Chapter 463: Xu Xiaoshou, Enemy of Humanity

A sizzling sound. After the Bone Giant's head exploded, a stream of thick, reddish-white viscous energy flowed out and splattered.

"Brain matter?" Xu Xiaoshou blinked in surprise. How could a creature made entirely of bones, without even muscles, have brain matter?

Soon, he realized something was wrong. The energy contained within the splattered viscous liquid was truly immense. Xu Xiaoshou even felt it surpassed pills like the Yuan Court Pill. If it were to solidify into a core...

"An energy core?" Yu Zhiwen's words from moments ago suddenly flashed in his mind.

"That's it," he thought, "this must be the source of the White Skeleton's power, similar to a Refiner's... Spiritual Sea?" Xu Xiaoshou immediately waved his hand, and as spiritual threads flowed, a simple absorption array appeared.

"Whoosh!" The airflow swirled, and the reddish-white viscous liquid gathered completely in his palm. It was scorching hot, sticky, and emitted a burnt, unusual smell.

"An Ashen Flames aura..." Xu Xiaoshou frowned. He actually sensed an aura of the same lineage from this liquid, not much, but definitely present.

"Elder Sang mentioned that the Great Ashen Flames Seed appeared here, and now this stuff also has an Ashen Flames aura," he mused. "Could it be that all Ashen Flames Seeds and similar items originated from here?"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly realized. If it was an "energy core," wasn't a core essentially an "Ashen Flames Seed"? The energy seed that had tormented him so much before – was it obtained in the White Cave? Or was it extracted from the head of an even more advanced Bone Giant than this one?

Realizing this, Xu Xiaoshou's expression immediately darkened. He had truly thought that the "Great Ashen Flames Seed" was a special existence, something that could only be produced in a different dimension. Yet, he never imagined that the cultivation resources of the Ashen Flames lineage seemed to originate directly from the White Cave.

But... "Hasn't the White Cave only been open for a few years?" "If the 'Ashen Flames Seed,' essential for the Ashen Flames lineage cultivation, is obtained from here..." "Then how did Elder Sang rise to prominence?"

Xu Xiaoshou knew that the probability of identical pocket dimensions existing in this world was almost zero. But at this moment, he felt that his understanding of the world had deviated slightly. "Something's wrong. Absolutely something wrong!"

Xu Xiaoshou had already found Elder Sang's mission objectives very strange. Now, he was even more certain. By allowing him into the White Cave, Elder Sang definitely had some special, ulterior motive!

"Roar!" A roar interrupted his thoughts. Xu Xiaoshou leaped, easily dodging another giant axe attack from behind.

To others, these Bone Giants might truly be invincible in close combat. But for him, whether it was attack, reaction, speed, or even defense... they were truly weak.

"Bang!" He spun around and delivered a sweeping kick. His instep, imbued with terrifying power, made direct contact with the giant axe-wielding Bone Giant's head. In an instant, another head exploded.

Yu Zhiwen, observing from outside, was already dumbfounded. If she hadn't fully understood what happened with the previous punch, then this whip kick truly made her realize that Xu Xiaoshou, purely with his physical strength, could indeed crush such beings.

"Sizzle." A faint spiritual array aura appeared. Yu Zhiwen, who was carrying Xu Xiaoshou, frowned. She could sense that this guy seemed to be secretly using some power similar to a spiritual array.

Soon, that familiar scene appeared. The energy liquid that had clearly splattered away inexplicably gathered in front of Xu Xiaoshou after he turned his back. She couldn't see it, but that didn't hinder Yu Zhiwen's curiosity.

"Open." With a slight lift of her gaze, under her Star Pupils, everything in the world seemed to transform into array patterns and textures. Even Xu Xiaoshou himself became an entity outlined by densely woven threads.

"Is it really a spiritual array?" Yu Zhiwen immediately saw the small spiritual array on his hand. This was a very simple "Spirit Gathering Array." But even the simplest spiritual array was at least tenth-grade. The one Xu Xiaoshou used seemed to be of a high grade, otherwise it wouldn't be able to absorb this potent energy liquid. But for a spiritual array that was close to ninth-grade, this guy could cast it instantly?

"Received Suspicion, Passive Point, 1." Yu Zhiwen was astonished. Just who was this Xu Xiaoshou? Even within the Holy Divine Palace, geniuses like him weren't common, right? A Grandmaster's body, Sword Sovereign's realm of intent, and he could also instantly cast a ninth-grade spiritual array?

"Could he also be some young master from a prominent family who ran away from home and refuses to reveal his identity... A Taixu family? A Half-Saint family?" Yu Zhiwen pondered. "Xu..." "Never heard of that surname before." "Could it be that even his surname is fake?" "Received Suspicion, Passive Point, 1."

After finishing the kick, a sense of exhilarating release surged within him as Xu Xiaoshou flashed onto the right arm of the headless Bone Giant. He had confirmed that the Ashen Flames energy liquid was indeed the energy pump inside these Bone Giants. Since he could explode one with a single punch, it meant that the almost fifty of them here might all possess it.

"Jackpot!" At first glance, fifty portions of energy liquid seemed like a lot. In reality, it was an incredibly huge amount! Not everyone possessed the combat power to take on fifty enemies. For fire-attribute spiritual refiners, this energy was undoubtedly a cultivation treasure; it might be extremely difficult for them to even acquire one portion. Xu Xiaoshou was truly an exception.

Not daring to use the "Breathing Method," he first tried swallowing one portion. A scorching sensation immediately assailed his body: violent, destructive, rampant... All the anticipated scenarios occurred, but for a Grandmaster's body, it was a piece of cake.

"I can handle it!" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up. After realizing that this stuff didn't cause as much damage as the "Ashen Flames Seed," he then used the "Inhalation Method" to draw out the energy liquid and sucked it in.

"Hiss!" The spiritual essence in his Spiritual Sea surged instantly, and a huge wave of energy poured in. "Too full, mmph," Xu Xiaoshou moaned in comfort. The figure standing on the Bone Giant's right arm almost lost its balance and fell.

With a kick, and after dodging another series of attacks, the sensation of cells pleasantly vibrating due to his exertion almost made him ascend on the spot.

"It's worth at least three to five Yuan Court Pills..." "For fire-attribute spiritual refiners, it's an even more priceless treasure!" Xu Xiaoshou instantly made a judgment.

The Yuan Court Pill was already a seventh-grade pill. If he could get a pond, or a lake, or even a sea of this Ashen Flames energy liquid... "Tsk tsk." Xu Xiaoshou's scalp tingled.

The White Cave was so vast, and these were the most basic creatures within it. There should be many Bone Giants, right? A greedy look burst forth in his eyes.

The surrounding Bone Giants had already grown fearful under this guy's rampant attacks. They never imagined that this small human before them would actually show the very expression they themselves displayed when they saw humans, and they instantly grew furious.

"Roar!" "Roar!!" They raised their heads, roaring furiously. However, Xu Xiaoshou, having finished testing his combat power, no longer felt like playing around.

He flexed his fingers, imbuing them with sword intent. Xu Xiaoshou's eyes narrowed slightly; at this moment, his entire being seemed to merge with the Heavenly Dao. Sword intent surged, and sand and gravel rolled. The area of a hundred zhang instantly cracked.

"This is..." Yu Zhiwen's pupils contracted. Such terrifying sword intent, it was the first time she had seen it from Xu Xiaoshou. Could it be that what that guy displayed at the entrance of the Eight Palaces was merely the tip of the iceberg?

She held her breath and concentrated. Even from the outside, she could feel that everything in the world seemed to slow down. "No!" she corrected herself. "It's Xu Xiaoshou who got faster!"

Her Star Pupils remained open. Thus, Yu Zhiwen could see Xu Xiaoshou's exquisite two fingers even more clearly. With just a low sweeping motion, the Bone Giants, who were roaring with their heads tilted back, hadn't even managed to lower their heads when, beyond several hundred zhang, the sound of a sonic boom already erupted.

"Boom!" Just as the roar subsided, her Star Pupils could see a circle of white sword energy swirling out. It circularly cut like a thread, then reached its target... the place of the sonic boom!

"This speed..." A chill ran down Yu Zhiwen's spine. If she hadn't activated her Star Pupils, she would have felt unable to even react to the Bone Giants. Yet Xu Xiaoshou's attack speed far surpassed the Bone Giants' roars?

"Thud thud thud—" There was no follow-up. After being swept by his two fingers, almost all the Bone Giants were decapitated. Their heads and bodies landed one after another, their terrifying weight making the ground tremble.

"So strong," Yu Zhiwen murmured, clenching her fists. Setting aside everything else, just the physical combat power and sword intent Xu Xiaoshou displayed in this battle could almost sweep away all the geniuses she had encountered since arriving in the Eastern Region... all of them!

Clearly, even a single aspect of his abilities was enough to utterly defeat an opponent. Yet this guy excelled in multiple roles! Could such capabilities truly be cultivated in a mere Tiansang County?

Yu Zhiwen's heart pounded wildly. She suddenly had an idea. Her master must surely know about her sneaking out. After all, that elder had vast divine abilities and knew everything under heaven. Even if she tacitly approved of her private activities, she would definitely be punished upon returning. But what if, upon returning, she could bring such a young, yet astonishingly talented person to the Holy Divine Palace?

"Good idea." It was truly the first time Yu Zhiwen had the idea of recruiting talent. It wasn't that the young generation she had seen before weren't strong; it was simply that Xu Xiaoshou was too dazzling.

This guy, from head to toe, was almost perfect, except for his talkative mouth. Such a figure would definitely have a place, even in the headquarters of the Holy Divine Palace. Tiansang County was too small! It couldn't suppress this dormant dragon. One day, he would definitely leave. Since that was the case, why couldn't it be with her, in the Holy Divine Palace, on the same side?

"But..." Yu Zhiwen became conflicted the next second, biting her lip tightly. "How should I bring it up?"

"So strong!" Xu Xiaoshou was shocked as he looked at the scattered Bone Giant corpses. After he cultivated Grandmaster-level sword intent and the sword will that came with the "Sword Observation Scroll," for his Ten-Stage Sword Finger, its terrifying power might have reached a point where it could even cut open spatial realms.

"As expected of the Eighth Sword Immortal's unique sword move, this power is simply unstoppable!" Xu Xiaoshou knew that as his sword intent and sword will improved, this spiritual technique of his would definitely have no upper limit. This was the true meaning of "no move is better than having a move!" Those spiritual techniques constrained by grades would always have a time when they became outdated or obsolete, but his Ten-Stage Sword Finger could accompany him throughout his life.

"Too strong..." After regaining his senses slightly, Xu Xiaoshou's ten fingers shot out, and sharp spiritual threads shot towards the fallen heads. However, "Clang clang..." Even in death, these Bone Giants' heads could not be damaged by ordinary spiritual threads.

Xu Xiaoshou paused, didn't change his move, but shot out spiritual threads again. Only this time, each spiritual thread was imbued with the wisp of sword will he had cultivated. "Sizzle sizzle..." Like cutting tofu, the spiritual threads easily pierced through the skull.

Xu Xiaoshou was astonished again. "That easy?" The hardness of these bones was astonishing, yet against his sword will, they were still completely unable to resist. Xu Xiaoshou hesitated. The stronger he became, the more he felt that the people and things around him were not simple.

"Sword will..." Such a terrifying attack method, completely defying common sense, could not be easily cultivated even by the most talented ancient sword cultivators. They might not even understand how to cultivate it. Yet the "Sword Observation Scroll," a classical text that taught sword will from beginner to mastery, was like a standard answer book.

That uncle, back then, just casually put it in front of him? As if it would be unreasonable if he didn't learn it?

"So annoying." Just like he couldn't figure out Elder Sang's intentions, Xu Xiaoshou sometimes truly didn't understand the thoughts of these important figures. But he just complained for a bit, then let it go. The old man was right: before he qualified to be the Chess Master, diligently fulfilling his role as a chess piece was his greatest effort.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh." Nearly fifty portions of Ashen Flames energy liquid returned to his hands, and Xu Xiaoshou grinned happily again. He specifically set aside a small space in his ring to store this amount, which was almost a barrel, and only then did he contentedly withdraw his gaze.

"Whoosh!" Yu Zhiwen finally flew over. Her face showed a hint of astonishment, along with the small joy of secretly getting up to loot after her teammate had wiped out the opponent. Xu Xiaoshou naturally couldn't give away the Ashen Flames energy liquid. Although they were on the same team, if she didn't contribute, she certainly wouldn't get anything good. But he wasn't stingy. Pointing at the large corpses below, he said:

"I took all the energy liquid," he said. "Since we're teammates, I'll give these corpses to you. They're good stuff too." The joy on Yu Zhiwen's face froze. She hadn't expected to get anything, but Xu Xiaoshou's words just made her a little crazy. Everything useful was taken; what value could mere corpses have?

Xu Xiaoshou seemed to read her mind. He landed on the forearm of the previous heavy hammer giant, squatted down, and tapped its wrist joint. "Thump thump!" "Clack clack!" One sound was somewhat brittle, the other very solid. Clearly, although the heavy hammer was connected to the Bone Giant, its density was unknown multiples of the creature's own skeleton.

It was difficult for Xu Xiaoshou, who had never been hit by a single blow, to truly experience its power. But the moment he held off the hammer and axe earlier, he was certain that if this thing landed on anyone who hadn't cultivated body refinement, the effect would definitely be explosive!

"This is a good item." Xu Xiaoshou flexed his fingers and sliced, pinching the separation point between the arm and the hammer handle, separating the Bone Giant from its weapon.

"Boom!" A heavy punch landed, and the ground suddenly exploded. Yet this hammer, even its handle, showed not a single crack despite the force.

"This?" Yu Zhiwen was about to complain, but she knew of Xu Xiaoshou's physical strength. If this guy's punch landed, even spiritual artifacts would probably shatter. Yet the bone hammer could withstand it? She watched Xu Xiaoshou pick up the bone hammer, then leap into the void and wield it freely. The whistling wind made her black hair fly and her clothes rustle, making it clear how terrifying the weapon's attack power was.

"It's indeed a good item." Yu Zhiwen was happy for less than a second before she felt down. But this hammer, she estimated, only Xu Xiaoshou could wield it with such effortless ease, right?

"Received Envy, Passive Point, 1." "Want to try?" In the void, Xu Xiaoshou clearly saw the envy in Yu Zhiwen's eyes. He chuckled happily and threw the large hammer in his hand over to her.

"Huh?" Yu Zhiwen watched the massive object plummeting towards her head, her pupils dilating. "I..." This unexpected sneak attack made it too late for her to fly away even if she wanted to instantly. The hammerhead pointed at her, as if a pillar of heaven had collapsed, casting the ground into darkness.

"Will she be okay?" Xu Xiaoshou was a little worried but suppressed the urge to intervene. He didn't believe Yu Zhiwen only had so little ability that she would be smashed to death by a hammer. Sure enough. Under "Perception," the girl lifted her gaze, and her Star Pupils seemed to come alive, shimmering with brilliant starlight. The galaxy hidden deep within her eyes seemed to burst forth with endless energy in an instant. At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt as if even the void had slightly stagnated.

"An illusion?" "Received Imprisonment, Passive Point, 1." The information bar told him it wasn't an illusion. Just now, the entire space-time had truly been frozen! This girl, the power in her eyes, could actually influence space-time?

The bone hammer landed, raising dust everywhere. The ground directly cracked open. "Xu Xiaoshou!" While he was still in astonishment, Yu Zhiwen's furious shouts already came from the ground. His eyes scanned, and he immediately burst out laughing.

He saw that even Yu Zhiwen, who had run to the side and avoided the direct attack, was covered in dust from the impact. If she hadn't protected herself with spiritual essence in time, she probably could have shaken out dust from inside her clothes.

"My bad, my bad, I really didn't mean to." "Heh heh." Xu Xiaoshou hurriedly landed, his gaze shifting to the bone hammer, and changed the subject: "Since you can't carry this... should I take it?"

"Hmph!" As if he hadn't seen the girl's annoyed expression, Xu Xiaoshou directly interpreted "Hmph" as "Mm."

"Oh, but that would be too embarrassing!" he said. "I've already taken so much energy liquid; it wouldn't be right to take all these weapons too! We're teammates, you should take some, right?" Xu Xiaoshou picked up the bone hammer again, pretending to throw it. Yu Zhiwen was instantly startled, quickly dodged aside, her spiritual essence surging as if facing a great enemy.

"Ahem, just kidding, I wouldn't actually throw it." Yu Zhiwen: "..." Xu Xiaoshou, enemy of humanity!

"You really don't want it?" Xu Xiaoshou actually felt a little embarrassed. He genuinely wanted to share the joy.

"No need!" Yu Zhiwen grumbled. "Just take one as a souvenir, consider it a gift from me." "I don't want it!" "You could exchange it for money..." "I have money!"

Oh my! Xu Xiaoshou was amused by the pouting girl. What did it mean to be impervious to reason? This was it! Refusing even a treasure offered on a platter, she really must be crazy!

He waved his hand cheerfully, "If you don't want it, then fine." With that, he tossed the item into his Yuan Mansion, then trotted off towards another Bone Giant, beginning his path of carving up corpses and collecting treasures.

Yu Zhiwen trembled with anger. How could taking things from Xu Xiaoshou make her so flustered? And not taking them was also so uncomfortable? "Received Being Thought Of, Passive Point, 1."

"Come help out!" Xu Xiaoshou called out from the side: "If you don't want anything, at least do me a favor and help me cut off a wrist? There are just too many, over forty of them." Yu Zhiwen held her breath, then slowly exhaled. Ignore this person, ignore this person... Don't even reply.

"Come over!" "Isn't it bad to just stand there staring? You could come over and get some exercise, right?" Another sound of a heavy object hitting the ground, Xu Xiaoshou was too busy to care about anything else. Yu Zhiwen had no desire to move a muscle. If it were anyone else, she would go up and help even if she didn't want anything. But Xu Xiaoshou... Heh heh!

"You're not getting any game experience, are you? You came all the way into the White Cave just to watch?" "No fighting, no looting, just using your eyes the whole time?" "Don't you know that you'll get eye strain doing that?"

Eye strain? Yu Zhiwen's eyelid twitched violently. She considered herself good-tempered, but at this moment, she almost turned back to curse at him. But just as she calmed herself, the voice from behind came again.

"Let me tell you, don't use abilities like yours carelessly," he said. "I know a friend whose surname is Yu; he has tomoe in his eyes, and he's also very powerful. But if you overuse your eyes, they'll bleed, and you might even go blind in the end. Be careful."

Yu Zhiwen could no longer hold back. Her trembling body suddenly spun around, about to say something, when she suddenly saw Xu Xiaoshou looking at her with a horrified expression.

"What are you looking at?" She paused. "Not you," Xu Xiaoshou said, shakily extending a finger and pointing behind her. "Behind you! Behind you... there's something."

"Heh, trying to trick me again?" Yu Zhiwen took a big step forward, but as she moved her foot, she suddenly felt the ground shaking violently. This... Her heart tightened, she steadied herself, and looked at Xu Xiaoshou's expression again. It didn't seem fake?

She suddenly turned around. Behind her, under the sky-covering dust that rose dozens of zhang high, as if a sandstorm was approaching, leading the charge, if not Bone Giants, who else could it be?

"This number..." Yu Zhiwen was shocked. Was it because of Xu Xiaoshou? This time, hundreds or thousands?

However, after truly seeing what was behind her, the swath of white emerging from the dust storm almost swept across the entire horizon. Yu Zhiwen was terrified. Far more than hundreds or thousands? This was a beast horde, wasn't it?!