Chapter 1030: Town Void Stele? What Kind of Junk Are You

Tei Xier: "???"

"An ordinary Holy Emperor?"

"And he bestowed treasures?"

"Is he human?"

Thinking back, during the White Cave incident, she was still in her Mu Zixi form. Although, like everyone else, she knew that Xu Xiaoshou had gained immense benefits in the Small White Cave. There was a fierce sword, Have Four Swords, and a renowned sword, Blazing Python.

The former was Bazun An's old sword, so it was reasonable for Xu Xiaoshou to acquire it. But the latter, who would have thought it was a "Holy Emperor's bestowed treasure"? Everyone just assumed it was a normal person's normal stroke of luck, a perfectly ordinary burst of good fortune, resulting in a not-so-ordinary sword. That's all!

Now it seemed...

"You," Tei Xier opened her mouth, her thoughts suddenly muddled. "He was really a Holy Emperor?"

"Mmhmm." Xu Xiaoshou nodded, describing the scene he witnessed back then:

"I called him the 'Disheveled Saint'... Honestly, his appearance at the time was truly... well, lacking in grandeur. He had shackles on his hands and feet, like he'd secretly snuck out for a date. Then it seemed someone discovered their private meeting, and he scurried away, leaving only a sword. Tsk, tsk..."

Tei Xier: "???"

"You call that a Holy Emperor?"

Suspected, passive value plus one.

Xu Xiaoshou clearly read Tei Xier's expression and said:

"You can doubt his abilities, but you can't doubt my judgment. He exuded holy power when he appeared back then. I thought he was a Half-Saint, but now that I think about it, a Half-Saint probably couldn't exert that much pressure. He could only have been a Holy Emperor."

Tei Xier fell silent. She hadn't specifically asked about the story of how Xu Xiaoshou obtained Blazing Python at the time, because no one could have anticipated it was a Holy Emperor's bestowed treasure. So why would she have asked further?

Glancing at the excited Blazing Python, Tei Xier stated gravely, "I think there might be a risk."

A Holy Emperor bestowing a treasure upon you for no reason? Where in the world would such a good thing exist? Tei Xier knew, without even thinking, that there must be a trick involved.

"Be more confident. Remove the 'might'."

Xu Xiaoshou squeezed Blazing Python, signaling it to calm down, and said with a smile. He had known for a long time that the Holy Emperor was using him as a pawn in a century-long game. If there were risks, they definitely existed. However, the last time he encountered the Half-Saint Zang Ren, so many wills emerged from his body, and it seemed one of them belonged to that Disheveled Saint. A scheme was certainly involved, but goodwill also existed. Why would a Holy Emperor bestow a treasure upon a mere Grandmaster if he had no utility? Xu Xiaoshou calmly accepted the sword and was now even less concerned about the risk. He knew that as long as he continued to demonstrate his value and satisfy the Disheveled Saint, he was unlikely to get into trouble. After all, the other party had a request of him, which was why the sword was sent in advance. Furthermore, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't known the Disheveled Saint's identity before. Now, having learned more about the inner island of Void Island through Bazun An and others, he had some theories about the Disheveled Saint.

"Who is that Holy Emperor, do you know?" Tei Xier happened to ask, understanding that Xu Xiaoshou was not someone to be manipulated and must have secretly sought information about that Holy Emperor.

"If there are no surprises..." Xu Xiaoshou paused, then looked at her and smiled, "One of the Three Ancestors of the White Vein on Void Island's inner island, known as the Ancestor of Ten Thousand Ancestors... Ancestor Jinzhao!"

Tei Xier's pupils contracted. Ancestor Jinzhao... She'd never heard of him! But with so many prefixes, it sounded formidable even if she didn't understand it, and terrifying upon closer thought!

"Jinzhao?" Soon, Tei Xier chewed on the word, looking thoughtful.

"Yes." Xu Xiaoshou nodded, "Perhaps he's a demon, but it's more likely that he's Elder Sang's predecessor's predecessor... Who knows, perhaps Jinzhao Half-Saint's rise was also due to Ancestor Jinzhao's influence." He boldly speculated.

A Holy Emperor... Worry appeared on Tei Xier's small face. She unconsciously grabbed her silver hair, twisting it into two strands, like the twin ponytails she used to grasp when thinking. After a long pause, she said, "He's a Holy Emperor after all. Perhaps we should be wary."

"We should indeed be wary, but there's no need to be overly nervous." Xu Xiaoshou, hearing her, simply smiled. After a brief pause, he suddenly took a deep breath, then raised the renowned sword Blazing Python and shouted towards the sky, "Ancestor Jinzhao! Ancestor Jinzhao! I've come to find you, show yourself quickly!"

Tei Xier's face went pale with fright, utterly bewildered by Xu Xiaoshou's actions.

"What are you doing!" She couldn't help but reach out and tug on Xu Xiaoshou's sleeve. "This is a Holy Emperor! Do you think this is a vegetable market where you can just shout? Are you trying to die?"

"No reaction, as expected..." Xu Xiaoshou was pulled back and sighed, "I just don't know Ancestor Jinzhao's true name. Otherwise, maybe I really could summon the old man to meet me."

Tei Xier was still dazed, not understanding how Xu Xiaoshou, who used to be so afraid of death, could become so audacious after arriving at Void Island.

"Are you crazy?"

"No, I'm not."

"Then you..."

"I have a trump card."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and pulled out the Eight-Character Token from his ring, saying:

"Bazun An is the Venerable of both the Black and White Veins. This is a token he gave me. He said that seeing the token is like seeing him. It doesn't work on weaker spirit refiners, but any knowledgeable, old-timer figure will show him respect. I was just thinking, if I could summon Ancestor Jinzhao, maybe we'd have a big bodyguard, and adventuring on Void Island would be much safer." To this point, Xu Xiaoshou still resented losing Xiao Kongtong, the great bodyguard of Cang Yue Immortal City.

Tei Xier: "..."

She was utterly speechless. What kind of move was this? Void Island's inner and outer islands were two different worlds. Could a Holy Emperor be summoned by shouting like that? But... the Eight-Character Token? She carefully examined the token in Xu Xiaoshou's hand, very curious if its effect was as great as Xu Xiaoshou claimed. Strictly speaking, when the Tei family was annihilated, she and Tei Shuangxing survived thanks to Bazun An lending a hand in their time of crisis. So, this was her savior's token?

"You like it? Here, for you to play with." Xu Xiaoshou casually tossed the Eight-Character Token over.

Tei Xier quickly caught it, her beautiful eyes darting to him with a chiding look. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she turned the token over and over after receiving it. Soon, she saw the image on the back: a naked woman, knees drawn up, weeping softly, with shackles on her limbs extending beyond the token's edge.

"This is..." Tei Xier was somewhat amazed. Even just from the carved image, she felt the woman was as beautiful as a celestial being, pitifully so.

Xu Xiaoshou glanced at it, shaking his head with a sigh, "I used to be as naive as you, thinking this was the faith of the Holy Slaves: carve a beautiful statue, then add the saying 'If not a Saint, forever a slave,' and everyone would devotedly fight for Bazun An."

Tei Xier paused. Wasn't that how it was? "And now?"

"Now..." Xu Xiaoshou thought of what Big Mouth from Cang Yue Immortal City had said, and chuckled, "Perhaps this is just Bazun An's old flame, nothing more."

"Old... flame?" Tei Xier was dumbfounded.

Suspected, passive value plus one.

Seeing that his junior sister's demeanor had changed, Xu Xiaoshou noticed the familiar fiery gossip in her eyes upon hearing this, and immediately laughed:

"Moon Palace Slave. I heard she's the number one beauty on the Peerless Beauty List. It's a shame I haven't seen her in person."

The moment the words left his mouth, Tei Xier's slender hand holding the token trembled. Xu Xiaoshou also keenly sensed that something was amiss and immediately froze.

"My apologies, my apologies... Childish words, childish words!"

He immediately clasped his hands together and bowed in all directions. Good heavens, this was an old auntie from Bazun An's era! To become Bazun An's old a... *cough*! Old fl... *cough*! Dao companion, she must be at least a Half-Saint by now, right? He had just called out a saint's name. Surely nothing bad would happen? Auntie, I'm one of us! One of us! Xu Xiaoshou instinctively recoiled, terrified, realizing he had been overly audacious just now. Void Island itself was a place of danger, and he had carelessly shouted a saint's name... How dare he court death like this!

Cursed, passive value plus one, plus one, plus one, plus one...

Tei Xier clearly understood this too, giving Xu Xiaoshou a glare. But seeing that no accident occurred, she also let out a sigh of relief, handed the token back, and snapped, "Watch your words. If you ever die, it will definitely be because of that unfiltered mouth of yours."

"You don't want it?" Xu Xiaoshou dangled the token.

"This is something the Eighth Sword Immortal gave you. I won't take it. You should keep it safe."

"What a pity. I was thinking that if I lost this token, I could ask Bazun An for another one later. It could be considered a life-saving charm, right?"

Tei Xier: "..."

Received a glare, passive value plus one.

"Are you sure?"

"No, you keep it yourself."

"Alright then, if you don't want it. When I become famous later, I'll make you another one to serve as a life-saving charm." Xu Xiaoshou didn't insist and put the Eight-Character Token away. It was a good item. On Void Island, it might be able to exert power far exceeding that of a Half-Saint. Xu Xiaoshou knew perfectly well how powerful the "Face Fruit" (power of respect/connections) was!

As soon as the discussion about Void Island was over, Tei Xier, not daring to be as reckless as Xu Xiaoshou, began to study the huge stone tablet in front of them.

"Xu Xiaoshou, come here." Not long after, she beckoned him over.

"What's up, find anything?" Xu Xiaoshou, still using his "Perception" to find a path for his future while carrying two swords, scampered over at her call. His original intention was to directly follow Blazing Python's guidance, discard anything that would waste time, and search for the treasure that Ancestor Jinzhao might have left for him. But Tei Xier's obsessive-compulsive tendencies and curiosity were clearly stronger than his, insisting on examining the repulsive, slimy-looking stone tablet covered in dust and moss.

"There are indentations; they seem to be characters?" Tei Xier didn't dare to touch it, merely stating her discovery.

"Characters?" Xu Xiaoshou glanced at it, nonchalantly saying:

"Look at how thick the moss is. This tablet probably hasn't been touched in hundreds or thousands of years. It's definitely not a treasure. Void Island isn't exactly unexplored either. Bazun An knows his stuff. If this tablet were a treasure, he would have thoroughly researched it long ago. Why would there be moss?"

Tei Xier said nothing. What Xu Xiaoshou said certainly made sense. But those were the words of someone with shallow understanding.

"Do you remember the 'Void Suppressing Tablet' I mentioned earlier?" Tei Xier asked.

"Oh, you mean this is it?" Xu Xiaoshou became interested now, leaning in to examine it closely, but quickly frowned. "What's the use of a Void Suppressing Tablet? If it were a treasure, wouldn't it have been moved long ago?"

"It's not a treasure. The Void Suppressing Tablet represents an entrance to Void Island's outer island. There are many of them..."

"Tch." Xu Xiaoshou instantly lost interest. Many meant common and not valuable. Scarcity dictates value, no wonder this broken tablet had so much moss. He guessed touching it might even be dangerous, which was why so many people had been to Void Island, yet none wanted to touch it.

"I want to scrape away this moss and see." Tei Xier, however, turned her gaze, clearly still very interested in the tablet. Perhaps it was due to her Tei family's inherited memories, giving her a deeper understanding of Void Island.

"I'll do it then." Xu Xiaoshou's expression grew slightly more serious. He might look carefree, but he was extremely cautious on Void Island. Void Suppressing Tablet... He didn't know what it was all about, but it certainly aroused some curiosity. He brought out the renowned sword, Blazing Python. After a thought, he realized this sword would likely serve as a key to Ancestor Jinzhao's treasure, and it would be a shame to break it. So, Xu Xiaoshou switched to Have Four Swords.

"Swish!" With a light stroke, the moss fell away. A small, dirty patch of the tablet's surface was exposed, revealing a carved character: "Eight."

"Sword intent?" Feeling the sword intent within the character, Xu Xiaoshou's eyebrows shot up. Not to mention that there weren't many things related to "eight" on Void Island, even on the Holy Divine Continent, the only thing Xu Xiaoshou could link to "eight" was "Bazun An."

Since there was no risk in scraping away the moss with a sword...

"Swish, swish, swish!" Xu Xiaoshou no longer held back. In quick succession, he scraped off all the moss. The large stone tablet revealed its original appearance, genuinely shocking the two people in front of it. Because inscribed on it were many names!

"Hua Weiyang, Cheng Xue, Xiao Hei, Feng Wuchen..."

"Who were these people?" Xu Xiaoshou and Tei Xier exchanged glances, indicating they hadn't heard of these names.

But the next line was very familiar to them.

"Bazun An, Dao Qiongcang, Bei Huai, Kong Yuhen, Sang Qiye, Yu Lingdi, Cao Yihan, You Tu, Gu Qingyi, Gu Qing Er..."

"They all came here?" Tei Xier felt a slight tingle on her scalp seeing this line. Most of these were members of the Ten Venerable Seats. Even Elder Sang had left his name here, which meant that almost all these people had been to Void Island?

Xu Xiaoshou was equally bewildered. However, what bewildered him wasn't the names of these big shots, but the last two.

"Gu Qingyi? Gu Qing Er? What's going on? Are these two brothers from the Sword Tomb of Buried Souls reincarnations of powerful figures?"

Seeing them listed alongside Bazun An made Xu Xiaoshou almost think that the first two of the three Sword Tomb brothers were venerable old masters. But he quickly understood. These two must have recently ascended to Void Island, because on Lonely Sound Cliff, someone had even jumped off the cliff in shame and anger, though he didn't know why. But beneath the cliff was the deep sea, so it was perfectly normal for Gu Qing Er to have reached Void Island before them.

"This is the Void Suppressing Tablet!" Tei Xier identified it with certainty after examining it.

"Oh..." Xu Xiaoshou looked at the tablet, not paying attention to the names. He walked around to the back, and after scraping off the moss with his sword, he saw the three large characters: "Void Island."

"Hmm, this must be the front, and that side the back?"

Hearing him, Tei Xier also walked around, likewise seeing the distinction between front and back.

"Buzz—"

As the two were tensely pondering, the stone tablet vibrated slightly, emitting a disjointed voice:

"Please... leave... your... name..."

Frightened, passive value plus one.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately grabbed Tei Xier's hand and retreated sharply. He quickly realized that the tablet, other than speaking, had no intention of attacking, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You dog-thing, you scared the life out of me!" Xu Xiaoshou cursed, but the Void Suppressing Tablet remained unresponsive. He immediately grew bolder. Having lived so long, it should have a spirit, right? Releasing Tei Xier's hand, he stepped forward and tapped the Void Suppressing Tablet with Have Four Swords. Xu Xiaoshou asked, "Are there any rewards for leaving my name? My name is worth a fortune. If you spit out a treasure bone, I'll leave my name."

"..." No response.

Tei Xier's eyelids twitched wildly as she watched from the side. He really knew how to act up! Was Xu Xiaoshou truly not afraid of death?

Blessed, passive value plus one.

Xu Xiaoshou gave a strange look at the lovely girl behind him, then withdrew his gaze, turning to the no-longer-speaking Void Suppressing Tablet. This time, he was annoyed. He pulled out the Eight-Character Token and slapped it hard against the tablet's surface.

"Do you recognize this token? Seeing the token is like seeing the person. I am Bazun An, the Venerable of both the Black and White Veins... Speak to me!"

"Speak!"

"Void Suppressing Tablet? What kind of useless junk are you?"

"Damn it! You have such a good temper, really? I don't believe it!"

Xu Xiaoshou fiercely raised Have Four Swords. "Speak! Or I'll split you in half!"