Chapter 597: Holy Slave, Declaration of War

The storyteller’s face was conflicted; this moment of renown should have been his.

Cen Qiaofu sighed, wearing an "I knew it" expression.

The masked man, initially stirred, suddenly paused. Realizing something, his face hardened. "At a time like this, are you still trying to pull a fast one on me?"

"Huh?"

Xu Xiaoshou's excitement was instantly extinguished.

"Xu Xiaoshou?" the masked man countered. "Trying to fool me? Does that count? Swear by your true name!"

"My name really is Xu..."

"Your true name!"

"Oh."

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless, dejectedly stating, "Holy Slave, by my true name, I choose to join..."

"Mmm-hmm."

The masked man nodded in satisfaction, then pressed the young man's shoulder. "Your token is mine. Keep it safe for now; I'll engrave a new one for you when I have time."

"Theoretically speaking, I do have some connections on the continent."

"While I don't know what enemies you'll face in the future, if you ever encounter an insurmountable problem, you can try showing the token. It might be like flooding the Dragon King's temple; your opponent might choose to let you go."

"Really?" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up. "What about facing the Red and White Guard?"

"I, an old man, advise you not to."

Cen Qiaofu quietly added from behind, "You'd better find a chance to destroy it. If you actually use it, you'll only die a more horrible death."

The masked man chuckled. "Yes, using the token depends on the situation."

What good was the token then?

Noticing the young man's suddenly somewhat disgusted expression, the masked man added, "But if you're truly in a no-win situation, you could still try it."

"One means dying a worse death, the other might offer a chance to escape. It's a bit more hope, isn't it?"

"Right," Xu Xiaoshou said, shaking his head as he quietly put the token away.

"Then, welcome to our ranks."

The masked man released his grip, as if he had just completed a monumental task. He turned to the storyteller and said, "Introduce him."

Xu Xiaoshou also turned his head to look.

He knew the other party was about to introduce him to the internal structure of the Holy Slaves.

The storyteller pouted but did not refuse.

"The Holy Slaves have a total of ten seats, each representing one of the ten strongest individuals. They are scattered across the continent, each carrying out different missions."

"I rank seventh, which means I'm the Holy Slaves' seventh-in-command."

The storyteller pointed to the masked man and said, "This is the Holy Slave Leader, ranked first, as you know. He single-handedly founded the Holy Slave organization."

The masked man's eyes narrowed slightly, and he puffed out his chest a little.

The storyteller then pointed to Cen Qiaofu, who straightened his posture, his aura becoming upright.

"This old geezer... he's the Holy Slaves' fourth-in-command, but that's just because he's old and experienced. Nothing special about him."

Cen Qiaofu's face immediately darkened. "Storyteller, what do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said. You simply joined a bit earlier than me, that's all. It's no big deal."

The storyteller curled his lip. "If someone could live as long as you, their strength would definitely be far beyond their current level."

"You!"

Cen Qiaofu immediately pulled out his small axe.

"Hey, there's a newcomer here," the masked man snapped, glaring. Only then did Cen Qiaofu, fuming, lower his hand.

Xu Xiaoshou felt a shiver down his spine.

"Fourth?"

"The fourth is the Grand Void. So, what about the ones before that..."

He suddenly thought of Elder Sang. "By the way, who's the Holy Slaves' second-in-command?"

"That would be your master."

The storyteller continued, "He's ranked second, also due to his seniority and having known Brother [referring to the masked man] early on."

"What about his strength?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt something was off about the organization's strength.

The fourth-ranked was a Grand Void.

Shouldn't the top three be even stronger?

But when he first met Elder Sang, he seemed to only have the strength of a Throne.

Even reaching Path Severance seemed a stretch.

"Strength, huh..."

The storyteller frowned. "That's hard to say. I haven't seen these guys in a long time, and their strength is generally fluctuating."

"Some have improved, others have fallen due to injuries. It's very unstable."

"But you just need to know that your master, over a decade ago... was it over a decade ago?"

The storyteller glanced back at the masked man, who looked puzzled, so he continued on his own, "Anyway, it was either over a decade or several decades ago."

"He was already capable of fighting Gou Wuyue!"

This...

Although Xu Xiaoshou already had some inkling, he was still shocked when Elder Sang's true strength was acknowledged by a contemporary powerhouse.

Gou Wuyue, one of the Seven Sword Immortals.

Sword Immortals represent the pinnacle of combat power within the Grand Void realm.

Elder Sang had already reached this level over a decade ago?

Then in the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace...

"He was injured."

The storyteller knew what Xu Xiaoshou was thinking. "Even if he could wound Gou Wuyue in that battle, the might of a Sword Immortal isn't easy to bear."

"After that battle, he directly lost the Holy Slaves' largest stronghold in the Central Region, and his strength almost dropped below the Throne realm."

"Fortunately, he later returned to the Eastern Region, the place of his rise, and seems to have found medicine to restore his cultivation. He's been gradually improving over the years."

"So that's how it is..." Xu Xiaoshou nodded, then asked, "What about the others?"

He secretly glanced at Cen Qiaofu. "If the fourth is Grand Void, then who's the third, and what about the strength of the others..."

"We won't go into that much detail."

The masked man interrupted. "In any case, you just need to know that the Holy Slaves' ten seats aren't made of flimsy wood; they represent real power."

"When each seat is placed in a certain location, that place will experience significant upheaval, all for the ultimate goal."

"As for whether we fear anyone else..."

The masked man paused, seemingly in thought, then said after a long moment, "Let's put it this way: counting the storyteller, who is about to break through, almost all of the Holy Slaves' ten seats are on the verge of manifesting power."

"Manifesting power?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, confused.

"Yes."

The masked man nodded. "Grand Void power."

"Hiss."

Xu Xiaoshou was quite shocked by this.

Ten... ten Grand Voids?

"This is just our overt strength."

The masked man chuckled. "Underneath, there are many others we haven't been able to contact yet, but their ultimate goal aligns with ours."

"They are waiting, and so are we."

"Waiting for the right opportunity. We estimate that then, we'll be able to completely break open this world's cage."

Xu Xiaoshou secretly gasped, but couldn't help but ask, "The ultimate goal, what is it?"

"That is your goal."

The masked man stated passionately, "If you don't become a Saint, you'll forever remain a slave!"

Xu Xiaoshou felt as if a mental lock had suddenly been unlocked; he seemed to understand something.

In the past, he had always sensed this layer of confinement, but he couldn't articulate it, struggling to describe what that feeling truly was.

But now...

"Holy Slaves, Holy Slaves... 'If you don't become a Saint, you'll forever remain a slave'?"

"So that's what it means?"

Yes!

His constant wandering and hitting dead ends — wasn't that a true reflection of insufficient strength, forcing him to be a slave?

Even those mighty experts, tearing through battles like chess pieces, no matter how impressive they appeared, weren't they just pawns, mere "slaves," in the hands of others?

"'If you don't become a Saint, you'll forever remain a slave'..."

Xu Xiaoshou murmured, then asked, "And what is a Saint?"

He thought of the Haggard Saint.

Becoming a Saint, would one truly be free from slavery?

The masked man paced with his hands behind his back, his gaze slightly upward, looking at the drizzling rain in the sky. "A Saint refers to a Holy One."

"Broken down, it refers to realms above Grand Void, specifically Half-Saints and Ten-Realm Saint Emperors."

"Only by reaching this step can you be considered to have one foot on the pinnacle of the world..."

The masked man hummed, then added, "The *true* pinnacle of the world!"

One foot... Xu Xiaoshou caught the underlying meaning in his words. The image of the Haggard Saint flashed through his mind again, and he couldn't help but ask, "So if one becomes a Saint, can they truly be free?"

At his question, Cen Qiaofu, the storyteller, and even the masked man all cast surprised glances his way.

"What?"

Xu Xiaoshou, momentarily startled, took a few steps back. "What's wrong?"

"To be able to ask that question..."

The masked man said thoughtfully, "Have you met someone?"

"Who?"

"Your Blazing Serpent, let me see it." The masked man extended his hand.

Xu Xiaoshou immediately hesitated, unwilling to take it out.

"An initiation fee?"

That's too expensive!

A black line appeared on the masked man's forehead. "No! Just a look."

"Oh."

Only then did Xu Xiaoshou reluctantly pull out the famous sword, Blazing Serpent.

"It truly is..."

The masked man took the famous sword.

The famous sword trembled violently, but after the masked man's hand passed over it, it completely quieted down, letting out a joyful hum.

Xu Xiaoshou watched in surprise but said nothing.

A famous sword recognizing its master naturally repels others.

But if the person before him really was...

"Why does it listen to you?" Xu Xiaoshou finally couldn't suppress his curiosity.

He remembered when he had tried to touch Su Qianqian's famous sword, Grave City Snow; it had instantly flown back to its master's side, giving him no chance at all.

The masked man chuckled. "Famous swords are intelligent. If you want to befriend them, they naturally won't object."

"Is it really that simple?" Xu Xiaoshou asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Of course not."

The masked man smiled as he handed the sword back. "But if I truly wanted to befriend it, would it dare refuse?"

This left Xu Xiaoshou speechless.

He took the sword and could surprisingly feel a sense of relief-like joy from Blazing Serpent.

The sword, while in the masked man's hand, had been tense?

"There is indeed a trace of that aura."

The masked man tightened his grip, then turned to Cen Qiaofu and said, "It's him."

Cen Qiaofu nodded.

Even if he had been disbelieving, he now fully understood.

This young man before them likely had far more potential than he had initially perceived.

It was one thing for the Leader to value him.

But even the Saint Emperor of Void Island had truly taken a liking to this person?

Terrifying!

"What do you two mean? What secrets do you have that I don't know about?" The storyteller, seeing the two exchanging meaningful glances in front of him, became exasperated.

The masked man, however, offered no explanation. Instead, he looked at Xu Xiaoshou, answering his previous question.

"Becoming a Saint doesn't necessarily guarantee breaking free from the cage."

"After all, there are eyes constantly watching you from above, and it's probably more than just one pair."

Xu Xiaoshou looked up again, seeing the curtain of rain.

He already knew the masked man wasn't lying.

After all, the "Being watched" notification that periodically refreshed in his info panel essentially had no other source than this White Cave's rain curtain.

"A single hand cannot clap, but a multitude of mountains is hard to destroy."

The masked man stared at the Nine Heavens rain curtain, saying earnestly, "A cage that a lone Saint cannot break, when there are many of them, they will no longer be able to contain."

Xu Xiaoshou found it somewhat absurd.

Even Half-Saints were incredibly rare.

In this world, where would one find so many Saints, let alone organize them?

Preposterous!

But then he reconsidered, recalling what the masked man had said.

How many talented individuals were there in the world?

Could every single person truly only stop at Path Severance or Grand Void?

What's more.

Why could the Palace Master of the Holy Divine Palace, with mere Half-Saint qualifications, lord over everyone?

Saint Emperors, weren't they the pinnacle of combat power in this world?

Xu Xiaoshou, who now had some understanding of the peak powerhouses on the Holy Divine Continent, doubted this assertion for the first time.

Either Dao Qiongcang was beyond the Half-Saint realm.

Or, Jiao Tangtang's analogy back then wasn't just an analogy!

"I have one more question, the last one." Seeing the masked man's expression indicating he had said all he would, Xu Xiaoshou spoke again.

"Ask."

The masked man shifted his gaze from the Nine Heavens rain curtain; he truly didn't want to say more.

But for the last question...

Fine, he would answer it.

Xu Xiaoshou fiddled with Blazing Serpent in his hand, an image of Su Qianqian, seemingly having matured overnight after her sword was taken, flashing through his mind. For a moment, he didn't know how to begin.

"What's the question?" The masked man turned around.

"The sword."

Xu Xiaoshou paused, then firmly asked, "As for famous swords, why did you... take them?"

"Famous swords?"

The masked man looked at the Blazing Serpent in Xu Xiaoshou's hand, confused.

"Grave City Snow!" Xu Xiaoshou stated with a look of defiance.

"Oh, you mean that one..."

The masked man chuckled. "Just like you, sword wielders who can no longer bear the burden must eventually offer their famous swords. And it just so happens that I needed that power."

"As I said before, rather than it falling into someone else's hands, it's better to temporarily entrust it to me. Understand?"

Temporarily...

Was that truly the case?

Xu Xiaoshou thought of Su Qianqian's pain, and seeing that the masked man didn't seem unapproachable, he asked again, "But why did you kill everyone in the Su family?"

At this, both the storyteller and Cen Qiaofu raised an eyebrow simultaneously.

After asking the question, Xu Xiaoshou sensed the atmosphere was off. He took a step back, holding Blazing Serpent defensively across his chest.

"Heh."

The masked man, however, chuckled aloud, completely unconcerned.

"Kill?"

"Not at all. Firstly, I didn't kill everyone, merely a few individuals who dared to draw their swords against me."

"And even that level of action hardly warrants such a serious word as 'kill'."

"Hmm." Xu Xiaoshou's tone was heavy, but his expression was one of questioning.

He said no more, quietly waiting for the masked man to continue.

"I actually don't like killing," the masked man said, spreading his hands.

He didn't really want to explain.

But he surmised that if Xu Xiaoshou also knew that young sword wielder from Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace, it would be a lingering concern for him, so he felt compelled to speak.

"Do you know what the greatest honor is for a true sword cultivator?"

Xu Xiaoshou shook his head.

The masked man continued, "The greatest honor is to die by my sword."

"I'm not lying to you."

The masked man looked at him, saying seriously, "They chose to defend, and I chose to fulfill. If you wish to interpret it as killing, you may, as that is indeed what occurred."

"Of course, it's impossible for you to understand this now."

"When you can fully understand, that will be the time you have truly grasped the profound meaning of the Way of the Sword. At that time, I welcome you to 'fulfill' me..."

"If you dare to draw your sword against me."

The masked man's eyes held a relaxed smile, with a hint of respect and admiration for his past opponents.

"That's all I can explain about this matter."

"If you truly want to understand the situation completely, perhaps a personal visit to the Su family might bring clarity."

Xu Xiaoshou fell silent.

He truly couldn't understand.

It was clearly about seizing a sword, and he had killed off the sword wielder's entire family's high-ranking members, yet he could speak of it so righteously.

However, upon reflection, in his several encounters with the Holy Slaves...

The phrase they seemed to shout the most was "Don't harm anyone"...

And looking at the masked man, with his imposing righteous aura, he didn't seem to be lying.

"Are you sure you're not just making this up?" Xu Xiaoshou asked.

"Certain," the masked man replied.

"You say yes."

"Hmm?" The masked man raised an eyebrow.

The storyteller's mouth also twitched.

The commanding tone almost made him unable to resist striking out.

The masked man did not say "yes."

"When you truly have the strength to verify whether my words are true or not, then I might respond to you in such a tone."

"But now..."

The masked man's clouded eyes held a smile, but his voice was very serious. "In this world, no one truly dares to command me like that."

Xu Xiaoshou felt a chill in his heart.

He had simply, unconsciously, used his usual habit, wanting to casually trick the masked man into saying something that his info panel could verify.

But it was fruitless.

Never mind.

Look!

A serious death, killing and respect, the honor of a sword cultivator...

Xu Xiaoshou found it all very ridiculous.

Yet, coming from the masked man's mouth, these words created an illusion that this was simply how things were.

He couldn't discern whether this person was genuinely confident or simply speaking to himself.

But clearly, at this point, he was already caught in the great maelstrom of the Holy Slaves.

Just Su Qianqian, just such a small obsession, could not sway the grand scheme of things.

"The Su family, huh..."

Xu Xiaoshou murmured softly to himself, not pressing the issue further.

He had joined the Holy Slaves.

But his own path still needed to be seen clearly by himself, no matter how flowery the other party's words were.

Indeed, to put it plainly, this was just a "choice."

And under this choice, if he could gain more time...

Xu Xiaoshou believed that in the near future, even if the Holy Slaves wanted to cage him, they likely wouldn't be able to.

"All I need is time."

"Time will also prove everything, whether you are the masked man, the Holy Slave Leader, or even... the Eighth Sword Immortal?"

His heart was at ease.

Xu Xiaoshou looked up at the sky.

"What's the next step? How do we proceed?"

The masked man turned and took a step forward. The storyteller and Cen Qiaofu immediately followed.

"With our feet."

*Tap*.

The masked man's raised foot gently touched the ground. The four fierce swords behind him suddenly trembled, then flew over again.

"Go back."

He subtly tilted his head.

The momentum of the fierce swords instantly froze, stopping right in front of Xu Xiaoshou.

"This..."

Xu Xiaoshou reached out a hand, wanting to, yet somewhat hesitant.

"Take hold of it. When you can gain this sword's recognition, only then will you be truly qualified to ask me questions."

"Oh."

Xu Xiaoshou grasped it.

The fierce sword offered no resistance, settling down once more, as if...

Its 'anger' had already been vented.

Xu Xiaoshou wanted to follow the three, but his info panel updated again.

"'Being watched,' Passive points: 1."

"Isn't he important?"

Xu Xiaoshou looked up at the sky. "If that's a pair of eyes, can he hear what we just said?"

"If he can see, he naturally has the ability to hear," the masked man replied without turning his head.

Xu Xiaoshou was suddenly alarmed, feeling a little scared.

"Then why did you say so much?"

He turned his head to the storyteller. "So actually, we were in an ancient book space, and 'his' vision was blocked by you?"

"No," the storyteller shook his head. "We've been in the White Cave world all along."

This eccentric man had truly made him unable to distinguish reality from illusion.

"But if it was heard, isn't that a problem?"

Xu Xiaoshou was panicking. What the masked man had just said was a huge secret!

Approximately ten Grand Voids...

If word of this spread throughout the Holy Divine Continent, the entire world would probably be thrown into turmoil, wouldn't it?

If the White and Red Guard were fully deployed, and the Holy Divine Palace decided to completely encircle and suppress the Holy Slaves...

Wouldn't choosing to join at this moment be seeking his own demise?

"It's no problem."

The masked man waved a dismissive hand, then stepped forward, slowly and determinedly heading towards the crimson ahead.

"Now that matters in the White Cave are settled, we naturally need to leave."

"What's the point of staying here, waiting to die of old age?"

"And outside, as you should know, a large group of people are waiting for us."

"Those words just now weren't meant just for your ears."

"Huh?" Xu Xiaoshou's raised foot paused.

The masked man's nonchalant voice drifted back from ahead.

"They were also for Gou Wuyue to hear."

*Thud*.

Xu Xiaoshou's foot landed heavily on the ground, but he found it impossible to lift it again.

He stared in astonishment at the unmoving rain curtain above the Nine Heavens, his expression complex, unsure what kind of face to make.

Deliberate?

A declaration of war?

He then looked again at the crumbling White Cave world. Aside from the night watchman still struggling to hold on, the place was deserted.

If the masked man's words truly were meant for Gou Wuyue to hear...

Then...

"The Holy Divine Continent is truly in for some unrest!"