Chapter 464: Xu Xiaoshou, Come with Me

“How are there so many white skeletons?”

Even Xu Xiaoshou felt a pang of panic when faced with such a tide of skeletal beasts.

He was confident that with his full power unleashed, he could certainly put up a fight as long as he wasn't preemptively attacked by a Sovereign. But as the old saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands. In the current situation, there were probably far more than four thousand, or even forty thousand, hands.

Under these circumstances, if he were still thinking about how to get some Cinderglow Energy Liquid, Xu Xiaoshou felt his brain must have gone soft. Yu Zhiwen's eyes also showed a flicker of panic. Given her current cultivation level, even a single skeletal beast could likely overpower her in close combat. After this wave of beasts, it would probably be hard to even find fragments of her body.

“So, was it the large fluctuations from our previous battle that attracted these creatures?”

“No.” Xu Xiaoshou immediately refuted it.

If noise were the factor, the sound of the two groups of skeletal giants clashing earlier was many times louder than anything after he arrived. On the contrary, the battle was resolved at light speed the moment Xu Xiaoshou arrived. Therefore, this wave of skeletal beasts absolutely could not have been attracted by the fight. Even if they were attracted, it was impossible for so many to be drawn here!

“Something is strange.” Xu Xiaoshou's first thought was that they had fallen into a trap. But then he reconsidered: everyone was randomly teleported, and the White Cave had just begun, so no one could have set a trap. Perhaps, then, the purpose of this group of skeletal beasts wasn't them, but something else?

“Run!” Unsolvable mysteries could wait. Regardless of anything, of all the stratagems, retreat was the best. As Xu Xiaoshou spoke, he prepared to leap into the air.

Yu Zhiwen, however, wore a bitter smile. “Can we escape?” Her beautiful eyes looked sadly at the skeletal tide that was rapidly approaching. Given the momentum of their advance, perhaps only a Sovereign would be able to escape at this speed.

“Yes,” Xu Xiaoshou declared firmly, looking intently at Yu Zhiwen. He possessed "One Step to Heaven," and with a plentiful supply of elixirs, it was entirely possible for him to escape by moving parallel to the beast tide's direction of advance.

Hope immediately flickered in Yu Zhiwen's eyes. Before she could speak, Xu Xiaoshou knew she had misunderstood. “I can,” he added, “but I might not be able to take you with me.”

Yu Zhiwen's beautiful eyes instantly widened. At a time like this, this guy still had the nerve to joke? Xu Xiaoshou was truly speaking the truth. But at this moment, asking him to abandon the girl and escape alone — honestly, his conscience wouldn't allow it. Although the team-up was just a casual invitation, Xu Xiaoshou still had his principles as a person.

“Put her into the Yuan Mansion?” Xu Xiaoshou frowned. That was a good option. But once the Yuan Mansion was revealed, his last layer of security in front of this girl would be gone. Yu Zhiwen wasn't scary. What was scary were the other members of the Holy Divine Palace. Currently, Xu Xiaoshou, by accepting the Gluttonous God and befriending Xin Gugu, had essentially already sided against the Holy Divine Palace to some extent. Even if he didn't admit it or see it that way, at least that's how others would perceive it. Therefore, Xu Xiaoshou didn't think revealing the information that his Yuan Mansion had been successfully repaired would be a good thing for him. At the very least, if that guy Cheng Xingchu found out, it would definitely cause unnecessary trouble.

“Fly?” Xu Xiaoshou looked up at the sky. Could the skeletal giants fly? Just by observing the two groups of skeletal beasts fighting earlier, it seemed they couldn't. If so, wouldn't they be in an unbeatable position by flying?

Yu Zhiwen immediately shook her head. Before she could speak, Xu Xiaoshou already saw white forms soaring through the swirling dust. “Skeletal beasts with wings?” Xu Xiaoshou felt a headache coming on. Yu Zhiwen nodded bitterly, “Their wings are their weapons.”

“What about going underground?”

“Underground!” Their eyes lit up simultaneously. Flying wasn't an option, but going underground seemed plausible?

Seeing that Yu Zhiwen had the same idea, Xu Xiaoshou immediately understood that there probably weren't skeletal beasts of such massive size that could also burrow underground. In that case, as long as they burrowed deep enough and protected themselves with spiritual energy, they should be able to weather this assault of skeletal beasts.

Action followed thought. “Hold on!” Xu Xiaoshou instructed, immediately drawing Hidden Misery. Yu Zhiwen's gaze sharpened, clearly sweeping over the Blackfall Scabbard that she hadn't been able to obtain earlier. However, given the urgency of the situation, she didn't say anything further.

With his palms together on the sword, Xu Xiaoshou's gaze suddenly became steady. The image of his battle with Gu Qingsan in the banquet hall flashed through his mind. If one were to ask what kind of single-target attack was the strongest, capable of drilling a small, vertical tunnel hundreds of zhang deep in an instant? Without a doubt.

“Point Dao!”

Point Dao, from the Three Thousand Sword Dao, was the most explosive single-point damage ancient sword skill Xu Xiaoshou had ever seen. He didn't know this sword skill, but that didn't stop him from trying to imitate it now. His entire body's sword intent condensed at the sword tip, imbued with his sword will, and Hidden Misery hummed with excitement. “Hmph!” Xu Xiaoshou let out a sharp cry. Without apparent effort, a black line, formed from pure white sword energy condensed to its extreme, suddenly burst forth from the sword tip.

“Boom!” Almost simultaneously, the ground was directly blasted open, forming a pit several zhang wide. “This...” Yu Zhiwen was instantly bewildered. Such a large pit—was he trying to trap the skeletal giants in it to sleep together?

“Ahem, sorry, a little accident.” As expected, condensing sword intent was not something that could be achieved with such a simple attempt. And for this type of single-point damage, it might become harder to compress as it advanced. When would he be able to create a passage just wide enough for one person, like Gu Qingsan? The power of this sword skill might increase several times over then. But for now...

“Can't worry about that now.” Xu Xiaoshou waved his hand, assessing the depth of the impact. The width wasn't ideal, but the depth was decent. With the accumulated power, it should be dozens of zhang deep. The further down it went, the narrower the hole became. Clearly, this strike had created a conical shape.

“Go down first. I'll seal the top with a spiritual array; it should hold.” Xu Xiaoshou said, jumping down first. With the skeletal beast tide advancing like this, there was absolutely no way anyone would stop to dig a hole. Even if those in front wanted to stop, the ones closely following wouldn't give them a chance. Or rather, they wouldn't dare to. In such a situation, once the beast tide started, it couldn't be stopped. If anyone ran too slowly, they would likely be trampled to death by their own kind. Therefore, as long as they could withstand the pressure from above, the two of them could endure this assault.

“Whoosh!” A light figure landed beside him. Seeing Yu Zhiwen had also come down, Xu Xiaoshou immediately extended spiritual threads from his hand. “Let me,” Yu Zhiwen stopped him. With a delicate hand raised, no spiritual threads were visible, yet the soil above suddenly began to writhe. As if pulled, the earth healed itself, and even the zhang-wide pit opening at the top quietly restored itself just before the skeletal beast tide arrived. It was as if a small, spherical space for two had been created underground, with everything else returning to normal.

Xu Xiaoshou was astonished. His naked eye saw nothing, but his "Perception" could discern that Yu Zhiwen was not using spiritual threads or array disks, or any physical objects. Instead, she was truly manipulating the Dao, changing the traces of heaven and earth. Although it was merely a small change in the land's structure, the method used, if extended, was simply terrifying. A mere human could actually change the Heavenly Dao, thereby influencing the manifestation of the real world?

“This is 'Heaven's Mystery Art'?” Xu Xiaoshou instantly felt that Fu Zhi's Heaven's Mystery Art was incredibly weak in comparison. That guy was still researching Heaven's Mystery Art from the perspective of a spiritual array master. So, after all his research, he only managed to create those few nested structures. While it was indeed completely beyond the level of a spiritual array master in terms of three-dimensional space, strictly speaking, that level didn't even touch the surface of Heaven's Mystery Art!

“What level is your Heaven's Mystery Art?” Xu Xiaoshou, with his eyes wide open, asked curiously. “There's no level,” Yu Zhiwen replied. She had merely manipulated the Dao to change a trace, but her face was much paler, sweat trickled down, even her hair was damp. “Heaven's Mystery Art starts at the Grandmaster level, because only Grandmasters can barely touch the Heavenly Dao.” “So, Heaven's Mystery practitioners who aren't Grandmasters are all pseudo-Heaven's Mystery practitioners,” she explained.

Xu Xiaoshou nodded thoughtfully. He glanced at the spiritual threads slightly emerging from his hand, realizing his own thinking had been confined. “The Great Dao objectively exists; it's just invisible to the naked eye.” This conclusion was an insight he gained in the "Textile Mastery" illusion. Yet, due to conventional thinking, when he set up spiritual arrays, he still chose to use spiritual threads instead of array patterns. “But why can't one directly use the Heavenly Dao to replace array patterns?”

Xu Xiaoshou felt another door to a new world had been kicked open. "Textile Mastery" encompassed "Heaven's Mystery Art"; he was certain of that. But "Textile Mastery" hadn't told him how to learn "Heaven's Mystery Art." Or, to put it another way, he had already mastered all the basic experience and knowledge of "Heaven's Mystery Art" but didn't know how to use it. Thus...

Xu Xiaoshou subtly raised his gaze, looking at the muddy ground above. In his vision, besides the elemental light points, he could suddenly barely perceive faint traces of Dao with his "Perception." “Union of Heaven and Man?” Yu Zhiwen was surprised at his side. He had only just answered a question, and Xu Xiaoshou had directly comprehended this level? Just how terrifying was this guy's talent?! She hadn't even begun to explain anything about "Heaven's Mystery." And this guy had already touched the threshold of "Heaven's Mystery Art"? "But he doesn't have the 'Star Pearl Eyes'..." Thinking of this, Yu Zhiwen was even more astounded beyond measure.

Received Admiration, Passive Points +1.

However, even with this epiphany, Xu Xiaoshou's progress came to an abrupt halt. Without Yu Zhiwen's Star Eyes, he couldn't see the Heavenly Dao with his naked eye, which was indeed the biggest flaw. He currently couldn't achieve a true Union of Heaven and Man. Or rather, he couldn't achieve Union of Heaven and Man whenever he wished. This was, in fact, something all Grandmaster-level experts yearned for but couldn't obtain. And without being able to enter the enlightened state of Union of Heaven and Man, no one could see the Heavenly Dao, making it naturally impossible to talk about changing it.

But with this slight attempt, Xu Xiaoshou felt he had a chance. He had the foundation of Heaven's Mystery Art; what he lacked were the Star Eyes. However, there was something that could substitute for the Star Eyes' ability to glimpse the Heavenly Dao. “Perception!” Yes, "Perception"! Grandmaster Lv.1 "Perception" could only allow Xu Xiaoshou to vaguely see tiny traces of Dao. But with this direction, Xu Xiaoshou estimated that subsequent level-ups of this passive skill would definitely lead to clearer Dao traces. And once his cultivation reached Grandmaster, and "Perception" rose to the Sovereign level... “Heaven's Mystery Art, achieved in one go!” The sudden burst of brilliant light from Xu Xiaoshou's eyes startled Yu Zhiwen.

“Are you alright?” She said reassuringly, “It's normal to see nothing on your first attempt. It's already impressive that you could enter an epiphany state at all; you don't have to...” The more Yu Zhiwen spoke, the more wrong it felt, and words like "no need to be sad" were cut short and swallowed. How could Xu Xiaoshou look sad in the slightest? This guy looked as if not comprehending the Heavenly Dao was, instead, something to be celebrated. He was practically overjoyed! It seemed that for this guy, failure was even more pleasing than success. “He truly is an oddball...”

Received Slander, Passive Points +1.

“What are you thinking? Quiet down.” Xu Xiaoshou supported the ceiling with both hands, not daring to use spiritual energy, relying purely on his physical strength to block the immense force from above. The surroundings shook and trembled, growing more intense. Clearly, the skeletal beast tide was now infinitely close, directly above them. Yu Zhiwen stopped her idle thoughts, slightly raising her head, also solemnly staring at the dirt above. “Can you hold it?” she asked in a lowered voice. Neither dared to use spiritual energy; if they did, the enraged creatures above would surely detect it. While the possibility of them digging down was small, what if they did?

“Ugh!” Her reply came as a muffled groan from Xu Xiaoshou, unable to hold it back as the tremors reached their peak. Yu Zhiwen looked over, filled with worry, and saw Xu Xiaoshou's face turn crimson, veins bulging on his forehead and neck, and large beads of sweat instantly dripping down. Her heart tightened.

The imaginable scene: The skeletal beast tide roared overhead. The two figures hidden deep below could only rely on their physical bodies to forcibly support the skeletal giants above, each one already incredibly heavy. Most importantly, Yu Zhiwen realized she couldn't help at all! If she used Heaven's Mystery Art, it would certainly be detected. But just watching... Yu Zhiwen couldn't bear it. She hesitated, then slowly reached out her hands, stood on tiptoe, and also tried to support the soil above.

The pressure Xu Xiaoshou felt didn't lessen in the slightest. Clearly, the girl was also exerting all her strength. But her full strength was... a drop in the ocean. “What are you doing?” Xu Xiaoshou mumbled, almost amused. With those small hands and feet, how could you help?

“I...” Yu Zhiwen's pretty face flushed, “I want to help.”

“You're helping nothing.”

This time, Yu Zhiwen's pale jade neck turned crimson, and for a moment, she didn't know whether to withdraw her hands or not. “Put your supernatural powers away,” Xu Xiaoshou said with a hint of a smile in his eyes. The skeletal giants were heavy, but with his "Strong," "Rebound," and "Tenacity" passive skills, and using the earth beneath his feet as a fulcrum, there were truly few things in the world that could make his knees buckle. These creatures, lacking even sentience, were clearly not among them.

Yu Zhiwen obediently withdrew her hands. For a moment, unsure what to do, she gazed blankly at the towering Xu Xiaoshou, and her heart began to beat faster. Despite the roaring sounds above, she felt she could clearly hear her own pounding heartbeat.

Large beads of sweat dripped from the young man's forehead, slid past his eyebrows, meandered into his eye sockets, but refused to continue falling, instead accumulating there. Only when the next drop fell and joined did it suddenly seep into Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. Instantly, it stung so much that crow's feet appeared at the corners of his eyes. Yu Zhiwen's lips curved into a smile.

“What are you laughing at?” Xu Xiaoshou immediately noticed. The space in the small pit was too narrow, and his "Perception" could see so clearly. Not to mention Yu Zhiwen's accelerated heartbeat, he could even sense her breathing. They were so close. But he glanced at the information bar. No "Received Mockery"? So what was she laughing at?

“Nothing.” Yu Zhiwen didn't know why she wanted to laugh, but seeing the seemingly omnipotent Xu Xiaoshou defeated by the sting of sweat, she just wanted to laugh. She hesitated, then slowly reached out her hand again. “What are you doing?” “Don't mess around!” Xu Xiaoshou grew wary. Not only was this girl being mischievous, but she was also trying to lean on him? It didn't matter if she got thrown off, but if the guys above discovered them, they would all die together!

“Sneak attack!” Yu Zhiwen let out a soft chuckle. The hand that had already reached Xu Xiaoshou's face now opened, revealing a small handkerchief within. “You...” Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. A "How dare you" was cut short as he stared blankly at the girl diligently wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Thump-thump... Thump-thump... Whose heartbeat it was, he didn't know, but it was amplified infinitely by "Perception."

Received Concern, Passive Points +1.Received Care, Passive Points +1.

For the first time, the information bar showed a tender side, and Xu Xiaoshou also, for the first time, felt an awkwardness, wanting to say something but not knowing how to speak.

“Xu Xiaoshou,” Yu Zhiwen suddenly called softly. Xu Xiaoshou gazed steadily at the woman in front of him, realizing for the first time that this girl was truly beautiful. Her slender, delicate eyebrows and eyes as warm as jade presented a gentle expression. Even with the lower half of her face concealed by a veil, and even disregarding her most striking Star Eyes, Yu Zhiwen's facial features combined to create an exquisite sense of comfort. A single glance conveyed infinite tenderness.

“What do you want?” Xu Xiaoshou couldn't tear his gaze away. Yu Zhiwen's hand, wiping his sweat, paused slightly, her lips parted slightly, as if something was difficult to say. Her face flushed, she slightly averted her gaze, not daring to meet his eyes, and then curled her toes firmly. “Xu Xiaoshou, come with me!”

The scene instantly fell silent.

Received Seduction, Passive Points +1.

Xu Xiaoshou's foot trembled, his hand became unstable, and the dirt from above poured down, directly drenching Yu Zhiwen, covering her in dirt.

Received Thought, Passive Points +1.

“You're seducing me!” Xu Xiaoshou said expressionlessly. Yu Zhiwen instantly rolled her eyes so hard they almost disappeared into the sky. Annoyed, she stretched her neck and tilted her head, saying, “What I mean is! Do you want to come back to the Holy Divine Palace with me after we leave the White Cave?!”

“Tiansang County is too small; the Central Region is your stage.” “Staying in a place like this for too long will only waste your talent!” Xu Xiaoshou watched her increasingly excited expression, curling his lips, “Lower your voice.” “Oh.” Yu Zhiwen also realized her impropriety, immediately blushed, took a step back, and leaned against the muddy wall behind her.

The pit suddenly grew quiet again, the roaring vibrations from above now incredibly piercing. “What do you say?” Yu Zhiwen asked, turning her head away, not daring to meet his gaze. Thinking of his earlier remark, "You're seducing me," she felt a suppressed frustration, but after a moment's hesitation, she asked. “Is that really all you meant?” Xu Xiaoshou asked. “I...” Yu Zhiwen paused, then nodded, “Yes.” “You hesitated,” Xu Xiaoshou said bluntly. “You paused for half a breath; you're lying.”

“Xu Xiaoshou!”

“Shh.”

*Crack!* The sound of Yu Zhiwen's clenched fist suddenly rang out. Both of them looked down simultaneously, and the girl quickly pulled her hands behind her, embedding them into the dirt. “You want to hit me?” Xu Xiaoshou's face darkened. He had painstakingly supported this space, and his companion, instead of showing gratitude, wanted to punch him?

“No,” Yu Zhiwen's face turned crimson again, “I didn't.”

Received Deception, Passive Points +1.

“Heh, women!”

“I...”

“Is this your sincerity? Trying to recruit me with your fists?” Xu Xiaoshou sneered. “No, listen to me explain.” “No need to explain. There's no way I'm going with you.” Xu Xiaoshou feigned ignorance, thus settling the matter.

He had heard similar invitations countless times. The masked man, Luo Leilei, Xin Gugu... Almost everyone with a bit of influence behind them wanted him. But how could Xu Xiaoshou respond? He had tried various overt rejections, and each time, the results weren't good. Moreover, with Elder Sang watching over him, how else could he leave? There was no way out.

Yu Zhiwen's eyes widened in disbelief that Xu Xiaoshou had rejected her simply because of a small clenched fist. “You can think about it seriously,” she said, biting her lower lip, “I'm serious.” “Heh, women.”

She felt tired. Yu Zhiwen felt utterly exhausted, too tired to even wipe Xu Xiaoshou's sweat. She propped herself against the back wall, supporting her bent legs. Sweat soaked her back, a chilling sensation. Experiencing rejection for the first time, to be honest, felt terrible. It was as if the sky had fallen, and everything had become silent.

“Hmm?” Not long after propping herself up, Yu Zhiwen felt something was wrong. “It's really quiet?” The noisy rumbling sounds from above had suddenly gone silent? “The skeletal beasts, did they pass?” she asked in surprise.

Xu Xiaoshou also sensed something amiss. His "Perception" compressed and lengthened, sweeping upwards. Dense clusters of skeletal giants! “They didn't pass,” he said, swallowing, forcing himself to calm down. “They stopped.” *Thump!* Yu Zhiwen felt her heart skip a beat. “Where did they stop?” “Above us.”

“What do they want to do?” Xu Xiaoshou didn't reply. How could he know what they wanted to do? Could it be that the purpose of these creatures was truly just the two of them? But that didn't seem right! How could the two of them possibly attract these skeletal beasts here? Yu Zhiwen certainly couldn't. As for himself... A little! But even with Cinderglow aura, he didn't have a Cinderglow energy core, nor even a Jizhi Cough Syrup! What the hell, why would they chase that?!

“No!” “They're not chasing us...” Xu Xiaoshou's pupils suddenly contracted. Before the skeletal beast tide arrived, why were those two groups of skeletal giants fighting here? A coincidence? If this wave of beasts hadn't come, perhaps it would be a coincidence. But now...

“For treasure!” Xu Xiaoshou's breathing instantly grew heavy. Something that could attract skeletal teams to fight and draw in a skeletal beast tide must be a fire-element supreme treasure! So, where was the treasure? Xu Xiaoshou, using his "Perception" to survey the skeletal giants halted above, slowly closed his eyes. A miscalculation. Since these creatures could stop here, the supreme treasure must also be here. So, where could it be?