Chapter 540: Ghost Beast Contract

"Is there really something going on?"

Mu Zixi heard the voice and quickly stopped the car.

Flirting?

Damn it, which cultured person is hiding in the dark? If you can talk, speak up sooner and say more!

"Receiving Disgust, Passive Point, 1."

"Receiving Gaze, Passive Point, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou's "Perception" was wide open, yet he couldn't find anyone.

He couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

What kind of special movement technique could it be that "Perception" couldn't even detect?

"Who?" The voice was vaguely familiar, but Xu Xiaoshou couldn't recall who it belonged to, so he called out, demanding an answer.

"Heh heh." Along with a laugh, a rift tore open in the void, and a woman dressed in a simple gray robe appeared.

Mu Zixi's eyes immediately bulged.

Although the woman wore a seemingly loose gray robe, her explosive figure caused it to stretch taut in all the right places, almost to the point of tearing… revealing her curves. Adding to that, an alluring large purple chain was wrapped around various parts of her body, deeply embedded between the folds of her robe. Her peaks, in particular, were even more striking.

Unimaginable! Mu Zixi could barely imagine what she had eaten to grow up with a figure like that. Flames of envy burned fiercely within her.

"Xu Xiaoshou, who is this woman?" she couldn't help but ask, turning back.

"Receiving Questioning, Passive Point, 1."

"Jiaotangtang?" Xu Xiaoshou looked at the face he recognized from a previous encounter and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "You're looking for me?"

"Yes." Jiaotangtang stepped forward, her gaze falling on Mu Zixi. But with just a glance, she dismissed her. "I came specifically for you."

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow, feeling his tension ease. He glanced past the woman, asking, "What do you need me for? Where's Xin Gugu?"

"He didn't come," Jiaotangtang said. "Over at 'You Si Jian', the Red Coats' gathering of many spiritual array masters has been very effective. The 'Thirty-Six Heavenly Seal Array' has been mostly broken, and I'm afraid in a few days, what's inside will be truly unsealed."

"After meeting with me, Xin Gugu has already gone to complete his mission."

"'You Si Jian'?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"Yes." Jiaotangtang nodded without hesitation. "His mission is 'You Si Jian'. Whether he gets it or not is another matter; at the very least, he needs to completely throw the White Cave into chaos. Only then will we have a chance to escape."

"Hm?" Xu Xiaoshou keenly noticed something amiss in Jiaotangtang's words.

"We... escape?"

Jiaotangtang smiled and said, "Setting other things aside for now, let me tell you about the current situation outside the White Cave."

"The Seven Sword Immortal Gou Wuyue, along with a group of White Coats, has completely sealed off all escape spatial channels in the White Cave minor world."

"Even if they seemed to have been obstructed halfway, the remaining White Coats are already enough to deal with all the stowaways and ghost beasts in the White Cave minor world."

"The situation is not optimistic. I need your help."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoshou's face immediately froze.

"What did you say...? White Coats? Gou Wuyue?"

"Yes, why?"

"The Seven Sword Immortal Gou Wuyue?" Xu Xiaoshou's lips turned pale.

"That's right!" Jiaotangtang nodded. "He is one of the two ruling masters of the Holy Divine Palace, a Sword Immortal with the title of Ten Thrones, Gou Wuyue. Is there a problem?"

"No problem..."

"No problem, my foot!" Xu Xiaoshou cursed inwardly. He felt his heart turn completely cold in that instant! What in the world is going on? He had just beaten up someone's disciple not long ago, and now the master was here already? Beat the junior, then the senior comes out... that's not how the game is played! Are they not going to give others any room to grow? Even novels wouldn't dare to write such a plot! Are they trying to torture him to death?

And how did this Sword Immortal Gou Wuyue learn from the outside that his disciple had been beaten up in the White Cave, and then arrive in the blink of an eye from...

"He came from the Holy Divine Palace headquarters, the Central Region?" Xu Xiaoshou asked in astonishment.

"Yes." A definite answer.

"Damn it!" Xu Xiaoshou swore he would never casually provoke people with powerful backgrounds again. Was there really a need for such exaggerated protectiveness? To directly cross two regions via teleportation, just to... deal with him?

Jiaotangtang saw Xu Xiaoshou's pale face and realized he seemed to have misunderstood something.

"Gou Wuyue came from the Central Region to apprehend 'Seven Fingers' of the 'Holy Slaves', someone called... 'The Storyteller'."

"Did you offend the Sword Immortal Wuyue?" Jiaotangtang raised an eyebrow, finding it completely impossible.

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou didn't answer directly, but felt a sense of relief upon hearing that. Holy Slaves? So, the Sword Immortal Wuyue shouldn't be here specifically for him.

But suddenly, his heart clenched again, as if suffering a myocardial infarction.

Wait!

"Holy Slaves???" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly turned his head to look at his junior sister.

Mu Zixi blinked her innocent big eyes, and in her hands, two large wooden mallets materialized once more. This time, they were solid.

"The Storyteller, what does he look like?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, gesturing with his hands to indicate height. "Is he this tall, with two twin ponytails..."

"Smack! Smack!"

"Receiving Blows, Passive Point, 2."

Jiaotangtang watched the brother and sister duo's antics with a strange expression. "No."

Xu Xiaoshou's heart lightened. Then he heard the other party continue, "But his appearance is indeed very distinctive. If you've seen him, you definitely wouldn't forget."

"The Storyteller usually wears a red dress, but he seems to be a man. He doesn't look old, appearing to be in his early twenties, but his bone age is certainly more than that."

"He also seems a bit effeminate..." Jiaotangtang furrowed her brow. "I don't know much about the 'Holy Slaves' either; these are all bits of information conveyed by our external informants..."

"Hm, Xu Xiaoshou, what's wrong?" Mid-sentence, Jiaotangtang looked at Xu Xiaoshou, who had suddenly collapsed to the ground, with a bewildered expression.

This guy seemed to be undergoing a great baptism of terror; his face was as pale as paper, with not a trace of healthy color left. Looking at him like that, he was practically a breathing corpse!

"Receiving Fright, Passive Point, 1."

"Receiving Fear, Passive Point, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou's legs turned to jelly.

A man in a red dress? Damn it, wasn't that the guy he saw during the great explosion in the Spirit Melting Marsh? Sure enough. I knew it! I said that no one I, Xu Xiaoshou, meet would be normal, right? Someone who could make the Gray Fog Man so terrified that he had to team up with Xu Xiaoshou just to break through the ancient tome's space – he truly was the legendary big shot!

Holy Slaves... Seven Fingers... Meaning, a subordinate of the masked man?

"Oh my god!" Xu Xiaoshou's mind went blank. At that moment, he was simply filled with pure dread. His clothes were instantly drenched with a sudden cold sweat. Beyond the dread, there were no other emotions.

Thank goodness. Thank goodness he hadn't stayed there too long because he had fallen out with Shou Ye. If it truly was "Seven Fingers" of the "Holy Slaves", then Shou Ye and the Gray Fog Man might truly be in danger!

"That whole situation was just pure dumb luck, wasn't it?"

"Good thing I left first, thank goodness..."

Regaining his composure, Xu Xiaoshou tried to stand up, but found his legs were somewhat weak. He casually patted the ground, feigning indifference.

"Sit down. Why are you spacing out?"

"If we have something to discuss, it's better to talk while sitting. Standing only makes your back hurt!"

Jiaotangtang: ???

"Receiving Suspicion, Passive Point, 1."

"Xu Xiaoshou, why is your voice trembling?" Mu Zixi wasn't as polite as Jiaotangtang. She blurted it out, then curiously squatted down as she spoke.

Xu Xiaoshou shot his junior sister a fierce glare. You'd die if you didn't speak, wouldn't you! Can't you just obediently be a mute?

"What's wrong?" Jiaotangtang, on the other hand, sat down casually, quite close to Xu Xiaoshou.

"Receiving Curse, Passive Point, 1, 1, 1, 1..."

"Where were we just now? That's a lot of information; let me process it," Xu Xiaoshou said, rubbing his head.

"Cooperation." Jiaotangtang smiled faintly and said, "Based on this, I need your help to escape the White Coats' encirclement."

"What help can I offer?" Xu Xiaoshou's face turned pale with shock. "Are you crazy?! That's the Seven Sword Immortal! His name is Gou Wuyue! I'm just a nobody. What help can I be? Go up and be cannon fodder to protect your escape?"

He quickly scooted away from Jiaotangtang's side, suddenly feeling a surge of strength. He shot up, grabbed his junior sister's hand, and wore a wary expression, ready to "ascend to heaven in one step" and flee if the situation went south.

Mu Zixi's face flushed, and her hand struggled symbolically twice.

"Receiving Resistance, Passive Point, 1."

Jiaotangtang let out a laugh. "Nobody... You certainly have self-awareness." She teased him, then her expression turned serious as she slowly said:

"In your current state, you truly can't be of much help in the grand scheme of things."

"However, there's a way for us to get out of this mess!"

"What way?" Xu Xiaoshou was startled.

"What do you think?" Jiaotangtang stood up, patting her behind. The large purple chain bound around her jingled, causing Mu Zixi's eyes to glaze over in fascination.

Xu Xiaoshou furrowed his brow. Jiaotangtang came to find him, and she could resist Gou Wuyue's power out of thin air? What a joke! Do I have something like that on me?

Suddenly, his pupils constricted. Xu Xiaoshou thought of something and said in disbelief, "That... that scruffy cat?"

"What 'scruffy cat'?!" Jiaotangtang's eyes blazed with anger. She retorted furiously, "That's 'Lord Gluttony'!"

"Alright, alright, Gluttony, Lord Gluttony..." Xu Xiaoshou repeated the words distractedly, then asked in bewilderment, "You mean?"

Without further ado, Jiaotangtang plunged her hand into her chest and pulled out an old, slightly warm beast-skin scroll, right before Mu Zixi's widened eyes.

"A contract!" she stated firmly.

Xu Xiaoshou subconsciously took a step back. "What do you mean?"

"It's called a 'contract', what else could it mean?" Jiaotangtang scoffed and paced. "Lord Gluttony has been with you for some time now, and I believe a bond has formed. Now is the best time to sign a ghost beast contract."

A ghost beast contract? Hearing that term, Mu Zixi finally snapped out of her carnal thoughts. "Xu Xiaoshou, this..." She had just finished listening to Xu Xiaoshou explain the horrors of ghost beast possession. Now, this woman shows up and wants her senior brother to sign a contract with a ghost beast?

"Impossible!"

"Impossible!" The two exclamations overlapped, spoken in unison.

Xu Xiaoshou and Jiaotangtang both turned to look at the young girl. Mu Zixi's face stiffened. She immediately grabbed her senior brother tightly, as if afraid of losing her beloved lollipop, and shouted, "Xu Xiaoshou will never sign a ghost beast contract with you!"

Jiaotangtang's red lips parted in surprise, about to say something.

Xu Xiaoshou had completely calmed down. "My junior sister is right. I can't sign this contract."

"Not signing?" Jiaotangtang's eyes narrowed. "Xu Xiaoshou, look at the situation we're in! Do you still think you can just do as you please?"

Xu Xiaoshou didn't reply, simply shaking his head indifferently. A ghost beast contract—how could he possibly sign it? He had just solemnly promised Shou Ye of the Red Coats that he would absolutely not become a ghost beast host, and would only use Lord Gluttony as a lead to uncover the truth of the ghost beast world. And the fact that Lu Ke was both a Red Coat and a ghost beast had only just been discovered. This was precisely the right time for this mysterious event to surface, allowing a glimpse of the tip of the iceberg. Under such circumstances, how could Xu Xiaoshou possibly let himself sink deeper into this quagmire, whose true nature, whether blessing or curse, was still unknown?

No! A blessing? Impossible. At best, it was just a murky puddle of varying degrees of misfortune.

"I'll return Lord Gluttony to you, but the contract is out of the question." Xu Xiaoshou pondered for a moment, feeling that the situation was beyond his capabilities. He didn't want to get involved in this mess. So, he retrieved the little white cat, which had grown noticeably plumper, from his Inner World and offered it to her.

"Meow." The little white cat still retained its naive and adorable appearance. Seeing that Xu Xiaoshou was finally willing to be close to it, it immediately started licking Xu Xiaoshou's wrist enthusiastically as soon as it appeared.

"Slurp!"

"Slurp!"

"This... is a ghost beast?" Mu Zixi was stunned. She hadn't been able to see the little white cat before. But ever since awakening her "Divine Demon Eyes", she could perceive the adorable little cat living in his Inner World space. But, this was a ghost beast? Shouldn't ghost beasts be dark behemoths with gaping maws, tusks and raging horns, mouths full of foul-smelling drool? At the very least, shouldn't they be transcendent beings like the Gray Fog Man, eerie and unpredictable, able to seal anything, and render one unconscious with a single palm strike? A little cat? What bad intentions could a little cat have? How could it possibly be a ghost beast! Mu Zixi felt her worldview being challenged. So, earlier, it was possibly a cute little thing like this that scared the fearless Xu Xiaoshou, making him flee from the "Dao Pattern Prime Stone" to here?

Xu Xiaoshou, that's far too timid of you! So you were such a timid person all along?

"Receiving Scorn, Passive Point, 1."

"Xu Xiaoshou..." Jiaotangtang looked at the little cat held in the young man's hand and burst out laughing instead. "Xu Xiaoshou, you're far too naive!"

"Do you really think a ghost beast is something you can just get involved with when you want to, and then simply let go of when you don't?"

"Yes," Xu Xiaoshou replied, nodding expressionlessly.

"Uh..." Jiaotangtang choked, then angrily flung the beast-skin scroll in her hand and snapped, "This contract, you'll sign it whether you want to or not!"

"What do you mean 'you'll sign it whether you want to'?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, looking confused. "Signing means signing, doesn't it? What's this 'you'll sign it whether you want to' nonsense? Your grasp of language..."

"Xu Xiaoshou!" Jiaotangtang angrily interrupted Xu Xiaoshou. "Try messing around again, I dare you!"

"Oh?" Xu Xiaoshou pulled Mu Zixi back a step and said defiantly, "Try what? Will I die?"

"You guess!" Jiaotangtang's gaze turned dangerous, and eerie black mist began to emerge from her pupils.

"Enter the Inner World." Xu Xiaoshou ordered over his shoulder.

"Okay." Mu Zixi said no more. At such a critical moment, she would absolutely not become a liability for Xu Xiaoshou. As her words fell, Xu Xiaoshou's spiritual sense stirred, and he attempted to open his Inner World. However, the Inner World's spatial channel seemed to have completely failed; it wouldn't open!

"Xu Xiaoshou, don't bother trying. This space has already been sealed by me. Any possibility of escape you might imagine simply won't happen," Jiaotangtang scoffed.

"Damn Xin Gugu..." Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank to rock bottom. Xin Gugu must have revealed the existence of his Inner World to Jiaotangtang beforehand. He might even have divulged all of Xu Xiaoshou's special abilities, which would explain why Jiaotangtang was treating him with such caution. Otherwise, based on a single encounter alone... A Throne wouldn't possibly make such extensive preparations against a mere Innate ant!

"Break!" As he was lost in thought, a soft shout came from behind him. Xu Xiaoshou turned his head, only to see the yin-yang fish pattern in Mu Zixi's eyes receding. With that, he felt the space loosen. His spiritual sense stirred again, and the Inner World's spatial channel appeared.

"Xu Xiaoshou, I'll go in first. You two can chat slowly." Mu Zixi stepped into the spatial channel, not forgetting to turn back and glare fiercely, threatening, "Don't you dare do anything reckless!" With that, a flash of light, and she vanished.

"This..." Jiaotangtang was shocked. What just happened? She couldn't discern Xu Xiaoshou's cultivation level, but with Xin Gugu's prior instructions, she had already taken full precautions. But his junior sister... What in the world?! A cultivation level of the Higher Spirit Realm, yet she broke through a Throne's spatial seal with just a glance?

"Xu Xiaoshou, she..." Jiaotangtang couldn't contain her curiosity and was about to ask something when Xu Xiaoshou stopped her.

"Wait, I'm a bit flustered. Let me call someone first." He waved his hand. Then, with a flash of light in the void, the world suddenly plunged into complete darkness.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Two colossal giants, nearly a hundred meters tall, descended. One white, one blue. One on the left, one on the right. Like personal yin-yang guardians, they directly crashed down behind Xu Xiaoshou, standing majestically on either side.

The ice-blue white skeleton, Ah Bing, was fine. It had a quiet disposition; upon being summoned, it calmly sat down. Then, it silently sensed the freezing power within its master's body, slowly comprehending the mysteries of ice. The Ember White Skeleton, Ah Huo, on the other hand, was a completely restless fellow. As soon as it appeared, it was scratching and wriggling as if covered in lice, almost excitedly breaking into a wild bonfire dance. Returning to the familiar warmth of the White Cave minor world, the joy and excitement in its heart completely fused, finally coiling into a ball that choked in its throat, needing to be vented.

"Roar—!"

The earth cracked with a jolt, splitting into crisscrossing ravines. Debris flew everywhere, and trees were severed at their waists and uprooted. Jiaotangtang didn't even have time to react before she was blasted back dozens of feet by the roar. The large purple chain clanged wildly, and even her gray robe ripped open.

"What in the world is that?!" She instinctively raised a spiritual energy shield, black mist surging around her, only then daring to look toward Xu Xiaoshou.

High above, the ice-blue white skeleton half-crouched, its arms crossed. Below, a blue hemispherical ice shield covered Xu Xiaoshou, blocking this wave of roaring attack for him. In contrast, the Ember White Skeleton was directly behind the two, excitedly flailing its limbs.

"Boom boom boom..." The earth trembled with its every stomp, and the ground cracked loudly. But all of this before her was less terrifying than the immense waves of shock surging within Jiaotangtang's heart.

"Wh-what... is... that?" Xu Xiaoshou let out a deep breath, stepped forward, crossed the protection of the ice shield, and was about to speak.

"Crack!" Another layer of ice shield appeared, directly covering the front, blocking him. Clearly, Ah Bing sensed the opponent's strength and couldn't bear to let Xu Xiaoshou face them alone.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Xu Xiaoshou instructed, looking back, and only then stepped past the ice shield again. After a moment's thought, he adjusted his posture, leaning casually against the ice shield with his head tilted up at a forty-five-degree angle. At that moment, he felt as if something was missing from his hand. Calmly, he used "Three Days Frozen Calamity" to condense an ice cigarette. White flames ignited it. Amidst puffing sounds, mist began to rise. Xu Xiaoshou took a deep drag, exhaled a cloud of icy mist, and then spoke nonchalantly:

"Speak."

"Continue."

"What were you saying just now? What was it about?"

Jiaotangtang: "..."

She clenched her fists extremely tight, her fingernails digging deep into the flesh of her palms. At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou's utterly punchable expression... It nearly made her lose all reason from sheer fury, almost transforming into a ghost beast to deliver a brutal whip kick in ghost beast form to that guy's fair and tender little face. With enough force to prevent even Xin Gugu from recovering if he turned into a puddle of blood!

"How absolutely infuriating!!!"

"Receiving Glare, Passive Point, 1."

Jiaotangtang was so furious she started to literally smoke. Real, tangible smoke. The black kind! She desperately wanted to, but she couldn't. Those two unknown monstrous things behind Xu Xiaoshou... Throne-level strength! Peak Throne-level strength! And this was in a one-on-one fight. If these two behemoths teamed up, she'd likely just turn into a larger ball, even if she transformed into a ghost beast, and be mercilessly kicked around by them! Although she hadn't yet experienced the strength of the large white skeletons... Her woman's intuition made Jiaotangtang realize she couldn't afford to provoke them! What's more, there was Xu Xiaoshou, watching her like a tiger from the side. An Innate Realm expert whom even Xin Gugu somewhat feared, and who was said to possess the power to threaten ghost beasts!

This...

"Xu Xiaoshou, what are you trying to do?" Jiaotangtang took a deep breath, calming her trembling chest, and asked, swallowing her indignation.

"Nothing much." Xu Xiaoshou finished one ice cigarette at light speed, then lit three even larger ones, holding them between four fingers and taking a powerful drag. "Puff." He exhaled smoke, outlining a heart shape in the air. "Didn't you say that today, I'd sign this ghost beast contract whether I want to or not?"

"Come on, make me." Xu Xiaoshou said, putting down the large ice cigar in his hand, his eyes turning cold. "What I, Xu Xiaoshou, hate most in my life is being passive, but what I like most is also being passive!"

"Come, make me. Tell me how you want me to sign; give me a reason."

"Speak!"

As his final word landed, the ground suddenly sank, collapsing three feet downwards. The heavy pressure in the air instantly made the flailing Ah Huo pause, then stand rigidly, hands pressed against its fiery leg seams, looking just like a well-behaved child.

"This aura..." Jiaotangtang's pupils constricted, and her heart tightened further. She could fully perceive that this wave of terrifying aura and pressure didn't come from the two sky-obscuring white skeletons, but from Xu Xiaoshou! This guy really possessed Throne-level power, truly capable of threatening ghost beasts?

"Receiving Alarm, Passive Point, 1."

"Puff." Xu Xiaoshou finished three more cigars. Recalling the scene when the Blazing Python emerged and he was beaten black and blue by an ordinary ghost beast host, he took a deep breath.

"Is this enough people?"

"If not, there's more!" Saying this, he unhesitatingly reached into his pocket, quickly pulled out a black stone, and then slammed it onto the ground.

"Boom boom boom!" At this, the Ember White Skeleton's face surprisingly showed a look of fear, and it immediately retreated several steps backward.

"Mama..." A soft cry echoed through the void. The sound wasn't loud, but its penetrating power was immense. Jiaotangtang felt her heart almost stop. This little boy, who looked rosy and harmless...

"Beyond Throne?"

"Receiving Awe, Passive Point, 1."