Chapter 998: Worldly Wisdom

“Come out.”

“I won’t!”

“You’d better come out soon.”

“That’s impossible!”

“Third time’s the charm. Since I’ve already made my move and haven’t killed you after all this, I won’t dwell on what happened before. Come out, and let’s talk about serious matters.”

“If you’ve got something to say, we can chat like this. You visible, me hidden—it’s a pretty good setup, in my opinion.”

In the depths of the sea, Shui Gui and the vanished Xu Xiaoshou were at a standoff for a long time. Eventually, Shui Gui gave up on the idea of forcing him out and killing him.

First off, killing him for real wasn’t an option; at most, he could capture him and beat him up to vent some frustration.

The real issue was that he’d have to rely on this guy later. Dragging him into the Sheng Bureau out of nowhere was bound to make Xu Xiaoshou angry, and Shui Gui understood that.

It was just that seeing the Shengdi Longlin end up in this guy’s hands and being messed with like this…

Shui Gui never could have imagined it!

He was already regretting giving away the Shengdi Longlin, as he could foresee the massive trouble that Xu Xiaoshou plus the Shengdi Longlin would cause.

Finally, after a moment, Shui Gui let go of his struggles and got down to business:

“One day from now, disguise yourself as Yan Wang and wander around in these deep sea depths.

“Remember, the Shengdi Longlin, imbued with the intent of ‘evading danger,’ will produce a terrifying heartbeat if you’re about to face a great terror.

“Don’t let the Shengdi Longlin affect you, and as soon as its heartbeat starts, flee immediately.

“Don’t get cocky and think the danger might not come from a Bansheng; and don’t try to fight back—the power of a Bansheng is beyond your current level to resist.”

“If things get really bad, head to the bottom of the deep sea, push open that door, and go inside.”

Shui Gui spoke with a calm expression, as if he’d completely forgotten about their earlier unpleasantness.

Xu Xiaoshou listened with a growing sense of unease, hesitating for a long time before manifesting his voice from a distance: “You’re not planning to use the Bansheng to kill me, are you?”

In an instant, Shui Gui whipped around, locking onto the source of the voice.

But Xu Xiaoshou had already changed positions after speaking and vanished again.

Shui Gui didn’t lash out to hurt him. Instead, he scoffed, “Don’t measure the heart of a gentleman with your petty suspicions. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t need anyone else’s help!”

Still calling yourself a gentleman?

You sound like a total fool right now!

Xu Xiaoshou grumbled inwardly, shifting positions several times before asking from beyond the veil, “What’s that door for? There’s some guiding force there, but I think it’s a trap—I don’t want to go in.”

“It’s your opportunity!” Shui Gui said indifferently. “I used the spiritual energy of hundreds of Wangzuo and the power of the Zhudao Nine Deaths Lei Jie to open that door. It’s all to create a chance for you youngsters who haven’t fully grown yet. It’s laughable that you’re not rushing to take it.”

“Speak plainly.” Xu Xiaoshou rolled his eyes.

“Hmph.” Shui Gui snorted coldly, not taking offense. “Any opportunity comes with nine deaths and one life. Whether you survive depends on your own abilities. Besides, it’s the same for everyone else. If you don’t go through that door, plenty of others will want to.”

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily speechless.

That actually makes sense?

He wanted Shui Gui to elaborate on the dangers behind the ancient door.

But given the current situation, if Shui Gui didn’t volunteer the information, Xu Xiaoshou didn’t have the face to keep asking.

—It’d definitely lead nowhere!

After a pause, Shui Gui continued:

“Once you turn into Huangquan, don’t deliberately use space-time attributes, but let a bit of your attribute’s uniqueness slip out occasionally to attract the Jiangshi Bansheng.

“Also, you have to bring out the Lei Jia Tong. Didn’t you take that little girlfriend? Let her out—Jiangshi Bansheng should be able to sense the power of the Lei Jia Tong.

“With that as bait, he’ll probably come down here.”

You want to drag two people into this?

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

He was good at escaping, but Lei Xi’er might not evade the Jiangshi Bansheng’s pursuit. What if something went wrong after letting her out?

“I’ll try…” Xu Xiaoshou gave a vague response without committing.

Shui Gui knew what he was thinking and said irritably, “I just need you to lure the Jiangshi Bansheng into the water. There’s a forbidden array in the deep sea—even a Bansheng can’t escape it. As long as he comes down, I have a hundred ways to deal with him.”

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated before asking, “Are you sure the Jiangshi Bansheng doesn’t have one of the Ten Great Exotic Weapons?”

That stumped Shui Gui.

He was silent for a long while before replying, “It doesn’t matter. In one day, the Xu Kong Men will have absorbed enough power. If he dares come down, I can force him in and give him an opportunity!”

Xu Xiaoshou felt his head throbbing.

He was starting to wonder if, in Shui Gui’s mind, “opportunity” and “danger” were basically the same thing.

From the sound of it, behind that ancient door, it wasn’t nine deaths and one life—it was more like ten deaths and no survival.

“Xu Kong Men…”

Mulling over the information Shui Gui had let slip, Xu Xiaoshou probed, “Who came up with the name ‘Xu Kong Men’? It’s pretty clever—sounds a lot like ‘Xu Kong Dao’.”

Shui Gui huffed heavily, no longer hiding it. “The other side of the ‘Xu Kong Men’ is the ‘Xu Kong Dao’!”

Even though he’d suspected as much, Xu Xiaoshou still sucked in a sharp breath.

The Xu Kong Men beneath the deep sea led to the Xu Kong Dao floating above Dongtian Wangcheng?

That was a lot to process…

Because of this, it seemed Shui Gui’s plan at Gu Yin Ya to pull everyone into the water was aiming for something huge!

The Seven Jianxian, the Six Bu Shouzu, the Sheng Gong authority, Yan Wang, Jiangshi Bansheng…

Was he planning to net them all in one go?

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

Dealing with top players like Shui Gui and Ba Zun An, it was hard to guess their intentions unless you talked to them face-to-face!

To dare trap so many strong figures in the deep sea without fear of backlash—that kind of audacity was only possible for the Sheng Nu.

The battle at Yunlun Mountains had just ended, and Xu Xiaoshou thought the Sheng Nu would take a break. But instead, one event after another kept coming, leaving no time to catch his breath.

Now, thinking back…

The commotion he’d caused at the First Tower of the Heavens was indeed too small.

Compared to the Sheng Nu’s higher-ups, the actions and styles of Yan Wang and the other dark forces were like a joke.

When it came to real schemes, you had to look at the Sheng Nu’s leadership!

“I get the plan roughly. I’ll play it by ear. Do you have any protective treasures for me?” Xu Xiaoshou asked from afar.

“None!” Shui Gui was amused by the audacity. “How dare you ask me for things? I already gave you the Shengdi Longlin!”

As they say, shamelessness knows no bounds.

But on matters of his own safety, Xu Xiaoshou didn’t hold back and said right out:

“Senior, with your gentlemanly heart, you wouldn’t still be hung up on those minor issues from before, right?

“This is a Du Sheng Bureau, and it could turn into a Tu Sheng Bureau if we’re not careful. Is it wrong for me to ask for a lifesaving tool? I’m only at Zongshi level!

“Besides, if I have a way to protect myself, my little… uh, my junior sister is from the Lei family bloodline!

“What if something happens to her? At least give her something on the level of Shengdi Longlin as a protective charm, okay?

“Pausing for a moment, Xu Xiaoshou thought of more: “And as a Sheng Nu senior, giving my junior sister a meeting gift wouldn’t be out of place, right? She’s Sheng Nu Wuxiu’s second disciple, after all. Have you forgotten those chess games?”

Shui Gui: “…”

How does this kid have such a silver tongue?

For a moment, Shui Gui seemed swayed and fell silent. After a long while, he spoke.

“What you say does make some sense…”

Is there a chance?

Xu Xiaoshou had just been testing the waters, but he hadn’t expected Shui Gui to actually consider it.

He immediately shut up, knowing that talking too much could ruin it.

Just leave it at that.

Now, wait for the senior to give the gift.

Shui Gui chuckled softly to himself, then flipped his hand and pulled out a jade pendant, holding it in his palm.

“I don’t have another Shengdi Longlin, or you wouldn’t have lasted this long.

“I don’t carry ordinary items, and the rest are too valuable. As the saying goes, a treasure can bring disaster, so I won’t give her anything that might attract trouble.”

“This jade pendant is for your little girlfriend. Use it as a protective charm—it can save her life against anyone below Bansheng level. Against a Bansheng, well, it’s up to fate.”

Tsk tsk… Xu Xiaoshou was impressed. He’d never heard of rejecting a gift because it was too valuable, but it actually made sense.

A protective charm that can withstand a Bansheng’s strike?

Not bad.

He’d take it for his junior sister—it might come in handy someday.

As for whether Shui Gui might use this jade pendant to track him for revenge, Xu Xiaoshou had considered it.

But he figured even Shui Gui wouldn’t stoop that low.

Besides, Shui Gui had a high status—getting pulled down a bit by dealing with him didn’t change that. He probably wouldn’t bother with such petty tricks.

“Toss it over from farther away.” Xu Xiaoshou signaled from a distance.

Shui Gui’s lips curled up. “What, now you’re afraid of me? You won’t even come get it yourself? Is your relationship with your little girlfriend really that distant?”

“Junior sister!” Xu Xiaoshou snapped irritably, thinking, So you’ve learned to use reverse psychology.

But if he went over personally to get the treasure…

Would he die?

Xu Xiaoshou seriously doubted Shui Gui might use this as an excuse for revenge. He summoned another portrait clone, manifesting it and sending it into the deep sea.

“Bang!”

Without even looking up, Shui Gui pointed, ending the clone’s life, and said with a smile, “That’s disrespectful. A senior is giving you something, and you send a fake to handle it? Do you still want that protective charm for your little girlfriend?”

Damn it… Xu Xiaoshou was fuming, but eyeing the charm, he couldn’t just walk away.

At a critical moment, this could save his junior sister’s life—how could he not take it?

Fine!

Let him get his revenge if he wants!

Gritting his teeth, Xu Xiaoshou ended his vanished state.

With a boom, in the deep sea, Shui Gui saw a brilliant golden light appear in the distance, followed by a massive golden giant descending.

The giant was enveloped in a violent sword domain of endless cutting force, with a ferocious Taotie beast head on its back, constantly devouring the surrounding water.

In its left hand, it gripped four ominous swords, and in its right, the famous sword Yanmang was embedded, as it lumbered forward with heavy steps.

“Is this necessary…?”

Shui Gui was stunned.

How scared of death do you have to be to go this far? Just for a protective charm, you turn into this monstrosity and come fully armed?

And honestly, all that armor won’t help—if I really wanted to strike, could you escape in the deep sea?

Shui Gui stared speechlessly as the golden giant approached, its overwhelming presence not fazing him at all.

“Hurry up.” Shui Gui grew impatient.

“Oh, oh.” The violent giant nodded quickly, hefting its transformed great swords and scurrying over.

“Pfft!”

The scene was so ridiculous that Shui Gui burst out laughing.

He raised his hand high, holding the jade pendant up for the giant to take.

As the violent giant got closer, it stopped and said in a muffled voice, “I can’t retract my ‘Zhi Jie Force Field’—it might hurt you…”

“Cut the nonsense. Your little tricks can’t kill me.” Shui Gui sneered.

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t dare dismiss the Zhi Jie Force Field, so he stepped forward anyway.

“Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…”

Within the force field, endless sword energy slashed at Shui Gui’s body.

But he remained unfazed, absorbing the attacks like the sea swallowing rivers, without a drop of blood shed.

His body was like the jade pendant in his hand…

Through his “perception,” Xu Xiaoshou saw that no matter how dense the cutting force was, Shui Gui always found gaps, subtly disintegrating or shifting to avoid the hits.

Essentially, the force field was attacking wildly, but not landing a single blow!

“This reaction speed is terrifying…”

Xu Xiaoshou was horrified.

Shui Gui’s combat awareness was on another level!

Was this the true strength of a peak Taixu, master of water attributes?

No…

This was just the tip of the iceberg!

“What are you dawdling for? Take it!” Shui Gui even managed to nod toward the pendant amid the force field, his body constantly splitting to avoid harm.

“Huff…”

Xu Xiaoshou exhaled heavily, stowed Yanmang in his Yuanfu, and freed his left hand to grab the small jade pendant.

Just then, a strange sound came from behind.

Through his “perception,” Xu Xiaoshou saw another Shui Gui clone appear behind him.

This new clone held the Yu Hai Shen Ji, its face fierce as it raised the weapon high and smashed it down, aiming straight for the violent giant’s backside!

“Ambushed, passive points: 1.”

The info bar popped up.

“Thump, thump…”

The Shengdi Longlin added a faint heartbeat.

But Xu Xiaoshou didn’t vanish immediately after grabbing the pendant. Instead, he yelped and tried to cover his backside.

“You’re sneaking an attack?!”

With a bang, before his hand could reach, the Yu Hai Shen Ji struck.

The intense pain made the violent giant disintegrate on the spot. Xu Xiaoshou reverted to his original form and was sent flying like a cannonball, a bloody trail left in the deep sea from his backside.

“It hurts so much! This is killing me, I’m so scared…”

Shui Gui was shaking his slightly numb arm from the impact, savoring the satisfaction of the hit, when he heard that cry. Black lines appeared on his face.

“Get lost!” He glared at the young man, who was still clutching his backside—though the wound had already healed.

“You got it, thanks for the protective charm, senior! My junior sister will love it!” Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, then quickly slipped away.