’t Tian Sang Spirit Palace lose a famous sword?”

“So remember!”

Shou Ye leaned forward and warned, “If you notice any sign that the Holy Slaves are targeting you, come find me immediately, find the Red Cloak right away. Don’t take it lightly!”

Xu Xiaoshou’s heart stirred.

He certainly knew about the Holy Slaves.

Perhaps Shou Ye had learned about their invasion of Tian Sang Spirit Palace, but he probably hadn’t realized that he, a mere Xian Tian, had already been targeted by the Holy Slaves.

“Are the Holy Slaves that terrifying?”

Xu Xiaoshou asked.

Every time he asked Elder Sang about this, he never got an answer.

That left him completely in the dark about the organization, making him even more curious.

“Very terrifying!”

Shou Ye rarely spoke with such a serious tone; it was almost frightening.

“Whether it’s the known Holy Slave leaders or their second-in-command, fourth-in-command—they’re all extraordinarily powerful cultivators.”

“Even a full team of White Cloaks could be wiped out if they encountered them.”

“In that case, if they target you, it’s certain death.”

Shou Ye’s gaze was unusually piercing.

He stared straight at Xu Xiaoshou, with a few unspoken words in his heart.

Not only were the Holy Slave leaders terrifyingly strong, but their new generation was also full of top talents.

And they seemed brainwashed, incredibly loyal!

Shou Ye was afraid.

If Xu Xiaoshou encountered the Holy Slaves and died, that would be one thing.

But if he didn’t die and was instead scouted and recruited…

Earlier, he had downplayed Xu Xiaoshou’s talent as just slightly average for the continent, but that was Shou Ye suppressing it too much.

If Xu Xiaoshou were truly that mediocre,

As a Red Cloak who had roamed the continent for years, Shou Ye wouldn’t pay such close attention to this young man.

Add to that Xu Xiaoshou’s completely unconventional way of doing things.

If such a person went astray and was nurtured,

The harm he could cause was terrifying just to think about.

“Got it?”

Shou Ye urged.

“Got it…”

Xu Xiaoshou was startled by this guy’s sudden concern.

He stepped back, avoiding Shou Ye’s intense gaze, and was about to ask something else.

But Shou Ye had already straightened up.

“The time’s about right; I need to leave. You two should get going too!”

“Farewell.”

With that, he didn’t linger for a step and vanished completely.

Xu Xiaoshou: “…”

Leaving so abruptly?

One second they were chatting intensely, the next, he was gone.

Even with his perception, Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t see how Shou Ye had left.

It was just like before—he hadn’t sensed Shou Ye’s arrival at all.

“They’re all gone.”

Xu Xiaoshou sighed.

No more passive values to gain, huh?

What a pity.

“Aren’t I still here?”

Yu Zhiwen said softly from the side.

Xu Xiaoshou turned to look at this loyal girl, feeling a bit comforted.

“At least there’s you.”

His gentle tone, like stroking a lamb’s wool, made Yu Zhiwen’s ears turn red in an instant.

She turned her head away.

“What are you saying!”

Xu Xiaoshou laughed at how easily she blushed. “What are you thinking!”

“I-I’m not!”

“If you’re not, then why are you blushing?”

“Then what did you mean?”

“Then what do you think I meant?” Xu Xiaoshou smiled brightly.

“You just…”

Yu Zhiwen was at a loss for words.

She stopped mid-sentence, her cheeks burning even redder, and walked away quickly.

“Where are you going?”

Xu Xiaoshou asked.

“Overlooked, passive value +1.”

“Do you know the way?”

“Overlooked, passive value +1.”

“Why are you walking so slowly?”

Xu Xiaoshou caught up immediately.

Yu Zhiwen glanced at the man beside her, misplaced her step, and nearly tripped.

I’m walking slowly because I’m waiting for you!

Aren’t we a team?

I’m just waiting for you, my teammate, to catch up!

She turned back with an annoyed glare, her starry eyes wide, incredulous at such a question.

Staring him down!

Believe it or not?

“Angrily stared at, passive value +1.”

Xu Xiaoshou met her gaze, unyielding. After a long while, his eyes softened, and he asked, “Good-looking?”

The killing intent in Yu Zhiwen’s eyes shattered instantly.

“Pah!”

She shyly spat and darted away, feeling she could never face Xu Xiaoshou again.

She couldn’t outtalk him, and she couldn’t even win a staring contest.

This…

“Why run so fast? In a hurry to reincarnate?”

Xu Xiaoshou chased after the vanishing Yu Zhiwen.

This girl was still useful.

It was just that the ghost beast incident earlier was beyond the ordinary.

In this perilous Bai Ku, before finding A-Jie and Xin Gugu, he couldn’t let such a good teammate slip away.

“I’m coming!”

Crackle, crackle.

In a dimly lit cave, a campfire burned.

Bai Ku had no night, but Xu and Yu, after traveling, found a deep, dark cave to rest.

The reason was that Xu Xiaoshou was tired and needed to rest.

“Huff.”

Yu Zhiwen puffed her cheeks, blowing on the meat in her hand, which was now perfectly roasted.

Golden oil dripped from the spirit sword, sizzling on the ember-lit fireball, but vanished into nothing upon touching the flame’s surface.

The meat was Yu Zhiwen’s own.

Xu Xiaoshou had thought about showing off his skills to roast some,

But since she didn’t believe him, he just ended up tending the fire.

“All done!”

Yu Zhiwen held the spirit meat, smelling its tempting aroma, and swallowed involuntarily.

She realized she was getting used to not wearing her veil in front of Xu Xiaoshou.

Scenes like this roasting meat, which would have been impossible before, now felt completely natural.

She reached out to hand the spirit sword with the meat to him.

But Yu Zhiwen noticed that Xu Xiaoshou, who had been clamoring to roast it himself earlier, now seemed asleep, with no response at all.

“Asleep?”

Leaning over, Yu Zhiwen checked his breath and found his state extremely stable.

It didn’t seem like sleep.

More like cultivation.

Realizing how intimate the action of checking his breath was, she awkwardly withdrew her hand and sat back down.

Glancing at Xu Xiaoshou again, he still showed no reaction.

“Not eating?”

Yu Zhiwen pouted. “If not, I’ll eat it!”

She took a small bite, then glanced at Xu Xiaoshou—still no movement.

Crackle, crackle…

The campfire burned, and the cave was quiet.

The spirit meat in her hand suddenly didn’t seem as appetizing.

It was her best skill, and even her master liked it…

Yu Zhiwen hugged her knees, tilting her head as she watched Xu Xiaoshou cultivate.

She suddenly found that when he was quiet, she wasn’t quite used to it.

“Hmm? What are you thinking!”

“Cultivate!”

“Absorb or not?”

In the Zi Fu Yuan Court.

Xu Xiaoshou used his spiritual sense to hesitate over the white light bead floating in the void.

This was from that disheveled Saint.

It might be a good thing, but what if it was bad…

“In the end, I have to interact with it.”

Xu Xiaoshou cut off his wandering thoughts.

Keeping this thing in his body, not to mention the potential major hidden danger, just his OCD made him uncomfortable without touching it.

His spiritual sense quietly approached and gently touched the white bead.

Boom!

In an instant, his mind felt like it had exploded.

The light on the white bead flashed, and the entire Yuan Court seemed to heat up.

His mind throbbed with intense pain.

Then, Xu Xiaoshou saw the true form of what was inside after the white bead’s light shattered.

“A seed?”

It was a white seed, similar to the Ember Glow fire seed, but smaller—even half the size of a green bean.

Yet, the compressed high temperature inside was unknown times greater than the Ember Glow fire seed.

“The Ember Glow Great Fire Seed?”

Xu Xiaoshou was surprised.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

Even without contact, he knew that just in terms of size, it had nothing to do with “great.”

Perhaps even the Ember Glow Great Fire Seed didn’t have this thing’s temperature.

“Try it?”

His spiritual sense gently touched it again.

Sizzle!

This attempt brought not just pain—Xu Xiaoshou nearly felt his consciousness vanish.

When he came to, he realized that the strand of spiritual sense that had touched the white fire seed had already burned to nothing.

“This…”

Xu Xiaoshou was drenched in cold sweat.

This thing had surpassed the level of a time bomb!

Keeping it in his Yuan Court, any random movement could burn through the entire court!

“Indeed, that ghost old man had no good intentions!”

Xu Xiaoshou cursed inwardly.

But he soon realized that this white fire seed, unlike the disheveled uncle’s sword intent, didn’t have its own consciousness.

Instead, it was very quiet.

It stayed silently in the Yuan Court void, like a compressed fire seed under the campfire.

If untouched, it was just a low temperature suitable for roasting meat.

But upon contact, it incinerated everything!

“What does this mean?”

“In the end, he gave me a famous sword and this white fire seed without any hints?”

Xu Xiaoshou was troubled.

This kind of completely baffling gift was the most headache-inducing.

He couldn’t understand what the disheveled Saint meant at all.

As he pondered, the quiet Yuan Court suddenly made a faint sound clearer.

“What sound?”

Xu Xiaoshou was startled and held his breath to listen.

After a full half a quarter of an hour, he heard that sound again, like an illusion.

Now, he was completely sure.

This sound was coming from the white fire seed.

“But I can’t understand it?”

Xu Xiaoshou was frustrated.

What game was that old man playing? Why not just say it outright?

It had to be this indirect?

“A call?”

Xu Xiaoshou pondered.

He guessed the essence of this sound.

From the two instances, he could sense something beyond the sound itself.

“A call…”

Xu Xiaoshou felt a bit horrified.

“Could there be life gestating inside this white fire seed?”

“And I have to wait for that call to appear and try it at the cost of burning my spiritual sense to uncover the secret?”

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t know what to do.

But it seemed that was the only way to unravel this sound’s mystery right now.

Instinct told Xu Xiaoshou,

It was best to stop now, or the consequences could be dire.

But reason also told him,

If he ignored this white fire seed with its life-like aura, the future consequences might be even more terrifying!

“Try it…”

Xu Xiaoshou wanted to cry but had no tears.

Timing it precisely,

Sure enough, every ten minutes, that call sounded on time.

Xu Xiaoshou acted quickly, sending out a strand of spiritual sense to attach.

Sizzle!

The burning sound echoed.

But this time, Xu Xiaoshou endured the pain transmitted to his consciousness and caught a glimpse at the split second before his spiritual sense burned away.

“What was that?”

He tried hard to recall, striving to make out what he had just seen.

But it was too fast, too blurry.

Apart from some white light points and something like a crack, he couldn’t see anything else clearly.

“Try again?”

Xu Xiaoshou had no words to express his bitterness.

But if he didn’t figure this out tonight, he probably wouldn’t dare sleep or cultivate.

So…

Sizzle!

Sizzle!

Sizzle…

Finally, after more than a dozen attempts, accumulating experience and fragments, Xu Xiaoshou barely pieced together what these things were.

A map!

Those white light points vaguely formed the traces of white skulls for Xu Xiaoshou.

In other words, this was a map of Bai Ku!

And that crack he saw earlier was indeed a dimensional rift.

That “Om” sound call was coming from that dimensional rift!

“This is getting interesting.”

Xu Xiaoshou sat wearily in front of the white seed.

It seemed this seed meant for him to follow the map he saw to find that dimensional rift before proceeding.

To find some answer?

To seek that disheveled Saint?

“What a joke!”

Xu Xiaoshou slapped the idea away.

Forget finding it.

He had no interest in that dimensional rift at all!

That Saint, those chains…

Just recalling it felt completely wrong!

Even if he had taken the man’s famous sword,

Taking something didn’t mean he had to do something in return!

“What nonsense call, what dimensional rift, what Saint…”

“Why me?”

Xu Xiaoshou was exhausted.

His original intention was just to enter Bai Ku, find a treasure spot, and earn some passive values!

How did he end up with all this trouble?

And he still hadn’t found the other four swords!

“Wait!”

Thinking of treasure spots and the four swords, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly had an idea.

This map hidden in the white fire seed was probably just to help him find the dimensional rift.

But the immense power within could instantly map out nearly the entire Bai Ku terrain.

So…

“It’s a treasure!”

Xu Xiaoshou got excited!

He didn’t have to use this map to find the dimensional rift.

As long as he timed it right and memorized the other treasure spots on the map,

Wouldn’t that mean he could master all of Bai Ku’s resources?

“This…”

Xu Xiaoshou’s heart raced.

He decided immediately, timing it again, listening to the “Om” sound, sacrificing his spiritual sense to steal a glimpse of the fleeting Bai Ku map.

Indeed, as long as his focus wasn’t drawn to the dimensional rift’s location,

Other places became more prominent.

“It works!”

Xu Xiaoshou nearly slapped his thigh, but realizing this was the Yuan Court and he had no thigh in spiritual sense, he conjured one and slapped it to pieces.

“First, find our current location!”

The spot where the Flame Python emerged was easy to find.

That huge pit should be very conspicuous even on such a small map.

Moreover, this was a map that could zoom in on specific locations.

After just two tries, Xu Xiaoshou found that black point.

Focusing his attention upon contact, he saw the height clearly lower than the surrounding terrain.

“It’s definitely here!”

After confirming, Xu Xiaoshou froze.

Then, his eyes lit up with disbelief.

Because in this attempt, he not only saw the pit’s location but also a striking red light point not far on the map.

That scorching aura, like something you could smell just by zooming in, had appeared in his nightmares repeatedly.

Too familiar!

“The Ember Glow Fire Seed?”

“No!”

“It’s the Ember Glow Great Fire Seed!”