Chapter 528: Resolute and Overwhelming Aura of the Celestial Cycle

“Disappear!”

Thinking quickly, he acted. Xu Xiaoshou silently uttered the word in his mind. The next moment, he noticed a change in his body. In the underground view he had been observing with his Perception, his own presence had completely vanished. It was as if Xu Xiaoshou had never appeared in that underground darkness.

“Invisible?” Xu Xiaoshou was startled. He had previously anticipated that the ultimate effect, or awakened ability, of “Concealment” might be invisibility. But he hadn’t expected it to actually manifest now.

“No.”

“It’s not invisibility!”

Calming himself, Xu Xiaoshou quickly realized his judgment was incorrect. Invisibility, by definition, merely removes oneself from others’ sight. But “Disappear”...

“It really seems like I’m gone?” Xu Xiaoshou tried extending his hand. He was amazed to quickly find that his hand passed right through the soil in front of him. Not only that, when he took a step, his entire body embedded itself within the mud layers without causing the soil to be squeezed outwards.

“Phasing?” Xu Xiaoshou was stunned. This ability... wasn’t it too powerful? He tried dancing two dances underground, feeling no resistance whatsoever! Obstacles he would normally encounter as a human were now non-existent, as if he were a wisp of smoke.

“Can it pass through physical objects?” Xu Xiaoshou pondered, then suddenly shook his head. “No, it shouldn’t be defined as ‘phasing through’...”

“Disappear...”

“The effect of this awakened ability might truly be erasing my entire being from this world!”

Thinking this, Xu Xiaoshou was startled. He silently uttered “Deactivate” in his mind. With a thump, the surrounding soil was instantly pushed away by his passive abilities. At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou finally understood.

“Is it really ‘disappearance’?”

“Or the kind of complete disappearance?”

“Not only invisible to the naked eye, but also undetectable by spiritual sense or perception?”

“What about Heavenly Dao aura, or spatial fluctuations?” He pondered, “To what extent can this ‘Disappearance Art’ achieve?”

He silently uttered “Disappear” in his mind once more. Instantly, his entire being vanished completely. The mud and stones from above fell, pattering down, and passed right through his body. Yet, not a single sensation was conveyed.

“This is too powerful!” Xu Xiaoshou was shocked. This was many, many times stronger than so-called “invisibility”! If his awakened ability were merely “invisibility” now, trying to peek at someone bathing might still result in him being locked out by a bolted bathroom door. But with “Disappearance Art”...

“‘Wall-phasing’ plus ‘peeping’ – killing two birds with one stone!” Xu Xiaoshou instantly flew out of the underground area where he had buried himself, emerging into the sky above the Yuan Mansion. He wanted to see just how far this “Disappearance Art” could go.

He looked down from above. The messy ground had not yet been cleaned up; everywhere he looked were signs of explosions. No one noticed him! Xu Xiaoshou was slightly pleased. He looked around and saw Xu Xiaoji curled up alone in a corner. This guy seemed unusually relaxed at the moment, not as stiff as usual, likely because he couldn’t see Xu Xiaoshou’s presence. He was fiddling with his fingernails, muttering something. But from a distance, Xu Xiaoshou’s Perception could only pick up vague sounds, like “oohs and aahs,” too soft to discern.

His interest piqued, he swiftly lunged directly towards Xu Xiaoji’s face. Yet, this guy, who usually reacted as if seeing a ghost when he saw Xu Xiaoshou, was now completely oblivious. He was still casually picking at his fingernails as if no one else was around!

“Hoo-hoo, truly completely gone?”

“Can’t feel anything at all?” Xu Xiaoshou grew excited. The feeling of secretly doing something in broad daylight was genuinely thrilling. He tilted his head, bringing his ear close to Xu Xiaoji’s mouth, as if he were about to lie on him.

“Damn, damn it...”

“How do I get out of here...”

Xu Xiaoji frowned, his eyes filled with contemplation. Xu Xiaoshou was amused. Oh, for heaven’s sake. So, all this time, he’s been doing nothing but thinking about sneaking out, huh!

Ignoring him, Xu Xiaoshou changed direction and floated towards the back of a large rock.

“Little girl, what are you up to?” Looking at his junior sister, soaked in sweat, sprawled out on the ground in an unladylike manner, Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t help but internally complain. She hadn’t even been in a battle! Why did she look like she’d exhausted herself playing?

“Something’s off.” Xu Xiaoshou floated down and squatted beside his junior sister, glancing at the information panel. “Oh, wow, she’s so well-behaved now, no curses?” He looked back at Mu Zixi. He saw the girl holding her head in her small hands, her eyes half-rolled back, looking like she had just survived a disaster.

“What are you doing?” He couldn’t help but ask aloud. But the other party didn’t react at all. Xu Xiaoshou then suddenly realized that “Disappearance Art” erased everything related to himself. This included the spatial fluctuations or wind sounds caused by his earlier flight towards Xu Xiaoji. It also included the sound he was making now.

“So, it really makes my entire being disappear?” Instead of being surprised, Xu Xiaoshou was pleased. This kind of thorough disappearance was truly terrifying. If he had the intention of becoming an assassin right now... Looking at his unguarded junior sister in front of him, Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t stop shaking his head. Who could withstand this! Whether for stealing information or killing, it would be a guaranteed success every time!

“I won’t let you out.” Mu Zixi suddenly muttered to herself, her voice filled with determination, “Xu Xiaoshou, I won’t let you have him!”

Contested, Passive Points, 1.

Xu Xiaoshou: “...”

Is she talking in her sleep? Is she sick? He suddenly paused, staring blankly at the message that had just appeared in the information panel.

“Contested?”

“That’s not right, junior sister is the only one here, who is she contesting with?” Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow, realizing that this single sentence seemed to have uncovered a small secret of Mu Zixi’s. He wanted to prompt the girl to continue speaking. But “Disappearance Art” made him disappear too completely. If his words couldn’t be heard, how could he prompt her? Frowning, seeing the girl stop talking, Xu Xiaoshou could only reluctantly drop the matter.

He had suspected earlier that something was off with his junior sister. The later sudden appearance of Junior Monk Bule, despite its abruptness, and his repeated statements of “she has demonic energy on her,” all confirmed that Xu Xiaoshou’s feelings were correct. However, back at the Spirit Palace, after his junior sister’s high fever, Xu Xiaoshou had indeed asked the girl for the reason. But since she didn’t say, he didn’t press her.

“Alright, she doesn’t grow up, but she sure has a lot of little secrets!” Xu Xiaoshou had a flash of inspiration and silently called out “Partial Disappearance” in his mind. The next second, his idea became reality. In his Perception, a small fingertip appeared out of nowhere. Beyond that, Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t see any other part of his body.

“It really works?” He was delighted. So, “Disappearance Art” wasn’t just complete disappearance, but also allowed him to control which parts of his body he wanted to disappear with his will? Immediately, various tactics floated into his mind. The appearance of “Disappearance Art” was incredibly timely. This could completely revolutionize his entire combat system! If combined with “Ascend to the Heavens in One Step”...

“That’s something impressive!” Suppressing his excitement, Xu Xiaoshou stopped letting his mind wander and focused intently, carefully examining his junior sister. It seemed like the first time he had so closely and undisturbed examined a girl.

“Tsk, quite pretty!” If one ignored her current disheveled appearance and just looked at her face, Mu Zixi was indeed very pretty. Even though her twin pigtails hung limply on the ground and her small bangs were damp with sweat on one side, the face that was fully revealed was indeed very delicate and cute. Her small face was slightly plump, her cheeks rosy like two cherries, yet her chin was subtly pointed. Her features were also very refined. Especially her large eyes; Xu Xiaoshou felt he couldn’t compare. Even with her eyes half-rolled back at the moment, one could still discern the charm of a ripening apple from her mischievous expression.

“By the way, how old is this girl, can she still grow?” Xu Xiaoshou thought, amused. He suddenly extended the part of his finger that hadn’t disappeared and gently poked his junior sister’s cheek.

“Who’s there?” Mu Zixi was instantly startled awake, bolting upright. She looked around but found no one suspicious. A look of confusion flashed in her eyes, and the young girl immediately tidied her hair. She lowered her head, patted her bangs, and pulled her twin pigtails straight before letting them bounce, making them slightly perk outwards. After doing all this, she tentatively whispered, “Xu Xiaoshou?”

There was no response. The air was perfectly silent. Mu Zixi immediately pouted, her eyes full of resentment.

“Darn it, was it just my imagination...”

Xu Xiaoshou: “???”

You little girl, you had a hallucination, why are you cursing me? Am I, Xu Xiaoshou, just here for you to curse when you’re bored? You’re bored, aren’t you!

He couldn’t resist a tactical flank, making four fingers appear at light speed and tugging down on the girl’s twin pigtails.

“Ow!” Mu Zixi immediately gasped in surprise, turned around in disbelief, but still found nothing. She scooted back, back, back on the ground in fright.

“A ghost?” Xu Xiaoshou’s lungs ached from anger. He wanted to continue teaching the girl a lesson, but suddenly, a soft voice came from not far away.

“What’s wrong?” Yu Zhiwen looked over and saw Mu Zixi on the side of the large rock, looking around suspiciously by herself.

“There’s a ghost!”

“A ghost?” Yu Zhiwen sounded surprised.

“Yes!” Mu Zixi nodded repeatedly, then suddenly raised her voice, “Xu Xiaoshou, come out! Are you the one playing tricks?”

“Don’t think I can’t tell you’re teasing me with a formation!” As she spoke, she suddenly tilted her head and whispered, “Is there a formation?”

A humorous look flashed in Yu Zhiwen’s eyes. “No.”

“That’s strange...” Mu Zixi grabbed her twin pigtails, her brow furrowed tightly. “Where’s Xu Xiaoshou? Has he come out yet?”

Hearing this, Yu Zhiwen glanced towards the direction where Xu Xiaoshou had buried himself. “No movement.”

“He should still be inside...” Since Xu Xiaoshou wanted to cultivate by himself, she naturally wouldn’t use her spiritual sense to spy on others. Not to mention it might disturb them. In the Cultivation World, secretly observing others’ secrets with spiritual sense was already considered a very rude act. Yu Zhiwen certainly wouldn’t do that.

Xu Xiaoshou watched as the two girls, after their brief surprise, returned to quiet cultivation, and he chuckled to himself. “This is too much fun!”

He stealthily circled around Mu Zixi, like a wisp of smoke, and came before Yu Zhiwen, who had resumed her cross-legged meditation. Ever since her veil was knocked off that time, this girl seemed to have completely forgotten about it. She was like a secluded lotus blooming alone; even in this chaotic Yuan Mansion space, she maintained her beauty perfectly, unlike Mu Zixi who had lost all composure.

Xu Xiaoshou crouched down, also carefully observing the girl. “Tsk tsk, quite pretty too.” Unlike Mu Zixi’s petite and charming appeal, Yu Zhiwen exuded a very direct and stunning beauty. Even with her eyes closed in cultivation, hiding those star-like pupils that could astound the world, what’s called “eclipsing the moon and shaming the flowers” must be precisely this! Xu Xiaoshou struggled to find impressive adjectives, but he felt this was likely the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Not only was her face beautiful, but her figure was also exceptionally slender.

“Should I try?” He decided to be bold. Xu Xiaoshou, feeling mischievous, materialized a finger again and poked it towards the girl’s cheek. However, this time, it seemed he had gone too far. Just as his finger approached, on the verge of touching, Yu Zhiwen suddenly opened her eyes, her star-like pupils shimmering, then her pupils abruptly contracted.

“Xu Xiaoshou?” She stared blankly ahead, seemingly completely stunned. “When did you come out? Why didn’t I sense you?”

Xu Xiaoshou: “???”

He looked himself up and down. “You... you can see me?”

Yu Zhiwen: “???”

Suspected, Passive Points, 1.

In his Perception, he could now clearly see his crouching body. Xu Xiaoshou was suddenly alarmed. He checked his Qi Sea. Empty! Not entirely empty; there was still a trace of spiritual energy remaining. But this constantly regenerating trace of spiritual energy was clearly nourished by “Full of Vitality” after his Qi Sea was completely depleted. Which means...

“Disappearance Art continuously consumes spiritual energy as long as it’s active?” Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded. Almost all his previous passive abilities hadn’t involved spiritual energy consumption. So, even after activating “Disappearance Art,” he hadn’t immediately thought about this aspect. But now it seemed he had indeed overlooked it. Perhaps, strictly speaking, “Berserk Giant” and “Explosive Stance” would also continuously consume spiritual energy once activated. But their consumption wasn’t continuous. So, with “Full of Vitality” active, it was all replenished. But “Disappearance Art”... Xu Xiaoshou understood completely. This awakened ability, which caused continuous disappearance, couldn’t even be sensed by Yu Zhiwen, meaning it could even deceive the Heavenly Dao. If he kept it active, the consumption would undoubtedly be enormous!

“But it’s consuming too fast, isn’t it?” Xu Xiaoshou secretly clicked his tongue. He had only been out playing for a few minutes, and his Qi Sea was already empty. At this rate, if he wanted to go peeping, it probably wouldn’t even be enough time for someone to wash their hair!

“You...” Yu Zhiwen watched Xu Xiaoshou freeze in front of her, then start spacing out, and she was bewildered for a moment. What was this all about? Not only did he suddenly appear, but this finger... Her eyes slid downwards, watching Xu Xiaoshou’s finger, which was almost touching her face, and she suddenly found it incredibly amusing. How ludicrous! Xu Xiaoshou’s posture and action were indeed comical! It completely overturned his previously unrivaled image as a war god in her mind. And... Appearing out of nowhere, fine. But squatting in front of me in that pose, with a finger extended... Are you trying to flirt with me?

A playful glint flashed in Yu Zhiwen’s eyes. She didn’t dodge, simply lifting her chin slightly. “What are you doing?”

“Uh!” The atmosphere instantly froze. Xu Xiaoshou got a headache. He looked at his finger. He couldn’t retract it, nor could he leave it there. He decided to just poke it, and after touching her skin, he casually withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened.

“Nothing, just saw you cultivating and wanted to disturb you for a bit,” he chuckled.

Yu Zhiwen’s mind went blank with a buzz. He... he touched me? Xu Xiaoshou... How... how could he dare? In that instant, her cheeks burned crimson. Yu Zhiwen shot up like she’d been electrocuted, retreating rapidly.

“What are you doing!”

Questioned, Passive Points, 1.

“Huh?” Xu Xiaoshou spread his hands, looking bewildered. “Didn’t I just say? I saw you cultivating and wanted to ask if you were done.”

Yu Zhiwen: “...” She pointed at Xu Xiaoshou’s hand. “Your hand...”

“What about my hand?” His casual tone immediately made Yu Zhiwen stamp her foot in anger. “You clearly...” She wanted to question him, but the words suddenly caught in her throat. How to say it? You poked me? Yu Zhiwen felt a headache coming on. She couldn’t say it!

“Finished cultivating?” Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, easily moving past the potentially embarrassing situation. “If you’re done cultivating, shall we head back to the White Cave?”

“Time in the White Cave is precious; we can’t waste it in the Yuan Mansion.”

“Shameless!” Yu Zhiwen’s pretty face, still flushed, reddened again. She snapped, turning her head away.

Insulted, Passive Points, 1.

“Xu Xiaoshou!” Behind the rock, Mu Zixi heard the commotion and quickly ended her recuperation. After rolling over and peeking out, she said with a fierce expression, “Xu Xiaoshou, were you the one playing tricks earlier?”

“No,” Xu Xiaoshou waved his hands repeatedly. “I didn’t tug your pigtails.”

Mu Zixi, fuming, put her hands on her hips and jumped onto the rock, wanting to scold him, but didn’t know what to say. That annoying Xu Xiaoshou!

***

**White Cave.**

Within a hidden spiritual array barrier, two groups of people sat clustered separately. Two bonfires burned fiercely, also divided into two piles. One pile had several people gathered around it, but the other only had two.

“Sizzle, sizzle...” From the larger group’s bonfire, the sizzling spiritual meat gave off a burnt smell that made everyone frown.

“Zhou Tianshen, can you even do this?”

“If you can’t, don’t waste my food. It’s been so many days since I’ve had meat, my mouth tastes like dust, do you know that?” A tall man with rugged features stood up, his words full of dissatisfaction.

“If you can do it, go ahead. Why call me?” Zhou Tianshen didn’t even lift his head. “It’s great that your mouth tastes like dust. I haven’t eaten much either. If your mouth tastes like dust, maybe I can roast that bird and eat it!”

Others might fear Tan Ji, but Zhou Tianshen certainly didn’t.

“Your skin’s itching again, isn’t it!” Tan Ji’s expression instantly turned cold. “Do you want me to loosen your bones again?”

“Tsk!” Zhou Tianshen scoffed, slapped the golden broadsword on the ground, and said with a wild laugh, “To be honest, your strength is quite good. I rather enjoy it.”

“You!” Tan Ji’s face instantly contorted, and he raised his fists, ready to charge out.

“Sit down!” From the side, Rao Yinyin finally couldn’t help but speak. She currently had a massive headache and completely failed to understand why the Dean allowed such unstable elements into the White Cave. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble? And this Zhou Tianshen... His strength is low, can’t he just be reserved like everyone else? But he insists on clashing with this troublemaker. Isn’t he just asking for hardship? She knew that in the continuous battles in the White Cave, Tan Ji had often tripped Zhou Tianshen. Although he had been out for two years of training, this guy’s temper had mellowed a lot compared to before. But even so, he wasn’t someone Zhou Tianshen and others could deal with! Rao Yinyin, if not for the Dean’s orders, wouldn’t even want to bother with this person in front of her.

“Sit down!” Seeing Tan Ji pause, then try to ignore her, Rao Yinyin spoke again, “Don’t forget, in the White Cave, you report to me!”

“I report to you?” Tan Ji turned his head at her words, sneering, “Stupid woman, you’re a team leader, and I’m a team leader. I report to you?”

“It’s the Dean’s order. If you don’t like it, go talk to him yourself and see how he deals with you,” Rao Yinyin casually replied. Seeing that he still wanted to act, she immediately added, “If you’re not afraid of me reporting you, then go ahead. I’m too lazy to manage you two anyway.”

“But once we’re out, everything will be reported truthfully.” Tan Ji’s fist clenched.

“Hmph!” After glaring fiercely at Zhou Tianshen, he ultimately chose to back down.

“What’s there to be so cocky about!”

“Just a crummy temporary team leader, sneaking in while Xu Xiaoshou is away, really thinking she’s something special...” Zhou Tianshen chuckled softly, muttering to himself.

“Oh ho?” Tan Ji, who had just settled down, stood up again upon hearing this, his killing intent exploding, making the bonfire dance wildly.

“Trying to kill me?” Zhou Tianshen directly threw the spiritual beast meat into the embers, slammed his sole arm onto the ground, gripped his knife with a backhand, and also stood up.

The scene was on the verge of erupting. Everyone trembled with fear. Both the newly promoted thirty-three and the original thirty-three were somewhat bewildered at this moment. This is too confrontational! How dare Zhou Tianshen do this? Does he really not fear death?

“Everyone sit down!” Rao Yinyin’s eyes showed anger. She also slapped the table and stood up, glaring at Zhou Tianshen. “Are you full of nonsense? Can’t you just grill the meat properly? Can’t you be silent for once?”

“Mute?” Zhou Tianshen looked at the two opponents in front of him, whose strength far exceeded his current cultivation, and then thought of Xu Xiaoshou...

“Others can, but I, Zhou Tianshen, cannot!” He held his knife horizontally, his aura soaring to the sky.

“Thud!” The next second, Rao Yinyin’s eyes narrowed. She gave him a cold glance, and the guy flopped to the ground.

“Sit down.” Turning her head, Rao Yinyin spoke coldly to Tan Ji.

“Tsk.”

“You got lucky.” Tan Ji scoffed and sat back down. But looking at the completely charred spiritual beast meat on the bonfire, he felt another surge of anger.

“Xu Xiaoshou...” Muttering softly, Tan Ji’s eyes narrowed coldly, lost in thought. The next second, he turned, pulled out another piece of spiritual beast meat, skewered it with a wooden stick, and offered it to a young girl in white martial attire on the side, saying flatteringly:

“Junior Sister Qianqian, why don’t you grill this one?”

Su Qianqian looked at the meat, then her gaze shifted upwards. Is this guy out of touch? Doesn’t he know about my relationship with Little Beast Brother?

“Sorry, I refuse.”