Chapter 971: Temple River Fishing the Eight Venerables Proficient

"You son of a bitch! I could tell at a glance you're not human!"

Xu Xiaoshou was scared out of his wits by Shui Gui’s kick, nearly losing his soul in the process.

Fortunately, he never trusted strangers.

Having spent his days deceiving others, he had also maxed out his skills in spotting scams. His instincts kicked in quickly, and he dodged the kick with a swift sidestep, his body reacting on pure reflex.

"This guy actually dodged it?"

Shui Gui was stunned, not expecting Xu Xiaoshou—who had seemed completely off guard and even ready to retort—to still have such a high level of vigilance.

His kick shattered the afterimage Xu Xiaoshou left behind in his hasty retreat, but he could see the unmasked emotion on Xu Xiaoshou’s face... not an attack, but pure flight!

There was no doubt about it—Xu Xiaoshou's strongest trick for escaping was that mysterious “Xiao Shi Ability.”

This guy was about to turn invisible!

"Ding!"

Shui Gui's first strike missed, so he quickly formed a seal with his left hand, summoning the water within Xu Xiaoshou’s body.

A buzzing sound filled the air, and Xu Xiaoshou's head spun with dizziness. He felt his body suddenly lose control, convulsing violently against his will.

It was as if gallons of boiling water had been poured into him, making it unbearable.

At the same time, the instinctive thought in his mind to activate “Xiao Shi Technique” was forcibly interrupted.

"Under attack, passive value: 1."

The info panel lit up again.

It seemed that no matter how close they were, Shui Gui's attacks were too fast for Xu Xiaoshou at his current level, and the system always counted them as ambushes.

"Not bad reaction, but that's about it. Your combat instincts still need work."

Shui Gui praised him expressionlessly, his left hand continuing to shift seals without pause.

The next second, as Xu Xiaoshou struggled against the turmoil of boiling water in his body, he felt a sudden emptiness wash over him.

It was like something had drained away, leaving his mind blank. The idea of activating “Xiao Shi Technique” that he had just managed to summon was cut off once more.

"Gui Shou!"

Shui Gui uttered softly, sweeping his left hand forward.

Xu Xiaoshou watched in horror as his chest clothing ripped open, and a crimson hand made of his own blood and water extended from within his body.

The blood-water hand pierced through his chest without causing real harm, but it instantly gripped his neck and yanked him viciously toward Shui Gui.

Scrape, scrape, scrape.

Xu Xiaoshou staggered forward a few steps, his movements anything but voluntary.

After experiencing the control of Gui Shou, he finally understood why the people he'd seen before had looked so terrified under its influence.

It was like being wide awake during the day but paralyzed by a ghost—as if his body was under some unknown force's control!

Without any prior experience or countermeasures, the human body was utterly helpless!

Completely at the mercy of others!

"Think carefully about how you'll handle this next time you encounter it.

"After all, not every enemy will give you a chance to talk, like I did after seeing how you toyed with Rao Yao Yao."

Shui Gui smirked, watching Xu Xiaoshou stumble toward him. He didn't even move his feet, just waited patiently.

Then, as Xu Xiaoshou drew near, Shui Gui unceremoniously extended his hidden right hand and shoved something into his mouth.

—Sheng Di Long Lin!

Xu Xiaoshou could "perceive" everything happening to him, but he hadn't yet recovered from his state of helplessness and panic.

Shui Gui's abilities were too bizarre.

This guy had probably been lurking at the bottom of Gu Yin Ya the whole time, witnessing how Xu Xiaoshou had deceived Rao Yao Yao, so he wasn't giving him any openings.

In this situation, the flaws in Xu Xiaoshou's Zongshi cultivation against a true Taixu powerhouse were exposed completely.

It wasn't enough!

Absolutely not enough!

If Shui Gui wanted to, he could kill him anytime!

Amid his panic, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't figure out why Shui Gui was going through all this trouble just to stuff the Sheng Di Long Lin into his mouth.

What was the point?

"You're not thinking about using your 'Xiao Shi Technique' right now. You don't want to leave Gu Yin Ya. Instead, you've seen your own weakness and are determined to grow stronger. You're willing to take the risk and explore the opportunities at the bottom of Gu Yin Ya."

Shui Gui spoke as if implanting thoughts, delivering these absurd words with utmost seriousness.

Before Xu Xiaoshou could mock him, he felt the Sheng Di Long Lin in his mouth tremble slightly, emitting a faint black glow.

Then, Shui Gui's imposed will actually took root in his mind.

"He's right, I am too weak...

"Objectively speaking, he could control my fate right now but hasn't killed me, so he's not really a bad guy...

"So, most of what he says is probably true. There must be opportunities at the bottom of Gu Yin Ya that Ba Zun An left for me. I should go down there..."

As Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts grew chaotic, he completely forgot that he should activate “Xiao Shi Technique” to erase himself from this world.

He stopped in his tracks, turned abruptly, and gazed at the sea of clouds around Gu Yin Ya.

"Under influence, passive value: 1."

The info panel flashed, and the word "蛊惑" shattered some of the jumbled thoughts in Xu Xiaoshou's mind.

"Oh no, the Sheng Di Long Lin is messing with my will!" Xu Xiaoshou's face was full of horror.

At that moment, his back was to Shui Gui, who seemed oblivious to his expression and kept imposing his will:

"Come on, you're brave. Right now, you really want to go to the place where you'll rise, so take that first step in your life."

Like hell I do!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare turn around, afraid of giving away his realization, but he lashed out with thunderous speed, kicking backward without mercy in a dragon-tail sweep.

Shui Gui never expected this young man to break through the Sheng Di Long Lin's influence so quickly and fight back.

His abdomen was pierced straight through by Xu Xiaoshou's foot, like a sharp sword.

Rip!

Clothing tore, and water splashed everywhere.

Shui Gui lowered his head in disbelief, staring at the gaping hole in his abdomen that had turned into a swirling vortex of water, rapidly healing itself.

"A kick with no spiritual energy at all could break my natural defense?"

Shui Gui was dumbfounded. He quickly realized it had to be due to the “Wang Zuo Body.”

But how could a Wang Zuo Body deliver such power?

The piercing pain like a sword through the heart proved that Xu Xiaoshou's strike had hurt him, though for water-based profound meanings, it was negligible.

He was only at Zongshi level!

Could a Zongshi already harm someone at the Taixu level with water-based profound meanings?

"Ci Wei?"

Shui Gui thought of the term Cen Qiaofu had used.

He suddenly wondered if, when Cen Qiaofu met Xu Xiaoshou, the latter was just an ordinary ci wei.

But now, this young man had mutated into something like a wild steel-spined boar. If he were allowed to grow, he'd be untouchable!

"Good one..." Shui Gui chuckled in frustration. "So, you're dead set on resisting, huh? I told you it was an opportunity—why not just go down quietly? You had to force my hand?"

He stopped holding back and pointed directly at Xu Xiaoshou's turned body.

"Shen Lan!"

Whoosh—a drop of deep blue water shot from Shui Gui's fingertip, piercing through Xu Xiaoshou's chest and embedding itself deep into the sea of clouds at Gu Yin Ya.

"Under attack, passive value: 1."

Xu Xiaoshou grunted in pain, clutching his chest as a suffocating sensation overwhelmed him.

It felt like he wasn't facing a single drop of water, but an entire ocean compressed into that form!

The force of the whole sea crashed into him, yet Shui Gui's control was precise—only a brief sting, followed by overwhelming impact.

That despairing force shattered Xu Xiaoshou's defenses, which felt as fragile as paper, and propelled him through the air, hurtling straight toward the sea of clouds at Gu Yin Ya.

"Go on, grow quickly. I look forward to our next meeting... when you can get your revenge."

Shui Gui smiled beneath his golden mask, watching Xu Xiaoshou get blasted away, clearly savoring the moment.

Damn it... Xu Xiaoshou wanted to curse out loud, but the Sheng Di Long Lin in his mouth prevented him from doing so.

Knowing that Gu Yin Ya below was sealed with forbidden barriers, he tensed up and completely suppressed his spiritual energy to avoid triggering them.

But Shui Gui wasn't about to let that happen.

The deep blue drop from his fingertip suddenly glowed in the sea of clouds.

The light was faint, just a faint wisp.

The spiritual energy was weak, merely a thread.

But it was enough.

Xu Xiaoshou despaired as he realized Shui Gui was just toying with him—he used that deep blue drop to activate the forbidden barrier.

Boom!

A burst of dazzling light flashed, and a weightless sensation took over.

The sea of clouds at Gu Yin Ya was empty now, with no trace of anyone left, only a muffled curse echoing faintly:

"You thieving dog, may you have kids with no assholes!"

Shui Gui smiled as he watched Xu Xiaoshou fall, the phrase "evil begets evil" crossing his mind, since he'd personally seen Xu Xiaoshou kick Shou Ye off the cliff.

As for the curse...

"Sorry to disappoint you, I already have a son, and it's likely I'll only have the one for the rest of my life. No more kids for me."

Shui Gui shook his head with a laugh, adjusted his golden mask, and turned his back to the sea of clouds.

A sudden melancholy hit him as he stared at the utterly devastated landscape ahead, like seeing his own future with no clear path.

He took a step forward and stopped, looking up at the sky.

"The task is done for you. More moths will come fluttering to the flame one after another, and I'll handle them all.

"So, in the end, what answer will you give me, Ba Zun An..."

Si Jiang.

In the Yun Lun Mountains and the surrounding areas near Dong Tian Wang Cheng, there were no seas.

The only thing that came close was this Si Jiang—a river over a hundred zhang wide, always rushing onward, yet rarely visited by people.

While endless conflicts erupted in the Yun Lun Mountains, two quiet figures sat silently on a large rock by Si Jiang's banks.

Ba Zun An had his hair loose, still looking disheveled, but his face seemed freshly washed, revealing a chiseled, sharp-featured face. Apart from his murky eyes, there wasn't a flaw in his appearance.

After all, this face had once captivated thousands of young women.

The turbulent Si Jiang never ceased, always surging forward without pause.

Ba Zun An sat quietly on the rock, gripping his fishing rod tightly as the float bobbed on the river's surface, getting swept away only to be pulled back with effort, time and again.

On another rock nearby, Shuo Shu Ren held his fishing rod steady, glancing over at the scene. He couldn't shake the feeling that if he looked away for even a second, Si Jiang might gain an unidentified floating corpse.

He had tried advising about safety many times before.

Shuo Shu Ren no longer brought up the topic of life and death. Instead, his red lips parted as he said with worry, "Brother, do you think playing like this might get Xu Xiaoshou killed?"

"Not likely. He's tough as nails."

Ba Zun An responded flatly, though his neck strained with effort. "It's like this fishing rod—the river of fate keeps flowing. If no one steers him, he'd have been lost long ago. Then, if that old guy ever gets out, he'd blame me for it."

Shuo Shu Ren glanced back at his own unmoving rod and thought to himself that this had nothing to do with the rod—it was because Ba Zun An was unusually weak right now and couldn't hold on. The rod didn't want to die young.

After a moment, Shuo Shu Ren added, "Are you sure he won't hold a grudge against you for this? He almost died this time—it was Rao Yao Yao, after all!"

Ba Zun An stayed focused on his struggle with the rod, not even turning his head. "Not likely. Shui Gui's been watching. He said he wouldn't interfere, but since I handed it to him, he won't let anything go wrong. Worst case, I still have those two spirit talismans you made—I'd step in."

You can barely hold that rod... how are you going to step in? Shuo Shu Ren grumbled inwardly, staring at his rod before suddenly asking, "So, what's the point of us being here? Can you really catch fish in Si Jiang?"

"It'll come." Ba Zun An glanced at him, his words laden with meaning.

Just then, a whooshing sound came from behind. Shuo Shu Ren alertly stood up and moved to Ba Zun An's side, looking up.

The newcomer was an elderly man in white robes, exuding a gentle and refined air. He held a paper fan, his gaze warm and amiable, his every move like a spring breeze.

"After fishing in Yun Lun, now you're fishing in Si Jiang. It seems today, this old one has no choice but to take the bait."

The white-robed elder laughed heartily.

"Finally here..."

Ba Zun An heard the voice and let go of his fishing rod, letting it drift away.

He stood up, hiding his reddened hands behind his back, and his demeanor sharpened instantly. He straightened up and said, "The great river flows east, free and unbound. Sir, since you're neither fish nor fowl, how can we speak of taking the bait?"

Shuo Shu Ren was surprised.

Hearing Ba Zun An use a title like "sir" showed immense respect, filling him with a sense of awe toward the newcomer.

Who was he?

As soon as the thought arose, he saw Ba Zun An nod slightly in greeting and say with a smile, "Junior greets Si Ren Sir."