Chapter 543: Embers Illuminate the Prison Sea

“Have you calmed down?”

Xu Xiaoshou leaned over, looking at Jiao Tangtang, who was pinned under A Jie’s foot.

This woman was absolutely insane! She knew he had all these bodyguards, yet she still wanted to beat him up. Not only did she think about it, but she even landed a few hits! But clearly, his own passive skills weren’t just for show. After Jiao Tangtang got knocked back by the backlash, she lost control for a moment, and A Jie seized the opportunity to subdue her.

“Xu Xiaoshou, get down here!”

Jiao Tangtang shouted up defiantly.

“What did you say?”

Xu Xiaoshou tilted his head, cupping a hand to his ear.

“Get—down—here!”

She roared.

“The wind up here is too strong; I can’t hear you. Speak louder!”

Xu Xiaoshou shouted back. He was standing in the eye socket of the Jin Zhao Bai Gu Lou, more than a hundred meters above the ground, feeling a bit of security from the warm white flames behind him.

Going down? That was out of the question!

“Calm down a bit, and once we can talk properly, I’ll tell A Jie to let you go,” he continued yelling.

“I am calm!”

Jiao Tangtang could have resisted, but breaking free from A Jie’s surprisingly powerful grip would probably require her to transform into her ghost beast form. Just as Xu Xiaoshou said, revealing her ghost beast aura in this pointless fight would be unwise.

“Mama…”

A Jie seemed to sense something and lifted his foot.

Whoosh!

Jiao Tangtang vanished in an instant.

“One Step to Heaven!”

Xu Xiaoshou’s scalp tingled. He took one step and teleported directly into the eye socket of the Bing Lan Bai Gu Lou.

Sure enough.

Boom!

The eye socket of the Jin Zhao Bai Gu Lou was hit by a whip kick the next second. The rock-hard skull cracked with a series of “crack” sounds, fissures spreading instantly.

Roar!

A Huo cried out in pain, his cheekbones swelling as he spewed out white flames the next moment.

“Stop! Don’t fight!”

Xu Xiaoshou watched in alarm. If this turned into a real brawl, tempers could flare, and things might spiral out of control!

Fortunately, Jiao Tangtang had learned from Xin Gugu about the ferocity of flames like the white flames, so she didn’t try to take it head-on. With a leap, she dodged A Huo’s attack.

“Calm down.”

Xu Xiaoshou used his spiritual thoughts to hold back his three bodyguards while trying to persuade Jiao Tangtang.

“I said, I’m calm.” Jiao Tangtang’s chest heaved with anger.

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself, if this is what you call calm, then I must be seeing ghosts.

But this tentative attack had clearly made her realize that his three bodyguards weren’t to be trifled with. She didn’t want to fight anymore, and Xu Xiaoshou definitely didn’t either!

“Teleportation… or something like that?” Jiao Tangtang narrowed her eyes and asked.

“That’s not important.”

Xu Xiaoshou waved it off. “What matters is, everything I told you earlier was true—I don’t know where the sealed ghost beast is. But the Hong Yi Shou Ye and the ‘Sheng Nu’ Shuo Shu Ren might have captured it. Of course, it’s also possible it escaped on its own.”

Jiao Tangtang snorted. “You’ve covered all three possibilities. Isn’t that just nonsense?!”

“Of course not.”

Xu Xiaoshou breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that she was willing to talk. “At least, I’ve narrowed it down to these three options for you. That way, you don’t have to search aimlessly through the entire Bai Ku, right?”

Jiao Tangtang fell silent.

It made sense, but she’d probably never admit it in this lifetime.

“All done?”

Xu Xiaoshou probed. “If there’s really nothing else, you go your way, and I’ll go mine?”

Seeing no response, Xu Xiaoshou beckoned.

“A Jie, come back.”

A flash of light, and A Jie appeared at his side.

“Mama…”

Jiao Tangtang looked at this violent crew and felt a pounding headache. She realized that with just herself, she had no confidence in catching Xu Xiaoshou anymore. With that teleportation skill, he was untouchable. And if she failed to grab him first, those three could gang up on her… Then it wouldn’t be about whether she could take him down, but whether she could escape from those terrifying beings.

“Xu Xiaoshou, tell me everything you know about the ‘Sheng Nu’ Shuo Shu Ren, and then you can leave.” Jiao Tangtang gave up on forcing him.

“How much do I even know about the Shuo Shu Ren?”

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. “I only found out he was the ‘Sheng Nu’ Shuo Shu Ren after you told me.”

Jiao Tangtang: …

“You went through that battle you mentioned earlier and learned nothing?” She didn’t believe it.

“Suspicion detected, Passive Points +1.”

“I told you already; I have no reason to lie to you.”

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes, about to say more, when he suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right, there’s one detail I can share with you.”

“Go on!”

“When the sealed ghost beast and I were trapped in the Shuo Shu Ren’s ancient book space, by the time we got out, the Shuo Shu Ren was completely drained.”

“And the Shou Ye was right outside!”

“It’s obvious they fought, and the Shuo Shu Ren lost.”

“But from what you said…”

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated. “The ‘Sheng Nu’ Shuo Shu Ren shouldn’t be that weak, right?”

“Impossible.”

Jiao Tangtang shook her head. “If that really was the ‘Shuo Shu Ren’, no matter what happened, the Hong Yi Shou Ye couldn’t have beaten him. You have to know, he caused a huge stir in Zhongyu, and even Qi Jian Xian Gou Wuyue couldn’t catch him in time—he made it all the way to Dongyu’s Bai Ku without anyone touching his clothes.”

“This kind of figure? Forget one Hong Yi Shou Ye; even ten more wouldn’t be enough to challenge him.”

“Then that’s strange…” Xu Xiaoshou pondered seriously. “But I saw the Shuo Shu Ren with my own eyes—he was totally incapable of fighting anymore. As for what happened after, I’m not sure.”

Jiao Tangtang fell silent too. It was clear this time Xu Xiaoshou wasn’t lying.

So…

“But that’s impossible!”

She shook her head again. “The sealed ghost beast should have found a ghost beast host by now, which is why it’s hiding so well—except during fights, it hasn’t leaked any aura. But because the host’s cultivation isn’t up to par, its strength is limited too.”

“And if the ‘Sheng Nu’ Shuo Shu Ren was there, no matter what you saw… it was all just an illusion.”

Jiao Tangtang’s tone grew firm. “Senior Feng must have fallen into the ‘Sheng Nu’s hands!”

Is it really your Senior Feng? That’s still up for debate… Xu Xiaoshou thought silently but didn’t say it out loud.

“Do you have a way to find the Shuo Shu Ren?” Jiao Tangtang suddenly asked.

“You’re going after the ‘Sheng Nu’?”

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked. “Are you crazy? You couldn’t even beat me—going there would be suicide!”

Jiao Tangtang: ???

Her eye twitched wildly, and she nearly lost control of her inner wild power, ready to fight him again.

“I have my own methods.” She snapped irritably.

“But I don’t.”

Xu Xiaoshou shrugged helplessly. “I’ve never even interacted with the Shuo Shu Ren. From start to finish, he was sealed in ice—I didn’t even get a scrap of his clothing. If you want to find him, maybe check the battle site for some aura.”

“As for ghost beasts, their noses should…”

Xu Xiaoshou stopped himself mid-sentence. Some things were better kept to himself.

“What a waste…” Jiao Tangtang rubbed her temples in frustration.

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t get angry. Back then, before he had tamed the two Bai Gu Lou, just escaping was an achievement. Was that being wasteful? He asked himself, which innate cultivator could survive a chaos involving the Hong Yi, the ‘Sheng Nu’, and a sealed ghost beast among peak powerhouses? Xu Xiaoshou was confident his feat was rare in the world—even if the Eighth Jian Xian were reborn at the same level, he probably couldn’t do it!

No, definitely not! As Xu Xiaoshou said!

Buzz—

As they stood in silence, the void suddenly trembled.

The next instant, the ground began to shake.

“What’s going on?”

Xu Xiaoshou immediately tensed up, turning to look in a certain direction.

At almost the same time, Jiao Tangtang twisted her head that way too.

Om…

In his mind, the white bead pinpointed it like a broadcast, unfolding the entire Bai Ku map. On it, a point of black demonic energy suddenly erupted, instantly engulfing several nearby small light points.

Though they were just light points, with the Bai Ku map so small, the black coverage was strikingly obvious. One could imagine the area shrouded by that demonic energy in the actual Bai Ku world—it must be larger than several Ling Rong Ze combined.

“Is it You Si Jian?”

Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed in shock. “You Si Jian is emerging?”

“It probably hasn’t emerged yet.”

Jiao Tangtang’s eyes grew serious. “But judging by this commotion, it’s not far from the Hong Yi breaking the ‘San Shi Liu Tian Feng Wu Zhen’.”

“It hasn’t emerged yet?”

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. Just the prelude was this massive? Compared to when Yan Mang emerged, this was like comparing a small stream to a raging river.

“After all, it’s one of the five great chaotic divine artifacts on the continent, known as the ominous sword ‘You Si Jian’. This level of disturbance is just the opening act—and a relatively minor one at that.” Jiao Tangtang sighed.

Buzz buzz buzz.

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou’s ring suddenly emitted a strange sound. He quickly sent his spiritual thoughts into it.

The next second, a vibrating spiritual disk flew out.

“What is this?”

Xu Xiaoshou was taken aback. After a while, he remembered it was from the old man’s ring in Zhang Estate. He had checked that ring before—most of the wealth was obvious, but this spiritual disk was a complete mystery.

Now, with You Si Jian stirring, this thing reacted… Could they be connected?

“Tian Sheng Ling Pan?”

Jiao Tangtang said in surprise.

“You recognize it?”

Xu Xiaoshou turned his head, holding up the spiritual disk. The pointer on it pointed straight toward where You Si Jian was about to emerge.

“Of course.”

Jiao Tangtang gave Xu Xiaoshou a strange look. “In the regions around Bai Ku, this thing is notoriously expensive. Legend has it that during the last Bai Ku opening, someone found a ‘Ji Luo Diao Pian’ with it. The ‘Tian Sheng Ling Pan’ is one of the few spiritual objects that can record the aura of the ‘Ji Luo Diao Pian’.”

“Using this disk, you can lock onto the ‘Ji Luo Diao Pian’s position as soon as you enter Bai Ku and ultimately find ‘You Si Jian’.”

“Of course, that’s for the early stages.”

“You’re holding this now, and it’s basically worthless. ‘You Si Jian’s location is already exposed, with hordes of Hong Yi surrounding it—whoever goes there dies… It’s just a useless disk.”

“Ji Luo Diao Pian?”

Xu Xiaoshou ignored her comment about it being worthless and focused on the new term. He had always wondered how the two Wang Zuo from Zhang Estate found him. If it wasn’t coincidence, given how vast Bai Ku was, there was no reason he kept running into enemies.

So, he guessed they used this “Tian Sheng Ling Pan” to track him. And the disk was linked to the “Ji Luo Diao Pian’s” aura…

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly thought of the bronze fragment from the magic box on the top floor of Zhang Estate’s scripture pavilion.

“What is Ji Luo Diao Pian?” he asked.

“Some rust that flaked off the You Si Jian, I suppose?”

Jiao Tangtang furrowed her brow. “I’m not entirely sure, but apparently, during the last Bai Ku opening, someone got a piece and comprehended the sword intent of You Si Jian from it.”

“And since You Si Jian was one of the swords once wielded by the Eighth Jian Xian, that sword intent is basically his legacy.”

“At the time, ‘Ji Luo Diao Pian’ was hyped up to insane prices, and ‘Tian Sheng Ling Pan’ became priceless too—just because of that.”

“Rust?” Xu Xiaoshou was shocked.

He was certain that the bronze fragment, which turned him into a raging giant with just one grip, was undoubtedly the “Ji Luo Diao Pian”. After all, both the fragment and the disk came from Zhang Estate and fit together perfectly.

But… rust?

Damn! Was You Si Jian really that powerful? Just the rust from its blade had such insane, maddening effects?

“Are you kidding?” Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t believe it.

“Why would I lie?”

Jiao Tangtang glared at him. “The ‘Tian Sheng Ling Pan’ might be useless now, but its function is still powerful. If you can really find a ‘Ji Luo Diao Pian’ and comprehend the sword intent on it, there’s a good chance you’d be recognized by ‘You Si Jian’ and become its wielder!”

“As for this thing of yours…”

Jiao Tangtang hesitated, clearly wanting the disk. After all, You Si Jian hadn’t fully emerged yet. If she could use this disk to find a “Ji Luo Diao Pian” in the meantime, she’d have a better shot at taking You Si Jian home.

“There’s no way I’m giving you the disk…”

Xu Xiaoshou instinctively refused. But then he thought again—since he already had the “Ji Luo Diao Pian”, this thing was useless to him. Maybe he could trade it for some valuable information?

“The disk can be yours, but I have a few questions for you!”

Jiao Tangtang was startled and shook her head. “No deal. I won’t share anything with you until you sign the ghost beast contract.”

“Not those kinds of questions.”

Xu Xiaoshou flung the disk over with a flick. “Questions about ‘You Si Jian’.”

It landed with a smack in her hand, and she gripped it tightly. “What do you want to know?”

“Everything!”

Xu Xiaoshou said seriously. “Everything about You Si Jian and Bai Ku, plus what you mentioned earlier about the situations outside Bai Ku.”

Even though he didn’t want to touch the hot potato that was You Si Jian, he hated being kept in the dark and manipulated. At the very least, he needed to fully understand why a mere sword could attract so many heavyweights, even those who weren’t sword cultivators.

Was it just because it was the Eighth Jian Xian’s former sword? Xu Xiaoshou didn’t buy it.

“Heh!”

Jiao Tangtang sneered. “Xu Xiaoshou, you’re really asking for the moon—just trading a ‘Tian Sheng Ling Pan’ for my intel?”

Whoosh!

Xu Xiaoshou yanked the disk back with a spiritual thread. “Forget it, then.”

Jiao Tangtang: ???

What kind of ability was that? Spider silk?

“Surprise detected, Passive Points +1.”

“Fine, I’ll talk!” She gritted her teeth in annoyance.

Xu Xiaoshou tossed the disk back and shrugged. “Come on, drop the attitude with me, okay? Be straightforward!”

“Cursed, Passive Points +1.”

Jiao Tangtang stashed the disk in her ring before saying, “The legend of You Si Jian is simple—it’s just the Eighth…”

“Are you treating me like a kid?”

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes. “The Hong Yi wants You Si Jian, the ‘Sheng Nu’ wants it, you want it, and now one of the Qi Jian Xian has shown up outside Bai Ku.”

“It seems like everyone’s main goal isn’t You Si Jian, but in the end, they all want it if they can get it.”

“So, don’t tell me it’s all for the sake of the Eighth Jian Xian’s old sword. That might lure in young sword cultivators, but it won’t fool me!”

“Bai Ku… has secrets!”

Xu Xiaoshou thought of that disheveled Sheng Ren hiding somewhere.

If there was any treasure in Bai Ku that could connect to the ‘Sheng’ level, You Si Jian was undoubtedly it!

Surprise flashed in Jiao Tangtang’s eyes.

“Xu Xiaoshou, you’re very…”

“I’m very smart—skip the flattery and get to the point!” Xu Xiaoshou interrupted.

Jiao Tangtang: …

She clenched her fists, seriously considering just walking away right then.

This guy was a real pain—what the hell did he eat to grow up like this? Was his innate attribute power reading minds or something?

“You Si Jian…”

“To talk about ‘You Si Jian’ or Bai Ku, we have to mention a new term…”

Jiao Tangtang pondered for a long time before deciding to speak. “Xu Xiaoshou, do you know about ‘Jin Zhao Yu Hai’?”

“I’ve only heard of ‘Jin Zhao’…”

Xu Xiaoshou kept his expression neutral, but his mind was racing with waves of realization.

Sure enough! Bai Ku’s secrets—and they were explosive!

Jiao Tangtang took a deep breath and said, “’Jin Zhao Yu Hai’ is another dimensional space, but unlike Bai Ku, its danger level is almost the highest in the world, ranking as one of the continent’s ‘Qi Duan Jin’.”

Qi Duan Jin—another new term…

Xu Xiaoshou nodded without interrupting, gesturing for her to continue.

“Every time a ‘Qi Duan Jin’-level dimensional space opens, it’s basically a catastrophe.”

“And the last time ‘Jin Zhao Yu Hai’ appeared, it was right here.”

Jiao Tangtang pointed to the ground. “Or put another way, Bai Ku’s predecessor was ‘Jin Zhao Yu Hai’!”

As expected… Xu Xiaoshou’s face grew serious, and he stayed silent.

Jiao Tangtang continued, “Places like these forbidden zones aren’t for training—they’re just for sealing. To seal ‘Jin Zhao Yu Hai’, the Sheng Shen Dian Tang sacrificed countless Hong Yi and Bai Yi, losing uncountable experts.”

“In the end, they succeeded in sealing it.”

“But that was only temporary…”

She sighed heavily. “The reason ‘Qi Duan Jin’ are called ‘Qi Duan Jin’ is because of their recurring nature.”

“If ‘Jin Zhao Yu Hai’ were completely closed off in Bai Ku, it wouldn’t disappear.”

“Instead, it would reappear somewhere else next time.”

“And not only would the location be unpredictable, but the danger level would also ramp up even further.”

“So, to avoid fully closing ‘Jin Zhao Yu Hai’, the Sheng Shen Dian Tang had to choose sealing and weakening methods—shatter it, but not completely.”

“It’s a complicated process—you get it?”

“I get it.”

Xu Xiaoshou nodded. Just hearing about it made it sound terrifying. You couldn’t destroy it entirely, but you had to seal it… It was like trying to capture a Wang Zuo—no, a Ban Sheng—alive. Even capturing a Wang Zuo was tough, let alone a Ban Sheng. Imagine the precision required; you could tell how much effort the Sheng Shen Dian Tang put in.

Jiao Tangtang went on, “Sealing and weakening are the only ways to stop a ‘Qi Duan Jin’ from recurring.”

“The Sheng Shen Dian Tang’s approach was to use boundary treasures for suppression and gradually reduce ‘Jin Zhao Yu Hai’s danger level year by year.”

“That’s how You Si Jian and Tian Shu Ji Pan came about.”

Xu Xiaoshou’s heart stirred. “Off-topic a bit—what does Tian Shu Ji Pan do?”

“Now that’s impressive.”

Jiao Tangtang chuckled. “It was personally crafted by the Dao Dian Zhu and his Dao Department, perfectly aligned with ‘Jin Zhao Yu Hai’s heavenly dao.”

“Through this disk, you can manipulate the heavenly dao to achieve heavenly dao reduction…”

“Not following? Let me put it another way: it’s like downgrading the world on a fundamental level, gradually weakening the dimensional space’s danger.”

“Similar to how a Sheng Di can manipulate the heavenly dao to suppress the five domains of Sheng Shen Continent, preventing anyone from breaking through to Ban Sheng… Got it?”

Xu Xiaoshou’s face turned pale as paper, his heart pounding wildly, almost jumping out of his chest.

What the hell kind of analogy was that?

“Your explanation… has issues!” he said, licking his dry lips. “Let’s not talk about Bai Ku for a second; let’s discuss this analogy of yours.”

Jiao Tangtang burst out laughing.

“Xu Xiaoshou, you’re way too paranoid. It’s just an analogy.”