Chapter 613: Face 2

Feng Jian?

Xu Xiaoshou was completely baffled.

What was that?

But no one explained it to him.

"Not not not."

The masked man just shook his head repeatedly, lightly raising two fingers and drawing in the air.

As his sword finger traced through, a spatial rift appeared.

"Is this what you call Feng Jian?" he retorted.

"This is just sword qi," Gou Wuyue said in a low voice.

"What about this, then?"

The masked man reached back and pulled out a massive snow-white sword, Mu Mingcheng Xue, slashing it through the void.

This time, the sword qi tore open the space, directly isolating the two sides as if dividing the area into two realms.

Xu Xiaoshou watched from behind, his teeth aching.

That was Mu Mingcheng Xue, Su Qianqian's sword.

How could this guy have the nerve to pull it out?

Oh, right, he was the Eighth Sword Immortal, Ba Zun An—so that made it fine...

Gou Wuyue's eyes narrowed as he spoke again: "This isn't your sword either."

"Then where's my sword?"

The masked man spread his hands and tossed Mu Mingcheng Xue back into his spatial ring.

Xu Xiaoshou listened from behind and instinctively reached to hand over his own You Si Jian, but suddenly, white sword qi erupted inside him.

He was pinned in place by the sword qi!

"Damn Ba Zun An, you just wait. Once I get stronger, I'll take everything—whether it's Mu Mingcheng Xue or you—down for good." Xu Xiaoshou grumbled to himself.

The masked man finished this secretly without changing his expression at all.

He stared at Gou Wuyue and said, "My sword is in your hands. Do you dare bring it out and let me test it?"

Nu Lan hummed softly, as if stirring with interest.

Gou Wuyue gripped his sword tighter and said coldly, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You're walking another path, aren't you?"

"A path?"

The masked man chuckled softly: "I am indeed walking another path."

With that, he beckoned with his hand.

"Let's go."

He then stepped forward again, treating Gou Wuyue like he was invisible and turning his back to him.

"Stop right there!"

Gou Wuyue roared in anger.

But the masked man didn't react. Cen Qiaofu and Shuo Shuren saw this and followed suit.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare be careless and quickly positioned himself between the three, letting these big shots escort him onward.

"Is it really okay?"

He quietly used his "Perception" to check behind them, but Gou Wuyue seemed truly stuck, his feet glued in place as he watched the masked man leave without taking a single step.

"Still, big brother has the biggest face!"

Shuo Shuren laughed and tried to throw an arm around the masked man's shoulder, but the latter quickened his pace, leaving Shuo Shuren grabbing at nothing.

He grumbled with a full face of resentment, "Jerk of a big brother..."

"Open up!"

Cen Qiaofu took the lead, swinging his Panxian Axe forward and splitting a hole in the Fu Guo Tian Zhao barrier.

All the white-robed figures behind them panicked at the sight.

Everyone knew that if the four from Shengnu really escaped in this situation, the consequences would be unbearable.

But as long as the man didn't reveal his identity, it was one thing—but once he did...

Ba Zun An!

The Eighth Sword Immortal!

Who would dare block him?

"Wuyue Qianbei..."

Not only were the Shengshen Guards on site murmuring silently.

Even the operators of Fu Guo Tian Zhao, hidden in the distant corners of the Eight Palaces, stared dumbstruck at the scenes transmitted through the void.

Just like that, letting them go?

The rain poured down wildly.

The atmosphere was eerily silent and oppressive.

In this standoff where no one dared move, the masked man steadily widened the distance from Gou Wuyue behind him, step by step.

The barrier light of Fu Guo Tian Zhao quickly repaired itself under the operators' power from afar.

But Cen Qiaofu created a new gash with every axe swing.

The attacks infused with Taixu power were no joke.

With no one to stop them, the Shengnu group swaggered out of the area, while onlookers could only watch with wide eyes.

"Wow."

Even after passing through the light curtain of Fu Guo Tian Zhao, Xu Xiaoshou still couldn't believe it.

They were out just like that?

So simple?

The fierce battle he had imagined in Bai Ku never materialized. The masked man just revealed his identity as Ba Zun An, and everything was resolved?

Xu Xiaoshou slowly turned his head, not daring to ask the others. After thinking it over, he flashed a question mark at Cen Qiaofu, who seemed the most approachable.

Cen Qiaofu chuckled silently.

He understood what the young man meant.

Just as he was about to speak, his face suddenly tensed.

"Watch out!"

At the same time, Shuo Shuren flashed in front of his big brother, as if blocking a great enemy.

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils shrank.

He was the slowest to react.

But his "Perception" saw it most clearly.

At some point, under the torrential rain ahead, two figures had appeared—one tall and one short.

The tall one was taller than anyone Xu Xiaoshou had ever seen.

If not for the human-like appearance, Xu Xiaoshou might have thought a Bai Ku skeleton had escaped outside.

And the shorter one...

"Who is that?"

Xu Xiaoshou was completely shocked.

From his past experiences battling various big shots, judging by the aura, this person was only at Wangzuo level.

But a mere Wangzuo—how dared he, with just one companion, block the path of the Shengnu four, whom even Gou Wuyue wouldn't dare stop?

Bang bang bang!

Raindrops the size of beans pounded the ground.

At that moment, everyone felt something was off.

Ever since the shorter, youthful-looking Wangzuo appeared, the rain seemed to change quality.

Even Xu Xiaoshou's Zongshi body started to feel pain.

"Under attack, passive value: 211."

"Under attack, passive value: 165."

"Under attack, passive value: 198."

His "Countershock" no longer perfectly deflected damage, and "Toughness" had minimal effect.

Under the barrage of over a hundred hits per second, Xu Xiaoshou staggered.

He had no choice but to deploy his Ling Yuan Hu Zhao.

But the shield couldn't withstand the rain's assault and shattered in moments from the water droplets.

"Fei Ruo Zhong Shui!"

Shuo Shuren faced the same issue.

The difference was, the space around him was multiply folded.

No matter how strong the raindrops were, they were flung away by spatial forces upon approach.

"What is Fei Ruo Zhong Shui?"

Not only Xu Xiaoshou had this question—Cen Qiaofu also shielded himself from the rain and asked aloud.

"Ling Bu, the master of water-attribute Daoyi, Yu Ling Di!"

Shuo Shuren stated the name word by word.

Then he shifted his gaze to the tall man beside.

"As for this one, he should be Tianji Kuilei."

Cen Qiaofu's pupils contracted sharply.

He hadn't expected two such figures to show up at the last moment.

"You're the one who made it rain in Bai Ku?"

Cen Qiaofu stepped forward, blocking the Shengnu trio behind him.

"Be careful."

Shuo Shuren wasn't joking anymore and whispered a reminder: "That Tianji Kuilei has about Taixu-level power, and as for Yu Ling Di... he's slain a Taixu before!"

"Ha?"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes bulged at the words.

"Slain one?"

He repeated the key phrase in disbelief, hoping Shuo Shuren would say it was a slip of the tongue.

But no.

Shuo Shuren just nodded gravely: "Though that Taixu had help from others, this guy really did end one. Even if he can't take one alone, as a Wangzuo, he can still bring down or even capture and sever the Dao of a Taixu—that's undeniable."

"And his legends go far beyond that."

"Who knows, the intel I have might be limited, but he could already have the strength to take down a Taixu by himself!"

As the main handler of Zhongyu, Shuo Shuren naturally knew more about Zhongyu affairs.

The more he knew, the graver his expression became.

Cen Qiaofu was startled by his description.

He had heard about this from the leader in Bai Ku, but he never imagined a mere Wangzuo could have such prowess.

It was terrifying!

Xu Xiaoshou felt his throat go dry. "When you say he can slay a Taixu, do you mean an ordinary one, or..."

"Are there ordinary Taixu?"

Shuo Shuren's retort nearly made Xu Xiaoshou choke.

This was insane!

With his Xiantian cultivation plus A Jie’s power, Xu Xiaoshou had barely taken down a Wangzuo, and that was impressive enough.

But a Wangzuo who could slay a Taixu?

He glanced secretly at the masked man in front.

Xu Xiaoshou finally understood why there were beings in this world that could even cripple the Eighth Sword Immortal.

Turns out, geniuses came in droves—it wasn't just him.

He was the real fool!

Bang bang bang...

Pits exploded in the ground, as if hammered by giant hail.

But it wasn't hail—it was rain!

The downpour raged on.

Yu Ling Di reached out to touch the torrential rain, and as each drop passed through his body, his aura grew stronger.

"Wuyue Qianbei, this doesn't seem like your style at all?"

He lifted his head and smiled at the distance: "You called me here just to watch you let the Shengnu go?"

"I might not have minded if I hadn't seen it, but now that I have, how do I report back?"

" Pretend I didn't see anything?"

Yu Ling Di shook his head in distress: "I can't do that."

"Neither can I."

Number Thirty-Three grumbled from the side, scratching his head: "The lord wants me to be an honest kid."

Xu Xiaoshou was immediately drawn to this giant.

Even if the voice was imitated perfectly, he could still catch traces of mechanical tones.

"Tianji Kuilei?"

Xu Xiaoshou thought of A Jie.

No surprise—A Jie was the prototype, Dao Qiong Cang's flawed creation.

This guy must be the perfected version...

"Gentlemen."

Yu Ling Di withdrew his gaze and fixed it on Cen Qiaofu, who stood in front.

"No need for more chit-chat. Let's assign opponents—I'll take one."

He held up a finger, pointing at...

Xu Xiaoshou!

"Xiao Shi Tan Ji?"

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened instantly.

Seriously? With three big shots here, you pick the soft target?

"Judging by your cultivation, you're not even at Zongshi level, right?"

Yu Ling Di's expression turned amused. "I'm curious—how did someone like you survive?"

"From Bai Ku, and from Wuyue Qianbei's threat."

His gaze dropped to the You Si Jian in Xu Xiaoshou's hand.

With that sword, Wuyue Qianbei would never let this kid go.

But here he was, alive—which said something...

"I'm also very curious how you broke through my 'Hua Xiang Gu Li'."

A clear, cold voice suddenly drifted from afar.

Then, Xu Xiaoshou saw a white-robed man stepping through the air on lotus petals, each step covering vast distances.

At first glance, Xu Xiaoshou finally saw what a true senior expert looked like.

With an aura like a exiled immortal, lightly holding a six-petaled crabapple flower, he was the picture of someone untouched by the mortal world!

Xu Xiaoshou subconsciously glanced at Shuo Shuren.

This type was probably his favorite, right?

Sure enough, when Shuo Shuren saw the newcomer, his face flushed red, blooming with uncontainable joy.

"Hai Tang Er gege!"

Whoosh—Xu Xiaoshou got chills all over.

That sweet, coquettish voice could wake the dead.

Wait!

They knew each other?

A flash of insight hit Xu Xiaoshou as he saw Shuo Shuren's genuine excitement, realizing a key point.

"One of ours?"

He turned to ask Cen Qiaofu.

"Mm."

Cen Qiaofu nodded: "Shengnu Seat Nine, the North Region's Seven Duan Jin 'Hua Xiang Gu Li' overseer, Hai Tang Er."

Hiss!

North Region! Seven Duan Jin! Seat Nine!

Xu Xiaoshou had never met this Hai Tang Er, but just from those brief descriptors, he could imagine the person's strength.

Was this Shengnu's foundation?

Ready to escort them out, wave after wave?

The masked man remained completely unfazed.

Looking at Hai Tang Er, who stopped in the distance to avoid Shuo Shuren rushing over, he frowned and asked, "Why are you here too?"

"If I didn't come, could you handle it?"

Hai Tang Er paused before continuing: "Beyond here, seven hundred Shengshen Guards are waiting. Even if you get past them..."

He glanced at Yu Ling Di. "Xie Zui Gong, who loves all living beings, is also watching."

"Oh?"

The masked man's brow arched in surprise. "Isn't he watching Shen Yi?"

Hai Tang Er's face showed no ripple of emotion, not even a hint of joy at reuniting.

If not for the masked man talking to him, outsiders wouldn't even guess they knew each other.

He said coldly: "For someone who holes up in Gui Zhe Sheng Mountain with the entire continent in his sights, watching one or two— what's the difference?"

"Oh?"

The masked man's eyes flashed with more surprise.

"The entire continent?"

"Mm."

"You got shot?"

Hai Tang Er fell silent suddenly, and the masked man lowered his head wordlessly.

"Everyone's improving..."

He pondered for a long time before sighing and turning his gaze back to Yu Ling Di.

"My friend."

Stepping forward, he continued.

Xu Xiaoshou watched from behind, stunned. From the tone, did these two know each other too?

Ba Zun An's face was that big?

What was he planning?

Something unexpected yet predictable happened again.

The masked man acted as if nothing was wrong, walking straight up to Yu Ling Di and Number Thirty-Three before stopping.

He said sincerely: "From what I heard earlier, there seems to be some misunderstanding between you and Hai Tang Er. But now, I'm here—give me face, and let's call it even. How about that?"

Ever since meeting Xu Xiaoshou, the masked man had discovered a more efficient way to fight than swordsmanship.

Talking.

It was a super technique that could end everything without bloodshed.

Only those with thick skin could pull it off!

In the past, he wouldn't have done this.

But now, he felt he could try anything.

At least, he had just succeeded in handling Gou Wuyue, who could have dealt a heavy blow to Shengnu, with a single favor.

Yu Ling Di was stunned.

He looked at the man before him as if seeing him for the first time, asking in shock: "Who are you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is, Gou Wuyue gave me face, and he's your senior. Why not follow his lead and give me some too?"