Chapter 1567: The Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix True Divine Beings, Open Card Control Spurs the Wheel of Fate

“Ahahaha…”

In the vast, desolate wilderness, Bai Zhuo let out an awkward laugh, not caring about the strange looks from those around him, and tossed the Shen Zhi Mingxing in his hand over.

“One of our own, ha.”

“Xu Xiaoshou, you should know why I went to such lengths back then, crossing vast distances and two realms to deliver the Tan Shen to you, right?”

“It means cooperation!”

A cold wind blew, and Bai Zhuo seemed to sober up completely. He no longer acted superior; instead, a touch of warmth appeared on his face.

Given the current situation, even Yue Gongli had to tread carefully around these five great villains.

What was he thinking? Did he really plan to snatch some benefits from Xu Xiaoshou right under the watchful eyes of these old foxes?

—That was impossible!

“Patta patta.”

The three Shen Zhi Mingxing arced through the air before landing in Sang Lao’s hand.

Sang Lao was cautious, examining the items closely. Once he saw nothing unusual, he handed them to the traitor behind him.

Xu Xiaoshou reached out his hand.

But Sang Lao suddenly pulled back, clutching the Shen Zhi Mingxing to his chest, and addressed Bai Zhuo on his own:

“Good.”

With just two words, he dismissed the man, then turned to the traitor: “Eighteen Shen Zhi Mingxing to summon the Zu Shen Mingge.”

“Right?” Xu Xiaoshou wasn’t sure if Sang Lao’s words were a question, so he second-guessed himself.

“Then do you think now is the right time to summon the Zu Shen Mingge and claim the inheritance?” Sang Lao asked expressionlessly.

The moment he said this, Xu Xiaoshou snapped to attention.

Earlier, in the prototype of the Dark Shen Court, Yue Gongli had mentioned his speculation:

The Zu Shen Mingge might have fallen into the hands of the Di Ying Shengzhu.

Regardless of whether that was true, all signs pointed to the Di Ying Shengzhu’s corruption, its desire to transcend and become a Zu Shen.

The Ran Ming site was likely no longer just Ran Ming’s site.

The Ran Ming inheritance had probably been tampered with.

At this point, gathering the eighteen Shen Zhi Mingxing to summon the Zu Shen Mingge might result in…

Not the Zu Shen Mingge at all.

Instead, something bad could happen.

Xu Xiaoshou’s thoughts raced quickly, and from another angle, he raised a question:

“But if we don’t take it, are we going to let Yue Gongli have it?”

The Water Ghost turned his head at the sound, fiddling with his golden beast mask, seemingly deep in thought.

Sang Lao pressed down his straw hat, narrowing his eyes in contemplation. Strangely, his charred hands didn’t damage the simple hat at all.

“You have a point…”

A point?

What point?

Cen Qiaofu shook his head, snapping back from thoughts of tomorrow’s dinner. “What are you all talking about?”

Sang Lao didn’t even respond: “Mu Zi Li’s people found me and said…”

“What?” Cen Qiaofu asked, looking over.

“He said, ‘The Zhan Shen Guan site might not be just the Zhan Shen Guan’s site anymore.’”

This statement made everyone frown, including Xu Xiaoshou.

But his focus was different from others—it wasn’t on the content he’d already considered, but rather…

“Mu Zi Li’s people?”

“They’re your people.”

“My people?”

“Li Daren.”

Ah? Li Daren—who was that?

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled for a moment before remembering.

Li Fugui did have a subordinate who referred to himself that way, probably as “Li Daren”?

“It’s not important anymore.”

With a wave of his hand, Xu Xiaoshou cleared his cluttered thoughts and looked at the Shen Zhi Mingxing in Sang Lao’s hand, laughing casually:

“Even if the outcome isn’t ideal, so what?”

“We’ll handle whatever comes—soldiers to generals, floods to earthworks. If I were afraid of this Shen Zhi site, afraid of that evil tree causing trouble, or even afraid of Zhan Shen Guan Ran Ming himself, I wouldn’t have entered this site in the first place.”

With that, he extended his hand, signaling Sang Lao to hand over the final pieces.

Whether the eighteen Shen Zhi Mingxing would automatically summon the Zu Shen Mingge and end this sealed Zhan Shen Guan inheritance trial was unknown.

But after hearing the Sheng Nu group’s discussion, everyone around clearly sensed that the appearance and mutations of the Di Ying Shengzhu were tied to the secrets of the Shen Zhi site.

In such circumstances, Young Master Xu still chose this carefree approach…

“You’ve changed.”

Sang Lao tilted his head slightly, gazing at the young man before him.

Xu Xiaoshou was still Xu Xiaoshou, but the details in his appearance had shifted, and his way of handling things—even his personality—was completely different from the kid they knew in the Ba Gong.

In the past, he went from blind ignorance to becoming extremely cautious in the big picture, handling every detail personally.

He was even paranoid, overly hesitant and looking ahead at every turn.

Now, it seemed he had regressed from caution back to blind ignorance, charging headfirst into anything he saw.

But Sang Lao knew…

The mountain was still the mountain, yet it wasn’t the same mountain anymore.

In just a year, how much hardship had he endured?

“Everything changes, and people are no exception—I’ve changed the most.” Xu Xiaoshou smiled as he looked around.

The world is changing, so why not me?

A year ago, or even half a year, a few months ago, he never imagined he’d one day enter this unique Shen Zhi site and have the qualification to converse with people he once thought were out of his league.

Sang Lao opened his mouth, wanting to say more.

He wanted to say that if the eighteen Shen Zhi Mingxing could summon the Zu Shen Mingge just by being together, they could let the Water Ghost do it to avoid unknown risks.

He wanted to say that the Zu Shen Mingge might not be the best choice—after all, Zhan Shen Guan Ran Ming was still at the Shi Zu level, and even weakened, he might not be easily manipulated by the Di Ying Shengzhu… So when they first entered the Shen Zhi site, the mention of the three inheritances left behind might still be valid. Taking the second one and losing the first would be a loss.

He also wanted to say that the Shen Zhi site was dangerous but full of rare opportunities. Even if the Zu Shen Mingge was the biggest one, there were other good things… If they gathered the eighteen Shen Zhi Mingxing too early and closed the site prematurely, they’d miss out on a lot. Xu Xiaoshou might not need them, but his subordinates would, and waiting for the next site opening could take ages.

Sang Lao had a lot he wanted to say.

But seeing Xu Xiaoshou’s composed demeanor, he realized this guy had truly changed!

Just like how Xu Xiaoshou didn’t even know who “Li Daren” was but had already anticipated the intelligence Li Daren wanted to convey.

Perhaps Sang Lao’s unspoken reminders were already something Xu Xiaoshou had figured out.

“Fly.”

The era is yours.

With a toss, the three Shen Zhi Mingxing were thrown out.

Cen Qiaofu, Water Ghost, Bai Zhuo, and the others instantly grew serious.

The surrounding onlookers subconsciously stepped back, as if some unstoppable phenomenon was about to occur.

“Boom!”

A distant roar of the overlord startled everyone.

Xu Xiaoshou simply reached out, unfazed, caught the Shen Zhi Mingxing, and gathered them all together.

“Buzz!”

The eighteen head-sized Shen Zhi Mingxing arranged themselves on the ground, pulling and attracting each other into an irregular pattern.

The earth trembled with a buzz.

Strange lights flashed.

Suddenly, all the phenomena stopped.

A clear guide appeared in Xu Xiaoshou’s mind—simply put, two words:

At the same time, the left palm of everyone in the Shen Zhi site, including Shen Yi who was still beating the Di Ying Shengzhu, vibrated.

Water Ghost raised his hand, probed with his Sheng Nian, and the Zu Shen Bang quickly appeared:

“One, Xu Xiaoshou, eighteen.”

“Two, Yue Gongli, fourteen.”

Nothing else!

The Zu Shen Bang, which had listed six or seven names, now only had these two.

And both on the list had broken into double digits for Shen Zhi Mingxing.

This scene left everyone baffled.

“What’s going on?”

“I remember the Zu Shen Bang wasn’t this short, right?”

“Even excluding Wu Xiu, the woodcutter, Bai Zhuo—if their Shen Zhi Mingxing were combined, there should still be one or two others, like that Nian guy, Water Ghost, Zhou Tian Shen, right?”

“Water Ghost doesn’t have any Shen Zhi Mingxing—he’s right here!”

“Then Zhou Tian Shen…”

“Zhou Tian Shen’s were already taken by Young Master Xu. They’re a pair—one has them, the other doesn’t, and the numbers match perfectly!”

“But… it’s not possible for the list to suddenly have only two people with Shen Zhi Mingxing. Wasn’t there someone else on it… who was it?”

“Huang Quan!”

“Right! Yan Wang, Huang Quan!”

No need for others to explain; just by glancing, the Sheng Nu group knew what had happened.

After exchanging looks, even Cen Qiaofu, who usually didn’t handle the thinking part, spoke up:

“So, right now, at this very moment, Yue Gongli found Huang Quan?”

“But earlier, Yue Gongli had five Shen Zhi Mingxing, and Huang Quan had three—that’s only eight total…”

Water Ghost waved his hand, interrupting: “Wu Xiu took six, and Yue Gongli led the Sheng Shen Dian Tang with so many people searching comprehensively—at least nine or ten.”

Sang Lao’s face darkened.

Water Ghost didn’t bother with niceties, since he wasn’t afraid of offending anyone: “From this, Huang Quan’s count isn’t accurate either. He must have at least four or five—he was hiding them too.”

Bai Zhuo, listening from behind, was stunned, recalling the scene when Wu Xiu first appeared, with people in a circle passing Shen Zhi Mingxing.

He thought only Wu Xiu was like that.

Now it seemed…

“Aren’t you humans all this scheming? Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

Bai Zhuo was genuinely confused and stepped closer with his long legs: “How did you know you could pass them around?”

The Sheng Nu group turned their gazes in unison, landing on Bai Zhuo’s flushed, alcohol-tinged beautiful face.

Then their eyes shifted down to his ample chest before quickly returning to his face.

No one spoke.

Cen Qiaofu shamefully covered his face and stepped back, exiting the group.

Sorry, I’m not worthy. I’m too pure; I’ve sinned…

“Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Bai Zhuo puffed out his chest, feeling puzzled.

He felt their eyes weren’t on him but on someone with a disability.

“Nothing.”

Sang Lao was the first to look away, unfazed, and asked: “How does it feel?”

“It can be summoned.” Xu Xiaoshou said, trying to circle his Ling Nian around the guiding force in his mind, which wasn’t quite substantial. After confirming, he added: “Yes, it can definitely be summoned.”

“As long as I want, these eighteen Shen Zhi Mingxing can directly summon something.”

“Whether it’s the Zu Shen Mingge…”

“Whether summoning it will close the Shen Zhi site…”

“After it closes, whether we go back or get trapped and have to find another way out…”

With that, he stopped.

Sang Lao furrowed his brows: “So, what’s your view?”

In the Ling Gong era, he wouldn’t have asked Xu Xiaoshou; he’d have arranged it directly without explanation.

Xu Xiaoshou would have thought within his limited perspective, like a frog at the bottom of a well.

But now, his views were on par with Sang Lao’s.

The moment Sang Lao asked, he felt a bit unaccustomed to seeking others’ opinions and tsked twice, finding it quite novel.

“My view…”

Xu Xiaoshou thought for a moment, his gaze suddenly settling on Cen Qiaofu, who looked dazed again.

He remembered Cen Qiaofu as wise when acting alone—that was a compliment—but today, he’d shown this expression multiple times.

After a pause, Xu Xiaoshou was stunned too.

Wait, why am I thinking about this?

I have the Water and Fire Essences, and these two geniuses of strategy—why do I need to think myself?

“Great Elder, what’s your take?” Xu Xiaoshou turned to one side.

The high-level slacker Water Ghost, who was pretending to think but actually zoning out, pinched his golden beast mask and froze for a second, pointing at himself:

“Me?”

“Besides you, who else, my dear Great Elder?”

As everyone’s eyes turned to him, Water Ghost wanted to decline, but noticing the sly smile on Xu Xiaoshou’s face, he quickly said:

“I think it’s completely unnecessary!”

“Oh?” Xu Xiaoshou laughed. “How is it ‘completely unnecessary’?”

You can stop talking now!

Water Ghost glared fiercely at the guy, then got back on topic, his face turning serious:

“Whether to summon the Zu Shen Mingge or not, since we hold the initiative, we can slow down the pace.”

“We’re in the first heaven now; the eighteenth and thirty-third heavens above haven’t been explored, and their opportunities are unknown.”

“Yue Gongli has already gathered fourteen Shen Zhi Mingxing and teamed up with Huang Quan, clearly aiming for a big push.”

“Opportunities and risks go hand in hand. For me, the risks outweigh the opportunities, so let him test it first.”

“And…”

He paused, sweeping his gaze over everyone before landing on Xu Xiaoshou:

“If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t say this.”

“But if it’s you, assuming the Zhan Shen Guan inheritance is a positive gain, you could try the first level: super transcendence.”

“If the inheritance is fake and the gain is negative, we still have Shen Yi as backup, so the error tolerance is high.” He glanced toward the distant battlefield.

“If we can’t ‘discern myself, achieve super transcendence, ascend the three realms, and see the true name,’ at least we have a fallback, and we can try again later.” He looked at the eighteen Shen Zhi Mingxing on the ground.

Good one, Water Ghost—you really know how to talk!

Xu Xiaoshou finally experienced a bit of Ba Zun An’s joy and, seeing Water Ghost finish, naturally turned to Sang Lao.

Sang Lao noticed nothing amiss and, after thinking, agreed: “That’s right, I also support Water Ghost’s view.”

“And you came late, so you might not know.”

“Earlier, our people went to a treasure site in the ruins and saw records of the ‘Lunhui Tian Sheng Zhu’ on a stone tablet.”

“Yes, I remember Yue Gongli’s people were there too.” Water Ghost’s eyes lit up, clearly entering a thoughtful state.

Like Cen Qiaofu, Bai Zhuo, and the others, Xu Xiaoshou became like a reed in the wind, swaying toward Water Ghost’s side as he listened:

“With ten Shen Zhi Mingxing, you can summon the ‘Lunhui Tian Sheng Zhu’ and ascend to the upper realm—that is, the eighteenth heaven above us.” He pointed upward.

“We couldn’t gather enough before, so we couldn’t test it.”

“Now that we can even summon the Zu Shen Mingge, we should first check out the eighteenth heaven and see how it differs from here… Theoretically, the risks are lower, and the opportunities are greater.”

“Exactly!” Sang Lao nodded emphatically, and instantly, the reeds—including the countless ones behind—swayed toward him:

“But theoretical risks are just theory. In reality, summoning the Lunhui Tian Sheng Zhu might not be safer than summoning the Zu Shen Mingge.”

“At least, if I were the corrupted Zhan Shen Guan… or any ill-intentioned party, a single path would be the easiest to set a trap on.”

“Yue Gongli definitely knows this and knows what we’re thinking. He’s more anxious than we are now!”

“For the Sheng Di successor, whether the Zu Shen Mingge is real or fake doesn’t matter, because even if there’s a slight chance it’s fake, he can’t afford to gamble. He can’t let it fall into outsiders’ hands.”

“So, he must control it himself, but he’s short on Shen Zhi Mingxing now, and this first heaven is basically our territory…”

“Wu Xiu was right!” Water Ghost laughed in agreement, and the reeds behind turned to him:

“The Shen Zhi site has special rules; we can use the Zu Shen Bang to pinpoint Yue Gongli’s location.”

“He must know that, but it’s useless now.”

“Even if he switches who holds the Shen Zhi Mingxing, we’re not fools; we’d know he’s behind it, so he’s playing his cards openly.”

“It’s not just openly; he has to!” Sang Lao corrected the slip, fully understanding Water Ghost’s point, and continued under the reeds’ gaze:

“We’re the ones in control, the ones moving the pieces.”

“Yue Gongli, no matter how unwilling, has to become a piece under our watch—one that must follow the path we set.”

“We don’t need to move; we just follow him.”

“Yes!” Water Ghost smiled. “He has to proceed carefully, can’t retreat, and has to desperately explore, using the lives of his Sheng Shen Dian Tang people to fill the risks of the unknown pits he’s digging himself.”

“Then we can enjoy the shade under the trees he plants, following his footsteps with no risks at all.”

Sang Lao also smiled. “If I’m not wrong, he’s probably realizing this about now and will summon the ‘Lunhui Tian Sheng Zhu’.”

“But we don’t have to go right away. I think the commotion will be big.” Sang Lao gestured for them to wait.

“Hehe.”

“Hey hey.”

The two exchanged smiles.

Everyone listening felt a chill run down their spines.

Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes glazed over as he glanced left, then right.

“Ha ha!” He couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“What are you laughing at?” Both turned to him.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t hold it in, slapping his thigh and doubling over like a shrimp, his face blooming with a bright smile. “Nothing, I just suddenly feel… so thrilled…”

So thrilling!

Really thrilling!

This is freaking awesome!

What kind of miserable life was I living before?

Is this Ba Zun An’s joy? Is this the terrifying boost from true strategists like these two?

I thought Li Fugui was strong enough and useful.

Little did I know, stacking top minds like Fen Qin and Ye Mao Water Ghost creates such a qualitative leap!

What Yue Gongli? How can you compete with me?

What Shen Zhi site? With these two together, they can master the rules here, crossing rivers by feeling stones faster than others fly!

“Boom!”

A sudden roar echoed from afar.

This wasn’t from Shen Yi’s battlefield; it was…

Xu Xiaoshou raised his left palm.

Everyone else did the same.

The Zu Shen Bang instantly appeared before the dozens of people, confirming one thing:

“Damn, it’s Yue Gongli’s position!”

“Isn’t it? Did they really predict it? He’s summoning that ‘Lunhui Tian Sheng Zhu’?”

“Hiss!”

“My heavens!”

“I’m getting goosebumps!”

“So this is the world of the big shots?”

“I always thought I was smart enough, but now—I finally get why I’m just a Tai Xu.”

“Shh! Wu Xiu is also a Tai Xu!”

“Heh, your Tai Xu is just because you barely made it to Tai Xu. Others are Tai Xu because they want to comprehend the essence there!”

“Wuu wuu, stop it…”

The space mirror unfolded, and the reeds became everyone else, facing Xu Xiaoshou.

Without even going over, he could see Yue Gongli’s situation.

As expected, it soon displayed the foreseen grand scene:

A massive totem pillar made of huge green stones descended from the sky, smashing a large number of people around Yue Gongli.

Those who reacted and fled in time were instantly engulfed by the terrifying evil god aura erupting from the Lunhui Tian Sheng Zhu.

Yue Gongli gritted his teeth and acted, summoning the Chong Yin Evil God to withstand and absorb the massive evil god power.

“Buzz!”

The Lunhui Tian Sheng Zhu emitted a green light, as if it could now be traversed.

The one who summoned it was a Tai Xu, already half-body shattered, but still alive, so he had to complete the task and pressed his hand onto the pillar.

“I bet something goes wrong.” Water Ghost smiled.

“I bet something goes wrong too.”

The moment Sang Lao spoke, with a bang, the Tai Xu in the mirror world exploded, his flesh turning into dissipating evil god power, about to crawl toward the surrounding onlookers.

“Chi!”

Yue Gongli formed a seal, enduring the blatant surveillance, absorbed the evil god power, and beckoned to a unfamiliar Ban Sheng nearby.

“Bei Yu Mingjue Cheng Shi, Cheng Guanglu.” Water Ghost thought for a moment.

“The Mingjue Cheng Shi has declined, with no promising successors; their highest is just one Tai Xu. Cheng Guanglu has basically given up.”

“Actually, it’s not really giving up; with his path blocked, he had to join the Sheng Shen Dian Tang and see if he can get some blessings this time, for himself and his descendants.”

“But the price might be his life.”

“Right…”

“Ha ha ha!”

At this strange laugh, Water Ghost and Sang Lao stopped and turned oddly. “What are you laughing at now?”

“Nothing, nothing…”

Xu Xiaoshou waved his hands repeatedly, wiping away tears: “I’m just… happy. I thought of some happy things.”

Heavens above!

You’ve finally opened your eyes!

Have I, Xu Xiaoshou, finally turned my suffering into joy and reached this point?

If I was still a bit doubtful about Water Ghost and Sang Lao’s confidence earlier…

Now, seeing Yue Gongli’s greenish face in the space mirror and Ban Sheng Cheng Guanglu’s determined expression as he faced death…

Xu Xiaoshou really wanted to grab Ba Zun An’s head and stomp on it.

So wicked!

Your life is way too comfortable!

I feel sorry for pitying your weakened state with sword qi, only eight fingers, and fallen to Houtian!

Turns out you were playing the victim! Your life is a thousand times more cushy than mine!

If I had these capable aides before, how could I have been toyed with by Dao Qiong Cang? I could’ve turned the tables and used Xiang Yi to trick that smug old Daoist!

“Wuu wuu wuu…”

“What’s wrong with you now?”

“Nothing, I just thought of some sad things, but I’m also happy, wuu wuu wuu.”

“You’re sick.”

“Don’t mind him; he’s always like this when he has an episode.”

In the space mirror, Ban Sheng Cheng Guanglu looked grave and slammed his palm onto the Lunhui Tian Sheng Zhu.

His head shattered like a watermelon.

His Ban Sheng position flew out and merged into the Lunhui Tian Sheng Zhu.

At that moment, Yue Gongli couldn’t hold back, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

“Damn!”