Chapter 1147: Lord of the Void Island, Gate of the Next Dimension

“Free Death Order... Void Crystal...”

The giant statue's intermittent voice emerged, and Xu Xiaoshou's face froze stiff.

All together, I only have thirty-five Void Crystals on me!

Damn it, after all my calculations, I never imagined that not having enough money was even a possibility!

Xu Xiaoshou had already made up his mind to buy the Free Death Order, lift the death countdown, and then slip into the shadows. First, he'd find his junior sister, and then together, they'd escape the heart of this dangerous vortex.

But who would have thought...

“Can I buy on credit?”

Xu Xiaoshou looked up, clinging to a last glimmer of hope.

“Like, you give me the Free Death Order first, I hand over part of the Void Crystals now, and pay the rest later?”

Clink, clank—he presented a heap of Void Crystals, full of sincerity.

If the quantity falls short, make up for it with sincerity.

The giant statue said nothing, not even bothering to count the batch of Void Crystals.

The last person who tried to buy on credit had gone off to pull off some major feat for just two Void Crystals. There's no way it would break its principles and make an exception.

Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened as he considered the possibility of seizing it by force.

Gu Qingyi glanced at the pile of black hexagonal crystals in Chen brother's hand and stayed silent. He had never seen such things before, so even if he wanted to, he couldn't help out.

On the other hand, Gu Qing'er eyed that pile of Void Crystals and fell into thought.

“Chen brother, you don't have enough?”

Xu Xiaoshou turned back with a vacant gaze. Isn't that obvious? If I had enough, would I be standing here spacing out?

“I have some!”

Gu Qing'er slapped his thigh and pulled out black hexagonal crystals from his ring. Comparing them to the ones in Chen brother's hand...

Hey! What a coincidence—they're identical!

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned, then overjoyed.

“How many do you have?”

“How many do you need?”

“Hmm? Your tone... Uh, I'm short fifteen, do you have fifteen?”

“I think I have quite a few. I don't even know what they're for. Whatever, I'll just give them all to you!”

Gu Qing'er waved his hand grandly, and a batch of Void Crystals flew out from his spatial ring.

Xu Xiaoshou counted them.

Good heavens.

You're even richer than I am!

Exactly seventy Void Crystals!

This was a matter of life and death, so Xu Xiaoshou wasn't polite. He thanked him and pulled all seventy over.

Adding his own, that made one hundred and five Void Crystals—enough for two Free Death Orders.

One for himself, one for his teacher.

As for Xiao Kongdong... Well, there's nothing I can do; he'll have to fend for himself.

He set aside fifteen Void Crystals to add to his pile, then, holding this fortune, he prepared to exchange for one Free Death Order first.

Soon, though, he thought of something and paused.

“Wait, how did you end up with so many Void Crystals?”

This question stumped Gu Qing'er. He furrowed his brow, tilted his head, and pondered.

After fumbling around in his mind for a while, Gu Qing'er still couldn't come up with an answer. It was as if he'd been born with this wealth, knowing it was called Void Crystals, and that it had always been in his spatial ring.

“You're right, Chen brother—that's a good point. How do I have Void Crystals?”

Gu Qingyi's eyes narrowed at the words, sensing something off. “Chen brother, how does one obtain Void Crystals?”

“Either by completing tasks from the Void Attendants—one or two at a time—or by killing...”

Xu Xiaoshou trailed off, glancing at the indifferent giant statue, then continued, “...killing Void Attendants and taking them by force!”

“My junior brother can at most hold off a Void Attendant; he couldn't kill one.” Gu Qingyi was absolutely certain.

“Then he must have completed around thirty-five tasks...”

Xu Xiaoshou's mouth was running ahead, but his brain finally caught up.

That time I took a task from the Void Attendant, it was because Lei Xi'er was nearby, so the reward was two Void Crystals.

Under normal circumstances, a task might only give one Void Crystal.

So, does that mean Gu Qing'er got to Void Island, didn't do anything else, just took tasks and killed Taixu?

In just a few days, he killed a full seventy Taixu!

—What the hell, that's absurd!

Gu Qingyi was thinking the same thing.

He sized up his junior brother from head to toe but found nothing unusual. “Try to recall where your Void Crystals came from.”

Gu Qing'er hemmed and hawed, unable to give an answer.

Xu Xiaoshou could tell he wasn't hiding it—he genuinely didn't know.

A figure suddenly flashed in his mind, and Xu Xiaoshou felt that was the only explanation.

Tianren Wushuai's strength at the Five Decays stage could definitely kill Void Attendants, so after killing them, he plundered the Void Crystals and left some on Gu Qing'er?

But that doesn't make sense!

Tianren Wushuai was purely using Gu Qing'er, pushing him to the brink of death.

In that case, why would he give Gu Qing'er Void Crystals—seventy of them, no less!

Is it because... you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket?

With Tianren Wushuai's power, if his side's basket broke, it meant he had encountered a peak Semi-Saint and died.

Of course, he wouldn't get the Void Crystals from Gu Qing'er's side then, so it still doesn't add up!

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled.

Gu Qing'er was getting scared, clutching his head with a troubled and pained expression as he tried to recall. “Senior brother, I think I've forgotten some things...”

“You have indeed forgotten some things.”

Before Gu Qingyi could speak, Xu Xiaoshou said seriously:

“When I saved you, you were in the hands of Tianren Wushuai, a member of the Cabinet King.”

“He had you under his control, and as soon as you woke up, you tried to attack me. But you were in a Taixu state then, so I knocked you out easily.”

“Based on that, the Void Crystals were probably left by Tianren Wushuai—I just don't know why.”

Gu Qingyi pondered this thoughtfully.

Yan Wang?

Chen Shu, who drove him off?

What happened after that is worth thinking about...

But right now, he wasn't going to dwell on these minor details.

“If you can't remember, don't force it.”

Gu Qingyi patted his junior brother's shoulder, signaling him not to torment himself.

“I don't know, I don't know...”

Gu Qing'er looked utterly pained, unable to accept that a segment of his memory was missing.

He was so strong, yet he hadn't even crushed his senior brother or trampled his master, and here he was, controlled by some enemy and losing his senses?

Xu Xiaoshou felt a bit sorry for him and hesitated to speak.

He sensed that Tianren Wushuai had been somewhat kind to him, but he didn't believe in kindness without reason—it was probably some special manipulation he hadn't figured out yet.

So, after scanning Zhenhuang Hall and still not detecting any “gaze” or the like, he spoke up:

“It's not that you're weak; it's because you faced Tianren Wushuai.”

“Tianren Wushuai is one of the Five Absolute Bodies, the Body of Decay. He also obtained the San Yan Pupils from the Lei family's eyes, giving him the power to manipulate minds, plus the protection of Yan Wang Huangquan's space-time forces.”

“It's normal that you couldn't beat him.”

Gu Qingyi's heart tightened as he heard this, gripping his junior brother's shoulder.

He understood what Chen Shu was saying.

If his junior brother couldn't beat Tianren Wushuai, that was completely normal.

But then, what level are you, Chen Shu, to save my junior brother from Tianren Wushuai's grasp?

“Passive value, +1 from vigilance.”

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled lightly, meeting Gu Qingyi's gaze directly, knowing what he was thinking: Saving people? There's an ulterior motive!

“I saved him without any reason—you can see it as me having hidden intentions, but I don't even know why myself. Midway through fighting Tianren Wushuai, he just ran off. His strength was far superior to mine.”

Seeing Chen Shu's honesty, Gu Qingyi felt a bit ashamed.

Chen brother didn't have to say all this; he and the entire Zangjian Tomb would still owe him a favor.

But he said it anyway, knowing it might invite suspicion, yet he did it regardless.

“Chen brother is straightforward.”

Gu Qingyi thought to himself, then stood up, holding his sword and bowing deeply. “It was my petty mindset!”

“It's fine. I don't understand it myself, so I can't explain the full story. It's normal for you to have doubts.”

Xu Xiaoshou waved it off, unconcerned. “I also believe that if Gu brother encountered injustice on the road, and the victim was an ancient sword cultivator, you'd lend a hand too.”

After saying this, Xu Xiaoshou felt a twinge of guilt.

When he first recognized Gu Qing'er, his initial instinct was indeed to save him.

But realizing he couldn't beat Tianren Wushuai, his second move was to run.

If Tianren Wushuai had tried to kill Gu Qing'er then, he wouldn't have risked his own life to save him.

Xu Xiaoshou knew he wasn't a gentleman; he only did what he could.

Throughout his journey, the only time he lost control was when his junior sister was targeted by the other. Everything else was planned.

Gu Qing'er wasn't his junior sister, so Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't risk his life for him.

“For the life-saving grace, thank you, Chen brother.”

Gu Qing'er had recovered by now and spoke earnestly in gratitude.

He originally thought Chen Shu had found him after a battle with Void Attendants, when he was exhausted, and taken care of him. He never expected there was more to it, including figures like Tianren Wushuai.

That life-saving grace was completely different from what he thought!

“You've already thanked me.”

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, pointing to the Void Crystals. “Tianren Wushuai has the power of decay; keeping these on you might not be good. I have a use for them, so I won't stand on ceremony.”

“Chen brother, go ahead.”

Xu Xiaoshou nodded, no longer dwelling on it, and presented fifty Void Crystals.

“I want to exchange for one Free Death Order.”

The giant statue emotionlessly witnessed the flow of these ill-gotten gains but said nothing, opening its mouth to swallow the Void Crystals in a beam of holy light.

Then, it spat out a black token.

The token was ancient and plain, etched with patterns that Xu Xiaoshou couldn't understand. As he tried to interpret them with his “Textile Mastery” perspective, the Shengdi Dragon Scales in his body thumped wildly, and he felt unwell, so he stopped.

“It's some power I can't touch right now. Not deciphering it might be for the best—if I did, I'd be in danger?”

Xu Xiaoshou set aside his curiosity and examined the token's exterior.

It was entirely black; beneath the mysterious engravings, spiritual light flickered, revealing a “death” character crossed out by a diagonal line, signifying “free death”?

“How do I use it?”

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the statue.

“Affix to... the forehead... it will... automatically... remove... the death... countdown...”

Gu Qingyi and Gu Qing'er watched Chen brother curiously as he affixed the token worth fifty Void Crystals to his forehead.

Death countdown?

Is that why Chen brother said he only had less than four days left to live?

What did he do to get a death countdown? Why don't I have one?

Gu Qing'er's eyes were full of curiosity.

His troubles had been cured by his senior brother's words: “Tianren Wushuai might not be weaker than our master.”

Now, he just wanted to ask about that “death countdown.”

Gu Qingyi reached out and covered his mouth.

It's the privacy of someone who saved your life; if he doesn't want to say, you shouldn't dig.

Buzz.

A mental shock.

Xu Xiaoshou felt something happen and could clearly see with his “Perception” that the Free Death Order turned into a beam of spiritual light, injecting into his brow and erasing the death countdown in his mind.

In that moment,

The sky was clear, the universe bright.

Zhenhuang Hall seemed to brighten a bit, and Xu Xiaoshou's eyes gained more light. He even felt the air was fresher—though nothing around had changed!

“It's over.”

The heavy stone in his heart finally lifted, and Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed.

This meant that emptying the Shennong Medicine Garden was now in the past; he wouldn't face heavenly punishment anymore.

So, the Shennong Medicine Garden is only worth fifty Void Crystals?

Why didn't everyone do this kind of good deed before?

After a while, Xu Xiaoshou suppressed his joy and started to doubt.

The death countdown was just a countdown; nothing happened in between.

The Free Death Order was just a token; after buying and using it, it vanished, as if nothing had ever existed.

Could all of this be fake—just a way for Void Island to recycle Void Crystals?

Xu Xiaoshou thought so, but he didn't dare bet his life on it to verify.

He still had fifty-five Void Crystals and had no intention of returning them to Gu Qing'er.

He couldn't figure out Tianren Wushuai; leaving these on Gu Qing'er would definitely do more harm than good and might even bring disaster.

Better to use them up.

“I wonder if Mr. Yiren and Xiao Kongdong have gotten their Free Death Orders...”

Xu Xiaoshou pondered, thinking that even if he bought another one, he might not find those two to give it to.

Maybe they're strong enough to have already handled their death countdowns; buying one might just waste it.

“What else can I exchange for here?”

Xu Xiaoshou turned to the giant statue.

After a long pause, the statue responded.

“Zhenhuang Rankings...”

As soon as it spoke, a golden light ranking descended before the statue.

The list displayed over a hundred items exchangeable with Void Crystals in Zhenhuang Hall. Some were lit up, others dim and gray.

Xu Xiaoshou first noticed the “Free Death Order,” which was as tall as he was and centered on the list.

“Free Death Order, Void Crystals: 50.”

Above it was something similar.

“Free Exile Order, Void Crystals: 50.”

Both for fifty?

He scanned downward.

At the bottom of the list, starting from one Void Crystal, with two or three being common, there were many small items.

“Remove shackles from feet, Void Crystals: 1.”

“Remove shackles from hands, Void Crystals: 1.”

“Remove all body restraints, Void Crystals: 10.”

These were clearly designed for Void Island's criminals.

From this, it was clear that the sinners living on Void Island were like prisoners in shackles—feet cuffed, hands cuffed, and other restraints.

Suddenly, Xu Xiaoshou thought of the ragged saint he had seen in the White Cavern, who seemed to have handcuffs and shackles...

He shook his head, not dwelling on it.

Xu Xiaoshou looked up, scanning the top of the Zhenhuang Rankings, straight to the first.

“Subsurface Gate, Void Crystals: 10,000.”

Ten thousand?!

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes bulged. How could anyone get that?

Find ten thousand invaders on Void Island, all at Taixu level, then complete tasks or kill them one by one?

Or just kill Void Attendants and rob them?

But killing too many Void Attendants would probably violate the rules and attract the Void Island Spirit's attention, right?

Then you'd die without knowing how, let alone use the spoils to exchange for a Free Death Order—impossible!

“What is the Subsurface Gate?”

Gu Qing'er had obviously noticed it too, swallowing hard as he spoke.

The giant statue took its time, dragging out its response before saying emotionlessly:

“Subsurface Gate... can connect... inner and outer islands... can control... Void Island's descent... to other worlds... or return to... the fragments of space-time...”

In that instant, Xu Xiaoshou felt the hair on his body stand on end from his legs up, a prickling sensation shooting to his scalp, making his head tingle.

Subsurface Gate!

This is it!

The eight Zun must be after this!

No matter what he plans, only by getting the Subsurface Gate can his scheme fully unfold.

“Connecting Void Island's inner and outer islands, controlling its descent, or returning it to the space-time fragments... Isn't that like being the lord of Void Island?”

Shocked like Xu Xiaoshou, Gu Qingyi stared at the top-ranked “Subsurface Gate,” unable to look away.

“Senior brother, what's inner and outer islands? Does Void Island—the Sky City—have that division?”

Gu Qing'er scratched the back of his head.

“You don't need to know.”

Gu Qingyi gave him a cold stare, and Gu Qing'er shrank his neck, not daring to ask more.

Xu Xiaoshou chimed in:

“Chen brother, what's inner and outer islands? Does Sky City have that?”

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't laugh anymore. He forced a smile, glanced at Gu Qingyi, who shook his head slightly, so he didn't explain.

Gu Qingyi was right.

Knowing too much brings no benefits; it might even speed up your death.

It seems Zangjian Tomb's Wen Ting is a sensible person, keeping this intelligence separate and only sharing it with Gu Qingyi.

Xu Xiaoshou felt a bit uneasy.

Not because he lacked ten thousand Void Crystals, but because the top ten on the Zhenhuang Rankings were mostly gray, with only one lit up.

Unfortunately, “Subsurface Gate” was gray.

“What does gray mean?”

Though he already had an answer in his heart, Xu Xiaoshou still asked the giant statue.

“It has been... exchanged...”

As expected, the response sank his heart.

“Who exchanged it?”

Xu Xiaoshou asked.

The giant statue didn't answer, its eyes slightly closed, silent for a long time.

“When was it exchanged? Can't you give a hint? Show some humanity...”

Xu Xiaoshou wondered whose hands the Subsurface Gate was in now, or where it had been lost.

If it was from ancient times, that might not be so bad—it's probably on the “Lost Pattern Stele,” becoming a legendary lost artifact.

Unexpectedly, the giant statue lifted its gaze and spoke!

“One day... ago...”

Damn!

Xu Xiaoshou's pupils dilated.

“Who? Who exchanged it!”

The statue averted its eyes, saying no more.

Gu Qingyi was also startled. “The Subsurface Gate was exchanged just a day ago. That means Void Island could be sent back to the space-time fragments by that person at any time. Then, we probably won't be able to return to Shengshen Continent...”

Gu Qing'er panicked at this. “How can that be? I haven't taken junior sister back to Zangjian Tomb yet. How can I let Gu Qing Three, that unreliable guy, escort her alone?”

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

Ah, how did it turn to that?

He looked at the more reliable Gu Qingyi and discussed: “Not necessarily. The Subsurface Gate is so powerful; maybe using it comes with a huge cost. Void Island won't be shut down in the short term.”

“Don't forget, that person gathered ten thousand Void Crystals!”

Gu Qingyi was very rational.

Who could gather ten thousand Void Crystals in such a short time?

Even a Semi-Saint might not manage it!

The one who exchanged for the Subsurface Gate must have massive influence!

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent.

Gu Qingyi was right.

Something even he found unbelievable had happened, so that person must be someone not to mess with.

Who did it?

It couldn't be him; he doesn't have that kind of power to gather ten thousand Void Crystals in a short time...

Xu Xiaoshou thought it over and couldn't believe anyone could do it in a few days.

Suddenly, he slapped his forehead as inspiration struck.

“What if it wasn't short-term?”

Suppose someone smuggled onto Void Island and collected Void Crystals over years, just to exchange for the Subsurface Gate... Is that possible?

There's only one possibility!

And this person could do all that without getting caught by Shengshen Hall, maybe even with their support...

Xu Xiaoshou stopped thinking.

He looked around; Zhenhuang Hall was clean and tidy, with a few nearly dried puddles outside, rippling slightly in the breeze.

Drip!

In the extremely humid environment, a water drop fell from the hall's beam.

The crisp sound echoed in Xu Xiaoshou's mind, amplifying endlessly, chilling his heart.

“You've thought of someone.”

Gu Qingyi looked up, sensing Chen brother had an answer.

“I hope I'm wrong, and my answer is mistaken.”

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head slightly, not spelling it out.

Gu Qingyi didn't press.

If Chen brother wasn't saying it, and his expression showed that knowing too much wasn't good...

Then asking further would be rude!

“Come on, tell me! Keeping us in suspense isn't clever. Who did you think of?”

Gu Qing'er was jumping anxiously beside them. Junior sister's safety with junior brother alone—how unsafe!

Xu Xiaoshou:

Gu Qingyi:

Just as the two were speechless, suddenly, a crack sounded from the great array outside the hall, followed by a laugh.

“Outlaws! The ten thousand Void Crystals are right here. Hand over the Subsurface Gate with both hands if you know what's good for you!”