Chapter 264: Forbidden Guards, Fu Yinhong

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent.

After a long time, the young man with a darkened face finally exhaled, awkwardly retracting the "Thousand Leaf Flow, Sword-Drawing Stance, Black Falling Slash" that he was about to unleash.

Damn it, who told you to act?!

This was my whetstone!

My sword technique hadn't been tested yet, and my physical body hadn't been pushed...

I finally encountered a Grandmaster expert, and I can't even gauge my own combat power?!

However, Ah Jie's palm strike also broadened his horizons.

Indeed, if one's physical body could reach such a level, what need was there for flashy combat?

One palm strike could resolve any defiance!

And could he himself reach such a level?

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the passive value below the information bar... and hesitated.

This wasn't a question of whether it was possible; it wasn't even a question!

It was simple: once the passive value accumulated, all enemies were mere trifles!

"Passive skills... they're truly powerful..."

Xu Xiaoshou put Cang Ku and its scabbard back into his ring. Without further thought, he stepped forward, took the array disk that Li Qi had not yet used, pulled out his ring, and skillfully set it ablaze.

Ah Jie's clothes had already burst.

Even with just a light palm strike, the terrifying force of the rebound had directly shredded ordinary clothing.

Only a few strips of cloth remained on him, looking rather appealing... *cough cough*, it was indecent!

Fortunately, Xu Xiaoshou had been prepared.

From his elemental mansion, Xu Xiaoshou took out one of the remaining 999 identical garments, put it on Ah Jie, and then picked up the straw hat from the ground.

The straw hat had also cracked...

Xu Xiaoshou replaced it with a new one and then somewhat resentfully complained, "Didn't I tell you to watch the fight? Wouldn't it have been better to just sit and watch us fight? Why did you interfere?"

"Mama!"

Upon hearing the words "interfere," Ah Jie immediately became excited, his eyes growing even redder, eager to take action.

Xu Xiaoshou was startled. "Don't cause trouble! Wasn't killing one person enough? I don't want to fight you!"

"Mama..."

After calming down the puppet child again, Xu Xiaoshou sighed softly and cleaned up the scene.

This assassin named Li had likely just entered the Heavenly Image Realm, but he was clearly more seasoned than Zhang Xinxiong.

Yet, even such a figure seemed unable to do anything against him.

Perhaps he still had many unrevealed trump cards, but merely having the body of a Grandmaster was enough to essentially make him invincible.

Coupled with his truly diverse attack methods, with strengths offsetting weaknesses, truthfully, initial-stage Grandmaster experts were somewhat underwhelming for Xu Xiaoshou now.

"Heavenly Image, Yin-Yang, Star Worship..."

"I can't even imagine the Yin-Yang Realm, but currently, within the Heavenly Image Realm, I might be an invincible existence!"

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists, his expression somewhat excited.

Even though this battle ended abruptly, his cultivation, having just entered the Xiantian Realm, could already contend with Grandmasters, which exceeded everyone's expectations.

This was something Xu Xiaoshou couldn't have even imagined in the past; at that time, possessing the body of a Grandmaster would at most only make him want to fight against someone in the High Spirit Realm!

"Let's go, time to get some food."

Calling out to Ah Jie, Xu Xiaoshou walked back into the tavern.

The silencing barrier, having lost its control, naturally vanished, and even the illusion array over Black Street faded away to the bewildered stares of the crowd.

Xu Xiaoshou no longer paid attention to these things.

He sat back down in the tavern. The owner was still cooking meat in the back, not having emerged yet.

He had naturally heard the explosion, but dared he come out?

"Owner, hurry up, I'm starving!" Xu Xiaoshou shouted.

Stirred by the voice, the tavern owner finally emerged, dragging a platter. When he saw that only the two straw-hatted figures remained, his steps faltered.

The man in black... was gone...

After that explosion, he didn't need to ask to know what had happened to the man in black.

But how was that possible?

How could this young man, who sounded barely twenty, have killed that assassin in black?

Although the owner was an ordinary person, having been exposed to the culture of a major city like Tiansang Prefecture, he could still recognize some signs of Xiantian and Grandmaster realms.

The trembling platter was placed on the table. Seeing the tavern owner's legs turn to jelly, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but smile.

He lifted his straw hat, revealing a row of white teeth. "Don't be afraid, I'm a good person."

The owner was stunned by the brilliant smile and took a deep breath.

"I don't believe a word of it! You killed the assassin in black, and you're still a good person?"

However, facing this young man, he indeed felt much better than he did with the man in black; at least there wasn't that intimidating aura.

Unconsciously, his mind settled considerably.

"And hurry with the two takeaway portions too!"

Xu Xiaoshou smiled, pulling out a spirit crystal. "Is this enough?"

"More than enough, plenty!" the owner replied, trembling with awe.

*Clink clink!*

Two more spirit crystals landed on the table, and the owner's heart nearly leaped out of his chest. He wasn't afraid of the young man not paying, only of him paying too much!

"This one is a tip, and this one..."

Xu Xiaoshou looked up towards the horizon and slowly said, "You'll know later. Go!"

He waved his hand with an unquestionable air. The owner dared not even refuse, picked up the spirit crystals, and retreated with trembling steps.

Cooked beef with dipping sauce. Xu Xiaoshou only stood up to wash his hands before tearing into the meat directly with his hands, his mouth instantly greasy with oil.

*Smack smack!*

"So delicious!"

If he could, he would have liked to leave immediately after killing the person, but...

*Swish swish swish!*

Dozens of military guards in black and red armor landed with a clang. Leading them was a short-haired woman with red hair.

She was the only one without a helmet, wielding a knight's longsword, valiant and assertive, with an imposing aura.

"Don't let a single one escape!"

At her sharp command, the dozens of military guards behind her stiffened in unison.

"Yes, ma'am!"

With a whoosh, the black and red figures vanished, only to reappear, having landed directly in front of the people on Black Street.

Indeed, as the woman had said, not a single person had been allowed to escape.

Xu Xiaoshou watched, lowering his eyes, and thought, *This isn't good.*

This army's response speed is unnaturally fast. Shouldn't you have arrived fashionably late to handle the aftermath?

What the hell? I can't even leave now!

If Ah Jie hadn't interfered just now, could this battle even have been stopped by you all?

Xu Xiaoshou's heart leaped. He had truly been careless. This kind of scenario wasn't entirely impossible; in fact, there was a high probability of it happening.

He silently jotted another note in his mental notebook.

"In a fight, if you can kill someone with one slap, don't waste time talking."

The red-haired woman sheathed her sword, took long strides, and stopped in front of Xu Xiaoshou, her narrow, beautiful eyes focused, seemingly waiting for the young man to finish eating.

A long moment passed.

*Smack smack!*

"Cursed, Passive Value, +1."

The woman's eyebrows twitched, and she said, annoyed, "Imperial Guard, Fu Yinhong!"

*Smack smack!*

Fu Yinhong was completely exasperated. *Is this kid sick? The Imperial Guard is here, and you're still eating?*

"Cursed, Passive Value, +1."

Suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through her mind, and her usually cold demeanor softened involuntarily.

"Are you deaf?"