Chapter 750: Xu Xiaoshou, Do You Want to Join the King of Hell?

"Heavens!"

"Are these people serious about how they fight?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt his perception of the world being shattered once again.

At that moment, he realized that the battles around and for the throne were mere child's play.

At their core, those fights were nothing more than high-level martial arts “brawls.”

Even when Ling Yuan and Ling Ji were capable of summoning winds and rains, burning mountains, or boiling seas, their actions still followed predictable patterns, at most inspiring a sense of awe.

But at the Zhan Dao level, and above...

Such beings weren't just fighting against their enemies or themselves.

They were also battling against the Heavenly Dao!

With all sorts of supreme treasures and abilities...

The more powerful they were, the more enigmatic their control over their power became.

Without a sharp mind, you would likely die in battle without even knowing how.

"Toward death and rebirth..."

"Avoiding heavenly secrets..."

"Stealing the heavens and changing the sun..."

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily awestruck.

He finally understood why the Lei family had been annihilated.

A family that simultaneously possessed Hua Xian Mou, Cross Heterochromia, San Yan Tong Mu, Dao of the Great Way Eye, Shen Mo Tong, and far more than just these Lei family eyes...

How could it be merely a Taixu family?

Even if the Lei family tried to conceal their strength and never produce a Bansheng,

Their Taixu members were probably unmatched by ordinary Bansheng, right?

Beings like that, if they didn't directly overthrow the rule of the Sheng Shen Hall over the continent, their only fate would be destruction!

After all,

How could one allow another to snore beside their bed?

His thoughts didn't wander for long.

The battle unfolded in the blink of an eye.

After the bloodline seal was shattered by Yin Cao, Xu Xiaoshou was startled for a moment, then immediately turned his attention to the temporarily abandoned, untouched San Yan Tong Mu.

At that point, Jiang Xian had fallen into a coma.

The Hundred Ghosts Night Parade had lost its mobility.

And the only dominant force, Yin Cao, was severely injured after smashing the bloodline seal.

If not now, when else?

Though Yan Wang's methods were bloody, and the source of sin, San Yan Tong Mu, lying on the ground was truly repulsive,

Xu Xiaoshou didn't hesitate at all and dashed to the ground, arriving beside San Yan Tong Mu.

Then,

He partially dispelled the Disappearing Technique on his hand and grabbed one of the scattered eyeballs on the ground.

"Slap!"

The viscous eyeball was in his grasp.

But at the same time, as he held one of the San Yan Tong Mu, another delicate hand gripped his.

"Under restraint, passive value, 1."

In his Disappearing state, Xu Xiaoshou looked back and saw Yin Cao, who was too injured to bother with anything else, had somehow appeared nearby, staring in his direction.

The difference was, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes reflected the person before him,

While what Yin Cao saw was empty air.

Except for the hand holding the eyeball, Yin Cao seemed to be staring at nothing.

Yet, in the gray zone between illusion and reality, Xu Xiaoshou clearly saw that Yin Cao, as if seeing through the Disappearing Technique, met his eyes.

Was this the perception power of Zhan Dao level...?

His heart pounded wildly. Before Xu Xiaoshou could pull back, Yin Cao spoke: "I've been waiting for you. Couldn't hold back any longer, huh?"

With that,

Xu Xiaoshou knew his presence had always been anticipated by the other.

It must have been detected before entering Tian Qi Lin.

Yet, during the earlier confrontation with Jiang Xian, this person hadn't shown any sign of knowing about him.

Such composure was terrifying!

"Disappear."

Xu Xiaoshou didn't hesitate and immediately tried to disappear with the San Yan Tong Mu.

However, under the Zhan Dao force's clamp, he felt his right hand was no longer part of his body.

His Disappearing Technique lost its effect because it touched Yin Cao's hand.

"What the hell!"

Xu Xiaoshou panicked.

His audacity to act relied on the Disappearing Technique!

But now...

It wouldn't work?

What had the other done?

Even if his cultivation was too low for his awakened skill to withstand Zhan Dao's restraint, Xu Xiaoshou found it understandable.

He didn't dwell on it.

Plan A failed, so Xu Xiaoshou quickly switched to another.

In an instant, he released San Yan Tong Mu and activated his "Zhi Jie Force Field."

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle."

In that moment, the force field cut in.

Yin Cao seemed unable to react in time, and the hand restraining Xu Xiaoshou turned to dust on the spot.

Blood mist erupted.

Realizing it worked, Xu Xiaoshou hurriedly grabbed San Yan Tong Mu again and tried to disappear.

But in that brief release and grab...

In a fight at the same level, Xu Xiaoshou was confident no one could react.

But Yin Cao's cultivation was on another level.

To Yin Cao, the time Xu Xiaoshou took to release, injure the hand, and grab again felt endlessly long.

"You can actually hurt me?"

Yin Cao exclaimed in surprise. As Xu Xiaoshou grabbed the eyeball again, Yin Cao's other hand forked two fingers and stabbed down instantly.

"Hiss!"

In his Disappearing state, Xu Xiaoshou gasped in pain.

Those two fingers, brimming with Zhan Dao power, pierced straight through his passive skills and out from his palm, firmly clamping San Yan Tong Mu.

Blood sprayed out in that instant, and Xu Xiaoshou felt a profound sense of helplessness wash over him.

He had the guts to face throne-level enemies,

But that was with A Jie backing him up.

Facing Zhan Dao, all of Xu Xiaoshou's plans and trump cards seemed utterly useless.

This red-skirted Yin Cao, even gravely wounded, still controlled everything.

Even Xu Xiaoshou's existence was fully anticipated.

Including the timing of his move, which seemed infinitely stretched in the other's eyes.

What should have been a single breath's worth of grabbing the eye now had countless ways to counter it in Yin Cao's view.

And the method chosen was the simplest one...

One force breaks all laws.

"Illusion!"

With two fingers piercing Xu Xiaoshou's palm, Yin Cao shouted.

Though he didn't recognize who possessed such a stealth technique,

As long as he used blood, he could induce full mental illusion in the other.

At that moment, even through the worlds of illusion and reality, the Hua Xian Mou in Yin Cao's eyes, though dimmer than before, still flashed with faint cherry pink.

To Yin Cao, this insignificant illusion power was deadly to Xu Xiaoshou.

Without any spiritual defense skills, he instantly realized that blood was the sturdiest bridge between illusion and reality.

But by the time he realized, it was too late.

It was as if his soul had been struck by a massive hammer; the scene of a sunlit sea of flowers overwhelmed the night view of Tian Qi Lin.

Then, the illusion turned to blinding white.

Xu Xiaoshou felt himself floating in the clouds, his mind completely relaxed.

But as soon as he relaxed, a notification popped up:

"Under illusion, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou snapped back to his senses.

The scene before him fully restored, but he immediately noticed that not only had his Disappearing Technique been undone after relaxing, but "Transformation" was also fading step by step.

His facial wrinkles had just started to recede.

Xu Xiaoshou quickly stabilized "Transformation."

This was his last line of defense, his ticket to turning the tables—he couldn't let it slip away due to carelessness.

Right then,

As a withered old face with a straw hat appeared, staring with two dark circles under the eyes, and locking gazes with the surprised Yin Cao, their hands still connected,

Xu Xiaoshou went with the flow, using his other hand to adjust the straw hat, smirking and raising an eyebrow:

"Storyteller, long time no see. Don't recognize this old man anymore?"

Yin Cao's pupils shrank sharply.

For a moment, he couldn't figure out who was in front of him.

But with such a familiar tone, addressing him as "Storyteller,"

And after speaking, vaguely seeing the roaring white flames of calamity deep in the other's eyes...

Suddenly,

The name of the second-in-command of a dark force that stirred storms in the central continent decades ago flashed in his mind.

At the same time, the face from that name's portrait, reflected in Hua Xian Mou, perfectly matched the person before him.

"Sang Qiye?!"

Yin Cao cried out in shock, even stepping back a few paces in fright.

He had thought that in Tian Qi Lin, this stealthy figure was just someone lacking strength.

But he never imagined it would be Sang Qiye!

Not everyone had seen Sang Qiye, and not everyone knew the true name of the Saint Slave's second-in-command...

But back when Yan Wang was founded, Lord Huang Quan had provided portraits of several untouchable figures, and this face was among them.

Terror from the depths of his soul made Yin Cao choose to retreat.

Yet, after a few steps, a flood of current information rushed into his regained mind.

"Wait, no!"

Yin Cao quickly reacted, "How could you be here? Right now, you should be imprisoned in the Sheng Shen Hall—"

He stopped mid-sentence and lunged forward suddenly.

However, the Sang Qiye in front of him had already seized that moment of distraction, grabbed one of the San Yan Tong Mu, and vanished on the spot.

Yin Cao's eyes instantly bloodshot.

He'd been tricked!

In that instant, he finally realized he'd been duped!

A Zhan Dao like him, fooled by a fake Sang Qiye!

But how had the other done it?

That white flame full of calamity, that lifelike face, the detail of seizing on his current identity as a storyteller, which would surely unsettle him...

This person, even if not Sang Qiye, was someone intimately familiar with these connections and very close to him!

Almost as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Yin Cao made his judgment.

He even hesitated for a second, as if pondering, before striking in a flash, jabbing toward the other San Yan Tong Mu.

"Slap," and it was snatched into his palm.

The expected struggle didn't happen.

That hand in the Disappearing state didn't appear.

Yin Cao fell silent.

The person wasn't greedy.

He hadn't taken one and then gone for another.

"As expected of you..."

Yin Cao actually laughed.

He stowed the San Yan Tong Mu, tilted his head back, and scanned the surroundings, saying, "Should I call you Wen Ming, or Zhou Tian Can, Xiao Shi Tan Ji, Jiang Lan... or just your real name, Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Under summons, passive value, 1."

When Xu Xiaoshou heard that, his heart sank.

At that very moment, he had just collided with an invisible barrier, realizing the area around them had been drawn into Yin Cao's domain.

Indeed, no fool could reach Zhan Dao...

There are plenty of smart people in this world!

The fact that the other could name Xu Xiaoshou meant he'd done extensive research on him.

Xu Xiaoshou knew that organizations must have seen through his disguises and, through thorough studies, found ways to counter the Disappearing Technique plus Step into the Sky.

But he never thought this day would come so soon.

He even less expected that he'd become famous so quickly, enough to catch a Zhan Dao's attention.

"No response?"

Yin Cao had already appeared where the domain had fluctuated, but still couldn't find the disappeared Xu Xiaoshou. He marveled, clicking his tongue:

"Saint Slave Xu Xiaoshou, truly lives up to the hype!"

"I bet you don't know yet, after your battle with the Nine Nether Ghost Infant, we've already studied you in Yan Wang."

"Your ability isn't invincible... At least, Zhan Dao's Heavenly Dao Exile can suppress you."

"I also know you're just hidden, not escaped my encirclement."

The disappeared Xu Xiaoshou stayed silent.

He didn't dare respond, fearing Yin Cao would use it to locate him.

But he wasn't waiting to die—by now, Xu Xiaoshou had already drawn the Four Swords from his ring.

No matter if you're Zhan Dao or Taixu,

With the Four Swords in hand, and me not being a sword cultivator, I, Xu Xiaoshou, just want to see how you break this!

Yet, Yin Cao seemed unconcerned about any sudden attack from Xu Xiaoshou.

He shook his head and walked step by step to the side of the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade, helping it up and healing it, while continuing:

"With just Xiantian cultivation, you force Zhan Dao to counter you—truly a miraculous oddity!"

"I can tell you hold no malice toward me; in fact, you're full of admiration."

"But as for you, I'm not sure..."

Yin Cao looked up with a smirk: "If my guess is right, you're probably holding the Four Swords right now, ready to stab me, right? That's how Nine Nether got hurt, wasn't it?"

Suspended in mid-air, Xu Xiaoshou, who was about to strike, froze.

This guy...

Mind reading?

Holding the Four Swords, he was momentarily unsure whether to strike or not.

Yin Cao went on: "I'm being completely open and honest with you, even letting my guard down completely in front of you."

"The reason is simple: our Yan Wang's Lord Huang Quan likes you a lot."

"I didn't expect to meet you so soon, but here, I'll ask on behalf of our Lord Huang Quan..."

Pausing, Yin Cao said seriously: "Xu Xiaoshou, do you want to join Yan Wang?"

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

"Under shock, passive value, 1."

He thought this was an enemy.

Never imagined that after all this, Yan Wang would extend an olive branch to him?

The void remained silent.

After saying so much, like talking to himself, Yin Cao showed no impatience.

He even pulled out a sound-recording pearl, smiling as he waved it at the void.

"Maybe you think I'm lying, but take a look—this is a sound-recording pearl that every Yan Wang member carries."

Yin Cao infused it with Ling Yuan, smiling as he spoke.

Immediately, a voice full of sincerity from the golden-masked Huang Quan emerged:

"Xu Xiaoshou, this is a sincere invitation from me."

"Do you want to join Yan Wang?"