Chapter 564: Schemes within Schemes, Worlds within Worlds

“Bai Kuiba, is it gone?”

Xu Xiaoshou felt like he was riding a roller coaster.

From the beginning, to the climax, to the final despair—this emotional roller coaster was incredibly turbulent.

He had finally gained some control over the Fengtian Great Array and finally had a chance to escape the battlefield.

Now you're telling me Bai Kuiba is gone?

"If the outside is completely blown up, where can I, Xu Xiaoshou, escape to?"

Xu Xiaoshou immediately stopped thinning the barrier wall.

He was in a daze.

"Impossible."

"I, Xu Xiaoshou, haven't even made a move yet—how could Bai Kuiba explode?"

"Could it be that all the Hongyi are gathered at Jiancao Plain, and the outsider Wang Zuo-level masters are fighting fiercely outside, destroying Bai Kuiba?"

"No, that's not right!"

Xu Xiaoshou was panicking greatly right now.

He felt a sense of powerlessness for the first time.

But with no one to help, he had to force himself to calm down, over and over again.

If he also lost his mind, then everything would truly be lost.

"Stay alive!"

Never before had Xu Xiaoshou's will to survive been so strong.

It even surpassed his previous desire to flee this place.

"Calm down. Bai Kuiba can't be gone. Not long ago, Shou Ye just came in from outside."

"If Bai Kuiba had exploded directly, he would either be dead in the spatial fragments or have ripped through space to get outside."

"How could he have arrived so promptly?"

Xu Xiaoshou spotted the flaw.

Although the Fengtian Great Array was filled with spatial fragments outside,

That didn't mean Bai Kuiba was destroyed.

He had seen a similar scene before.

"But… impossible!"

Yet, thinking of that possibility almost drove Xu Xiaoshou mad.

All of this was so similar to when the Ancient Record space exploded back then.

At that time, the space blew up, and Xu Xiaoshou even had the presence of mind to test the intentions of the Gray Fog Man, so he ended up lost alone in the spatial fragments for quite a while.

Now, putting aside the distant battles,

Wasn't Jiancao Plain just like the Ancient Record space on the verge of shattering?

Except it had changed from Lingrong Ze to Jiancao Plain.

"Storyteller..."

Recalling how the Storyteller had been unhurried, unpanicked, and unhurried from the start,

Xu Xiaoshou nearly broke down on the spot.

"That's it!"

"So, he started long ago!"

"Everything that's happening now isn't in Bai Kuiba at all—it's inside the Storyteller's Ancient Record space!"

"He can duplicate things!"

"Yes, his ability is to copy everything, including terrain, including the Heavenly Dao..."

"He could duplicate an entire Lingrong Ze, move it into the Ancient Record space, then imprint a Jiancao Plain here, all while everyone's attention was elsewhere..."

"Moved in?"

At this thought, Xu Xiaoshou was so terrified that his legs went weak.

He resisted the urge to collapse on the spot and forced himself to appear nonchalant, as if nothing was wrong.

"This is the only explanation."

"When the battle between the Hongyi and the Gui Shou began, and the Hongyi had no time to contact the outside world, the Storyteller had already made his move. He isolated the space and secretly transferred everything."

"With the Hongyi tied up by the Gui Shou, even too busy with internal array matters, how could they pay attention to what's outside the array?"

"Only when they finish dealing with the Gui Shou and try to lower the array will they realize they are birds in a cage!"

"At that point, exhausted from battle and unable to call for outside help, what can the Hongyi use to fight against the Sheng Nu or against the Storyteller?"

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly terrified.

This was the real mastermind!

The true puppeteer!

Without anyone noticing, he turned them all into his pawns, then stayed out of it, quietly watching the pieces slaughter each other.

When the two sides wear each other down, the losers die.

And even if the players survive to the end, how can they break free?

Their power levels don't match, and neither do their strategic skills—they are not even on the same plane.

This is being played like a fiddle in someone's palm, without even realizing it!

"I'll be damned..."

Xu Xiaoshou gained a whole new understanding of what Elder Ye Sang had said.

This world is truly terrifying.

These people are far beyond what he can handle right now.

He, Xu Xiaoshou, has a bit of cleverness,

But compared to the Storyteller's schemes, even self-deprecation falls short.

"Can I just bow down to you?"

"My mindset is completely shattered!"

Xu Xiaoshou "calmly" lifted his hand from the Tianji Disk.

Struggling was pointless.

The only way to save himself now...

Was to latch onto a big leg!

The Storyteller's big leg!

He was still in Elder Ye Sang's form, and the Storyteller respected him enough. If he played it right,

Getting out might not be so hard.

And after getting out...

"Hiss!"

Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled.

He had no idea how to break the situation.

Forget it—deal with things as they come after escaping.

Who has time to think that far ahead?

"Wait, no."

Forcing himself to calm down, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized that the Storyteller, who could manipulate everyone so effortlessly, would he fail to see through his little disguise as the Sheng Nu's second-in-command?

"Thump, thump, thump..."

His heart raced wildly.

Xu Xiaoshou felt like a clown, nakedly performing in front of others, shamefully thinking he looked polished and put-together.

But it was all just the emperor's new clothes.

"No, no, there's still a sliver of hope."

"If that red-skirted man had recognized me, why didn't he react when he scolded me earlier?"

"Besides 'curse' and 'dislike,' his reaction had nothing else..."

Xu Xiaoshou was doubting himself badly.

But he had to trust his passive skills right now.

The "Huanxing" divine skill had fooled even Mu Zixi.

Unless the Storyteller was Ye Sang's... close friend.

Otherwise, spotting his true identity wasn't realistic.

"So, are they close friends?"

Xu Xiaoshou thought it was unlikely.

He had met the Storyteller a few times.

In terms of age, they weren't in the same league—the Storyteller was much younger.

And with Ye Sang's fiery temper, if someone spoke to him in that effeminate way, especially a man...

"Huff."

Xu Xiaoshou let out a light sigh of relief. He couldn't see it.

Even if he was found out, he had to keep acting.

Because there was no other path.

"Life is like a play, all about the performance..."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed tearfully.

He drew his Chicken Sword, tossed the Tianji Disk into his Yuanfu, then pulled a straw hat from his ring and put it on with one hand, covering his slightly balding head.

"Lao Qi."

"Hmm?"

The Storyteller's voice came immediately.

He sounded very curious.

Not a hint of worry about the battle.

By now, Xu Xiaoshou understood why.

He raised the Chicken Sword, flicked it with his finger, and a clear sword ring echoed underground.

The Chicken Sword went limp.

But under Xu Xiaoshou's fierce, predatory gaze, it stiffened slightly.

"You mentioned a tactic earlier?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"Hmm?"

The Storyteller was puzzled, his voice suddenly more excited. "Lao Er, you're willing to cooperate with me now?"

"I can't freaking do this!!!"

Xu Xiaoshou roared inwardly, but did he dare say no? Could he say no?

"Mm."

With an emotionless nod, Xu Xiaoshou looked toward the battlefield.

Xin Gugu's abilities were bizarre. Surrounded and attacked by Xin and the other Hongyi, he was dismembered directly.

Yet, he split into four.

Four blood-soaked minotaur heads charged the Hongyi relentlessly, like they had a death wish.

The people over there were getting headaches.

They couldn't kill it, and dismembering it only made it multiply—it was just there to disgust them.

But Xu Xiaoshou could see that with the array's power boosting them, Xin Gugu's combat strength, now divided into four, could barely deal effective damage anymore.

It was only a matter of time before he was taken down.

As for Cheng Xingchu...

Well, more like the Shengzhan Heiluotian now.

Xu Xiaoshou could no longer sense any of Cheng Xingchu's consciousness in that super Gui Shou whose power kept rising.

He was dead.

But transformed into another form, wielding four swords, even when pulled into the Yinsi Hell gate by Lan Ling and Hei Ming's teamwork,

He shattered the law with one sword!

When he emerged again, his aura had reached Daozhong level, utterly unstoppable!

"He's holding them off, but once Xin Gugu is taken down, the Shengzhan Heiluotian will run out of steam. Cheng Xingchu's Gui Shou vessel is really a bit weak."

"To face Lan Ling, Hei Ming, and Xin at the same time, it's not enough."

"And Shou Ye..."

This was a figure Xu Xiaoshou was very wary of.

He didn't seem like an ordinary Hongyi—in fact, he had once turned the Storyteller into ice crystals.

Now, as Shou Ye searched for Jiaotangtang and locked onto a position, he directly blasted through the spatial fragments and darted in, about to drag out the mastermind behind Xu Yue Hui Palace.

"Absolutely terrifying!"

But none of this was the main point.

"Lao Qi, do you think you can still hide?"

"Hmm?"

The Storyteller was startled.

Just from that sentence, he knew his little trick of inviting Lao Er into the Ancient Record space had been discovered.

But it was normal for Lao Er to see through it.

And the implication of that sentence...

Had the Hongyi discovered it too?

The Storyteller quickly focused his spiritual sense on Lan Ling's side.

But there, the group was still orderly, their expressions unchanged, as if they hadn't noticed anything.

"Lao Er, what do you mean..."

"The Hongyi aren't as simple as you think."

Xu Xiaoshou said slowly, "You've blocked the Heavenly Secrets, so they can't find me, but as long as they sense someone interfering with the Heavenly Secrets nearby, that's enough."

"You all entered too conspicuously. The Hongyi knew about it long ago."

"At this point, they can roughly match the combat power and figure out that either you're here, or the 'Sheng Nu' trio is here."

"The only one in Bai Kuiba still hiding their identity is me."

The Storyteller's spiritual communication channel wavered slightly.

Clearly, he had taken those words to heart.

"So?"

But he still asked calmly.

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and shook his head.

This guy...

The Storyteller wasn't stupid; he just hadn't considered it because he was so high and mighty, not taking the Hongyi seriously.

But was what they faced really just the Hongyi?

Xu Xiaoshou said in a guiding tone, "From the start to now, the combat power the Hongyi have shown is only this much."

"Even against the Shengzhan Heiluotian, they haven't deployed other forces."

"That means the power they've revealed in Jiancao Plain is all they have."

"At this time, while dealing with Xu Yue Hui Palace, how much extra energy do you think they can spare to deal with us?"

"Of course not." The Storyteller perked up instantly.

In his plan, he was the fisherman, and the mantis and cicada would fight to mutual ruin.

What could the Hongyi use to resist?

"They know we're here but have no extra energy—what do the Hongyi need to do?" Xu Xiaoshou pressed, frustrated.

"Your meaning..."

The Storyteller was suddenly alarmed, his thoughts clicking into place. "Contact the outside?"

"No, they're birds in a cage—they haven't even realized their situation."

The alarm in his voice faded, turning into mockery. "Lao Er, I have to say, your brain is indeed a bit sharper than mine, but even if they've discovered it, so what?"

"In the Ancient Record space, they can't contact the outside at all."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed inwardly.

As expected.

His guess was confirmed!

This Jiancao Plain was a replica made by the Storyteller.

Everyone had already fallen into an invisible net.

He didn't show it, just cursed,

"Idiot!"

"The Hongyi can't contact outside, but what if the outside can't contact them?"

"You should know..."

"That old dog?!" The Storyteller suddenly shrieked, fully understanding.

If Gou Wuyue sensed something wrong and slashed through Bai Kuiba with a sword?

His brothers hadn't come out yet.

Then, everything here would fall to him... no, to him and Lao Er to handle?

In an instant, the Storyteller's scalp tingled.

"Ah."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed softly, "After all these years, you haven't grown at all—in fact, you've regressed badly."

"Lao Qi, you need to know, arrogance and looking down on everything will bring you disaster!"

"Got it?"

"I..." The Storyteller's tone grew sheepish, at a loss for words after the scolding.

"Gained approval, passive value +1."

"Gained awe, passive value +1."

Just then, the Hongyi locked in battle with the ghosts suddenly seemed to receive some order, retreating in unison.

At the same time, Lan Ling shouted,

"Assemble, form the array!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Figures of the Hongyi, including Hei Ming, Xin, and Shou Ye who had vanished into the spatial fragments, appeared in the sky in an instant.

They positioned themselves, perfectly aligning with the Fengtian Great Array.

"Break the boundary!"

As Lan Ling uttered those two words, the Storyteller was immediately in awe of Lao Er.

Indeed, Lao Er deserved his second-in-command spot.

The Hongyi hadn't shown any signs, yet they had secretly notified everyone and immediately changed tactics, trying to shatter the Ancient Record space.

He hadn't noticed, but Lao Er had seen it all clearly.

But would the plan stop here?

Was everything really that simple?

Hidden in the spatial fragments, the Storyteller smiled faintly.

"Discovered it, so what?"

"In the face of absolute power, brains are just for show!"

As the Hongyi's spiritual energy erupted, about to combine and smash the Ancient Record space,

The Storyteller waved his hand.

"Freeze!"

With a buzz, the blood-soaked minotaurs' charge halted, and the Shengzhan Heiluotian's wings stopped flapping.

Among the Hongyi, including Shou Ye and the others, they all felt their spiritual energy solidify, as if burdened by immense force, making it hard to mobilize.

The entire space of Jiancao Plain was frozen.

Before the horror in everyone's eyes could fully show, the effeminate voice drifted down from the sky.

"Not bad, not bad, faster than I expected."

"I didn't think you'd discover it so easily—such a bother."

A figure in a red skirt floated down gracefully amid the shocked gazes.

The Storyteller appeared beside Lan Ling, wrapping one arm around her slender waist and whispering in her ear.

"Heh."

"It's you, right? I probably didn't guess wrong… what a clever mind!"