Chapter 845: Fate in the Shadows? The Source of Nirvana

Yu Ling Di arrived with great pomp and circumstance, only to leave in a huff.

He left behind Hua Ling, who had transformed into a trial official, wearing an expression that clearly expected praise.

Xu Xiaoshou had narrowly escaped this ordeal and couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

Fortunately, he had maintained his identity as a Half-Sage successor, which made Yu Ling Di somewhat cautious. He had also mastered the "Textile Technique"...

Otherwise, he truly wouldn't have known how to bluff his way through.

"Many thanks to the Holy Palace special envoy."

Xu Xiaoshou respectfully saluted his young grand-nephew and added a telepathic message: "Someone is watching."

Hua Ling had been excited to see her grand-uncle and had a lot she wanted to say, but upon receiving the message, she quickly restrained her joyful expression.

"It's a trivial matter. You can keep in mind the things we discussed earlier—the doors of the Holy Palace are always open to you." She waved it off casually.

Xu Xiaoshou was surprised to find that this young girl actually had some sense.

He had been worried that Hua Ling might say something careless and reveal something, forcing the trial official to start over.

Thankfully, while Hua Ling was straightforward and not the sharpest, she could still distinguish between major principles, such as the stance of a mere Holy Slave or the Holy Divine Hall.

"I'll stick with you. In this area, I can protect you," Hua Ling said, her eyes filled with hope.

Xu Xiaoshou was startled by her words, and the admiration he had just felt vanished in an instant.

Getting so close to him—did Hua Ling have a death wish?

Faced with her grand-uncle's look of shock and suspicion, Hua Ling quickly explained, "Don't worry. The Holy Palace special envoy has a transcendent status, and my identity as a trial official was officially obtained from Rao Jianxian herself—it's not fake. I can protect you and travel with you for a while; it's no big deal."

Xu Xiaoshou frowned.

He couldn't get too close to Hua Ling, or if his identity were exposed later, even the Holy Palace's Jin Zhao lineage might have to go to great lengths to protect her.

"I appreciate the envoy's good intentions, but as a trial official, you have your own duties. If you were to support me all the way, it would indeed raise suspicions of cheating."

"Besides, in the vast Yun Lun Mountain Range, as long as we don't encounter something like what just happened, I believe no one can harm me."

Xu Xiaoshou politely declined.

Hua Ling wanted to say more, but seeing her grand-uncle give a slight, imperceptible shake of his head, the young girl could only pout and turn away in frustration. "You just don't know what's good for you!"

Xu Xiaoshou smiled bitterly.

If no one in the Yun Realm world was watching, everything would be fine—he could take Hua Ling and wander around freely.

But even Liu Changqing's subtle Heavenly Mechanism Technique had been detected by the higher-ups in the red-clothed faction, so he truly didn't dare act recklessly now.

"Xu Shao."

Behind him, Liu Changqing and Xin Gugu approached.

The two said nothing more about the earlier incident, knowing that talking too much would lead to mistakes.

Even though Liu Changqing was deeply curious from the bottom of his heart about how Xu Shao could also use the Heavenly Mechanism Technique and seemed quite proficient, he kept it to himself and simply walked over, holding the trial jade pendant.

"Xu Shao, we've been delayed a bit, and the fire-element source stone is already moving quickly. Clearly, some strong individual has arrived and taken this treasure." Liu Changqing steered the conversation back on track.

Xu Xiaoshou pulled out the trial map and saw that it was indeed the case.

"What bad luck!" He snorted in annoyance.

"It's really unlucky—getting targeted for no reason and wasting time!" Xin Gugu chimed in, unable to hold back his grievances about Yu Ling Di.

"Received curse, passive value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the information panel that had suddenly appeared and thought to himself that Yu Ling Di hadn't left yet, but since he hadn't exposed any flaws, he pretended not to see it.

Turning to Liu Changqing and the others, Xu Xiaoshou said, "About the Heavenly Mechanism Technique, keep it under wraps. That ability was originally forbidden from being shown outside the clan—it's only for breaking through special crises in exceptional circumstances. From now on, don't discuss what happened earlier."

He knew that the two guardians beside him wouldn't gossip carelessly.

But saying this extra word was clearly meant for the invisible fourth person present to hear.

"Understood!"

"Got it!"

Liu Changqing and Xin Gugu nodded in agreement, not uttering a single extra word.

Xu Xiaoshou then looked back at the direction of the fire-element source stone on the map.

"Let's go."

"Continue heading there—the fire-element source stone is the top priority!"

The three of them kicked off and sped away, as if nothing had happened earlier, rushing toward the source stone's location.

Back at the original spot,

It wasn't until a dozen breaths had passed that a vague figure slowly emerged from the void Dao principles.

Yu Ling Di's brows were furrowed deeply, his eyes turned sideways as if deep in thought.

But gazing in the direction the three had gone, the tension in his brow gradually eased, and his form began to shatter, turning into water elements and vanishing.

At the same time,

At the peak of the Yun Lun Mountain Range, above the Yun Realm world,

Water elements gathered, and Yu Ling Di's form appeared simultaneously thousands of miles away.

"Rao Jianxian..."

"I've seen it all."

As soon as Yu Ling Di spoke, Rao Yao Yao interrupted.

She was looking at one of the spirit mirrors in front of her, which clearly showed the scene of Xu Shao and the others rushing forward.

Obviously, Rao Yao Yao had watched the entire earlier episode.

"What do you think?" Yu Ling Di asked.

"When you confronted him directly, what was your feeling?" Rao Yao Yao asked with a smile, not answering his question.

Yu Ling Di pondered for a moment, setting aside his previous displeasure, and said with genuine admiration, "I have to admit, he's outstanding! Whether it's his backbone, combat strength, or his ability to handle situations and adapt, Xu Shao is truly one of the best among the younger generation I've seen."

"It's rare for you to give such an evaluation." Rao Yao Yao smiled and then asked, "How does he compare to the Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou?"

Yu Ling Di was taken aback, then thought for a moment and replied quickly,

"If I compare based on what I saw of Xu Xiaoshou last time, the two are on completely different levels!"

"Xu Shao, in terms of swordsmanship, combat strength, the demeanor of a Half-Sage successor, tactics, and mindset, completely crushes the Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou."

"Xu Xiaoshou is decent enough..."

As Yu Ling Di spoke, his eyes twinkled, and he added with a laugh, "But in front of me, he had no power to fight back."

"Xu Shao is different. When facing my pressure, the confidence he showed faintly made me feel a sense of threat, as if he had a trump card that could hurt me."

"And last time..."

Yu Ling Di recalled the scene where he had utterly dominated the Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou in the Eight Palaces: "When Xu Xiaoshou faced me on the throne, all he could do was wait for death or rescue—he couldn't even mount the slightest resistance."

Rao Yao Yao nodded slightly.

Since even the head of the Spirit Department said so,

It was clear that these two were absolutely different people.

Perhaps they shared some similarities in certain aspects, but the differences were vast.

Like heaven and earth!

Like clouds and mud!

It couldn't be that in just over a month, the Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou could completely change his personality and even make a massive leap in combat strength, could it?

Most crucially, the aura of confidence from a Half-Sage successor that Xu Shao exuded was something even Rao Yao Yao, watching from outside the spirit mirror, could clearly sense during their confrontation.

If they were really the same person...

Aside from possession, there was no other possibility!

After all, Xu Shao's performance surpassed the Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou not just in swordsmanship but in all other abilities by far more than a notch!

Rao Yao Yao looked at Yu Ling Di and said, "The Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou, after all, is under the guidance of the Eight Honored Ones, and his potential for growth is terrifying."

"His master even sacrificed his future to try to kill you, ending up imprisoned beneath the Holy Mountain."

"And you, thanks to the last gift from your father, the 'Revival Holy Blood,' managed to regenerate your body; with a Half-Sage's help, you summoned your seven souls to preserve your spirit."

"Finally, using the extremely domineering Jin Zhao White Flame, you severed your own perfected Throne Dao Realm foundation. Through the ultimate of fire, you turned adversity into opportunity, blending in that faint spark of life from the severing process, allowing the essence of water to perfectly rebirth and achieve unity of spirit and flesh."

"Tsk tsk..."

Rao Yao Yao's tone was full of emotion, as if even she found the outcome incredible.

She sighed and continued, "The Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou probably hates you to death. I have a feeling that if he grows up, you two might have a real showdown."

Yu Ling Di recalled the process of his revival and felt a wave of lingering fear.

The only drop of "Revival Holy Blood" left by his father, the intervention of a Half-Sage using the complete opposite of ultimate water—the ultimate fire—to aid his severing...

He could say that if any link in that chain had gone wrong,

Then Yu Ling Di would have truly died.

But fate was miraculous like that.

The one who struck at his water-based Throne Dao Realm was precisely Sang Qiye, who possessed the extremely domineering Jin Zhao White Flame and was at the Taixu realm with explosive power.

If it had been anyone else, or just ordinary fire...

Forget severing the foundation—they might not even have been able to kill him!

Yu Ling Di had lived for over twenty years, and the only thing in his life that had been beyond his control was that battle in the Eight Palaces after which he broke through and revived with Sang Qiye's help.

He had never believed in such coincidences in this world.

After all, he had heard of that hand outside this world that manipulated people's fates.

But now, he was starting to believe in coincidences.

He had thought he'd be stuck at the perfected Throne Dao Realm, unable to sever it for life.

Then, on a routine mission, he went to the Eight Palaces.

By chance, he encountered someone on the mountain path, fought Sang Qiye's disciple, and brought disaster upon himself.

In a twist of fate, in that life-and-death battle, he was outright killed by the Jin Zhao White Flame!

Sang Qiye, who severed him...

The "Revival Holy Blood" that his father had refused to use until death, intending to pass it to his son...

The help from the Dao Hall Master...

It seemed as if, in the shadows, Yu Ling Di was destined for this calamity, only to be reborn from the flames.

Yu Ling Di had considered whether this might be the layout of the supreme Holy Emperors.

Perhaps his severing was useful for the future continent's situation, so it was arranged.

But on second thought,

The Void Island, which opposed the holy land secret realms, would never allow those supreme beings to succeed in their plans, let alone use the hand of their enemy, a Holy Slave, to help him perfectly sever his Dao.

So Yu Ling Di let it go.

"It's just due to opportunity..." he sighed and said, "If not for that, I really can't think of any other way to successfully sever my Dao."

Rao Yao Yao laughed. "You're the top genius in the Five Domains now. Even without that experience, given time, you could have severed your Dao on your own."

Yu Ling Di said nothing.

He knew that without some great opportunity, that "time" for someone at the perfected Throne Dao Realm might be measured in hundreds or thousands of years.

"The Eight Honored Ones killed my birth father, and I, in turn, used the momentum to cut off one of his key arms, the Holy Slave's second-in-command—that evens things out a bit."

"As for Xu Xiaoshou..."

Yu Ling Di said, thinking of what Rao Jianxian had mentioned about their potential future battle, and he chuckled, "Honestly, I don't look forward to fighting him."

Rao Yao Yao didn't comment.

Yu Ling Di's talent, even in the previous era of geniuses, would probably rank him among the top ten Honored Ones.

The Holy Slave Xu Xiaoshou's growth potential was strong,

But compared to Yu Ling Di...

From being peers in age, to one barely reaching Grandmaster and the other perfectly severing his Dao, it was like a minor wizard facing a great one.

Unless he also had a string of great opportunities!

"Let's not dwell on that," Rao Yao Yao said, pulling back her thoughts and turning to Yu Ling Di with a serious expression. "There's new information about your true opponent from the previous era."

Yu Ling Di was startled, and his eyes lit up.

"The Eight Honored Ones?"

"Yes."

Rao Yao Yao nodded. "Yu Zhiwen sent word and obtained a Heavenly Mechanism vision of the Eight Honored Ones infiltrating the Void Island. Zhu Lisheng also came to consult with me right away, and now we're giving you the official order!"

Yu Ling Di straightened up.

Rao Yao Yao looked him straight in the eye, took out the Void Order, and said solemnly, "Spirit Department Head Yu Ling Di, set aside all affairs in the Yun Lun Mountain Range for now and enter the Void Island with this order."

"Remember, the Eight Honored Ones may have infiltrated the inner island. Your task is to find him and the storyteller, keep them under constant surveillance, but do not act rashly!"

"Just surveillance?" Yu Ling Di frowned.

"That's right, just surveillance. Only you, with your perfected severing, can do this without being detected. As for the entities on the inner island of the Void Island, don't worry—the Dao Hall Master will assist you in secret."

"Understood." Yu Ling Di took the Void Order.

Rao Yao Yao cautioned him repeatedly:

"No matter what happens, you must not act impulsively or make a move!"

"Remember! Even if the Eight Honored Ones is gravely ill right now, even if he still has remnants of Hua Jianxian's sword energy in him, making him seem on the brink of death, and even though you're perfectly severed..."

"But as long as you're discovered, and you're controlled, even for just a moment!"

"One sword!"

Rao Yao Yao held up a finger, her beautiful eyes full of gravity: "He can drag you into eternal damnation, never to be reborn!"

Yu Ling Di was shocked.

Even though he had perfectly severed his Dao now,

Even though the Eight Honored Ones was in the weakest state in history,

Yet the higher-ups still assessed this so-called Eighth Sword Immortal's combat strength as terrifyingly formidable?

"Don't worry."

After a moment of thought, Yu Ling Di nodded firmly: "I've waited through longer times than this. The vengeance for my father's death—I'll settle it with my own hands one day, but not now."

With that,

His figure shattered, turning into water elements and dissipating.

Rao Yao Yao withdrew her focus and turned to the countless spirit mirrors before her.

The one showing Xu Shao was no longer in her primary attention.

In the grand scheme, such petty conflicts between minor figures were insignificant.

Even if Xu Shao was a ghost beast, or even if he had two ghost beast hosts training in the Yun Lun Mountain Range, it was no big issue.

At most, that was just three ghost beasts.

The red-clothed faction's defenses across the continent caught more than that in a single day.

Moreover, Xu Shao wasn't one!

Rao Yao Yao felt that devoting time to pay attention and double-check Xu Shao's identity was already giving ample face to this Half-Sage successor.

What she had truly been focusing on all along was...

"Shh!"

The images shifted, and several spirit mirrors enlarged.

Among them was clearly the trial scene of the three swordsmen from the Burial Sword Tomb.

"There's your trace in the White Cavern, and now in the Yun Lun Mountain Range as well..."

Rao Yao Yao murmured silently in her heart: "Wen Ting, oh Wen Ting, I may not have concrete evidence or leverage against you, but your intent to help your old friend is far too obvious."

She turned her gaze to the other spirit mirrors, her delicate brows furring again.

On them were many individuals she had confirmed as stowaways but couldn't directly target.

Among them was one short figure with white hair, who paid no attention to points or trial participants, wandering aimlessly through the Yun Lun Mountain Range as if leisurely strolling.

"Space attribute..."

Rao Yao Yao's eyelids narrowed, her brow creased with a hint of anxiety: "This continent doesn't have many with space attributes. So, why are you here?"