Chapter 775: Xu Xiaoshou, Has He Really Changed?

Saint Explosion!

When those ten black ice-fire holy seeds erupted in the night sky, transforming into a deluge of black holy explosions that enveloped almost the entirety of Dongtian Royal City, everyone inside the Royal City held their breath.

That fine black rain contained boundless, immense destructive power, seemingly poised to strip Dongtian Royal City of its very life.

"Are they insane?""Is the Half-Saint insane?""Am I going to die?""The Saint Servants... indeed, this is ultimately the continent's foremost dark power!""I knew it, I knew it! How could the Saint God Temple's battle with the dark forces tonight end with a mere demonstration of skill?""This battle was never meant for observation.""We should have run away much earlier..."

Inside the Royal City, everyone panicked. Only at this moment did the crowd suddenly realize. This wasn't a sparring match on a ring; there was no 'stopping short' or surrendering. From the moment the Royal City battle began, the best choice wasn't to stay and observe Void-level combat or seek enlightenment. Instead, they should have fled far away, with lightning speed, to escape the night's turmoil in the Royal City.

"Xu Xiaoshou..." High above the trade fair grounds, when Shou Ye saw Xu Xiaoshou make such a choice, his heart went cold. At that moment, Shou Ye suddenly realized it was too late! Xu Xiaoshou was no longer the young man he once was. Having only recently joined the Saint Servants, he had already been thoroughly brainwashed by the dark forces. This tactic—using the lives of the Royal City's inhabitants as a threat, forcing the Saint God Temple to rescue them and temporarily withdraw from battle—was something the old Xu Xiaoshou would never have done. No matter how unreliable he might have been, he was never one to trifle with human lives! But now...

"In the end, was it too late?" Shou Ye suddenly felt foolish. Even before this moment tonight, he had hoped that Xu Xiaoshou, having joined the Saint Servants only recently, might still have a chance for redemption. But given the current situation... There was no room left! After this 'Royal City baptism,' Shou Ye was no longer naive. Xu Xiaoshou had already chosen the opposing side; there was no turning back. The next time they met, it would only be as enemies.

"Disperse—" Above the void of the Central District, Rao Yaoyao roared hoarsely. She also couldn't understand how such a truly terrifying act could originate from such a young man. If it had come from the Saint Servant storyteller—or even the slovenly swordsman before her—it would have made sense! How could it happen with such a young man? Xu Xiaoshou... Wasn't he just that absurd junior who only knew how to fly high? In the blink of an eye, he had become resolute enough to commit such a horrifying act?

At this moment, everyone in the Royal City looked up, waiting with faces ashen. Just like an earthquake: small tremors don't require evasion, but large ones are unavoidable. In this baptism of holy explosions that enveloped the entire Royal City, no one could escape from within.

Looking up at the sky, after Rao Yaoyao's command, the Red and White-Clothed forces, a vast net, spread out with extreme tension from a single point to cover a magnificent expanse, seemingly trying to escape the core of the holy explosion from the Central District and flee towards the city's outskirts. Even though they usually had immense trust in the Saint God Temple, at this moment, doubts inevitably arose in the hearts of the Royal City residents.

"Will they choose to save us?" For most people, the Saint God Temple now faced two choices: one was to save others, and the other was to save themselves. But just as Xu Xiaoshou had anticipated, the Saint God Temple had no choice at all. As the continent's most righteous organization, they now had only one final way to break the deadlock...

"North District, positions confirmed!""West District, positions confirmed!""South District, positions confirmed!""East District, positions confirmed!""Central District, positions confirmed!"

As if to calm the populace, the spirited declarations from the Red and White-Clothed powerhouses, including those at the Throne and Cutting Path levels, rang out one after another. Hope rekindled in the eyes of the Royal City residents.

The next second, Rao Yaoyao, her eyes still blazing with fury in the Central District, likewise chose to abandon her opponent. She once again drew her Profound Azure Divine Sword, pointing it skyward.

"Protect the City!!!"

At that instant, the populace erupted in their first cheer amidst their grief, all feeling fortunate that the Saint God Temple had not abandoned them. Sound waves soared into the sky. Ripples instantly appeared in the void.

Immediately after, before the rain of holy explosions fell, Dongtian Royal City's protective barrier was activated. A city-level protective barrier required an astronomical amount of energy to activate. Furthermore, its preparation time was incredibly lengthy compared to the rapidly changing dynamics of battle. But this time, with the power of the Red and White-Clothed forces at the Throne and Cutting Path levels serving as energy sources, the city's protective barrier was truly activated instantly. With but a single flash,

"Om—" A flowing, blue-white light rippled up from the outer walls of the four districts, then quickly interlocked in the void. Like a miracle, it rekindled a new kind of light in the desolate, ashen eyes of the despairing crowd.

"Junior Sister." Outside the Central District, Situ Yongren looked at the stunned Yu Zhiwen and said with a sigh, "I largely know what you're thinking, Junior Sister, but what you've seen firsthand... the Saint Servants are a true dark force!" He said nothing more. Yu Zhiwen was not foolish. After this explosion, whatever had transpired between Xu Xiaoshou and Yu Zhiwen before, everything should now be over.

"The city's protective barrier might not withstand the impact of the holy explosion. I'll use the 'Heavenly Venerate Tower' bestowed by Master; lend me a hand!" Seeing her silence, Situ Yongren took out a delicate miniature tower, tossed it up, and poured his full spiritual energy into it. In moments, the Heavenly Mystery Dao patterns on the Heavenly Venerate Tower activated, and a magnificent illusory giant tower enveloped almost the entire Dongtian Royal City.

"Junior Sister!" Seeing no immediate response from Yu Zhiwen, Situ Yongren roared. At this moment, his Heavenly Mystery Art was pushed to its limit, veins bulging on his neck. Yu Zhiwen seemed to have only just regained her composure. She gazed at the figure that had already vanished in the distance, a look of struggle in her star-like eyes. She had clearly started to give chase. But now, she only felt the distance between her and Xu Xiaoshou grow ever wider, like an unbridgeable chasm.

Her position. Two simple words. Behind them lay the gaze of countless powerful figures, and even the scrutiny of the entire world!

"Alright." Just as she had previously agreed to secretly assist Situ Yongren in using the Heavenly Mystery Art against the Saint Servants, Yu Zhiwen responded mechanically. Then her star-like eyes flared, and she unleashed her full power. Regardless, the lives of the Royal City's populace were paramount. And that person... Even if her heart held many excuses, and she unconsciously wanted to absolve that figure, at this moment, a ripple of bitterness couldn't help but surface in Yu Zhiwen's heart. "Xu Xiaoshou, has he truly changed?"

The rain of holy explosions descended, first striking the city's protective barrier. A tremendous roar erupted. At this moment, the black energy raindrops collided with the blue-white protective barrier, and the sky above the Royal City was completely ignited! The distorted barrier... The collapsing space... It was as if the apocalypse had arrived; what unfolded before the Royal City residents' eyes was a truly terrifying display of power from the dark forces. This scene would be unforgettable for everyone present.

"Rumble, rumble, rumble—" The city's protective barrier withstood the calamitous power of the ice-fire holy seeds, but when the Royal City barrier was first established, there was no thought that holy power would one day descend upon it. Consequently, the destructive power of this holy explosion was simply not something the protective barrier could withstand. The Red and White-Clothed powerhouses at the Throne and Cutting Path levels, fighting individually, could certainly endure the dispersed holy explosion's rain of impacts. But protecting the entire Royal City versus protecting their own safety were two fundamentally different concepts. When the protective barrier finally gave way to the holy power, cracking and splintering under the horrified gaze of the Royal City residents, the long-prepared illusion of the Heavenly Venerate Tower finally took shape.

"Thump!" Accompanied by a dull, low drum sound that seemed to echo deep within everyone's souls, the illusion of the Heavenly Venerate Tower radiated magnificent, pure holy power. Subsequently, the unexploded, overflowing holy explosion raindrops were massively absorbed into the tower. The Heavenly Venerate Tower was a defensive saint artifact. However, this defensive saint artifact was not designed to protect a city. Its original purpose was merely to protect its wielder. Therefore, when the Heavenly Venerate Tower transformed into an illusion to withstand all attacks across the vast expanse of the entire Royal City, its singular point defense was forced to its absolute minimum. At this moment, Situ Yongren and Yu Zhiwen, who were sustaining the Heavenly Venerate Tower's power, looked increasingly grim. Both were drenched in sweat, enduring a level of power that their cultivation should not have been able to bear.

The city's protective barrier withstood the calamitous power of the ice-fire holy seeds. The Heavenly Venerate Tower resisted the explosive holy power of the holy explosion rain. But what remained... When the protective barrier was completely shattered and the Heavenly Venerate Tower's illusion also burst under the holy power's destruction, the explosive aftershocks unleashed in that instant, combining with the extremely compressed explosive power of the holy explosion rain itself, could even somewhat rival the combat aftershocks generated by Void-level battles! These aftershocks were nothing to grand cultivators. However, for the Royal City's spirit refiners and its many fragile buildings, they were still devastating.

"It should be over now..." Rao Yaoyao held her Profound Azure Divine Sword inverted, her expression returning to one of indifference as she watched everything unfold. She had not yet personally intervened to protect the city. Because this 'holy explosion baptism,' in her eyes, had posed no threat from beginning to end. But there was no doubt: this was an open conspiracy. With such a powerful blow, capable of fully engaging and attracting all the Red and White-Clothed forces, everyone from the dark forces had now escaped, disappearing without a trace. This included Xu Xiaoshou, who had unleashed the attack, the Saint Servant storyteller, and that slovenly swordsman. And even the untrustworthy Void-level ghost beast from the trade fair... That's right. It would be strange if such people kept their word!

Rao Yaoyao silently watched everything. She could not abandon her post to pursue them. Because these final explosive aftershocks, while seemingly insignificant in power, had a coverage area so vast that no Void-level expert present could entirely withstand them. This included Wang Dachui, Night Owl, the heavily injured Teng Shanhai, and Yi, who was only a soul. It wasn't that they weren't strong. Rather, these individuals' inherent strength lay in their single-combat abilities, not in widespread protection. A Sword Immortal, however, was in a different league. As the explosive aftershocks began to rage, threatening to devastate the entire Royal City, Rao Yaoyao spun her Profound Azure Divine Sword and ascended straight into the clouds. At this moment, she was somewhat glad she had brought the Profound Azure Divine Sword out of Guizhe Sacred Mountain. Because this way, she could achieve the ultimate mastery of a Sword Immortal – all-around offense and defense!

"Wind..." Unlike the terror of the city's inhabitants, as Rao Yaoyao ascended, she merely closed her eyes and sensed. All around her was howling wind—furious, wild, raging across the entire area. But this was a familiar elemental force, a talent she had awakened at birth. Gentle, it could awaken the dawn. Furious, it could tear apart a realm. And whether it manifested as natural disaster or benevolent omen, in the eyes of a Void-level expert—the pinnacle of spirit refiners, just below a Saint—Rao Yaoyao's single sword strike could command this out-of-control power! At that moment, she opened her eyes and swept her sword towards the western sky.

"Wind's Momentum Rises, Calling Clouds and Weaving Dreams!"

With a soft, gentle sound, the boundless wind elements roaming between heaven and earth, at this moment, seemed to be summoned by a deity. Rao Yaoyao's sword moved westward. The explosive power in the void was swept apart like fragile white clouds by the magnificent power of the Heavenly Dao, then kneaded into this spiritual technique. From a state of unbridled, scattered devastation, it was then rolled into a compliant vortex, spiraling straight into the clouds.

"Boom!" The explosion could not reach the ground but was swept away by Rao Yaoyao's spiritual technique, detonating high in the heavens.

The Royal City residents, pulled back from the brink of death, erupted in cheers simultaneously. Some rejoiced at their survival. Others praised the Holy Temple's might and virtue. However, most spirit refiners remained deeply engrossed in the spectacle of that single sword strike, unable to extricate themselves.

"Forbidden Art!""'Weaving Clouds and Calling Dreams'... This is the power of a forbidden art! Sword Immortal Rao, with a single sword, protected the entire Dongtian Royal City!""Amazing! Long live Goddess Rao!""I declare that from this day forward, Sword Immortal Rao is the next Sword Immortal I acknowledge after the Eighth Sword Immortal!""Rubbish, does Sword Immortal Rao need your acknowledgment?""Heh heh, I'm just running my mouth."

The great calamity had passed, and dawn was breaking. The cracks in the sky mended. After the celestial phenomena were destroyed and the rules had healed anew, it was as if the clouds on the horizon had also been shattered by the Sword Immortal's strike; under the rising sun, they fell again as rain. Sunlight and rain. Wind and cheers. The rain grew heavier... But this time, this new rain after the storm would no longer bring the Royal City residents the same sense of dread they felt during the rainy night. Because everyone knew: This was the power of survival after a catastrophe. It represented rebirth!

Above the void, Rao Yaoyao, holding her Profound Azure Divine Sword inverted, stood alone amidst the wind. She pondered, for at this moment, even she had lost track of all her enemies' locations. But it didn't matter. Rao Yaoyao tilted her head and softly asked, "Have you memorized all the locations?"

"Yes." The void was clearly empty, yet a young voice responded: "The ghost beast Wuxia went south; there are people meeting him there, likely from the Xuyue Gray Palace. He ultimately still belongs to the Xuyue Gray Palace..."

"The Saint Servant storyteller fled north; Bazun An is in the Yunlun Mountain Range, likely headed to find him."

"I couldn't find the slovenly swordsman; he was last seen heading east. He's very strong, probably truly possessing power close to a Sword Immortal. As for his identity, you can surmise it yourself; I won't presume to offer my humble opinion."

"King Yama's Yellow Springs indeed controls spatio-temporal power. The last time he moved was westward. I didn't dare follow him; he would likely have detected my presence... Oh, and the Soul Cleaver and Injuring Profound Sword are indeed in his possession."

Rao Yaoyao's lips twitched at the news. Soul Cleaver, Injuring Profound Sword... Two of the Nine Supreme Divine Artifacts in the hands of a dark force leader—that was certainly not welcome news.

"What about Xu Xiaoshou?" she then asked. After all, this final 'Royal City baptism' had originated from this junior.

"Xu Xiaoshou..." The voice from the void suddenly sounded odd, pausing before saying, "He vanished. I've never understood his disappearance technique."

"Oh?" Rao Yaoyao raised an eyebrow. "Even after reaching Cutting Path, you still can't comprehend it?"

"Cutting Path..." The voice from the void murmured, slightly trembling, seemingly recalling some terrifying experience. After a long pause, it suddenly chuckled, its voice tinged with bitterness.

"Cutting Path, after all, isn't omnipotent. At the very least, overtly, it's still a level below Void!"