Chapter 496: Digging Under the White Skeleton's Eyelid

That's how it is.

Xu Xiaoshou spread his hands and said to the two women before him, "Though the spiritual medicines here are of high quality, they are all mutated products, and their mutations are inclined towards aphrodisiac effects."

"So, hiding in this White Bone Gate, you not only have to avoid attacks from that White Bone Mouth, but you also need to be wary of the medicinal power wafting through the air."

"It's best to use spiritual essence to completely isolate yourselves, covering your entire bodies."

At the entrance of the White Bone Gate,

Yu Zhiwen's face was flushed red like a crimson peony.

She had never expected that upon entering Ling Rong Marsh, the greatest threat wouldn't be the White Bone Mouth that had already arrived, but the fragrance of these spiritual medicines.

Little did she know, upon noticing the quality of the spiritual medicines here, she had deliberately inhaled more.

No wonder...

She stole a glance at Xu Xiaoshou and saw a faint hint of red still on his face. Yu Zhiwen quickly lowered her head, too embarrassed to speak.

How mortifying!

Mu Zixi stood at the entrance.

Even though there was a seemingly reasonable explanation, coming from Xu Xiaoshou's mouth, could it be trusted?

Not a chance!

"Why am I unaffected?" she asked indignantly.

"How would I know..."

Xu Xiaoshou gave his junior sister a strange look.

This medicinal power was extremely potent; even he had been caught off guard and affected.

If it weren't for the "Breathing Method," he might have already turned into a second Xiao Yu.

But Mu Zixi...

She clearly hadn't taken any precautions and must have inhaled a significant amount of medicinal qi.

Yet, she was completely fine!

"Perhaps it's your constitution," Xu Xiaoshou speculated. "The Devouring Saint Body might be unusual. Your life force is incredibly resilient, so perhaps the medicinal power became your nourishment before it could take effect."

Thinking about how this girl could devour most of his life force with a single bite of her silver teeth, Xu Xiaoshou felt his judgment was probably spot on.

"Your life force is even stronger than mine, so why..."

Mu Zixi was getting frustrated and was about to ask why he had been affected.

But looking at Xu Xiaoshou, he didn't seem affected at all.

"Heh."

Xu Xiaoshou knew he had stumped her with his logic and chuckled, "So, I'm fine too. Do I look like I'm affected?"

He didn't bother explaining further.

Sometimes, a well-intentioned lie could save a lot of unnecessary conversation.

Besides, the "Breathing Method" was hard to explain anyway.

He pressed down on his junior sister and crouched together, hiding in the massive shadow of the White Bone Gate.

Glancing back,

Inside was a massive cave, dug deeper and deeper into the unknown.

Clearly, this was the White Bone Mouth's dwelling.

He had no idea what was inside,

But perhaps the true secret treasure he wanted was there.

"Crouch down."

Xu Xiaoshou didn't rush deeper.

He signaled for the two women to stay quiet and scanned the outside.

The other men and women, driven by desire, clearly lacked the courage of the three of them.

After seeing A Jie hold off the terrifying White Bone Mouth and snapping out of it, they fled outward and vanished in an instant.

The battle in the sky was still at a stalemate.

A Jie and the White Bone Mouth were fighting fiercely.

The "bang bang" sounds echoed nonstop.

Obviously, both were encountering an evenly matched opponent for the first time.

So much so that they completely forgot about the three sneaky ants on the ground.

"It should buy us a little more time."

Xu Xiaoshou quickly figured it out.

A Jie was too strong.

Even the White Bone Mouth, which had stumped the two Array Commanders of Zhang Mansion, was just a larger toy in front of him.

With its petite body, A Jie moved with exceptional agility, often dodging in an instant to punch several large holes in the big brute.

But the White Bone Mouth wasn't to be underestimated.

Its terrifying regenerative power from the white flames, combined with its Array Commander body,

Meant that even if it was injured, it was just minor wounds that healed in a flash.

The fight had reached a fever pitch.

Xu Xiaoshou could see that

Even though A Jie had a slight upper hand, relying on one person alone without using other major moves, it was basically impossible to take down this big thing.

And as for other major moves...

Xu Xiaoshou didn't know the commands!

All he could control was making A Jie transform into a knife or a stone.

In that case, it was better to let A Jie stay in human form and duke it out.

"The Golden Radiance Great Fire Seed—it's probably hard to get in the short term..."

"So, should we probe deeper?"

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated.

The three of them had hidden here without the White Bone Mouth noticing.

But if the lair was invaded, that big guy might charge in regardless.

If there was no exit inside, wouldn't they be trapped to death?

He wasn't afraid for himself, but the two women beside him...

"If it comes to it, I'll expose the Spirit Palace and take them all inside!"

Xu Xiaoshou made a quick decision without hesitation.

Every second counted now—he had to explore further.

But before that...

Xu Xiaoshou's gaze turned to the nearby cluster of spiritual medicines.

Fifth-grade spiritual medicines!

A chaotic and overgrown area!

Even though these mutated varieties had aphrodisiac effects,

If planted in the Spirit Palace, it would inevitably lead to a skewed atmosphere inside.

But fifth-grade was still fifth-grade—who could pass it up?

"Heh, do either of you have a way to collect those spiritual medicines?" Xu Xiaoshou turned and asked, "While that big guy hasn't noticed us yet."

Mu Zixi stayed silent.

She pouted and sulked, not wanting to talk to Xu Xiaoshou.

Yu Zhiwen's mind was no longer on the spiritual medicines and shook her head in silence.

"In that case, I'll help myself."

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and crouched low as he dashed outside.

"You two wait here—I'll be right back."

The two women were stunned, not understanding what Xu Xiaoshou was up to.

Seeing him dare to go out, exposed under the White Bone Mouth's eyes, wouldn't it provoke an attack based on its built-up rage?

But the situation was the complete opposite of what they expected.

The White Bone Mouth acted as if it noticed nothing and continued mindlessly charging at A Jie in the sky, venting its energy.

"Can't see me?"

Yu Zhiwen blinked her star pupils in surprise.

She had been by Xu Xiaoshou's side earlier, so she hadn't noticed anything.

But now, watching Xu Xiaoshou grow increasingly blurry as he moved, she suddenly closed her star pupils.

In her sight, that person had vanished!

"Invisibility?"

"No, it's more like merging with heaven and earth..."

"But this level of concealment..."

Yu Zhiwen's eyes filled with astonishment.

Such a method of disappearing in front of others—wasn't that something only Dao-cutting level experts, with a deep comprehension of the heavenly dao, could achieve?

"Concealment..."

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself that it was indeed the case.

With "Concealment," as long as he didn't draw attention to himself and the enemy's focus was elsewhere,

He could move around casually without triggering any notice.

And this was just the innate level of "Concealment."

If it reached Sect Master or Array Commander...

He might even achieve something like Xiao Yu's "Sky Veil," where even brushing past someone wouldn't reveal him.

Moreover, "Concealment" was a passive skill.

In other words, his very existence was like a moving sky veil!

"This skill is too powerful—I have to upgrade it later."

Xu Xiaoshou suppressed his excitement.

This clearly wasn't the best time for an upgrade.

He crept quietly to the large patch of mutated Tall Flame Peak trees.

Only upon entering did Xu Xiaoshou truly grasp how vast this place was.

Thousands upon thousands of weed-like fifth-grade spiritual medicines—his Spirit Palace probably couldn't hold even one, let alone these towering Tall Flame Peak trees.

"How to handle this?"

Drawing from his experience of collecting the Zhang Mansion spiritual pool,

Xu Xiaoshou knew that as long as his spiritual sense covered an area, he could transplant it into the Spirit Palace.

But now, a new problem arose.

The Spirit Palace's space expansion was too slow.

Even with the "Life Spirit Seal" working continuously, the internal space could only accommodate about half of this spiritual medicine treasure ground.

Maybe even less.

"If I uproot it all and put it completely in the Spirit Palace, the outer spiritual medicines will inevitably be covered by the chaotic mist."

"And that infinitely assimilating chaotic mist—even an Array Commander entering it would be dissolved in moments, let alone these unprotected spiritual medicines."

Xu Xiaoshou hesitated briefly before deciding again.

If one layer won't work, then use a second one!

The Spirit Palace's horizontal space might be small,

But the vertical space was fine.

In that small world that now belonged solely to him, as long as he devoted a bit of focus to maintain it,

He could make these spiritual medicines float in layers inside the Spirit Palace.

"But collecting them like this would be too slow and would definitely attract the White Bone Mouth's attention."

Xu Xiaoshou checked his qi sea.

His spiritual essence was nearly full.

That meant he could use "One Step to Heaven" at least three times!

Xu Xiaoshou calmed his mind.

He was going for something big!

Everything in his sight was spiritual medicine.

Even if his eyes couldn't cover it all, his spiritual sense could.

And wherever his spiritual sense reached, "One Step to Heaven" could arrive in an instant!

"So..."

"What is he doing?"

Yu Zhiwen watched Xu Xiaoshou in a daze.

The White Bone Mouth was still there—harvesting spiritual medicines one by one, no matter how tempting, wasn't the time!

If he was discovered, that big guy could abandon A Jie, endure a few hits, and catch him in an instant.

"Plucking the feathers, I suppose."

Mu Zixi, having seen the Spirit Palace before, quickly guessed Xu Xiaoshou's intention.

She showed no sign of worry.

Once this guy decided to act, it was better to think about the consequences for the spiritual medicines and what would happen to the White Bone Mouth, rather than worry about him.

As for Xu Xiaoshou...

Mu Zixi had gone from shock and disbelief to numb acceptance.

"Bang bang!"

In the void above, the White Bone Mouth swung its fists wildly.

It was fighting with utter abandon!

Normally without opponents, suddenly facing one of equal strength that could actually hurt it,

The White Bone Mouth felt like it had met a kindred spirit.

It almost wanted to stop and dance before continuing the fight.

But the opponent was annoying.

It was too small and too agile.

The White Bone Mouth's reactions were fast enough,

But against a foe with an Array Commander body, the big brute's disadvantages were clear.

It threw a punch that might not land,

While the opponent struck with precision every time.

"Roar!"

The White Bone Mouth bellowed.

This fight was exhilarating, but it should end.

With a bang, the air currents exploded as it shot up to a great height.

At this distance, even if the opponent was fast, it would need time to react and fly up.

And in that time...

"Hiss!"

The White Bone Mouth opened its massive mouth wide, its skull expanding as it switched from warrior to mage form.

"Now's the moment!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up when he saw the White Bone Mouth rise again.

This big idiot was too foolish.

If it had flown lower, he might not have dared to move.

But flying higher meant it would take time to come down!

"Collect!"

Sticking to the Spirit Palace's space limits,

Xu Xiaoshou moved his spiritual sense, uprooting nearly a third of the mutated Tall Flame Peak trees—roots, soil, and all—and placing them in the Spirit Palace's mid-air.

The sudden clearing of such a large area stunned everyone.

Yu Zhiwen stared blankly ahead.

She never imagined Xu Xiaoshou's way of collecting spiritual medicines would be so brute force.

Digging them up directly?

Did his space ring have that much capacity?

No!

Space rings required contact to collect, right?

Remote retrieval like this should only be possible for great powers with exceptional spiritual sense and deep knowledge of spatial dao.

But Xu Xiaoshou didn't fit that description.

His method was more like...

"Spirit Palace?"

Yu Zhiwen suddenly remembered that Cheng Xingchu had indeed lost a Spirit Palace to Xu Xiaoshou.

But it was a ruined one.

To fully activate it without a space-based spiritual array grandmaster was impossible.

Even if repaired, without a town-boundary treasure to mend the heavenly dao rhythm,

The Spirit Palace would be useless!

At best, it was just a small space ring.

Did Xu Xiaoshou have so many resources to perfect that ruined Spirit Palace?

She, Yu Zhiwen, couldn't even gather them!

"Space-based..."

Yu Zhiwen's thoughts sharpened.

"Ye Xiao Tian?"

Before her shock could subside,

Xu Xiaoshou's figure flickered and vanished.

In the next second, another large section of the Tall Flame Peak cluster disappeared!

"This..."

The White Bone Mouth in the sky was baffled by the sudden change.

It hadn't even spat out its white flames yet when its gaze fell to the ground.

Vaguely, it spotted a familiar figure.

Whoosh!

The scene vanished for the third time.

Its carefully cultivated spiritual medicine cluster, its intentionally created fire-attribute cultivation ground, was completely gone!

"Huh?"

After a startled sound, even the densest creature realized something!

"Roar roar roar!!!"

Its entire skeleton trembled with pain, reluctance, and pure hatred!

With the ground now fully exposed, that ant-like despicable human was actually flipping it off!

"Pfft!"

The White Bone Mouth couldn't take it anymore.

A torrent of white flames poured down from the sky, engulfing its former fire-attribute treasure ground.

Whoosh!

A Jie appeared in front of Xu Xiaoshou in a flash.

"Mama..."

It raised its hand to block the flames.

"No need."

Xu Xiaoshou gently patted A Jie's shoulder. He was prepared for the White Bone Mouth's tricks.

Clang—

He drew his famous sword.

Stepping past A Jie, he pointed the sword at the void.

"Little thing, even your Companion Beast has shown up. If that's all you've got, how can you play with me?"