Chapter 978: Hunting Operation, Now Begins

This answer suddenly made Xu Xiaoshou feel invincible.

Previously, he had used his space attribute to swap the dan medicine to Shou Ye without triggering the suppression of the Jinfa Jiejie. Or rather, the Jinfa Jiejie was activated the moment his space ability was triggered, but Xu Xiaoshou's item had already been delivered to Shou Ye. The subsequent abilities failed, but that was no big issue.

At the time, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't thought much of it. He assumed the weak suppression from the Jinfa Jiejie was due to special favor from Shui Gui. After all, Shui Gui was one of the nine Shengnu, so looking out for his own people was normal.

But now, it seemed Shui Gui had never shown him any favor at all. The reason his abilities worked within the Jinfa Jiejie was entirely due to the power of the Imitator!

"Perhaps my refining spirit abilities couldn't be used in the Jinfa Jiejie at all, but with the Imitator, I can bypass this restriction?"

The thought made Xu Xiaoshou's mind wander far.

He decided to act on it immediately!

Without hesitation, he activated Jinzhao Baiyan, trying to use his gaze to evaporate the seawater about a zhang away.

But it failed.

His qi sea's spiritual yuan couldn't be mobilized at all, so naturally, his Jinzhao ability wouldn't work.

"As expected..."

The failure didn't discourage Xu Xiaoshou. Instead, it excited him even more.

"Let's try the Imitator again..."

"By using the Imitator to mimic my Jinzhao ability, if this path works..."

"Hehehe!"

Xu Xiaoshou suppressed his surging excitement, using his spiritual thoughts to connect with the Imitator in his Yuanfu world and began "replicating" his own ability.

If there was anyone in the world easiest for the Imitator to mimic, it was undoubtedly "himself."

Xu Xiaoshou almost perfectly restored his own refining spirit ability, and through the Imitator, it even gained a slight enhancement.

"Jinzhao Tianfen!"

With a single glance, Xu Xiaoshou, borrowing the Imitator to overcome the Jinfa Jiejie's restrictions, made a white flame bloom in the deep sea wherever his sight reached.

"Puff-puff—"

The faint sounds lasted less than a breath's time.

The Jinfa Jiejie was triggered, shattering the manifested white flame into nothingness.

"It worked!"

Even though the white flame vanished in an instant, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes burst with sharp light, confirming his success.

Without delay, he called upon the Imitator's power again. Raising his hands, a scorching and searing aura appeared around him.

"Longrong Jie!"

In the depths of the sea, within a radius of about a hundred zhang, rings of white flames suddenly rose, attempting to enclose from above and below to form a perfect domain-type spiritual technique.

The intertwining of underwater fire created a bizarre beauty, blending scorching heat with icy coldness in the deep sea.

Unfortunately, besides the incredibly excited Xu Xiaoshou, there were no other witnesses to this incredible sight.

It didn't last long.

As soon as the fire-based ability appeared, before Longrong Jie could fully enclose, the Jinfa Jiejie was triggered again, extinguishing everything.

Yet, the fleeting brilliance of the deep-sea white flames left Xu Xiaoshou's heart pounding with exhilaration, unable to calm down for a long time.

"With the Jinfa Jiejie in place, any sustained refining spirit abilities I use will be extinguished immediately, even if I can activate them.

"But abilities like 'space displacement,' which burst instantly and then vanish, have no problem at all!

"Because after I force my way past the restrictions with the Imitator, by the time the Jinfa Jiejie reacts, my ability is already complete..."

Xu Xiaoshou refined his thoughts further, and the answers he arrived at became even more perfect.

"So, as long as I mimic myself and only use instant-burst refining spirit abilities, I can essentially use all my refining spirit abilities at full strength here in the deep sea?

"Hiss! This is insane!

"So overpowered—how are others supposed to survive?"

Xu Xiaoshou sucked in a cold breath, finally understanding why Shui Gui could hide beneath Guniang Cliff and take down so many Taixu, including Rao Yaoyao.

With the Yuhai Shenji, one of the ten aberrant weapons, Shui Gui could freely use water-based abilities within the Jinfa Jiejie.

And he himself was the master of water attribute profound meaning!

If that wasn't overpowered, what in the world was?

"The Yuhai Shenji only has a single water attribute, and it's already this formidable.

"If the Imitator were still on Yi's body, he'd probably be in deep trouble if he fell in here—the abilities he mimicked would all be extinguished by the Jinfa Jiejie.

"But I'm different!

"I'm all attributes!"

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists in excitement, his heart surging: "With the Imitator on me, the Jinfa Jiejie might as well not exist for me!"

What did this mean?

It meant that in this deep sea, while everyone else's strength dropped to less than ten percent, he could unleash power beyond one hundred percent!

Thinking of the killers like Jin Zu, who were after his head...

Thinking of Ye Xiao, the one who issued the three incense sticks black gold bounty...

Thinking of Rao Yaoyao, who had nearly ended his life on Guniang Cliff...

And now, they were all in the deep sea, all restricted by the Jinfa Jiejie!

"Hehe, hehehe, hahahaha..."

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly laughed maniacally, losing all restraint.

He hadn't felt this thrilled in a long time.

Normally, as a mere Zongshi facing Taixu enemies, he should lie low.

But with this golden opportunity, what reason did he have to hide?

Among his opponents, aside from Rao Yaoyao's ancient sword cultivation abilities, which he needed to avoid for now, what did he have to fear from the rest?

As his laughter stopped, Xu Xiaoshou's expression shifted, and a full aura of killing intent radiated from him unchecked.

A twisted, clown-like smile curled at his lips. No longer content to let the water ball fall passively, he used the rebound force to make his water ball dart swiftly through the deep sea.

"The hunt begins now!"

Somewhere in the unknown depths of the sea, inside a steadily sinking water ball, a round-headed, big-eyed little boy lay limp, utterly exhausted and weak.

"So tired... When will this end?

"At least I have enough metal with me. I hope it lasts until a 'turnaround' comes..."

Xiao Nin, one of the five gold medal Hunter Order assassins from San Zhu Xiang, had tried everything in the recent period and finally realized that the Jinfa Jiejie's suppression on refining spirit masters was total and inescapable.

He gave up struggling, letting his body relax and press against the water ball's wall to slightly reduce his energy consumption and prepare for any unknown dangers.

A large amount of spiritless metal floated before him, in various colors.

For a gold attribute Taixu like him, the suppression from the Jinfa Jiejie was overwhelmingly strong!

Xiao Nin could only devour metal to sustain his life force; he couldn't use any other abilities at all!

Suddenly, during the water ball's descent, a wave of special ability fluctuations came from the distance.

"This is...

"Fire-based ability?

"In the deep sea, under the Jinfa Jiejie, how could there be fire-based ability?"

Xiao Nin was startled, thinking of the two Shengong Envoys who, like him, had hidden in the Tian Dao on Guniang Cliff.

Without a doubt, the only ones who could use fire-based abilities in the Jinfa Jiejie were powerhouses like Mu Ling.

Perhaps the other had some divine object from Jinzhao Bansheng Longrong to temporarily shield the Jinfa Jiejie's restrictions?

"But why use a fire-based ability?

"In danger?

"There really are dangers in this deep sea!"

Xiao Nin, who was completely drained, sat up straight in alarm, scanning his surroundings warily.

He feared that in his weakened state, some enemy might suddenly appear and target him.

The chances were slim—after all, as a killer, once his enemies were dead, Xiao Nin didn't think his identity had been exposed.

But better safe than sorry.

Xiao Nin quickly devoured a few high-grade pieces of metal, feeling his nearly depleted qi sea spiritual yuan recover slightly. Then, he used his physical strength to rebound the water ball, trying to move away from the area where the fire-based ability had erupted.

"Hope it doesn't come this way..."

The water ball moved away from the danger zone but continued its rapid descent.

Xiao Nin felt uneasy. His Taixu intuition made him sense that he might have been targeted.

Misfortune never comes alone.

When things go wrong, even drinking water can cause trouble, and the very thing you fear often happens.

Not long after, before the water ball could get far, Xiao Nin—whose spiritual thoughts were ineffective—spotted a figure speeding toward him through the murky water ball wall with his naked eyes.

And it was heading straight for him!

"Thump! Thump!"

"Thump! Thump!"

His heartbeat accelerated.

A look of wariness crossed Xiao Nin's face, and he began cursing inwardly.

But he couldn't stop the approaching figure.

Soon, the shadow drew near, stopping just a few zhang away, matching the speed of Xiao Nin's water ball in lateral movement and descent.

They entered a relative state of stillness.

"You?"

Seeing the newcomer's face, Xiao Nin's expression changed, and he exclaimed in shock.

Outside the water ball, the uninvited guest was the one wielding a great halberd, wearing a half-golden beast mask—the master of water attribute profound meaning who had driven everyone from Guniang Cliff into the deep sea.

As for his identity...

Unknown!

"Who are you?"

Xiao Nin saw the sinister smile at the corner of the other's mouth and couldn't help asking first. He guessed that Mu Ling might have encountered this person, which is why fire-based abilities were used.

The figure opposite him seemed to have all his powers sealed by the Jinfa Jiejie, with no energy leaking out, not even from the great halberd in his hand.

Yet, regardless of the power, the halberd's shape was unmistakably the Yuhai Shenji!

And this "Lord of the Deep Sea," who held the halberd and moved without a water ball, withstanding the deep-sea pressure through his physical body alone—without a doubt, this person could use his abilities within the Jinfa Jiejie!

"Friend, I don't think I've ever offended you, right?"

Seeing the other remain silent, Xiao Nin narrowed his eyes slightly. Knowing his own poor condition, which the other likely realized, he showed weakness: "We live by our own codes. Let's leave some room for the future. Our paths haven't crossed before, so if you let me go today, I'll repay you someday!"

"Hehe..."

The man with the Yuhai Shenji and golden beast mask chuckled lowly, his faintly glowing eyes fixed on Xiao Nin as he tilted his head and asked, "And how exactly would you repay me?"

"With my life!" Xiao Nin heard the hint of mercy in the other's tone and replied without hesitation, "If you spare me today, it's like saving my life... And for a life debt, I'd repay with my life!"

"But you're in a helpless state, and I'm just letting you go. How is that saving your life?"

The man with the golden beast mask smiled and continued, "What if you get out and don't remember my kindness? What if you turn around and call it 'exploiting a favor' and come after me? Wouldn't I end up losing out?"

"Impossible!" Xiao Nin shook his head firmly and said:

"Friend, to be honest, I'm a gold medal Hunter Order assassin from San Zhu Xiang. I'm here just for a minor Shengnu named Xu Xiaoshou.

"We don't know each other, and there's no old grudge. If I survive, with my status, I can bring you significant benefits in the future. You...

"Think it over!"

Xiao Nin suddenly realized his words might be wearing thin, so he stopped there.

In truth, I'm Xu Xiaoshou, and I've thought this through more than three times already... Xu Xiaoshou chuckled to himself.

By mimicking with the Imitator to take on Shui Gui's form, the Yuhai Shenji was just a basic manifestation of water-based abilities, without the true power of the ten aberrant weapons.

But none of that mattered!

What was crucial was that after mimicking Shui Gui, even if he couldn't fully grasp water attribute profound meaning yet, Xu Xiaoshou had quickly sensed and dispelled the water ball's restrictions.

Freed from the water ball's constraints, striding through the deep sea like this iconic figure—wielding a halberd and acting freely—would intimidate everyone into submission.

Besides, with everyone suppressed by the Jinfa Jiejie, no one would even think to resist.

Look at this!

The information panel so far only showed messages like "feared" or "begged," with nothing about "doubted" or "suspected"...

This meant the killer Xiao Nin had no doubts about his identity at all!

"And if I said I must take your life?" Xu Xiaoshou "heh"ed, swinging the false Yuhai Shenji, his confident aura amplified under the effect of "Qi Swallowing Mountains and Rivers."

"There's no need for that!" Xiao Nin's face turned pale with fright as he quickly shook his head and retreated, though there was nowhere to go.

One hand pressed against the water ball's wall behind him, the other held up in front of his chest in full defense, he urged desperately, "If I live, I can bring you even more help..."

"Stop!"

Xu Xiaoshou impatiently thrust the Yuhai Shenji forward, interrupting him: "Three choices!"

Xiao Nin's face froze.

But since there were three options, he sensed a chance to survive and hurriedly bowed: "Please, friend, go ahead."

Xu Xiaoshou said calmly: "One, I take your life."

"I pass on that option!" Xiao Nin shook his head without a second thought and asked, following the other's peculiar style, "What's the second?"

"Two, I never kill the defenseless. You can use all your means to send a distress signal outside, even expose my identity. If you get help... then I'll kill you all together."

Xiao Nin was stunned.

What kind of choice was this?

It still led to death?

Regardless of the outcome, he probed, "May I ask, friend, what is your identity?"

"Heh!"

Xu Xiaoshou laughed mockingly: "You're on the brink of death and still don't know who I am? How absurd!"

He slanted the Yuhai Shenji downward, rippling the water, then puffed out his chest, unleashing a aura that seemed to swallow rivers and seas in the deep sea.

Only after that did Xu Xiaoshou look down with a commanding gaze and say coldly:

"Yan Wang, Shui Gui!"