Chapter 624: Xu Xiaoshou, Listen Carefully, This Old Man Won't Teach It a Second Time

"Drip, drip."

Rain fell on the straw hat, seeping through the gaps and dripping down onto the old man's gaunt face as he raised his eyes. It ran over his raincoat and dripped into his worn-out shoes with exposed toes.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The old man remained silent.

With every step leaving a footprint, he pressed on without a moment's hesitation, advancing relentlessly as if in defiance of death itself.

Yu Ling Di furrowed his brow, lost in thought.

This person was clearly not from Sheng Shen Hall.

But from the time Yu Ling Di's rain had begun falling from Bai Ku until now, he couldn't recall seeing anyone like this among the Sheng Nu.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Yu Ling Di's pupils contracted—he remembered.

Back then, when Xiao Shi Tan Ji had just emerged from Li Jian Grassland, he seemed to have the same face!

"Who are you?"

Yu Ling Di stepped back, carrying the person on his shoulder, his heart filled with ominous premonition.

But...

How could that be possible?

That guy—how could he appear here?

Wasn't he heavily wounded and defeated after the battle in Qing Long County, now in a state where he couldn't fight?

The straw-hatted elder approached at a steady pace, then suddenly lifted his hat and smiled.

That smile was like a fiend baring its fangs—utterly chilling.

"You don't recognize me?"

At a distance of about ten steps from Yu Ling Di, the elder stopped, his eyes wide. He tilted his head and scoffed while adjusting his hat:

"If you don't recognize me, then why are you here?"

"Slacking off, dawdling?"

"Or perhaps..."

The elder drew out his words, his gaze falling on the young man on the other person's shoulder, his face twitching. "Just for him? This one?"

Yu Ling Di tensed his waist and abdomen, feeling as if he were being targeted by a poisonous snake, overcome with dread.

He instinctively stepped back, still doubting his own judgment.

"Who exactly are you?"

With a loud shout, the rain from the sky grew even heavier.

The raindrops, as large as beans, swirled together mid-air, transforming into heavy rain-stones that crashed down with a roar.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The mountain path was battered and ruined.

The barren mountain surface, already scorched by white flames, was now covered in cracks like a turtle's shell in an instant.

The straw-hatted elder stood in the rain.

Though he was right there, the heavy rain seemed to pass through him like air, inflicting no harm whatsoever.

Yu Ling Di panicked even more.

Zhan Dao!

This was at least Zhan Dao level, but its upper limit was unknown.

If this was indeed the person he suspected, then his strength... had it recovered?

"Why do people always ask for names?"

The straw-hatted elder scoffed lightly, lifting his eyelids and replying expressionlessly: "Sang Qi Ye."

"Ssshh!"

As the words settled, the moisture in the air across several li vanished in an instant.

The dark clouds in the nine heavens dispersed in a flash, clearing the rain and revealing the blue sky.

The rain that was still falling mid-air evaporated completely.

The clouds vanished, the rain ceased, and the brilliant sun shone brightly.

The sudden light stung Yu Ling Di's eyes painfully.

Before he could process the elder's response, he felt a heavy mist evaporating from his body, and his spiritual energy was depleting rapidly.

"What the hell is going on?"

He looked up.

The glaring light nearly blinded Yu Ling Di.

He was shocked.

Just a second ago, the sky had been thick with dark clouds.

Now, it was truly replaced by a blazing sun.

A white blazing sun!

Not the distant one hanging in the clouds.

But one suspended in mid-air, pure white and seemingly within reach—a new sun.

"Sun!"

Yu Ling Di's heart raced wildly.

He panicked.

This was some kind of technique.

From that white blazing sun, he sensed energy no less than that of the real sun.

What exactly Tai Ti energy was, Yu Ling Di didn't know.

But he knew that if this white blazing sun fell, even with his mastery of the water mysteries, he probably couldn't withstand it.

"Sang Qi Ye?"

Yu Ling Di lowered his head to look at the elder before him, unable to discern his intentions: "I've never heard of that name, and I have no idea what you're trying to do."

"Ignorance is bliss."

Sang Qi Ye snorted first, mocking him.

Then he adjusted his hat, as if too disdainful to even look directly, his voice laced with nostalgia:

"But I suppose that's fair—when I was dominating the central domain, you were probably still in some cradle, blowing bubbles!"

"Not knowing my real name can be forgiven."

After a pause, he continued: "But as someone from Sheng Shen Hall... a Sheng Nu, you've at least heard of Wu Xiu, right?"

"You're Wu Xiu?"

Yu Ling Di raised his voice, lifting his heel instinctively, but he suppressed it and pulled back his slightly leaning body.

He shook his head: "You're not Wu Xiu."

"Hmm."

Sang Qi Ye nodded: "The real second-in-command of the Sheng Nu, Wu Xiu, should have been heavily wounded in his battle with that old dog Wu Yue and is probably still recovering—he couldn't be here, right?"

Yu Ling Di's expression froze.

That was exactly what he had been thinking.

But why was this elder saying it out loud? What did it mean?

Sang Qi Ye went on: "And even if he showed up, with that guy's surface strength barely at the throne level and just scraping by Zhan Dao, how could he give you such overwhelming pressure, making you lose all will to fight, huh?"

A vein bulged on Yu Ling Di's forehead.

He had to admit, that hit the mark too!

He could hardly imagine this was Wu Xiu.

The Wu Xiu who had been defeated twice by Senior Wu Yue?

Where was the sign of any injury here?

This pressure was even greater than what Cen Qiao Fu had given him.

Sang Qi Ye suddenly burst into laughter.

He shook his head and chuckled for a while before sneering: "You naive, toothless kid—it's enough to make someone die laughing!"

"Don't you think about it—if that old dog Wu Yue could have seriously injured me, would I have escaped back in the central domain?"

"If he really had the power to capture me, would I have personally visited Qing Long County, only for him to fail again?"

"Young man..."

Sang Qi Ye suddenly vanished from his spot, leaving only a lingering shadow.

Yu Ling Di felt a tap on his left shoulder from behind. He turned in terror.

A horrifying face was pressed against his ear, facing forward, but its eyes were fixed sideways, staring straight at him.

Sang Qi Ye whispered into his ear, his voice eerie:

"History is written by the victors."

"Glory and light are sung by bards."

"The rumors you hear are just what those above you want you to hear."

"Young man, do you understand?"

Veins bulged all over Yu Ling Di's body, as if he were struggling fiercely.

Sang Qi Ye patted his shoulder again and said: "Now, you can move."

"Bang!"

The moment the last word fell, Yu Ling Di exploded into a mist of water and reformed instantly dozens of zhang away.

As soon as he landed, he felt a lightness on his body.

Not only was the elder's terrifying restraint gone.

The person...

He turned his head.

Xiao Shi Tan Ji was gone!

Looking over in shock, sure enough, the big secret he had just captured was now in the elder's hands.

"Tsk, tsk."

Sang Qi Ye held Xu Xiao Shou with one hand and suddenly chuckled.

He recalled the last time he had held this precious disciple like this—it was when he snatched him from Ba Zun An's grasp.

But back then, his disciple had just changed hands among their own people.

He had taken him easily, without worrying about accidents.

Now, though...

He had taken the person from Sheng Shen Hall's hands.

That changed everything!

"Your thing is lost—aren't you going to take it back?" Sang Qi Ye lifted Xu Xiao Shou in his hand.

Yu Ling Di, a water-based ability user, suddenly felt his throat go dry.

Zhan Dao...

This elder was stronger than any Zhan Dao he had encountered before!

His comprehension of the great dao seemed to rival his own realm.

But how was that possible?

He had mastered the water mysteries.

Could the elder have mastered the fire mysteries?

"Scared?"

Seeing the young man remain silent, Sang Qi Ye casually tossed Xu Xiao Shou behind him, slamming him into the ground.

He flicked his finger, and a pill accurately entered the throat.

Blood splattered.

The unconscious Xu Xiao Shou didn't even need to swallow—the pill turned into pure mist the moment it broke through his throat, circulating to repair his body.

"Senior, you're joking, right?" Yu Ling Di finally gathered his courage, not directly responding but asking in surprise: "If you're Wu Xiu of the Sheng Nu, then your leader is currently being pursued by Senior Wu Yue—how do you have time to linger here?"

"You little brat!"

Sang Qi Ye sneered: "So, according to you, I should go find a worthy opponent, like that old dog Wu Yue, and fight again?"

"Hmm."

Yu Ling Di grinned: "Isn't that right? Bullying the weak isn't honorable."

"Oh!"

Sang Qi Ye was amused: "Bullying the weak? You've got some culture, kid, knowing that phrase. Then what about this?"

He pointed to Xu Xiao Shou, embedded in the ground behind him and still unconscious. "What's this?"

Yu Ling Di's expression turned awkward.

"A throne bullying an innate— and you're justifying it?"

"Crossing two major realms to pick on the weak— is that fun?"

"Is being the Ling Department leader so boring that you skip revenge on Cen Qiao Fu or the storyteller and come here to play?"

Sang Qi Ye spread his hands and said coldly: "If you want to play, I can join in. I like picking on the weak too— especially rotten ones like you!"

"Heh, senior must be joking."

Yu Ling Di stepped back slowly, his form starting to ripple with water waves: "I didn't join midway—I targeted this kid from the start. He's quite formidable..."

"Coincidence!"

Sang Qi Ye interrupted directly: "My target has always been this kid!"

The scene fell silent.

Yu Ling Di realized something was off.

The Sheng Nu leader and other big shots had completely forgotten about Xiao Shi Tan Ji amid the upcoming great war.

How did this straw-hatted elder have the leisure to keep tabs on the young man?

It couldn't be...

Yu Ling Di thought the red-clothed one's speculation in Bai Ku was absurd.

But now, it seemed that was the only explanation for the situation.

"Dare I ask, senior, what's your relationship with that kid?" Yu Ling Di's form grew even more illusory, almost translucent.

"Relationship?"

Sang Qi Ye took a heavy step forward, his lips curling: "My disciple—what do you think?"

"Boom!"

Not only did Yu Ling Di's mind explode, but his form also burst into water mist on the spot, merging into the heavens and earth, vanishing in an instant.

"Run, you bastard—did I say you could move?"

Sang Qi Ye had already sensed the intent to retreat. As he spoke, he raised his hands abruptly.

"Swoosh!"

The white blazing sun in the sky seemed to lose its support, plummeting straight down.

With a hiss, it pierced the void, melted the earth, and sank deep into the earth's core.

The ground shook violently.

"Rumble—"

A low roar followed, and the mountains collapsed as white lava gushed out.

But that wasn't the end.

Sang Qi Ye clenched his left hand, releasing the energy of the white blazing sun embedded in the core, causing it to explode on the spot.

In an instant, the mountains and rivers for thousands of li trembled.

At that moment, whether it was the white-clothed ones searching the mountains, the Thirty-Three and Cen Qiao Fu clashing in Ba Gong, or the Hai Tang Er and Gou Wu Yue duo in pursuit...

Everyone stopped and turned toward a certain direction, their faces grave.

Sang Qi Ye didn't even bother guessing which way Yu Ling Di had fled.

To him, dying anywhere was the same.

After the "blazing sun entering the core," he withdrew his left hand and lightly tapped the void with his right.

"Long Rong Realm."

His voice wasn't loud, only echoing over the mountainside.

Yet, as soon as the words fell, the surrounding 100,000 great mountains around Ba Gong crumbled with a boom.

It was like the apocalypse—mountains shattered and flew, as if struck by a earth god's hammer; the sky collapsed, as if the fire god was in a rage.

The world fell silent.

But after a brief pause, it erupted into chaos.

From the base of the collapsing 100,000 great mountains, white lava surged into eruptions, converging in the nine heavens to form a spherical mass.

Heat waves rolled, a sun hung in the sky;

The heavenly dao shattered, rules disordered.

Like a vast sun from the cosmos, it slowly rose under Sang Qi Ye's light tap.

Blazing sun descending!

The white-clothed ones trapped within lost their composure.

In Ba Gong, amid the chaos, Thirty-Three suddenly felt something burning in the gaps of his mechanisms.

He looked down...

"White flames!"

"What the hell?"

The white-clothed ones panicked.

There were over a dozen Zhan Dao experts here, including those who came for support.

But at that moment, no one could connect to the heavenly dao.

The heavenly dao rules in Ba Gong and the surrounding 100,000 great mountains had been severed out of nowhere.

"Is this guy insane?"

A Zhan Dao exclaimed in shock.

This level of commotion— even Tai Xu would struggle to cause it, right?

If anyone had the ability, they probably wouldn't dare, as it would invite universal condemnation.

For those who entered the throne dao realm, every move already overburdened the continental space.

Zhan Dao and Tai Xu were even more so.

Thus, even in battles, everyone exercised restraint.

At the very least, if it came to a deadly fight, they would open a realm domain first to avoid affecting the heavenly dao rules.

But seeing this massive blazing sun enveloping the 100,000 great mountains...

Everyone was inexplicably trapped in its core, feeling the surging heat waves, and they all went mad.

"Has he really gone crazy? Damn it!"

A Zhan Dao couldn't hold back and started cursing.

"Isn't this white flame ability exactly Wu Xiu's from the Sheng Nu?"

"How did he get here too?"

"Last time against Senior Wu Yue, he wasn't this extreme. Why now..."

"Did he take the wrong medicine?!"

"Mmm."

Xu Xiao Shou groaned and woke up, feeling a warm and comfortable temperature, like a spring dream he enjoyed.

He opened his eyes to a vast expanse of white.

And under the blinding light, the only dark silhouette backlit against it.

"Wake up?"

The familiar straw hat turned, and the elder's face came into view.

Xu Xiao Shou stared in a daze.

He suspected he was dreaming.

The dead old man had come out?

How was that possible?!

This guy needed him to act just to steal a sword.

What was he doing here? Watching the show?

"No!"

His "perception" showed images—this vast white world was all too familiar.

Wasn't this the power of the Jin Zhao Origin Seed at full burst?

Xu Xiao Shou's pupils shrank in shock.

So, this whole world had turned into a domain of white flames?

"Dead... uh, old, old man, what... what's going on?"

Xu Xiao Shou jumped up with a clang, unable to sit still.

He woke up to this?

Had he traveled through time or something?

Wait, hadn't he been getting beaten by that ghost from the Ling Department, Yu Ling Di?

So, had he actually...

Died?

Xu Xiao Shou felt a chill in his heart and was about to speak again.

Sang Qi Ye had already turned away, his voice drifting over:

"Xu Xiao Shou, listen carefully— I won't explain it twice."

His dark, backlit silhouette moved, slowly extending three pitch-black fingers, then saying indifferently:

"The elemental body has three ways to die!"