Chapter 586: Exiling the Terrifying Storyteller

"Little Wenming, what will you do...?"

The Storyteller's eyes were filled with anticipation and fondness.

Xu Xiaoshou's combat record was simply too brilliant. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he had indeed been thoroughly fooled earlier in the ancient book space. Thinking back now, the Storyteller felt truly ashamed.

But at his level, priorities were very clear. To be able to deceive everyone in the ancient book space, including himself, with merely a Xiantian realm cultivation... The Storyteller understood just how immense Xu Xiaoshou's potential was. He knew better than anyone how formidable he himself was! Across the entire continent, there were few who dared not face him in battle. Yet, under such circumstances, Xu Xiaoshou could still manage to do that...

It must be said that what allowed him to suppress the shame and the urge to strike in anger at this moment stemmed from a soul-deep yearning for outstanding youth and an appreciation for talent.

"Wenming...""Xu Xiaoshou?""It doesn't matter now!""At this moment, only extreme pressure can truly squeeze out a person's real potential!" the Storyteller mused inwardly.

"Received expectation, Passive Value, 1."

In the distance, Lorelei also watched Xu Xiaoshou, who seemed lost and dazed. It was the first time he had seen the young man in front of him in such a state. Normally, no matter what situation he was in, even when the Heavenly Xuan Gate was on the verge of collapse, that guy always seemed unperturbed. But now...

"Received worry, Passive Value, 1."

"What to do, what to do?" Xu Xiaoshou's heart was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. Yet, outwardly, he showed no trace of it.

"Since Senior isn't willing to give me any chance..." Xu Xiaoshou said solemnly, word by word, "Then I, Xu Xiaoshou, have no choice but to resist."

"Brother," the Storyteller corrected the young man's slip of the tongue with a smile.

Xu Xiaoshou dared not delay any longer. The White Cave couldn't be blown up. He actually believed that even if he fully comprehended "Textile Mastery" and connected with the Heavenly Dao rules of this world, it would be difficult to detonate it quickly. And that amount of time would be enough for the Storyteller to kill him several times over.

So, at this moment... Since a way out was hard to find, he had no choice but to unleash his trump card!

His fist tightened. The Four Swords were once again firmly gripped. Demonic patterns that had just receded reappeared on his body. Gazing at the Storyteller's expectant eyes, Xu Xiaoshou slowly raised the fierce sword in his hand.

"Are you really going to fight?" The Storyteller raised an eyebrow, completely unperturbed. In his eyes, Xu Xiaoshou's escape from the Night Watch's pursuit was purely because the Night Watch had concerns. But was the power of Cut Dao truly that simple? To take ten thousand steps back, he, the Storyteller, had absolutely no reservations! Could a cooked duck suddenly sprout wings and fly away?

"Kill!" Xu Xiaoshou roared, raising the Four Swords, ready to strike down with full force.

The Storyteller narrowed his eyes. Lorelei quickly retreated, yielding the battlefield. But just as both of them eagerly awaited, Xu Xiaoshou's sword strike from a distance created not the slightest ripple.

The void hummed. Xu Xiaoshou, who moments ago seemed to be facing a great enemy and ready for a bloody battle, suddenly vanished.

"That vanishing technique again?"

"Received suspicion, Passive Value, 1."

The Storyteller was momentarily astonished. He immediately raised his hand, directly sealing off the space. "Little Wenming, don't try anymore. Your move is certainly novel, but what about the spiritual energy consumption?" The Storyteller advised with a smile, "You can't break out of this space. It's true that I can't see you right now, but can you get out?"

Forget it, run! Xu Xiaoshou only focused on escaping instantly. Fight? What a joke! Didn't he know his own limits? The moment the "Vanishing Technique" was activated, he immediately followed up with a step. But he suddenly realized that his teleportation, which should have allowed him to travel almost a mile, now stopped abruptly after only a dozen meters, as if hitting a barrier.

It came to an abrupt halt! The atmosphere became awkward and tense. A drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple. Xu Xiaoshou's heart plummeted to the bottom.

"As expected... it won't work." Although he had been prepared, when the result arrived, Xu Xiaoshou still realized that death was imminent. The Storyteller was right. The "Vanishing Technique" was powerful, but not invincible. When his spiritual energy was exhausted, that would be the moment of his demise! And now, this space was banished again? No retreat!

"No more time to waste..." His mind raced. At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou could no longer find a solution to the current problem using his own abilities. He finally took out the stone-like A'Jie, which he had been clutching, from his chest.

"A'Jie, Mommy might not be able to get past this obstacle...""Mommy..." A'Jie trembled in his hand, then glowed intensely red. The next second, it transformed into a small boy and appeared directly in front of Xu Xiaoshou.

A'Jie, who was more than a head shorter than his "Mommy," suddenly spread his hands, separating front and back, as if opening up a new world.

"Received protection, Passive Value, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou felt not an ounce of emotion in his heart, only profound guilt. A'Jie possessed the power of the Great Void, but it was indeed too unstable. Even if that unstable ability could be unleashed again, would it truly be able to withstand the Storyteller's power if it manifested?

Although A'Jie was said to become stronger when facing stronger opponents in the past, theoretically, this strength also had its limits. If A'Jie were truly a Heavenly Mechanism Puppet capable of contending with a peak Cut Dao cultivator who had survived all Nine Death Thunder Tribulations, would it simply be confined within the Heavenly Xuan Gate and treated with neglect? There were no fools in the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace. Someone must have known A'Jie's value. If it couldn't be brought out, it implied two problems: one, they didn't dare; two, they weren't worthy! And with Elder Sang around, what wasn't dared? So...

"A'Jie!" Xu Xiaoshou reached out and placed a hand on A'Jie's shoulder, his eyes showing determination. He could resolutely step forward for Xin Gugu, facing several Cut Dao cultivators and a dozen Thrones alone. At this moment, there was no reason to abandon the even closer A'Jie, let him cover his retreat, and leave by himself.

"Hold on for a moment, just a short moment...""Mommy, I'm going to try something big."

At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou was filled with nothing but madness!

On the other side.

"Oh?" Seeing a small boy with a straw hat and burlap clothes suddenly emerge from where the young man had vanished in the distance, the Storyteller's eyes flashed with surprise.

"Did he transform again?" This thought barely crossed his mind before the Storyteller immediately dismissed it. The aura of this small boy... There was no aura at all. It was an inanimate object!

"A Heavenly Mechanism Puppet?" After half a breath of intense gazing, shock welled up in the Storyteller's pupils. Dao Qiongcang's Heavenly Mechanism Puppet... Little Wenming possessed one too?

"What a fellow!" At this moment, the Storyteller's desire for Wenming escalated to an unparalleled degree. He licked his bright red lips, "Little brother, I want you!"

"Mommy..." A'Jie whispered softly, a red light flashing in his eyes, not failing his mission. *Whoosh*. He vanished from the spot instantly. When he reappeared, he was already behind the Storyteller.

"So fast!" The Storyteller instinctively ducked, and the air above his head exploded with a whooshing sound. A'Jie's leg chopped past. Seeing no result, he immediately twisted his body, unleashing a mid-air spinning elbow strike downwards.

"Boom!" The void was directly blown apart. But the Storyteller had already bent his calves, springing high into the air. He even had the leisure to lean down, pick up A'Jie's straw hat, and casually stroke his smooth head.

"It has temperature?" Slightly startled, the Storyteller was a bit dumbfounded. This was just like a living person, completely unlike the crude Heavenly Mechanism Puppets he had seen before that only knew brute force.

"Mommy!" A'Jie was enraged. The red light in his eyes gradually changed to a blood-red hue, intensifying to scarlet. After just two exchanges, he had already sensed that the human in front of him was too strong. His previously invincible close-quarters attacks were completely dodged by the opponent. In that case, time to change tactics!

"Ying—" His pores burst open. An extremely shrill, ear-piercing, ultra-high decibel screech suddenly spread in all directions. Lorelei, who had retreated far back, couldn't react in time. His pores burst open from the piercing sound, and his ears immediately bled.

"What was that sound?!" He instantly sealed off his six senses, but the sound wave attack was all-pervasive, directly penetrating his body. His Qi Sea instantly churned. Even his soul felt as if it was about to be pierced through by that sound. Lorelei immediately put on a mask of pain.

"Heavenly Dao: Block!" The Storyteller in mid-air was also slightly shaken by the piercing sound. But he quickly reacted, and with a wave of his hand, he severed the Heavenly Dao in Lorelei's space, protecting him. However, in that brief moment of delay, A'Jie's fist had already loomed large in his pupils.

"Quite strong, aren't you..." The Storyteller's red lips curled into a smile. He didn't even choose to dodge; the space in front of him merely warped slightly, making his face appear somewhat sunken. Then, A'Jie's fist slid directly past the Storyteller's skin, over the folded space. Not a single scratch! What seemed like mere millimeters away was, in reality...

"Open." The Storyteller's pearly teeth parted slightly, and he smiled nonchalantly. As the folded space in front of his smooth cheek was released, A'Jie's fist was instantly repelled several feet away.

"Little brother, do you want to touch me too?" The Storyteller extended a hand with a charming smile and flicked his forehead.

"Bang!" The space was directly detonated. The terrifying explosive force directly slammed into A'Jie's forehead. With a boom, the burlap clothes on his body instantly ripped apart, and A'Jie's figure was sent tumbling and shooting, directly blasted several tens of meters away.

"So hard..." The Storyteller looked at his middle finger with some shock. The area under the fingernail was completely bruised. Based on his extensive experience dealing with White-Clad figures, the Storyteller had encountered many Heavenly Mechanism Puppets and naturally knew that such beings usually possessed steel-like bodies comparable to those of Thrones. Yet, despite being prepared, what he flicked was not A'Jie's body, but space itself! But! The force that rebounded still managed to injure him...

"You've angered me!" Seeing the cracked fingernail, with the beautiful patterns of the nail polish ruined, the Storyteller's eyes turned furious. With almost no pause, he pulled out "Yin-Yang Life-Death" and turned, striking fiercely at the sky behind him.

"Bang!" A'Jie, who had instantly appeared behind the Storyteller, ready to punch down, didn't even have time to react before being sent soaring into the sky.

"First-level peak combat awareness... very strong." The Storyteller clicked his tongue in admiration, then changed his tone, "But I am Second Level; your reaction time and speed are simply not enough in my eyes!"

With a glint in his eye, the Storyteller formed a hand seal. "Rustle, rustle, rustle..." Yin-Yang Life-Death floated in the air, its pages turning on their own without wind, the rustling sound echoing through the lonely void.

"Nether Dragon Head!" The Storyteller pointed a finger, the pages stopped turning, landing on a blank one. The next moment, glittering golden hieroglyphs appeared on it. The characters converged, forming a ferocious dragon head that seemed to leap off the page. The world suddenly darkened, as if something vast and opaque had blocked out the White Cave's crimson sky.

"Roar—" A loud dragon's roar erupted from high in the sky, echoing to halt the clouds. At this moment, even the continuous curtain of rain falling from the horizon seemed to be directly interrupted.

"Immobilize!" The Storyteller pulled with his hand, and the dark dragon head, hundreds of meters in size, descending from the sky, opened its maw wide and bit down.

"Bang!" A'Jie's body, which had been flung away, had no time to resist and landed directly between the dragon's steel teeth. The space, originally restored within a few miles, instantly exploded. Heavenly Dao rules manifested, and the White Cave trembled precariously.

The Storyteller turned another page, and with a slender finger, pointed. "Coalesce." Golden hieroglyphs leaped from the page, and with a flick of the Storyteller's sleeve, they merged into this world. The instability in the White Cave immediately stabilized. But in mid-air, A'Jie, trapped by the dragon head, couldn't escape the confinement no matter how much he struggled.

"Damn it..." Xu Xiaoshou had been preparing a high-intensity, compressed form of "Song of Ice and Fire," but it hadn't even fully formed. Seeing this scene, his heart shattered.

"Mommy!""Mommy!" A'Jie wasn't crying for help; he was simply struggling loudly. But at this moment, to Xu Xiaoshou's ears, it sounded like his own child being bullied.

"Go to hell!" Unable to restrain himself, Xu Xiaoshou instantly stepped forward, holding up the compressed light point of ice and fire energy. On one hand, he desperately tried to balance the energy of the light point to prevent it from dispersing. On the other, he fiercely plunged the Four Swords into the dark dragon head.

"Roar!" The dragon head trembled violently. The Storyteller's eyes twitched. What did he see? The ever-victorious azure light of the Nether Dragon Head was, in this instant, directly stained ink-black by black patterns? He couldn't see Xu Xiaoshou in his vanished state. But from the current scene, it was clear that Xu Xiaoshou had already made his move! And he had used the Four Swords to do it!

"Immobilize!" His lips curled slightly, without a second word. The Storyteller directly reduced the range of the spatial confinement, narrowing the original tens of meters radius to a dozen meters around the Nether Dragon Head.

"Instant Ascent!" Xu Xiaoshou, after completing his move, wanted to escape, but found his action useless. The "Vanishing Technique" certainly had a penetration property. But the Storyteller's confinement wasn't entirely about controlling a spatial range. He was banishing a specific space in another way, completely isolating it from the Heavenly Dao. This meant Xu Xiaoshou, within the banished space, was like he had been caught by the Storyteller before... no matter how vast the world, there was nowhere to go!

"Tens of meters...""To a dozen meters...""Then to several meters, several feet..." His mind whirred, and Xu Xiaoshou instantly understood the Storyteller's intention. Every time he moved, the opponent could compress the area. And if he moved too many times, when the banished space shrunk to only a few meters or feet in radius... "The Vanishing Technique would indirectly become ineffective!"

Xu Xiaoshou, who now understood everything, felt a storm raging in his heart. Unbelievable! This red-dressed pervert's combat awareness was simply incredible! He couldn't be seen. So he used the trick of spatial compression, until he was confined to only move within a small area... Would it still matter if he could be seen or not? The turtle was already in the jar. When to close the net was just a matter of thought!

"Damn it, I've run into a tough opponent..." Xu Xiaoshou's heart grew cold. He felt Death waving at him. When the Storyteller stopped treating this as a game, would it mean he was on the verge of death?