Chapter 618: The Benefits of Being Weak

Demonic trees whipped wildly.Blood flowed like a river.

"This is just too horrifying..."

In his invisible state, Xu Xiaoshou tried to touch the blood tree nearby, but it seemed to sense something and shuddered violently. The branches forked out, passing straight through his body.

"Damn it!"

Xu Xiaoshou was startled and quickly darted away, only to realize he was in a state immune to attacks.

The next second, a wail echoed from behind him.

"Ah—"

Turning around, he saw it was a Bai Yi warrior. This one seemed to be from a non-combat unit and couldn't hold out long in the blood tree thicket. Caught between enemies on all sides, he was swiftly drained by the branches and turned into a dried corpse.

A chill ran down Xu Xiaoshou's spine, and he felt utterly helpless.

He had imagined that after the Sheng Nu escaped from Bai Ku, there would be a major battle. Earlier, things had been eerily calm, almost as if they could talk their way out, and he had felt a bit disappointed at missing the spectacle.

Now, witnessing this gruesome scene...

"Indeed, if it doesn't erupt, fine, but when it does, it can scare you to death!"

Xu Xiaoshou shuddered and didn't dare think more.

Number Thirty-Three plunged down from the sky.

He didn't go after the raging Cen Qiaofu but instead joined the combat unit of Bai Yi to clear out the terrifying blood tree thicket.

Led by several Zhan Dao experts, the Bai Yi forces had recovered from the initial surprise attacks and were now forming arrays to protect their backs from the blood tree branches.

Cen Qiaofu had lost control.

The blood trees he summoned were highly damaging, but with their main target Gou Wuyue gone, they were now aimlessly attacking anyone in the thicket.

Xu Xiaoshou watched with a pang of sadness.

But he didn't let his emotions take over and charge in.

The greatest sorrow for the weak was that in a top-tier battle like this, they couldn't offer even the slightest help.

Yet, their biggest advantage was that once a war really broke out, almost no one would remember their existence!

"It's time to go..."

Xu Xiaoshou was grateful for awakening the "Xiaoshi Shu."

Otherwise, in this chaos, survival would have been impossible.

But precisely because of this turmoil, the Bai Yi formations were scattered, and the Fu Guo Tian Zhao had been broken and not yet repaired.

This was a golden opportunity.

If he didn't leave now, he'd be wasting the distraction Cen Qiaofu had created.

"One Step to Heaven!"

Without lingering, Xu Xiaoshou stepped out in his invisible state, leaving the chaotic battlefield behind.

Tap.

In a remote, uninhabited mountain forest, dead leaves and broken branches covered the ground, with ancient trees towering like demons.

Suddenly, the branches cracked open, revealing a tattered sole.

Then, Xu Xiaoshou dispelled his invisible state, his form solidifying in this new world.

Hiss.

As soon as he landed, he took a deep breath.

The fresh mountain air, mixed with the scent of decaying leaves, helped steady his racing heart.

"Escaped alive..."

"But not completely out of danger yet."

Xu Xiaoshou was on edge.

The battle in Tai Xu had been terrifying— in just a few exchanges, the world shattered, and a barren battlefield turned into a dense blood tree forest.

This wasn't child's play; death could come at any moment.

Now, with the passive skill "Yin Ni" that gradually erased his presence when he stayed silent, plus "Xiaoshi Shu" and "One Step to Heaven"...

He had escaped.

Xu Xiaoshou felt deeply grateful.

Combat-type passive skills made him unbeatable among peers.

But support-type passive skills were the true godsend for surviving deadly situations!

"Can't let my guard down."

Scanning his surroundings, Xu Xiaoshou first used "Ganshi" to probe the mountain forest in all directions.

The nightmare of being caught by Shou Ye after a brief rest in Bai Ku still haunted him, and at this critical moment, he couldn't afford any mistakes.

Now, there was no one to help him.

If he slipped up, it wouldn't just be a chain— it would be his life.

"No people, no beasts, no birds..."

Xu Xiaoshou frowned.

The forest was eerily silent— too silent.

Or perhaps, the Tai Xu battle had scared off all the creatures that should have been living here.

That was the key point.

If the Bai Yi started searching the mountains, even the slightest movement would mean it was either one of their own or an enemy!

Xu Xiaoshou lowered his head in thought, racking his brain for a plan.

First, without a word, he got rid of the square-jawed, bearded face.

Then, he lifted his gaze, transforming into the image of a weathered old man.

"Old man..."

He furrowed his brow, hesitated, and shook his head.

"No, this remote forest wouldn't have an old man like this. If there were, it'd probably be someone like Cen Qiaofu!"

"It's too unrealistic— too easy to expose!"

"But what image could work to get out?"

In a forest with no people or beasts, Xu Xiaoshou pondered deeply, pulling a white robe from his ring.

It looked similar to the Bai Yi robes, but at a glance, it wasn't the same.

That didn't matter.

With a few swift scratches of his nails, Xu Xiaoshou tore the robe and even cut some wounds into his own body.

Blood stained it, and he put on the tattered, blood-soaked robe. With more cuts on his face and body using "Bianhua," he instantly became a Bai Yi warrior who had barely escaped the battlefield.

"This works."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded in satisfaction and continued to analyze the situation.

"Under Cen Qiaofu's blood trees, not many Bai Yi could protect themselves. Instead of waiting to die, some must have received orders and left first."

"And that Tianji Kui, along with the Bai Yi Zhan Dao experts, would stay to clear the area."

"In other words, Cen Qiaofu has tied down the battlefield's Bai Yi experts and that Tianji Kui."

"Maybe others who escaped would run into me, but those fleeing from the battle are probably just some Wang Zuo..."

"Zhan Dao is out of the question!"

Xu Xiaoshou reached into his pocket and touched A Jie, feeling a bit more at ease.

"Just a Wang Zuo— I'll rely on you."

"Mama..."

"Comforted, passive value: 1."

Shaking his head, Xu Xiaoshou stepped forward and stopped at the mountaintop, gazing down below.

To the west, distant sounds of battle still echoed.

It seemed the out-of-control Cen Qiaofu and the Tianji Kui were locked in a stalemate for now.

As for the others...

Haitang'er had escaped with Bazun'an, and Gou Wuyue was chasing them, so they wouldn't have time for him in the short term.

Yu Ling Di had appeared briefly like a flash of epiphyllum and was directly shattered by the Sheng Nu trio— no need to worry about that.

So, who else was left?

"The storyteller!"

Xu Xiaoshou sharply realized he had overlooked this person.

After Haitang'er hid with Bazun'an, and Cen Qiaofu entered the fight, the storyteller's presence had greatly diminished.

Where had he gone?

Was he guarding Cen Qiaofu on the battlefield, or had he escaped with Bazun'an?

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't figure it out.

But he was certain that if he ran into the Bai Yi, he might die, whereas if he met the storyteller, at most he'd just be taken back— no big harm.

"So, on the surface, as long as Gou Wuyue hasn't caught Haitang'er and Bazun'an, and their forces are spread thin, no one should have time to bother with me?"

Xu Xiaoshou looked down from the mountaintop, his heart swelling with excitement.

Being weak was great!

This was the benefit of low presence.

Somehow, he had just slipped out, even surprising himself.

"No, wait— I'm missing something..."

Before he could fully celebrate, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly remembered the over 700 "received attention" points when he first left Bai Ku.

Back then, he had deduced that besides the dozens in the battle, the Bai Yi definitely had others hidden around, surrounding the entire mountain.

And there were quite a few!

"What to do?"

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated.

The official path into Ba Gong was out of the question now.

Sneaking out through sparsely populated farming areas didn't seem realistic either.

What if there were Bai Yi spies in both?

"Force my way out?"

The thought made Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingle.

That was over 700 Bai Yi!

Forcing his way out was impossible.

For now, his only option was to keep muddling through and survive by any means.

Being weak...

Sigh, the sorrows of the weak were just as clear.

"Let's go."

"One step at a time."

"If I really run into the Bai Yi, at worst, I'll hand over the Four Swords and Lu Ke— oh, and Xiao Yu..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt a headache coming on, rubbed his temples, and took a step forward.

Tap.

Before his foot even landed, "Ganshi" picked up a crisp sound from afar, and Xu Xiaoshou's pupils shrank.

He was like a bird startled by a bowstring now.

That sound— wasn't it just like the one from when he stepped on a dry branch earlier?

So, it really was...

Whatever he feared most came true?

On the other side of the forest.

"Searching the mountains..."

"Why did Jiang Bian Yan think to split our forces and send us to search the mountains?"

"Lin Ruo Huan, does this make any sense?"

A Bai Yi warrior slapped his palm with the back of his hand, looking frustrated. "That could be the Eighth Sword Immortal! If we find him, we'd probably be the first to die— us two!"

"Tong Feng, my brother, if we die under the Eighth Sword Immortal's sword, that would be an honor."

The Bai Yi beside him, Lin Ruo Huan, smiled and gripped his sword tighter.

He looked tense, but pretended to be at ease, forcing a smile as he said, "Besides, we're not here to fight. If we spot someone, just sound the alarm, and over a hundred people will come. What are you afraid of?"

"Afraid? Of course I'm afraid!"

Tong Feng raised his voice in indignation. "You're a Zhan Dao— you could hold out longer."

"I'm just a Wang Zuo, one step away from Zhan Dao, but not enough for the Eighth Sword Immortal to even flick a finger at."

"Haven't you seen..."

He pointed toward the shaking battlefield to the west.

"In that scene we saw earlier... Sword Nian! That was Sword Nian!"

"It even wounded Senior Gou Wuyue. What do we have to hold out long enough to sound the alarm? One exchange, and we might be dead before anyone reacts!"

"You're set..."

Tong Feng's face fell, mournfully adding, "You're a sword cultivator, so dying under the Eighth Sword Immortal's sword is glory to you. But I've only just joined the Bai Yi— if not for you bringing me, I might not even be in this Ba Gong war. I don't want to die."

"Oh?"

Lin Ruo Huan chuckled. "So, you're blaming me now?"

"No, no, no— don't take it that way..."

"Shh!"

Before Tong Feng could finish, Lin Ruo Huan suddenly tensed and raised a finger to his lips, signaling silence.

Both men's faces changed, as if facing a great enemy.

"Something's up?"

Tong Feng whispered.

Lin Ruo Huan didn't reply, narrowing his eyes to sense the space around them.

"Space fluctuations..."

"Very faint space fluctuations!"

"If I'm not wrong, someone's been here!"

Tong Feng's heart skipped a beat at the words, and he pulled a red alarm bead from his ring, about to crush it.

"Wait."

Lin Ruo Huan stopped him, not acting impulsively. "The forest is huge. It's no coincidence we're here. It might not be the destined one— could be a teammate who escaped the blood trees."

Tong Feng's fingers trembled, but he held back from crushing the bead.

This thing couldn't be used recklessly.

In a state of high alert, if someone activated it, over a hundred people could swarm in an instant.

If they arrived and found their "enemy" was actually an "ally"...

That would be a huge mess!

Plus, gathering people here would weaken defenses elsewhere.

Who knows— that delay might let the Sheng Nu slip away from the encirclement!

"Shh."

Lin Ruo Huan crouched down, even turning his shush into a sound transmission.

As their voices faded, the forest fell silent again.

Thump! Thump!

"Shocked, passive value: 1."

"Under scrutiny, passive value: 2."

"Being sought, passive value: 2."

Xu Xiaoshou felt his state of mind was like stumbling into a haunted room and meeting a disheveled ghost, only to be heartlessly blocked in by his teammates— utterly complicated!

"What the hell— they really showed up?"

He hadn't even had time to prepare.

The pursuers had arrived!

So, were the Bai Yi the real rats?

They could track him down without a single blood scent, just by instinct, like homing in on grain?

The forest was so vast...

Was this the end?

"One Wang Zuo, one Zhan Dao."

In his invisible state, Xu Xiaoshou felt completely powerless.

A Wang Zuo was manageable.

If he steeled his heart and threw caution to the wind, he could lose his reason and charge in.

Relying on A Jie's terrifying output, he might knock them out before they crushed the alarm bead.

But a Zhan Dao...

Xu Xiaoshou recalled A Jie's confrontation with the storyteller.

He didn't know how strong this Lin Ruo Huan was.

He might not be as monstrous as the storyteller, who had survived nine death tribulations, but judging by the spirit sword in his hand...

Yes, it was a spirit sword, not a famed one.

But the moment Xu Xiaoshou saw a sword, his legs felt weak.

Even if it wasn't an ancient sword cultivator like Bazun'an or Gou Wuyue, which Zhan Dao sword user in the East Domain was easy to deal with?

This didn't seem like someone he could take down quickly!

Xu Xiaoshou hid in the tree canopy.

Though the Xiaoshi Shu made him imperceptible, he couldn't bring himself to stand exposed in the forest facing the Bai Yi.

"Being sought, passive value: 2."

The info bar kept popping up notifications to scare him, turning Xu Xiaoshou's face green.

"Ling Yuan..."

Suddenly alert, Xu Xiaoshou realized he had maintained the "Xiaoshi Shu" for a long time since the blood tree forest and used several "One Step to Heaven."

He quickly used his spiritual sense to check his Qi Sea.

In the next second, his face turned from green to pale.

His Qi Sea was bone-dry, with only a few wisps of mist floating aimlessly.

"Yuan Qi Man Man" was running wildly, like it was glitching, but it couldn't keep up.

In a few breaths, he'd have to drop the Xiaoshi Shu.

Xu Xiaoshou closed his eyes in despair.

"Heavens, can't fate align with my wishes just once? I, Xu Xiaoshou, can't take this kind of heartless blow!"