Chapter 551: Ghost Beast Parasite, Take Down

Chapter 552: Old Second, Why Are You Here Too?

"Damn!"

"Is this guy a ghost beast parasite now?"

The air was suddenly filled with uproar.

"Are you kidding me? Just because he got the 'You Si Jian,' he's a ghost beast parasite?"

"This fellow might have even broken through to the Wang Zuo level in Bai Ku, and you haven't even confirmed if he's a stowaway—how can you just label him as a ghost beast parasite?"

"If that's how it works, then does that mean any of us who gets the 'You Si Jian' becomes the next ghost beast parasite?"

"Hmm, what's everyone talking about? Ghost beast parasite... what's that?"

A cacophony of discussions erupted.

Lan Ling's untimely voice only made it easier for misunderstandings to arise.

Though deep down, out of trust in Hong Yi, everyone chose to halt their steps.

Yet, putting themselves in his shoes, no one wanted to be wrongfully accused.

Even though the one holding the "You Si Jian" right now wasn't them, they all instinctively spoke up.

But clearly,

These insignificant voices held no sway and couldn't make the Hong Yi members stop.

The moment Lan Ling's words fell, the man with the sword in the void suddenly had several teleportation arrays flickering around him.

In the next second, over a dozen Hong Yi members flew out.

"Blood libel!"

"Hong Yi... blood libel!"

The square-faced man gripping the vicious sword showed undisguised panic on his face.

He cursed angrily while glancing back at those who had stopped in midair.

"Is this how Hong Yi acts? You've all seen it!"

"If I'm taken down without any due process, the next one to die will be one of you!"

"Ghost beast parasite—what a huge accusation, Hong Yi, you really are..."

His words cut off mid-sentence,

As if something had lodged in his throat, his voice suddenly choked.

In the next instant, his body began to swell wildly.

"Boom!!!"

After a deafening explosion,

Terrifying demonic energy burst from his body, passing right through the spiritual energy barriers of the Hong Yi members.

Everyone was startled.

How could a perfectly fine person just explode like that?

Looking over, they saw that the man, who had been whole just moments ago, was now horribly mutilated.

Limbs torn off, back shattered—he didn't even have half a body left.

Whether any consciousness remained was anyone's guess!

"Is this another of Hong Yi's tactics?"

Someone in the crowd voiced their fear.

"Vicious sword backlash!"

One of the Hong Yi members snapped back irritably, then waved a hand.

"Take him down!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

All the Hong Yi members drew out white jade slips.

As the light shone, the man holding the "You Si Jian" didn't even get a chance to resist before he was completely sealed and vanished from sight.

Hiss—

Everyone in the void was stunned.

Such swift action...

He hadn't even said two words.

A Wang Zuo-level fighter was taken down just like that?

Was this the true power of Hong Yi?

"No, this matter needs an explanation!"

"Whether that guy is a ghost beast parasite is still up for debate, and you're seizing him without distinguishing right from wrong—it's utter nonsense! Nonsense!"

"Hah, an explanation?"

The bald Xin in front of Lan Ling sneered, suddenly shooting into the air and scattering a handful of papers.

"This is the explanation!"

Though the papers fell chaotically and were visible to the crowd for only a brief moment,

Everyone present was a spirit refiner with spiritual senses.

One glance was enough to see the wanted posters' faces.

One of them was identical to the man from before!

"Xu Xiao Shou..."

In the deep underground pit,

Mu Zi Xi closed her eyes as if to block it out, but couldn't help murmuring the name of that familiar face on the wanted poster.

"Shifu?"

She turned back, deactivating her energy-draining Shen Mo Tong, and looked at Xu Xiao Shou.

"Seen it?"

Xu Xiao Shou said with a smile, patting his junior sister's head. "Don't worry, I'm not a ghost beast, but Hong Yi is indeed after me. That's why I had to disguise myself to come here."

"I believe you." Mu Zi Xi nodded vigorously.

"Affirmation received, passive value +1."

Xu Xiao Shou felt a warmth in his heart.

Sometimes, knowing someone's true emotions too clearly isn't all that great.

He was genuinely afraid that at a time like this, the info panel would pop up with "Deceived," and then...

"This verification system is way too realistic."

Xu Xiao Shou shook his head, pushing the thoughts away.

That handful of wanted posters thrown by the bald Xin had truly shocked him.

Not because he saw his own face on them,

But because Hong Yi's judgments were almost always spot-on!

On those papers, Xu Xiao Shou recognized many familiar faces.

Xin Gu Gu, Jiao Tang Tang, Mo Mo...

He could be certain that these people had never had much interaction with Hong Yi.

Yet, under these circumstances, Hong Yi had completely locked onto their targets.

Even if those targets were still under suspicion.

This level of detection ability was terrifying.

"How do they do it?"

Xu Xiao Shou felt a bit uneasy.

Fortunately, he hadn't signed a ghost beast contract with Tan Shen yet.

Otherwise,

Just one look might have made him turn and run.

Hong Yi was indeed formidable!

"Shifu, why does it seem like Hong Yi's net is closing in so fast?" Mu Zi Xi turned and asked.

Xu Xiao Shou was slightly surprised.

His junior sister actually knew the term "closing the net"?

Seeing no response, Mu Zi Xi immediately understood what her senior brother was thinking.

"Cursed, passive value +1."

Xu Xiao Shou clicked his tongue. "The net might seem to be closing fast, but think about it—if even you can figure that out, do you think Hong Yi wouldn't?"

"Huh?" Mu Zi Xi didn't get it.

Xu Xiao Shou hesitated for a moment.

He wasn't eager to explain, but thinking about his junior sister's strange "Shen Mo Tong,"

What if one day she ended up in a similar situation alone? What then?

"Junior sister, remember this: in this world, no one who reaches Hong Yi's level is a fool."

"Since even you feel their net is closing too quickly, and yet Hong Yi still does it, why is that?"

"Why don't they wait a bit longer?"

"Exposing their grand array like this, letting more hidden people know they're surrounded—is that really a good move?"

"So?" Mu Zi Xi blinked her big eyes. "Why?"

"I don't know. You think about it yourself."

Xu Xiao Shou said, "But just know that they're not stupid. If they dare do this, they must have their reasons."

Mu Zi Xi: "..."

"Cursed, passive value +1, +1, +1, +1..."

Xu Xiao Shou fell silent.

Did he really not know?

Not exactly.

He had a vague guess.

Perhaps these things weren't a big part of Hong Yi's real plan,

But they certainly weren't as completely baffling as Mu Zi Xi made it sound.

Whoosh!

In his "perception," after the ghost beast parasite was captured without any resistance, the Hong Yi members didn't go for the "You Si Jian." Instead, they let it fly off in another direction on its own.

"This..."

The people hovering in midair were puzzled and hesitant, not daring to chase it directly.

"Hong Yi seniors, what's going on here?"

"Yeah, should we go for the 'You Si Jian' or not?"

"Go for it!"

Lan Ling replied with a smile: "I'll state this clearly: Hong Yi has no interest in the 'You Si Jian' whatsoever. Our responsibility is solely for ghost beasts and stowaways."

"I've said it before—as long as you entered Bai Ku through proper channels, the 'You Si Jian' is just one of the treasures here, nothing more."

"Whether you get it depends on your own ability."

"But if outsiders try to interfere..."

She paused, pointing to where the ghost beast parasite had been sealed, and said ominously: "That's what happens!"

The air erupted in commotion once more.

With that declaration, everyone finally chose to trust Hong Yi again.

Not only did those in the void turn back to pursue the sword,

But from below, over a dozen figures also shot out.

The sword flew, and the people chased!

However...

It was impossible to catch up!

On the demon-filled Li Jian Cao Yuan, this frenzied scene turned into a deadlock.

The sight was both absurd and pitiful.

In the underground pit,

"Is what Hong Yi said true?" Mu Zi Xi turned back and asked, her face full of doubt.

Xu Xiao Shou snorted. "Use your knee to think about it, and you'll know that's impossible."

"But they said it, right in front of so many people..."

"You're thinking they wouldn't go back on their word, right?" Xu Xiao Shou said. "Yes, Hong Yi said they won't act, but what about Bai Yi? What about Sheng Shen Dian Tang?"

"Did you see Yu Zhi Wen?"

"That girl was with us earlier, and now she's standing at the front of the Hong Yi leaders—that says a lot about her status."

"In this situation, even if Hong Yi wants the sword, it would end up in her hands anyway."

"So it's better to go with the flow, give these Bai Ku trial-takers some hope, and let them stir up the chaos."

"Get it?"

Mu Zi Xi nodded, half-understanding. "I think it's more than that."

"Oh? How so?" Xu Xiao Shou was a bit surprised.

Could this girl have thought even deeper?

Mu Zi Xi lowered her voice: "I feel that once they say this, as long as no Bai Ku trial-taker makes it out, Hong Yi won't have broken their word."

Xu Xiao Shou was speechless for a moment.

He was shocked—how could his junior sister's mind be filled with such extreme ideas?

Wiping out everyone?

He wanted to refute it, but Xu Xiao Shou suddenly hesitated.

Didn't this align with Hong Yi's usual style?

Genocide...

"It probably isn't that bad!"

After thinking, Xu Xiao Shou shook his head: "No matter how much they oppose it, an organization under the mainland's top power wouldn't do something so inhumane."

"Oh."

Mu Zi Xi just nodded, said nothing more, and continued watching the battlefield.

"Entrapment, huh..."

Xu Xiao Shou sighed quietly.

Using the "You Si Jian" as bait to lure in big fish like the Sheng Nu and ghost beasts.

Probably only a super force like Sheng Shen Dian Tang would have the guts for that.

Boom!

Explosions echoed continuously in the void.

Each one meant a new holder for the "You Si Jian."

And every previous holder who couldn't withstand the vicious sword's backlash...

Without exception, they all exploded and died.

"How cruel..."

Xu Xiao Shou watched as more and more overconfident people threw themselves at the "You Si Jian" like moths to a flame, and he couldn't help but sigh.

People die for wealth, just as birds die for food.

This was a universal truth in any world.

"What's the next big fish..."

He stopped paying attention to the "You Si Jian."

Xu Xiao Shou knew that with these people's strength, forget wielding it— even just touching the sword and getting hit by that wave of demonic energy would be too much for most.

These were just cannon fodder; they weren't the big fish Hong Yi wanted.

So...

He turned his gaze to the massive barrier enveloping the entire Li Jian Cao Yuan.

"Could Hong Yi alone pull off something like this?"

Xu Xiao Shou doubted it.

Because he saw traces of Tian Ji Dao Wen on that array—not just a little.

"Lan Ling is only a Ling Zhen Zong Shi; to achieve this, Yu Zhi Wen must have helped a lot."

"As you said, junior sister, the net is closing too fast—right now, no other big fish is willing to jump in and die."

"Yet Hong Yi still set up this barrier—what's their goal?"

His thoughts raced.

After racking his brain, Xu Xiao Shou could only conclude:

Hong Yi could see all potential sword-seizers.

And their ultimate targets had all entered the Li Jian Cao Yuan.

Only then would they boldly erect the barrier!

"Sheng Nu, ghost beasts..."

Xu Xiao Shou's "perception" instantly locked onto Xin Gu Gu's direction.

That guy was acting with unusual composure, unlike his typical self.

Even when the "You Si Jian" flew over his head several times, he remained completely unfazed.

"What is he waiting for?"

"For Jiao Tang Tang?"

"No."

Xu Xiao Shou didn't sense Jiao Tang Tang's aura.

That woman had gotten the Ling Pan, so she was probably off searching for the "Ji Luo Diao Pian," and it was possible she wasn't here.

But...

Recalling how Jiao Tang Tang had appeared before him without a sound,

The more likely scenario was that she used the "Tian Sheng Ling Pan" to lock onto Lan Xin Zi and the man beside her.

And now, they were also in the Li Jian Cao Yuan!

"How will they break out?"

Xu Xiao Shou couldn't figure out how Jiao Tang Tang and the others would seize the "You Si Jian" amid the encirclement of over a dozen Wang Zuo experts, and then break through Bai Ku.

And they still had to get past the external blockade, which meant...

"Wu Yue Jian Xian!"

"This is insane—how is that even possible?"

Xu Xiao Shou couldn't wrap his head around it and didn't dare act rashly.

Hong Yi, ghost beasts, Sheng Nu...

Plus all the other miscellaneous forces.

This tiny Li Jian Cao Yuan had become a stage for at least three major powers' schemes!

And he could only see a part of one side's intentions, and even that wasn't complete.

In this situation, playing it safe was the wise choice.

"Junior sister, listen to me—we don't move until the very end, and be ready to retreat into the Yuan Fu and escape at any moment!"

Xu Xiao Shou's expression was grave. "Got it?"

"Oh."