Chapter 1008: You Come to Push the Door

The Deep Sea.

Freed from the constant grind of work, Greedy was surprised to find himself underwater the moment he appeared.

"Meow?"

Curious, he tilted his head, asking, "Where is this place?"

"Underwater," Xu Xiaoshou replied casually, offering no further explanation. What could a little white cat understand about the deep sea or Solitary Sound Cliff? Any more words would be wasted!

Ignoring Greedy, Xu Xiaoshou immediately used his Imitator ability to shield himself and the little white cat from the deep-sea pressure. Then, with a transformation, he took on the appearance of King Yama Huangquan.

"Meow?"

Greedy watched excitedly. Another costume change! Who were they going to fight this time? The last time he was out, he saw his master fight someone he didn't know, then transform into that person. It seemed like it would be very interesting afterwards. Unfortunately, in the end, he was no longer involved and was locked back into the Elemental Mansion.

Greedy wanted to tell his master that he was very powerful now and didn't need to be thrown into the Elemental Mansion every time there was danger. Merely refining pills was a waste of his talents. Greedy also wanted to be a cat prodigy proficient in both combat and alchemy. He wanted to follow his master's path of knowing a little bit of everything; it looked very impressive.

"This time..." Meeting the little white cat's expectant gaze, Xu Xiaoshou stroked his fur and looked warily into the deep-sea distance. "This time, we're going for a big one. Let's see if we can lure a Half-Saint into the water and eliminate future troubles for good."

"Meow!"

"Oh yes, oh yes!"

Greedy had never fought a Half-Saint before, so he naturally didn't know their level. He immediately raised his tiny paws in agreement. Besides eating, he loved fighting the most. Unfortunately, at Xu Yue Gray Palace, no one allowed him to fight, fearing he might get even the slightest bit hurt. When he was with Caramel and Xing Gugu, he never experienced any hardship on the journey; if he was hungry, he just had to ask. But no matter what, Lord Greedy was still a carnivore. Yet, having lived for so long, besides vibrant spirit plants, treasures, and pills, he hadn't tasted even a speck of blood food. It was a complete waste of this cat's life.

Thinking of blood food, Greedy licked his paw and waved it excitedly at Xu Xiaoshou. "Meow! Meow! If I could get a little bit of that big dragon from the Elemental Mansion to eat, I'd become super, super powerful! Then, I could definitely help you eat that Half-Saint too!"

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless. Eat the Golden Dragon?

"You're still thinking about that dragon?"

"Meow! Meow!" Hearing him, Greedy immediately whined in distress. "Yes, yes! It's just a shame the mistress won't let me eat it, otherwise I'd be even more amazing now!"

"She's right not to let you eat it!" Xu Xiaoshou retorted grumpily. He still remembered Caramel's warning: Greedy must not touch blood food, or uncontrollable changes might occur. In this regard, he was very similar to A'Jie. When he first obtained A'Jie, Xu Xiaoshou also discovered that this little fellow, who only called out "Mama," would become terrifying if he encountered blood, beyond his normal combat abilities.

Thinking of A'Jie... Xu Xiaoshou then thought of the Dean. He wondered where the Dean was in the deep sea. A'Jie was still with him, so he probably hadn't had time to send him back to the Spirit Palace, right? The deep sea had a forbidden spell barrier; the Dean should be thoroughly suppressed. However, he specialized in spatial profoundness, and A'Jie's combat power didn't belong to the spiritual refining school, so perhaps they wouldn't be suppressed... Would there be a turning point? Surely the Dean hadn't been drained to death as well, had he?

Shaking his head, Xu Xiaoshou pushed away distracting thoughts. The Water Ghost certainly knew better than him who were allies and who were enemies. Therefore, the immediate priority was still to deal with the Half-Saint.

"Don't even think about the Golden Dragon. I'll find something else for you to eat when there's a chance later. For now, let's go find someone." Xu Xiaoshou was determined not to let unknown dangers appear when he couldn't control them. He felt that for Greedy to be able to eat blood food, he himself would at least need to reach the Throne realm in cultivation. Otherwise, he might truly be unable to control the little white cat's mutation. After all, Greedy was a ghost beast!

"First, let's find Big Mouth... no, Xiao Kongtong! I wonder if he's still outside the Void Gate?" Holding the little white cat tighter, Xu Xiaoshou felt much more at ease. Luring a Half-Saint into the water was, after all, a mysterious and risky business, even if he was just a secondary factor and only needed to transform into King Yama Huangquan. But if Xiao Kongtong was nearby, he should feel more secure.

Before that...

"Buzz!"

Xu Xiaoshou acted in the deep sea, unleashing "Time Slow" to leave behind a trace of time attribute. Then, as if avoiding a plague god, he flew downwards at light speed. Without stopping, he rushed towards the bottom of the deep sea, to the location of the Void Gate.

"Thump-thump!""Thump-thump!"

With the Saint Emperor Dragon Scales on him, Xu Xiaoshou's strongest intention was to "avoid risk." Yet, the closer he got to the bottom of the deep sea, the more pronounced the heartbeat of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scales became, filling Xu Xiaoshou with trepidation.

"Is there danger down below?" As he neared, he involuntarily stopped, somewhat hesitant to dive deeper.

"The time hasn't come yet; Half-Saint Jiang shouldn't have entered the water to attack me. And in the deep sea, the only ones most likely to threaten me are Rao Yaoyao and her group... So, it seems Xiao Kongtong isn't there? Rao Yaoyao found the Void Gate? Has she already arrived?"

Xu Xiaoshou's heart grew uneasy. This was his first time collaborating with a Saint Slave grandmaster with foreknowledge of a mission. He suddenly felt it was a miracle he had survived his past recklessness. But then he thought... He was so important, yet the Water Ghost dared to let him lure a Half-Saint to act. There must definitely be a backup plan. Moreover, the Void Gate was what the Water Ghost had described as the final guarantee if the Half-Saint proved too formidable. What was there to fear?

"Let's go see." Unable to resist his daredevil inclination, Xu Xiaoshou figured his final safeguard was still in place. Perhaps he could investigate the danger below and see what it was. If the situation wasn't too bad, he might even be able to mix the deep sea's affairs with his own mission, making things even murkier.

"Disappearance Art!"

His body vanished into the deep sea. In just a moment, Xu Xiaoshou returned to the previous location of the Void Gate. This time, as expected, he didn't see Xiao Kongtong's figure in front of the gate. Instead, with so much time passed and considering the descent speed, there were indeed several other familiar figures here.

"The Void Gate!"

Rao Yaoyao, carrying the Mysterious Cyan Divine Sword, looked a bit dispirited, clearly having only just arrived. She stared at the ancient gate at the bottom of the deep sea for a while, finally recognizing something, and her expression was filled with shock. "This place truly connects to... Sky City!"

Beside her, Night Owl and Teng Shanhai were surrounded by the Power of Providence. The surrounding water was also parted with Rao Yaoyao's help, so they didn't have to endure the water pressure. However, both had clearly suffered from the spiritual essence being drained by the water spheres, and their current states were not good.

"The Void Gate..." Even if Teng Shanhai wasn't as quick-witted as Rao Yaoyao, having lived longer and achieved higher status, he knew more things. "It is said that opening the Void Gate requires a massive amount of energy, along with a 'sacrifice ritual.' If there are no surprises, this deep sea, its forbidden spell barrier, those Path Severing cultivators who failed their tribulations but contributed their lightning tribulation power, including the water spheres that drain spiritual essence... Are all of these serving the purpose of opening the Void Gate? Is this, then, the so-called 'sacrifice ritual'?"

As he spoke these words, Teng Shanhai felt his mind go blank. This scale was simply too grand! To drag so many Grand Void, Path Severing, and Throne Dao Realm cultivators into this deep sea, all just to open the Void Gate? The key was, how could the mastermind behind all this have predicted that everyone would gather on Solitary Sound Cliff?

Hearing this, everyone's minds couldn't help but picture the water-attribute profoundness master who wore a half-golden beast mask, wielded the Sea-Dominating Divine Halberd, and was able to ride the waves in Yunlun, contending against Ai Cangsheng.

"A coincidence?" Teng Shanhai couldn't make sense of it, speaking blankly.

"It can't be a coincidence!" From behind, Mu Lin, carrying a limp Bai Lian, suddenly spoke. He had also encountered Rao Yaoyao, who was searching for people, in the deep sea, then abandoned self-rescue, was saved, and proceeded together with her. As for Bai Lian... He was the one who found him. Bai Lian, a Path Severing cultivator, would have found it virtually impossible to survive until now if he hadn't possessed numerous treasures to resist the increasingly terrifying draining power of the water spheres. Fortunately, with the protection of the Mysterious Cyan Divine Sword's Power of Providence and the pills from the Jinzhao Lineage, Bai Lian was mostly unharmed.

Everyone looked towards the Saint Palace master and disciple duo. This included the lucky Granny Tianling—she was the only one whose status wasn't high enough but who was rescued by Rao Yaoyao and followed them to the Void Gate. As for why... Besides her desperate pleas, Granny Tianling knew the other reasons perfectly well. In this deep sea, Path Severing cultivators were simply not strong enough; they could only become sacrifices in the ritual, making rescue futile. As for the few beside her, their statuses were all too high. It was simply unrealistic to send them as cannon fodder or to charge into battle. Therefore... she could live for now. But next, if they truly encountered danger and someone needed to lead the charge... Undoubtedly, there was only one choice here!

Mu Lin saw everyone looking at him but remained silent, only turning his gaze to Bai Lian whom he was carrying. Bai Lian swallowed the pill in his mouth, felt some strength return to his body, and immediately spoke up for his master.

"The Void Gate couldn't have been set up randomly, especially with a sacrifice ritual required. So, all the preparations here must have been made in advance. And the reason everyone gathered here instead of somewhere else is certainly not a coincidence; it's the 'Saint Emperor's Guidance.' From the very beginning of the Void Island rift spewing treasures, the layout of Solitary Sound Cliff must have begun. Why you, Sword Immortal Rao, came here, why the person you were pursuing came here, including why this Granny Tianling... ma'am, chased the Void Island rift, and also my master's and my arrival... Perhaps, all of us were arranged. And with so many 'arrangements' here, all ultimately leading to one 'Void Gate,' which concerns the recent storm's epicenter in the Eastern Region, namely 'Sky City.' Without a doubt, this could only be the work of the Saint Slaves."

Bai Lian spoke calmly and concisely, his incisive words causing everyone to feel horrified.

"Startled, Passive Value +1."

Xu Xiaoshou, listening in his disappeared state, was dumbfounded. The Five Great Authorities of the Saint Palace... Was Master Hua Ying's mind truly this sharp? Just by seeing the Void Gate, he could deduce so much? *Don't say any more,* Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself. *If you keep going, things are going to get serious!* But with the situation unclear, he could only remain invisible, silently observing how events would unfold.

"Saint Slaves? Does that mean the water-attribute profoundness master is a Saint Slave?"

Teng Shanhai, still in thought, couldn't pick apart Bai Lian's words from any angle, but he recalled what he had heard underwater moments ago and said, "But when I was still in the water sphere earlier, I saw a dragon being hunted from afar. And the pursuer was precisely the one the dragon screamed about: King Yama Water Ghost?"

Bai Lian raised an eyebrow; this he hadn't heard. Teng Shanhai immediately looked at Rao Yaoyao. Rao Yaoyao's face, pale and weak from saving too many people, also showed a question mark. She hadn't heard of this either.

"I, for one, have heard of it..." Granny Tianling weakly raised her hand. "The dragon was a Golden Dragon, and it almost came in my direction. Thankfully, its course was a bit off, and I managed to avoid the danger from afar."

Teng Shanhai nodded. He had done the same. Under the deep-sea forbidden spell barrier, who would want to encounter danger? At that time, seeing and hearing King Yama Water Ghost pursuing a dragon from afar, and realizing this was someone who could move freely within the forbidden spell barrier and had even contended with Ai Cangsheng in the Yunlun Mountains without falling behind... Who would dare approach? Teng Shanhai prided himself on running exceptionally fast, which was why he was still alive.

Rao Yaoyao, however, was bewildered by this information. "So, this entire setup isn't the work of the Saint Slaves, but King Yama plotting something? Are they even coveting Sky City?" She thought of King Yama Huangquan, whom she had encountered on Solitary Sound Cliff. Rao Yaoyao suddenly felt her conjecture might be true. Otherwise, why would Huangquan be there, alone on Solitary Sound Cliff? His purpose was to lure her and the Saint God Temple's forces to the center of the trap!

"Yes, yes, yes..." Xu Xiaoshou nodded repeatedly while holding the cat in his disappeared state, amazed that his earlier small act of framing could have such a wonderful use.

But the next second, Bai Lian spoke up. "Could it be a setup, a frame-up?" Bai Lian questioned.

Xu Xiaoshou: ??? *Please, don't say any more!*

"Probably not," the usually taciturn Night Owl said. "Xiao Ren, the Three Incense Golden Medal Hunter Killer, has no feud with King Yama; he wouldn't go to such lengths."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed. Three humble cobblers can outwit a brilliant Zhuge Liang.

"Then I don't know," Bai Lian spread his hands, glanced at his master, who still showed no intention of speaking, and then said gravely, "This is all I can piece together. After all, I'm new here, and the root of many matters is still unknown..." Having casually acknowledged Rao Yaoyao's saving grace, he didn't want to continue helping. He immediately changed the subject, staring at Rao Yaoyao.

"Sword Immortal Rao, there's one more matter that might require your assistance. My disciple should have fallen into the water too. She's only at the Throne realm. Although she has some pills for sustenance, she might not last much longer. Since there's nothing pressing here, why don't you do me another favor and bring my disciple here as well?"

Rao Yaoyao was still immersed in the bigger picture and never expected Bai Lian to abruptly switch to personal matters. Her expression soured. If it weren't for saving you two from the Saint Palace, why would she have wasted so much of the Mysterious Cyan Divine Sword's Power of Providence? The current situation here was not yet resolved. Was she supposed to risk not finding anyone at all and waste time on his disciple? *How important is your disciple?*

Rao Yaoyao had no intention of humoring Bai Lian. She turned her head towards the Void Gate, her mind flashing with Dao Qiongcang's instructions before she fell into the water: "Enter the bottom of Solitary Sound Cliff, retrieve the Sea-Dominating Divine Halberd, ascertain the identity of the wielder, and seize the 'opportunity'!"

King Yama Water Ghost surfaced.

As for the opportunity... *This must be the 'opportunity' Dao Qiongcang spoke of, right?*

Without hesitation, Rao Yaoyao stated decisively, "Since this gate leads to Void Island, and since the sacrifice ritual can no longer be stopped, but the fruits of Sky City haven't yet fallen into their hands... How can one catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den?"

Granny Tianling's face turned green upon hearing this, and her lips involuntarily trembled. As expected, the next second, Rao Yaoyao turned her head and looked at her.

"You push the door."

Chapter 990: You Push the Door.