Chapter 619

The mountain forest was quiet; the white-robed figures walked slowly.

"Be careful."

Lin Ruohuan carefully transmitted a message, his forehead slightly sweating.

Tong Feng was even more cautious; with every step, he used spiritual energy to soften the force, not daring to crush even dry branches or fallen leaves.

In the silent mountain forest, the two white-robed figures cautiously advanced step by step, their palms beginning to sweat without them even realizing it.

Suddenly.

"Pop."

A soft sound broke the silence.

Lin and Tong both turned around simultaneously.

"Who!"

Tong Feng's explosive shout was like thunder, as if only this could suppress the fear in his heart.

They turned their heads to look.

Not far away, they saw a small yellow flower, largely withered, tremble slightly. Seemingly nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, its bud gained vitality and bloomed once more.

"Pop.""Pop."

Sparse, similar sounds also echoed from all around.

As Lin Ruohuan released his spiritual perception, he saw the withered flowers and dying grass around them, one by one seeming reborn, blooming vibrantly once again.

"This is..."

He was startled and hadn't had time to articulate it when Tong Feng, beside him, already cried out:

"Fragrant Homeland of Flowers?!"

Indeed, in this silent mountain forest, neither the white-robed figures nor anyone else possessed the ability to wield such poetic attack methods; only Haitang'er, the Saint Slave, whom they had seen in the vision earlier.

"Haitang'er, Bazun'an?"

A chill ran through both their hearts.

The last scene they saw on Five Lights Mountain in the eastern corner of the Eight Palaces was the Eighth Sword Immortal, who was about to strike, being knocked unconscious by an unsuspecting Haitang'er and carried away.

Now, with the appearance of the strange phenomenon of the Fragrant Homeland of Flowers, would the Eighth Sword Immortal be far behind?

"I'll call for help!"

Tong Feng, with trembling hands, swiftly pulled out an alarm bead and was about to crush it.

"Don't bother; it's useless."

A serene voice drifted from the distance in the mountain forest: "Knowing this is the Fragrant Homeland of Flowers, do you still think this alarm bead will work?"

Tong Feng's fingers froze on the spot, his body became suspended in mid-air, and he couldn't take another step.

That's right!

The Fragrant Homeland of Flowers... That's a replicated domain of the Seven Broken Taboos.

All the white-robed figures in the battle were trapped, and only Senior Wuyue was able to break through - a scene replaying in his mind. Tong Feng suddenly felt his fingers go limp.

If crushing this alarm bead proved useless...

Wouldn't that mean the two of them could no longer contact the main white-robed forces?

Lin Ruohuan cast a glance downwards, his heart sinking to the bottom.

There weren't many alarm beads; a two-person team only had one.

If that was truly the case, without first breaking through this Fragrant Homeland of Flowers, crushing this thing would be equivalent to seeking their own destruction!

The two exchanged glances, both seeing despair in the other's eyes.

"Put it away," Lin Ruohuan said.

The opponent had only trapped the two of them and had not chosen to kill them, which meant there might still be a glimmer of hope.

After all, that was someone who had once dominated an entire era!

He wouldn't stoop to the level of mere juniors like them.

However...

"How could the Eighth Sword Immortal and Haitang'er be here?"

"And where had Senior Wuyue pursued them?"

Lin Ruohuan didn't dare to think too much.

In this situation, he didn't even dare to be distracted; such thoughts were instantly discarded as they arose. Then he gazed into the distance and quietly called out:

"Eighth Sword Immortal?"

Tong Feng glanced over in surprise.

He heard that in this situation, where he was so tense he felt he might die, Lin Ruohuan's call contained three parts fright and seven parts sheer delight.

"So this is what a fanatic of the Eighth Sword Immortal looks like..."

Tong Feng despaired.

"Come here."

The ethereal voice no longer seemed to come from all directions but had a specific source.

The two white-robed figures instantly looked over and saw that, not far away in the forest, two figures had appeared at some unknown time.

One wore an otherworldly white robe. Even though it was stained with blood, her ethereal, immortal-like aura still remained serene and solitary in the mountain forest, like a secluded lotus in a deep valley.

Haitang'er!

Lin Ruohuan had seen this face in the central court vision on Five Lights Mountain.

He had never imagined that the encounters in life could be so miraculous.

He had barely left the main group, and he had already encountered the real person!

His gaze dropped.

Beneath Haitang'er, who leaned against an ancient tree, sat a disheveled man in a state of despair.

His hair was greasy, and his beard was scraggly.

There was no need to look further; just the shocking scar on this fellow's neck, plus the eight fingers delicately plucking a dry leaf...

"The Eighth Sword Immortal!"

Lin Ruohuan found it difficult to describe his feelings at that moment.

It should have been a state of unparalleled despair, but a sudden surge of excitement welled up within him.

The living Eighth Sword Immortal, a living miracle, a living...

Faith!

"Come here."

Bazun'an didn't even raise his head, his elbow resting on his knee.

His remaining eight fingers tore the leaf very slowly, with deliberate slowness.

It seemed he had been waiting for the two of them at this spot for a very, very long time.

"Go!"

Lin Ruohuan tightened his grip on his spirit sword, bumped Tong Feng with his shoulder, his chest held high. "Even if we die," he declared, "we'll die with dignity!"

"I..."

Tong Feng flipped his hand, glanced at the alarm bead, weakly put it away, and closed his eyes in pain.

"Damn Jiang Bianyan, I told you this alarm bead was useless."

"See!"

"There's no need to even crush it."

"They didn't kill anyone on sight; they directly trapped them to death!"

"This useless bead, what good is it?!"

Thump-thump!Thump-thump!

Xu Xiaoji was very flustered at the moment, with the kind of panic that made his heart pound.

Watching the two white-robed figures rapidly approaching from a distance, their footsteps crunching on dry branches, his calves began to tremble.

Being transformed into Haitang'er and leaning against the ancient tree was not an act.

It was truly because if he didn't lean like that, Xu Xiaoji felt he would lose his composure and collapse to the ground!

"Path Severance realm..."

"Throne realm..."

"And they're all damn white-robed figures!"

Xu Xiaoji was about to cry.

"This damn Devil King Xu!"

"I knew it..."

"I knew that when Devil King Xu called me out, nothing good would come of it!"

It was one thing to become a straw hat or a four-sword figure before.

Those were just inanimate objects; there was nothing to act.

But now, you're asking me to become such a large living person, to act with you, and fool two white-robed figures, one Throne realm and one Path Severance realm?

Even though Devil King Xu had said that he only needed to act once and wouldn't need to say another word afterward.

Still, it was terrifying!

Terrifying to the core!

Xu Xiaoji couldn't even believe how these two idiots opposite him could believe that these small changes around them were the legendary "Fragrant Homeland of Flowers."

That was just him using a bit of Throne realm power, plus Xu Xiaoshou casually watering them with the Spring of Life from his Yuan Mansion, and the weeds and wild flowers regaining vitality!

There wasn't even a single begonia flower among them...

How could those on the other side believe it?

"I don't even have a domain; I just watered a few plants. Can't they tell that there isn't even a domain present here?"

"Are they idiots? Or is Devil King Xu casting a spell?"

Xu Xiaoji lowered his gaze, spotting Xu Xiaoshou, but was greatly startled by a glance back from the latter. He quickly hid his flickering eyes and gazed into the void.

No focus.

I can't see.

Watermelon.

All watermelons.

White-robed figures and such...

Heh, they don't exist!

Xu Xiaoshou calmly watched the two white-robed figures half-run towards them, biting the tip of his tongue again to keep his legs from shaking.

"It worked."

"The first step of deception was successful."

The Spring of Life in his Yuan Mansion was too powerful.

Just by flying around randomly with Vanishing Technique and sprinkling it casually, he could create an effect similar to the Fragrant Homeland of Flowers.

Although some flowers weren't sprinkled and still looked a bit withered.

And those unevenly watered weeds also quivered once and then showed no further change.

But it didn't matter!

It absolutely didn't matter!

The white-robed figures must be paying attention to him, so they must have observed the recent battle from somewhere; they knew Haitang'er was injured.

The Fragrant Homeland of Flowers being weakened also indirectly confirmed that Haitang'er was still injured.

And no domain appeared...

A joke!

Would a domain like Haitang'er's, once deployed, allow others to perceive its boundaries?

If its boundaries could truly be detected, then its name wouldn't be "Seven Broken Taboos Replicated Domain: Fragrant Homeland of Flowers"; it would be "Flowers and Weeds."

"They're here?"

Not until the two white-robed figures stood before him did Xu Xiaoshou settle down like an old monk, slowly raising his eyes and calmly scanning the two of them.

If it had been anyone else, he probably wouldn't have had the guts to put on such a grand performance.

But at this moment.

Xu Xiaoshou's greatest certainty was that the white-robed figure named Lin Ruohuan was a sword cultivator.

At the same time, the opponent was a fanatical devotee of Bazun'an!

Generally speaking, such a two-person team would certainly have a captain.

It was obvious that Tong Feng, a Throne realm cultivator, would definitely listen to Lin Ruohuan, a Path Severance realm cultivator.

While Lin Ruohuan's state of mind might usually be calm as an ancient well.

Such people either remained unperturbed, or, upon seeing an idol, would certainly be overwhelmed with emotion.

Such a small mental fluctuation was enough to make him overlook many details.

Given their preconceived notions, and the situation where Bazun'an and Haitang'er had already appeared...

A minor change in the flowers and grass could be directly interpreted by the opponents as a weakened version of the Fragrant Homeland of Flowers.

Even if they had doubts...

They definitely had doubts!

But Xu Xiaoshou wasn't afraid.

All his life, he had continuously relied on the information panel to gauge people's minds and then systematically overturned others' suspicions.

"The Eighth... Bazun'an?"

Lin Ruohuan's expression was somewhat agitated; although he was trying his best to suppress it, even without the information panel, Xu Xiaoshou could clearly see it.

The opponent's subconscious respectful address, followed by directly calling out his name after realizing the adversarial situation...

"Conclusion: He's flustered!"

Another glance at the information panel showed:

"Respected, passive value, 1."

"Awed, passive value, 1."

"Speculated, passive value, 2."

Speculated...

Xu Xiaoshou mused that these two shouldn't be bold enough to speculate about his identity so quickly; they were most likely speculating why he was waiting for them here.

"Sit."

Xu Xiaoshou kindly gestured. Seeing the two of them standing restlessly, he spoke slowly and calmly: "I gave you a hint earlier, but since you didn't choose to call for help then, now, shall we sit and talk?"

Tong Feng glanced at Lin Ruohuan.

Lin Ruohuan did not respond.

At another time, perhaps he really would have sat down, seizing this precious opportunity to sit and discuss the Way with the legendary Eighth Sword Immortal.

But at this moment, even though he was excited, he could distinguish right from wrong.

The two sides were currently hostile!

"No need to be formal."

Xu Xiaoshou's gaze went past the two white-robed figures and glanced at Haitang'er. He said casually, "I came here specifically to wait for someone. It might not be you, but as long as they are white-robed, it will do."

Xu Xiaoji's eyes twitched; he continued to gaze blankly into the distance.

No need to be formal...

"What kind of heart does a Devil King Xu have?"

"In this situation, you tell me 'no need to be formal'?"

"I'm a half-baked Throne realm, plus you, a mere Xiantian, and we dare to grandly and brazenly come out to deceive people?"

"This is something ordinary people wouldn't even dare to imagine!"

"If anyone truly thought in this direction, one probe, and perhaps..."

"The situation outside is unsettled, and you and I would both be dead!"

"The Eighth..."

"Ba..."

Lin Ruohuan opened his mouth twice, each time feeling that his address was somewhat inappropriate.

He couldn't call him "Eighth Sword Immortal"; it was too subservient.

And he couldn't bring himself to call him "Bazun'an." Which sword cultivator in the Eastern Region would dare to stand before Bazun'an and call out his name directly?

"Senior!"

Finally, he uttered the most natural address in the spiritual cultivation world and asked, "Senior, why have you summoned us here?"

Tong Feng immediately became alert, his body tensed to the extreme, like prey about to retaliate.

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled softly.

"No need to be nervous," he said, "As I said before, I don't enjoy killing now."

One sentence, three nervous people.

Xu Xiaoji almost couldn't hold back and collapsed.

"Damn, you really dare to say that!"

"Can you even kill them?"

"In this world, I, Xu Xiaoji, respect no one except for your colossal nerve, Devil King Xu!"

"Brother Lin..."

Tong Feng's gaze flickered. He hesitated for a moment, then, in a very low voice, he transmitted a message: "Something feels off."

His attention wasn't entirely on the Eighth Sword Immortal before him.

Unlike Lin Ruohuan, he didn't want to die for what most sword cultivators called "honor," so his spiritual perception was more focused on their surroundings, trying his best to find flaws in the Fragrant Homeland of Flowers.

But this domain...

It was too perfectly natural!

He couldn't find a single flaw!

Look at the flowers, the grass...

As if they were naturally born here, never transplanted.

Even when not fully blooming, they bloomed again following their previous withered appearance, although they weren't as vibrant or numerous as in the vision they saw on Five Lights Mountain.

But...

The control over this power was too perfect!

"What's off?" Lin Ruohuan secretly asked via transmitted message.

Tong Feng secretly glanced at Haitang'er, who was leaning against the ancient tree.

The other's gaze was so steady, so profound.

He hadn't even blinked once since the two of them had arrived.

As if he had never been injured at all.

But when he looked down, that crimson-stained body undeniably confirmed that this fellow had previously used the Fragrant Homeland of Flowers to trap all the white-robed figures in the Eight Palaces, and that his domain had been broken by Gou Wuyue.

"Haitang'er's power is too perfect, unnaturally perfect..."

Tong Feng hesitated for a moment, then said, "You should know better than I do how strong Senior Wuyue is."

"Haitang'er's domain was broken by Senior Wuyue. Generally, at this point, he would barely be recovering; how could he still condense such a perfect and flawless domain?"

"I can't even detect a hint of the Heavenly Dao's fluctuations within it."

"This domain is deployed as if..."

Tong Feng's voice was full of awe: "It's as if he actually hadn't opened a domain, and we were still just in this mountain forest... It's utterly elusive, leaving no trace!"