Chapter 199: Luxurious Battle

Time rewound by half a second.

As the sword energy approached, Xu Xiaoshou, at the brink of death, completely shed his panic, achieving a state of profound calm. What appeared to be an unconscious reach was, in reality, his body's most direct and natural reaction, accumulated through countless battles. In the blink of an eye, various passive skills were activated to their fullest, even incorporating "ordinary telekinesis." Then, as the sword energy struck, he lightly parried it.

White Clouds Drifting, Second Form: Blade Parry!

Indeed, this was a move born purely from sword intent, the very same technique that had once parried Zhou Tianshen's "Immortal Pulling Mountain Style." Then, as now, it demonstrated how a small force could overcome great power, a stroke of ingenuity that worked similarly in both instances.

The terrifying sword energy from the masked man seemed irresistible, yet it originated from the same source as Xu Xiaoshou's, both being direct manifestations of pure sword intent combat. Xu Xiaoshou's level of sword intent naturally couldn't match, or even come close to, Lei Shuangxing's. However, with the foundational skill of "Sword Mastery," his breadth of understanding was truly formidable, enabling him to discern the essence of almost any sword technique in existence.

With a natural movement, he inserted his hands, pinpointing the critical point of the terrifying sword energy, and then subtly guided it. This subtle guidance certainly didn't alter the sword energy's trajectory in the slightest, but it allowed Xu Xiaoshou's body to use the force to shift away from the path of death, even if only by half his body!

The sword energy sliced straight through, obliterating a significant portion of the main council hall. Xu Xiaoshou barely survived, but the flesh of his hands exploded instantly, leaving only a single, cracked bone. It was only an instantaneous touch, merely fingertips connecting, yet it nearly severed his arms at the root. Such was the terrifying power of the sword energy!

Moreover, the residual sword intent clung to him like a persistent parasite, refusing to dissipate. It instantly invaded Xu Xiaoshou's body, and an excruciating pain, as if countless ants were gnawing at him, struck in the blink of an eye. "Perpetual Life" surged, painstakingly regenerating his flesh.

"Attacked, Passive Points: 1.""Attacked, Passive Points: 1."

Lei Shuangxing was stunned. That sword energy, capable of obliterating even a Throne, had been withstood by this young man? What kind of monster is this?

"Sword Notion?" He seemed to detect a familiar essence, but wasn't that unique to the Head? How could this boy possess it as well?

"No, it's not Sword Notion, just similar…" Lei Shuangxing reconfirmed, finally arriving at a conclusion. "Coincidence…?"

Ye Xiaotian was equally astonished. He hadn't expected Xu Xiaoshou to genuinely withstand that attack on his own. At that moment, his heart was filled with self-reproach. He should have faced that himself, yet he allowed a disciple in the early Yuan Court realm to endure it. It was unforgivable. With a wave of his hand, he instantly teleported Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi to his side.

"My apologies, I was careless. You two should rest!"

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head. He considered himself a cautious person, but in true combat, he still couldn't account for everything, including information he had acquired earlier. No one could be blamed for that attack, nor could it be said that Ye Xiaotian's failure to react was his error. One could only say that his survival was pure luck.

Mu Zixi felt a pang of sympathy. In that moment of crisis, Xu Xiaoshou's first instinct had been to bear everything alone. While she couldn't offer much help, the feeling of being protected was truly touching. She hastily offered him the "Life Spirit Seal" from her mouth.

"Quick, bite down!"

"Do you have some misunderstanding about how to use this?"

A vein twitched on Xu Xiaoshou's forehead. At this point, "Perpetual Life" had already largely regenerated his flesh. He snatched the Spirit Seal, then frowned. The slippery texture...

"Come here?"

Mu Zixi stepped forward, puzzled. "What for?"

Holding the Spirit Seal, Xu Xiaoshou grabbed a corner of her skirt and wiped it. "Your saliva," he stated, "should naturally return to you."

Mu Zixi: "..."

"Cursed, Passive Points: 1."

Lei Shuangxing watched Ye Xiaotian and the two others, a bad premonition forming in his heart. That was impulsive! That sword energy jade had originally been prepared for Ye Xiaotian, designed to inflict death or severe injury upon contact. He hadn't anticipated Xu Xiaoshou's appearance successfully diverting its focus. Even so, the sword energy still hadn't taken his life. And this kid was merely in the early Yuan Court realm! Judging by his recovery, he seemed to be getting better?

"Is a Grandmaster's Body truly this powerful? Or is the Head's sword energy not as terrifying as I thought?" For the first time, Lei Shuangxing harbored a sliver of doubt about the invincible Head. He rattled the last jade stone in his hand, signaling Ye Xiaotian not to act recklessly. This item's effect was unrelated to cultivation level. Xu Xiaoshou had only narrowly escaped because he had comprehended sword intent, possessed a Grandmaster's Body, and performed that divinely inspired parry at the crucial moment. But there was no guarantee that Ye Xiaotian would truly survive it!

However, Ye Xiaotian was already enraged. Repeated restraints and control techniques had made him feel like an outsider in this situation, and ultimately, he had even allowed a child to endure all of it. Seeing Xu Xiaoshou's injuries, he could no longer restrain himself. He tore at the void with both hands.

"Shredding Space!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Xu Xiaoshou watched in shock as the space before him, like a tablecloth, completely twisted and crumpled under Ye Xiaotian's pull, then shattered into countless black spatial fissures. From within these spatial fissures, endless dimensional fragments sliced out, each piece almost sharper than a blade, instantly rushing towards Lei Shuangxing, who stood at the eye of the storm.

"What the hell…" Xu Xiaoshou was utterly dumbfounded. Was this the true combat power of a Throne?

Mu Zixi was equally wide-eyed, swallowing with difficulty. She glanced at Ye Xiaotian, realizing for the first time that this white-haired Taoist child was not as cute as he seemed.

Lei Shuangxing, cradling Luo Leilei, completely disregarded the chaos. He calmly pulled out a formation disk and crushed it. A transparent light barrier enveloped them both. The dimensional fragments, sharp enough to cleave through space itself, were entirely blocked!

"A formation disk?" Ye Xiaotian frowned, somewhat disbelieving. "Do the 'Holy Slaves' also have Grandmasters?"

"Grandmasters?" Xu Xiaoshou recalled Elder Qiao. "Can only Grandmasters create those formation disks?"

"Precisely." Ye Xiaotian nodded. "Including the previous sword energy jade, if there isn't a Grandmaster of Spirit Formations, the masked man alone shouldn't be able to create it."

Tsk, tsk... For the first time, Xu Xiaoshou entertained the thought of robbing someone. This blind man was simply too wealthy! If he could get his hands on these items, he wouldn't even flinch facing a Throne, would he?

Ye Xiaotian watched the gradually dimming light barrier. Suddenly, he clasped his hands, intending to teleport the two inside out. But at the exact instant, Lei Shuangxing, extremely alert, crushed another piece of purple jade, instantly freezing the space within the light barrier!

"Spatial displacement is useless against me."

Xu Xiaoshou's eyelids twitched. *Again*? This time it was purple jade, what would be next?

Lei Shuangxing picked up the Soul-Extracting Staff, looked up, seemingly gazing at the now completely darkened sky, then pulled out another golden bead emanating a dense spatial aura…

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

"A Teleportation Bead?" Ye Xiaotian's pupils contracted as he recognized the item.

"Time's almost up…"

The blind youth lifted the Soul-Extracting Staff, pointing it at Xu Xiaoshou, then shifting it towards the general direction of either Mu Zixi or Ye Xiaotian.

"Until we meet again!"

The bead shattered, and their figures instantly vanished.