Chapter 609: The Face of the Holy Slave Chief

“Sword Intent?”

Stuck at this critical juncture, the eyelids of the sleepy-eyed masked figure on Cen Qiaofu's back fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

As soon as he looked up, his gaze immediately fixed on the rolling dust in the distance, thousands of miles away. Then, with a belated turn of his head, he looked at the blue-robed middle-aged man who stood facing the young man, his back to him.

“Gou Wuyue...” The masked figure murmured, as if recalling something. His cloudy eyes seemed to be pondering, and it was a long while before his gaze settled on the famous sword in Gou Wuyue's hand, the Voice of Nulan.

Buzz!

Echoing the sword's hum, a strange wind seemed to whip up across the land, howling continuously. Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

The numerous White-Clad figures immediately grew alert, their attention instantly shifting from the young man in the distance to the awakened masked figure.

“Brother!” The storyteller exclaimed in surprise. “You're awake?”

“Are you alright?” Cen Qiaofu asked, turning his head. With a jolt of his back, he dislodged the person riding on it.

“I'm fine,” the masked figure replied. But as his foot instinctively tapped in the air, he suddenly realized he had lost his ability to levitate.

He immediately understood. The people before him were all conversing in the sky!

Sure enough.

The next second.

Whoosh!

The figure who had fallen from Cen Qiaofu's back, as if stumbling in his sleep, plummeted directly toward the ground.

“I...” The masked figure was rendered speechless.

Fortunately, the storyteller reacted swiftly. With a swipe of his hand across the 'Yin-Yang Life-Death', as golden light erupted, the masked figure had already landed on the spatial platform he created.

The entire scene paused in bewilderment. Question marks slowly appeared on the faces of the White-Clad figures. If their information was correct, the person who fell from Cen Qiaofu's back should be the Saint Servant's Chief. But how could the esteemed Saint Servant's Chief not even be able to fly?

“What the hell? How is each of these Saint Servants weirder than the last?”

“Forget about that young man, but the Saint Servant's Chief? I thought he suppressed his cultivation. I didn't realize he's genuinely of the Post-Natal realm? He can't even fly?”

“Oh my god, what in the world is going on here!”

The masked figure's ungraceful entrance, like a stirring rod, directly shifted the focus of the standoff.

Gou Wuyue turned back to look. Lowering his gaze, he saw the masked figure who had nearly fallen to the ground.

“Uh...” The masked figure looked up, a somewhat awkward expression on his face.

He wanted to speak, but he immediately realized that speaking from such an unequal height would not only strain his neck but also diminish his imposing presence compared to the other party. He promptly turned his head and looked at the storyteller.

The storyteller understood instantly. With a wave of his hand, the masked figure slowly floated upwards.

Dozens of White-Clad figures slowly raised their heads as he ascended. The sight was simply incredible!

“Is this really the savior sent from heaven?” Xu Xiaoshou, from a distance, had initially been secretly pleased that the masked figure's appearance could divert Gou Wuyue's attention. But upon seeing this scene, he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Facing them was Sword Immortal Wuyue! With this kind of display, how was he supposed to believe the Saint Servants could break free from this inescapable trap? This was even more ridiculous than him, for crying out loud.

Pitter-patter... The rain continued to fall. To prevent his brother from encountering a second mishap during the ascent, the storyteller deliberately slowed the speed. It wasn't until he also sensed that the atmosphere was somewhat off that he directly teleported his brother to a height level with Gou Wuyue.

“Neglected, Passive Point, 782.”

Seeing this message, Xu Xiaoshou immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Who would have thought that as soon as the masked figure reached the desired height, he did nothing else, but his first action was to turn his head to look at Xu Xiaoshou and wave.

“Come here.”

The White-Clad figures all turned their heads in unison.

“Watched, Passive Point, 783.”

Xu Xiaoshou's face instantly turned green.

He wanted to leave the battlefield. He didn't want to stay in the center of that battle for even a moment. But the masked figure seemed to know what he was thinking, and with a smile, said, “If you stay there, you'll only die faster.”

Xu Xiaoshou froze. He immediately realized. Oh, right, this was a battle of the Dao Severance and Void Supreme realms. Such a small distance was like an arm's length to them. How could he possibly hide?

“Come here.”

“Invited, Passive Point, 1.”

Xu Xiaoshou gritted his teeth, no longer daring to overthink. He took a step towards the sky, directly positioning himself behind the masked figure.

“When the fighting starts, remember to shield me...”

“Watch closely.” Without turning his head, the masked figure directly cut him off.

“Watch what?” Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.

“Learn.”

“Learn what... huh?”

A sudden glint appeared in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes. “Could it be...” He remembered that the first time he met this masked figure, the other person had said something similar. After saying, “Your path has long been walked out by others,” he had directly taken action, severely injuring Xiao Qixiu, Ye Xiaotian, and several elders of the Spirit Palace, and easily escaped. Could it be that at this moment, he would also display great power, shattering this space with a flick of his fingers? And then, under Gou Wuyue's gaze, lead everyone away, escaping as easily as he did from the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace? Xu Xiaoshou's face was full of expectation.

The storyteller beside him had a similar expression, stars practically glittering in his eyes.

Cen Qiaofu retreated a few steps. The Chief was out; the pressure would no longer be on him.

The masked figure offered no further explanation and took direct action. He was like an elder, seemingly about to personally demonstrate something. He took a step forward.

“Wait...” The storyteller's startled words had not even finished when the masked figure already wobbled, his body stumbling directly forward.

“Steady!” With a swish, the storyteller beside him hastily swiped across the ancient book, lengthening the invisible spatial platform and preventing the masked figure from stepping into empty space and falling again.

The expectation in the White-Clad figures' eyes turned into shock, each of them standing dumbfounded.

Xu Xiaoshou: “...” He took a long breath, but choked and coughed repeatedly. Seriously, are you messing with me?!

The masked figure, somewhat annoyed, glanced back. Only then, as the storyteller awkwardly recoiled, did he, as if completely forgetting his recent predicament, clasp his hands behind his back.

“Gou Wuyue?”

The Saint Servants, almost completely overwhelmed by the White-Clad's aura, found their Sword Intent directly broken under this calm utterance.

The masked figure's shoulders were still hunched, but with a slight expansion, it seemed as if the sky itself would be pierced. It seemed as though nothing in this world could truly suppress him.

“Aura?” Xu Xiaoshou realized with a start. This scene strongly resembled the last moment he encountered such a predicament in the 'Devouring Mountains and Rivers' illusion. In this world, truly confident individuals cannot be crushed by any aura, even if he only appears to be of the Post-Natal realm.

“Sword Intent!”

“This guy is also an ancient sword cultivator! He instantly shattered Senior Wuyue's Sword Intent suppression!”

“Good heavens, what realm is this?”

“Could he also be a Sword Immortal? To do it so easily...”

“Are you kidding me?! A Sword Immortal already? There are only seven Sword Immortals in this world; does this guy have a known name?”

“Then he...”

“Senior Wuyue wasn't serious at all; his Sword Intent was merely used to counter that young man earlier, it's insignificant!”

“Oh, is that so?”

In the White-Clad's communication channel, a clamor immediately broke out. Beneath the quiet scene, punctuated by the pitter-patter of rain, a tempest brewed. Everyone could see that at this moment, the masked figure was truly confronting Gou Wuyue head-on. In other words, it was a head-to-head clash!

“You know me.” There was no hint of surprise or doubt in Gou Wuyue's tone. From the masked figure's initial awakening and his two current utterances of 'Gou Wuyue,' he could directly infer that the veiled person opposite him truly recognized him. Thus, there was no question in his voice.

Buzz! The sword hummed. Gou Wuyue looked down, tightly gripping the famous sword Voice of Nulan. Ever since the masked figure awakened, the Voice of Nulan seemed to sense an enemy of equal caliber; its vibrations were terrifyingly strong. How many years had it been since such a scene occurred? Gou Wuyue furrowed his brow and said, “You know me, but I don't seem to know you? And among all ancient sword cultivators in the world, there's no famous one whom I, Gou Wuyue, don't recognize. So, I should recognize you too. Who are you?”

The masked figure's gaze moved away from the famous sword Voice of Nulan. He flexed his fingers; his hands were empty.

“The Saint Servant's Chief.”

Stating the obvious, the masked figure continued, “But that's not important. What's important is that this matter ends here today.” He glanced around at the White-Clad figures and nodded slightly. “The formation is quite impressive, but for my sake, disperse. Go home, all of you.”

The White-Clad figures were utterly bewildered. Where did this idiotic person come from now?! The previous young man's naive foolishness was one thing, but why was this Saint Servant's Chief so arrogant? For his sake... This tone truly showed he didn't put anyone here in his eyes!

“Hahahaha!” Among the White-Clad crowd, someone finally couldn't hold back. “Do these one or two people really think the White-Clad came here in such a formation just to joke around?” A burly figure shot out from the crowd. With a flick of his sleeve, he angrily declared:

“I don't care who you are, we'll deal with you after we've taken you down! There are seven White-Clad squads here, plus the 'Overthrowing Nation Sky Barrier,' and we've even called in seven to eight hundred Saint God Guards for external support. Not even a Void Supreme expert could break through this. Are you Saint Servants a gathering of clowns? Do you really think you can reach the heavens with just a few words? In my opinion, Senior Wuyue doesn't need to waste words with them. Just cut them down!”

As he raised his hand, the White-Clad below also couldn't hold back.

“Exactly!”

“Senior Wuyue, don't talk to them anymore. If we drag this out, who knows...”

“Pah, just do it!”

Evidently, what the masked figure considered a calm statement of fact had indeed become a mocking remark in the ears of these people. Having expended so much manpower and resources, they weren't here to watch a show. Gou Wuyue frowned, but said nothing.

The flying burly White-Clad figure seemed to have received a command. He puffed out his chest, his gaze piercingly fixed on the masked figure.

“Overthrowing Nation Sky Barrier?” The masked figure murmured, “I've heard a little about it... but, who are you?”

“My name is Cheng Yuan!”

“How old?”

“Thirty-two!” Cheng Yuan said proudly. At thirty-two, being part of the White-Clad truly gave him reason to be proud.

“What's your cultivation level?”

“Throne! But under the amplification of the 'Overthrowing Nation Sky Barrier,' my strength can rival Dao Severance...”

There was no discernible movement at all, yet a faint hiss suddenly echoed in the air, and Cheng Yuan's words abruptly stopped. A streak of blood directly splattered mid-air. The next second, Cheng Yuan's eyes widened, and he desperately clutched his throat. But streams of blood oozed from between his fingers, staining his white robe crimson.

“I don't care who you are. But a mere Throne cultivation and only thirty-two years old—at most, you're a junior. So, when adults are speaking, don't interrupt.”

The masked figure indifferently shifted his gaze to Gou Wuyue. “He has three minutes to live. If he's not rescued immediately, he'll die very soon. I don't wish to kill anyone, but if the people you brought are all of this caliber, once battle begins, your losses will be greater than mine.” He spoke as if stating a simple fact, his voice completely calm and devoid of emotion.

The White-Clad figures were simultaneously stunned. Senior Wuyue made a move, even drawing his sword. But not a single person saw the masked figure make any move. Yet, the person was directly struck in the throat?!

“Three minutes...” The White-Clad hurriedly caught Cheng Yuan, who was falling from the sky. Emergency personnel immediately rushed forward and pulled him to the back. The scene fell into an absolute hush.

Gou Wuyue's eyes slightly darkened. His gaze fell upon the two curled fingers of the masked figure, half-hidden beneath his sleeve. There was a look of surprise in his eyes.

“Ten-Stage Sword Finger?”

Xu Xiaoshou also only then realized and lowered his head in surprise, and indeed saw the masked figure's two curled fingers. This very move was the one that had severed the Dean's arm back in the Heavenly Sang Spirit Palace. At the same time, it was identical to the two fingers used by the dishevelled uncle to annihilate the Red Dog!

“Call it what you will, but I'll say it again: it's best this situation disperses,” the masked figure said calmly.

Only then did Xu Xiaoshou truly understand what a ruthless individual was. Under the heavy encirclement of the White-Clad, he didn't even want to say an extra word. He directly chose to proactively injure someone. How much courage did that take?

Gou Wuyue looked at the masked figure's fingers, a little lost in thought. At this moment, the famous sword he tightly gripped also seemed to vibrate more intensely.

“Good!”

“A remarkable 'Ten-Stage Sword Finger'!”

Gou Wuyue let out a chuckle, a mix of surprise and doubt in his eyes, and said, “In the past, if someone dared to injure my subordinate, perhaps I wouldn't waste another word with you, but today, you...” He suddenly paused, deep in thought. The masked figure's confident word 'sake' reappeared in his mind. After a long silence, he finally asked, “Why should I let you go?”

Everyone was startled by this sudden 180-degree shift in tone. Even Xu Xiaoshou looked at the masked figure in shock. Listening to this tone... Could he truly turn the tide of this situation with just his words, simply by relying on his reputation and influence?

The masked figure said calmly, “Because you are Gou Wuyue, you have no choice but to let me leave. This is a favor you owe.”

“Hahahaha!” Gou Wuyue laughed loudly, “In my entire life, wandering the world with my sword, when have I ever owed anyone a favor?”

“You have.”

The masked figure had no intention of wasting any more words. He directly extended two fingers, pointing them towards the sky.

Bang!

A two-finger-wide black line directly pierced through the void. Spiritual array ripples proliferated, yet it was broken through.

“Are you kidding me...” The White-Clad were startled.

“The spiritual array!”

“Overthrowing Nation Sky Barrier, activate! Quickly!”

“Damn it, what's this guy's background, and what kind of spiritual skill is this that deals so much damage?”

“Isn't he only of the Post-Natal realm?”

“Let's go,” the masked figure said, waving his hand. Cen Qiaofu and the storyteller followed instantly without a word.

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded. That's it? They can just leave? Watching these figures about to depart, he hastily followed suit, but he was utterly confused, having no idea what had just happened.

Gou Wuyue was taken aback by his confidence. Did this person truly treat him as if he were thin air? So completely disregarding everyone present, not to mention the ordinary White-Clad, even Gou Wuyue himself was now seething with anger.

“Stop them!”

Buzz—

Just as he was about to draw his sword, the famous sword Voice of Nulan actually emitted a faint sense of resistance. Just moments ago, it seemed to have encountered a Sword Immortal of similar renown, unwilling to remain in its sheath, eager for battle. But now, as Gou Wuyue tried to draw his sword, the sword was resisting!

“A favor...” Gou Wuyue looked down at the Voice of Nulan. A long-unseen figure suddenly appeared in his mind. He turned his head back sharply, startled.

“Who exactly are you?”