Chapter 622: Have the Guts Not to Come Out

"So, I was in the game all along?" Xu Xiaoshou felt his worldview shatter.

He had never imagined that Yu Lingdi, supposedly killed by Cen Qiaofu and two others, had been residing in his body as water all this time. This implied that even before encountering the two White-Clothed figures, he had been unknowingly trapped.

After trying countless methods and believing he had finally escaped, this was what awaited him!

Honestly, from the emergence of the Flame Python in the White Cave, through Lingrongze, to Lihuang Grassland, and now... Xu Xiaoshou was exhausted. He was truly tired of running!

No outcome was more despairing than believing he had won, only to discover he had lost so completely that nothing was left.

Even if it were a game of Go and he had been miraculously outplayed, Xu Xiaoshou could still choose to flip the board and deny the loss. But this feeling of being watched, possessed, and utterly controlled from head to toe, truly, extinguished any desire to resist!

"You win," Xu Xiaoshou muttered, slumping to the ground with a thud.

A gust of wind made him realize his entire body was soaked through. It wasn't just cold; a deathly chill emanated from his limbs, permeated his heart, and seeped into his very soul.

"Why did you choose me?" Xu Xiaoshou asked blankly.

Yu Lingdi was still smiling. His head protruded from Xu Xiaoshou's body, a mixture of blood and white water, appearing as if a single thought could end Xu Xiaoshou's life.

"Have you forgotten?" he replied with a smile. "From the very first moment I appeared, my target was always you."

Xu Xiaoshou's mind was blank for a long time before he finally recalled. After Yu Lingdi and the tall Heavenly Mechanism Puppet appeared in the Eight Palaces amidst the torrential rain, indeed, apart from a single mocking remark to Gou Wuyue, the rest of their conversation involved openly pointing at him and assigning opponents.

"Little Stone Tan Ji!" That thunderous declaration boomed in his mind once more.

Xu Xiaoshou truly felt like he was going insane. He had initially thought the other party was joking. But he never imagined that a single sentence from that time would genuinely relate to his current predicament, even after the battle had concluded and he believed he had escaped.

"Why me?" Xu Xiaoshou couldn't comprehend. He truly couldn't understand why, with so many powerful figures present and such an intense battle, Yu Lingdi had singled him out.

"Why, you ask..." Yu Lingdi's watery head rippled and shifted continuously. He paused, seemingly recalling, then said, "Because I've actually been paying attention to you for a very long time, ever since the White Cave."

"Let me explain!" "After both you and the Red-Clothed entered the Storyteller's ancient book space, my water clone was the first to arrive at the White Cave. From there, it opened a passage to allow the White-Clothed to enter."

"The White-Clothed entered, naturally, to search for and rescue the remaining cultivators. Of course, those cultivators have now been safely relocated." "After that, everyone else left, and only I remained in the White Cave, transforming into that rain."

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts followed the voice, leading him to recall the Nine-Day Rain Curtain in the White Cave. That rain, only a *zhang* high, never reaching the ground. He had never imagined it could fall so far, so deep... or that it hadn't stopped even now!

Yu Lingdi continued, "My mission was actually to observe the Holy Slaves—not just the Storyteller, but also to locate Cen Qiaofu, the Holy Slave Chief... in other words, Bazun An's hiding place." "They did find the interdimensional rift leading to the 'Void Island'." "But this was all within expectations."

Yu Lingdi's watery head elongated. Xu Xiaoshou's eyes rolled back as he felt the moisture draining from his body. The water transformed into a swirling vortex, coiling around his entire form. Xu Xiaoshou didn't resist; this was blood-water drawn from his own essence, and disturbing it would be tantamount to suicide.

Yu Lingdi's elongated water form paused by Xu Xiaoshou's ear, and he stated gravely, "You, however, were the most unexpected!"

"I could tell your cultivation might be below Grandmaster, but I wasn't certain. Do you understand how unrealistic that is for someone in the Spiritual Department?" "Our usual method is to observe one's spiritual energy, identify their weaknesses, and then exploit them." "But with you, I couldn't detect a single flaw in your cultivation." "I couldn't even clearly discern the state of your Qi Sea." "This is impossible!" "Unless your entire cultivation was shielded by a Half-Saint or a Saint Emperor." "That was the first point of curiosity that drew my attention."

Xu Xiaoshou was baffled. He could sense that what the other party was describing might be related to his "Stealth" passive ability. As for Half-Saint or Saint Emperor shielding... he did have traces of contact with that disheveled Saint, but there was no reason for them to conceal a cultivation level that didn't even require concealment!

"And the second reason?" Xu Xiaoshou asked numbly.

"The second reason..." Yu Lingdi chuckled softly. "You are simply too formidable, with those unparalleled 'Transformation Arts,' 'Disappearing Arts,' and 'Teleportation Arts'." "How could these abilities manifest in a young person who hasn't even reached Grandmaster cultivation?" "To be frank, for those in the Spiritual Department, unraveling the secret of how you, at your current cultivation level, can master all of this, is far more thrilling than capturing Holy Slaves!"

"And then, something even more astonishing occurred..." Yu Lingdi's voice was filled with wonder. "Using just these few techniques, you not only toyed with the Night Watch but also completely baffled the Storyteller!" "In the White Cave, I was merely a small water clone, just an eavesdropping spiritual technique; I couldn't judge the true level of your spiritual abilities." "However, the live reactions from those powerful experts of this era revealed that your secret is immense. What you possess is a mystery that our Spiritual Department has consistently failed to decipher!" "These secrets even allow you, with your Innate cultivation, to toy with those at the Severed Path, and even Severed Path peak!" "How powerful is that?" Yu Lingdi's large, watery eyes sparkled. "If you can toy with Severed Path cultivators at the Innate stage, then as a Throne, couldn't you toy with Grandmasters and Half-Saints?" "Do you know, this is the greatest mystery of a Spirit Alchemist, the ultimate enigma for the Spiritual Department's research!"

Xu Xiaoshou listened, his heart aching. He had never paid much attention to Yu Lingdi, always thinking he was just a fleeting passerby in his life. The White Cave incident had ended, and both parties had gone their separate ways. But he had never imagined that his deepest fear—being discovered and dissected—had unknowingly materialized.

"My existence is the Spiritual Department's ultimate research enigma?" "The Spiritual Department, the Spiritual Department..." Xu Xiaoshou offered a forlorn smile; he understood. The Spiritual Department, wasn't it the highest research institute for Spirit Alchemy in this era? Wasn't it specifically dedicated to dissecting anomalies like himself?

At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou felt the door to his future path had been slammed shut. Even when he encountered Gou Wuyue at that time, he hadn't felt such despair. After all, in Gou Wuyue's eyes, there was only Bazun An. But Yu Lingdi, astonishingly, had been solely interested in him from beginning to end!

"And the third reason?" Xu Xiaoshou asked listlessly.

*Whoosh.* Yu Lingdi's watery vortex detached from Xu Xiaoshou's body, transforming into a rapidly swirling aqueous form. After a long moment, the form solidified, and he condensed into a physical body.

Xu Xiaoshou felt half his life force had been drained. A pop-up notification appeared in his info bar: "Attacked, Passive Value, 1." Despite the passive value being merely "1," Xu Xiaoshou understood the immense power of this attack. He felt as though all his energy had been sapped, even his hair was turning gray. "Endless Life" circulated frantically, but this profound depletion of life force, this exhaustion akin to living two lives simultaneously, truly couldn't be dispelled in a short time.

"And the third reason!" Yu Lingdi solidified into a human form, his eyes blazing with excitement. "My true body couldn't wait to break free from Haitanger's Fragrant Homeland, just to come and meet you, and then to personally experience the power of your spiritual techniques!" "As expected, you truly possess an innate ability to toy with powerful individuals." "Just now..." Yu Lingdi pointed eastward and exclaimed, "Those two White-Clothed figures, one at the Severed Path and one a Throne, were actually fooled by your transformation into Bazun An." "You claimed you were forced to join the Holy Slaves, but what about that 'Sword Observation Art'? I experienced it myself." "And those 'Transformation Arts,' 'Teleportation Arts,' 'Disappearing Arts'..." Yu Lingdi was practically bouncing with excitement. His current state was exactly like a child seeing a customizable four-wheel drive racing car or a Transformer for the very first time. That sheer exhilaration simply couldn't be faked.

"From a third-person perspective, I truly thought the Night Watch and the Storyteller, who were fooled by you at that time, were incompetent fools!" "Even though the data told me they weren't, I still couldn't believe it." "A dignified Severed Path cultivator, being toyed with by you, an Innate?" "But now, I have no choice but to believe it!" Yu Lingdi clenched his fists, his voice filled with admiration. "Adhering to the principle of not questioning, not exposing, I remained hidden within your body, and indeed, I witnessed exactly what I wanted to see." "Lin Ruohuan is no fool, and Tong Feng is not brain-damaged." "If they were deceived by you, it's not because they lacked ability, but because you are simply too strong." "You, Little Stone Tan Ji, your abilities, everything about you, including your mind, is truly exceptional!" Yu Lingdi stated emphatically.

He suddenly leaned in, his eyes fixed intently on Xu Xiaoshou's, blazing with a fervor like that of a mad scientist consumed by research. "Do you know? I want to take you back to the Spiritual Department right now and thoroughly research all your secrets!"

Secrets... Xu Xiaoshou stared blankly, his eyes vacant and unfocused, as if in a daze. He remained stunned for a long moment before suddenly exploding into action, his hand piercing directly through Yu Lingdi's chest, which had leaned in close. "I'll research your mother's secrets, just die!"

*Pfft!* Yu Lingdi was caught off guard and spat a mouthful of water onto Xu Xiaoshou's face. Yet, a soft smile appeared on his lips as he murmured, "I am immortal."

"Immortal?" Xu Xiaoshou roared menacingly, "Then let's see if you're truly immortal or merely feigning it!" *Crack-crack—* As the sound rang out, Yu Lingdi felt a profound chill spread through his entire body. Only then did he realize that Xu Xiaoshou's hand, which had pierced his chest, had already pulled out his watery heart from behind. The watery heart hesitated for only a moment before suddenly solidifying into ice. Extreme ice!

If it was scientific resurrection, then he would defeat science with science. Using the techniques of alchemy and medicinal refining, Xu Xiaoshou immediately froze the watery heart in his hand into a solid block as the "Three-Day Frost Tribulation" manifested. Its internal water molecular structure was destroyed; if it weren't for the radiating cold, it would undoubtedly appear to be a crystal!

"Well, I'll be..." Yu Lingdi's eyes lost their luster. To him, ice was still water, just in a different state. Even if Little Stone Tan Ji altered the water element's structure, with sufficient cultivation, such a trick wouldn't harm him. But that was precisely the problem. Yu Lingdi was merely a Throne, while the "Three-Day Frost Tribulation" contained "Tribulation of Freezing Power." This catastrophic power could only manifest after reaching the peak of the Severed Path and enduring the Nine-Death Thunder Tribulation. His current cultivation was utterly incapable of withstanding such a force. Thus, with a single palm through his chest, Yu Lingdi instantly froze solid.

Yet... *Hiss-hiss-hiss.* The next second, water molecules permeated the surrounding grass, dew, and leaves, coalescing into mist. Yu Lingdi's body re-formed in mid-air. "You cannot kill me." He smiled, his eyes blazing, staring at the ice sculpture in front of Xu Xiaoshou and the icy heart in his hand.

"Try me!" Xu Xiaoshou sprang to his feet. The ice sculpture in front of him shattered into dust with a mere twitch of his body, dissipating into nothingness. With a sweeping gaze, the white mist in the area vanished. Hundreds of feet in every direction, after a brief pause, froze solid. —Ice Age!

*Crack!* Yu Lingdi's newly solidified body instantly froze rigid. Xu Xiaoshou shot forward at light speed, delivering a punch. With a *bang*, Yu Lingdi's head exploded into powder on the spot.

"Fearless struggle?" The voice suddenly reappeared in his mind. Xu Xiaoshou's movements faltered as he heard Yu Lingdi mock, "You can freeze all the water elements in this area, but do you dare freeze yourself?"

At that moment, his anger surged, and Xu Xiaoshou steeled himself. "Why wouldn't I dare?!"

"If you dare freeze yourself, I won't die, but you will definitely die!" Yu Lingdi quickly exclaimed.

"Freeze?" Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists and retorted sharply, "You are utterly underestimating me!"

*Pfft-pfft.* As his words faded, a faint sound emanated from his body. Xu Xiaoshou immediately ignited the Cinderflame Primordial Seed within him, unleashing a terrifying wave of scorching power. He was not originally capable of withstanding the full explosive force of the Cinderflame Primordial Seed. But at this moment, he had no other choice. His sole aim was to completely expel the parasite from his body.

"Die!" Xu Xiaoshou sat cross-legged on the spot, performing "Three Flowers Gathering at the Peak" and "Five Elements Facing Heaven," manipulating his power with incredible precision. The surrounding ice world remained completely unaffected. Yet, within his body, it was as if a blazing sun had detonated. The temperature soared, and soared, and soared even higher!

"Ahahaha!" Yu Lingdi burst into laughter. "Kid, do you really think I didn't know you possessed 'Three-Day Frost Tribulation' and the 'Cinderflame Primordial Seed' while I was inside you?" "I was already prepared for such things!" "Besides, even if you turn yourself into a giant steamer, whether you can steam me to death or not, do you truly dare to be so ruthless to yourself?" "You're only at the Innate stage!" Yu Lingdi dismissed him entirely. From his perspective, how could this mere Innate cultivator, a promising young talent with a brilliant future, genuinely abandon his prospects and possess the resolve to perish together?

"Then watch closely." Xu Xiaoshou was completely unfazed. Outsiders could not possibly know how abnormally his tolerance for pain had been tempered throughout his journey. Indeed, as Yu Lingdi said, a steamer couldn't steam itself to death. But Xu Xiaoshou refused to believe that someone who "played with water" all day could withstand the same level of damage better than him, who had "grown up eating fire seeds."

"If you have the guts, then stay hidden in my body forever and don't come out!"