Chapter 608: I, Xu Xiaoshou, Threaten Gou Wuyue

"Received attention, passive value, 782."

"Received suspicion, passive value, 624."

The entire audience was completely stunned.

No one could have imagined that, even with everyone watching so intently, the young man would still spout such outrageous nonsense.

Most importantly, he was a Sheng Nu!

Look at those two guys on the side, their faces turning green... Well, this was probably their first time seeing something like this, so no wonder they looked so shocked.

"Is he really a Sheng Nu?" The Bai Yi exchanged glances.

It wasn't that they were eavesdropping on purpose.

It was just that Senior Gou Wuyue ignoring several great powers and choosing to talk to this young man first was already drawing a lot of attention.

And now, even Gou Wuyue himself seemed to be encountering this kind of situation for the first time...

Xu Xiaoshou's mouth was just too sharp.

Gou Wuyue gripped his sword hilt tighter.

He twitched the corner of his mouth slightly, hesitated for a long moment, opened his mouth...

...and then closed it.

Finally, under the young man's probing gaze, he suppressed his twitching eyebrow and said in an odd voice, "You, serious?"

"Hmm."

"Received admiration, passive value, 421."

"Received respect, passive value, 669."

"Received worship, passive value, 342."

The crowd of Bai Yi went berserk.

"Hmm?"

"Damn, this kid's gone crazy, using 'hmm'? Talking to Senior Gou Wuyue like that?"

"Even if the Jade Emperor himself showed up in front of me today, I, Old Sun, wouldn't bow to help him up. Today, I'm totally impressed by this guy!"

"Hmm... How confident is he!"

"He's so ordinary, just a young guy from the junior generation, yet he has the nerve to say all that with such an innocent face, expecting Senior Gou Wuyue to agree to his rude demand?"

"The mantis and the clam fight, and whoever wins gets me?"

"Holy crap, that's awesome!"

The scene fell into dead silence.

But beneath the Bai Yi's frantic transmissions, the space rippled slightly.

Everyone stared at that innocently naive guy, wondering how much he must have been sheltered as a greenhouse flower to still have such childlike innocence at his age and say such childish things.

This...

It was so naive it was almost squeezable, making people itch to pinch it until it burst!

Gou Wuyue took a deep breath.

In his mind, he recalled the outrageous moves that guard had made in the ancient archives space. Back then, he hadn't understood why a mere young man could push the guard to that extent, but now, putting himself in the same position, he got it.

"You know who I am, right?" Gou Wuyue chuckled lightly.

He felt relieved and let go.

It was as if he saw himself as a child.

"I know!"

Xu Xiaoshou nodded seriously. "Didn't I just say it? ... Hmm?"

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he muttered under his breath, "So you're that kind of Gou Wuyue Jianxian..."

Then, with a solemn bow, Xu Xiaoshou straightened up and declared loudly, "Aren't you the legendary one who can chase Sheng Nu's second-in-command into fleeing and hunt down Sheng Nu's seventh..."

Everyone staggered on the spot, nearly collapsing.

Gou Wuyue's face turned bright red in an instant.

"Stop!"

He shouted with a voice several times louder than the young man's, cutting off the flood of flattery, his sword-holding hand trembling slightly.

In just one encounter, Gou Wuyue's lifelong reputation was almost ruined by this kid, turning him into someone who loved bootlicking!

Who could handle that?

"You know who I am and still dare to joke with me?" Gou Wuyue's face grew serious, his eyes swirling with cold sword intent.

"I'm not joking. I'm serious."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded. "I have leverage on you, Gou Wuyue Jianxian."

"Leverage..."

"..."

"Received suspicion, passive value, 733."

"Received respect, passive value, 666."

Now, not just the Bai Yi were stunned, but even the storyteller, who had been about to step forward and drag away that embarrassing thing, froze in his tracks.

He exchanged a glance with Cen Qiaofu.

The latter, carrying an unconscious person on his back, wore a face full of utter confusion, as if asking if this kid had always been like this.

The storyteller responded with his eyes: How would I know? You might as well ask the one on your back!

"Leverage?"

Gou Wuyue murmured, suddenly raising his famous sword high and saying coldly, "You can choose to speak, but if it doesn't count as real 'leverage,' I'll draw my sword. Understand?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt a chill run down his spine.

Understand my ass!

Are you out of your mind?

If I didn't have leverage, would I dare talk to you like this?

But if I do have it, you're still going to act?

If you're going to play it that way...

"Then I'll choose not to say."

Xu Xiaoshou dodged behind the storyteller in a flash, glanced at the red figure in front of him, and quietly shifted to hide behind Cen Qiaofu.

Only then did he poke his head out from over the masked man's shoulder: "You said I could choose."

A vein throbbed at Gou Wuyue's temple.

"Received glare, passive value, 1."

Among the Bai Yi crowd, there was suddenly some rustling.

Various subtle movements started to appear, but they abruptly sensed the overwhelming sword intent descending, instantly freezing in place like rigid Bai Yi statues, standing straight as arrows.

"Received awe, passive value, 315."

"Hahaha..."

Cen Qiaofu threw his head back and laughed.

He had never understood why the leader treated this young man so specially, but after this back-and-forth, he realized just how much the kid's temperament suited him.

"Speak!"

With a stern face, Cen Qiaofu lowered his voice and sneered, tossing his small axe dismissively. "He, Gou Wuyue, might 'draw his sword,' but he can't 'remove' it. Even if the sky falls today, this old man will hold it up for you!"

With that, he turned his head.

Cen Qiaofu stared intently: "Xiao Shi Tan Ji, understand?"

I understand jack!

I'm not some curse that needs removing!

Xu Xiaoshou sneaked a glance at Gou Wuyue, feeling utterly creeped out.

That's a Jianxian!

Can your old bones really handle it?

Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't dare say another word—he realized he'd been too impulsive.

In a gathering of heavyweights like this, the best strategy was to make himself invisible, not jump out and talk.

Didn't he know his own mouth was a trouble magnet?

Xu Xiaoshou hunched even lower.

But Cen Qiaofu grew even angrier.

"Xiao Shi Tan Ji!"

He shouted, his gaze shifting from appreciation to pressure. Xu Xiaoshou trembled and quickly ducked back behind the storyteller.

The storyteller slightly parted his high-slit red skirt, revealing smooth, jade-like skin, his face full of a warm smile.

Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat, and he retreated immediately.

What kind of people are these?

What mess have I gotten into?

Why do they all have to focus on me? Can't you just fight among yourselves?

With Gou Wuyue's pressure in front and Cen Qiaofu's in the back...

One from Sheng Shen Hall, the other a Sheng Nu...

Trapped between two men!

Xu Xiaoshou had no choice but to back down. Who asked Gou Wuyue Jianxian to single him out for no reason?

He stepped back a few paces, away from the two groups, hesitated, and said weakly, "If you guys keep this up, it's really hard for me..."

After thinking, Xu Xiaoshou looked around tentatively: "How about this? I have leverage, but I won't say much—just half of it, so I don't offend anyone?"

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

The scene was dead quiet for three full breaths, then...

"Received doubt, passive value, 741."

"Received conviction, passive value, 666."

"Received praise, passive value, 232."

"Received admiration, passive value, 418."

The whole place was stunned again, and the information panel started flooding with messages.

But then, those messages turned hostile.

"Received glare, passive value, 2."

"Received hostility, passive value, 2."

"Received oppression, passive value, 2."

"Received sneak attack, passive value, 1."

Damn!

Seeing the word "sneak attack," Xu Xiaoshou's heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

"Crap... Spare me, sword master! Spare me!"

He yelled in panic, without thinking, casting "Disappear" on the spot, then "One Step to Heaven," escaping like a cicada shedding its shell.

Whoosh!

Boom!

A sword qi shot out, but Cen Qiaofu cleaved it in half with his axe just in time.

The void rippled.

Then, from all directions, it was as if mirrors shattered by sound waves, tearing apart instantly.

Yet, before the space could fully break, it was guided by the tenfold sword intent, reforming into countless tiny void swords that seamlessly mended the space.

The mirror of heaven and earth wanted to shatter, but human will did not.

Human will stitched heaven and earth, birthing a sword realm world.

"Sword realm... domain!"

Cen Qiaofu paused only briefly before realizing Gou Wuyue had opened his domain. He roared.

At the same time, the storyteller flipped his palm, and the "Yin Yang Life-Death Seal" scattered golden light.

The character danced through the air, projecting across the entire world.

"Wrong!"

Divine summons and spiritual calls merged with heaven and earth.

The great dao rules were forcibly disrupted in that instant, space and time misaligned and overlapped like two clouds merging, indistinguishable.

Then, the storyteller pinched his orchid fingers and lightly tapped the air.

"Divide!"

All the Bai Yi saw the scene blur before their eyes.

The sword realm world Gou Wuyue had created vanished as if it had been shifted away.

In its place was a brand-new space.

It was as if...

Everything had returned to the moment when the four Sheng Nu stepped out of the Bai Ku space rift.

"What happened?"

Everyone felt their scalps tingle.

Few could fully grasp the intense clash that had just occurred between the two sides.

But that momentary chaos of the heavenly dao made everyone feel utterly defenseless.

If enemies had attacked then...

"Hiss."

"Damn it!"

"What ability does this red-skirt man have? Hasn't the research team given a clear classification after all this time?"

"Every time, we'd die without knowing how!"

Some were terrified, others remained calm.

"Don't worry, we still have Senior Gou Wuyue holding the fort!"

On the other side, Xu Xiaoshou was nearly scared out of his wits.

This was no joke—they went straight for the kill without any warning!

Did they have to be that extreme? He was just a harmless baby, okay...

He didn't even dare lift his "Disappear" state, teleporting through space multiple times, but at one point, it was like hitting a barrier and he stopped.

"As expected..."

Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank.

Just like when he encountered the storyteller before.

He really couldn't get out!

But that made sense. If the storyteller was that strong, and the Bai Yi were so prepared, they probably wouldn't have let Cen Qiaofu and the others chatter if they hadn't sealed off the space.

"But..."

"Fight?"

Sensing the suddenly oppressive atmosphere and seeing Gou Wuyue and Cen Qiaofu locking eyes with pure killing intent, Xu Xiaoshou's legs went weak.

"Hold on."

He dispelled his "Disappear" state and appeared from far away.

The crowd immediately turned, all eyes on him.

"Received suspicion, passive value, 611."

"Received speculation, passive value, 499."

"This guy..."

"That's right, he just disappeared entirely. He's not dead? I thought he was obliterated on the spot."

"Disappear technique!"

"If he's the famous one, it must be that Disappear technique... and spatial movement. Good lord, what's this guy's background? So many divine skills?"

"Surviving with that level of cultivation is already impressive..."

The Bai Yi murmured among themselves, finally remembering that the fuse for this standoff was this young man who should have died in the clash.

"Xiao Shi Tan Ji..."

Gou Wuyue turned to the young man, a knowing glint in his eyes.

The miraculous Disappear technique and the spatial rules that shouldn't belong to a low-cultivation youth...

No wonder this guy could toy with the storyteller in the Bai Ku.

His first strike was a test, and Gou Wuyue got the answer he wanted.

He said nothing more, sheathing his sword smoothly.

Click.

"Received sneak attack, passive value, 1."

Damn!

Xu Xiaoshou thought things were settling as Gou Wuyue sheathed his sword, so he pondered his words carefully.

Little did he know, this was a move just like his own "West Wind Withering Snow"—but an enhanced version!

His body faded and reappeared.

Thanks to his powerful "Sword Mastery," he found a tiny gap at the critical moment, letting the invisible sword qi pass through him.

Indirectly immune to the damage!

Rumble...

But distant sounds echoed from behind.

Xu Xiaoshou whipped around in horror and witnessed a sight he'd never forget.

In the clouds, miles away, the shadowy mountain peaks—buried who-knows-how-far—were like a painter's bold stroke.

A straight line sliced through, dust billowing like a volcanic eruption.

The mountain range... was severed!

From west to east, the edge invisible to the naked eye, yet under that sword, it split clean...

Severed!

One sword cleaved the peak, its force piercing the heavens!

"Oh my god..."

"Is this what a Jianxian is?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt like he'd seen a god!

How was this human?

This was a deity!!

If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he'd have thought it was a ridiculous, laughable daydream.

But no.

It happened for real, right before him, miles away.

The scene, once so distant, now struck terror.

Imagine the commotion miles away—it must have been more terrifying than a volcanic eruption!

"I..."

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't hold back anymore; if he didn't say something, he might never get the chance.

But...

He did have leverage.

That leverage was Gou Wuyue's disciple, Lu Ke, still frozen in his Yuanfu fridge.

But could he bring it out now? Dare he say it?

Xu Xiaoshou's legs were shaking.

He'd witnessed true Taixu, the real power of a Jianxian.

A being unbound by small world suppression, one of the world's rule-makers, with no restraints in attacking.

That sword's damage had redefined his worldview's peak of power.

"I..."

Xu Xiaoshou swallowed hard, stuttering again.

His fingers trembled, feeling his clothes couldn't contain the sweat under his arms, something dripping down.

Could he really pull out the Lu Ke ice sculpture?

Could he say it out loud?

Was that even "leverage"?

Would Gou Wuyue fear a threat?

"Huff."

His heart a mix of emotions, Xu Xiaoshou closed his eyes heavily.

Oh god, where are you? Please come save me quick!

I'd even kowtow!

Help—!