Chapter 1013: Poverty as Original Sin

"Beep...""Beep..."Huang Quan activated his communication bead.As expected, Water Ghost didn't pick up.

Huang Quan's eyes darkened. Without a moment's hesitation, he raised his hand slightly and activated his ability."Time Reversal!"

Light and shadow intertwined. Solitary Sound Cliff reverted from its ruined state to how it was before the battle, and the scene began to replay.

Water Ghost handed Meng Po a communication bead, and Meng Po's embarrassed voice rang out...It was the beginning of their attempt to contact him.

But after only two sentences, the sky suddenly darkened.Clouds gathered, and a Half-Saint descended!

In the vision, Water Ghost abruptly cut off the communication bead, raising his gaze upwards in horror.He saw the Jiang Half-Saint glaring down, saying coldly:"Have you completely forgotten the task I entrusted to you?"I told you to track the whereabouts of the Yama members, not to secretly conspire with them!"Do you truly believe I wasn't watching this place?"

It was clear that Water Ghost and Meng Po of the Offering Soup had discussed something, which the Jiang Half-Saint discovered, leading him to arrive in a rage, ready to fight.

A Great Void expert stood no chance against a Half-Saint."Run!"

Water Ghost shouted without hesitation, throwing Meng Po into the sea of clouds within the cliff and transforming himself to flee towards the deep sea.

However, the Jiang Half-Saint eventually made his move, sweeping with Saint power.Water Ghost coughed up a mouthful of blood, flying backward. Yet, he used the recoil from enduring the blow to quickly plummet into the forbidden barrier within the sea of clouds.

"Trying to escape?"The Jiang Half-Saint instantly appeared at the edge of Solitary Sound Cliff, but he stopped, clearly wary of the forbidden barrier.

After pondering for less than a breath, he leaped without fear into the sea of clouds.What did a Half-Saint have to fear?

"Time Reversal" ended.

The scene Huang Quan witnessed was clearer and more vivid than what Jiang Buyi had seen.Every rustle in the live footage, every detail, escaped none of his senses. After witnessing all of it, Huang Quan... had no doubts!

The Heavenly Dao does not deceive.Moreover, the power of Time Reversal could not possibly show him a false image.

Huang Quan personally verified every detail, including every blade of grass, every tree, every flower, and every stone.

There was no possibility of fiction in any of the scenes; they were so real... no, they *were* real!

"The Jiang Half-Saint also went down the cliff?"Is this his Half-Saint clone, or his true body?"Is this... Water Ghost's plan? Or an unexpected turn of events?"

As someone who had long walked in the shadows, Huang Quan was even more cautious, pondering every angle.

However, regardless of the process, he could only draw one conclusion:

Since the Jiang Half-Saint had entered the water within the forbidden barrier, it was the perfect time to deal with him.As for Water Ghost...

That fellow, caught between him and the Jiang Half-Saint, was definitely trying to gain some advantage; otherwise, he wouldn't have proposed such a sacrilegious scheme.

But if he could obtain the "Half-Saint rank" of Jiang Buyi, the Half-Saint, what harm would there be in giving Water Ghost a little taste?

Having considered this.Huang Quan's figure flickered, vanishing from the Solitary Sound Cliff ruins.

At the same moment, the sea of clouds within the cliff shone brightly, indicating that someone had entered the water and triggered the forbidden barrier.

"Time Slowdown.""Time Sequence: Reverse... Hmm, just a slight reversal, nothing like Gou Wuyue's powerful function. My cultivation must not be high enough.""Time Freeze... Ugh, this move is still difficult. At most, I can only use Spatial Imprisonment as a fake."

Deep beneath the sea, Xu Xiaoshou, disguised as Huang Quan, was gleefully experimenting with spatiotemporal attributes, with Greedy God, its Three Abhorrent Eyes open, perched on his head.

There was still half a day until his appointment with Water Ghost. Only then would the Jiang Half-Saint enter the water.Meanwhile, the bigshots of the Holy Divine Palace were currently gathered near the Void Gate, probably hesitant to push it open anytime soon. Therefore, there should be few enemies deep underwater.

As for this period, Xu Xiaoshou considered himself invincible.

Invincibility was so lonely.This led him to idly leave traces of "Huang Quan's" rampage everywhere underwater, intending to disrupt the Jiang Half-Saint's senses once he entered the water.

"I wonder if the Half-Saint's abilities will be completely suppressed by the forbidden barrier."If he also becomes a weakling once he's in the water, maybe I could even counter-kill..."

Xu Xiaoshou pondered, then suddenly his heart trembled as he recalled Water Ghost's instruction: if he encountered the Jiang Half-Saint, he should not try to resist, just escape.

He immediately dismissed the absurd notion of a Grandmaster fighting a Half-Saint.

After all, one of life's three greatest delusions was "I can counter-kill," and countless geniuses had perished because of this misconception.

"Uncle doesn't know where he went either."Alone, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for Xiao Kongtong's repeated calls of "Senior Water Ghost."

With such a major bodyguard gone, he felt a bit empty and had lost a lot of his sense of security. After all, in the initial plan, Uncle was supposed to protect him until the deep-sea dungeon ended.

"Meow meow."

Above his head, Greedy God continuously meowed excitedly, staring intently at the direction of the distant thunder tribulation, expressing a strong desire to eat.

"What do you mean, you want to eat the thunder tribulation too?"Xu Xiaoshou understood Greedy God's intention but was taken aback.

He could absorb thunder tribulations to grow himself, but he hadn't expected Greedy God to eye them as well.

However, the current situation was somewhat peculiar.

Most of the Path Cutters undergoing tribulation deep under the sea were essentially gone.

The last remaining one had a thunder tribulation of immense power. Forget Great Void experts, even a Half-Saint's true body might not dare approach—what if the thunder tribulation underwent a qualitative change and became a Saint tribulation?

Xu Xiaoshou understood that the other Path Cutters had all perished under the thunder tribulation, becoming nourishment for the Void Gate.

This sole survivor should be the mutated Night Watcher.

"If you had come out earlier, I could have taken you to nibble on some thunder tribulation and meet someone. But now, your master is afraid of dying, so we won't go..."

Xu Xiaoshou stared at the thunder tribulation for a long time, then averted his gaze, firmly rejecting Greedy God's foodie invitation.

He clearly couldn't withstand the Nine Deaths Thunder Tribulation after 108 bolts. The tribulation was now nearing its end. Night Watcher could endure it, but for him, a Grandmaster, going there would be suicidal.

"Meow."

Hearing this, Greedy God couldn't help but hang its head.

"Let's go look for someone first."Xu Xiaoshou fed the little white cat a pill, then ignored the fellow and swiftly flew into the distance.

He also planned to use the time before the Half-Saint entered the water to find and kill more people who coveted his head, to show them...

...that the Black Gold Bounty wasn't that easy to claim!

However, there didn't seem to be many stowaways still alive deep under the sea at this moment.

After flying away from the Void Gate, Xu Xiaoshou searched for a long time. He saw corpses and shattered water spheres where no bones remained, but he didn't encounter a single living person.

"So much time has passed; everyone either died from being drained or chose to die honorably after breaking free from their water spheres. There shouldn't be many left..."Xu Xiaoshou sighed with emotion.

These water spheres were truly demonic!

And Water Ghost truly lived up to his name!

Just as he continued swimming and flying for a while, already not holding much hope.

Suddenly, his "perception" decisively picked up a stubborn individual—someone not high in cultivation but one of the few still struggling to survive within a water sphere.

"When will this end?"Situ Yongren, originally dressed in luxurious silks and adorned with countless jade ornaments, looking dignified and elegant, now appeared utterly disheveled, struggling to hold on within the water sphere.

He wasn't dead.But he was on his last breath.

On Solitary Sound Cliff, he had used a Heavenly Divination technique to trap Yama Huang Quan within his Cloud Realm Inner World.He had thought this would be a great achievement, impressing everyone and allowing him to secure the position of Dao Department Chief, standing alongside Yu Lingdi as one of the top young talents.

Unexpectedly, a young swordsman, who appeared out of nowhere, shattered his Cloud Realm Inner World...

That wasn't all.A mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.

The Water-attribute Esoteric Arts master pulled everyone into the water with a single move, including Situ Yongren.

After falling into the water, had it not been for the inherent difficulty of this mission, he wouldn't have brought a large number of protective spiritual artifacts and pills beforehand, and wouldn't have been able to cling to life until now.

"Water-attribute Esoteric Arts..."Besides Yu Lingdi, is there anyone else in this world who can master Water-attribute Esoteric Arts?"If it were another attribute, that would be fine, but for it to be the same water attribute, isn't that too much of a coincidence?"

Situ Yongren was suspicious.Was that person truly Yu Mo, the former Chief of the Spirit Department?

But according to his memory, the Demon King Yu Mo had already fallen. Even if he wasn't dead, he should still belong to the Holy Divine Palace.After all, Yu Mo had grown up within the Holy Divine Palace's environment, a true-blooded member; he wouldn't do anything that harmed the Holy Divine Palace's interests.

These speculations yielded no answers.

Situ Yongren sighed deeply, his thoughts shifting back to the person he had almost captured on Solitary Sound Cliff.

"Yama, Huang Quan..."What a pity, I was so close to catching him..."

He murmured softly, his thoughts wandering again, wondering when the water sphere would reach its end, when Sword Immortal Rao would find him, and when he would finally escape this predicament.

"Are you thinking of me?"Just then, a teasing voice suddenly popped up behind him.

Situ Yongren stiffened and whirled around.Under the forbidden barrier, spiritual perception was useless, so he hadn't detected anyone around him moments ago.

Upon turning, Situ Yongren was horrified to see a masked figure in golden robes standing openly in the deep sea. The figure had no water sphere protection but was unaffected by the water pressure.

Even more preposterous, not only was this person unharmed, but the cat on his head could also withstand the water pressure!

"Meow?"Human! Are you questioning this kitty?!

The little white cat wasn't shy around people. After a strange cry, its Three Abhorrent Eyes spun faster, becoming even more conspicuous and looking quite miffed.

Situ Yongren was instantly dumbfounded.His first thought... Th-this was a ghost beast?His second thought... Tear Clan Eyes? This ghost beast cat even possessed the Three Abhorrent Eyes of the Tear Clan? What kind of ridiculous, extravagant joke was this?!His third thought... The golden-masked figure? Huang Quan? Yama Huang Quan?!

"My life is over!"Situ Yongren's heart sank, his vision blurred, and in a daze, he seemed to see the Grim Reaper beckoning him.

He had resisted for so long, unable to hold out for Rao Yaoyao's rescue, only to encounter the "merit" he most wanted to claim.

But with Sword Immortal Rao present, this was "merit"; when he was all alone, this was the Grim Reaper himself!

"S-senior..."Situ Yongren found it difficult to speak, and after his Adam's apple bobbed, he couldn't even form a complete sentence. He was terrified.

"Greedy God."Xu Xiaoshou cut him off, wasting no words, and issued a command to Greedy God.

"Meow."

Greedy God understood perfectly.It was very skilled at such tricks. Its left Three Abhorrent Eye immediately spun, and as the gray light swirled, Situ Yongren, still terrified within his water sphere, became dazed.

"In your eyes, who am I?" Xu Xiaoshou asked."Meow," Greedy God translated.

Situ Yongren carried no fewer than a dozen spiritual artifacts for mental defense; these artifacts were effective against mental attacks.

But the Tear Clan Eyes were simply unreasonable!The Three Abhorrent Eyes were beyond unreasonable!

When crossing cultivation realms, one could control an opponent by paying some price. Moreover, Greedy God was now at the Sovereign level, and the "quantity" and "quality" of the ghost beast's own energy were at least equal to, if not higher than, Situ Yongren's.

In such circumstances, if the two looked at each other, Greedy God could instantly take control if it wished.

"Yama... Huang Quan..." Situ Yongren answered unconsciously.

Huang Quan?Good, it seems this guy still hasn't seen through my true identity.

Presumably, Rao Yaoyao now also suspected him of being Huang Quan, more so than Xu Xiaoshou...

Xu Xiaoshou mused inwardly.

He had undergone three identity changes on Solitary Sound Cliff.

Although he believed Rao Yaoyao and the others hadn't seen through him, receiving confirmation from an enemy finally allowed him to relax.

Unwittingly, Yama had taken on a lot of blame for him...

Xu Xiaoshou smiled, then looked down at the many spiritual artifacts on Situ Yongren's person and asked again, "How many protective spiritual artifacts and pills do you have left, and how long can they sustain you in the deep sea?""Meow," Greedy God conveyed.

Situ Yongren: "Spiritual artifacts... one hundred... thirty-two... pieces. Pills... many. Can... last... three days..."

Three days?Xu Xiaoshou's eyes bulged.

He must be truly terrified of death to carry so much...No!

This was simply too rich!

Ten, even a hundred times richer than him!

"Can you give them to me?" Xu Xiaoshou asked."Meow meow meow!" Greedy God was also excited by the question and immediately translated; it was interested in pills too!

"Can't...""Why?""Spiritual artifacts... are soul-bound... can't... be given away...""What about the pills then?"

"Pills..." Situ Yongren's face showed a flicker of struggle, as if he were trying to resist, but he failed. "Yes...""Give them to me!" Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed.Greedy God issued another command.

The power of the Three Abhorrent Eyes was too strong. Situ Yongren couldn't resist and could only comply with the instruction, struggling to open his spatial necklace and pull out a vast quantity of bottles and jars.Immediately, the space within the water sphere was almost completely filled!

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded."Minor Body Recovery Pills, Body Recovery Pills... for physical recovery, so many? Did you rob the Holy Divine Palace's warehouse?"Saint Origin Pills, Soul Origin Pills... Holy cow! These are the highest quality pills for restoring spiritual essence and soul energy, and you have over ten bottles of each?"Stirring Spirit Pills, combat pills that stimulate mental power and unleash potential..."Nine-Revolving Blood Pills, sacred healing medicine..."Divine Blessing, Divine Blessing, Divine Blessing... What the heck, why so many Divine Blessings?! The small pill bottles mean one pill per bottle, but... how do you have seven bottles?"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes were dull with shock.Situ Yongren's display had completely overturned his understanding.

He had thought that as a member of the Cinderflame lineage, he was already a billionaire compared to his peers. He never imagined that a true heir of a major power would be infinitely wealthier than himself!

"I should have fought you earlier; you were a fat sheep all along..."I regret it, at the First Heaven's Tower last time, I shouldn't have let you go! This is too much!"

Xu Xiaoshou's lips trembled, and his hands quivered slightly.

If he had robbed Situ Yongren earlier, Night Watcher probably wouldn't have mutated. At the very least, he wouldn't be helplessly smelling the empty honey pot of Rank 8 or 9 under the thunder tribulation, merely gazing at plums to quench his thirst.

Poverty! Original sin!

"Give them to me!"With a flick of Xu Xiaoshou's hand, space was swapped.

The vast quantity of bottles and jars in Situ Yongren's water sphere turned into water.And in his Yuan Mansion World, a huge fortune appeared!

"Anything else?" Xu Xiaoshou asked hopefully."Nothing... left... not... a single... bottle..." Even under control, Situ Yongren's tone and expression were filled with pain, as if he knew what terrible thing he had done.

Xu Xiaoshou pondered. After a moment, he looked up and said:"What about Saint Blood? Aren't you some Holy Son or something from the Holy Divine Palace? You should have a lot of Saint Blood, right?"