Chapter 992: You Became a Ghost Beast Host?

The auras of the two layers of Jie Nan forces were one heavy and one light.

It seemed that the one where the Jie Nan force was nearly dissipating completely likely meant that a Du Jie Zhe couldn't withstand it and had died.

Crossing the tribulation together—you go first, and I'll follow soon after?

“This is indeed an incredibly deep bond, but isn't crossing the tribulation together means each person has to endure an extra share of pain?”

Without overthinking, Xu Xiaoshou shouldered the thunder tribulation and searched for people. Once he locked onto the location where the heavenly thunder struck, he teleported again, arriving near the Du Jie Zhe.

What he saw this time was finally a Du Jie Zhe with an intact body!

Strangely, this Du Jie Zhe was covered in charred black feathers like a robe, and under the thunder tribulation, it was the first time Xu Xiaoshou had seen someone protect their clothing so well.

It appeared as if there was a protective Ling Qi on his back, with an extra pair of mismatched wings, though they were broken stubs now, only the roots remaining, dim and lifeless—they had probably been shattered by the thunder tribulation, losing all their spiritual essence.

The Du Jie Zhe was hunched over, back turned to Xu Xiaoshou, hands hidden in front of his chest and head bowed, likely taking Dan Yao to restore his Ling Yuan.

Because of the thick black mist enveloping his entire body, even with his "perception," Xu Xiaoshou couldn't clearly see what kind of medicine the Du Jie Zhe was taking.

“Shou Ye?”

Following convention, Xu Xiaoshou called out symbolically.

There was no response from the other side; he was still focused on taking his medicine.

Xu Xiaoshou furrowed his brow and, from the black mist surrounding the other person, caught a whiff of a familiar scent.

“Gui... Qi?”

His heart skipped a beat.

A Gui Shou at the Zhan Dao level, also crossing the tribulation?

Immediately, Xu Xiaoshou abandoned the idea of getting closer and offering a breath of life spiritual energy to help, because the other clearly didn't need it.

Besides, Gui Shou had a notorious reputation—not all Gui Shou were like Xin Gugu, simple-minded with brute strength.

On the contrary, nine out of ten Gui Shou in this world harbored malice toward all things and held extreme, obsessive ideas on certain paths.

Even Wu Ji Laozu, when facing his mortal enemy Yi, knew it was futile but still sought immediate revenge without any thought of biding his time, like the saying "a gentleman avenges a wrong after ten years."

Lifting his foot, Xu Xiaoshou was about to teleport to the next direction to continue searching for Shou Ye.

But at that moment, the person on the other side, who was focused on taking medicine, suddenly trembled all over, as if sensing something, and slowly turned his head with a creaking motion.

“Boom!”

The buffering time for the Nine Deaths Thunder Tribulation had passed, and without warning, lightning struck again, splitting into two bolts—one heading for the Du Jie Zhe and the other for Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou, who was halfway through turning, had to forcibly stop and resist the thunder tribulation.

In the depths of the sea, as long as he didn't encounter top powerhouses like Rao Yaoyao, he wasn't afraid of exposing his identity.

Without hesitation, he summoned the "Violent Giant" again, along with the "Four Swords," the "Flame Serpent," and a host of passive skills and awakening skills to resist.

“Bang!”

“Puff...”

Normally, this thunder tribulation, after having most of its power stolen by the forbidden array barrier, shouldn't cause severe damage to his multiple layers of defense.

But this time, as the lightning pierced through him, Xu Xiaoshou was blasted into vomiting blood, his flesh mangled.

He was stunned.

The quality of this thunder tribulation was completely off!

Even with the forbidden array barrier and the power-stealing effect of the deep sea, this single bolt could still cause such damage.

One could imagine how profound the foundations of the Du Jie Zhe nearby must be!

This was no ordinary figure he had encountered before—at the very least, it was a well-known character in the Zhan Dao realm!

“Of course, he's a Gui Shou host—how could he be unknown?”

Xu Xiaoshou shuddered in fright, feeling the rapid restoration from his various passive skills, which allowed him to regain control of his body from the paralyzing state under the thunder tribulation.

His first thought was to “run”!

Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing was the best.

Staying here might even invite an attack from that Gui Shou host Du Jie Zhe!

He was about to step into “One Step to Heaven,” but in that flash of lightning, many thoughts raced through his mind. With his “perception” always active, once his consciousness recovered and saw the true face of the Du Jie Zhe after the Gui Qi was scattered by the thunder tribulation...

Xu Xiaoshou froze as if someone had hit the pause button, his whole body stiffening, his brain struck like lightning, and even after his body was restored, obvious goosebumps rose on his skin.

“You... you're...”

Under the thunder tribulation, the Gui Qi had dispersed.

The face of that Du Jie Zhe in the feathered robe had smooth, tender skin. There were bits of flesh and blood at the corner of his lips, and remnants of char from the thunder tribulation on his face.

As he gently wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand...

The black grime was gone.

The flesh and blood was licked clean.

The skin revealed on his face was even more tender than Xu Xiaoshou's own.

This was clearly the kind of perfect skin that could only result from flesh regeneration, just like “Everlasting Vitality”!

But this Du Jie Zhe was in the midst of tribulation!

He didn't have “Everlasting Vitality,” and any high-grade Dan Yao should have run out long ago, right?

By this point in the tribulation, there must have been dozens or even a hundred bolts of lightning, at least!

In the deep sea forbidden array barrier, how could there be such a Lian Ling Shi who, after enduring such torment, still had such perfectly smooth skin?

He should be in the same state as the other Du Jie Zhe—limbs severed, flesh mangled!

“You...”

The more Xu Xiaoshou looked at that face, the more his pupils trembled violently.

Because even though the skin on the other's face had changed, the basic structure hadn't.

The eyes, filled with world-weariness, ferocity, despair, loathing... and now, upon seeing him, a slight hint of surprise, panic...

It hadn't changed at all!

“Shou... Shou Ye?” Xu Xiaoshou's Adam's apple bobbed as he tremblingly asked.

He didn't care about the response; the moment the question left his lips, he had already gotten his answer.

This person was Shou Ye!

His intuition was absolutely correct!

“Boom!”

In the dark depths of the sea, another thunder tribulation exploded.

As it struck Xu Xiaoshou, scorching his head and feet and tearing his flesh, the lightning also illuminated the face and demeanor of the Du Jie Zhe opposite him once more.

Casually waving it off.

With the composure of strolling through a courtyard amid the thunder tribulation.

“...Xu Xiaoshou?”

That Du Jie Zhe, whose eyes held the world-weariness of a fifty-year-old yet were matched with the smooth skin of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl, seemed to confirm what he was seeing only after two thunder tribulations.

At the same time, his eyes instantly lost all color, leaving only endless panic.

Like a child who had done something wrong and was caught by someone he trusted most, trying to cover it up but only making it worse.

Wiping his mouth, rubbing his face, fiddling with his feathered robe, hiding his hands...

Then suddenly extending his hands, turning fully to face Xu Xiaoshou, spreading his body wide in a big motion to cover his broken wings behind him...

All of it declared that he was utterly flustered, at a loss for what to do.

“Xu Xiaoshou?!

“You... how are you here?”

Shou Ye trembled all over, asking in disbelief.

Hearing that familiar voice, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened again, nearly splitting.

Only then, through his “perception,” did he notice the details he had overlooked before.

The charred black feathers on Shou Ye weren't clothes he had deliberately protected—they were growing from his body!

Likewise, the broken wings on his back weren't some special protective Ling Qi—they were part of his body!

Xu Xiaoshou thought of Xin Gugu.

After Xin Gugu transformed, he wasn't human anymore but took the form of a blood-soaked minotaur.

But how could Shou Ye end up like this?

He was from Hong Yi!

“Boom!”

Another bolt of lightning descended.

Yet, the Nine Deaths Thunder Tribulation, weakened by the deep sea, could no longer inflict near-fatal harm to the Gui Shou host Shou Ye or to Xu Xiaoshou with his supreme defenses.

All it brought was pain.

And that pain confirmed that everything before him was no dream—it was reality!

“I...”

Xu Xiaoshou opened his mouth, only to find the questions bubbling up in his heart were too numerous, jumbled into a mess, leaving him unsure what to say first.

“I just... wanted to see if you were dead...”

Shou Ye heard this and smiled.

After a moment of silence, he had composed himself, his eyes returning to their usual calm and steady demeanor.

Soon, infinite Gui Qi emanated from him again, thick and dense, concealing all changes in his body.

“I'm sorry, I scared you.” Shou Ye hid within the endless black Gui Qi, revealing only his eyes, like a parasite of the night, his words now utterly calm.

“I wasn't sca—

“I just...

“I...”

Xu Xiaoshou blinked, his hands gripping his dual swords and waving them around aimlessly.

Now, he was the one at a loss.

Finally, after enduring another thunder tribulation, his thoughts realigned, and he regained his composure.

“I just wanted to check if you were still alive, because after I left, I realized the sea was too deep, and the Dan Yao I gave you probably wasn't enough to keep you going until...”

The word “now” didn't escape his lips, as Xu Xiaoshou's mind flashed back to the smooth skin he had just seen on Shou Ye's face.

His previous wounds were gone.

The excess flesh on his face had vanished.

The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and the age spots on his face were all erased.

In this perfect state, how could he possibly need help?

“Boom!”

Another thunder tribulation fell.

Shou Ye withstood it effortlessly, his eyes hidden in the Gui Qi now carrying a hint of amusement.

“I understand your good intentions, but as you can see, I no longer need anyone's help...

“And I won't rely on outside forces anymore!”

The hidden ferocity in that latter sentence made Xu Xiaoshou shudder.

Shou Ye was always a killer, with the blood of countless people on his hands. Every time he appeared, the bloody killing intent he exuded was among the thickest Xu Xiaoshou had ever encountered.

In the past, that killing intent was restrained, only leaking out inadvertently because it was so strong.

Now, Shou Ye wasn't holding back at all, letting his bloody killing intent spread wildly—it was even more chilling than the deep sea currents.

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know what to say and simply brought out everything he had prepared earlier.

“I was planning to give you some more Dan Yao after seeing you—you know, I have a lot of Dan Yao...” He pulled out his ring and took out many jars of honey from his spatial ring, indicating that they really contained something.

“And, I have a special ability—I can help shield you from the water pressure in the deep sea...” Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand, and the deep sea currents surged around him without touching his body at all.

“This is something I discovered later. I can use certain things to achieve this ability.

“It's not that I saw you back then and didn't help remove the water sphere's effect—I had just fallen into the deep sea myself and didn't understand much yet...”

Xu Xiaoshou explained frantically, then reached out and manifested a false Yu Hai Shen Ji, “And, I have even more secrets...”

He thought, secrets were probably meant to be exchanged, right?

“Xu Xiaoshou!” Shou Ye suddenly interrupted.

Xu Xiaoshou stopped all his actions and words.

“Boom!”

After another thunder tribulation, both used their full means—one unscathed, the other with mangled flesh—but they both survived.

“I suddenly miss the old Xu Xiaoshou...” Shou Ye's eyes, hidden in the Gui Qi, rolled with a touch of amusement. “Back then, he didn't beat around the bush or hide things; he wasn't so hypocritical.”

“Receiving praise, passive value +1.”

“Receiving disdain, passive value +1.”

“Huff.”

Xu Xiaoshou let out a deep breath, realizing he had indeed been too hypocritical.

Between him and Shou Ye, some things didn't need to be hidden, especially now that Shou Ye had become like this.

“I do have a lot of questions.” Xu Xiaoshou said.

“Speak freely.” Shou Ye's eyes smiled, glancing upward. “If you don't mind the pain the thunder tribulation might cause you.”

At this point, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't concerned about the thunder tribulation at all!

The weakened early stages of the Nine Deaths Thunder Tribulation couldn't kill anyone, but Shou Ye's changes had nearly scared him to death!

“You know, even if I'm not from Hong Yi, I've encountered a few Gui Shou...” Xu Xiaoshou subconsciously laid some groundwork.

“Say what you mean, and fart if you have to!” Shou Ye's eyes showed impatience.

“Fine!” Xu Xiaoshou nodded firmly, pointing at the surging black Qi opposite. “This—is it Gui Qi?”

“Yes.”

“You—became a Gui Shou host?”

“Yes.”

“Why! You're from Hong Yi, I I I... I can hardly believe what I'm seeing now. I don't mean any offense, but I still want to ask first... You, you won't kill me to keep this secret, will you?”

“...No.”

“Then back to the previous question, why?” Xu Xiaoshou's eyes were full of confusion.

Hong Yi's Shou Ye had become a Gui Shou host...

This was like a dream, utterly baffling!

Shou Ye's answer this time wasn't as smooth.

Xu Xiaoshou's final question went straight to the core, and he was pondering how to respond.

After a moment of silence, Shou Ye slowly said: “Perhaps it's because when I achieved Zhan Dao, I had already mastered the Tai Xu force...”