Chapter 588: Presenting a Big Gift

Chapter 589: The Targeted Person

"It's going to explode!"

Shou Ye instinctively recoiled, but then abruptly noticed that Shuo Shu Ren's figure had vanished from this space, making his heart skip a beat.

Time seemed to stand still.

In that instant, Shou Ye was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions.

His rational mind told him that his body absolutely couldn't handle digesting this second, intensified version of the energy light point.

He had to pull back.

Otherwise, he might end up severely injured, just like what that kid, Xu Xiao Shou, had caused in Bai Ku.

But on the other hand,

if he retreated, what about Bai Ku?

This was a very real problem.

Shou Ye wasn't like Shuo Shu Ren.

He couldn't just brush off the impending explosion with a laugh and turn away, ignoring it.

As a red-robed guardian, his duty was to protect Bai Ku, to safeguard this space where the ghost beast was being born, so that more intelligence could be extracted from it later.

Moreover, if he backed out now,

not only would Bai Ku be destroyed, but what about his companions on Li Jian Grassland...

What then?

"Am I supposed to turn into some kind of psychological freak who specifically runs over just to swallow another energy light point?" Shou Ye was furious with himself.

He felt like Xu Xiao Shou was his nemesis.

Every time that kid made a move, it hit his weak spot dead on.

Should he choose the greater good or save himself...

Whoosh!

His thoughts didn't have time to linger.

After truly weighing the pros and cons of Bai Ku, Shou Ye couldn't bring himself to choose self-preservation.

Some people, some things, were destined from the start.

Wearing this red robe meant that Shou Ye could never, at this critical moment, choose to flee!

"Damn it, Xu Xiao Shou, don't let me catch you—"

As he roared inwardly, the very moment the sky completely shattered, Shou Ye turned and charged forward.

He opened his mouth wide.

"Ahh."

He swallowed it whole!

Boom!!!

The scene erupted instantly, and Shou Ye's act of swallowing was just a fraction too slow.

Even the energy that leaked out vaporized everything within dozens of li in an instant.

Nothing—neither space nor the earth—could withstand such explosive force!

In the interplay of ice and fire, a symphony of destruction played out, with gray currents bursting forth like a dam breaking, causing the entire Bai Ku space to tremble violently.

Buzz!

Far away on Li Jian Grassland, at almost the same moment, everyone turned their heads in unison, gazing toward the same direction.

"What's going on?"

Xin's pupils contracted. This explosive power was far more intense than any explosion he'd seen in Bai Ku before.

In fact, in terms of sheer burst, it was almost on par with the time the ancient texts' space was destroyed.

"Did you and Shou Ye start fighting?"

Xin turned to Shuo Shu Ren and couldn't help asking.

"You scared me to death, you scared me to death..."

Shuo Shu Ren, hovering in the air, kept patting his chest, his face full of lingering fear.

"This Wen Ming is way too reckless!"

He stared intently at the direction of the explosion, his eyes filled with complex emotions—shock, admiration, and deep affection.

"He's so strong. At such a young age, he can achieve this. If we nurture him..."

"Wen Ming?"

The red-robed group completely ignored Shuo Shu Ren's muttering.

They were all too familiar with that name.

Wen Ming—wasn't he the disciple that the second-in-command of the holy slaves had mentioned?

Wasn't he the one suspected to be Xu Xiao Shou?

Was this explosion his doing?

"That's impossible!"

Xin was stunned.

This level of disturbance suggested a clash between Zhan Dao experts—something only Shou Ye and Shuo Shu Ren could trigger.

How could a junior pull that off?

"There's nothing impossible about it."

Hei Ming said with a grim face, "We've reached this point, and you still can't see it?"

"The so-called second-in-command of the holy slaves might not even exist at all."

"If Shuo Shu Ren, Wu Xiu, and Shou Ye were all there, they couldn't have caused a battle like this..."

Hei Ming trailed off.

He wasn't foolish.

As a former leader of the red robes, he had already pieced some things together.

If there really were two holy slaves in that place, even Shou Ye couldn't have stirred up such chaos.

The only explanation was that in the explosion site, it was a three-way standoff, and there were no allies.

But who else could be in Bai Ku right now?

Besides the people on Li Jian Grassland, only Shuo Shu Ren's external avatar, the second-in-command of the holy slaves, and Shou Ye had gone elsewhere.

Based on the previous reasoning, the second-in-command couldn't be at the explosion site.

And adding Shuo Shu Ren's murmur...

"Wen Ming..."

Hei Ming closed his eyes heavily.

They had been tricked!

The so-called second-in-command of the holy slaves was likely fake—he was Wen Ming.

And very possibly, he was Xu Xiao Shou!

"Lan Ling."

Hei Ming turned to Lan Ling, his eyes full of doubt.

If that was the truth,

then there was only one puzzle left unsolved.

Why had everyone only realized these issues that should have been figured out in Bai Ku, and not until now?

"Lan Ling, that Yu Zhi Wen..."

"Yu Zhi Wen is fine."

Lan Ling was equally dazed, her worldview shaken by the explosion.

But she still shook her head, interrupting Hei Ming.

"Yu Zhi Wen is fine!"

She repeated firmly, as if reinforcing her own belief. "Someone from headquarters couldn't possibly be a holy slave's accomplice."

"So, the one we should suspect isn't Yu Zhi Wen, but..."

Lan Ling's voice trailed off as she spoke.

She didn't want to admit it, but the facts were clear—they had all been played.

"That second-in-command of the holy slaves is Wen Ming, is Xu Xiao Shou."

The moment she said it, every red robe present felt their minds go blank with a buzz.

"Huh?"

Xin looked over in disbelief, speechless.

Then, he shifted his shocked gaze to Shuo Shu Ren.

Even without words, everyone shared the same question.

"If that's Xu Xiao Shou, how could Shuo Shu Ren not recognize him?"

Lan Ling turned her eyes toward Shuo Shu Ren.

This was her doubt too,

and the key point confusing everyone's thoughts!

Shuo Shu Ren's face suddenly flushed red.

"What's there to look at!"

He stamped his foot in anger. "Are you all idiots? Just because someone from headquarters shows up, you think they won't deceive you?"

"Don't change the subject..."

Xin hadn't finished speaking when Shuo Shu Ren interrupted loudly.

"From what I see, that Yu Zhi Wen and Wen Ming are in cahoots."

"Don't forget, that girl is a woman!"

"A woman's mind—do you get it?!"

Shuo Shu Ren's retort left even Lan Ling speechless.

Of course!

She could choose not to suspect Yu Zhi Wen's loyalty.

But as a woman herself, how could she not know that sometimes, certain things could unconsciously make someone overlook their own position?

"Impossible!"

After a long silence, Lan Ling shook her head firmly again. "Xu Xiao Shou can turn into the second-in-command of the holy slaves, and you say Shuo Shu Ren didn't recognize him."

"That word 'run'—do you think he couldn't imitate it?"

All the red robes were stunned.

This was a bold speculation.

But...

In that critical moment, could Xu Xiao Shou really think on his feet and use a single word "run" to unravel everyone's deductions?

It wasn't just any word!

Shouting that meant he, Xu Xiao Shou, had to have a complete grasp of every thought the red robes and Shuo Shu Ren had in the ancient texts' space.

But how could he possibly know exactly where the red robes' suspicions about him had led?

And how could he ensure that what he knew aligned perfectly with their assumptions?

It was impossible!

If it were the second-in-command, he might be cunning enough to manipulate hearts so precisely.

But all this reasoning was based on "the second-in-command is actually Xu Xiao Shou."

If it really was Xu Xiao Shou...

How could a young man manipulate everyone like an old fox?

Crack!

As Lan Ling thought about it, a thunderbolt struck her mind, making her brow ache.

They were wrong.

Everyone was wrong.

It was a thinking trap!

That was the answer to everything!

Before laying out any reasoning, they had unconsciously taken a high ground, prejudging that young man.

No one believed a youngster could achieve that in a place full of Zhan Dao experts.

But according to the current deductions, Xu Xiao Shou had done it in the ancient texts' space!

He had truly manipulated everyone.

So, with that track record, could Xu Xiao Shou's mind still be that of a mere youth?

Even if it wasn't top-tier, his brain was undoubtedly sharper than anyone standing on Li Jian Grassland right now,

including herself, Lan Ling!

"The blacklist, top spot..."

Lan Ling suddenly understood, realizing that Shou Ye's words had been spot on.

She regretted not realizing sooner that what Shou Ye said was correct.

"That young man Xu Xiao Shou is more dangerous than the sealed ghost beast—far more!"

More than "far more"!

Lan Ling's vision blurred.

She saw further than Shou Ye.

From his feats in the ancient texts' space, it wouldn't take long at all.

Just five or six years...

No, even two or three, or just one!

If the red robes didn't capture Xu Xiao Shou as soon as possible...

In the future, they might never even touch the hem of his clothes!

"Xu Xiao Shou is just too terrifying..."

At that moment, Lan Ling could hardly imagine what that unfamiliar young face looked like.

Did he have three nostrils or two tongues to pull off something like this?!

In Bai Ku, an unnamed place,

this world, as if in slumber, was pitch-black, with visibility at zero.

But it was disturbed for the second time by sudden commotion.

Hiss!

A massive spatial rift tore through the void, ripping everything apart.

The old woodcutter, Cen Qiao Fu, lay bored on the ground, staring blankly at the darkness above.

"Is it exploding outside?"

"Who's causing trouble?"

"Haven't I already told that dead queen not to clash with the red robes?"

Cen Qiao Fu got up uneasily, looking worriedly toward the spatial rift.

"The main business isn't even done yet..."

Though this place was protected by Sheng Di's power, nothing from Bai Ku could reach here,

and outsiders could hardly detect it,

but this was the second time!

If it weren't for an explosion big enough to threaten Bai Ku, it wouldn't affect this space.

"Have they really started fighting?"

Cen Qiao Fu paced back and forth, occasionally furrowing his brow and glancing at the rift.

Even in this place with no sense of time, he had calculated clearly.

The leader had entered that rift quite a while ago.

"Why hasn't he come out?"

If not for the instruction "wait for me here" before entering, Cen Qiao Fu would have climbed into the rift by now.

"This couldn't mean the person got lost and fell into the spatial turbulence, could it?"

"Could he handle it?"

Cen Qiao Fu shivered at his own guess.

He thought of the leader's frail body, which seemed like a gust of wind could break it.

No...

That was understating it.

It really could break!

"Could he have really fallen into the spatial turbulence?"

Cen Qiao Fu tightened the small axe at his waist, hesitated, and decided he couldn't waste time here anymore—he had to enter the rift to check.

Whoosh.

Just then, a figure shot out from the rift.

The next second, as if he'd overshot, he turned back and burst out.

Cough, cough, cough!

Cough...

After suppressing it, the violent coughing echoed endlessly, followed by...

Pfft!

A pungent smell of blood spread, and Cen Qiao Fu's face turned green. "Did you get lost?"

"No way."

The masked person subconsciously wiped his mouth, but only smeared the wet cloth.

He pressed hard on his lips to squeeze out the blood, then caught his breath, trying to say something.

Pfft!

Another mouthful of blood spurted out.

Cen Qiao Fu: "..."

His mouth twitched a few times, and he skipped the comfort, getting straight to the point: "Did you find the person?"

"Yeah." The masked person took several long breaths, his chest finally steadying.

"How did it go?"

"Based on the results, it's pretty good."

"Based on the results?"

Cen Qiao Fu's eyes narrowed. "What about the process? Did you make a move?"

"I had no choice. That old guy said he found a candidate but didn't want to cooperate at first. If I didn't act, he would've kicked me out." The masked person sighed.

"A candidate?" Cen Qiao Fu was stunned. "Who?"

The masked person rolled his eyes. "Do you think he'd tell me?"

"Well, that's true." The old woodcutter chuckled awkwardly.

"But it's not hard to guess."

The masked person breathed out, not waiting for Cen Qiao Fu to ask, and continued on his own:

"The appearance of the Xu Kong Dao rift is rare, and for it to show up in Bai Ku is a one-in-a-million chance."

"In fact, from my perspective, this is probably the result of their long-term planning."

"Those old folks want to get out, so they'd seize this opportunity tightly."

"With the rift in Bai Ku, where else could they look for a candidate?"

"There's nowhere else."

Cen Qiao Fu hummed in response. He watched as the masked person spread his hands and couldn't help wincing. "Take it slow."

"Alright."