Chapter 548: Sang Lao Appears

Within the Eight Palaces.

"Senior."

"Senior Wuyue."

"Senior Wuyue, why are you out? We can handle things here; you should go back and rest your injuries."

The former Red Guards' base was now occupied by a group of White Guards. Everyone was performing their duties, and everything was handled in an orderly manner. However, when a middle-aged man in a light blue long robe emerged from the tent, everyone immediately fell silent and stood at attention. The White Guards protecting him quickly spoke up, urging him.

Gou Wuyue gently waved his hand. "The injury is nothing. How are your preparations coming along?"

"All work is complete. We're just waiting for the people inside the White Cave space to emerge."

A White Guard standing by reported, "Also, the other injured brothers from Azure Dragon Prefecture have been treated, and the families of those who died in battle have been notified and are being looked after."

"Well done."

Gou Wuyue nodded, looking at the tent, which was almost half empty. He couldn't help but ask softly, "Are there any new updates?"

"Yes."

The White Guard said, "According to the information left by the Red Guards, the Storyteller isn't the only Holy Slave who entered the White Cave minor world. Before this, they actually detected three individuals: the Holy Slave's Chief, Cen Qiaofu, and the Storyteller. That means there are at least three 'Holy Slaves' currently inside the White Cave."

Gou Wuyue was startled. "The Holy Slave's Chief?"

"Yes," the White Guard quickly nodded.

"He came as well?"

"Yes."

Gou Wuyue immediately lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought. After a long pause, he looked up and asked, "Where's Xiaoyi?"

"Here."

The void suddenly shimmered, and another White Guard, Chang Yi, appeared.

"Who is the head of the Holy God Temple's branch in East Heaven King City?" Gou Wuyue asked.

"Jiang Bianyan," Chang Yi replied.

"Jiang Bianyan? I seem to recall the name..." Gou Wuyue frowned.

Chang Yi promptly explained, "Jiang Bianyan, at the peak of the Sovereign realm, has been attempting to Sever the Dao. Whether he succeeded or not is currently unknown. He has some connection with Yu Lingdi, the Chief of the Spirit Division; they seem to be distant relatives. He's absolutely trustworthy."

Gou Wuyue then took out a token and handed it over. "Pass on my order: mobilize all available White Guards and Red Guards from East Heaven King City and its vicinity to this location."

"All of them?"

Chang Yi was stunned.

"Yes."

Gou Wuyue said, "There are three Holy Slaves who entered the White Cave. You reported this crucial information quite late."

Chang Yi immediately bowed, flustered. "We were afraid of disturbing your recovery, Senior..."

"I'm not blaming you."

Gou Wuyue reached out, patted his shoulder, and smiled gently. He continued, "Now, all three Holy Slaves have entered the White Cave, including their Chief. Can you honestly say they don't have contacts on the outside? This was already evident from the person who attacked us earlier; they not only have people outside but also very powerful reinforcements. If I get tied up again, the heavy casualties will be yours. Furthermore..."

Gou Wuyue looked around and said, "Currently, there's a severe shortage of personnel near the White Cave, and we lack top-tier combat strength. You can't hold the fort, so we have to call in more people."

"Yes," Chang Yi nodded shamefully.

"Also, has Yu Lingdi arrived?"

"N-not yet."

"Tell him not to come yet."

Gou Wuyue gazed into the distance and said, "Tell him to turn back first and borrow the 'Demon Ghoul' from Dao Qiongcang. If he can't get it, then tell him to bring all six divisions of personnel here!"

"All six divisions?"

All the White Guards standing nearby looked up in horror.

Gou Wuyue gave a faint smile. "This battle is crucial and not as simple as you imagine. Prepare yourselves for death."

"Yes!" everyone exclaimed in unison.

"Also..."

A look of doubt flickered in Gou Wuyue's eyes. "Has the identity of the person who last appeared in Azure Dragon Prefecture been confirmed?"

Chang Yi's body trembled. "N-not yet..."

"How much have you investigated?"

"There's not much information we can get currently. After all, when that person appeared, they only used one 'Great Buddha Slash,' and it was to save someone. But judging from the sword aura leaked from his body, his technique habits, cultivation, and even facial features..."

Chang Yi hesitated as he looked up and saw Gou Wuyue's indifferent expression.

"The Eighth Sword Immortal?" Gou Wuyue spoke.

"Mm-hmm," Chang Yi weakly responded.

"Xiaoyi, how many years have you followed me?" Gou Wuyue sighed.

Chang Yi's legs turned to jelly. "T-thirteen years?"

"Senior!"

"Senior Wuyue, I know it might not be, but judging from those characteristics..."

Gou Wuyue interrupted, "Characteristics? If the Eighth Sword Immortal hadn't fallen and were to reappear now, do you think he would reveal so many obvious characteristics for the Holy God Temple to see?"

"Uh..." Chang Yi choked.

"He is not Bazun An," Gou Wuyue stated with certainty.

"Om!"

Inside the tent, a sword hum suddenly resonated. As the sword hum sounded, the window curtains swayed violently, and sword energy crisscrossed the surroundings. Everyone watched in alarm, knowing that it was the 'Voice of Nulan' inside reacting to the conversation outside. After all, the previous wielder of this renowned sword was none other than the Eighth Sword Immortal!

"But..." Chang Yi still hesitated.

"No 'buts'."

Gou Wuyue beckoned with his hand, and the famous sword 'Voice of Nulan' flew over. He lightly stroked the renowned sword with one hand, a nostalgic look in his eyes. After a long moment, he let out a wry chuckle.

"Xiaoyi, do you think your judgment is correct, or that my intuition is wrong?"

"This..." Chang Yi cautiously raised his gaze.

Gou Wuyue said helplessly, "You haven't fought with Bazun An, so you naturally don't know that person's arrogance. If he had truly come that day, let alone you, even I don't know if I would have made it this far." He pointed at the ground within the Eight Palaces, his voice soft but his tone exceedingly grave. "Bazun An fights and never retreats!"

Chang Yi's mind went blank with a jolt. He only now fully realized that he and the others had indeed been making inferences based on 'facts.' However, the person standing before him was someone who had actual combat experience with the Eighth Sword Immortal during the Ten Sovereigns' contention! For such an existence, even if he hadn't fought that scruffy man that day, a single glance would likely be enough to ascertain the other's identity. What good was their 'realistic' deduction, then?

"Understood. We'll go and overturn this and start over," Chang Yi bowed.

"No need to start over."

"Sword Will, Great Buddha Slash, eight fingers, neck scar..." Gou Wuyue murmured. "In this world, how many people could impersonate the Eighth Sword Immortal to such a convincing degree?" His voice rose, and he raised his hand, saying, "Send people to check 'Moon-Gazing Immortal City' and 'Buried Sword Mound'. Whichever household's head isn't present, seize their property immediately!"

"Om—"

The 'Voice of Nulan' vibrated. The sword hum was prolonged, stirring up dust everywhere. Everyone felt a chill, sensing the bone-chilling killing intent in the air, and couldn't help but lower their heads in unison.

"Yes!"

***

White Cave.

Not far from the Sword Grassland.

"Disciple, do you think I look like him?" A low, aged, and parched voice, as if it hadn't had water in ten thousand years, emerged.

"No." Mu Zixi frowned, looking at the withered old man in front of her. "He wouldn't say 'I.' You need to say 'this old man'!"

"Oh, oh."

"He wouldn't say 'oh, oh' either, Xu Xiaoshou. Can't you be a bit more arrogant and hot-tempered?" Mu Zixi said, annoyed, "Is he as gentle as you?"

Xu Xiaoshou pressed down the straw hat on his head and couldn't help but retort, "Oh, so now you know I'm gentle? Weren't you comparing me to that old geezer earlier? Do you still dare to curse me?"

"Damn it!"

Xu Xiaoshou sprinkled a few more handfuls of withered grass onto his clothes, then deepened his voice. "Now, do I look like him?"

"Look up," Mu Zixi said peevishly.

Xu Xiaoshou tilted his head back.

"Your dark circles, can't they be heavier? This isn't right; it looks like you've only been up for a year and a half, not decades of dark circles!"

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

"Seriously, you can tell the difference between dark circles from a year and a half and those from decades?"

With a thought, the gray-blackness around his eyes immediately intensified.

"Yes, yes, that's the look! Don't smile!" Mu Zixi jumped up and lifted the old man's straw hat. "Oh, right, his hair." She seemed to recall something. "His hair isn't this thick; it should be sparser. After all, he's someone who often stays up late, so he must have severe hair loss!"

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

By the way, do spirit refiners also lose hair?

He continued to fine-tune the details. To be honest, without Mu Zixi, he would have thought his current appearance was already twelve parts similar to Elder Sang. But this girl somehow pointed out eighty-eight points of inadequacy. Indeed, a thousand people have a thousand faces. It turned out that in his junior sister's mind, Elder Sang's image was even more disreputable!

"Is that good enough?" he asked.

"Are you foolish? Would Master, that old man, ask such questions?" Mu Zixi angrily grabbed her twin ponytails and critically assessed him, saying, "Xu Xiaoshou, you must always remember that you're impersonating Master. Your appearance is fine. But temperament is the most important thing! Your current temperament isn't alike at all. If you met someone familiar, you'd likely be caught on the spot."

"Hehe," Xu Xiaoshou sneered. "That's because I haven't started acting yet in front of you."

"Whack!"

Mu Zixi suddenly jumped up and angrily hit her senior brother's head, saying, "It's not 'hehe,' it's 'heheh,' that really despicable kind of laugh, the kind that makes people shudder... an obscene chuckle?"

"Oh, you!"

Xu Xiaoshou was immediately shocked. He pointed at his junior sister. "Obscene chuckle? You're done for! I'm going to tell that old geezer!"

"Uh..."

Mu Zixi was taken aback, then said in mortified anger, "Xu Xiaoshou, I'm teaching you right now. Do you want me to teach you or not?"

"Heheh, I'll let you off. Remember, there won't be a next time!"

Xu Xiaoshou bent down, his straw hat covering his head, and pinched his junior sister's chin, an intriguing, lecherous smirk in his eyes.

Mu Zixi's face flushed. "Yes, that's the flavor! Do it again."

"Heheh, I'll let you off..." Xu Xiaoshou, whose hand had just let go, pinched his junior sister's chin again. "Remember, no next time."

"Yes!"

"Very good!"

"Don't put your hand down. Do it again." Mu Zixi's earlobes were red.

"Heheh, I'll let you off..." As Xu Xiaoshou said this, he suddenly felt something was off. He smacked his junior sister's head. "Little girl, what are you thinking in that head of yours!"

"Ouch!"

Mu Zixi winced in pain, pulling her head back. Her flush vanished, and her face turned pale from the smack.

"Xu Xiaoshou, where did you learn your disguise technique? I never saw you use any tools or makeup to apply it," she asked, catching her breath, finally getting up after a long moment.

"If you could still tell, wouldn't I have learned this 'disguise technique' for nothing?" Xu Xiaoshou sneered.

"This old man!"

"Oh, oh, this old man... wouldn't this old man have learned this 'disguise technique' for nothing?"

"Hmph hmph."

"Xu Xiaoshou, where are we going now?" As Mu Zixi spoke, she intimately linked her arm with the old man's.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?"

"I'm your Master now. Don't call me by name, or you'll give us away!"

Xu Xiaoshou quickly pulled his hand away. "Also, are we, Master and disciple, really that close?"

"Of course!" Mu Zixi said matter-of-factly, "Xu Xiaoshou, you rarely see my interactions with Master, so you have no idea how close our relationship already is. He often carries me around on his back, you can try it now too." As she said this, she went behind him, ready to jump onto his back.

"Dream on! Carry you around?" Xu Xiaoshou immediately sent a flying kick.

"Ouch!"

"Thump!"

Mu Zixi directly hit a wooden post, then got up, rubbing her sore backside.

"I'm warning you, don't mess around!" Xu Xiaoshou said sternly.

"You too!"

Xu Xiaoshou took off the straw hat from his head and said, "Don't mess up at a crucial moment, understand? If you cower again when facing a threat, you won't need to leave the Yuan Mansion for the rest of your life, got it?"

Tap-tap. The straw hat contracted twice, fearfully flying onto Xu Xiaoshou's head and settling there.

"Let's go."

"Where, where?" Mu Zixi scurried over again and linked her arm with Xu Xiaoshou's.

Xu Xiaoshou struggled for a moment, then decided to let her be.

"To find the 'Four Swords of Existence'."

Originally, his target wasn't the 'Four Swords of Existence,' but the peculiar spatial rift. However, as soon as he exited the Yuan Mansion, the rift at the end of the White Cave map in his mind stopped emitting its calling sound. Xu Xiaoshou felt something was wrong. He didn't dare to act recklessly. It was possible the Red Guards had already found that place. If so, going there now would be akin to seeking death, wouldn't it? Therefore, the target shifted. The Four Swords of Existence!

The letter Elder Sang gave him at that time was well-written. Whether or not they acquired the 'Four Swords of Existence' wasn't important; at the very least, it couldn't fall into the hands of the Holy God Temple.

"Close your eyes."

"Huh?" Mu Zixi looked up, not understanding what Xu Xiaoshou was saying.

"Close your eyes."

"Oh," she obeyed and closed her eyes.

Xu Xiaoshou swished, putting the straw hat and the little girl into his Yuan Mansion, then took a step forward.

"Open your eyes."

"Oh."

Mu Zixi opened her eyes, and her pupils immediately contracted. She saw that the entire space had changed completely. From a deserted woodland, it had transformed into a vast grassland. Furthermore, in the distance, beyond the weeds in front of them, a group of busy Red Guards were diligently maintaining a formation. Within the formation, monstrous, murderous demonic energy raged for several miles. At the center of the sky, a black, ominous sword floated.

Mu Zixi stared in a daze. "This is... the Four Swords of Existence?"