Chapter 248: Connected

Sang Lao's expression was extremely grave. He tapped his fingers rapidly on the window ledge, seemingly pondering how best to begin.

"Ghost beasts in this world are a calamity!"

His first sentence was chilling. He gazed at Xu Xiaoshou and continued: "These beings only originate in extradimensional spaces, and the probability of their appearance is one in ten thousand. However, though the individual probability is small, if we consider the entire continent... Across the five regions and the boundless oceans, a dimensional rift appears almost every few minutes. This means that within a single day, at least dozens, if not hundreds, of ghost beasts are born! Their strength is almost never below that of a Sovereign!"

Xu Xiaoshou was instantly astonished. He had heard Mo Mo speak of ghost beasts before, but it was clear her understanding wasn't comprehensive. Now, encountering such a direct explanation of ghost beasts for the first time, his shock was immense.

"Dozens, hundreds? And all at Sovereign level?" The young man's face was filled with disbelief. But he thought of the Grey Fog figure. If not for the restrictive power of the Tianxuan Gate's minor world, with its cultivation release speed, it would likely have surpassed even Sovereign cultivation! At this point, he fully understood why Sang Lao had previously told him, "You should be glad you're still alive." These were truly monstrous existences! In a different time and place, he would have truly been doomed!

Sang Lao merely nodded gently. "These are just the ghost beasts that have been discovered. Those that haven't been found, or those outside the five regions, are even greater calamities within calamities! Dimensional rifts have existed for countless years. Over these years, innumerable ghost beasts have been sealed and destroyed, but such suppression only makes the surviving ones more terrifying. Imagine, what kind of situation would arise if these beings were to unite?"

Xu Xiaoshou was momentarily stumped by the question. To be honest, given his current level, it was indeed hard for him to envision such a scenario. "The end of the world, human extinction?"

Sang Lao quirked an eyebrow. "It's not that dramatic." He scoffed, laughing softly. "After all, they're like rats everyone wants to exterminate. No matter how big their bodies or how strong their destructive power, they are still just rats. There will always be specialized individuals to deal with ghost beasts, but as long as dimensional rifts don't cease, the hidden unrest will never end."

"Who deals with them?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"The Holy Divine Palace!" Sang Lao replied.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately thought of Jiang Bianyan. "Rely on them?" Though that guy wasn't weak, compared to the Grey Fog figure...

Sang Lao directly flicked the young man's forehead. "The Holy Divine Palace became the continent's foremost power for a reason. What you've seen is just the tip of the iceberg... a mere speck of ice on it! Within the Holy Divine Palace, there's a specialized organization responsible for sealing ghost beasts, called 'Red Clothes'."

"'Red Clothes'?" Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. He remembered hearing Elder Qiao mention "White Clothes" on the night the masked figures attacked a second time. "'Red Clothes' and 'White Clothes', what's the difference?"

"One is responsible for killing ghost beasts, the other for killing people."

This simple yet blunt and clear answer sent a chill down Xu Xiaoshou's spine. He mused, "So the Holy Divine Palace exists to eliminate all ghost beasts and maintain world peace?"

Maintain world peace... A hint of sarcasm curled Sang Lao's lips. He said lightly, "Something like that."

"But what does this have to do with the 'Saint Servant'?" Xu Xiaoshou, not noticing the straw-hatted old man's odd expression, asked again, feeling that Sang Lao had clearly digressed.

"Back to the previous question..." Sang Lao glanced at him, then sat cross-legged on the ground, patting the floor to motion for Xu Xiaoshou to sit down too, before continuing: "Each individual ghost beast is extremely powerful, yet they rarely possess a cooperative consciousness. However, there are always exceptions. What if one of these beings was born with the ambition to rule their entire race, or what if someone wanted to utilize the immense power of ghost beasts to achieve certain goals?"

Xu Xiaoshou, halfway to squatting, instantly stood up again, startled. "So those masked figures were actually ghost beasts?"

Sang Lao's expression was blank. What kind of thought process was that?

Before the old man could speak, Xu Xiaoshou understood the answer from his reaction. He calmly sat down and continued to himself: "If that's not the possibility, then does that mean the 'Saint Servant's' ultimate goal involves ghost beasts?"

Sang Lao felt a breath stuck in his chest, aching to be released but with nowhere to go. He could only nod grudgingly.

Xu Xiaoshou pondered, muttering to himself, "According to what you're saying, the masked figures came to the Spiritual Palace for ghost beasts. But they were clearly looking for 'Gravekeeper's Snow'... And at that time, they didn't even know Mo Mo existed? Could it be that Mo Mo is also part of the 'Saint Servant'?"

Sang Lao gave a dismissive laugh. He pulled out his wine gourd, took a sip, and waited to see how far Xu Xiaoshou could deduce.

The young man's brow remained furrowed. He pondered for a long time, then a look of realization appeared on his face. "No, Mo Mo shouldn't be a 'Saint Servant'... After all, according to what she said at Tianxuan Gate, she had no connection to the 'Saint Servant' whatsoever, and didn't even know of their existence. Her current state was merely because of the White Cave, after which she was possessed by a ghost beast..."

"White Cave?" Xu Xiaoshou felt he had grasped another clue. He stared at Sang Lao in shock. "I know!"

Sang Lao was already startled when he heard "White Cave." How did this guy connect it? Before he could speak, Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts flowed, and inspiration welled up like a spring.

"'Saint Servant' definitely has a goal. On the surface, they're looking for famous swords, but secretly, all their preparations are for... the Blackfallen Sword Scabbard? The Blackfallen Sword Scabbard belongs to the Eighth Sword Immortal, completely unrelated to ghost beasts. But if they're looking for it, then there must be a connection! According to Mo Mo, she is the first generation 'Ghost Beast Host,' and this encounter occurred around the White Cave. The White Cave... considering the one-in-ten-thousand birth rate of ghost beasts, the ghost beast targeted by the 'Saint Servant' is clearly *that* one. In summary, what they actually want to find is Mo Mo, but they can't find her, so they plan to enter the White Cave to search for clues?"

Xu Xiaoshou saw Sang Lao's utterly stunned expression and already understood. He continued, "The opening of extradimensional spaces certainly isn't arbitrary, especially a minor world where a ghost beast has been born like this..." Xu Xiaoshou paused, pondered for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "White Cave anomaly? Reopening?"

Sang Lao couldn't sit still; he jumped up in shock, his face filled with horror.

"Regarding the Blackfallen Sword Scabbard, has the Eighth Sword Immortal's remains appeared? Or... have the Four Swords emerged?"

*Clang!* Sang Lao's wine gourd slipped from his hand in shock, and he unconsciously stumbled back a few steps.

"By getting the scabbard, they can gain the initiative? And then, in the 'White Cave', get a handle on the ghost beast's... erm, clues?"

Sang Lao took a deep breath. Before he could speak, Xu Xiaoshou gave him a knowing smile. "You old geezer, you told me I had to be back within a month. You weren't planning something with this 'White Cave' business, were you?!"

Sang Lao choked, a breath caught in his throat, and he plopped straight onto the ground.