Chapter 997: The 'Correct' Way to Open the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale

"Take out the thing I gave you."

Just as he was deep in thought, Shui Gui didn't produce anything. Instead, he spread his hands, looking as if he were demanding money.

"You never gave me anything..." Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

Wasn't it agreed that he'd give me a protective treasure? How come he's asking me for something now?

Besides, when did you ever give me anything?

"Sheng Di Long Lin," Shui Gui explained calmly.

"Ah, that..." Xu Xiaoshou raised his eyebrows, suddenly realizing. When he had gone into the water, Shui Gui had indeed stuffed the Sheng Di Long Lin into his mouth.

But in Shui Gui's hands, it could locate his position even under "Xiao Shi Shu".

Once it was in his possession, however, he didn't know how to use it and had just put it away.

Without thinking much, Xu Xiaoshou pulled out the Sheng Di Long Lin and asked, "How do I use it?"

He wasn't worried about Shui Gui taking it back, as it seemed the other was planning to teach him how to use it.

Shui Gui took the black dragon scale, tossed it lightly into the air, and said:

"This is the Sheng Di Long Lin from the Mo Di Black Dragon, and it has many powerful effects."

"I placed it on you earlier for protection, infusing it with guiding force to avoid danger, so you wouldn't encounter unbeatable enemies underwater."

"For example, it could make you ignore the forbidden seal barriers of ancient sword cultivators like Rao Yao Yao, or other enemies who could instantly kill you."

Xu Xiaoshou was startled, finally understanding why he hadn't found any enemies after searching underwater for so long.

So, the Sheng Di Long Lin must have sensed that finding Rao Yao Yao, Ye Xiaotian, or others could bring great danger, and thus it had kept their paths completely separate?

"Guiding force..."

Xu Xiaoshou murmured, then curiously asked, "So, how can I use it myself?"

"It's simple. Just drop a drop of your blood on it, and then strongly focus your thoughts to make it your 'guidance'. Of course, if you don't trust that, you can speak to it directly."

Shui Gui smiled, his fingers deftly twirling the dragon scale.

Before long, he extracted a drop of blood from it and handed the dragon scale back to Xu Xiaoshou.

"This..."

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded.

The method was way too straightforward!

So straightforward that he had actually thought of it before, but figured it couldn't be that easy, so he had put it aside...

Shui Gui seemed to read Xu Xiaoshou's expression and smiled again as he said:

"It's easy to say, but hard to do."

"Before this, the Sheng Di Long Lin still had my blood in it, so it only followed my 'guidance'."

"Of course, now that I've extracted the blood from it, you just need to add your own, and you can use it easily."

Xu Xiaoshou nodded dumbly, thinking to himself, If I'd known this earlier, I could have just operated in my Yuan Fu to remove your blood from it.

Then, who knows what kind of priceless expression Shui Gui would have had when he suddenly couldn't sense the Sheng Di Long Lin anymore?

"Chh!"

Without overthinking, he flicked his fingertip.

Before the wound could heal, Xu Xiaoshou quickly squeezed out a drop of his own blood and dripped it onto the Sheng Di Long Lin.

"Thump thump!"

"Thump thump!"

A heavy heartbeat echoed from within the dragon scale.

Xu Xiaoshou felt a strange connection form between himself and this black scale.

"Amazing..."

He looked up at Shui Gui, who was staring at the dragon scale with a mix of reluctance and feigned nonchalance, though his lips still held that sly smile...

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated for a moment, then began silently chanting in his mind:

"Drop the halberd, drop the halberd, drop the halberd..."

The Sheng Di Long Lin showed no reaction.

Shui Gui finally pulled his lingering gaze away from it and looked toward the distant lightning tribulation, strolling underwater with his hands behind his back as he said:

"I've removed the other negative abilities from this dragon scale, so now it's just a simple treasure."

"This was originally given to me by Ba Zun An for setting up plans."

"The reason you came to Gu Yin Ya, and why Rao Yao Yao, Ye Xiaotian, Yan Wang Huang Quan, and others came here—it's all because of this Sheng Di Long Lin's guidance."

"Now that I'm giving it to you, it's a small compensation for your involvement in the Half-Saint affairs as a minor master. I hope you use it well to avoid the risks of being hunted by Half-Saints..."

"Um? Do I have something on my face? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Shui Gui paused, clearly noticing Xu Xiaoshou's intense gaze.

"Ah... no, I'm just listening carefully." Xu Xiaoshou sounded like a student caught daydreaming in the back row, feeling a bit guilty as he changed the subject: "You're really scheming, aren't you? It looks like you've been arranging everything in the shadows..."

Why isn't it working?

Maybe this guy left some backup, so the Sheng Di Long Lin doesn't work on him?

On the surface, he was just casually agreeing, but in his mind, Xu Xiaoshou was already plotting something else.

He saw that Shui Gui was walking away, still gripping the Yu Hai Shen Ji tightly without letting go, and immediately thought of something.

The top ten exotic weapons can transcend forbidden seal barriers, but if they were in the deep sea and the Yu Hai Shen Ji suddenly abandoned Shui Gui, would he be suppressed by the forbidden seal barrier?

"Because of some uncontrollable factors, the Yu Hai Shen Ji wants to be free again. It slightly breaks free from Shui Gui's control, causing his spiritual energy to suddenly go out of control, and then..."

"Drop the halberd, drop the halberd, drop the halberd..."

Shui Gui suddenly snorted coldly, as if he'd caught on to Xu Xiaoshou's little schemes, and said sternly:

"Don't think about things you shouldn't!"

"The Sheng Di Long Lin's guiding force only makes events more coincidental; it won't arbitrarily twist someone's will."

"Besides, Half-Saints have reached the saintly realm, so they're very sensitive to coincidences."

"So, if you use this Sheng Di Long Lin, you can only use it to avoid risks, but don't even think about guiding a Half-Saint to do something against their own will—otherwise, you'll end up dead!"

"Oh, oh, I see." Xu Xiaoshou nodded seriously, but his eyes were still fixed on the hand gripping the halberd.

Was that just trying to force a twist of will?

Yeah, that does seem a bit unscientific.

"Then... how about scratching an itch!"

"Scratching is just human nature—who doesn't feel like itching now and then?"

"But this time, Shui Gui scratches with his halberd-holding hand, and just as he lets go of the Yu Hai Shen Ji, it wants to be free... That's totally normal; even my Zang Ku acts up sometimes."

So, "Drop the halberd, drop the halberd, drop the halberd..."

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou casually asked, as if nothing was amiss: "What about for those below Half-Saints? Can the Sheng Di Long Lin force a twist of will?"

Shui Gui didn't suspect anything, stopped in his tracks, twisted his neck from side to side, and chuckled:

"There's a chance it could work, but it's tough."

"Though with your cunning nature, I figure you won't set up any conflicts."

"You'll make everything happen naturally, right? I have that much faith in you..."

As Shui Gui spoke, he suddenly let go of the Yu Hai Shen Ji and scratched the back of his neck with his right hand. The moment the halberd left his grip, it twisted and writhed like it had regained freedom, resembling a wriggling version of Zang Ku.

Something terrifying happened!

The deep sea suddenly hummed, and a burst of dazzling light erupted.

The forbidden seal barrier was triggered in an instant. Shui Gui's pupils shrank as he realized what was going on.

"Xu Xiao—"

The next second, before he could finish, he was choked by the fierce undersea currents, stumbled, and plummeted downward, desperately trying to grab the Yu Hai Shen Ji but failing.

"Awesome!"

Xu Xiaoshou clapped his hands at the sight, so excited he almost jumped, while silently chanting in his mind:

"Can't grab it, can't grab it, can't grab it..."

But then, the Yu Hai Shen Ji seemed to sense its master's plight and zipped back into his hand.

Xu Xiaoshou's face changed.

Does that count as twisting will?

Shui Gui, now furious, gripped the Yu Hai Shen Ji, flipped his body upright in a flash, and glared over with eyes wide in rage.

He looked like an enraged war god, his hair standing on end as he swung the halberd and growled:

"Xu Xiaoshou, are you tired of living? How dare you make a move against me?!"

Xu Xiaoshou retreated at top speed, yelling as he went:

"Spare me, senior! What did I even do to make you this angry? It's not my fault—you suddenly acting weird is on you!"

Me acting weird?

The Yu Hai Shen Ji suddenly abandoned me, the forbidden seal barrier got triggered, and I'm in my own domain... getting choked by water!

Any one of these could be a coincidence, but all at once? Only a fool would believe it's a coincidence!

You just got the Sheng Di Long Lin from me, and I only just explained how to use it, and you've already come up with a new way to use it?

Impressive, Xu Xiaoshou!

The more Shui Gui thought about it, the angrier he got. He hefted the Yu Hai Shen Ji and kicked off to chase him down.

"Don't come any closer, senior! You absolutely mustn't move, or you'll regret it..." Xu Xiaoshou bolted while howling.

"Even if Ba Zun An showed up today, he couldn't save you!" Shui Gui roared, charging forward with the Yu Hai Shen Ji.

But as soon as he took a step, it felt like something tripped his feet, and a ripping sound came from below.

Shui Gui stumbled again, not falling but stopping in his tracks.

"What was that sound?"

In disbelief, he looked down.

To his shock, he saw that his belt had come undone at some point.

His robe spread open due to the water flow, and his pants, now free of restraint, had slid down to his ankles. The ripping noise was from taking too big a step and tearing the pants that were in the way.

But that wasn't the main issue.

The real problem was that he hadn't even noticed his pants falling and getting torn!

And worse still... with his pants down, his underwear was fully exposed to prying eyes!

Even in the dim deep sea, where details were hard to make out, what kind of person was Xu Xiaoshou? This guy had eyes like a thief's—how could he not see?

"Xu. Xiao. Shou!" Shui Gui growled through gritted teeth, his voice seething with rage.

Yet, despite the uncontrollable urge to kill, he had no choice but to bend down, pull up his damaged pants, and tie his belt.

Only after finishing that could he pick up the Yu Hai Shen Ji and set off again.

The delay... was way too long!

Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoshou had stopped not far away when Shui Gui first stepped forward. He watched the whole scene unfold with wide eyes, then covered his mouth, hunched over, and snickered: "Heh heh heh..."

"Pink and purple stripes...

"Shui Gui, you're quite the flirt."

That sarcastic remark completely ignited the endless fury in Shui Gui's heart.

"Xu Xiaoshou! Even the heavens couldn't stop me from killing you today! Die!"

The deep sea exploded with a boom, Shui Gui's face flushed red as blood. He charged at Xu Xiaoshou with the Yu Hai Shen Ji, moving so fast it was almost like teleporting.

"Xiao Shi Shu."

The halberd struck empty air, leaving him with the frustrating feeling of punching cotton.

And with his current near-maniacal state, missing that strike made him so angry he nearly coughed up blood.

"Xu Xiaoshou, get out here!"

No response, as the person had vanished.

"Xu Xiaoshou, come out! We can keep talking about our cooperation. What happened earlier... let's just forget it. I won't hold it against you." Shui Gui's tone suddenly softened, though the veins bulging on his hand gripping the halberd betrayed his anger.

Still no response from the depths of the sea.

Shui Gui pressed a hand to his chest, took a deep, ceremonial breath to suppress all his abnormalities, and regained a calm exterior with no sign of rage.

"Xu Xiaoshou, I admit I was wrong to force you into the water."

"How about this? We're even from that point on. Come out now and continue our cooperation talk—I won't bring up the past anymore, okay?"

From the space above, a head suddenly popped out—Xu Xiaoshou's—and innocently asked: "Is that for real?"

Bang!

Without even turning, Shui Gui pointed back, and a water spear turned into a beam of light, piercing straight through that head.

"Dammit!"

In his vanished state, Xu Xiaoshou cursed angrily.

He's actually attacking?

Good thing he'd already given the Sheng Di Long Lin a "avoid danger" intent.

And good thing that when he poked his head out, the info panel popped up with a "under attack" warning.

Otherwise, that could have blown his head off!

"I'm not coming out, I'm not coming out..."

"I've vented enough. Since I didn't hit you this time, consider it your good luck. I'll let it go—come out now, and I promise not to make a move." Shui Gui suddenly laughed again, speaking gently like a kind teacher.

You backstabbing jerk—who'd believe you?

Xu Xiaoshou didn't buy it at all and stayed hidden like a turtle in its shell.

Shui Gui's face twisted into something hideous as he roared: "Xu Xiaoshou! Do you really think I can't touch you just because you're vanished? Do you think I only have one Sheng Di Long Lin?"

The deep sea remained silent, leaving only his futile rage.

Shui Gui calmed down again, a bit sheepishly: "You guessed right—I really only have one Sheng Di Long Lin. If you want to hide, I can't do anything about it, but..."

He paused, as if talking to himself, with a hint of regret:

"What about our cooperation? I just gave you the Sheng Di Long Lin, and you're treating me like this—it's breaking my heart."

"And your little girlfriend— the Jiang clan Half-Saint is going after her. If you don't come out, I really won't interfere."

Heh...

Xu Xiaoshou stayed hidden, responding only with a cold laugh.

That Sheng Di Long Lin was already given to me as compensation for kicking me into the water—now you're bringing it up again? As if I'd be swayed by that.

But the Jiang clan Half-Saint is still a problem...

Xu Xiaoshou thought it over but didn't dispel his vanished state.

Instead, he drew a portrait clone of himself from his Yuan Fu world, tossed it behind Shui Gui, and remotely controlled it to say: "Senior, you said..."

Bang!

Without looking back, Shui Gui fired a finger gun water bullet that precisely pierced the portrait clone Xu Xiaoshou's throat.

In the deep sea, the clone's body dissolved into spiritual energy and vanished.

Xu Xiaoshou watched, his scalp tingling.

"You absolute scum! You really want to kill me!"

"Only you can set fires, huh? Can't I light a lamp? Can't take a joke, can you?!"