Chapter 544: Half-Saint Formation

"Let's not talk about that. Where did we leave off?"

"Right, the Heavenly Pivot Disk."

Caramel seemed to pay no attention to the earlier analogy and continued, "'The Heavenly Pivot Disk' and 'The Four Swords' are not fundamentally meant to suppress the White Cave, but rather the 'Ashen Sea of Purgatory'."

"Under the influence of these two great treasures and various seals, the 'Ashen Sea of Purgatory's' danger level was progressively weakened, leading to its semi-disappearance."

"It's called 'semi-disappeared' because, in essence, it still exists, but outsiders cannot perceive it at all."

"The birth of the White Cave sub-world was largely due to the residual power of the 'Ashen Sea of Purgatory'."

"Therefore, here, you can find many remnants of the 'Seven Severance Prohibitions' power from that time."

"Of course, while those White Cave creatures can be weakened, some things cannot be suppressed."

"What things?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, startled.

"Some special existences..."

Caramel frowned. "I'm not entirely clear on this myself; I've only heard vague rumors about some hidden information."

"It's said that every appearance of the 'Seven Severance Prohibitions' has some connection to the 'Void Island'."

"Void Island?" Xu Xiaoshou was taken aback. "What's that now?"

"I told you, I'm not very clear about it either!" Caramel rolled her eyes.

But seeing Xu Xiaoshou's eager expression, and remembering that she had just received benefits from him, she tried her best to explain: "It's supposed to be a happy and joyful place!"

"Legend says it's a sky island, floating among the auspicious clouds of the nine heavens, containing countless treasures and spiritual herbs."

"Even an ordinary person who enters, transformed by the immortal spiritual energy within, could probably cultivate an Acquired Saint Body."

"Of course, these are just legends. As for anything else, I'm not clear." Caramel's face showed longing.

A sky island... Xu Xiaoshou's brows furrowed; he found it hard to believe.

A floating island in the sky—how powerful would someone have to be to create that?

Or rather, is the Void Island actually a naturally anomalous place?

A place with an abnormal magnetic field and inverted gravity, allowing the island to float?

Xu Xiaoshou asked, puzzled, "If the Void Island is as blissful as you say, why would it be associated with something as terrifying as the 'Seven Severance Prohibitions'?"

"Also, you mentioned that every appearance of the 'Seven Severance Prohibitions' is linked to the 'Void Island'. How are they connected?"

Xu Xiaoshou had the White Cave map in his mind.

But he couldn't find anything that could be linked to the so-called "blissful Void Island."

"It's definitely not there anymore!" Caramel said matter-of-factly. "Xu Xiaoshou, you must remember, the place you are in now is called the 'White Cave'; it is no longer the 'Ashen Sea of Purgatory'."

"Hmm..." After a moment of hesitation, Caramel said, "But it does seem there's still a connection, hehe, heh..."

"Huh?" Xu Xiaoshou was a bit confused. "Well, tell me!"

"Do you remember me saying just now that some things, even if the 'Ashen Sea of Purgatory' sub-world is weakened, won't be eliminated?"

"Yes." Xu Xiaoshou nodded. "So?"

"Let me put it this way..." Caramel's eyes darted around, then she said, "The connection between every appearance of the 'Seven Severance Prohibitions' and the 'Void Island' is an interdimensional spatial rift."

"The thing I said wouldn't be eliminated is this spatial rift."

"If you explore the White Cave more now, you might, if you're lucky, actually encounter one of these."

"Legend has it, if you can pass through this interdimensional spatial rift, you can successfully reach the 'Void Island'!"

As Caramel spoke, she saw Xu Xiaoshou opposite her suddenly freeze, and she let out a chuckle.

"But you shouldn't get your hopes up too high."

"How terrifying are the 'Seven Severance Prohibitions'? The spatial rifts they leave behind are on an entirely different level of danger compared to ordinary spatial rifts in the White Cave."

"Even a Throne-level expert who enters would likely be instantly torn apart."

"So, these legends can only remain legends. Without the strength, even if you encounter such an opportunity, it's a dead end!"

Startled, Passive Points +1.

Xu Xiaoshou had actually completely zoned out halfway through.

It wasn't until Caramel's voice trailed off that he recovered from his profound shock.

"A rift?" he asked, disbelievingly.

"Mmhmm, any questions?" Caramel tilted her head and replied.

Having obtained the 'Heavenly Ascension Spirit Disk,' she was in high spirits. Even with the obnoxious Xu Xiaoshou in front of her, she was willing to answer a few more questions.

"No problem..." Xu Xiaoshou muttered, completely out of it.

Interdimensional spatial rift...

Didn't that very thing exist at the far end of the White Cave map?

That grand, resonant call, like a divine chant, had come from it repeatedly!

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly dumbfounded.

He hadn't made the connection immediately, misled by Caramel's words.

"A blissful 'Void Island'..."

Where was the "blissful Void Island"?

If the connection between the "Ashen Sea of Purgatory" and the "Void Island" was that interdimensional spatial rift on the White Cave map, then the so-called "Void Island" was definitely not blissful!

After all...

"The Wretched Saint!" Xu Xiaoshou immediately thought of the Saint who had once given him the famed sword Blazing Serpent and the white pearl in his mind.

If he had any remaining doubts about the White Cave, it was this one.

The Saint, who seemed to be bound by chains, was arguably the most wretched powerful being he had ever seen.

Not only did he have to meet Xu Xiaoshou secretly, but it also seemed he was eventually discovered.

A sword intent had appeared out of nowhere, striking the fellow and sending him scrambling in panic, unable to even conceal the clanking of his chains.

"Wait, sword intent?" Xu Xiaoshou thought deeper, and a chill ran down his spine, cold sweat instantly breaking out.

Whose sword intent could that be?

He still remembered that as the Wretched Saint's projection completely collapsed, he seemed to have frantically cried out... "Sacred Palace"?

So, the Sacred Palace, sword intent, an existence near the White Cave...

"Gou Wuyue!" A storm raged in Xu Xiaoshou's heart.

It all made sense!

Everything made sense!

The Wretched Saint, through the interdimensional spatial rift left by the "Ashen Sea of Purgatory," communicated with Xu Xiaoshou, who was of the same Ashen lineage, spanning countless miles... Spanning the distance of an entire plane, he forcefully manipulated the famed sword Blazing Serpent to appear, directly gifting it to Xu Xiaoshou.

What he intended to convey was cut short before he could speak.

Now, it seemed he had wanted Xu Xiaoshou's help... to rescue him?

The thought made Xu Xiaoshou go frantic.

What the hell was going on?!

He, a mere Innate-level ant, rescuing a Half-Saint?

Are you kidding me?!

At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt an immense headache for taking on Blazing Serpent, this hot potato.

Sure enough, he shouldn't have grasped that sword back then.

With that one grasp, a Saint's scheme was set in motion, and he might never escape its vortex.

And most crucially... their private meeting was also discovered!

And by Gou Wuyue, one of the Seven Sword Immortals, no less!

"This..." Despair welled up in Xu Xiaoshou's heart.

He finally understood everything.

If there was a true explanation for the "Void Island," perhaps it was just like the ghost beast rumors spread by the Sacred Palace — completely different from what Caramel described.

"The Void Island, a place of exile for Half-Saints?"

Synthesizing everything to reach this conclusion, Xu Xiaoshou flopped onto the ground with a thud, collapsing like a deflated shrimp.

"Xu Xiaoshou..."

"Xu Xiaoshou?"

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

The calls in his ears grew louder. Xu Xiaoshou snapped out of his terror, catching a glimpse of skin beneath Caramel's torn clothing as she leaned over him. Only then did he fully regain his senses.

"What's wrong with you?" Caramel asked, surprised.

"I'm fine, fine..."

Caramel: "..."

Suspicion received, Passive Points +1.

"Are you sure you look fine?" She leaned closer, attempting to help him up.

Xu Xiaoshou stammered, completely incoherent: "I—no, that... I'm just a little shocked, I'm fine, fine..."

"Shocked?" Caramel looked at the pale-faced youth and asked, "Xu Xiaoshou, what are you shocked about?"

What new conclusion had this guy's mind come up with now?

Caramel tried hard to recall. But she couldn't remember having revealed any particularly shocking secrets.

She had said everything she could. As for what she shouldn't have said, she claimed not to have revealed a single word.

What was wrong with Xu Xiaoshou?

"It's a bit... big..." Xu Xiaoshou swallowed hard.

"Big?" Caramel raised an eyebrow. "What's big?"

Xu Xiaoshou shakily extended a finger, pointing at the girl's chest in front of him. "Your clothes are torn."

Caramel lowered her head, her face instantly turning crimson.

"Bang!"

She swept out with a whip kick, but it struck Ah Jie's blocking right arm, sending her stumbling backward.

"Mommy..."

"Xu... Xiao... Shou!"

Summoned, Passive Points +1.

"Present, present."

Xu Xiaoshou closed his eyes tightly, trying to process his recent deductions and mental images, before finally opening them completely.

His thoughts returned to normal.

His unruffled composure kept all these secrets tightly suppressed.

Xu Xiaoshou knew.

If his series of recent deductions were truly spoken aloud, they would likely shock the world to its core.

Of course, the first to die would probably be himself.

"I understand, I completely understand."

"Xu Xiaoshou, what do you understand?" Caramel recovered from her embarrassed fury, and without caring, puffed out her chest and asked.

She was very interested in Xu Xiaoshou's previous loss of composure.

His character wasn't usually like this.

If he hadn't thought of something particularly horrifying, he would never have completely exposed his emotions to outsiders.

Therefore, he must have discovered something just now!

"Tell me, Xu Xiaoshou, what exactly did you understand?"

"You! You're faking it!" Xu Xiaoshou, however, just glared angrily, stating earnestly and gravely, "Caramel, being so shy... you're not even a woman at all!"

Caramel: ???

She was speechless for a moment...

So, your loss of composure just now, Xu Xiaoshou, was because you discovered *this*?

"I'll tear you apart!" she roared, lunging forward, no longer able to control her irritable emotions.

This Xu Xiaoshou... he's insane!

"Ah Jie, protect me." Xu Xiaoshou took a "Step to Heaven," directly moving into Ah Bing's eye socket.

"Ah Huo, beat her! This crazy woman... no, crazy girl, just needs a good thrashing."

"Xu... Xiao... Shou!"

"Ah Bing, freeze her! First, freeze her mouth, fill it with ice cubes."

"Xu... Mmmph!"

Glowered at, Passive Points +1.Cursed, Passive Points +1.Targeted, Passive Points +1.

Elemental Mansion.

Xu Xiaoshou lay sprawled on the ground, dispirited.

Caramel had naturally left.

She couldn't win the fight, and her explanations were done, so she had no choice but to leave and search for the sealed ghost beasts.

Only Xu Xiaoshou remained, feeling downhearted in the Elemental Mansion...

Looking at the "Dao Pattern Primeval Stone" in the void, encased within a nested Heavenly Mechanism Array and unable to release much power, Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he was looking at himself.

Dense layers of mist!

As expected, his journey through the White Cave had, once again, led him into a trap.

Elder Sang was just the beginning.

That old devil hadn't mentioned any mission objectives, and sure enough, Xu Xiaoshou was destined to be framed even more horribly.

Xu Xiaoshou now strongly suspected that this so-called mission of accepting the famed sword and then going to rescue the Wretched Saint was actually Elder Sang's responsibility.

After all, they were both of the Ashen lineage...

It just so happened that Elder Sang had taken a disciple in the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace.

And it just so happened that this disciple developed too quickly, making him fully qualified to inherit Elder Sang's mission and enter the White Cave to bear all of this for him.

And it just so happened that Xu Xiaoshou couldn't resist the greed of that moment...

Xu Xiaoshou rolled on the ground, clutching his head.

A famed sword!

It was a famed sword!

As an ancient sword cultivator who had risen from obscurity through unconventional means, how could he not take a famed sword when he encountered one?

So, all these consequences led to...

"I'm truly screwed!" Xu Xiaoshou roared.

He had originally thought that only the Four Swords were a bane.

Now, it seemed his very existence was meant to be troubled!

"Xu Xiaoshou, what's wrong?" Mu Zixi, hunched over and worried, ambled closer.

"I'm fine, just a little irritable. You know, men have those few days each month when their mood is very bad."

Mu Zixi: "..."

Cursed, Passive Points +1.

"So, how did your talk with that woman outside go?" she asked, continuing without a trace after silently cursing him.

"First of all, she's not a woman!" Xu Xiaoshou perked up, solemnly raising a finger.

"Hm?" Mu Zixi's small face instantly tensed. "Xu Xiaoshou, how do you know she's not a woman?"

"Uh..." Xu Xiaoshou's expression stiffened. "It's a long story, but I'll make it short!"

"Okay." Mu Zixi replied, her face full of suspicion.

"If I make a long story short, it's better not to say anything at all!" Xu Xiaoshou tapped the girl's head. "Besides, what would a little kid like you understand? Even if I told you, you wouldn't know."

Mu Zixi: "..."

Cursed, Passive Points +1, +1, +1, +1...

"Xu Xiaoshou, what exactly happened between you and her?" Mu Zixi angrily straightened up, looking down at Xu Xiaoshou on the ground.

Feeling the unobstructed view on his face, Xu Xiaoshou sighed softly. "I didn't see anything, and she didn't specifically show me anything..."

"Xu... Xiao... Shou!"

Summoned, Passive Points +1.

"Shhh." Xu Xiaoshou suddenly raised a finger and shushed, "Listen, what do you hear?"

"What?" Mu Zixi paused. "Nothing at all..."

"Exactly! Because there was nothing to begin with."

Mu Zixi: ???

Cursed, Passive Points +1, +1, +1, +1...

After teasing his adorable junior sister, Xu Xiaoshou finally felt a little better.

"Look." He sprang to his feet, facing the void.

"Look at what?!" How could Mu Zixi fall for that again?

She directly leaped up, a large wooden mallet violently swinging towards Xu Xiaoshou.

"I said, look!" Xu Xiaoshou instantly teleported behind her, then hugged the girl's head and turned her face towards the sky, in the direction of the "Dao Pattern Primeval Stone."

"The Heavenly Mechanism Array, can you decipher it?"

"If this thing is undone, our home could at least double in size!"

"Uh!" Mu Zixi froze on the spot.

Our... home?

Her face instantly flushed with embarrassment.

Disliked, Passive Points +1.