Chapter 1176: Winning Without Bloodshed, The Invisible Sword, Embracing My Value

"How much do you know about this person, the Heaven's Fall?"

"Is Master Xu asking about the orange-faced man from the Yama?"

"Yes."

"I know him. He's an old figure from the Yama, a true calamitous loner, and also from the Southern Region." Li Fugui replied with a smile.

If Master Xu had asked about prominent figures from the other four regions, his knowledge might have been lacking. But for someone from the Southern Region, if he didn't know their background inside out, Li Fugui wouldn't even be qualified to step foot in the Flower & Grass Pavilion. The Flower & Grass Pavilion of Half-Moon Residence was originally only accessible to the Thirteen Beauties. Yet, Li Fugui, a man, was able to join it. One can only imagine how capable he must be.

"The Heaven's Fall of the Yama rose to prominence in the Southern Region. Legend has it that at birth, he caused his mother's death. His entire family, relatives, and neighbors – dozens of people – all died mysteriously within a few days. By the time he was six years old, everyone in his village and town had either died or fled, leaving hardly anyone alive. The Heaven's Fall wandered the mountains and forests, living by hunting... well, by scavenging prey."

Li Fugui paused, correcting his choice of words. The Heaven's Fall didn't need to hunt! Even at six years old and unarmed, he only needed to walk through the forest, and afterwards, he would find many dead animals. It was through this that the Heaven's Fall survived his early, ordinary life.

Xu Xiaoshou listened very intently, not daring to miss a single detail regarding information about the Heaven's Fall. This person was truly terrifying, and he took him very seriously.

"What happened next?"

"Later... well, let me put it this way. If the Heaven's Fall had been born in any of the other four regions, he would probably have died long ago, because people would have feared his ability. But he was born in the Southern Region, where this unusual phenomenon quickly attracted countless eccentric and strange evil cultivators from the region to investigate. They either captured him for research or took him in as a disciple to teach... What Southern Region spiritual refiner wouldn't be interested in studying such a unique ability?" Li Fugui chuckled, his words tinged with emotion.

Xu Xiaoshou strongly agreed, having observed figures like Elder Xie, Zhu Yike, and Feng Xiaose, who were either half or pure Southern Region natives. It was evident that the paths Southern Region spiritual refiners cultivated were mostly not considered orthodox by regular spiritual refiners. They practiced all sorts of deviant and unorthodox methods!

"Did they all die?" Xu Xiaoshou could already foresee the fate of those who tried to study the Body of Decay.

"Yes," Li Fugui nodded, continuing: "Those who researched him, those who took him as a disciple – regardless of the process, anyone who came into contact with the Heaven's Fall died without exception. But spiritual refiners in the Southern Region wouldn't give up. This phenomenon continued for a long time until finally, a major power made a move." Li Fugui's tone became filled with lament.

"In the Southern Region, there was once a very powerful force called the 'Art Metal Gate,' whose status was second only to the Xuanyue Grey Palace, and its influence was immense. The Art Metal Gate had collected many inheritances left by the Founder of Arts, and its sect housed spiritual refiners of all kinds, researching strange and bizarre abilities. Their people sought out the Heaven's Fall, brought him into their sect, and while teaching him, attempted to master his ability of decay. Thirteen years later, the Art Metal Gate was gone."

The story was strikingly concise, leaving Xu Xiaoshou stunned. The Heaven's Fall, by himself, eliminated such a massive force entirely?

Li Fugui saw Master Xu's skepticism and shook his head, saying: "We've analyzed the Heaven's Fall; he isn't a particularly bloodthirsty person. Even though he suffered much unfair treatment in his childhood, his nature was inherently gentle... well, it used to be. His fate as a calamitous loner made him yearn even more to be close to people and make friends. Unfortunately, the vast Art Metal Gate, with its millennia-old heritage, could only withstand its sect's fortune for thirteen years after the appearance of the Body of Decay before it collapsed. The Heaven's Fall never even made a move, yet the Art Metal Gate perished because of him.

"Mind, soul, various paths, arts... The Art Metal Gate was gone, and the Heaven's Fall inherited all the methods and techniques collected by the Art Metal Gate from various Southern Region sects. However, for various reasons, he never used these abilities again. He became reclusive, kept his distance from people, and lived alone, far from the mundane world. When he was found again, as Master Xu would know, he had already joined the Yama."

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent. So the Heaven's Fall had such a grim past? So the Body of Decay was truly destined to be a calamitous loner, utterly unable to defy fate and form close bonds with others? Whether actively or passively, anyone who tried to get close to the Body of Decay was bound to meet a bad end. Xu Xiaoshou became even more determined not to let his junior sister... no! Not to let Lei Xi'er go with that strange fellow.

"What about the Holy Divine Palace?" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly thought of this. Perhaps others couldn't discern the Body of Decay, but with such a massive incident, where even the Art Metal Gate was annihilated, how could the Holy Divine Palace remain indifferent? According to Li Fugui, the ghost beast with the Devouring Physique had been captured by the Holy Emperor's Families. Although it hadn't been confirmed, the Holy Divine Palace must surely be interested in such powers, right?

"Of course, the Holy Divine Palace intervened and tried to capture the Heaven's Fall," Li Fugui explained. "Firstly, the growth rate of the Five Ultimate Physiques defies common sense. The Heaven's Fall quickly reached the Sovereign (Tai Xu) level, possessing considerable strength. He didn't actively harm others, but he wasn't foolish enough to let himself be harmed. Secondly, unlike the ghost beast with the Devouring Physique I mentioned earlier, he was extremely low-key and rarely acted.

"Even if people around him died inexplicably, the timing never matched his presence; it was always accidental deaths after contact. Even when the Art Metal Gate was annihilated, we could conclude afterward that it was due to the Body of Decay. But at the time, it appeared the Art Metal Gate was destroyed and divided by various forces due to internal and external chaos, seemingly having no connection whatsoever to the Heaven's Fall! This is the true 'calamitous loner'!"

Li Fugui spread his hands, speaking with resignation: "This matter clearly wasn't significant enough to alarm the Five Holy Emperor's Families. It was merely the collapse of one sect, with multiple factions dividing the spoils—a very common occurrence on the Holy Divine Continent, where the law of the jungle plays out constantly. The Heaven's Fall wasn't a ghost beast either, so the Holy Divine Palace at that time didn't even pay him much attention, only issuing orders for his apprehension. But to target the Body of Decay..."

Li Fugui chuckled, laughing for a long time before stopping. "Before even getting close, all sorts of accidents would arise. Once they genuinely got close, people would inexplicably die again. Moreover, at the time, these incidents each had their own apparent causes, and no one would link them to the Heaven's Fall. The main force of the Holy Divine Palace was said to have consisted of hundreds of people, but by the time they truly encountered their target, fewer than thirty to fifty remained, and most were injured or disabled. Forget capturing the Heaven's Fall; even apprehending a regular Sovereign would probably be dicey."

Li Fugui recounted the Heaven's Fall's life with ease and humor, but Xu Xiaoshou discerned extremely disturbing details in the process. How could anyone capture him? Unless a Half-Saint received a direct order, or a Holy Emperor truly desired him, no one could capture the Heaven's Fall, right?

"He possesses the ability to inadvertently bring misfortune and curses upon others. He also mastered various evil arts from the Southern Region. Unlike the Devouring Physique, he has no family or companions, and thus no weaknesses. He's both immensely powerful and elusive. Yet, he isn't a ghost beast, so the righteous forces of the Holy Divine Palace couldn't openly arrest him without cause. If they came secretly, a small force couldn't apprehend him. If they sent more people, it would become an open confrontation..."

Xu Xiaoshou clicked his tongue, shaking his head, and sighed deeply. Perhaps joining the Yama was the best destiny for such a monster? Only rare beings like Huang Quan, with spatiotemporal attributes, could suppress the Body of Decay!

"By the way, what about Huang Quan?" Xu Xiaoshou asked about this person.

"I don't know." This time, Li Fugui shook his head decisively. "What I know is probably similar to what Master Xu knows: spatiotemporal attributes, Sovereign realm, Soul Sever, and Wounding Profound Sword."

Xu Xiaoshou: "..." So mysterious? He rivals Kong Yuhen! Both have spatiotemporal attributes; could he be a Half-Saint's avatar or something similar? Glancing at Li Fugui, Xu Xiaoshou opened his mouth, then quickly closed it without speaking. What a joke. His questions didn't even have answers from Eight Trigram Ancestor. How much could a small intelligence agency under the Saint Servant banner know? Being able to understand the Heaven's Fall's life so thoroughly was already a testament to the immense capabilities of Half-Moon Residence and the Flower & Grass Pavilion.

"Let's go out." Xu Xiaoshou didn't have much more he wanted to know for now. Meeting Li Fugui made him truly understand how immense the help of a good intelligence agency could be for individuals and forces! But relying solely on himself, it would certainly be difficult to cultivate such an intelligence agency and its personnel. He also couldn't wait that long.

Xu Xiaoshou decided to find an opportunity, when he next saw Eight Trigram Ancestor, to ask for Li Fugui. Of course, he couldn't ask for a person directly... He would say he wanted to take charge of the entire Half-Moon Residence to handle matters. Or gain command over this massive intelligence agency, even if it was just ninety percent of it. Eight Trigram Ancestor definitely wouldn't allow it. After some negotiation, both sides would take a step back. Aha, at that point, a mere Li Fugui would suddenly become less important and could be easily obtained. This reasoning was excellent... Xu Xiaoshou thought, very satisfied, silently praising his clever mind, and nodding vigorously with narrowed eyes.

"After Master Xu goes out, please forgive Feng Xiaose's previous disrespect." Li Fugui mentioned, "You just need to reveal the Glutton God and say a few words. He's not foolish; he'll understand that he should make friends with Master Xu."

"I understand that." Xu Xiaoshou put on airs, waving his hand in displeasure. Li Fugui was still looking down on him! Did he need to be taught how to do his own work? Even Eight Trigram Ancestor wouldn't dare teach him! He was only responsible for reminding him, offering suggestions, and pointing out where he might fall short. How he handled things didn't require outside interference!

"Chirp!" Having received instructions, Master Han quickly removed the isolation of the Frost World. Master Han, who had been waiting outside, wasn't idle. While nestled in Mu Zixi's arms, he was also listening in with pricked ears. He wasn't a stupid weasel, just not as intelligent as truly clever ones like the Three Ancestors or Eight Trigram Ancestor. If he lacked even basic thinking ability, how could he have survived on the inner island of Void Island until now? Master Han knew that whether he listened or not, Master Xu would surely assume he had. So, not listening would be a waste. But after listening to the entire conversation, all he felt was bewilderment and shock. He didn't understand anything about "imperial strategies," "balancing acts," or "schemes." He only remembered that the Heaven's Fall, the Body of Decay, seemed to make Master Xu very wary, and he was looking for an opportunity to deal with him!

"Master Xu." Zhu Yike was waiting outside and hurriedly bowed when he saw the two finally emerge. He was now a member of the First House in Heaven and still on probation, so he had to prove himself whenever he got the chance.

"Mm." Xu Xiaoshou nodded, ignoring Zhu Yike, and looked at Feng Xiaose. Feng Xiaose's suspicious gaze darted back and forth between Xu Xiaoshou and Li Fugui. He didn't know what the two had discussed inside the Holy Realm, but after coming out, they hadn't grown closer or more distant. There were no traces of a struggle on them either; only the dust on Li Fugui's knees had deepened. Clearly, he had knelt multiple times inside, and Feng Xiaose wondered what dirty dealings had taken place. The two were still maintaining the same half-familiar, half-stranger relationship they had before entering the Holy Realm.

"But they must have talked about something!" Feng Xiaose knew that he and Li Fugui had overheard too much. If Li Fugui didn't offer something valuable in exchange, he wouldn't survive. Of course, the same applied to himself. However, if Xu Xiaoshou truly targeted him, he wouldn't have an easy time of it. Feng Xiaose's path was not just the Way of the Sword; that was only one of his many paths.

"Oh, Brother Xiaose!" Xu Xiaoshou maintained his stern expression for only a moment before breaking into a smile and stepping forward to put an arm around Feng Xiaose's shoulder.

Feng Xiaose: "???"

"Suspicion received, passive points, +1.""Resistance received, passive points, +1."

At that moment, Feng Xiaose almost drew his sword! But Xu Xiaoshou had an innocent, harmless expression, even tinged with flattery. His previous arrogant demeanor had now transformed into the obsequious look of those sycophants he had encountered before. Such a huge change?

"What do you intend to do?" Feng Xiaose tried to push Xu Xiaosh