Chapter 932: Captain, Look, There's an Eight Zun There

"Reporting to the captain!"

Xu Xiaoshou imitated Wang Chao's usual behavior from "Soul Reading." To be extra cautious, he even used his "Transformation" ability to simulate Wang Chao's tone and voice, leaving no room for error.

Of course, the combat communicator was now visibly attached to his earlobe, so it wouldn't arouse any suspicion.

Murong Ying was an extremely tall man with narrow eyes, high cheekbones, and an overall shadowy demeanor.

As the team member arrived, Murong Ying had no doubts. He pointed toward the spatial fluctuations nearby and spoke directly: "There are at least two stowaways trapped inside their own Wangzuo domains for now. I haven't made a move yet, and I haven't been exposed.""Based on the spatial fluctuations and realm levels of the domains, these are at least Zhandao-level stowaways, so this operation is extremely tricky. I've already contacted headquarters, and Jian Xian will send reinforcements soon.""You wait here. Once our other team members arrive, we'll form a formation before advancing. Otherwise, you might lose your life."

Zhandao?

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. Were these stowaways out of their minds?

Daring to expose their cultivation in the Yunlun Mountains like this—wasn't that just inviting Rao Yaoyao to discover them sooner and end them faster?

Captain Murong Ying's words carried a tone of worry, and the intelligence he provided was limited.

Clearly, he couldn't peer through the domain to see what was inside.

Xu Xiaoshou simply responded with "Yes" and looked ahead.

Drawing on his previous understanding of the spatial Dao, he analyzed this domain, only to find it even more exaggerated than the one he had observed from Yi before.

—It was packed with spatial nodes, without a single gap!

"This?" Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat.

A Wangzuo domain, when analyzed through spatial nodes, might only have a few nodes as its base, forming a spatial barrier to block external forces while summoning the user's own domain.

At the Zhandao level, one could condense more spatial nodes, solidifying the domain and making it easier to manifest the domain master's unique and stronger powers.

The Taixu domain was like the one Xu Xiaoshou had seen from Yi before.

Utterly indestructible!

The only way to breach it was with overwhelming external force, like the Four Swords, combined with spatial comprehension to find the tiny gaps between the densely packed spatial nodes and pry open a small opening. Otherwise, there was no way to force entry.

Last time, Xu Xiaoshou managed to enter Yi's domain because he had the Four Swords and a basic grasp of spatial Dao principles.

If it had been another Taixu, they probably couldn't have broken in.

After all, that was Yi's domain, the leader of the Yi division!

But now...

What Xu Xiaoshou "perceived" was a domain made up of endless spatial nodes, like a fortress built from spatial crystals.

It wasn't just airtight—it had no gaps whatsoever between the nodes, not even the slightest seam.

Perfectly seamless!

Flawless!

"This is a Zhandao domain?" Xu Xiaoshou fell into deep doubt, feeling that Captain Murong Ying must be blind.

Even Yi's domain wasn't as perfect or as impressive as this one!

"This has to be a peak Taixu domain, and its strength is probably even more terrifying than Yi's!" Xu Xiaoshou speculated.

But he quickly dismissed this unrealistic idea.

More powerful than Yi?

Impossible!

Yi was the leader of the Yi division, one of the top stowaways—how could there be someone even stronger?

If there were, would they be stuck in a place like the Yunlun Mountains, forced to use their Wangzuo domain and expose themselves?

"Maybe it's not Taixu..."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly thought of a possibility. Even a Taixu like Yi couldn't form such a perfect domain.

Perhaps the one trapped in the domain nearby was a Wangzuo-level or higher expert with a space attribute, someone with exceptional Dao comprehension but not necessarily a high cultivation realm.

"Who could it be?"

Xu Xiaoshou's curiosity grew.

His Wangzuo "Perception" could penetrate ordinary domains, but breaking through a Taixu domain would take a lot of time.

The last time he encountered Yi's domain barrier, he didn't have much time, so he used the Four Swords to force his way in.

But this time, he had plenty of time.

"Let's try!"

Focusing his attention on a single point, he narrowed the range of his "Perception," gradually infiltrating the seams between the spatial nodes.

This was difficult because, theoretically, there were seams, but they were practically negligible!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't give up.

Spatial nodes were generally hard to pass through, but "Perception" operated on a different level from spatial forces.

Perhaps its ethereal nature could achieve this.

So, he concentrated his "Perception," which spanned a hundred li, shrinking it continuously—from a hundred li to ten li, to one li...

Then to ten zhang, three zhang, one zhang...

Xu Xiaoshou was trying to compress his "Perception" range for the first time.

He felt his head throbbing, his temples swelling.

This compressed "Perception," now almost substantial like a mental channel, could probably smash into someone and shatter their mental force.

Yet, even so, it still couldn't pass through the seam between two spatial nodes!

"This is insane—how solidified is this domain?" Xu Xiaoshou felt a chill in his heart.

He could hardly imagine how terrifying the owner's comprehension of the spatial Dao must be.

The more challenging it was, the more unwilling he felt—he had to pierce through and see inside.

After all, he was posing as an enforcer now, with backing and no consequences. If not now, he might never get another chance.

Compress!

Keep compressing!

Until his head buzzed, his mind went blank, and the "mental channel" formed by his "Perception" was finally compressed to the fineness of a needle!

"Sizzle—"

With a faint sound, the needle-like "Perception" channel, brimming with surging mental force, finally pierced through the seam between the spatial nodes as hoped.

It was like a dam bursting. Xu Xiaoshou could no longer hold back the high-intensity mental force that had been pent up, and once his "Perception" passed through the node, it exploded outward in a radial spray, instantly filling the entire domain interior.

"This is?"

The situation inside the domain finally appeared in his mind, leaving Xu Xiaoshou stunned for a moment.

Four people!

A stranger who looked identical in appearance, hair color, and height to Dean Ye Xiaotian of Tiansang Spirit Palace was covered in blood, desperately using a spatial barrier to fend off attacks from his opponent.

Facing him was a figure in a golden robe with a Yanwang mask, carrying swords on his back, casually using spatial forces with one hand to duel the white-haired, short-statured youth opposite.

Guarding the rear were the Jiu You Gui Ying in Yanwang robes, recognizable by color, and another unfamiliar face.

Four people, three of whom were familiar!

"Yanwang leader Huang Quan, that metal-attribute one who seems to have mastered an attribute essence, Jiu You Gui Ying, and some stranger..."

"But the key is, that white-haired, short-statured youth—he's the dean himself!"

Xu Xiaoshou felt the world had gone mad.

Why was Ye Xiaotian here?

Shouldn't he be back home feeding geese after escorting the inner court disciples of Tiansang Spirit Palace to the Wangcheng trial?

How did he end up fighting Huang Quan, who mastered space-time forces?

"Boom!"

While he was thinking, a massive explosion erupted inside the domain—the spatial barrier of the youth who seemed to be Ye Xiaotian was forcibly shattered by Huang Quan.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyebrows twitched wildly.

A direct clash of spatial forces—that was too violent!

Just then, he saw the white-haired, short-statured youth suddenly leap up, reach into the void, tear down a piece of the sky, and hurl it fiercely at Huang Quan.

"Tearing Hand!"

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils contracted—that was the dean's signature move; how could he not recognize it?

As Ye Xiaotian tore down the sky, his blood-soaked white robe fluttered, and beneath his feet, a familiar essence array diagram appeared, one he'd only seen on Yu Lingdian and Jiu You Gui Ying before.

Amplified by the space essence, the chunk of sky he tore down hurtled toward Huang Quan.

"Dean, have you perfected the space essence?" Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled.

Now that was a true powerhouse!

He had been hiding his light, becoming the second person after Yu Lingdian to master an attribute essence without anyone noticing.

Thinking of attribute essences, Xu Xiaoshou shifted his focus to Jiu You Gui Ying.

That guy was young too, yet he had mastered an attribute essence.

But in actual combat, Xu Xiaoshou felt he wasn't as formidable, strange, or unbeatable as Yu Lingdian or the dean.

"Indeed, you've mastered the space essence..."

Inside the domain, Huang Quan's ethereal voice rang out at the right moment, his eyes behind the mask showing admiration as he said slowly: "The space essence—a power that so many dream of!""Though I wield space-time forces, because I possess both, I'll never have a chance at essence in this lifetime.""I never imagined you'd reach the peak of the world in just a few decades..."

He spoke with admiration, like an elder praising a young talent's achievements, completely ignoring the incoming sky fragment overhead.

Soon, as the sky fragment approached, Huang Quan lightly flicked his sleeve.

"Boom!"

The heavens shook violently.

In that instant, Xu Xiaoshou felt his thoughts slow down.

He watched as the sky fragment about to hit Huang Quan was slowed thousands of times in midair, then, as if aged by eons, it withered and died.

Did spatial fragments have a lifespan?

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized something.

This was time force!

The sky fragment, in the midst of its path, had its time accelerated, and all its power dissipated into the river of time.

"Terror beyond words!"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart trembled. He couldn't imagine how he'd handle such power.

No wonder the dean, with his perfected space essence, was like a cornered beast before Huang Quan, getting beaten half to death.

"Whoosh!"

After a sudden sound, his thoughts recovered from their sluggish state, even accelerating to an extraordinary sharpness.

Xu Xiaoshou saw the sky fragment, after vanishing, reform as if time had reversed, returning to its solid state in the sky.

But now, it was no longer under Ye Xiaotian's control—it was dominated by Huang Quan and hurled back at Ye Xiaotian.

"Who the hell are you?!" Ye Xiaotian's eyes bulged with rage as he roared.

After perfecting his space essence, he could toy with even Taixu experts.

But in his first real battle, he faced someone whose face he couldn't even see clearly, and before this person, Ye Xiaotian was like meat on a chopping block, utterly at his mercy.

This was too demoralizing...

"Shatter!"

Facing the onrushing sky fragment, Ye Xiaotian's heart chilled, but he could only reach out, trying to completely dismantle this pinnacle of spatial power.

Yet, as with every previous counterattack, when Ye Xiaotian called upon it...

The heavenly Dao responded, but its counterattack seemed to target only a parallel space version of the sky fragment.

The fake one vanished.

The real one still barreled toward him.

"Bang!"

With an explosion, blood splattered.

Even though Ye Xiaotian had immersed himself in the spatial Dao, his opponent was also space-attuned, so he could still be hit.

The sky fragment struck him, flinging Ye Xiaotian out of the heavenly Dao, slamming him heavily against the domain wall before he slid down, barely clinging to life.

Xu Xiaoshou, watching from outside, gasped in shock, his fists unconsciously clenching.

The difference was like heaven and earth, mud and clouds!

Inside the domain, Huang Quan looked at Ye Xiaotian, who was on his last breath and struggling feebly, and said slowly: "Ye Xiaotian, don't be disheartened. Your space essence is unrivaled in the world; you could even slay Taixu. It's just bad luck that you've run into me this time.""Originally, we only wanted the 'Shengyuan Crystal Stone' from you, but after seeing your abilities, I must say, I admire you greatly.""Join 'Yanwang.' I need your power!"

Huang Quan extended the invitation sincerely, but Ye Xiaotian on the ground remained silent.

"Quite the backbone."

Huang Quan praised him, then turned back to the distant Jiu You Gui Ying and Bi An Hua Kai, saying: "See that? That's the kind of combat power you should have after perfecting an attribute essence.""You two, I can grant you essence inheritances, but knowledge from books is shallow. Without real combat and plenty of opponents to spar with, you won't even reach one-tenth of Yu Lingdian or Ye Xiaotian's level.""Just like Jiu You..."

Huang Quan said, looking at the trembling Jiu You Gui Ying with a smile: "Last time, you said it was Shengnu Xu Xiaoshou with the Four Swords and a Tianji Puppet that defeated and killed you.""But if you truly mastered the 'Iron Essence,' forget one Xu Xiaoshou—even a hundred wouldn't be your match.""At the very least, a essence master can always stand undefeated, just like Ye Xiaotian..."

He paused, pointing toward the rear.

Ye Xiaotian, who was on his last breath and secretly trying to shift through the domain to escape, was completely sealed by Huang Quan's space-time forces, losing all chance of flight.

"Essence is the most powerful force in this world."

"Sword Dao has three thousand paths, but it's too fragmented. In a thousand years, only one Ba Zun An has truly mastered it."

"Refining Spirit is different—it takes one of the three thousand great Daos and refines it to mastery, granting essence power, which is far more suited to this world full of mediocrity."

"And that's the fundamental reason the Refining Spirit era replaced the Sword Dao era!"

Huang Quan's words were earth-shattering.

After speaking, he fixed his gaze on the two fresh recruits in his organization and sighed: "You two still have a long way to go in honing yourselves..."

Jiu You Gui Ying and Bi An Hua Kai didn't dare to retort; they nodded like pecking chickens in agreement.

Xu Xiaoshou pondered Huang Quan's profound words but didn't dare dwell on them.

He couldn't stand watching anymore and couldn't wait any longer.

He knew the dean wouldn't surrender, so if things continued like this, death was the only outcome.

Huang Quan was formidable, but he clearly wasn't a Bansheng, or he wouldn't be unaware of the outside situation inside the domain.

Of course, that could also be because Ye Xiaotian's domain was exceptionally strong.

Either way, the dean had activated his domain to call for help from the Hongyi side.

He had to think of a way to help...

Xu Xiaoshou turned to Murong Ying and couldn't help asking: "Captain, haven't the other team members arrived yet? Are we just going to wait like this?"

"What's the rush?" Murong Ying turned his head and said, "The two stowaways inside are probably fighting each other, which is why they opened the domain... From the look of it, the one inside is at most Zhandao. We'll wait until they're both weakened, and our team is fully assembled, then take them down easily."

If Huang Quan comes out on his own, you won't even catch a glimpse of him!

More importantly, Ye Xiaotian, you, me, and the team members who haven't arrived yet—we might all die!

Xu Xiaoshou was anxious. His eyes darted around, and suddenly, an idea struck him.

He abruptly looked toward the distance, above the domain, pointed, and exclaimed in a panicked voice: "Captain, look! Over there—it's a Ba Zun An!"