Chapter 1034: Sinner, Please Atone by Meritorious Service

"Boom!"

A colossal foot slammed down heavily.

Shuang Dai's body disintegrated into molecules with a "thwack," then was sent flying by the storm-like force.

When he reformed into human shape, he was not only covered in wounds and blood, but his spiritual energy was also nearing depletion. He was on the verge of being completely exhausted!

"Damn you!"

With a "poof," blood mingled with curses spurted from his mouth. Shuang Dai's face was twisted in a grimace as his legs transformed into Nine Cloud Chasers, and he continued to flee desperately.

At this point, his mind had completely snapped. What kind of Void Attendant was this?! Why was his attack, infused with holy power, completely ineffective?!

The giant behind him... it could actually devour holy power, convert it into its own energy, and then maintain a perfect state, relentlessly kicking him around with its powerful body like a duck.

"What kind of body does it even have?!"

Shuang Dai couldn't comprehend it. He was in such a wretched state, yet he had already consumed the Holy Relic Fruit, and holy power had been born within him. He was now considered the strongest below a Half-Saint, so how could he still be no match for the Void Attendant... not even for a single blow?

But reality was stark. Just moments ago, after exclaiming, "Now it's my turn to enjoy!" Shuang Dai had casually unleashed an attack empowered by holy energy, fully expecting to effortlessly crush the Void Attendant.

To his surprise, after the attack, the Void Attendant merely swayed slightly, then... it burped loudly!!!

"It can consume all forms of spiritual energy attacks?""Does that mean to defeat this guy, I'd have to rely on physical strength, or use an ancient sword cultivator's method?"

Upon reaching this conclusion, Shuang Dai nearly coughed up blood. As expected, in subsequent attempts, the Void Attendant devoured all his attacks, whether they were normal spiritual techniques or moves imbued with holy power.

"Run!"

Thoughts of enjoyment were long gone; Shuang Dai no longer dared to entertain them.

All he wanted now was to survive, to escape the pursuit of this Void giant, because all his offensive abilities were as useless as paper in front of the Void Attendant!

"If I can just escape, if I can just get a few months' time."With the power of the Holy Relic Fruit, I'll quickly evolve into a Half-Saint body. Then, I might just have a chance against this behemoth."But right now..."

Shuang Dai, his face covered in blood, fled desperately. He couldn't resist looking back and saw darkness descending from the sky once more.

"But there's no way to run now—"With another *thump*, a foot slammed down, crushing Shuang Dai into dust once more.

"I'm shattered..."Shuang Dai was stunned, completely despairing.

He had thought entering the Shennong Herb Garden and obtaining the Holy Relic Fruit would mark the beginning of his rise. He never imagined it was merely a sign that his path to self-destruction had opened. The Void Attendant was simply not something a human could contend with.

He still wanted to struggle...But with his spiritual energy depleted, Shuang Dai couldn't split himself again.He knew that if the Void Attendant stomped one more time, he would be reduced to a bloody mess...

"Heaven is trying to destroy me!""I'm not willing to accept this!"Shuang Dai screamed, his voice raw.

He refused to die so confusedly in this place. The opportunity of the Shennong Herb Garden was clearly at a fixed location; if only he had time to find his way back, he could become rich instantly... This feeling of plummeting from heaven to hell was unbearable!

Just then, as Shuang Dai had utterly despaired, the clown-like Void Attendant behind him, which had its massive right foot raised, suddenly stopped, no longer stomping down.

"Intruder..."The Void Attendant mumbled, staring at the ant-like figure beneath its foot. After a long pause, it retracted its foot and looked into the distance.

"What's going on? It's not killing me?"Shuang Dai didn't understand why, but he was overjoyed. He immediately pulled out some pills and swallowed them.

His high-grade elixirs had been used up long ago in the deep sea world, but he still had some lower-grade ones left, which would undoubtedly save his life now. Taking advantage of his recovered spiritual energy, Shuang Dai activated his Nine Cloud Chaser spiritual technique again and began to sprint wildly.

He didn't look back. Speculating why the Void Attendant hadn't killed him was pointless; it was better to use this time to gain more distance. Perhaps, he could truly survive?

"As long as I can live, as long as I can live..."Shuang Dai ran with his head down, knowing that where there's life, there's hope.

If he could survive, and later, when the wisp of holy power in his spiritual sea grew strong and he possessed a Half-Saint body, he would definitely empty the Shennong Herb Garden!

But after only a few steps, Shuang Dai stopped again."Thump, thump, thump..."Right in front of his desperate escape path, the sound of a giant running also appeared!

"What the f*ck!"Shuang Dai was stunned. More Void Attendants? Judging by the urgent running sound, there must be many of them, and... Void Attendants, speed type?

The Void Attendant that had been chasing him all this time was, for lack of a better term, rather leisurely, generally taking one step at a time. But this sound from ahead... *Sprinting*?!

"Are you kidding me?! I just picked one Holy Relic Fruit! Do you really need to send so many Void Attendants after me?" Shuang Dai immediately fell from heaven back into hell. He was surrounded, with nowhere to run.

He gave up completely, thinking, "If I die, I die." Indeed, it was worthy of being the City of the Sky; there were foundations for becoming a Saint, but to obtain them, one had to pay with their life.

Once his mind quieted, his ethereal hearing could pick up even more sounds. The Void Attendant behind him had stopped moving, but amidst the "thump-thump" sounds from ahead, there was a subtle yet very distinct sound mixed in.

"Honk honk honk honk honk..."Shuang Dai: ???What the hell? A Void Attendant with a goose?

"It's this direction!"The sound is coming from here, very similar to the Flame Serpent's guidance. It might be the same opportunity..."Charge, Ah Huo Beast!"

Perched atop the Ash-Glow White Skeleton, Xu Xiaoshou, driving the giant, felt genuine joy.

Void Island was truly a kingdom of giants! Even the roads were so wide that Ah Bing and Ah Huo could run side-by-side with plenty of room to spare.

Not to mention anything else, simply using Ah Bing and Ah Huo for travel meant that the strange gravity on Void Island could largely be ignored.

The only potential risk..."Xu Xiaoshou, is this really a good idea?"Perched on top of Ah Bing, the ice-blue white skeleton, Lei Xier asked, full of worry.

She always felt that using these two giants to rampage through such a dangerous place as Void Island, creating so much noise just by traveling, was simply asking for trouble. Was he afraid he wouldn't die fast enough?

What if dangers from all over were attracted by the "thump-thump" sounds of their journey? What then?

"No fear,"On top of Ah Huo, Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand dismissively, uncaring.

"A true man must be brave in battle. There are so many opportunities on Void Island; searching for them one by one would be too time-consuming."They say opportunity comes with risk, which is equivalent to saying danger *is* opportunity."We can summon opportunities while we travel, and maybe break through even faster!"

More like dying faster... Lei Xier was speechless.

But seeing Xu Xiaoshou's fearless demeanor, she didn't know what to say. After all, in her impression, Xu Xiaoshou was not someone eager to die; on the contrary, he cherished his life greatly. If he dared to do this, he must have a backup plan.

"Hehe, we won't die."Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Lei Xier on Ah Bing's head, chuckled, and pulled out a Holy Emperor Dragon Scale.

"This thing contains the will of a Holy Emperor; you could call it a risk sensor."I've imbued it with not only the intention to avoid danger but also to seek opportunities."Coincidentally, both are pointing in this direction."

Xu Xiaoshou said, pointing forward. This direction was where the strange sound had erupted in the distance when the two of them were pondering in front of the stone tablet—a path from the ancient city architectural area to the forested outskirts.

Xu Xiaoshou had absolute faith in the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale. What the Water Ghost said had already been verified: the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale could even sense the risk of a Half-Saint's pursuit. With this thing, what was there to fear?

At most, there was only one Half-Saint of the Jiang clan on the outer Void Island. As long as they approached, the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale would alert them. So, rampaging around was no problem!

If there were still problems, they could just run. At worst, everyone could be put into the Origin Mansion, and he himself would use his vanishing art... Xu Xiaoshou had his trump cards.

He figured that with such a great opportunity on Void Island, no one would foolishly wait in place after failing to find him.

And since he had his ultimate life-saving trump card, he could afford to be a bit more reckless.

"Thump-thump...""Thump-thump..."Ah Bing and Ah Huo continued to run happily, their long-suppressed nature as Liberators unleashed. Suddenly, at a certain moment, the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale in Xu Xiaoshou's hand began to emit a faint heartbeat sound.

Lei Xier was always vigilant. Noticing the anomaly of the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale, her eyebrows also twitched. "What does this mean?"

Xu Xiaoshou immediately gripped the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale tightly. The sudden heartbeat sound made him alert.

But this heartbeat was slow and steady, unlike the oppressive, high-frequency, rapid thumping that made one's head feel like exploding when Half-Saint Jiang Buyi was approaching. Therefore..."There's danger, but it's not significant," Xu Xiaoshou said.

"..." Lei Xier remained silent. She still felt uneasy. Could such a small dragon scale really be reliable?

"Received worry, Passive Points, 1."

Soon, at the end of the road, the steady "thump-thump" sound disappeared. Xu Xiaoshou immediately raised his hand, stopping Ah Bing and Ah Huo from their wild sprint.

"Stop!"The two great white skeleton giants halted at his command, and the chaotic ringing in their ears ceased.

The sudden silence highlighted just how much the Void Suppressing Tablet in Ah Huo's hand was glitching."Honk honk honk honk honk..."Everyone involuntarily looked towards the Void Suppressing Tablet.

Even now, the Void Suppressing Tablet hadn't recovered from its frozen state. But that wasn't important...

"Something's happening?" Lei Xier glanced at the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale, then shifted her gaze forward."No..." Xu Xiaoshou shook his head slightly.

The heartbeat of the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale hadn't intensified or quickened, meaning the risk ahead remained constant and within a controllable range. What he found curious was why the "thump-thump" sound, so much like white skeleton giants running, had stopped.

The rustling of the wind, accompanied by the strange "honking" sound, subtly created an atmosphere of dread. Xu Xiaoshou instinctively scanned his surroundings.

They had now left the ancient city's architectural zone and entered the forested outskirts. The ancient trees around them reached skyward, each hundreds of feet tall, towering over Ah Bing and Ah Huo, and immensely massive, completely obscuring their view.

Undoubtedly, this was an excellent battlefield for a wood-attribute spiritual refiner. The trees were lush, and there was a faint scent of herbs...

"Hiss,"Xu Xiaoshou inhaled, feeling refreshed. This herbal scent... Could it be that the so-called opportunity was ancient herbs on Void Island? This would be fantastic!

He was currently most in need of high-quality spiritual herbs. Perhaps just one ancient herb from here, once consumed, could rapidly propel his cultivation realm upwards!

"Gulp."As he thought this, Xu Xiaoshou involuntarily swallowed.

Just then, the heartbeat of the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale subtly accelerated, and his pupils contracted.

"Received fright, Passive Points, 1."

Before he could even fathom why, the sky suddenly turned dark. The next second, a "boom" echoed in the distance, and dust billowed out.

Lei Xier instantly tensed up, looking up as her Demonic God Eyes spun high. Undoubtedly, the opportunity/danger... had arrived!

Xu Xiaoshou also looked in that direction. Though invisible to the naked eye, his "Perception" ability could analyze the scene within the dust cloud with perfect clarity.

It was a thick, pillar-like black object plummeting from the sky, as if something had fallen from the clouds. Its base resembled a foot, with precisely five divisions—scientifically known as toes.

Wait! Toes? Not just toes, but it even had toenails? This couldn't possibly be a real foot, could it?!

Xu Xiaoshou's face turned pale. Within the dust, as the enormous sole solidified, the calf, thigh, and entire body connected to the foot also condensed from their ethereal state, forming their true shape.

—A giant!—A super giant whose foot first shattered space before its entire body followed!

"Holy crap! That huge?!"Xu Xiaoshou's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his lips twitched.

Ah Bing and Ah Huo were already massive, but their 150-zhang height was like that of dwarfs in front of this newly appearing super giant, only reaching its waist!

"This must be over three hundred *zhang*, right?"Motherf*cker... a thousand, a *kilometer*-tall giant?"

Xu Xiaoshou held his forehead, gasping.

"Honk honk honk honk honk...""Thump-thump, thump-thump..."The honking of the Void Suppressing Tablet and the heartbeat of the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale continued steadily.

To the side, Lei Xier had clearly also seen the true form of this super giant; her Demonic God Eyes temporarily stopped spinning. "A V-Void Attendant?"

Xu Xiaoshou turned his head at the sound, asking incredulously, "A Void Attendant? This thing is what you call a Void Attendant?""Probably..."

"How is this called an 'Attendant'? This should be called a 'Void General,' okay?!"Xu Xiaoshou was on the verge of a breakdown.

Such a huge Void Attendant... He had originally thought "Attendant" simply meant a guard, or a cute maidservant. Who would have thought an "Attendant" could be this enormous!

However, everything on Void Island was so colossal. So, a slightly larger Void Attendant seemed normal, perhaps?

"Oh, come on..."This was completely *not* normal!

Xu Xiaoshou tried to calm himself but still couldn't quell his fear of the colossal being. He stared blankly at the Holy Emperor Dragon Scale, which had only accelerated slightly but still maintained a steady heartbeat...

"This thing works pretty well; it shouldn't be wrong, right?""Does that mean the Void Attendant's arrival might not be hostile?"

Lei Xier pondered. She hoped so.

As she was thinking, the Void Attendant in front, several times larger than the white skeleton giants, began to buzz.

"Sinner... Lei Xier...""Sinner... Shou Shen Shou Shen Shou... huh?"

It suddenly stuttered, making Xu Xiaoshou inwardly rejoice, thinking, "Did I just defeat the Void Attendant? Magic really works!" The next second.

The Void Attendant, clearly not as rigid as the Void Suppressing Tablet, understood how to switch concepts and buzzed:"Sinner number: 152384..."And, Sinner number: 800820..."Please atone for your sins, accept the Void Mission, clear the Void Island of intruders. Mission reward: Void Crystal."