Chapter 1178: In the First Tower in the Sky, Even a Chicken Can Perform Seer Arts

"Brother Xiaose, where will you go next?"

After discussing their cooperation, Xu Xiaoshou asked Feng Xiaose about his plans.

The team Feng Xiaose had assembled had been completely wiped out by Xu Xiaoshou: two were dead, one had fled, two had defected, and one was bewildered.

It would be even better if he could bring the bewildered Feng Xiaose onto his "warship" and use him for his own purposes.

He hadn't yet witnessed Feng Xiaose's Ghost Beast power! According to Li Fugui, Feng Xiaose's combat strength was clearly far greater than what he had previously demonstrated.

Considering that Jiao Tangtang, upon merging with a Ghost Beast Pearl and transforming into a dual-host Ghost Beast mode, could instantly unleash enough power to contend with the Storyteller,

if Feng Xiaose were to unleash his full power, instantly defeating an ordinary Void would likely be no problem.

Conservatively estimated, he should possess half the combat power of a Demigod, right?

Perhaps if he pushed himself, he could even go further, possibly even reaching the Demigod rank...

"Where do you want to go?" Feng Xiaose replied with a question instead of an answer.

His original intention was to explore opportunities in the First Sin Palace and seek the foundation for sanctification, which was why he had formed the team.

But the five cannon fodder members of his team had all been eliminated by that damned Xu Xiaoshou. Alone, he would be in great danger if any unforeseen circumstances arose.

As for joining Xu Xiaoshou's team...

True, Xu Xiaoshou's team now had many members, including a Demigod, but if he, an outsider, suddenly joined, wouldn't he just become another one of Xu Xiaoshou's cannon fodder?

Wasn't Xu Xiaoshou's current question precisely the same intention he had when he asked Xiaoping, Xiao'an, and others?

— Form a team, bring cannon fodder!

"I'm going to look for the Sub-Dimensional Gate. Do you want to come with me?" Xu Xiaoshou said without hesitation.

He was currently in charge of stirring up trouble. Not only had his own combat power broken through, but he also had Void and Demigod cultivators following him, and earlier, Bazun An himself had promised to cover his back.

So, he wasn't afraid at all!

Since he had nothing to fear, he should set his sights on the best things.

If the Sub-Dimensional Gate were actively acquired by Bazun An, Xu Xiaoshou would have nothing to say and wouldn't have the audacity to ask for it.

But if he obtained it himself, even if Bazun An eventually wanted it, he believed Bazun An would pay with an equivalent treasure.

This was a priceless treasure!

Most importantly, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't yet seen Bazun An's people, but he already knew who possessed the Sub-Dimensional Gate.

He would seize the gate first, then summon Bazun An to clean up any mess, and finally, sell the gate to him. Wahahaha... As Xu Xiaoshou thought this, he began to cackle madly in his mind.

"The Sub-Dimensional Gate?" Feng Xiaose was startled.

"Yes, you don't know it? Simply put, if you get it, you can control the Void Island..." Xu Xiaoshou paused mid-sentence, seeing no reaction from the information panel, and understood something.

He smiled and looked at Feng Xiaose, "Judging by your reaction, you do know what the Sub-Dimensional Gate is. Your act isn't convincing at all!"

This time, Feng Xiaose was truly taken aback.

He thought he was faking it quite well; how did Xu Xiaoshou see through it?

"Do you know where the Sub-Dimensional Gate is?" With his disguise exposed, Feng Xiaose simply gave up the act, a look of intense interest appearing in his eyes.

"Not yet..."

"Hmm?"

What kind of answer was that?

"Not yet" implies he might know soon?

[Suspicion received, Passive Point +1.]

Xu Xiaoshou ignored Feng Xiaose's doubt. He truly didn't know where Yu Lingdi was at the moment, or if the Sub-Dimensional Gate was still on her person.

But he might genuinely find out soon.

Of course, he had to try a new method!

"Grand Dao Disk..."

He looked back at the ten Grand Dao Disks he possessed.

Soon, Xu Xiaoshou found his target: the Formation Dao Disk!

It was quite astonishing; Xu Xiaoshou had never systematically studied the path of spiritual formations.

His Heavenly Secrets Art... or rather, his Weaving Art, also originated from "Weaving Mastery."

However, when the Grand Dao Disk took shape, the summarized ability granted to this particular one was neither a "Heavenly Secrets Dao Disk" nor a "Weaving Dao Disk," but a "Formation Dao Disk."

This was quite unexpected.

"So, in the system's judgment, both Heavenly Secrets Art and Weaving Art are essentially types of 'formations'?"

By inferring the process from the result, Xu Xiaoshou quickly gained enlightenment.

In the path of spiritual formations, the successful creation of a formation manifests as a complete formation diagram. Through this diagram, a formation master communicates with the Heavenly Dao to activate energy and achieve their objectives.

The Heavenly Secrets Art was similar, but at a higher level. It didn't require energy crystals for setting up formations. Instead, it used Heavenly Secrets Dao patterns to steal power from heaven and earth, forming Heavenly Secrets formations, and communicating with the Heavenly Dao, thereby achieving the ability to obtain objects from others or fulfill one's own objectives.

The Weaving Art was no different.

Xu Xiaoshou's current understanding was that the Weaving Art was only equivalent to the Heavenly Secrets Art.

He thought that perhaps elevating it to Saint Emperor Lv0 might differentiate it from the Heavenly Secrets Art.

For example, the diagrams of bloodlines formed by weaving human muscles, bones, and meridians, or the diagrams of heaven and earth naturally evolving from rivers and mountains, and so on.

And such "diagrams" were essentially the "formation" aspect of spiritual formations.

The Grand Dao Disk being called a "Formation Dao Disk" rather than a "Spiritual Formation Dao Disk" indicated that this "formation" was not just any formation; it encompassed countless formation diagrams in the world and could serve as the foundation for the profound mysteries of formations.

"Unity of Heaven and Man!"

Without further thought, Xu Xiaoshou stepped onto the Formation Dao Disk, immediately entering the "Unity of Heaven and Man" state, a special passive ability.

This special passive ability, granted upon breaking through to the Throne realm, was far more useful than the previous two. It was purely supportive, useless in the early stages, but much more powerful in the later stages!

At the very least, it didn't require any charge-up, usable simply by willing it.

While entering the Unity of Heaven and Man state indeed consumed a lot, especially mental and soul energy.

However, under the combined assault of his "Endless Life," "Full of Vitality," and "Conversion" passive abilities, which formed a sustained regeneration combo,

Xu Xiaoshou could maintain it with almost zero consumption as long as he didn't stay in the Unity of Heaven and Man state for too long and used it intermittently.

As it turned out...

After breaking through to the Throne realm, his passive abilities had collectively mutated.

With an increase in quantity came an improvement in quality. Through their mutual cooperation, Xu Xiaoshou's soft and hard powers both began to show their true potential!

"Fourth-level profound realm..."

The moment Xu Xiaoshou's brand new profound formation diagram appeared beneath his feet, everyone present fell silent, as if startled by something incredible.

Even Mu Zixi gasped in surprise.

A fourth-level profound realm? Did that mean Xu Xiaoshou was equivalent to four Yu Lingdis now?

Li Fugui gazed deeply at Master Shou, his fist clenching, then he glared fiercely at Zhu Yike.

Zhu Yike sensed the hostility, but it wasn't murderous intent.

As his spiritual sense turned towards Li Fugui, his eyes remained captivated by Master Shou's new profound formation diagram, unable to look away for a long time... This talent, wasn't it a bit too strong?

Feng Xiaose no longer knew how to describe this monster.

He began to feel fortunate that he had agreed to Xu Xiaoshou's proposal so quickly, without the slightest hesitation.

This guy had actually mastered a fourth-level profound formation diagram; no wonder Palace Master Baizhou had taken an interest in him!

Before this, many intelligence agencies across the five regions of the continent, including the Dog Moon Grey Palace, had tried to gather information on the Saint Slave Xu Xiaoshou, but none had found any information about his current profound formation diagrams!

How terrifying was that?

Xu Xiaoshou was too good at hiding things!

A golden-scaled dragon, dormant in the pond, transforms into a dragon upon encountering clouds, becoming known to all under heaven... It only needed an opportunity!

Feng Xiaose felt that opportunity was fast approaching.

He seemed to be witnessing the growth and transformation of a legendary figure, one no less significant than the Eighth Sword Immortal.

"What's the ability of this profound formation diagram of yours?" Feng Xiaose couldn't understand the diagram spreading beneath his feet; he only felt its intricate patterns were like a divine scripture, making him dizzy.

"Guess," Xu Xiaoshou chuckled.

[Muttered resentment received, Passive Point +1.]

[Anticipation received, Passive Point +5.]

Stepping onto the Formation Dao Disk and activating Unity of Heaven and Man was, of course, to find the Sub-Dimensional Gate!

How would he find it?

With the Formation Dao Disk out, naturally, he would find it using the Heavenly Secrets Art!

Before reaching the Throne realm, Xu Xiaoshou didn't even know how to fully utilize "Weaving Mastery" to turn a passive ability into an instant active skill.

He could only use "Weaving Mastery" to break formations, shock others, and incidentally collect some meager passive points—which was a complete underutilization of its potential!

But with Unity of Heaven and Man, everything transformed qualitatively.

Xu Xiaoshou knew the time had come.

He had once obtained Situ Yongren's spatial necklace from deep beneath the sea, and inside it, he found many knowledge jade slips related to the Heavenly Secrets Art.

Among them, there was even a piece personally inscribed by Dao Qiongcang!

At the time, he had only skimmed through them, keeping the knowledge in his mind, thinking it might come in handy if he ever felt the urge to secretly learn the Heavenly Secrets Art from Xiaoyu.

Fearing that keeping these treasures might lead to tracking, Xu Xiaoshou had thrown everything into the deep-sea pulverizer after reading them.

The items were destroyed, but the knowledge remained.

After entering the Unity of Heaven and Man state, with the Formation Dao Disk underfoot, Xu Xiaoshou could almost recreate the scene using the powerful memory from his "Perception."

He felt as if he had returned to the deep sea, to the initial scene where he took out those ancient texts and jade slips and rapidly read them.

But this time, he was no longer Xu Xiaoshou of the Tiansang Spirit Palace, who had meditated on swords for three years only to cultivate the first stance of the White Cloud Sword Art.

Instead, he was Master Shou, the Saint Slave with astonishing comprehension, the Son of Formations, possessing photographic memory and the ability to learn anything instantly!

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

Not long after the profound formation diagram appeared, everyone present saw Xu Xiaoshou close his eyes and enter a mysterious state.

The Dao charm emanating from him grew increasingly dense, almost solidifying into a gaseous substance!

Even space itself, enveloped by the Dao charm, began to shift and twist as if steaming in high heat.

Furthermore, as he gained insight, the profound formation diagram beneath Xu Xiaoshou's feet began to spin faster, its intricate glowing patterns gradually brightening.

This change was very subtle...

But everyone present, including the beast, except for Mu Zixi who was busy admiring her senior brother's handsome profile, could perceive it!

"Enlightenment?"

Feng Xiaose was somewhat disbelieving, and instinctively turned to Li Fugui, wanting to ask something.

Was the ability of this profound formation diagram to allow one to enter a state of enlightenment?

That would be far too powerful!

With such an ability, why would one ever worry about not mastering profound power?

Moreover, Xu Xiaoshou was so young; given time... even if the fourth-level profound formation diagram beneath his feet was a bit "fake" now, it could still become real!

"Not enlightenment," Li Fugui replied with a glance, shaking his head gently. "Enlightenment is just a side effect."

A side effect?

Feng Xiaose was stunned and wanted to ask more questions.

He quickly came to his senses. Li Fugui was no longer "his man."

It seemed he had a shameful secret with Xu Xiaoshou and had revealed all his secrets, making him a despicable person!

Feng Xiaose's gaze turned icy. He swallowed all his questions and coldly glared at Li Fugui.

"Huh?" Li Fugui spread his hands in confusion.

Upon seeing the "enlightenment," Master Han instinctively wanted to cast another barrier to prevent Master Shou's breakthrough from being disturbed.

But he glanced around...

"Is this the charisma of Lord Bazun An's successor?"

"They were enemies just a moment ago, but now they're all protecting him, each wary of the others disturbing Master Shou's enlightenment."

"Tsk tsk!"

Master Han looked outwards.

No fighting would happen here now; they had all inexplicably become "their own people."

At this point, they only needed to guard against sudden accidents from elsewhere.

Xu Xiaoshou's "enlightenment" didn't last long; it wasn't true enlightenment of the Dao, but merely the Unity of Heaven and Man enhancing his learning ability.

Soon, Feng Xiaose understood the meaning of Li Fugui's remark, "enlightenment is just a side effect."

The profound formation diagram buzzed brightly, its light momentarily dazzling. At the same time, Xu Xiaoshou opened his tightly closed eyes.

At this moment, those present could clearly see principles of the Dao emerging in his eyes, accompanied by intricate glowing patterns.

This feeling of glimpsing the secrets of heaven...

"Heavenly Secrets Art?"

Feng Xiaose felt it wasn't unfamiliar.

Or rather, due to Dao Qiongcang's rise, the Heavenly Secrets Art had become popular across the five regions of the continent.

Many eccentric individuals in the Southern Region's Sinful Land had independently researched the Heavenly Secrets Art and subsequently became incredibly strange Heavenly Secrets cultivators.

Most of their abilities had nothing to do with the proper Great Dao!

Some used what they called "Heavenly Secrets Dao patterns" to manipulate insects, disgusting people.

Others would attach so-called "Heavenly Secrets Talismans" to people, causing them to vomit or fall ill.

However, whenever these individuals practiced their bizarre Heavenly Secrets Art, their eyes would show abnormalities similar to Xu Xiaoshou's at that moment—Dao patterns emerging.

Feng Xiaose was all too familiar with this strangeness.

He had killed no fewer than thousands of such death-seeking heretics. They constantly tried to use bizarre abilities to draw out the Ghost Beast power from Feng Xiaose using Heavenly Secrets Dao principles.

They paid with their lives just to satisfy their curiosity.

"So Xu Xiaoshou is actually like those people, a Heavenly Secrets cultivator who enjoys researching unorthodox methods?"

It wasn't surprising Feng Xiaose thought that.

On the surface, orthodox Heavenly Secrets Art was only passed down by the Dao Department of the Holy Divine Palace.

Xu Xiaoshou belonged to the Saint Slaves, so there was no way he could have inherited orthodox Heavenly Secrets Art; it could only be an unorthodox path!

But...

In just an instant, Feng Xiaose changed his mind.

Xu Xiaoshou, with the Formation Dao Disk beneath his feet, flipped his hand and pulled out a rough Heavenly Secrets formation disk, one of the treasures he had taken from Situ Yongren.

Situ Yongren had many of these rough blanks; they weren't valuable, and no one would waste effort placing tracking methods on them.

Furthermore, in the Unity of Heaven and Man state, Xu Xiaoshou could clearly sense no signs of tampering on the rough blank.

In short: it was usable!

A Throne-realm, Fourth-grade Heavenly Secrets formation disk blank, insignificant to Situ Yongren, became crucial in Xu Xiaoshou's hands at this moment.

He intended to use this rough formation disk blank, and through the Heavenly Secrets Art, transform it into something Situ Yongren had studied.

"'Searching Disk,' a Fourth-grade Heavenly Secrets formation disk. As long as the user has seen the desired item to be tracked and remembered its aura, it can track items within a million li radius that haven't been concealed by Heavenly Secrets shielding or had their aura changed."

This tracking range completely shattered Xu Xiaoshou's understanding—a million li radius!

It was Xu Xiaoshou's first time seeing something so exaggerated.

He also firmly believed that, no matter what, it would be difficult to find a mere Fourth-grade, Throne-level spiritual formation that could cover a million li radius, whether it was a killing formation, a trapping formation, or an illusion formation.

But the Heavenly Secrets Art was indeed powerful, living up to its reputation as Dao Palace Lord's renowned ultimate skill!

By tracking through the Heavenly Dao, a mere Fourth-grade Heavenly Secrets formation disk could cover a million li radius to find things.

Moreover, according to the jade slip's introduction of the "Searching Disk," this item could also ignore spatial barriers because it tracked through the Heavenly Dao.

Its only two drawbacks...

As long as the item being tracked had even one layer of Heavenly Secrets shielding—even at the Grandmaster or Innate level—the Searching Disk would be unable to find it.

The aura was also crucial; if too much time had passed and the item's aura had changed along with its owner's, it couldn't be found either.

It could only be said that this disk had significant limitations!

Xu Xiaoshou's reason for choosing it...

Firstly, it was Fourth-grade. He felt he could "squeeze" it out, as he had "Weaving Mastery" plus "Unity of Heaven and Man."

Secondly, the First Sin Palace was a different dimension, and only the Searching Disk could ignore spatial barriers to find items.

Lastly, according to his junior sister, his breakthrough at the Ancient and Modern Forget-Worry Tower had only appeared to take the time of a single incense stick for those outside.

Even counting the time wasted here, it was still very short! The Sub-Dimensional Gate's aura should not have changed yet, so it could be found.

While there were other, more powerful formation disks, they were all higher-tier items, which Xu Xiaoshou stated he couldn't create at all!

Most importantly, Xu Xiaoshou knew the Sub-Dimensional Gate was on Yu Lingdi's person. It hadn't yet been touched by Situ Yongren, let alone Dao Qiongcang.

Therefore, it was unlikely to have any Heavenly Secrets shielding on it.

In short, as long as he successfully crafted the "Searching Disk," he had a high probability of finding the Sub-Dimensional Gate.

"Is this the Heavenly Secrets Art? It's so powerful it defies common sense..."

Even at this point, Xu Xiaoshou still couldn't quite believe the "million li" range.

After all, his "Perception" was already Saint Emperor Lv.0, yet its coverage was only a ten thousand li radius.

The Searching Disk... one could only say that every art had its specialization.

The things Heavenly Secrets cultivators dealt with were indeed grand and profound!

Without further thought, leveraging the Unity of Heaven and Man state and standing on the Formation Dao Disk,

Xu Xiaoshou's hands fluttered as he began weaving Heavenly Secrets Dao patterns onto the rough formation disk blank, disregarding the onlookers' shock.

If he hadn't yet reached the Throne realm, these arts and abilities should indeed have been hidden, for fear of being discovered.

But as the saying went, times had changed.

The current Xu Xiaoshou no longer feared the Void realm.

The more he displayed, the greater his value appeared to outsiders!

Especially Zhu Yike, who had just joined the First Floor in Heaven, still didn't fully understand how powerful or how many abilities the burgeoning faith of the First Floor in Heaven possessed.

And as for Feng Xiaose... having become an ally, it was impossible for him to entertain the idea of forcibly taking Xu Xiaoshou to the Dog Moon Grey Palace for research.

The greater the value displayed by the First Floor in Heaven, the more resolute their militant faction's cooperative stance would become.

With this, Xu Xiaoshou could be even more unbridled and arrogant when negotiating terms with Palace Master Baizhou later.

This small display of Heavenly Secrets Art abilities was still a first...

Xu Xiaoshou had considered many implicit and subsequent benefits.

He unreservedly released his charm, appearing effortlessly skilled, and enjoying the endless passive points contributed by the people beside him.

[Doubt received, Passive Point +3.]

[Observation received, Passive Point +5.]

[Admiration received, Passive Point +5.]

The difficulty of crafting the Heavenly Secrets formation disk was unexpectedly not as high as imagined.

Or rather, in the Unity of Heaven and Man state, Xu Xiaoshou could almost flawlessly craft an artifact whose complete production process was recorded and already formed in a jade slip.

He was like an emotionless weaving machine, imbuing the Fourth-grade Heavenly Secrets formation disk blank in his hand with new life by weaving Heavenly Secrets Dao patterns.

It only took one try!

When the complex structure above the Heavenly Secrets formation disk, consisting of three thousand six hundred and seventy-two layers nested inside and outside, interactively superimposed, took shape and transformed into planar glowing patterns, inscribing themselves into the small, rough formation disk blank,

"Buzz!"

With a strange hum, the Searching Disk was complete!

"This..."

Feng Xiaose's eyes turned green. He looked at Xu Xiaoshou as if he were a treasure, "Succeeded on the first try?"

"Yes, on the first try." Xu Xiaoshou's lips curved upwards, outwardly calm, but inwardly quite astonished.

After all, when he was pondering the spiritual formation with dozens of nested layers at the Tiansang City Lord's Mansion,

he could understand it, but actually crafting it would take a lot of effort.

The Heavenly Secrets formation disk was different; it was indeed much more complex than spiritual formations, with thousands of nested layers. It was simply not something an ordinary person could handle.

With such intricate and complex items, even a slight oversight, like carving a line too wide or too narrow, would instantly destroy the rough formation disk blank.

Not to mention, the crafting of Heavenly Secrets formation disks had strict requirements for the amount of spiritual energy injected into each Heavenly Secrets Dao pattern.

However, in the Unity of Heaven and Man state...

Zero errors!

After crafting the formation disk, Xu Xiaoshou felt a little mentally drained.

But he recovered almost completely after a short period of alleviation under passive abilities like "Conversion."

He believed that even if he were to craft the next Heavenly Secrets formation disk right now, he would still succeed on the first attempt!

"What is this... a genuine Throne-level Heavenly Secrets cultivator now? Can I go to the Dao Department on the Holy Mountain and get certified?" Xu Xiaoshou mused, amused.

"Weaving Mastery" was still at Throne Lv1.

In the past, it was excellent at breaking formations.

But even just crafting a Grandmaster-level spiritual formation would make one feel mentally drained.

However, in the "Unity of Heaven and Man" state, all his abilities were maximized, and he could even draw energy from the Heavenly Dao.

"So, if I were to refine pills while standing on the 'Fire Dao Disk,' wouldn't they always turn out to be top-grade elixirs?"

"And if 'Cooking Mastery' reached Saint Emperor Lv0, my pill refining level could directly surpass Old Man Sang, making his teacher, the Cinderglow Demigod, call me an ancestor?"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned by this thought.

Once again, he had to update his understanding of this special passive ability.

Unity of Heaven and Man was truly insane!

Clearly, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't the only one feeling insane at the moment.

Feng Xiaose, Zhu Yike, and Li Fugui also felt as if they were losing their minds. They had seen Heavenly Secrets Art before; in the Southern Region, it was considered a minor faction.

But the finished Heavenly Secrets formation disk in Xu Xiaoshou's hand was of exceptional quality.

Just by visual inspection, judging by the Dao charm and spiritual energy fluctuations, its grade was no lower than the Throne realm.

What did this imply?

"Master Shou, is he also a Throne-level Heavenly Secrets cultivator?"

Even Li Fugui, who possessed all the first-hand information, including internal data, about Master Shou, was now steeped in intense doubt.

Even Mu Zixi pondered when Xu Xiaoshou had learned the Heavenly Secrets Art.

He had clearly always been by her side.

Wait!

It seemed that once, Xu Xiaoshou had indeed brought a woman who knew the Heavenly Secrets Art... and she was quite large... into the Yuan Mansion world?

So! That! Was! It!

Mu Zixi bowed her head, nudged the little white weasel away, and to her surprise, she could actually see her toes!

She suddenly raised her eyes, stared at Xu Xiaoshou, and began using the "Death by Gaze" technique.

[Cursed, Passive Point +1, +1, +1, +1...]

"Master Shou knows Heavenly Secrets Art too?" Even Master Han, the little white weasel, spoke up, startling the three people beside him, who all turned their gazes.

A Demigod spoke?

Hey, wasn't he Master Shou's subordinate? Didn't he know?

"Heavenly Secrets Art?" Xu Xiaoshou chuckled. "You've just joined the First Floor in Heaven. You don't know that here, even a chicken knows Heavenly Secrets Art!"

Everyone was stunned.

Master Han's eyes froze.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen Heavenly Secrets Art before.

In the inner island, Old Ancestor Wuji had once held Heavenly Secrets Art training courses at the request of the Three Ancestors, hoping to find a few promising talents.

Entertainment was scarce on the inner island, so almost everyone went that time, even the Demon Emperor Black Dragon joined the crowd.

Everyone personally witnessed Old Ancestor Wuji crafting Heavenly Secrets formation disks and using the Heavenly Secrets Art, and everyone tried to craft and learn themselves.

Without exception, they all failed!

That thing was simply not something humans or beasts could learn!

— It required extremely high precision and a deep understanding of the Heavenly Dao. Talent determined the threshold, while effort determined the upper limit.

In just the first stage, every living, sentient being on the inner island was eliminated!

And now, Master Shou said that even a chicken knew Heavenly Secrets Art in the First Floor in Heaven?

[Suspicion received, Passive Point +5.]

"Don't believe it?"

Xu Xiaoshou's lips curled up. He used "Painting Mastery" to draw a black chicken and casually threw a rough Heavenly Secrets formation disk blank to it.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck—"

The black chicken crowed towards the sky, laying an egg from its backside while flapping its wings wildly.

Soon, another Heavenly Secrets formation disk was successfully crafted!

First try success!

Heavenly Secrets cultivators entered the Throne realm upon initiation, as it involved comprehending the Heavenly Dao.

The one crafted by this black chicken was, of course, not an Innate or Grandmaster-level item, but also a Throne-grade Heavenly Secrets formation disk.

Instantly, everyone present was bewildered.

"What kind of chicken is this... bah, a divine beast?" Feng Xiaose exclaimed excitedly.

Even though he could tell that the spiritual energy fluctuation on the chicken was minimal, not even reaching the Innate realm.

But being able to craft Heavenly Secrets formation disks was enough!

The Dog Moon Grey Palace still didn't have a single proper Heavenly Secrets cultivator and was still spending resources to train them.

If they could cooperate with the First Floor in Heaven and obtain the "custody" and "production rights" of these Heavenly Secrets chickens, wouldn't they soar?

"Don't bother, it's not for sale, and it can't be sold anyway." Xu Xiaoshou saw through Feng Xiaose's intention and shook his head, refusing.

"Nonsense!" Mu Zixi's thought process was slower, and only now did she realize Xu Xiaoshou was subtly insulting her.

She huffed, "That chicken is just yours! If the First Floor in Heaven truly has chickens that can use Heavenly Secrets Art, why can't I? You didn't teach me!"

Others didn't expose him, yet you came to expose your own senior brother?

Xu Xiaoshou scoffed, thinking, *With that blockhead of yours, could you even learn?*

"It's bad enough you don't speak, but you have to come out and humiliate yourself..." Xu Xiaoshou glanced at his junior sister and chuckled:

"This just proves you're worse than a chicken! If I were you, I'd quickly shut up, find a hole, and bury myself, rather than coming out to make a fool of myself!"

Mu Zixi blinked her big eyes, froze for a moment, then lunged at him.

"Ah—"

She was immediately pinned down by Xu Xiaoshou, unable to punch or kick.

"Brother Xu, is this chicken really not for sale?" Feng Xiaose glanced at the bickering senior and junior siblings, not particularly concerned, still focused on whether those Heavenly Secrets chickens could be mass-produced.

"It really can't be sold; my junior sister is telling the truth," Xu Xiaoshou said, pushing his junior sister away.

The young girl yelped as she fell to the ground, crouching there, too embarrassed to face anyone, and began drawing circles to curse Xu Xiaoshou.

"Then you said even a chicken in your First Floor in Heaven knows Heavenly Secrets Art..." Feng Xiaose was disheartened and irritable.

"That's right!" Xu Xiaoshou grabbed the black chicken, smiling as he stroked its feathers. "This chicken can't be sold, but there's another 'chicken' in the First Floor in Heaven who also knows Heavenly Secrets Art."

"Huh?" Feng Xiaose was puzzled. "What 'chicken'?"

"Xuan Wuji."

A dead silence persisted for a very, very long time...

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines.

Feng Xiaose burst out laughing on the spot.

Zhu Yike also chuckled.

Li Fugui was about to join in the laughter when he suddenly sobered up. Master Shou didn't seem to be telling a cold joke... Xuan Wuji was a person!

"Old Ancestor Wuji?"

"Old Ancestor Wuji?"

Master Han was stunned for a moment, speaking in unison with Li Fugui.

He, too, had just realized that Xuan Wuji was Old Ancestor Wuji's real name!

Xu Xiaoshou had once told him that as a Grandmaster, he had teamed up with Old Ancestor Wuji to slay a Void cultivator, and had also inquired about Old Ancestor Wuji's background.

But Master Han had never imagined that a Heavenly Secrets Art grandmaster like Old Ancestor Wuji would also join the First Floor in Heaven, even before him?

Feng Xiaose and Zhu Yike's smiles froze.

They hadn't understood "Xuan Wuji."

But Old Ancestor Wuji was very famous. Given his age and experience, as soon as his name was mentioned, they all remembered him.

Whether on the inner island of Void Island or on the Holy Divine Continent, Old Ancestor Wuji had once been a formidable presence, a grandmaster of the Heavenly Secrets Art!

"He... is also Master Shou's subordinate?"

Feng Xiaose hesitated, even changing his address.

Previously, when suppressed by his aura, he had called him Master Shou, but calling him Master Shou now was entirely different.

If even Old Ancestor Wuji was a subordinate of Xu Xiaoshou, then adding this white weasel...

The First Floor in Heaven had two Saints?

"How is this an emerging force? This is clearly a group gathering people in the early stages with the goal of 'slaughtering the mountain'!"

Feng Xiaose roared in his mind, recalling Xu Xiaoshou saying the First Floor in Heaven's objective was to charge up the Holy Mountain.

He had wanted to laugh before, but now he wanted to laugh at himself.

Xu Xiaoshou seemed to always speak the truth in a joking tone, ever since he first appeared as a profligate young master!

"I'll introduce you to him when there's a chance." Xu Xiaoshou smiled, sweeping his gaze over everyone. "He should still be participating in the Royal City Trial right now."

Everyone:

The Royal City Trial, he couldn't be talking about the one in the Cloudmist Mountain Range, could he?

Master Han was astonished.

He didn't even know there was a trial that required Old Ancestor Wuji's personal participation, and he hurriedly asked, "Is the Royal City a Demigod-level secret realm?"

Xu Xiaoshou's smile froze. He slowly turned his head to look at the innocent Master Han.

"Let's put it this way," he mused, his tone grave. "Compared to the Royal City Trial, this place... the Void Island! It's just a small dungeon belonging to it."

A dungeon?

Master Han was bewildered for a moment, but he could tell from Master Shou's tone just how terrifying that Royal City Trial was!

A gathering of Demigods?

Even Saint Emperors would make a move?

Indeed, being with Master Shou was incredibly thrilling and dangerous; all the battles were high-stakes.

Mu Zixi, who had been squatting on the ground drawing circles, couldn't listen anymore. She stood up and glared at her senior brother.

That black-hearted Xu Xiaoshou, even deceiving such a cute little white weasel!

"Don't listen to his nonsense. The Royal City Trial's participants are just Innate and Grandmaster cultivators; it's not as dangerous as you imagine." Mu Zixi snatched back the little white weasel.

"Oh, oh." Master Han nodded, even more terrified.

Well! In this little ancestor's eyes, a situation that required Old Ancestor Wuji's personal participation had become a "small game" for Innate and Grandmaster cultivators.

If I believed you, I'd be insane!

"Found it..."

Beside them, setting aside the jokes, Xu Xiaoshou, who was using the Searching Disk, quickly noticed movement on the disk. It pointed towards the interior of the First Sin Palace.

The Sub-Dimensional Gate was indeed not shielded by Heavenly Secrets abilities, and its aura hadn't changed yet!

But this was probably only temporary.

Currently, there weren