Chapter 1169: Zhu's Magic Trick Great Transformation of the Taixu, Shifting Stars and Turning the Fight, Reversing Life and Death

Nothing is more crushing than being effortlessly dominated with an air of casual disregard.

And what's worse is when the opponent uses your own moves against you!

"This Wan Jian Shu..."

Feng Xiaose could see clearly that the young man in front of him was still a bit green when it came to swords.

It was as if his Wan Jian Shu had only been recently learned.

And this was clearly his first time using it in actual combat.

Even the first realm, "Jue Dui Di Zhi," seemed to have been inspired by watching Feng Xiaose's sword technique, leading to an on-the-spot epiphany.

Yet, despite its raw and unrefined feel, Feng Xiaose couldn't withstand this sword strike at all!

Wan Jian Shu embodied "势" (shi, momentum).

Xu Xiaoshou's Wan Jian Shu might be that of a beginner.

But his "shi" was flawlessly natural, like a semi-saint who had long held a position of authority, brooking no challenge from those beneath the saintly level.

This perfectly captured the true essence of Wan Jian Shu!

One mountain cannot hold two tigers; "Jue Dui Di Zhi" clashing against "Jue Dui Di Zhi."

Feng Xiaose's sword collapsed in defeat, like a crumbling mountain.

"Boom!"

A noble, emperor-like golden torrent descended from the heavens in worshipful reverence. With a mere light press of the myriad swords, the ground for dozens of li around exploded in a massive blast.

Feng Xiaose's knees burst with blood in a sharp crack, his entire body bearing the weight of Mount Tai. Like the ancient structures around him, he crumpled to the ground, unable to resist.

The few people watching from the side turned pale at the sight.

To overpower someone renowned for Wan Jian Shu from the Feng family ancient sword cultivators, and to do so against the well-known Feng Xiaose of the Southern Domain...

Even if the opponent was an obscure nobody, after this battle, he would gain fame across the world.

What's more, this guy called himself "Sheng Nu Xu Xiaoshou."

"Stop, everyone stop!"

"Brother Xiaose, hold on a moment, and you too, Brother Xu, let's all pause. Everyone, stop and hear me out."

Even though Feng Xiaose was the one pinned down, Li Fugui was the first to call for his "Brother Xiaose" to halt.

He restrained Feng Xiaose, who was instinctively about to strike again, and waved frantically at Xu Xiaoshou, signaling that the fight must not continue.

"Who do you think you are?"

Xu Xiaoshou played the role of a smug, overbearing troublemaker to the hilt, with no intention of giving Li Fugui any face.

"I'll kneel to you right now!"

Without another word, Li Fugui dropped to his knees with a thud, knocking three resounding head kowtows before Xu Xiaoshou.

"Received submission, passive value +1."

This scene left everyone in the vicinity stunned, including Xu Xiaoshou.

No one expected Li Fugui to actually go through with it and kowtow for real.

Even Xu Xiaoshou himself thought his words were just a joke.

How many Taixu are there under the heavens?

And among those who reach Void Island, who isn't extraordinary?

Such powerhouses would almost certainly prioritize their dignity above all else. When Jiang Buyi was insulted, he exploded and killed Teng Shanhai, partly for reasons like that.

So, why would they endure humiliation just to end a fight?

If a Taixu can't win, can't they just run?

Killing is easy, but capturing is hard!

"You... you've got something."

Xu Xiaoshou scrutinized Li Fugui seriously, committing to memory this ordinary-looking man with an equally plain name.

People like him are either cunning and ruthless, able to bend and adapt, only to turn around and stab you in the back later. In that case, the best solution is to nip it in the bud right now.

Or, they might be true schemers, unconcerned with trifles and harboring grand ambitions, not to be judged by appearances. In that scenario, the best move is still to eliminate them on the spot.

With that thought, Xu Xiaoshou leisurely raised his sword and declared:

"Just for that kneel, I'll give you three sentences' worth of chance."

"After that, you can be on your way."

Li Fugui's face stiffened, but he didn't hesitate: "You're Xu Xiaoshou? The one from Sheng Nu? Not an impostor, but the real deal?"

Xu Xiaoshou found it amusing and raised his dual swords.

"I think you have eyes of your own to tell right from wrong. That counts as your first question."

Li Fugui glanced at You Si Jian and Yan Mang, his head drooping even lower, his eyes full of astonishment.

He had already confirmed the identity, but he still couldn't believe it.

Because the Xu Xiaoshou he imagined wasn't this kind of unruly character.

On the contrary, he was supposed to be clever and resourceful, capable of great responsibilities, or else he wouldn't have been entrusted with tough tasks by the Sheng Nu higher-ups.

So, what if all this was deliberately put on by Xu Xiaoshou?

What was his purpose in acting this way?

Li Fugui's mind raced.

As an intelligence operative, strength was important, but not the top priority.

What shone was his quick thinking, which let others see his value and promote him—that was Li Fugui's edge.

And that was precisely why Feng Xiaose had extended an olive branch to him earlier.

"I've heard that Sheng Nu's Xu Xiaoshou is astoundingly intelligent, brave and talented, elusive as a ghost, acting without a trace, and never doing anything pointless..."

Li Fugui's string of flattery brought a satisfied look to Xu Xiaoshou's face.

This made Li Fugui hesitate, wondering if he needed to continue, and whether offering his knee was worth it.

This was too unlike the real Xu Xiaoshou!

But...

The more the young man acted this way, the more Li Fugui felt his guess might be correct.

If he really was Xu Xiaoshou, then all of this was an act!

"Why bother continuing this fight? It's meaningless and will only bring you unnecessary trouble. So why go on?"

Li Fugui asked, even using a respectful title, an older man addressing a junior as "you."

Feng Xiaose felt ashamed to be associated with it.

He climbed up from the ground, as Xu Xiaoshou had stopped exerting his momentum on him.

But Feng Xiaose didn't stand; he sat cross-legged, curious to see how low Li Fugui would stoop.

Xu Xiaoshou seemed to have anticipated Li Fugui's question and tossed it back without thinking.

"What do you think?"

What do I think?

Li Fugui was momentarily stunned.

Then, like a thunderbolt from the nine heavens striking his mind, enlightenment flashed, and the whole situation became crystal clear.

He is Xu Xiaoshou.

He encountered an opportunity on Void Island and became this strong.

The old Xu Xiaoshou was timid and cautious, hiding his identity.

The current Xu Xiaoshou charged in without a word, directly starting a fight and even kicking Chen Ran to pieces.

What was he after?

Just for a bit of fun?

That's something only a true delinquent would do, and Xu Xiaoshou clearly wasn't that type.

So, if this was a calculated choice by Xu Xiaoshou—then in his group, there must be someone he wants to provoke, no, someone he wants to kill!

Li Fugui's mind flashed through countless scenes.

He thought about how, as soon as they met, Xu Xiaoshou revealed his identity, but no one believed him.

Chen Ran struck first and was instantly blown away, and only after Xu Xiaoshou showed his strength did people start to accept his identity a bit.

Feng Xiaose naturally made his move and was crushed in Wan Jian Shu, which surprised everyone.

By then, the others in the group had lost their will to fight; even those who might have helped Feng Xiaose backed off.

Xu Xiaoshou had even said midway that he didn't want to fight Feng Xiaose, indicating...

His target from the start wasn't Feng Xiaose.

He didn't finish off Chen Ran or pursue it further...

"Gulp~"

At this point, Li Fugui swallowed hard, looked up at the smiling Xu Xiaoshou, and saw what seemed like a beast in human skin, full of sinister schemes.

"Who do you want to kill?"

The question came out of nowhere.

So abruptly that even Feng Xiaose was baffled.

In the back, Zhu Yike, Xiao Ping, and Xiao An all froze, while Chen Ran, hiding in the shadows in the distance, startled and immediately turned to flee.

Mu Zixi and Han Ye's reactions were that they didn't understand at all from start to finish.

The former thought Xu Xiaoshou had really made it big—getting a Taixu to kneel with just a few words, impressive!

The latter figured that since he was there, whatever Chen's brother couldn't handle, he could step in; it wasn't a big deal anyway.

Xu Xiaoshou's lips curled up, finding the situation more interesting.

In this group, there was actually a smart one.

"Who do you think I want to kill?"

"You probably don't want to kill me, right?"

"Then your smarts are quite limited. In your group, the people I want to kill number four."

"Uh..."

Li Fugui was at a loss for words.

From his analysis, only two were innocent.

So, out of six, minus four—didn't that make it obvious who Xu Xiaoshou wanted to kill?

"You're so good at figuring out others' thoughts, go on, tell me where your group's death wish comes from?"

Xu Xiaoshou smiled, his gaze sweeping over the four besides Feng Xiaose.

Xiao Ping and Xiao An were at the back, looking lost and uneasy.

Zhu Yike seemed like a fool, still staring blankly at Xu Xiaoshou with shining eyes, grinning idiotically.

"Received fear, passive value +2."

"Received anticipation, passive value +1."

Li Fugui's eyes flickered with confusion as he hesitated: "I might know about two who have beef with you, but the rest, I don't."

This statement changed the expressions of the others.

Was this fence-sitter Li Fugui switching sides?

Xiao Ping, Xiao An, and even Feng Xiaose's gazes turned dangerous.

"Go on." Xu Xiaoshou was intrigued.

But Li Fugui shook his head, not spelling it out. After all, he was still part of Feng Xiaose's team and couldn't betray his comrades outright. He just said vaguely: "I know, but I still think maybe you and I don't need to fight. It would only cause more trouble for both of us."

Xu Xiaoshou stared deeply at the unassuming Li Fugui for a long moment, then smiled and shook his head.

A day ago, he might have taken Li Fugui's advice and hidden a bit longer, waiting for the right moment.

My friend, times have changed!

Xu Xiaoshou never acted without purpose.

This time, having his junior sister take the initiative wasn't just blindly stirring up enemies against six Taixu.

Are you kidding? He's Xu Xiaoshou, the king of playing it safe!

Even now, with his breakthrough and the backing of Ba Zun An's words, he wouldn't be this reckless.

After his "Gan Zhi" had evolved to "Sheng Di Lv0," Xu Xiaoshou had already scouted this group of six, since their path clearly intersected with his.

Among them, the ones that caught Xu Xiaoshou's attention most were Xiao Ping and Xiao An—obvious assassin vibes!

Not that they were weak or poorly hidden.

They were just too good at it, to the point where Xu Xiaoshou felt a sense of familiarity.

He had read the souls of more than one top-tier hunter and experienced the lives of many real assassins.

In a way, Xu Xiaoshou was himself a killer in disguise.

He had the full mindset of an assassin, even that of a top-tier San Zhu Xiang hunter.

At a glance, the Xiao Ping and Xiao An duo was like a copy of Xie Lao and Gui Po.

Xu Xiaoshou even dared to bet that if they were assassins, they were almost certainly from San Zhu Xiang.

Add to that, Void Island this time probably attracted a swarm of hunters lured by his black gold bounty.

So, using his junior sister's wild claims, Xu Xiaoshou drew them in with his identity.

At first, no one believed he was Xu Xiaoshou, not even Xiao Ping and Xiao An.

But after he struck, the ones who reacted most were four people: Li Fugui, Zhu Yike, Xiao Ping, and Xiao An.

Xu Xiaoshou had been playing dumb while observing.

He could tell these four clearly recognized him, with deep memories of him.

Unlike Feng Xiaose and Chen Ran, who were truly oblivious—they vaguely recalled the name "Xu Xiaoshou" from stories, but had no connection, past or future.

Among these four, the first two had peculiarities, hard to judge.

The latter two, however, exposed killing intent the moment his identity was confirmed, even exchanging glances to decide on action.

Their killing intent was subtle.

But Xu Xiaoshou's semi-saint level "Gan Zhi" detected that prickling hostility right away.

When Feng Xiaose moved and Xu Xiaoshou revealed his sword dao mystic array, Xiao Ping and Xiao An went from eager to hold back.

They were scared.

Because the current Xu Xiaoshou's power clearly didn't match the "Zong Shi level rivaling Dao Cutter" from the black gold bounty!

—And how could it?

Xu Xiaoshou had already completed his breakthrough and upgrades.

Now, he was coming at them with the mindset to take on Taixu.

In his hands were two semi-saint level trump cards: Han Ye and Void General Hong.

As long as he didn't run into major forces like Sheng Shen Dian Tang, he feared no one!

"What's your full name, background, where you're from, and what are your connections?"

Xu Xiaoshou cut to the chase, fixing his gaze on the twin-like duo who seemed insignificant but stood out to him like two glaring beacons.

Xiao Ping and Xiao An were taken aback and replied: "We're from Dong Luo Jie, from Xuan Wu Zong. I'm Ruan Ping, and he's Ruan An. We're the 'Yu Xu Double Fa' of Xuan Wu Zong—you might have heard of it."

Ruan Ping finished and glanced at Li Fugui. "We traveled together; he can vouch for our identity."

Li Fugui took a deep breath but said nothing.

"Xuan Wu Zong, Yu Xu Double Fa..."

Xu Xiaoshou murmured the names, glanced at the unmoved Li Fugui, nodded, and asked further: "Then why do you want to kill me?"

This question stunned everyone present.

Ruan Ping's brows shot up in surprise. "Kill you? What makes you say that, Brother Xu?"

"Look at me."

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes were calm, his tone steady.

But under the influence of "Qi Tun Shan He," his words carried an irresistible force, like a semi-saint issuing a decree.

Not just Xiao Ping and Xiao An, everyone looked at him, straight into Xu Xiaoshou's eyes...

"Soul Reading!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes shifted with light and shadow as he struck without warning.

Go to hell, Ruan Ping and Ruan An!

There are only so many top-tier San Zhu Xiang hunters; even across regions, they share intelligence.

In Xie Lao and Shuang Dai's memories, there were hunters named "Xiao Ping" and "Xiao An" at the same level.

Their cover identities included something as ordinary as "Xuan Ping Zong," which was close to "Xuan Wu Zong," so the difference wasn't major.

Of course, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't heard of "Yu Xu Double Fa."

It was probably missing from the memory fragments he read.

But that didn't matter.

Three parts suspicion were enough.

They weren't some big shots; he'd just read their souls on the spot—who could fake that?

"Urgh!"

Ruan Ping grunted.

He was on guard, but Xu Xiaoshou's move was too sudden.

"Soul Reading" worked from a distance and, combined with "Qi Tun Shan He," hit him instantly.

Ruan An jumped in fright. Glancing back, he saw his twin brother's brows furrowed in pain and knew something was wrong.

But before he could react, in the blink of an eye, Xu Xiaoshou had completed the soul reading.

He didn't see much—just a glimpse in Ruan Ping's world of him and his brother smirking over a black gold bounty.

That confirmed his suspicion.

One of the most hated types for him: San Zhu Xiang hunters, showing up again!

"You two bastards, eyeing my head, acting all innocent like you don't know me—if I hadn't broken through, you'd have slipped away..."

Xu Xiaoshou stomped out, flashing in front of Ruan Ping, and brought You Si Jian down from above.

Strike while they're down!

"Brother Xiaose, save us—"

Ruan An cried out desperately, and in the nick of time, his hands turned to jade, stabbing into Ruan Ping's chest and yanking him back.

The two barely dodged You Si Jian's attack, but the black sword energy sliced through them.

"Bang!"

The two assassins, now transparent jade, shattered into pieces under the assault of You Si Jian's fierce demonic energy.

Their true forms emerged unharmed, turning into streaks of light as they retreated swiftly.

"Brother Xiaose, please lend us a hand! This guy's gone mad, attacking us out of nowhere!"

Feng Xiaose wasn't surprised by Xu Xiaoshou's sudden assault.

It was as absurd as his earlier demand for someone to kneel and kowtow.

Hearing the call, Feng Xiaose instinctively stood up—after all, they were his team members; he had to protect them, right?

"Forget it, Brother Xiaose. This is between them; we shouldn't get involved and bring trouble on ourselves."

Li Fugui, still somewhat decent, held him back.

"What's going on?"

Zhu Yike, who had been watching the whole spectacle with wide eyes, turned and asked.

Li Fugui glanced at the two and sighed: "They're from San Zhu Xiang and have a grudge with Xu Xiaoshou."

No need for more words; even Feng Xiaose understood. It was all because of that black gold bounty.

Yes, Xu Xiaoshou's black gold bounty was known to anyone with connections these days.

After all, in the Eastern Domain, the hottest Dao foundations were Sky City and Sheng Nu's Xu Xiaoshou.

"So that's it..."

Zhu Yike murmured to himself, his eyes flickering with unknown thoughts.

He bent down, picked up a stone from the ground, looked toward Xu Xiaoshou who was about to chase Ruan Ping and Ruan An, and shouted:

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

Xu Xiaoshou paused.

A Taixu on the run, and their abilities were unclear—some odd "jade" attribute.

Xu Xiaoshou felt he might not catch them. So, after glancing back, his first look went to Han Ye.

Han Ye broke free from Mu Zixi's embrace and vanished silently, so subtly that even Feng Xiaose didn't notice.

Only then did Xu Xiaoshou's second glance fall on the sharp-featured man who had called him—Zhu Yike?

At first glance, no hostility.

"Whoosh!"

Zhu Yike casually threw a stone.

It carried only faint Ling Yuan fluctuations.

This couldn't even scratch Xu Xiaoshou's physical defense!

And at Xu Xiaoshou's semi-saint level agility, the attack speed was like a snail's crawl.

For a moment, Xu Xiaoshou didn't know what Zhu Yike was up to.

"Swish swish swish!"

Zhu Yike moved quickly.

As the stone flew toward Xu Xiaoshou, he had already bitten his finger, using blood to scribe a rune in the air glowing with starlight—the character unclear.

Then, Zhu Yike's left hand reached into the void, as if grasping the rules of the Dao!

His right hand pointed, igniting the blood rune with starlight fire.

"Dou Zhuan Xing Yi!"

With a soft whoosh, Xu Xiaoshou's vision blurred, and the stone vanished.

In its place was Ruan Ping, who had already fled into the void, nowhere to be seen.

"This..."

Ruan Ping appeared suddenly, his pupils shrinking.

Still recovering from the soul reading, his head throbbed with pain.

He had run with his brother Ruan An, thinking as long as they focused on escaping, the fight back there couldn't continue.

But in an instant, he lost track of his brother and ended up right in front of Xu Xiaoshou!

What a horrifying turn!

And Xu Xiaoshou was waiting with You Si Jian!

With his spiritual sense, Ruan Ping saw the traces of Dao manipulation around him and realized he had fallen for some trick.

This bizarre ability...

A quick scan with his spiritual sense confirmed it—behind him, Zhu Yike was grinning, his eyes gleaming green.

Zhu Yike waved lightly, muttering silently:

"Bye-bye~"

You Si Jian stabbed down!

Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled, shocked by Zhu Yike's strange technique, but his semi-saint level agility let him react instantly—this was a golden opportunity.

Did Zhu Yike call him just to set up a combo?

Zhu Yike's ability didn't harm Ruan Ping at all, but its unpredictability was its strength; even a Taixu like Ruan Ping hadn't realized how he was hit and couldn't break free from Dou Zhuan Xing Yi.

Zhu Yike only provided control, no damage—but that was fine!

Xu Xiaoshou was all about damage right now.

With a schick, as You Si Jian pierced Ruan Ping's heart, Xu Xiaoshou still felt like it was a dream.

When had he ever faced a Taixu and needed such intricate planning?

Now, with this sudden team-up, he could thrust his fierce sword into the enemy's heart in a flash.

"Pfft!"

Ruan Ping didn't get to use even a fraction of his skills. First hit by soul reading, then backstabbed by his own ally Zhu Yike.

Finally, caught off guard, he was impaled by You Si Jian!

From Xu Xiaoshou's soul reading, he knew Ruan Ping wasn't a sword user; he wielded daggers.

"You..."

Ruan Ping's eyes bulged, his body exploding with black demonic energy.

He struggled, but Xu Xiaoshou clamped his neck with one hand, suppressing all resistance.

That terrifying grip, like a beast's jaws, left Ruan Ping, on the verge of qi deviation, with no choice but to fight desperately, yet he couldn't make a ripple.

With all his strength, Ruan Ping twisted his arm, his murderous gaze not on Xu Xiaoshou, but on the chilling backstabber Zhu Yike.

"Zhu! You!"

"Urgh... pfft!"

In the end, Ruan Ping said nothing.

Xu Xiaoshou, fearing any tricks, had You Si Jian decapitate him on the spot.

"Buzz!"

The sword intent hummed.

Feng Xiaose narrowed his eyes, spotting the faint dark swords in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes—that was Gui Jian Shu.

He used it to restrain Ruan Ping's struggling soul from afar.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

Zhu Yike grinned.

His teeth were mismatched and jagged, a mess to behold.

He called out to Xu Xiaoshou again: "You've got quite the arsenal; killing Taixu is like slaughtering dogs... Hmm, want to see more tricks?"

Xu Xiaoshou eyed this shifty-faced man with wariness, still unsure of Zhu Yike's abilities or his stance.

On that point...

Li Fugui's shocked gaze showed his judgment of Zhu Yike was wrong.

Feng Xiaose, too, regarded him as if seeing him anew, silently widening the distance in caution.

Xu Xiaoshou pressed down on Ruan Ping's head.

For the first time, he felt Taixu were so worthless—one sword, and barely any resistance.

Ruan Ping's death gave Zhu Yike an unusual aura in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes.

An aura few possessed.

The last time he faced a Taixu whose moves were completely unfathomable was Yan Wang's Tian Ren Wu Shui.

"What tricks?"

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