Chapter 1010: This Round I Profit Greatly, You All Lose

A single word caused a thousand ripples.

After Bā Zūn'ān finished speaking, the few individuals standing in front of the Void Gate were simultaneously dumbfounded.

"Uh..."

Ráo Yāoyāo was completely baffled. All along, she had firmly believed that her biggest opponent on this trip to the Eastern Royal City would be the Saint Slave. Unexpectedly, Bā Zūn'ān, the person in question, had now come forward to clarify things. The Saint Slave's scheme had already concluded with the battle of saints in the Cloud Mountain Range. Everyone had subconsciously assumed that the continuous troubles at Solitary Sound Cliff were the Saint Slave's follow-up move...

But it wasn't! This time, it was Yama?

Ráo Yāoyāo's mind was reeling; she couldn't sort out the situation at all. Her first reaction was that Bā Zūn'ān was lying. Who would completely clear themselves so thoroughly, then, as the leader of one dark force, report the leader of another?

But then she thought... What Bā Zūn'ān said was true! Within the complex situation of the Cloud Mountain Range, there had indeed been faint traces of Yama Huangquan. He coveted Ye Xiaotian's spatial mysteries, the secrets on Shouye, and had even proposed trading for the Profound Azure Divine Sword at Solitary Sound Cliff... Behind all these major events, Huangquan's shadowy presence could be discerned. More importantly, Yama's aim had always been related to the Lèi Family. While outsiders were unaware, Ráo Yāoyāo knew perfectly well that the Puxuan Jiang clan of the Northern Region, a semi-saint family, was one of the beneficiaries of the Lèi Family massacre from years ago. Because of this, they had obtained a portion of the *Child Arts of the World* and also the "Three Detestation Pupil." It was perfectly normal for them to want to go further and obtain more.

"Wait! The Three Detestation Pupil?" As Ráo Yāoyāo's thoughts reached this point, a sudden realization struck her. She still remembered that during the Royal City night battle, Jiang Xian, the semi-saint successor of the Jiang clan, had encountered Yama's cruel hand in the Heavenly Prayer Forest, north of the Northern District of the Eastern Royal City, and lost his "Three Detestation Pupil." This matter was widely circulated among high-level circles, though common people rarely heard of it. Compared to the Royal City night battle, which was known to all and caused a great sensation, it could be said that almost no one below the semi-saint level paid attention to the Heavenly Prayer Forest. However, the battle in Heavenly Prayer Forest had indeed occurred.

Seen in this light, when the Jiang clan had sought aid from the Saint Divine Temple at the time, only for the matter to end without resolution, it now seemed as though the Jiang clan, in league with Yama, had orchestrated a grand play involving the loss of the "Three Detestation Pupil"... The purpose was for the current battle at Solitary Sound Cliff, which implicated the Void Gate and was linked to the Void Island... So that the Jiang clan's semi-saint could enter the fray and get a share of the spoils?

"Not only did they want the Lèi Family's secrets, but the Jiang clan also wanted to intervene and claim a piece of the huge cake that is Void Island?"

Ráo Yāoyāo's heart was no longer calm. She was truly shocked. Because these conclusions completely contradicted all her previous deductions. Yet, there was a clear and profound connection between both sides, involving significant implications that became more terrifying the more she thought about them. As someone in charge of the situation, however, she had no choice but to delve deeper.

"I..." Ráo Yāoyāo wanted to speak but hesitated; at that moment, she suddenly missed her think tank. Because in her mind, the suddenly emerging possibility of Yama and her previous biggest hypothetical enemy, the Saint Slave, were now on equal footing. Who was playing tricks?

Bewildered and helpless, Ráo Yāoyāo concealed her inner turmoil and turned her gaze to her side. Téng Shānhǎi wore a look of shock, belonging to someone who couldn't fully grasp the truth but found Bā Zūn'ān's "report" incredibly unsettling and potent. Night Owl remained unperturbed, her face still deeply hidden in the shadows, yet one could sense that she was both thinking and in shock. But as for this person's thoughts, let alone Ráo Yāoyāo, perhaps only one 'Anomaly' in the entire world could discern even a fraction of them.

Should she tentatively consider her a member of her think tank for a discussion? Are you kidding me! Not realistic at all!

Ráo Yāoyāo had no choice but to turn her gaze to Mu Lin and Bai Lian from the Saint Palace. Comparatively, these two individuals' thoughts and actions were far more convincing. But when she looked closer, Mu Lin remained calm and unmoving, adopting an attitude that implied: *This doesn't concern me; I'm merely a Saint Palace envoy who came to check on the trial participants in the Eastern Royal City but accidentally got caught up in this situation, so there's no need to ask for my input.* Bai Lian did have some thoughts; her lips trembled as she wished to speak, but after glancing at her master Mu Lin's demeanor, she also understood. The Saint Palace remained aloof from worldly affairs, solely responsible for cultivating talented spiritual masters on the continent. The struggles between the dark and light factions were, after all, originally the responsibility of the Saint Divine Temple. *My Uncle-Master Sang hasn't even returned yet, so what right do I have to meddle in or comment on the continental situation?*

Seeing all this, Ráo Yāoyāo's expression fell. Surrounded by great talents, yet with no one she could rely on, this feeling made her mentally break down.

"Do you think I'll believe you?" Left with no choice, Ráo Yāoyāo scoffed and faced Bā Zūn'ān alone. Regardless of her inner thoughts, the leader of the dark faction had "reported" the other two major leaders from both the dark and light factions, implying that nothing currently happening concerned him. Could this be believed? Ráo Yāoyāo somewhat believed it, but she could only pretend not to.

Meanwhile, Xú Xiǎoshòu was inwardly bursting with laughter as he observed the info bar continuously display 'was suspected,' 'was conjectured,' 'was doubted,' while also watching the wonderfully varied expressions of the few people in front of the Void Gate.

"You naturally don't have to believe me; after all, I stand on your opposing side." With his fingers intertwined, he looked confident and spoke eloquently: "But the Saint Slave is bad, and Yama isn't much better. I simply don't want to bear all the hatred for Yama, allowing the full firepower of your Saint Divine Temple to be unleashed upon my Saint Slave. Yes, I am not afraid of these... But no one wants to be a pathetic scapegoat, do they?"

Xú Xiǎoshòu smiled faintly, his demeanor calm and composed. At this moment, even he himself felt he possessed the easygoing and calm demeanor of a true big shot, combined with a touch of the master strategist, capable of turning clouds into rain with a flick of his hand. It's often said that people are tempered step by step through setbacks. Xú Xiǎoshòu had seen many storms, and his ability to adapt to changes had long surpassed his former self from his Spirit Palace days. Yama Huangquan had only appeared for a short while in the Cloud Mountain Range, but Xú Xiǎoshòu seized upon that fact, and now that guy couldn't escape. At Solitary Sound Cliff, he had orchestrated three advanced transformations; perhaps Ráo Yāoyāo still had some doubts, but the impression of Huangquan entering the scene would certainly be deeply etched into her mind.

Since that was the case, when the matters involved here could be linked to the Lèi Family and the Jiang clan's semi-saint, he then logically obtained this "highly reasonable" "report content." If blame was to be cast, it was on Huangquan for being greedy for just a moment and eyeing the Master Dean... Of course, this "report content" sacrificed not only Yama Huangquan and the Jiang clan's semi-saint, but also included a "Yama Water Ghost." But that doesn't matter! Whether "Saint Slave Water Ghost" or "Yama Water Ghost," regardless of the identity, "Water Ghost" would be considered an opponent of the Saint Divine Temple, right? There would be enmity, wouldn't there? Furthermore, the matter of dragging him into the semi-saint situation was still orchestrated by Water Ghost. Not only did he orchestrate it, but he also taught him how to be a pawn and counter the player. Xú Xiǎoshòu had learned. But how could a simple "I understand" be as brilliant as "applying what one has learned"?

He could only apply it slightly, transforming the "Xú Xiǎoshòu" who was at the center of the semi-saint situation this time into the "Yama Water Ghost." Any clear-headed person could see that Water Ghost definitely had other plans. He clearly had no grievances with the Jiang clan's semi-saint, yet still wanted to desecrate the saint; he must have wanted to be a double agent, setting up both the Jiang clan and Yama, so that no matter which side faced trouble, he could profit greatly from it. But since this matter implicated Xú Xiǎoshòu, he couldn't tolerate it. He extricated himself, further muddied the waters, and finally dragged the Saint Divine Temple into the game. In this way, in the three-way standoff between Yama, the semi-saint Jiang clan, and the Saint Divine Temple, who would still pay attention to a mere Grandmaster-level Xú Xiǎoshòu?

When the battle lines were drawn, and the first two factions began to fight, they would then discover, "How did the Saint Divine Temple get involved?" After their respective conjectures and mutual questioning, they would understand that Bā Zūn'ān was behind the tricks... Even if they were smart enough to then guess that "Yama Water Ghost" was actually "Saint Slave Water Ghost"... But all these were orchestrated by "Bā Zūn'ān" and "Saint Slave Water Ghost"; what did they have to do with Grandmaster Xú Xiǎoshòu? A four-way war. A mere Grandmaster would inevitably be even more inconspicuous! By then, matters like killing anomalies, impersonating Yama at Solitary Sound Cliff, impersonating Bā Zūn'ān in the deep sea, or the semi-saint pursuing the target (the fake Huangquan who was the real Xú Xiǎoshòu)... all of them would have to be discussed after the war. If they truly fought with bloodshot eyes, who would care about these minor matters? After all, these four parties already had great enmity; if they truly encountered each other, it would be impossible for a brief chat to suffice—they would certainly start fighting. Consequently, Xú Xiǎoshòu, who was at the center of attention, would completely become an uninvolved outsider.

"Hehe, haha..." Thinking of this, Xú Xiǎoshòu couldn't help but laugh aloud, thinking, "I made a huge profit from this; you all lost completely!"

"What are you laughing at?" Ráo Yāoyāo felt the other party was mocking her.

Xú Xiǎoshòu quickly reined in his wild and smug expression, waving his hand indifferently. "Nothing," he said. "I just thought of some happy things."

Ráo Yāoyāo: "..."

"The report ends here. I'll take my leave now. As for whether you believe me or not, ponder it yourself; I believe in your ability." Xú Xiǎoshòu waved his hand, not intending to stay long. With a sway of his body, he didn't even bother to create any spatial fluctuations, directly activating his vanishing art and disappearing.

A person's brain capacity is limited. Perhaps if Ráo Yāoyāo only pondered the matter of him killing anomalies, no matter the conclusion, it was possible she would eventually trace it back to him. Xú Xiǎoshòu couldn't stop others from thinking; he wasn't God, after all. But he knew a truth: when someone was hesitant, if another big matter was thrown at them, their attention would usually be diverted. One isn't enough, then two, three! It was best if these forcibly added matters weren't too reasonable, having ambiguous possibilities with several answers. Only then could a person's thoughts become even more chaotic. Until Ráo Yāoyāo had too many major decisions to make in her mind, to the point where even she didn't know which one to tackle first, at this point, the first, comparatively minor matter, would become insignificant. For Xú Xiǎoshòu, even if Ráo Yāoyāo made the correct decisions for all matters in her mind, what she would need to focus on would inevitably be the implications of the Jiang clan's semi-saint personally arriving, as well as terrifying matters like whether the Saint Slave, Yama, and the Lèi Family massacre would be unearthed. In such circumstances, who would care about the anomaly-killing murderer? This matter is too small, insignificant! And the so-called 'staying out of it' was probably nothing more than this.

Bā Zūn'ān left. He left Ráo Yāoyāo and the others, who had received the "report content," their thoughts a chaotic mess.

Téng Shānhǎi glanced back at the Void Gate, suddenly feeling it had become another untouchable hot potato. After all, it was truly possible this was a major trap set by Yama. Huangquan controlled the power of space-time; he was best at things like 'teleportation'. Currently, everyone had evidence that the Void Gate's danger might not be great, and that pushing the door would also lead to successful teleportation. But who could be sure that after teleporting, the destination would be the City of Sky, and not another prison, modified by the power of space-time?

"What do you think?" Ráo Yāoyāo also glanced at the Void Gate, then had no choice but to turn her gaze back to the silent Mu Lin; she truly needed some help at this moment.

Mu Lin replied, "Based on my limited understanding of this matter, it's not appropriate for me to help you make a decision. From the Saint Palace's standpoint, we also have no right to help the Saint Divine Temple make a choice; that would be too presumptuous... If I had to say, I think there's a fifty percent chance that Bā Zūn'ān's words are true."

Hearing this, the veins on Ráo Yāoyāo's forehead throbbed wildly; she almost sliced out with a sword. What nonsense is this! Fifty percent? Who doesn't know that Bā Zūn'ān's words can only be half-believed! Just as she was going crazy in her mind, Bai Lian suddenly spoke up: "Why not just wait? There is indeed a way to verify whether Bā Zūn'ān's words are true or false. After all, a semi-saint's personal arrival leaves no room for falsehood. If the Jiang clan's semi-saint truly dares to appear here, won't all the answers become clear on their own?"

Ráo Yāoyāo was slightly stunned. Surprisingly, that was indeed the point. Whether Bā Zūn'ān was lying or not, wouldn't they have the answer as soon as the Jiang clan's semi-saint arrived?

"Jiang Buyi then..." After calming down, Ráo Yāoyāo's eyes narrowed slightly, and a larger conjecture formed in her mind. There's no smoke without fire. Bā Zūn'ān wouldn't fabricate something out of thin air that could be so easily disproved. Semi-saints confined themselves to a corner, occasionally allowed to take action, but required to report it. So why did the Jiang clan's semi-saint's action this time not inform the Saint Divine Temple at all? This was a major point of doubt. Bypassing the Saint Divine Temple meant that what the Jiang clan's semi-saint intended to do might cross the Saint Divine Temple's bottom line.

Then... Ráo Yāoyāo raised her eyes and looked above the deep sea, her gaze seemingly penetrating the vast ocean to see the Celestials far in the sky.

"What do you want to do, Jiang Buyi!"

***

Solitary Sound Cliff Ruins.

The Water Ghost, wearing a golden beast mask, held the Five Decays of Celestials in one hand and Granny Meng in the other, returning to where he should be. Both their vital signs were sealed. But fortunately, the sealing time was very short, so there should be no life-threatening danger. Afterwards, when they woke up, their strength should gradually recover. In three to five days, or perhaps within half a month to a month, they should recover to their usual normal levels, depending on their respective cultivation.

"Two hot potatoes..." The Water Ghost murmured, shook his head, and smiled, sighing at the unpredictability of life. Not long ago, he had just contacted Granny Meng and obtained the precise locations of Yama's members; soon after, he had two Yama members in his grasp. What a wonderful coincidence!

After thinking for a moment, he realized that relying solely on a fake Huangquan (who was actually Xú Xiǎoshòu) acting in the deep sea might not be enough to lure the Jiang clan's semi-saint into the trap. Senior Feng Yujin's gift seemed quite good; after all, these were real Yama members.

"Hmph!" Without the slightest hesitation, acting as soon as he thought of it, the Water Ghost first threw the unconscious Five Decays of Celestials into the deep sea. He had no dealings with the Five Decays of Celestials, but the Saint Slave and Yama had conflicting interests, so whether the Five Decays of Celestials could survive this now depended entirely on fate. If he died in the deep sea, then it would count as a contribution to the slaughter of saints. Of course, the most important thing was that the opening of the Void Gate required a large amount of energy from Dao-severing and Grand-Void practitioners to serve as sacrifices.

Turning his head back, he scanned Granny Meng, whose mask was shattered and who couldn't move her body. The Water Ghost reached out and smacked her face twice. "What kind of situation is this, and you can still sleep?"

After a long while, finally, with a soft moan, Granny Meng woke up. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw not far away the man sitting on a large rock, propping his chin with his hand, elbows resting on his knees, and smiling as he looked at her.

"Water Ghost?" Granny Meng asked, startled, looking around, unsure of her situation.

The Water Ghost tapped the half-golden beast mask on his face, asking with an amused expression, "Granny Meng, let's count: how many favors do you owe me now?"