Chapter 689: Demon, Come Out for Me

"No..."

Jiang Tai had learned his lesson. Even when the question was "Do you understand?" his answer was still just the two words: "No."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded in satisfaction. If he had cooperated like this from the start, it would have been so much better—at least then, he wouldn't have to play the role of the blatant villain.

"Is Jiang Xian's eye the 'San Yan Tong Mu'?"

"No."

"Deceived, passive value: 1."

Xu Xiaoshou confirmed it. His junior sister wasn't making things up; she seemed to have an innate understanding of eyes and such matters.

"Is this eye Jiang Xian's own, or did it come from some other source?"

"No."

Jiang Tai hesitated before answering, then shook his head. Seeing no reaction in the information panel, Xu Xiaoshou frowned slightly, realizing something: "You don't know?"

"No."

Jiang Tai replied the same way, and the information panel again showed "Deceived." This guy really didn't know... Xu Xiaoshou realized.

He thought for a moment before continuing: "Tell me about the functions of 'San Yan Tong Mu'—you should know that, right?"

Just as Jiang Tai was about to shake his head and say "No" again, Xu Xiaoshou added: "This time, you can say more. Tell me everything you know."

Jiang Tai gave up resisting completely: "'San Yan Tong Mu'—I don't know about its other functions, but it has a technique called 'Zhuan Yi Kong,' which can twist and manipulate another person's will."

Xu Xiaoshou was startled. This thing could manipulate someone's will? That sounded like a divine ability!

"Can it control anyone? Are there no limits?"

"There are," Jiang Tai replied. "Cultivation level is a limit, but even against someone with a much higher level, you can force manipulation by paying a price."

This revelation shocked Xin Gugu and Xiao Wanfeng behind them. Xiao Wanfeng was okay with it—he didn't know much about such abilities and couldn't gauge their level. But Xin Gugu was different. He immediately thought that if this could manipulate someone at the Zhan Dao or Tai Xu level, then "San Yan Tong Mu" would be nothing short of an evil eye capable of inciting continental wars!

"As for the price..." Xu Xiaoshou pondered. "For example?"

"For example, lifespan."

Jiang Tai knew what Xu Xiaoshou wanted to hear. "You might not be able to manipulate someone at the Wang Zuo or Zhan Dao level innately, but if you encounter such an enemy, you can force a twist in their will by sacrificing lifespan."

"What about at the same level?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"Same cultivation level, and you can manipulate them freely," Jiang Tai answered.

Xu Xiaoshou felt his heart skip a beat. He was only at the innate level, and Jiang Xian was at least that as well. That meant if he faced that guy unprepared, he might not even get a chance to use his skills before his will was twisted.

"How could such a sinister eye exist in this world?"

Xu Xiaoshou was deeply shaken. He turned to Xin Gugu and asked, "Have you heard of it?"

"No."

Xin Gugu was very straightforward in his response: "Not even 'Zhuan Yi Kong'—I've never heard the name 'San Yan Tong Mu' until today. But..."

"But what?" Xu Xiaoshou pressed.

A look of recollection appeared in Xin Gugu's eyes: "I've heard of a Tai Xu family that once mastered bloodline powers related to pupil techniques. Though that family has declined now, in its heyday, they had a famous book..."

"The Compendium of World Pupil Techniques?" Xu Xiaoshou said.

"Yes."

Xin Gugu nodded: "Any pupil technique ability you haven't seen in this world should be recorded in the 'Compendium of World Pupil Techniques.' Unfortunately, that treasure is now lost."

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but sigh. He knew which Tai Xu family Xin Gugu was talking about—Lo Leilei had mentioned it before, and if nothing unexpected, it was undoubtedly the Lei family.

He had never heard of "San Yan Tong Mu," but the name "Zhuan Yi Kong" rang a bell. Thinking back, on the night after the battle at Bai Ku, Lo Leilei had indeed mentioned it in passing. That meant Jiang Xian's "San Yan Tong Mu" likely came from the fallen Lei family.

"Lei Shuangxing..."

Thinking of that blind swordsman, Xu Xiaoshou sighed again. A family with such powerful pupil techniques had still declined. This world was truly too dangerous. The weak died, and even the extremely strong didn't live long.

Pulling his thoughts together, Xu Xiaoshou turned back to Jiang Tai: "Why does Jiang Xian want to capture my people, and how did you confirm that my people have what you're after?"

Deep down, he vaguely understood that these people were probably after the "Shen Mo Tong." But without hearing it confirmed outright, he couldn't shake the unease.

Jiang Tai seemed to have been waiting for this very question. His emotions surged instantly. Ignoring the spirit array draining his spiritual energy, he straightened up abruptly, springing from the wooden chair.

"Ha ha ha, Xu Desai, you're finished!"

"Death will chase you!"

His face twisted into something ferocious. Even though his sea of qi was completely depleted, in that moment, his black hair turned white in an instant, and his body glowed brightly.

"Watch out."

Xin Gugu moved in a flash, positioning himself in front of Xu Xiaoshou.

But before they could react, Jiang Tai, like a dying flash of light, compressed his sea of qi and detonated it.

"Boom—"

The explosion obliterated the entire training room where the four of them were. Amid the surging shockwaves, Xu Xiaoshou vaguely saw Jiang Tai's flesh being utterly shredded by his own power.

At first, he didn't understand how the fully sealed Jiang Tai could muster such a desperate counterattack. But as Jiang Tai's flesh disintegrated in the blast, even his soul withering away, it all seemed tied to the final words he uttered.

"Tian Zhi Zhi Yan!"

That murmur, as if from the depths of hell, converged into a blood-red beam that mercilessly injected itself into Xu Xiaoshou's spiritual courtyard.

"Cursed power..."

Xin Gugu's heart trembled at the sight. He knew what it was and immediately placed his hand on Xu Xiaoshou's head, but he felt nothing. Panicking, he opened his mouth wide, aiming to bite down on the major artery in Xu Xiaoshou's neck.

But at the critical moment, Xu Xiaoshou slapped him away.

Thud thud thud...

Xin Gugu's head rolled across the floor, instantly quieting the scene. Xiao Wanfeng's soul nearly left his body.

"What are you doing?"

Xu Xiaoshou thought Xin Gugu had gone mad.

Xin Gugu scrambled to find his head, finally locating it by sense and reattaching it. As the blood on his neck solidified, he blurted out urgently: "Cursed power! It's the curse from a Ban Sheng family, Xu Xiaoshou... you've been targeted by them!"

"What's that got to do with you biting me?" Xu Xiaoshou stared in bewilderment.

"I..."

Xin Gugu was at a loss for words. But by delaying this long, it was too late! He collapsed to the ground in despair: "I was trying to suck it out. Only my blood attribute could attempt that. You might have been saved, but now, it's over..."

Over?

Xu Xiaoshou used his spiritual sense to check his spiritual courtyard, where the curse flower that had shot in was already dissipating under the red beam of his passive system.

This scene was just like when the gray mist figure had sealed the giant dragon into him. So he knew this so-called cursed power wouldn't affect him.

"It's not over," Xu Xiaoshou said. "But you probably scared him." He pointed to Xiao Wanfeng, whose soul hadn't fully returned.

Xiao Wanfeng had survived the explosion thanks to Xin Gugu's domain, but when he got up, the sight of Xin Gugu searching for his head was far more shocking than the blast itself. He nearly fainted on the spot. Luckily, his courage training that day had worked, and he managed to stay conscious until the end.

"What the hell!"

Xin Gugu ignored Xiao Wanfeng completely, his mind fixed on Xu Xiaoshou: "That's cursed power, from a Ban Sheng family, Xu Xiao... shou, you're done for!"

"It's not going to work on me—I've been cursed before," Xu Xiaoshou couldn't explain it to him.

"It's different," Xin Gugu was on the verge of tears. "It's not like Mu Zi... Mu Xiao Gong's. This is real cursing, not disdain, not mockery, not even silent complaint."

"Xin Xiao Ku!"

From behind, his junior sister's furious voice rang out: "Are you badmouthing me?"

Xiao Wanfeng paused at that. He'd been blown to the door of the room and turned to see Mu Guniang returning.

"Xin Xiao Ku..."

Xiao Wanfeng found the name a bit absurd. "So, Little Xin Bro's real name is Xin Xiao Ku?"

Mu Xiao Gong, Xin Xiao Ku, and Xu Desai...

Xiao Wanfeng pieced it together quickly. These were definitely all aliases!

"What happened?"

When Mu Zixi returned to Tian Shang First Tower, the explosion had already occurred. For the training room, reinforced with major arrays, to be destroyed like this, there were only two possibilities: either a Zhan Dao attacker or Xu Xiaoshou refining pills again.

So Mu Zixi rushed to the training room's entrance and sniffed the air first. There was no scent of burnt pills, just a hint of blood.

Even more puzzled, she asked Xu Xiaoshou directly: "What are you researching now?"

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

What a deep-seated bias!

Was that the first question anyone would ask after an explosion?

At the same time, he realized why Jiang Tai had been so arrogant at the end. It was probably because his answer about "Tian Zhi Zhi Yan" was a Ban Sheng family secret. Once revealed, not even Jiang Tai's body or soul could remain.

But in that instant, as the Ban Sheng family's silencing power erased Jiang Tai, it also destroyed the sealing force on him.

Seizing that final opportunity...

Jiang Tai self-destructed!

Mu Zixi still wore that questioning expression, so Xu Xiaoshou replied: "I asked something I shouldn't have, so we ended up blowing up a Wang Zuo."

The girl subconsciously filtered the first half and exclaimed in shock: "You're not refining pills anymore? Now you're refining Wang Zuo?"

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

He felt a headache coming on and immediately pressed her head, flicking the annoying girl away entirely.

"Clean this up," he instructed Xiao Wanfeng.

"Oh, okay."

Xiao Wanfeng responded dully. He had his own grievances. It was supposed to be just a job of serving tea and water, but in half a day, he'd done all sorts of underworld work: provoking the Sheng Ti in Tian Luo War, scooping blood with a bucket to clean the training room, watching Xin Gugu search for his head to build courage, and getting caught in a Wang Zuo's self-explosion...

And after the explosion, he had to clean up this room full of nightmarish memories!

"Serving tea and water..."

Xiao Wanfeng chuckled self-mockingly. "Yeah, right."

On the other side, Xu Xiaoshou sent Xin Gugu away and Mo Mo, who had gone downstairs to check the situation, then pulled his junior sister back to the room.

"Someone's targeting you," he said seriously to her.

"Oh."

"You're not surprised?" Xu Xiaoshou was the one surprised by her reaction. "So you expected it?"

"No."

The girl clearly wasn't lying, fiddling with her nose and the hem of her clothes, full of little tells.

Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes: "I asked about... Jiang Xian, 'San Yan Tong Mu,' 'Zhuan Yi Kong'—he's probably after your 'Shen Mo Tong,' so he sent people to kidnap you."

As he spoke, Xu Xiaoshou watched his junior sister closely, wanting to see her reaction.

But she suddenly brightened up and asked excitedly: "Xu Xiaoshou, if I get kidnapped, will you come save me?"

Xu Xiaoshou gave her a firm knock on the head, making her clutch it and curse in pain.

"We're talking serious business—be serious!"

"Isn't this serious?" Mu Zixi looked aggrieved.

"Don't change the subject."

Xu Xiaoshou knew what his junior sister was up to and asked: "Jiang Tai mentioned 'Tian Zhi Zhi Yan' at the end... What's that? They might have used it to lock onto you."

"Tian Zhi Zhi Yan..." The girl's big eyes showed confusion.

Xu Xiaoshou gave her another knock without hesitation. "Stop pretending!"

"Xu, Xiao, Shou!"

"Deceived, passive value: 1, 1, 1, 1..."

Mu Zixi lunged at him with punches and kicks, but Xu Xiaoshou held her forehead, stopping her attacks cold.

"Be serious—I don't want you to vanish without a trace. If you know anything, you should tell me."

"Sang Old Man is gone. If you disappear too, I won't have anywhere to turn."

Mu Zixi froze for a moment, her movements halting. She seemed touched by Xu Xiaoshou's words and parted her lips as if to say something, but her body suddenly trembled.

Xu Xiaoshou had seen his junior sister tremble like this too many times. It wasn't his doing—that was her own issue! Every time she tried to open up, this happened, and then she said nothing.

In that instant, memories of his past reading flooded his mind, and Xu Xiaoshou confirmed his suspicion.

Mu Zixi was either possessed or had some great demon residing in her body.

"Demon, show yourself!"

With that thought, Xu Xiaoshou slapped her hard, sending her crashing into the wall with a smack.

"Wah wah..."

Tears welled up in Mu Zixi's eyes as her face swelled, stuck to the wall and unable to pull free.

"Xu Xiaoshou, you're done for—you actually hit me!"

"Deceived, passive value: 1, 1, 1, 1..."