Chapter 1064: I am as high as the sky

Chapter 1046

"Rumble..."

One stone giant's foot after another stomped down from the sky.

Xiao Kongdong and Ye Xiaotian flashed again, first with a spatial teleportation, then a spacetime leap, moving to a temporarily safe spot.

"Gasp, gasp, gasp..."

Xiao Kongdong was gasping uncontrollably. It had been years since he had used the first realm of Illusory Sword Art with such high frequency, and yet, it wasn't even for fighting, but merely for escaping... Shameful! He was thoroughly disgracing his master! If only he had known, he should have transformed into his true appearance before meeting Ye Xiaotian!

"Can you even do this? It's been so long, and you still haven't found anyone?" Xiao Kongdong looked at Ye Xiaotian, who appeared calm and composed, feeling both envious and irritated. Does this peeping maniac have any technical skill? After running for so long, and with repeated peeping through the spatial mirrors, he still hadn't found anyone.

"You've asked that question at least eight hundred times!" Ye Xiaotian wasn't known for his good temper either; being questioned repeatedly, he flared up in anger: "At least I'm still trying to find someone; what about you? What have you done? You were the one who attracted the stone giants, and Xu Xiaoshou has already left Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace and joined your Holy Slaves. Don't you have any way to locate him? Do you rely entirely on me to find him?"

Xiao Kongdong was choked speechless, then exploded in rage: "What's wrong with you finding someone? What's wrong with a spatial affinity user doing more work? I even gave you a demi-saint's position; all I asked was for you to find someone, and now you're unhappy?"

Ye Xiaotian: ??? Did I agree to take that demi-saint's position? You clearly forced it on me!

"Then take it back!" Ye Xiaotian pulled out the crystal gem and slapped it onto the person in front of him, "I'm not playing along anymore. Clean up your own mess!" With that, the spatial profundity swirled around his feet, and he was about to disappear.

"Stop!" Xiao Kongdong, holding the crystal gem, paused in surprise. His drowsy eyes narrowed, and tens of thousands of golden light swords descended from the sky. "Boom!" Space solidified. Ye Xiaotian's knees buckled; he almost buckled under the pressure, quickly flashing back to retreat. Myriad Sword Art, Absolute Imperial Rule... His eyes narrowed, and his voice was heavy: "What? You want to attack me?"

Xiao Kongdong held the crystal gem, his expression solemn, and walked step by step toward Ye Xiaotian. Just as the latter's guard was at its peak... He reached out and patted the crystal gem back.

"Huh?" Ye Xiaotian was somewhat stunned to receive the demi-saint's position again.

"There's no reason to take back something I've given away," Xiao Kongdong said with a subtle wince, his tone indifferent.

Are you crazy?! Ye Xiaotian almost cursed out loud what he was thinking. But the abilities of the person before him were undoubtedly those of one of the most powerful swordsmen he had ever seen. Spacetime leaps, used to escape as if they cost nothing, and readily available Absolute Imperial Rule to stabilize space... Despite continuous desperate escapes, his condition was utterly exhausted, yet only two of his nine great sword arts were revealed, and both were at the first realm! Was it terrifying? Extremely terrifying!

"What exactly do you want?" Ye Xiaotian truly couldn't figure out this guy's intentions. He wasn't even attached to the demi-saint's position? Was he faking it, or was he just faking it?

"I didn't expect you genuinely wouldn't covet a demi-saint's position..." Xiao Kongdong sighed deeply, his thoughts at this moment surprisingly aligning with Ye Xiaotian's. "This is a true 'Foundation for Sainthood.' For a spiritual refiner, the trouble of three or four hundred stone giants is something they'd fight tooth and nail to preserve."

"Heh, I'm just afraid I'd get it but not live to enjoy it." Ye Xiaotian sneered; he was one of the Four Sons of the Holy Palace, why would he care for such a thing? "Strictly speaking, among those who've defected from the Holy Palace, there's only your Holy Slave Sleeveless. I merely came down the mountain to travel and search for someone; outwardly, I still retain my Holy Palace affiliation." Ye Xiaotian paused, then proudly clasped his hands behind his back, "And as long as the spatial profundity of the Grand Void realm returns to Four Mausoleum Mountain, even if I truly had defected from the Holy Palace before, do you think Four Mausoleum Mountain wouldn't tolerate me?"

Xiao Kongdong: "..." You truly have a vast and powerful background! So, to make it in the world, one still has to rely on their background?

"But demi-saint positions are scarce, aren't they?" Xiao Kongdong decided not to dwell on this, returning to the main topic, asking seriously, "All I want to know now is, where is Xu Xiaoshou?"

Ye Xiaotian furrowed his brow, then relaxed it, remaining silent for a long moment.

"You already know the answer, otherwise you wouldn't want to leave," Xiao Kongdong sneered. "Ye Xiaotian, so you're this cold-blooded!"

"Alas..." Ye Xiaotian sighed heavily, retracting all spatial mirrors. "I've almost scanned the entire Forest of Miracles; Xu Xiaoshou isn't here."

"He's right here!" Xiao Kongdong was absolutely certain. The sword intent he had left on Xu Xiaoshou had recently appeared within the Forest of Miracles.

"Yes, that's where the problem lies, that one place I didn't dare to look..." Ye Xiaotian turned his gaze, looking into the distance. That direction was precisely where saint power fluctuations had repeatedly erupted when they were desperately fleeing from the stone giants.

"Twins... demi-saints?" Xiao Kongdong's face also darkened. "Indeed, is this the only place left?" During this whole chase, they had been pursued by the stone giants, circling through the Forest of Miracles, deliberately avoiding the areas where demi-saint auras had erupted. They hadn't expected that after all the detours, the only remaining destination was truly that place!

"Old Man Sang is my only close friend; Xu Xiaoshou can only be considered a junior. My connection with him is entirely due to Sang Qiye..." Ye Xiaotian gazed thoughtfully into the distance, murmuring, "Placing all hope on Xu Xiaoshou, who knows how long it will take for him to grow? It would be better to wait until I reach the Grand Void realm and rescue him myself."

Xiao Kongdong didn't look back; the more he looked at the distant location, the more his heart tensed. Of course, he understood how powerful a Grand Void realm master who achieved it through spatial profundity would be. Once a method was found, they could likely go anywhere in the vast world. So Ye Xiaotian's choice was understandable. However...

"That can't hide the fact that you're afraid," Xiao Kongdong's gaze shifted.

"Those are demi-saints! Not Grand Void cultivators who consumed saint blood, nor the fakes Xu Xiaoshou impersonated!" Ye Xiaotian roared. "You can joke with your life, but what have I endured years of bitter cultivation for?"

Xiao Kongdong chuckled. "For 'not daring'? For 'barely surviving'?"

Ye Xiaotian froze, then his anger surged, spiritual energy of space gathered, and he was about to make a move.

"This is the difference between you and Sang Qiye..." Xiao Kongdong remained unmoved. A single sentence made Ye Xiaotian abruptly stop. "He could part ways with me because our paths diverged, spending decades focused solely on his own affairs. And you? Hiding in a small Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace for so many years, I fear your spirit has been worn away. Ye Xiaotian, think carefully!"

Xiao Kongdong turned around and spoke earnestly, "How old is Yu Lingdi, and he has already grasped the profundity of water. With your talent, you should have reached this stage long ago! If you're still complacent about this breakthrough that came decades late, perhaps your future path will end here. How can you even speak of the Grand Void realm? Comfort does not lead to progress. Retreating from the current, or seeking to preserve oneself, likewise cannot allow any genius to achieve sainthood!"

Ye Xiaotian's body trembled, and his pupils contracted. He had heard these words before... Every time Old Sang returned from his travels, he would share drinks and enjoy lively conversation with them in the thatched hut. And each time, what he said most often was none other than... "The Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace is a cage. A caged bird that cannot see the outside sky will become complacent with its current comfortable situation. But to achieve a greater breakthrough, if this cage isn't broken... a sparrow will always remain a sparrow, and a swan will always be a swan." In his memory, on that night at Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace, after his arm was severed by Ba Zun'an, Old Man Sang's last words to him were also similar. "Ye Xiaotian, be more decisive in the future. When it's time to cut ties, cut them. How many times have I told you this!"

That's right! I was once one of the Four Sons of the Holy Palace. When did I develop such a timid, submissive mindset? It's like advice from close relatives, a person's natural reaction is to let it go in one ear and out the other. But the concern of a complete stranger can warm one's heart. Ye Xiaotian felt as if enlightened, finally realizing that Old Sang had recognized the source of his problems many years ago and had advised him repeatedly. Yet, he himself had always remained ignorant! Was it that he didn't realize? No, it was that he didn't dare! He didn't dare to break through that barrier, didn't dare to see the sky outside again, content to be a frog in a well, guarding his small corner of pure land!

"Heh..." Ye Xiaotian shook his head and suddenly smiled. He finally understood why that last step that had trapped him had inexplicably broken after merely observing a battle in the Eight Palaces. He should have broken through long ago! But it was because he had imprisoned himself in a cage for so many years that he had wasted so much time. Why could Yu Lingdi grasp the profundity of water around twenty years old? Because he was constantly fighting! And he, noble as one of the Four Sons of the Holy Palace, had delayed his path of spiritual refining for so long due to so-called "cowardice." Even now, having mastered spatial profundity, after being utterly crushed by Huang Quan the first time he acted, he had unknowingly retreated and sealed himself off in fear again. Yes! He was "afraid"! What this guy said was spot on, right to the point! Ye Xiaotian was terrified of Ba Zun'an, and extremely afraid of Huang Quan. He had only acted twice in all these years, and both times he was beaten into seclusion, terrified to the extreme!

Gazing at the saint power fluctuations in the distance, Ye Xiaotian's mind rippled, and the principles of the Great Dao manifested around him. Faintly, wind and thunder gathered above the nine heavens, about to transform into tribulation clouds.

Xiao Kongdong looked up: ??? What's going on? What happened to you?!

Ye Xiaotian also looked up, gazing at the tribulation clouds in the nine heavens, forcibly suppressing the impulse. His gaze became firm, returning to the person who had awakened him with a single phrase, and his tone became filled with emotion: "I have to say, you not only put on a convincing act, but you're also strong, and when you talk, you've got a way with words. You really have something."

You kid? Xiao Kongdong's eyelid twitched, and he coldly snorted, "Ye Xiaotian, watch your tone!"

"You're not Ba Zun'an, are you!" Ye Xiaotian smiled, not even asking a question.

"Oh?" Xiao Kongdong's heart tightened.

"If you were truly Ba Zun'an, with your garbage positioning methods, Xu Xiaoshou would probably have died countless times over, unable to receive your support even before his death." Ye Xiaotian's eyes were filled with amusement. "And considering how far you'd go to protect Ba Zun'an, and your level of strength, you're no longer just a fanatic worshiper of the so-called Eighth Sword Immortal. In this world, only a handful of people can go to such lengths for Ba Zun'an and master so many first realms of the Nine Great Sword Arts. Sword Immortal Wen is one, a friend of Ba Zun'an, but not to the point of risking his life like this. Therefore, your identity is self-evident..." Ye Xiaotian paused, absolutely certain, speaking each word slowly and emphatically: "Senior Brother of San Yue Immortal City—Xiao, Kong, Dong!"

The slight mocking smile that had just begun to form on Xiao Kongdong's face immediately froze. He felt as if the person before him had changed souls, suddenly becoming... a little terrifying! "How did you..."

"Stop pretending. There really aren't many ancient sword cultivators who can reach this level, and it's not like I haven't seen the world," Ye Xiaotian interrupted.

Xiao Kongdong sighed heavily, no longer feigning. He bowed slightly and respectfully said, "Xiao Kongdong of San Yue Immortal City greets Senior." He had to admit, he was born half an era too late. This white-haired Daoist boy in front of him was a friend of Sang Qiye, and Sang Qiye was a friend of his master. By extension, this indeed made him his senior. In Xiao Kongdong's mind, respecting teachers and valuing the Dao always came first.

"Not bad," Ye Xiaotian said, his lips curling upwards. "You have some upbringing, and your tone of voice is quite respectful."

"..." Xiao Kongdong felt a pang in his liver. How had their roles suddenly reversed, and now it was his turn to serve someone else?

"Enough, Senior. No matter how much more Xu Xiaoshou can endure, he won't last much longer. Let's hurry over there." Xiao Kongdong didn't want to dwell on this topic.

Ye Xiaotian also stopped smiling, his expression turning serious. He floated in the void, slowly moving forward, and said softly, "I can go with you to face the saints, but let me be clear beforehand, I'm not strong right now. I can't fight a demi-saint."

"Heh," Xiao Kongdong unconsciously puffed out his chest, "No problem, I am..."

"You are not the Eighth Sword Immortal, nor do you possess Ba Zun'an's abilities!" Ye Xiaotian sharply interrupted. "You might fool others, but demi-saints aren't as simple as you think." Ye Xiaotian turned his head, his expression incredibly grave. "Since you're not Ba Zun'an, you probably haven't met many demi-saints in your life, because in situations requiring confrontation with demi-saints, your master wouldn't let you act."

Xiao Kongdong wanted to speak but hesitated; what was said was true.

"I'm different..." A deep wariness appeared in Ye Xiaotian's eyes as he spoke to himself, "The demi-saints in my memory could crush both you and me with a single finger!"

Xiao Kongdong's lips parted again, but he found himself unable to retort.

"We have to try." The mission given by his master was to protect Xu Xiaoshou; he couldn't just ignore it.

"We should try, but not as recklessly as you. We need to plan first..." Ye Xiaotian paused, then slightly lowered himself, making himself half a head shorter than the person in front of him, then spread his hands, saying nonchalantly: "Let me state upfront, I can't even fight Huang Quan, and I can't withstand a single blow from a demi-saint, so..."

"You, how tall are you exactly?"

"Me?" Xiao Kongdong was slightly startled, then took a slight breath, puffed out his chest, and declared, "As tall as the heavens!"

"Oh? You're that tall?" Ye Xiaotian was skeptical. The strongest standard below a demi-saint was defined by Ba Zun'an—"A foot taller than the sky, Ba Zun'an; who dares to claim half a Qingju?" Xiao Kongdong was strong, but compared to the truly renowned seniors across the five domains, he wasn't completely unknown, but perhaps only counted as a regional powerhouse? Where did he get the confidence to claim to be as tall as the heavens, only a head shorter than Ba Zun'an?

"Just that tall!" Xiao Kongdong asserted definitively.

"That tall, how long can you last against a demi-saint?" Ye Xiaotian raised an eyebrow.

"Ten breaths!"