Chapter 1055: Vest Dropped? Identity Exposed Xu Xiaoshou

"Criminal number 800820, you have been added to Void Island's Kill List for criminals. Death countdown: nine days. Please atone for your crimes!"

As Xu Xiaoshou emerged from his Yuan Mansion, wearing the face of Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi, his foot had barely touched the ground of Void Island when a sudden message flashed through his mind.

He was stunned.

Void Island's Kill List for criminals?

Only nine days left until death?

"Does this mean I'm wanted? All because of that small medicine garden?"

Xu Xiaoshou quickly understood why; this was the only major thing he had done on Void Island.

So...

"The heartbeat of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale isn't just from the Void Servant, but also from the will of Void Island?"

Xu Xiaoshou clenched the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale, feeling its steady heartbeat, realizing he had understood something new.

He suddenly felt a little nervous.

Since the Shennong Medicine Garden had already been moved, there was no point regretting it.

What he needed to consider now was whether the will of Void Island would directly eliminate him when the countdown ended, or if it would send executioners to carry out the sentence.

"If it's the former, can I only survive by hiding in the Yuan Mansion world beforehand, or by continuously maintaining my Disappearing Art?"

"If it's the latter, maybe... there's still a chance?"

Xu Xiaoshou narrowed his eyes in thought.

He hadn't panicked to the point of losing rationality upon receiving this message, purely because the heartbeat of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale hadn't accelerated.

This meant that the threat level of this message was less than that of "facing a Saint."

Likewise, it implied there were still many "opportunities for a turn of events," and it wasn't a death trap.

"Atonement?"

Pondering the message he had just received, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't think of any way to atone for his crimes.

Surely putting the Shennong Medicine Garden back wouldn't be enough, would it?

Firstly, he was reluctant to do so, and secondly, Xu Xiaoshou didn't believe that such an act would be considered "atonement." Instead, it seemed more like provoking the Void Servants, a path to death.

"Oh, right, there seems to be something else that can help me atone..."

Suddenly recalling how he had asked about the use of "Void Crystals" when facing a Void Servant, Xu Xiaoshou slapped his thigh, an idea striking him.

"A Death Immunity Token!"

The "Death Immunity Token" was a resource that could be exchanged at the Sinful Hall. According to the Void Servant, it seemed to grant one exemption from death, regardless of the severity of the crime committed on Void Island.

He just didn't know how many Void Crystals were needed to exchange for this "Death Immunity Token."

"Is this forcing me to make a trip to the Sinful Hall?"

"By the way, how else can Void Crystals be obtained apart from completing Void Servant missions?"

"Damn it, I should have caught an old, veteran spiritual refiner to ask. I still know too little about Void Island; I'm a bit flustered..."

Xu Xiaoshou felt a slight turmoil in his heart, mainly because he felt too ignorant.

Of course, he was a little scared.

But ever since his conversation with the water ghost beneath the deep sea, his mindset had already adjusted.

Perhaps before reaching the Grandmaster realm, spiritual refiners constantly needed to give up certain things to survive.

However, after Grandmaster, one approaches the Throne, and that involves a battle for the Great Dao!

A battle for the Great Dao inevitably involves bloodshed.

A single general's success is built upon ten thousand withered bones!

Without the mindset of risking his life for resources, he would likely soon be surpassed by others and become a "super resource" in the eyes of other fanatics.

Xu Xiaoshou had a good idea of how "fat" he was, in terms of value.

And this so-called "risking life for opportunity" was precisely one of the reasons he chose to clear out the Shennong Medicine Garden, even knowing the many risks he might face afterward.

I moved the medicine garden.

What would happen next, he didn't know, but he would adapt to whatever came, just like a general countering an enemy or water being contained by earth.

The heart of a strong individual should be just like this!

"Sinful Hall..."

As he paced forward, Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts remained on the death countdown.

It must be said, this truly put a lot of pressure on him.

"I don't even know where the Sinful Hall is right now, but I estimate it's no less dangerous than the Miracle Forest, perhaps even riskier, given its name..."

"Hmm, risk?"

His thoughts solidified, and Xu Xiaoshou stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Just then, his info panel popped up.

"Being watched, Passive Points: 2."

Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled, and his attention immediately focused entirely on his "Perception," yet he couldn't see any figures around him.

Someone's peeking at me?

From some unknown location?

Xu Xiaoshou felt as if facing a great enemy, his entire body tensing to the extreme, then he suddenly remembered he was currently wearing the face of Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi.

And based on his past experiences when "facing a Saint"...

"Mere ants, dare to spy?"

He relaxed completely, clasped his hands behind his back, gazed up at the sky, and chuckled softly, perfectly embodying a nonchalant, powerful figure, seemingly unconcerned by mortal gazes.

Faint saint power fluctuations emanated from around him.

With a rumble, the ground trembled for several miles around, ancient trees cracked, the earth shattered, and even space began to distort.

As expected, with such an outpouring of saint power, the tingling sensation on his scalp quickly vanished, meaning the peeker's cultivation level was likely not that of a Semi-Saint, and they had been scared away.

"Each and every one of them... old schemers!"

Xu Xiaoshou muttered inwardly, still unable to locate the enemy.

He had to admit that Void Island was truly a place where hidden masters lurked; even his "Perception" couldn't find all enemies, making every step fraught with danger.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble..."

Before he could continue his act, distant celestial phenomena followed one after another, accompanied by thunderous explosions. Then, as if the world were ending, half the sky shattered.

From the black fragmented spatial currents, massive giant footsteps emerged, not like those of the Void Servants, but rather like giants pieced together from stone.

Their numbers were truly terrifying!

A full three to four hundred stone giants stepped out of the void.

The smallest among them were as large as the Void Servant that guarded the Shennong Medicine Garden, while the largest even exceeded a thousand zhang!

"My heavens..."

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't even begun his "fishing enforcement," yet he was so scared he almost retreated back into his Yuan Mansion world.

He immediately concluded that these were definitely coming for him; they were the executioners of the death countdown in his mind!

"But don't I still have nine days?"

"Are they even going to give me a chance to atone for my crimes?!"

As he summoned the spatial passage to his Yuan Mansion world and placed half a foot into it, Xu Xiaoshou's remaining rationality told him to calm down; there should still be nine days, and the will of Void Island wouldn't lie.

Clenching the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale, its heartbeat hadn't sped up.

Either these hundreds of stone giants were mere cannon fodder, imposing in appearance but insignificant in combat power, or...

"These stone giants aren't here for me?"

He watched as the massive stone giants emerged from the void, scattering in different directions. Some even flew over his head without stopping to give him so much as a glance.

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded.

"No way, is there someone on Void Island crazier than me, who managed to provoke so many stone giants?"

"He didn't empty another medicine garden, did he?"

"Wait, emptying one medicine garden would only provoke one Void Servant. Who is that guy? He couldn't have even seized a Semi-Saint's position, could he?"

Xu Xiaoshou stared blankly as these stone giants frantically rushed into the Miracle Forest, then began a clearly desperate search for someone.

They roared and rampaged, looking as if someone had stolen even their underwear.

"My goodness..."

For the first time, Xu Xiaoshou felt he had been too conservative.

Indeed, everyone seemed to have gone mad after arriving on Void Island.

To provoke hundreds of stone giants for resources, he couldn't imagine what outrageous deed that instigator had committed!

Compared to that, he seemed incredibly weak, didn't he?

He had only provoked one Void Servant and became timid and hesitant; how could he achieve anything great?

"No, I can't be reckless. I have my own code of conduct. How can I compare myself to others in terms of destruction? This isn't a good thing; it'll set a bad example for children."

Xu Xiaoshou patted his chest, deciding that since these weren't targeting him, he would ignore them.

Anyway, the more chaotic, the better. His original intention before moving the medicine garden was that the more chaotic the Miracle Forest became, the more opportunities he would have to profit.

Wasn't this situation exactly what he wanted?

"It's time to find the Void Servant."

"How come I've been out here for so long, and it hasn't come looking for me?"

"This is way too weak. I really don't know how this guy managed to guard the Shennong Medicine Garden for so long..."

Xu Xiaoshou frowned, feeling that the Void Servant's reaction was a bit too slow.

Could it be that he only disappeared for a day, and it provoked some powerful figures and got wiped out?

"No, that can't be... that can't be..."

"The Void Servant should still be quite invincible."

Thinking this, Xu Xiaoshou decided to first retrieve the Void-Suppressing Tablet.

Before stealing the herbs, he had thrown the Void-Suppressing Tablet not far outside the Shennong Medicine Garden.

Now, wearing Jiang Buyi's face, he was already planning to find the Void Servant, and in that case, it would definitely be easier to encounter it by returning to its 'home' territory.

Conveniently, the Void-Suppressing Tablet was right there. He would retrieve it as a precaution.

"A full service of framing and shifting blame. I hope the Void Servant's mind is still not very bright, so it can seriously remember 'Jiang Buyi's' face. If it can't find me in the future, it can just relentlessly pursue him."

Xu Xiaoshou became excited, accelerating his pace as he headed towards the original location of the Shennong Medicine Garden.

"Quack, quack, quack..."

In the ruins, broken stones and scattered wood lay everywhere. A stone tablet, seemingly unchanging for eternity and only capable of making "quack, quack" sounds, stood silently.

"No one here?" As mist and smoke dissipated, Xu Xiaoshou, in the guise of Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi, stepped out of the space and murmured softly.

He had never obtained Jiang Buyi's blood, nor had he seen Jiang Buyi attack, so naturally, he couldn't use the Imitator to copy his moves.

Therefore, merely by recalling the cloud-mist transformation technique Jiang Buyi had used to pursue him under the deep sea, and combining it with his own full-attribute abilities, he managed to slightly simulate a bit of the cloud attribute.

It was merely a superficial trick, without any offensive power.

But he figured the Void Servant would probably fall for it, since its mind wasn't very sharp, right?

Arriving before the Void-Suppressing Tablet, this spot was very close to the Shennong Medicine Garden's main base, and the heartbeat of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale was beginning to accelerate.

He presumed the Void Servant had gone out looking for him and might now be sensing the aura of the spirit herbs, searching for them, and returning.

"Why is there so much black liquid?"

Crouching before the continuously "quacking" Void-Suppressing Tablet, Xu Xiaoshou reached out and touched a sticky black liquid.

His "Transformation" ability wasn't triggered, indicating that this wasn't the Void Servant suddenly getting smart and poisoning his Void-Suppressing Tablet.

"A bit... bloody?"

His nose twitched, and Xu Xiaoshou felt that the black liquid resembled blood, his brow unconsciously furrowing.

Whose blood is black?

He had seen golden blood, but that was from a Saint.

This black color was truly strange. Could it be that some non-human entities had battled here, shedding heads and spilling hot blood?

—It must be said, the mess around truly looked like the aftermath of a great battle.

"Thump-thump!"

"Thump-thump!"

The heartbeat of the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale continued to accelerate, and Xu Xiaoshou also grew nervous.

However, he maintained a careful control, never allowing the Saint Emperor Dragon Scale's heartbeat to exceed the frequency it had when "facing a Saint." Should such a sign appear, he would prioritize vanishing, then retreat into his Yuan Mansion.

"The Void Servant is coming?"

Xu Xiaoshou's lips curved into a smirk, feeling as though he had waited half the day, and the big fish was finally about to take the bait.

He no longer held the Void-Suppressing Tablet.

This didn't suit Jiang Buyi's identity, so he might as well just wait here.

"Whoosh!"

Not long after, a faint whooshing sound came from behind him.

Xu Xiaoshou's expression remained serene as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, leisurely stroking his beard.

"They're here?"

A black shadow behind him vanished from his "Perception," revealing a humanoid figure within.

Dressed in Cang Divine Armor, with an eye as sharp as an eagle's, towering like a giant, and exuding an overwhelming aura—it was Teng Shanhai!

Why you... Xu Xiaoshou genuinely hadn't expected that the first visitor he'd waited for here wouldn't be the Void Servant, but the War Department Chief, Teng Shanhai, with whom he'd had a brief battle before!

Xu Xiaoshou didn't move, still facing away from the other person, maintaining an inscrutable demeanor without even turning his head.

However, a single sentence from Teng Shanhai broke his composure.

He stared blankly at the white-haired, bearded elder in front, feeling the faint saint power emanating from him, and uttered in disbelief:

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Received Fear, Passive Points: 1."

"Received Doubt, Passive Points: 1."

"Received Affirmation, Passive Points: 1."

The info panel flashed rapidly.

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

Are you crazy?

You one-eyed bastard, which eye did you use to see that I'm Xu Xiaoshou?

I'm Jiang Buyi!

Jiang Buyi, Semi-Saint of the Puxuan Jiang Clan from the Northern Region!

For a moment, Xu Xiaoshou even wondered if he had made a mistake somewhere. He used his "Perception" to examine himself, thinking perhaps he had forgotten to hide his four signature swords.

But to no avail.

From his appearance, from the inference of his saint power...

His current form was indeed that of Semi-Saint Jiang Buyi, the kind even Jiang Xian would have to acknowledge as his great-grandfather!

So why did Teng Shanhai blurt out his true name immediately?

"Young man..."

Although Xu Xiaoshou's heart was raging with tumultuous waves, his expression remained as calm as an ancient well. He turned around with composed indifference and spoke with slight confusion, "If this Saint remembers correctly, you're the young man from the Holy Divine Palace, Teng Shanhai?"

"Jiang..."

Teng Shanhai clearly saw the face, his expression tightened, pupils constricted sharply, and he abruptly bowed his head: "Junior, greetings to Semi-Saint Jiang!"

"Phew."

Xu Xiaoshou breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

Damn it, you scared me to death! So, it turns out you, Teng Shanhai, were just terrified by the "Ever-Changing Xu Xiaoshou," and didn't actually recognize my true self?

However, before he could continue his bluff, the bowing Teng Shanhai suddenly straightened up, his single eye filled with ferocity and madness.

He swiftly pulled out a bottle of Saint's blood from his spatial ring, poured it out, and swallowed it. At the same time, he assumed a horse stance, and a domain generated around him, blocking all retreat paths for the person opposite him.

These actions were performed in one smooth motion, as if practiced countless times in his mind.

Feeling his aura surge explosively...

Saint-level power rapidly rose in his Qi Sea...

Teng Shanhai finally let out a sinister laugh, his eye narrowing, and an overwhelming wave of killing intent immediately pressed down.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

"Hahahaha, keep up your charade, Xu Xiaoshou!"

"If I don't take you down this time, I won't be called Teng!"