Chapter 536: Suppressing the Whole Audience

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow in surprise. It seemed to be the first time he had ever seen Yu Zhiwen angry. This girl usually appeared as calm as an ancient well, even when facing monumental events, yet she was so serious when it came to the rules of the Holy Divine Palace. Was this her bottom line?

"Rules?" Lu Ke wasn't intimidated by Yu Zhiwen's tone. He retorted, "Heaven's Secret Arts, so you're from the 'Dao Department'. Does that mean you're from the Holy Divine Palace headquarters? Since you're from the headquarters, don't you know that you're also breaking the rules right now?" He pointed at Xu Xiaoshou and said, "This guy is on the Red Guard's blacklist. As a member of the Holy Divine Palace, aren't you breaking the rules by openly favoring him like this?"

"I have my reasons; you needn't concern yourself!" Yu Zhiwen showed no signs of shyness.

"Reasons?" Lu Ke sneered, "If that's the case, I have my own reasons too, wouldn't you say?"

"Lu Ke!" Yu Zhiwen was furious. Her hands, which were maintaining the Heaven's Secret Array, trembled slightly. "You're acting selfishly, only for your own benefit. Do you think I can't see through that?" she fumed.

"Aren't you?" Lu Ke smiled.

"Very well," Yu Zhiwen's voice turned completely cold. "Senior Wuyue taught you so much; is this how you repay him by ruining his reputation?"

"You..." Lu Ke's face froze instantly, and he blurted out, "You know my master?"

Master? While everyone else present was still confused, Xu Xiaoshou's heart was stirred. Senior Wuyue... Wasn't that Gou Wuyue? Wasn't he one of the Seven Sword Immortals? Wasn't he one of the Ten Sovereigns? This young Lu Ke was his disciple? Looking at the 'Azure Scale Ridge' on the guy's back not far away, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood. Indeed, no one who could wield a famous sword had a simple background.

"Who exactly are you?" Lu Ke couldn't help but step back, asking Yu Zhiwen. This time, he was truly flustered.

"Who I am isn't important." Yu Zhiwen repeated, "What's important is that even if you retreat now, everything you've done and said will be reported verbatim to Senior Wuyue. You decide what to do!"

"I..." Lu Ke stumbled back, disbelievingly saying, "You're tricking me! You can't possibly know my master!"

*Whoosh!* A token flew from the void and embedded itself with a thud in front of the young man. Lu Ke quickly picked it up. One look, and his panic intensified. "It's... it's really Master's token?" He stared in horror at the girl in the void, then back at the token, speechless for a moment.

"What is it?" Xu Xiaoshou's "Perception" saw what was in Lu Ke's hand. It was a black token with a white border. One side was engraved with the character "Gou," the other was completely black with a silver-white crescent moon at the top. "Sword Immortal Wuyue's token?" Xu Xiaoshou was astonished. He turned to look at Yu Zhiwen, once again surprised by her background. What kind of person could possess Gou Wuyue's personal token? This thing couldn't possibly be something every member of the Holy Divine Palace headquarters carried, could it? Yu Zhiwen was not simple either!

Unable to resist, Xu Xiaoshou took a few steps closer, lowering his voice to ask, "Little Fish, Little Fish, do you have any more of these? Can I have a few to play with?"

Yu Zhiwen: "..." She turned her head, glared at Xu Xiaoshou in annoyance, and ignored him.

"Received contempt, passive point, 1."

"Hmph, if you don't give it, you don't give it. What's there to be so arrogant about?" Xu Xiaoshou huffed and walked away.

The scene fell silent. Lu Ke dared not speak further. Evidently, the appearance of Gou Wuyue's token had completely disrupted his plans. But he racked his brain, unable to figure out who this woman in front of him was. How had she obtained his master's identity token, something he himself had never possessed? This... It couldn't just be the "Dao Department." Could she be the daughter or disciple of the Dao Palace Lord? No way! Lu Ke panicked. He had never heard of the Dao Palace Lord having a daughter or a disciple!

After Lu Ke fell silent, everyone else present also kept quiet. Except for the black-robed figures still frozen by sword energy and moaning in agony, no one made a sound. Everyone looked up at the "Primordial Dao Stone" above.

After its light converged, this supreme treasure finally revealed its true form. It was a milky-white skull-shaped sculpture. Its size was very small, probably only palm-sized. But the various intricate patterns on it were incredibly distinct.

Xu Xiaoshou's "Perception" fully activated, and he focused his gaze. It was a small sculpture resembling a white skull. Although it was mostly milky white, its surface was covered in a dense network of diverse, multicolored small patterns. Among them, the most prominent were the black, demonic-looking patterns on its head, full of malevolent power. His gaze moved downwards. He could easily see the faint, slightly silvery patterns on the small skull's chest, which were more subdued than the milky white. Xu Xiaoshou felt a familiar power of Empyrean Reflection from it. He pondered for a moment, then continued to observe further down. Around the lower abdomen area, the pattern's color shifted. And within those, a faint power of freezing was also evident. It wasn't hard to guess then... Xu Xiaoshou instantly understood.

"'Primordial Dao Stone' is born in the White Cave and shaped by the power of the Heavenly Dao, which is why its appearance is that of a white skull. From this, it seems these patterns are manifestations of the powers of various exotic treasures within the White Cave. The power of Empyrean Reflection, the power of Frozen Tribulation, then..." Xu Xiaoshou's gaze returned to the demonic patterns on the small white skull's head. So many black patterns, brimming with such malevolent power. If all went as expected, this should be the manifestation of the power of the White Cave's supreme treasure—the Four Swords.

"Quite impressive!" Xu Xiaoshou exclaimed in admiration. Just from the patterns on this "Primordial Dao Stone," one could discern the existence of the "Four Swords," which absolutely no other treasure could compare to. Seeing how the entire head of the sculpture was almost completely covered in black patterns, one could imagine how terrifying the true power of the "Four Swords" must be.

"Not ready yet?" Xu Xiaoshou finished his observation, moved slightly closer to Yu Zhiwen, and asked in a low voice.

"Almost." Yu Zhiwen's voice was a little hoarse. The act of integrating the power of heaven and earth into the "Primordial Dao Stone" to help it fully emerge was truly beyond her current cultivation level. If she were to truly complete it, it would be possible, but at that point, she would likely completely lose her fighting ability and forfeit her qualification to contend for the perfect "Primordial Dao Stone." In Xu Xiaoshou's words, it was "a thankless task"! But this girl's personality, in essence, was quite stubborn. With her intelligence, it wasn't hard for her to see all this. So, her current actions... Xu Xiaoshou was deeply moved. "Such a good person! Just a chance encounter, just to be nominal teammates, and she's helping to this extent. Little Fish is truly too gentle and kind!" Xu Xiaoshou secretly clenched his fists. No matter how things turned out today, he wouldn't let anyone else obtain this "Primordial Dao Stone."

Time passed bit by bit. Everyone present had varying thoughts. Some, having witnessed Xu Xiaoshou and Lu Ke's strength, had already decided to give up struggling. Others secretly held cards, waiting for an opportunity to make a move. And still others stood by, waiting only for the final moment to seize the treasure in one fell swoop. But regardless, at this moment, no one dared to disturb Yu Zhiwen in the slightest. Everyone understood that when the Heaven's Secret in her hands completely descended, that would be the beginning of the chaos.

*Hiss, hiss.* The "Primordial Dao Stone" continuously compressed and expanded in the void, like a slowly beating heart, gradually absorbing the Heavenly Dao's essence from the world to repair itself. And with each beat, ripples of Dao charm, closer to perfection, emanated outwards. In approximately less than a quarter of an hour, those who needed to break through in the field did so. Those who didn't want to break through had already retreated far to the outermost reaches.

"Someone's coming!" Suddenly, everyone's expressions tightened, and they turned to look behind them. The most worrying situation had, after all, emerged. The repair of the "Primordial Dao Stone" was taking too long. And during this waiting period, which felt like years, it was enough for those not present, but who felt the fluctuations of the Heavenly Dao's essence in the world, to converge here.

*Swish, swish, swish.* Figures appeared one after another from the horizon, swiftly descending. "What's going on?" All the newcomers were startled by the strange atmosphere before them. Undoubtedly, the supreme treasure that had drawn them here, capable of helping one comprehend the Heavenly Dao, floated in the air. But what was the deal with these early arrivals, who were all just standing rooted to the spot? "Are they playing statues?" "Or is there some special circumstance that prevents them from moving?" "No, this isn't right. When has the White Cave ever had such a harmonious scene, where no one is even trying to snatch it?" "Am I dreaming? Can someone explain this to me?" Someone asked in a low voice, looking around, fearing that speaking too loudly would break this inexplicable silence, making them the target and getting themselves killed.

"If I'm not mistaken, this thing should be the 'Primordial Dao Stone'?" "But if it truly is the 'Primordial Dao Stone,' what are these people... waiting for?" The speaker felt a pang of fear. Compared to the usual scene where treasures appeared and various factions fought desperately over them, this absolute silence and stillness before them was enough to unnerve one's very soul.

"Is she collecting the treasure?" Someone pointed at Yu Zhiwen. Among those present, the only person still continuously moving was this girl. "No." "Doesn't look like it." "Her movements look more like... repairing?" "Is she a Spiritual Array Grandmaster, repairing the 'Primordial Dao Stone'? What a joke!" "Damn it, why is everyone so harmonious? I'm not used to this! Shouldn't we be drawing swords and blasting each other right now? Why is the atmosphere here so bizarre?" The newcomers were bewildered. When the "enemies" didn't move, they inexplicably didn't dare to move either.

Xu Xiaoshou watched as more and more people descended, his brows furrowing. Grandmasters! So many Grandmasters! Just a glance, and out of every ten newcomers, four or five were Grandmaster-level cultivators. It seemed that during this period, many young cultivators of the Upper Spirit Realm had gained benefits in the White Cave and successfully broken through to the Grandmaster realm. And if one were to count the Xiantian Realm cultivators as well, the number of newcomers here was already approaching sixty or seventy.

"A bit of pressure..." In such circumstances, even if Xu Xiaoshou considered himself strong, it wasn't entirely impossible for him to be secretly ambushed. Grandmasters were not Houtian or Xiantian. Almost everyone who had survived until now had a hidden trump card. Once the "Primordial Dao Stone" was completed, if they all simultaneously unleashed their power, even a Sovereign might find it difficult to fare well under such concentrated fire. Not to mention, among these individuals, who knew how many more powerhouses capable of challenging across cultivation levels were hidden!

"Received threat, passive point, 1." Xu Xiaoshou's expression grew solemn. He didn't even notice. As his mood became heavy, the oppressive feeling in the air also gradually intensified, reaching a point where it could make people freeze in shock.

"Something's not right..." Those with weaker cultivation were the first to notice something amiss. A Xiantian Realm expert, standing and chatting with a companion, suddenly clutched his chest: "Why do I feel like the atmosphere here is so oppressive it's unbearable?" "Are you imagining things?" His companion, a Grandmaster, hadn't noticed anything unusual at first, but hearing this remark and then scanning the solemn faces around, also became suspicious. "But now that you mention it, something does seem off." "Even if it's oppressive, shouldn't someone still step forward and make the first move at this point?" "All these people, standing still, seemingly waiting, but why do I feel like they're being suppressed, unable to come out?" "...Suppressed?" The others were startled by this. It was fine as long as no one pointed it out. Once it was pointed out, everyone noticed something was wrong. Indeed! The atmosphere here was truly too strange compared to elsewhere. Unbeknownst to them, that inexplicable aura, originating from who-knew-where, had fully coalesced, like an invisible demon-suppressing pagoda, pressing down from above. Everyone dared not move. Perhaps at first, it was merely because they wanted to figure things out before acting. But one person could wait that long. If everyone was like this, then something was very wrong! It was as if a terrifying demon was beginning to climb out in their hearts. It was telling everyone's subconscious: Don't go out, don't go out. If you go out now, you might truly be the first to disappear.

"Who's playing tricks?!" Finally, someone couldn't help but exclaim in alarm. This unconscious spread of subconscious panic couldn't possibly originate from something as purely righteous and positive as the "Primordial Dao Stone." It could only be an evil cult secretly acting, covertly influencing everyone.

*Whoosh!* A whooshing sound rang out. As soon as the rebuke fell, the speaker couldn't help but bend a knee, directly springing up, breaking through the invisible aura in the void, and shooting straight towards the "Primordial Dao Stone."

Yu Zhiwen didn't even shift her gaze, softly calling out, "Xu Xiaoshou." Before she could speak, Xu Xiaoshou had already been drawn by the person's movement. He glanced back. *Bang!* The guy who had initially shot straight upwards seemed to hit an invisible barrier mid-air, and was heavily slammed back into the ground, even creating a sizable crater.

"Huh?" This time, everyone was shocked. "What's going on?" "W-what happened?" "How did Qiao Yu fall? Is there a spiritual array here? But why can't I feel any spiritual energy fluctuations at all?" "Who's controlling this?!" Everyone panicked. They looked at the young man, deeply embedded in the ground's crater, trying to prop himself up but unable to even move a finger, and their faces all changed.

"Gravity space?" "Or a Sovereign's domain?" "No, impossible. Even a domain should have a range and boundary, right? This guy..." "Could it be that there's an invisible magnetic field here, and we fell victim to it as soon as we entered?" This statement made everyone even more chaotic.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the person in the ground crater with some astonishment. This young man named Qiao Yu couldn't get up, could it be because... I was looking at him? He suddenly thought of something. "Spirit of Mountains and Rivers?"

Incredulously, he shifted his gaze, intending to try something. Sure enough, as soon as his gaze moved away, Qiao Yu sprang up with a thud and shot into the sky again.

"Who!" "Who's playing tricks? Get out here!" Xu Xiaoshou swept his gaze over him. *Boom!* This time, an even deeper crater was created. Qiao Yu even felt like his backside was about to explode. He laboriously moved his hand, mobilizing the sluggish and heavy spiritual energy within him, and touched his backside. All blood! "Damn it, it wasn't just a feeling, it really did explode?" "Who is it?!"

"Received fear, passive point, 1.""Received suspicion, passive point, 122."

Xu Xiaoshou smiled. "It's really me?" He had no idea that all of this was truly his own doing. "Spirit of Mountains and Rivers?" Had this aura, which he didn't know when it had coalesced, already accumulated to such an extent? That even Upper Spirit Realm experts could be suppressed with a single glance? This was too overpowered!

"Emotional shifts..." Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts converged, and it seemed he finally fully understood the true use of "Spirit of Mountains and Rivers." The very existence of this status passive skill might truly not be as he had imagined, only being able to coalesce aura through anger and killing intent. On the contrary, in the current situation, as his mood had gradually become heavy earlier, the constantly accumulating aura seemed to be the true application of "Spirit of Mountains and Rivers." An aura accumulation spanning over a quarter of an hour... In a battle, who would allow that much time? But if it wasn't in battle, once the aura was coalesced, who could break it?

But! Xu Xiaoshou became puzzled again. Having understood this, his mood was clearly no longer heavy. Yet, why did he feel that the sense of heaviness in the atmosphere wasn't diminishing at all, but rather subtly showing a tendency to increase again?

"That's it!" He suddenly clenched his fist, enlightenment dawning on him. "Emotional shifts can indeed trigger the activation of the 'Spirit of Mountains and Rivers' passive skill, but it never said I could only have one emotion at a time!" Oppression, heaviness, worry... Human emotional shifts don't state that only one can occur at a time. Quite the opposite. The progression of various emotions continuously shifts with the body's perception. In other words, as soon as he interacted with people, he could continuously change emotions with conversation and actions. And as long as emotions kept changing, the aura accumulated by "Spirit of Mountains and Rivers" would not dissipate!

Looking at the somewhat noisy and chaotic situation before him, Xu Xiaoshou fully realized that these mere cannon fodder had fallen into the vast magnetic field he had inadvertently set up. If not now, when would be the time to harvest? "Silence!" Without thinking, Xu Xiaoshou directly soared into the sky, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"Holy crap, how did that guy get up there?" "I just tried it; it seemed possible before, but now, that invisible aura is so oppressive I can't breathe, I can't even jump." "Me too, me too! I'm a super expert, a Half-step Grandmaster, and I can't even move! Is there really a Sovereign here?" "Or is that guy the Sovereign?" The scene instantly erupted into a commotion. Yet, before the steam in the pot could even rise, it was directly suppressed by the heavy aura, forcing it back to the ground. Immediately, a heavy sense of panic permeated the crowd.

"Received suspicion, passive point, 130.""Received speculation, passive point, 59.""Received gaze, passive point, 134."

The information bar pulsed wave after wave, and Xu Xiaoshou was practically beaming. So this is "Spirit of Mountains and Rivers"? Indeed, it was exactly as he had imagined! It was just that fewer people came here. If there were thousands or tens of thousands of people, and he secretly accumulated his aura, jumping out now would surely yield tens of thousands of passive points, wouldn't it? He forced down the joy in his heart, his will completely shifting to indifference towards everyone present. Even though he didn't know what kind of emotions could maintain the accumulated aura of "Spirit of Mountains and Rivers," Xu Xiaoshou knew that choosing direct confrontation was the best way to ensure his emotions never ceased.

"Silence!" Another even more emphatic command pressed down. This time, everyone suddenly felt as if their heart had skipped a beat. For a moment, even those who were speaking had their words cut short, completely interrupted by Xu Xiaoshou's aura.

"Received suspicion, passive point, 129."

People continued to arrive without cease from other areas. At this point, Xu Xiaoshou was no longer in a hurry for the "Primordial Dao Stone" at all. He looked at these young cultivators, who were like moths drawn to a flame, becoming stuck as if in quicksand the moment they entered the area, and he clasped his hands behind his back. "Very good. Unexpectedly, you are all very well-behaved and obedient. Since that's the case, I still have a few things to say, so please be patient and continue to listen!"

"Damn it!" someone in the crowd immediately cursed aloud. Who the hell wants to listen to you talk! If he weren't completely unable to move as if possessed, he would immediately draw his sword and cleave that show-off standing above them in half!

"What did you say?" Xu Xiaoshou slowly turned his gaze, his eyes narrowing, and his voice deepened: "Say that again?" *Bang!* The moment he finished speaking, the person who had tried to utter a sound had his knees buckle, and he slammed directly into the ground, blood splattering.

"Holy crap!" This time, those in the crowd who were still skeptical finally became completely convinced. "It's him, it's him!" "That inexplicable oppressive feeling is definitely coming from this guy, no mistake about it!" "Yes, Qiao Yu was like this just now too. He must be secretly manipulating things." "But what kind of spiritual skill is this? I can't feel any spiritual energy fluctuations at all..." "Don't look into his eyes, absolutely don't look, you'll..." *Bang!* Xu Xiaoshou's attention was drawn by this last person. As he shifted his gaze, that person instantly fell to his knees, also creating a deep pit in the ground.

"Uh..." This time, Xu Xiaoshou himself was stunned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that this time."

Everyone: "..."

Dead silence. Absolute silence throughout the entire area!

"Received fear, passive point, 147."