Chapter 536: Suppress the Entire Field

Xu Xiaoshou raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He seemed to be seeing Yu Zhiwen angry for the first time.

This girl always appeared calm and unruffled, even in the face of major events, but when it came to the rules of Sheng Shen Dian Tang, she became so serious.

Was this her bottom line?

"Rules?"

Lu Ke wasn't intimidated by Yu Zhiwen's tone. He retorted, "Tianji Technique, meaning you're from the 'Dao Bu'."

"So, you're from headquarters, right?"

"Since you're from Sheng Shen Dian Tang headquarters, don't you know that you're also breaking the rules?"

He pointed at Xu Xiaoshou and said, "This guy is on the red list's blacklist. As someone from Sheng Shen Dian Tang, aren't you breaking the rules by favoring him so much?"

"I have my own reasons; you don't need to worry about it!" Yu Zhiwen replied without hesitation.

"Reasons?"

Lu Ke sneered, "In that case, I have my own reasons too, don't I?"

"Lu Ke!"

Yu Zhiwen was furious.

Her hands maintaining the Tianji Array started to tremble slightly.

"You're acting out of self-interest, just for your own gain. Do you think I can't see that?" she said angrily.

"Aren't you the same?" Lu Ke laughed.

"Very well." Yu Zhiwen's voice turned completely cold. "Gou Wuyue taught you so much, and this is how you're tarnishing his reputation?"

"You..."

Lu Ke's face stiffened in shock. "You know my master?"

Master?

While everyone else was still confused, Xu Xiaoshou's mind was in turmoil.

Gou Wuyue...

Wasn't that exactly Gou Wuyue?

One of the Seven Sword Immortals?

One of the Ten Venerable Seats?

So, this young man, Lu Ke, was his disciple?

Looking at the "Qing Lin Ji" on the guy's back not far away, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood.

Indeed, anyone who could carry a famous sword had a complicated background.

"Who exactly are you?" Lu Ke couldn't help but step back as he asked Yu Zhiwen.

This time, he was truly panicked.

"Who I am isn't important," Yu Zhiwen repeated. "What's important is that even if you back off now, everything you've done, every word you've said, will be reported word for word to Gou Wuyue."

"You'd better think carefully about that!"

"I..." Lu Ke stepped back repeatedly, not believing her. "You're trying to trick me! There's no way you know my master!"

Whoosh!

A token flew through the void and embedded itself in the ground in front of the young man with a thud.

Lu Ke quickly picked it up.

At first glance, his heart filled with even more panic.

"It's... it's really my master's token?"

He stared in shock at the girl in the void, then looked back at the token, speechless for a moment.

"What is that thing?"

Xu Xiaoshou "sensed" the object in Lu Ke's hand.

It was a black token with a white border, one side engraved with the character "Gou," and the other side all black with a silver half-moon on top.

"Gou Wuyue's token?"

Xu Xiaoshou was astonished.

He turned to look at Yu Zhiwen beside him, once again surprised by her background.

What kind of person could get hold of Gou Wuyue's personal token?

This thing wasn't something handed out to every member of Sheng Shen Dian Tang headquarters, was it?

Yu Zhiwen was no simple person!

Unable to resist, Xu Xiaoshou stepped closer and whispered, "Xiao Yu, Xiao Yu, do you have any more of those? Give me a few to play with?"

Yu Zhiwen: "..."

She turned her head and gave Xu Xiaoshou an annoyed glance, ignoring him.

"Receiving disdain, passive value +1."

"Hmph, fine, don't give me any. What's with the attitude?" Xu Xiaoshou grumbled and walked away sulkily.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Lu Ke didn't dare say another word.

Clearly, the appearance of Gou Wuyue's token had completely disrupted his plans.

But no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't figure out who this woman was.

How had she obtained this identity token from his master, which even he didn't have?

This... it couldn't just be because of "Dao Bu."

Was she perhaps the daughter or disciple of the Dao Dian Master?

No way!

Lu Ke panicked.

He'd never heard that the Dao Dian Master had a daughter or disciple!

After Lu Ke fell silent, no one else in the crowd spoke up.

Except for the black-robed figures still pinned in place by sword energy, groaning in agony, no one else made a sound.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the "Dao Wen Initial Stone" above.

Once the light had gathered, the treasure finally revealed its true form.

It was a small, milky-white skull-shaped statue.

It was tiny, probably no bigger than a palm.

But the intricate patterns on it were etched with great detail.

Xu Xiaoshou opened his "perception" fully and focused on it.

It was a small statue resembling a white skull. Though mostly milky-white, it was covered in a mix of colorful, intricate patterns.

The most prominent were the black patterns on the head, like demonic markings, full of fierce and murderous energy.

Looking lower, it was easy to see the faint, silvery-white patterns on the chest, which gave off a familiar Jin Zhao force.

He pondered for a moment and continued downward.

Around the lower abdomen, the patterns changed color again, taking on a frozen hue, with clear Dong Jie force present.

It wasn't hard to guess... Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized.

"'Dao Wen Initial Stone' is born in Bai Cave and shaped by the forces of heaven's dao, so it takes the form of a white skull."

"From this, these patterns must be manifestations of the various exotic powers in Bai Cave."

"Jin Zhao force, Dong Jie force, and then..."

Xu Xiaoshou's gaze returned to the demonic patterns on the small white skull's head.

So many black patterns, brimming with murderous energy.

Without a doubt, this had to be the power of You Si Jian.

"Impressive!"

Xu Xiaoshou marveled.

Just a glimpse was enough to see that You Si Jian's existence was unmatched by other treasures.

Looking at the statue, whose entire head was almost turned black by the patterns, it was clear just how terrifying You Si Jian's true power must be.

"Is it almost done?"

Xu Xiaoshou finished his observation and moved closer to Yu Zhiwen, asking quietly.

"Almost."

Yu Zhiwen's voice was a bit hoarse.

Infusing the forces of heaven and earth into the "Dao Wen Initial Stone" to help it fully emerge wasn't something her current level could handle easily.

If she really pushed through, she could do it, but she'd likely exhaust herself completely, losing any chance to compete for the perfected "Dao Wen Initial Stone."

As Xu Xiaoshou would say, it was "all effort for nothing."

But this girl's nature was stubborn.

With her intelligence, she could see all this clearly, yet she was still going through with it...

Xu Xiaoshou was deeply moved.

"What a good person!"

"Even though we just met and are only nominal teammates, Xiao Yu is going this far to help. She's so kind and gentle!"

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists silently.

No matter what happened today, he wouldn't let anyone else get their hands on the "Dao Wen Initial Stone."

Time passed bit by bit.

Everyone present had their own thoughts.

Some had seen Xu Xiaoshou and Lu Ke's strength and decided to give up the fight.

Others were hiding their schemes, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Still others were biding their time, planning to seize the treasure in one go at the end...

But no matter what, no one dared to disturb Yu Zhiwen at this moment.

They all understood that when the Tianji in her hands fully descended, that would be the start of the chaos.

Sizzle...

The "Dao Wen Initial Stone" in the void kept contracting and expanding, like a slowly beating heart, gradually absorbing the dao mechanisms from the surroundings to repair itself.

With each beat, waves of more complete dao rhythms rippled out.

After about a quarter of an hour.

Those who needed to break through had done so.

Those who didn't want to fight had retreated to the outer edges.

"People are coming!"

Suddenly, everyone's faces tensed, and they turned to look behind them.

The worst-case scenario had finally happened.

Fixing the "Dao Wen Initial Stone" took too much time.

In this agonizing wait, it was enough for others not present to sense the fluctuations in the dao mechanisms and gather here.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

Figures appeared one after another from the horizon, landing in an instant.

"What's going on?"

The newcomers were all startled by the strange atmosphere.

There was no doubt that the treasure attracting them, which could aid in comprehending the heavenly dao, was floating in the air.

But why were all these people who arrived first just standing there motionless?

"Were they playing freeze tag or something?"

"Or is there some special situation where no one can move?"

"Huh? When did Bai Cave ever have such a harmonious scene? No one's even fighting?"

"Am I dreaming? Can someone explain this to me?"

Someone whispered to those around them, afraid that speaking too loudly would break the eerie silence and make them the first target.

"If I'm not mistaken, that thing is the 'Dao Wen Initial Stone'?"

"But if it's really the 'Dao Wen Initial Stone', what are these people waiting for?"

The speaker felt a chill.

Compared to the usual frenzied battles over treasures, this deathly quiet scene was spine-chilling.

"Is she claiming the treasure?"

Someone pointed at Yu Zhiwen.

Among everyone present, she was the only one still moving.

"No."

"Doesn't seem like it."

"Her movements look more like... repairing it?"

"Is that a Ling Zhen Zongshi? Repairing the 'Dao Wen Initial Stone'? What a joke!"

"Damn, why is everyone so peaceful? I'm not used to this. Shouldn't we be drawing swords and blasting each other by now? This vibe is way too weird!"

The newcomers were baffled.

Since their enemies weren't moving, they didn't dare make a move either...

Xu Xiaoshou watched as more and more people landed, his brows furrowing.

Zongshi!

So many Zongshi!

Just a quick scan showed that out of every ten newcomers, four or five were at Zongshi level.

It seemed that in this time, quite a few from the Upper Spirit Realm had gained benefits in Bai Cave and broken through to Zongshi.

And if you added in all the Xiantian experts...

The number of newcomers here was already approaching sixty or seventy.

"This is getting pressured..."

Even Xu Xiaoshou, who prided himself on his strength, knew that if someone ambushed him in this crowd, it wasn't impossible.

Zongshi weren't like Houtian or Xiantian.

These people had survived this long, each with their own trump cards.

Once the "Dao Wen Initial Stone" was complete and everyone exploded into action, even a Wangzuo might struggle in such a focused assault.

Not to mention, who knew how many hidden powerhouses capable of cross-realm battles were among them?

"Feeling threatened, passive value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou's expression grew serious.

He hadn't even noticed that as his mood grew heavier, the oppressive atmosphere in the air was intensifying, reaching a point where it made people's faces tense.

"Something's off..."

The first to sense it were those with weaker cultivation.

A Xiantian expert, while chatting with his companion, suddenly clutched his chest. "Why does the air here feel so suffocating?"

"It's just your imagination, right?"

His companion was a Zongshi and hadn't felt it at first, but after hearing this, he scanned the crowd's serious faces and grew puzzled.

"But now that you mention it, something does feel wrong."

"Even in a tense situation, shouldn't someone step up and make the first move?"

"Why is everyone standing still, like they're waiting? It feels like they're being held back, afraid to act."

"...Held back?"

The others were startled at these words.

Once pointed out, everyone felt the abnormality.

It was true!

The atmosphere here was strangely off compared to elsewhere.

Somehow, an inexplicable pressure had formed, like an invisible tower pressing down from above.

At first, no one dared move because they wanted to understand the situation.

But for everyone to wait this long? That was unnatural!

It was as if a terrifying demon was crawling out in their subconscious, whispering:

Don't go out, don't go out.

If you go out now, you might be the first to go.

"Who's playing tricks?"

Finally, someone couldn't hold back and shouted.

This subconscious fear spreading through the air couldn't come from something as pure as the "Dao Wen Initial Stone."

It had to be some evil outsider messing with them, influencing everyone covertly.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind rose.

As soon as the shout ended, the speaker involuntarily bent his knee and shot upward, breaking through the invisible pressure straight toward the "Dao Wen Initial Stone."

"Xu Xiaoshou," Yu Zhiwen called softly without even turning her eyes.

Before she could say more, Xu Xiaoshou's attention was already drawn.

He glanced back.

Boom!

The person who had been soaring up seemed to hit an invisible barrier in mid-air, slammed back down heavily, and crashed into the ground, creating a deep pit.

"Huh?"

Everyone was shocked.

"What happened?"

"What just caused that?"

"Qiao Yu, how did you fall? Is there a heavenly spirit array here? But I didn't feel any spiritual energy fluctuations at all!"

"Who's controlling this?"

Panic spread among the crowd.

They looked at the young man named Qiao Yu, sunk into the pit and unable to move even a finger, their faces changing.

"A gravity field?"

"Or a Wangzuo domain?"

"No, it can't be. Even a domain has limits. But that guy..."

"Does that mean there's an invisible force field here, and we got hit as soon as we entered?"

This realization threw everyone into chaos.

Xu Xiaoshou stared in surprise at Qiao Yu in the pit.

This guy named Qiao Yu couldn't get up... was it because...

I was looking at him?

A sudden thought struck him.

"Qi Tun Shan He?"

In disbelief, Xu Xiaoshou shifted his gaze, deciding to test it.

Sure enough, as soon as he looked away, Qiao Yu sprang up with a thud and leaped into the air again.

"Who!"

"Who's messing around? Show yourself!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes swept over.

Boom!

An even deeper pit formed.

Qiao Yu felt like his backside was about to split open.

He struggled to channel his sluggish spiritual energy, barely moving his hand to touch his rear.

It was all blood!

"Damn it, not just a feeling—it's really split open?"

"Who the hell is it?"

"Receiving fear, passive value +1."

"Receiving shock, passive value +122."

Xu Xiaoshou smiled.

"So, it really is me?"

He never imagined that all of this was his own doing.

"Qi Tun Shan He?"

Had this momentum he'd unknowingly built up reached this level?

Even Upper Spirit Realm experts could be suppressed with a single glance?

This was too overpowered!

"Emotional shift..."

Xu Xiaoshou focused his thoughts and finally understood the true use of "Qi Tun Shan He."

This passive skill might not be limited to building momentum through anger and killing intent, as he'd thought.

On the contrary.

In situations like this.

As his mood grew heavier earlier, the accumulating momentum was the real way to use "Qi Tun Shan He."

Who would give you that much time to build it in a fight?

But outside of battle, once the momentum was built, who could counter it?

However!

Xu Xiaoshou grew puzzled again.

Now that he'd figured it out, his mood was no longer heavy.

But why didn't the oppressive atmosphere lessen at all? In fact, it seemed to be subtly intensifying.

"That's it!"

He clenched his fist in realization.

"Emotional shifts can trigger the 'Qi Tun Shan He' passive, but it doesn't say I can only have one emotion at a time!"

Suppression, heaviness, worry...

Emotions don't shift to just one; they evolve through interactions and actions.

In other words, as long as he stayed engaged, his emotions would keep changing.

And as long as they didn't stop, the momentum from "Qi Tun Shan He" wouldn't dissipate!

Watching the increasingly chaotic scene before him.

Xu Xiaoshou realized these small fries had fallen into the massive field he'd inadvertently set up.

Time to reap the rewards?

"Quiet!"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't hesitate, soaring into the air and instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"Holy shit, how did he get up there?"

"I tried earlier, and it was possible before, but now that invisible pressure is suffocating me. I can't even jump!"

"Same here! I'm a half-step Zongshi super expert, and I can't do it. Is there a Wangzuo here?"

"Or is he the Wangzuo?"

The scene erupted.

But the heat of the eruption was quickly smothered by the heavy pressure, forcing it back down.

Panic thickened in the crowd.

"Receiving shock, passive value +130."

"Receiving speculation, passive value +59."

"Receiving gazes, passive value +134."

Notifications kept popping up, and Xu Xiaoshou's smile widened.

So this was "Qi Tun Shan He"?

It was exactly as he'd imagined!

If only there were thousands here instead of dozens.

If he built up momentum in secret and jumped out now, wouldn't he harvest tens of thousands in passive values?

He suppressed his excitement, shifting his will to a state of utter indifference toward everyone.

Even without knowing what emotion sustained the "Qi Tun Shan He" momentum, Xu Xiaoshou knew that directly confronting it was the best way to keep his emotions flowing.

"Quiet!"

He issued another, louder command.

This time, everyone felt their heartbeats skip a beat.

Even those mid-sentence stopped talking abruptly, completely interrupted by Xu Xiaoshou's momentum.

"Receiving shock, passive value +129."

More people continued arriving from outside.

But by now, Xu Xiaoshou was no longer worried about the "Dao Wen Initial Stone."

He watched these youths rushing in like moths to a flame, only to be trapped like insects in mud, and clasped his hands behind his back.

"Very good."

"Unexpectedly, you're all so obedient and cooperative."

"Since that's the case, I have a few more words to say. Why don't you all be patient and listen?"

"Damn it!" Someone in the crowd cursed.

Who wants to listen to you?

If he weren't immobilized like he'd been cursed, he'd draw his sword right now and split this show-off in half!

"What did you say?"

Xu Xiaoshou slowly turned his head, his gaze sharpening as his voice dropped. "Say that again?"

Boom!

The speaker's knees buckled, and he smashed straight into the ground, blood spraying.

"Holy shit!"

Those in the crowd who were still doubting were now fully convinced.

"It's him! That unexplained pressure is coming from him—no mistake!"

"Yes, Qiao Yu was the same way earlier. He must be the one messing with us."

"But what kind of spiritual technique is this? I can't feel any spiritual energy fluctuations at all..."

"Whatever you do, don't look him in the eyes. Don't look, or you'll..."

Boom!

Xu Xiaoshou's attention was drawn to the last speaker, and with a glance, the person knelt down on the spot, creating another deep pit.

"Uh..." Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. "Sorry, that wasn't on purpose."

Everyone: "..."

Dead silence.

Total dead silence!

"Receiving fear, passive value +147."