Chapter 1035: Struggle of the Cornered Beast The Noble Void Island Sinner

A Void Mission?

Xu Xiaoshou, perched atop Ember White Skeleton's head, listened with a sense of bewilderment. How had this become a mission? And atonement through service? What exactly did this Void Servant mean?

"Who is the invader, and what exactly is this Void Crystal?" Xu Xiaoshou asked. He glanced at the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale, noting that its heartbeat was still normal, which indicated the Void Servant wasn't playing a trick but was genuinely assigning a mission.

The Void Servant did not respond. With a flick of its finger, two golden streaks of light shot towards them. Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled instantly. He was about to dodge when he noticed no 'under attack' notifications in his information bar, nor did the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale's heartbeat accelerate.

"It's not an attack…" He stopped Lei Xier, who was also about to resist, fearing they might provoke a misunderstanding with the colossal giant.

The golden light streaked past, dissipating into specks as it drew near. Simultaneously, detailed information about the Void Servant's mission appeared in both Xu Xiaoshou and Lei Xier's minds.

Mission Name: Eliminate the Invader.Mission Target: The Invader, a Cultivator of the Grand Void Realm.Mission Description: An invader on Void Island stole Saint Relic Fruit from the Shennong Medicinal Garden in the Forest of Miracles. Upon discovery, they attempted to escape. The Void Servant dealt a devastating blow, and the invader is now in a weakened state.Mission Objective: Eradication.Mission Level: Normal.Mission Reward: Void Crystal x2.

After a quick read-through, Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the Void Suppressing Stele, which was still quacking "geese geese geese" in Ah Huo's hand, and suddenly realized something.

So, Void Island truly is a giant prison, isn't it? And the Void Servants are essentially the 'wardens.' Those whose names are inscribed on the Void Suppressing Stele become legitimate 'Void Island Sinners,' protected by the Void Servants. Generally, as long as they don't seek death, they won't die, apart from the unknown date of their execution. Those who cannot leave their names become invaders and are immediately obliterated upon discovery. If Void Island Sinners are present at the scene of an obliteration, the Void Servant will assign the obliteration as a mission to the Void Island Sinners for execution. Completing it grants a reduced sentence? Or provides resources or currency circulating within Void Island, this large prison? For example, Void Crystals?

With this thought, Xu Xiaoshou felt the overall structure made sense. The rules of Void Island, which the Void Suppressing Stele hadn't explicitly stated before, were perhaps the rules of the prison game!

"Saint Relic Fruit?" Beside him, Lei Xier, perched atop the ice-blue white skeleton's head, gasped in surprise after also understanding everything.

"What's wrong?" Xu Xiaoshou instinctively looked over and quickly found the small piece of information subtly revealed in the mission description. Forest of Miracles, Shennong Medicinal Garden, Saint Relic Fruit… Ah, yes, on the way here, he had detected a faint medicinal scent. Was that the smell emitted by the Saint Relic Fruit?

"Saint Relic Fruit… why does that sound familiar?" Xu Xiaoshou frowned in thought. Lei Xier's eyes were now filled with astonishment. She turned her head and exclaimed, "This is a fruit that allows one to generate Saint power within their Qi Sea, below the Half-Saint realm. It's incredibly valuable, but it went extinct in ancient times!"

At that point, Xu Xiaoshou remembered. After his Master Chef proficiency reached the Throne rank, among the vast array of never-before-seen or heard-of ingredients that appeared in his mind, there was one called 'Saint Relic Fruit.'

"Saint Relic Fruit: milky white, immense energy, roughly the size of a human head, sweet in taste, can be used in desserts, picked from a Saint Relic Tree, cannot be stored for long. A single Saint Relic Tree can bear a maximum of nine fruits in its lifetime."

As these details resurfaced, a flash of white fire erupted in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. He was instantly fired up! Saint Relic Fruit, a holy medicine! This was incredibly fitting for his current state—he only lacked high-quality spiritual medicine, not insights into the Grand Dao.

"If I obtain this Saint Relic Fruit, I might directly break through to the Grandmaster Yin-Yang Realm or Star Worship Realm after eating it. If I eat all nine, I might even reach the Throne Dao Realm!" The Saint Emperor Dragon Scale's heartbeat didn't accelerate, but Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts made *his* heart pound faster.

And furthermore… Saint Relic Fruit can only be picked from a Saint Relic Tree and cannot be stored for long. Just now, the Void Servant mentioned the Shennong Medicinal Garden. This means the invader infiltrated the Shennong Medicinal Garden and picked Saint Relic Fruit from a Saint Relic Tree there? It seems, then, that there are still Saint Relic Fruits remaining in the Shennong Medicinal Garden… Moreover, if it's called a 'medicinal garden,' could it really only contain one Saint Relic Tree?

Xu Xiaoshou raised his gaze to meet the Void Servant's, asking eagerly, "Lord Void Servant, may I ask about this Shennong Medicinal Garden… *cough cough*… is it large? I suspect there are many invaders, and perhaps while you were out, others infiltrated it!"

Lei Xier: ??? He really dares! Asking questions of the Void Servant? You're definitely eyeing the entire medicinal garden, aren't you!

"Received Concern, Passive Points, +1." The Void Servant did not directly respond. It buzzed, "Sinner Number 800802, please execute the mission."

Xu Xiaoshou sighed inwardly. So, he couldn't coax information out of it? But on second thought, coveting the Shennong Medicinal Garden now was clearly unfeasible. It would be better to complete the Void Servant's mission and first establish a good relationship with this warden.

Returning to the mission itself… "Lord Void Servant, this invader is a Grand Void Realm cultivator, and I'm only at the Grandmaster Heavenly Phenomenon Realm. Are you serious about this mission being classified as normal level?" Xu Xiaoshou swallowed. Though appearing fearful, he was actually thinking about the mission reward: Void Crystals. Although he didn't know what they were, killing a Grand Void cultivator and only getting two Void Crystals definitely meant they were valuable! Couldn't he get a few more?

The Void Servant paused for a moment: "Sinner Number 800802, please execute the mission."

Xu Xiaoshou's expression remained unchanged. He secretly glanced at the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale, and seeing no danger yet, he continued to speak: "Lord Void Servant, I believe the mission level should be raised a bit. Of course, it's not about the mission reward for me; I simply feel this mission is quite dangerous, after all, the invader is a Grand Void cultivator. I definitely want to complete the mission. If you raise the mission level, the rewards can just follow that; there's no need to intentionally give me extra compensation." Xu Xiaoshou's gaze was sincere, wondering if the Void Servant's intelligence was high enough to understand his implied meaning. Beside him, Lei Xier was dumbfounded by what she heard. Is it possible to bargain?

"Received Concern, Passive Points, +1." The Void Servant's tone grew impatient. It heavily declared, "Sinner Number 800802, execute the mission immediately!"

No answer? The Saint Emperor Dragon Scale still showed no acceleration in its heartbeat. Xu Xiaoshou mused for a moment, then continued: "Lord Void Servant, I haven't committed any major crimes outside. I was merely accidentally harmed by a villain and sent to Void Island. Actually, I'm a good person… As a newcomer, I don't know the rules of Void Island. Could you tell me how these mission levels are generally categorized? And what are these Void Crystals used for?" Xu Xiaoshou resembled an overly curious child, his mind brimming with endless questions.

"You're so sycophantic," Lei Xier, unable to stomach his demeanor, transmitted her thoughts.

"This is called being a gentleman," Xu Xiaoshou also transmitted without turning his head. "A gentleman doesn't stand beneath a crumbling wall. We need to know something, right? This Void Servant looks strong-limbed but very intelligent; maybe we can coax some information out of it."

Lei Xier: "..."

"Received Concern, Passive Points, +1." Just then, the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale suddenly began to beat violently. "Thump-thump! Thump-thump!" "Received Fright, Passive Points, +1." Xu Xiaoshou was startled, then saw the Void Servant stop addressing him. Instead, it turned its head and looked towards Lei Xier.

"Sinner Number 152384, I am now issuing another mission…"

Oh no! Xu Xiaoshou panicked instantly. Surely it wasn't going to assign Lei Xier a mission to eliminate him, was it? "Wait!" He abruptly jumped up to stop it. After regaining the Void Servant's attention, he declared solemnly, "Lord Void Servant, where is this invader you speak of? I want to deal with it right now!"

Lei Xier: "..."Void Servant: "..."

Without further words, the Void Servant, having reached its limit of impatience, shifted its foot. From the cracked ground beneath, a corpse-like figure emerged.

"I…" Shuang Dai, seeing the light of day once more, looked up at the sky with immense fury. He had been pulverized multiple times by the Void Servant along the way, surviving only by splitting his attributes. By now, the pain had become numb, no longer capable of eliciting any emotional change from Shuang Dai. However, just now, beneath the Void Servant's foot, listening to the conversation between Sinner Number 800802 and the Void Servant above, he was genuinely enraged.

"I've become a bargaining chip?" That sinner's ugly attempts to gain more and bargain more using him, perhaps the Void Servant, with its limited intelligence, couldn't discern, but how could Shuang Dai not understand? He widened his eyes, wanting to see what that scoundrel looked like. Upon seeing…

"Xu... Xiaoshou?" Although Xu Xiaoshou was far above, perched on the head of the towering white skeleton giant, how could Shuang Dai forget that face? On the Saint Spirit Continent, before he even obtained the Saint Relic Fruit, that face had been his sole hope. A junior Grandmaster, yet his head could be exchanged for canonization resources with Three Incense Sticks—a rarity in a millennium! "It's actually you!" Shuang Dai barely regained some mobility, immediately pulled out another pill to swallow, then split and rejoined, standing up. He looked behind him.

At this moment, after Xu Xiaoshou accepted the 'Void Mission,' the Void Servant no longer attacked him and seemed to have no intention of interfering with the battle between the two parties. It crossed its arms, retreated a considerable distance, and observed the battlefield with interest, like a warden bored for centuries who finally saw some activity in his own prison.

"Hope of life!" Some light returned to Shuang Dai's eyes. As long as the Void Servant didn't intervene, could a mere Grandmaster, no matter how formidable their methods, truly make him capsize in a small ditch?!

"It's actually you…" Perched atop Ember White Skeleton Ah Huo's head, Xu Xiaoshou looked down at the blood-soaked figure and was also greatly astonished. Shuang Dai, the gold-medal killer of Three Incense Sticks, who had wanted his head on the Saint Spirit Continent. Xu Xiaoshou had gained information about him by reading the soul memories of his slain assassin companions.

"Well, well, this Void Mission isn't even necessary now. If I'd known it was you, I would have gone straight up and attacked with a sword." Xu Xiaoshou shook his head and chuckled, immediately pulling out the Blazing Serpent and the Quadruple Sword.

"Who is he?" Lei Xier's divine demon eyes spun as she asked cautiously. This was a Grand Void cultivator; even in a weakened state, they should be difficult to kill.

"An enemy."

"Really kill him?"

"Must kill!" Xu Xiaoshou smiled.

He had searched for this Shuang Dai in the Deep Sea World but hadn't found him. Normally, if Shuang Dai were in his peak condition, Xu Xiaoshou might have turned around and left. But this guy had clearly been battered by the Void Servant to less than ten percent of his fighting strength. If Xu Xiaoshou still couldn't defeat him, wouldn't he be unworthy of the title Grandmaster Heavenly Phenomenon?

"Sinner Number 800802, Sinner Number 152384, execute the mission immediately!" Behind them, the colossal Void Servant, standing with crossed arms, had grown impatient and urged them on.

Hearing this, Shuang Dai remembered Xu Xiaoshou's bargaining just now. He abruptly turned his head and looked at the Void Servant. "Lord Void Servant, I am currently an invader, but if I kill this Void Island Sinner, would I be considered innocent, and would I qualify to join the ranks of Void Island Sinners?" While being hunted, Shuang Dai had never imagined that he could actually negotiate… But Xu Xiaoshou's appearance had undoubtedly brought him a ray of light. This was also an option! Shuang Dai knew that without the Void Servant's guarantee, even if he eliminated the two individuals before him, he would likely still perish at the Void Servant's hands in the end.

"Her, no." The Void Servant pondered for a long time, its gaze sweeping past Lei Xier before finally settling on Xu Xiaoshou. As if it hadn't spoken normally in a long time, it said haltingly, "Him, yes. If you kill him, you can replace his Sinner Number."

Xu Xiaoshou: ??? Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed, "Well, I'll be!" The Void Servant hadn't answered his many questions, yet it responded to Shuang Dai's single query, showing such blatant differential treatment. Xu Xiaoshou was utterly astounded. Was this for real? Where's the law of Void Island? You're running a dictatorship, aren't you! Lei Xier was equally dumbfounded. As expected, even the Void Servant couldn't stand Xu Xiaoshou's nagging, could it? Using an invader to eliminate a Void Island Sinner?

"Being a Void Island Sinner isn't that easy! You couldn't even get your name on the Void Suppressing Stele!" Xu Xiaoshou scoffed, looking at Shuang Dai. The Saint Spirit Continent was one thing, but now on Void Island, you still want to use my head to rise in rank? "Ah Bing, Ah Huo, get him!" Without giving Shuang Dai any more time, Xu Xiaoshou issued a direct command.

As soon as he spoke, he leaped down from Ah Huo's head, gripping his twin swords. Mid-leap, he also conveniently picked up the Void Suppressing Stele, which was still quacking "geese geese." He had exerted considerable effort to move it here. Void Suppressing Stele, Void Suppressing Stele… If it wasn't meant to suppress the Grand Void, its name would be meaningless!

"Lei Xier, find an opportunity to control him. Greed God, I'm entrusting you with this; immobilize him the moment you get a chance!" Xu Xiaoshou had no intention of fighting alone. He had two of the 'Three Ah' lineup, and he himself could form a three-control combination with Lei Xier and Greed God. Why wouldn't he team up to mercilessly beat a drowning dog? Engaging in some 'gentleman's battle' would simply be foolish.

"Meow!" Greed God appeared, and in its confusion, first flew towards its mistress.

"Whoosh!" The battle was on the verge of erupting. After a sword chime, a black sword light was the first to streak forward. As soon as he entered the fray, Xu Xiaoshou unleashed the Quadruple Sword. Even if Shuang Dai were in his peak condition, let alone his current weakened state, if he were struck by the Quadruple Sword, he'd likely be finished. Grandmaster… Xu Xiaoshou knew he was only a Grandmaster. However, the reason he dared to be so headstrong was that all his equipment and skills were designed for fighting above his level. Even if Yi was hard to kill, that person still died. You, Shuang Dai, can you be harder to kill than Yi?