Chapter 554: Do You Want to Come into the Ancient Books Space and Sit?

Chapter 555: Peak Showdown, Meticulously Detailed

Is this women's intuition?

Seriously, Xu Xiaoshou didn't quite believe that even the storyteller hadn't noticed anything.

This girl, Luo Leilei, actually managed to suspect something from his ongoing silence.

Go sit in the ancient archives space?

Xu Xiaoshou smirked.

I just barely escaped that damn place after all that effort—going back in now would be asking for trouble.

She's got some nerve!

But as the second in command of the "Sheng Nu," how could I let a little girl like you push me around?

"Stop right there."

Xu Xiaoshou cut off Mu Zixi's enthusiastic chatter with a single word.

"Master?"

Mu Zixi lifted her head, her big eyes filled with confusion.

Xu Xiaoshou sighed. "After all that rambling, only the last bit of information was useful. Everything else you said... was just nonsense!"

"Hmph!"

A snort of anger escaped.

Mu Zixi's forehead instantly creased with dark lines.

On the other end of the transmission, the spiritual connection trembled, nearly breaking off.

A dead silence fell.

"Received fear, passive value, 3."

"Senior, I..."

Luo Leilei's hesitant voice emerged; she had no idea what she'd said to upset the sleeve-less senior when things had been fine just moments before.

Before she could continue, Xu Xiaoshou interrupted her.

"You've been in the Bai Ku for so long, and all you've gathered is this little information?"

He pointed at Mu Zixi, frustrated beyond words. "I've only been here a short time, and I've already got way more intel than you."

"Master..."

Mu Zixi forced herself not to jump up and hit him, instead lowering her head meekly.

Xu Xiaoshou was just putting on an act!

I have to play along...

But he's so infuriating!

This guy is doing it on purpose!

Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand dismissively.

"The Hei Luo Jian Qiao has fallen into Yu Zhiwen's hands. As a Tianji sorceress, if we give her time, she'll decipher the 'San Shi Liu Tian Feng Wu Zhen.'"

"Then, with Lan Ling's help, no one will be able to leave this place."

"With the great sealing array already activated, the longer we delay, the more advantage the Tianji sorceress will gain."

"You haven't considered any of these factors!"

Mu Zixi: "..."

"And another thing—do you really think Hong Yi is only showing their full strength right now?"

"They knew 'Sheng Nu' had entered the Bai Ku, so do you think they came unprepared?"

"As for what you just said..."

Xu Xiaoshou looked at Mu Zixi with disappointment. "I didn't hear a single word about taking Hong Yi seriously!"

"Received fear, passive value, 3."

"Lei Shuangxing's voice came out reluctantly, 'Senior, we...'"

"Even worse!"

Xu Xiaoshou interrupted again, staring at his clenched-fist junior sister. "You've already dealt with the ghost beasts, and Xin Gugu has crossed paths with you, but what about Jiao Tangtang? Did you forget about her?"

"Hmm?"

The storyteller's eyes sharpened.

Was the second in command using this lecture to his disciple to clue in the three of them about other entities in the "Xv Yue Hui Gong"?

Luo Leilei's voice vanished completely.

Lei Shuangxing fell silent too.

Anyone could see that the current "Sang Lao" was furious as a tiger—best not to provoke him.

"Received fear, passive value, 2."

"Xin Gugu has no brains—who doesn't know that?" Xu Xiaoshou continued. "Jiao Tangtang is the real mastermind behind the 'Xv Yue Hui Gong' operation. Unless something unexpected happened, she's probably in the Li Jian Grassland right now."

"And the fact that just these two ghost beast hosts dared to carry out this operation shows what?"

"One, they have backup and aren't afraid of Hong Yi's forces."

"Two, they have aces up their sleeve. These two, coming from organized, leadership-driven major factions, once they fully transform into ghost beasts—do you really think their abilities are the same as ordinary ghost beasts?"

"Master is right," Mu Zixi said, her head bowed to her chest.

"Senior is right," Lei Shuangxing quickly added, his voice full of fear.

So impressive!

In just the time it took to rush from Qing Long County to the Bai Ku, the sleeve-less senior had uncovered clues that all pointed to the big players.

And so specifically!

Is this the true power of the "Sheng Nu" leader?

He acts with such speed and decisiveness, never wasting a moment.

"Received admiration, passive value, 1."

"Received suspicion, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou didn't hear Luo Leilei's voice.

But glancing at the info panel, he understood—as long as he didn't directly answer the girl's question, she might be scared but wouldn't give up.

"So be it..."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed. "Sit around?"

"Hah?"

Mu Zixi looked up. "Do what?"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized his junior sister's earlier words hadn't mentioned "sit around."

"My dear disciple, do you think we have time to sit around and wait here?" he asked.

"Uh."

Mu Zixi's face turned red. What on earth was he talking about?

Why did Xu Xiaoshou suddenly get like this?

Do what?

"This isn't right..." she hesitated, twiddling her fingers nervously.

"Of course it's not!" Xu Xiaoshou seized the opportunity. "While we're waiting, the ghost beasts are waiting, and Hong Yi is waiting too!"

"If everyone's waiting, why do you think our reinforcements will be stronger than Hong Yi's?"

"As for me alone, I can handle the equivalent forces outside the Bai Ku, but do you think they don't know that?"

"Would they just let us wait for reinforcements and stand around like fools, waiting to die?"

"Wrong!"

"Even kids who can't win a fight call for adults to help. Do you really think every spirit refiner here is an idiot?"

"Wait?"

Xu Xiaoshou scoffed. "I've already entered this place—doesn't that show how urgent the situation is?"

"Sit around?"

He shook his head in disappointment. "I could keep sitting in this deep underground pit, sipping tea and liquor, but then who'd come collect my body?"

The mud fragments overhead shook from his low, angry tone, dropping with soft taps.

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent, and the pit went quiet as a grave.

Mu Zixi didn't dare speak.

Though she had many questions, staying quiet was probably the best response right now.

Because clearly, Xu Xiaoshou's words weren't meant for her.

"Received fear, passive value, 3."

"Old two, calm down. Luo girl didn't mean it; she's just worried..."

"Shut up!" Xu Xiaoshou snapped.

"Hah?"

Mu Zixi raised her head, her big eyes full of bewilderment.

I didn't say anything...

"Received curse, passive value, 2."

Lei Shuangxing's voice timely intervened. "Senior is right; we were careless. The Bai Ku is full of dangers—we really can't wait any longer."

"But the leader..." Luo Leilei's stubborn voice started.

Smack!

That was probably the sound of a head being slapped.

In the next second, the girl's tone softened.

"Senior is right; I was too presumptuous. We really can't wait."

"Old two makes sense. You two..."

The storyteller clearly felt he needed to chime in with some lighthearted comment to ease the tension.

But before he could finish,

"Move out!"

Xu Xiaoshou stared toward the outside, his voice firm.

"Good."

Mu Zixi immediately stood tall, chest out, full of energy.

She'd been itching to act.

"Master, how should we move?"

"Shut up and sit down." Xu Xiaoshou grumbled. "I wasn't talking to you!"

"Oh."

Mu Zixi obediently squatted down.

"Received curse, passive value, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

"Yes!"

The transmission echoed with three voices in unison.

Even the storyteller didn't dare say more at this point.

They really couldn't afford to wait.

Old two was right.

He had escaped into the Bai Ku right after fighting Gou Wuyue, clearly because he'd discovered something.

But since he couldn't say it now, they had to follow his lead.

And his hints were obvious enough.

The Sheng Shen Hall would call for reinforcements too.

If those who came were all at Gou Wuyue's level...

They wouldn't need many—just two or three to hold back Old two and the brother.

Then, the rest of the "Sheng Nu" might not escape!

"Move out!"

The storyteller barked the order.

Hearing that, Xu Xiaoshou's suspended heart finally settled.

Maybe not just Luo Leilei—the storyteller probably had some doubts too.

But as "Sang Lao," he should act according to his ways.

Was Sang Lao the type to let juniors question him?

The type to explain himself when doubted?

If so, Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't have been forced to swallow the "Jin Zhao Huo Zhong" back then, and he might have figured out the old man's identity much earlier.

Suppress it!

Whether it's doubt or anything else, suppress it all!

That was Sang Lao's style.

Clearly, Xu Xiaoshou had bet right.

In the "Sheng Nu," the second was the second, the seventh was the seventh.

Seniors were seniors; juniors were just juniors.

Rank has its privileges.

As long as he stayed firm, others had to back down!

"Still want to sit around?"

Xu Xiaoshou sneered inwardly.

You little brat—if not feeding you a seed is already generous, how dare you provoke the "Sheng Nu" second in command?

Xu Xiaoshou's communication with the "Sheng Nu" group didn't last long.

At that moment,

In the skies above the Li Jian Grassland, those greedy pursuers had calmed down after a dozen or so were blown apart by the demonic qi backlash.

"Red Dress seniors, is this 'You Si Jian' even obtainable?"

"There's something wrong with this demonic qi!"

"It's not like you're manipulating the array and pulling some tricks behind the scenes, right?" The speaker's voice trailed off weakly.

Bald Xin let out a scoff.

"You little punks, if Red Dress wanted the Bai Ku treasures, we could've swept them all up before you even entered."

"'You Si Jian' is a vicious sword, once wielded by the eighth sword immortal—its savage demonic qi is obvious."

"If you can take it, that's your skill."

"If you can't, and you start spouting off..."

Xin's eyes narrowed. "Watch out, or I'll end you!"

The crowd in the void, who had stopped chasing the sword, shrank back in fear.

It made sense, logically speaking.

But...

Glancing again at the wildly darting "You Si Jian," everyone felt a headache coming on.

This vicious sword might be touchable, but no one could hold it!

If anyone could, the dozen or so who exploded earlier were proof of what would happen.

Not a single Zong Shi, let alone Wang Zuo, among them could control this sword.

"Bang!"

Just then, on the increasingly erratic "You Si Jian" in mid-air, a layer of white sword qi suddenly burst forth.

Clearly,

This out-of-place sword qi wasn't from the "You Si Jian" itself.

Its weak power couldn't compare to the sword's terrifying aura.

But in that brief moment, the white sword qi slightly altered the sword's path, sending it toward a specific point.

Toward the Red Dress cluster.

"It's here!"

Lan Ling's expression remained neutral.

But her spiritual sense instantly linked with Xin, asking, "Does this sword intent contain sword thoughts?"

Finally, someone couldn't wait and decided to interfere.

Her intuition told her this was definitely the next big catch!

"No."

Xin shook his head slightly. "But the sword intent is pure—likely at Zong Shi peak, mastered to perfection, so it's no amateur."

"And though it was just a flash, it's clear it's from an ancient sword cultivator."

"So, the ancient sword cultivators here..."

Xin's eyes shifted.

Lan Ling instantly directed her spiritual sense toward the three poised sword wielders, then raised an eyebrow. "It's not them."

"Right, not them." Xin nodded.

The three sword wielders hadn't moved an inch.

So, that sword qi couldn't have come from them.

"Can you trace the location?" Lan Ling asked.

"Can't."

Xin shook his head again. "That sword qi was just a cover. What really changed the 'You Si Jian's direction was a trace of heavenly dao power within it."

"Wang Zuo?" Lan Ling asked.

"No, above Wang Zuo—maybe Zhan Dao, or even higher!" Xin's voice grew heavier.

Lan Ling's heart trembled.

In the Bai Ku, anyone above Zhan Dao level was rare.

"'Sheng Nu'?"

Xin seemed to realize something and asked immediately.

Lan Ling didn't answer; instead, she turned to Yu Zhiwen. "That sword qi just now—could you track the spatial fluctuations?"

"I can track the Tianji fluctuations, but it would take time," Yu Zhiwen replied.

"I asked about spatial fluctuations!"

"Uh..."

Yu Zhiwen hesitated, her star-like eyes scanning the array.

"Can't. They hid it well—no spatial traces left at all."

Lan Ling's red lips curved into a smile.

Sometimes, hiding too perfectly was its own giveaway.

Even across the entire Sheng Shen Continent, few Zhan Dao experts could grasp spatial rules, let alone in this confined Bai Ku space where all such experts could be listed.

"Hei Ming!"

She beckoned to the distance, and Hei Ming had no choice but to approach slowly.

"The 'Sheng Nu' seventh, the storyteller... your old rival. He's yours."

Lan Ling said with a light smile, "This time, it's not an ambush—it's a direct strike. If you lose again, you have no excuses."

Hei Ming: "..."

"Don't worry, I know you can't win, so I'll use the array to help you." Lan Ling pointed to the "San Shi Liu Tian Feng Wu Zhen."

Hei Ming's mouth twitched under his armor as he silently turned and left.

"That's how you locked it down?"

Xin, listening nearby, looked baffled.

I barely said a few words, and you've already found the person?

"How'd you do it?"

He couldn't help asking.