Chapter 783: Everyone's Delightful Paradoxical Great Terror

"Little one..." Cen Qiaofu burst into laughter. "Do you feel like you haven't even properly thought about the words 'Saint Emperor,' and perhaps haven't even heard them much throughout your life?"

Xu Xiaoshou looked up in astonishment. Had this old woodcutter mastered mind-reading?

"I don't have mind-reading abilities," Cen Qiaofu said calmly, "but I do know that some heavenly secrets are shielded by the Heavenly Dao, preventing people from even having the chance to ponder them."

"Are people being made fools of?" Xu Xiaoshou ventured.

"It's not entirely wrong to see it that way..." Cen Qiaofu hesitated for a moment, not refuting, then returned to their previous topic: "So, use your clever mind to think, what does the Chief want you to do? Or, what is the fundamental thing you truly wish to pursue?"

This time, Xu Xiaoshou didn't hesitate, blurting out two words: "Freedom, protection!"

These were the meanings he had found and summarized for his life's journey, especially after navigating the earthly world's challenges. But at this moment, Xu Xiaoshou suddenly felt the need to add one more.

"...And 'truth'!"

Cen Qiaofu was slightly moved. Without refutation or mockery, he paused thoughtfully before remarking, "Well said. Do you know my story?"

"Yes, what about it?" Xu Xiaoshou nodded, surprised. "The woodcutter from the Southern Domain who achieved Path-Cutting overnight—who in this world doesn't know that legend?"

He had always been skeptical of the "Path-Cutting overnight" story but hadn't fully grasped its difficulty.

However, having journeyed thus far and encountered many Sovereigns and Path-Cutters, Xu Xiaoshou now understood that if the story were true, Cen Qiaofu might very well be the protagonist chosen by the Heavenly Dao. He certainly seemed to be growing with a protagonist's template.

"So, is your legend of 'Path-Cutting overnight' something that's been passed down and evolved into a myth, or... is it genuinely true?" Xu Xiaoshou cautiously inquired.

Cen Qiaofu smiled faintly.

"It's not a legend; it's a fact."

"Back when I was still in the mountains, I yearned for the world beyond them. After becoming a Path-Cutter, I yearned even more for the world beyond the heavens."

"I wonder if the Chief has ever told you about the so-called... answer?"

Xu Xiaoshou paused. He naturally knew the "answer" that Eight Venerables had given him. And in the path Eight Venerables had planned for him, after completing the King City Trial, the Holy Palace Trial, and entering the continental Saint training base...

Xu Xiaoshou still recalled Eight Venerables lying on a rock that night after the battle in the Eight Palaces, gazing at the moon and talking to him: "There, perhaps you will find the answer you seek."

It was at this very moment, as his memory was pulled back to reality, that Cen Qiaofu across from him blurted out a similar phrase: "Once you go to the Four Symbols Secret Realm, you'll likely find a part of the answer you're looking for."

Xu Xiaoshou was startled. He even wondered if Cen Qiaofu had been brainwashed.

Or perhaps, they were working together, intending to brainwash him.

"Did Eight Venerables teach you to say these things?" Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but ask, curious.

"What do you mean?" Cen Qiaofu tilted his head, puzzled for a moment, but then realized. "It seems the Chief has indeed told you similar things. Is it hard to believe?"

"Not really..." Xu Xiaoshou knew what he was about to say and preemptively cut him off.

Cen Qiaofu was choked up again. He rolled his eyes, took a deep breath, and as if he hadn't heard, began to murmur to himself: "It was hard for me to believe back then too, but step by step, I came out and saw so much that I gradually became numb to it."

"It's not just me. The Storyteller, Haitang'er, your master, and those you haven't even met yet..."

"Shen Yi, Wen Ting, Cao Yihan, You Tu, Kong Yuhen, Feng Tingchen, and others, are all searching for this answer!"

"By now, you should have seen many organizations surviving under the Holy Divine Palace: the Holy Servants, the Xuyue Gray Palace, the Yama, and even those true continental-level supreme powers you might not have encountered yet..."

"The Senyue Immortal City, the Western Region Buddhist Sect, the Northern Region Heavenly Alliance, and others are also searching for this answer!"

"Everyone's methods of searching for the answer are different, and their processes vary greatly, but fundamentally, their essence is almost identical."

Xu Xiaoshou listened, stunned. In the old woodcutter's words, he heard the names of so many seniors. These were all renowned figures, each with their own legend.

In fact, some names Xu Xiaoshou had only heard once, while others he hadn't heard at all. But without exception, every example Cen Qiaofu mentioned was of someone who, at their peak, could stand as an equal to Eight Venerables.

Cen Qiaofu took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and continued: "And the answers they found were not all discovered within the Holy Palace."

"However, even setting aside the final outcome, everyone found an answer during their journey—an answer they could strive for throughout their lives."

"Then, some disappeared, some retreated to a corner of the world..."

"Some found an answer but dared not search further."

"Some were halfway there when they suddenly understood something and ended their journey early."

"There were also those who, after contemplating one answer, forcibly restrained themselves from thinking further, choosing a life of mundane peace."

"But there are also many like me, unafraid of death, who chose to resist, haha..."

Cen Qiaofu laughed heartily as he spoke. Xu Xiaoshou listened, feeling dazed.

He increasingly felt that Elder Sang's "cage theory" was terrifying. It was truly like an unyielding mist shrouding the heavens and earth!

Some hinted at it indirectly. No one dared to confront it head-on. Even Eight Venerables, after the legend of "Innate in three breaths, Sword Immortal in three years," spent decades in seclusion. He only dared to re-emerge when the world believed he was dead.

Was there truly such a powerful shadow behind the answer? Was this shadow so terrifying that even a genius as formidable as Eight Venerables had to calmly wait for decades before daring to confront it?

"What is my answer?" Xu Xiaoshou asked after a long hesitation; he vaguely understood what the old woodcutter was getting at.

As expected, Cen Qiaofu waved his hand and chuckled: "You'll have to find it yourself!"

"I can give you a hint, though: the King City Trial is to the Void Island what the Four Symbols Secret Realm is to everything you desire. As for the rest, the truth you still seek, you'll have to find that yourself, because it's beyond what someone at my level can touch!"

Xu Xiaoshou felt a headache coming on. He had understood this principle for a long time. Such an answer couldn't be stated directly, even by a Grand Void. Only someone like Eight Venerables could provide him, Xu Xiaoshou, with a somewhat clearer outline of the answer, even under such vague circumstances.

Ordinary people, even ordinary Grand Voids, would shun it, fearing to even touch upon it. Heavenly secrets must not be revealed!

"You've successfully talked me into it," Xu Xiaoshou sighed after a long pause, feeling a wave of emotion. He genuinely felt that the ultimate goal wasn't as important as the journey itself, which was quite long and more significant.

"Holy Palace..."

"Four Symbols Secret Realm..."

"Void Island..."

From far to near, Xu Xiaoshou thought of the very tricky problem that remained. "So, I've broken through to the Sovereign realm now. If I still participate in the King City Trial, wouldn't that be like what you said, old woodcutter—carrying a banner through enemy lines, essentially seeking death?"

Cen Qiaofu glared at him, annoyed, and retorted, "That depends on your own abilities. Isn't your greatest strength that trickery of yours?"

Xu Xiaoshou: "..."

How could I be that kind of person?

At this moment, Cen Qiaofu gazed at Xu Xiaoshou, marveling. "But how did you manage it? You've broken through to the Sovereign realm, yet to a Grand Void, you still appear to be only Innate. Even the Chief might not be able to match your ability to deceive the heavens."

Xu Xiaoshou puffed out his chest slightly and lightly brushed his sleeve. "Mere trifles, not worth mentioning."

Cen Qiaofu immediately curled his lip.

"Received contempt, Passive Points +1."

After this exchange, Cen Qiaofu felt he had conveyed his meaning entirely, and Xu Xiaoshou could fully understand.

At this point, he cast his spiritual sense outside, gazing north at the sky, and spoke softly: "It's getting late. I have my own matters to attend to. The Chief summoned me here, and he actually brought a few instructions."

"First, participate in the King City Trial. Second, secure a top-three spot and proceed to the Four Symbols Secret Realm."

"What happens in between, you'll see for yourself. Whether or not you want to participate is entirely up to your heart's true desire."

"But once you complete these two steps, he says you'll understand everything."

Pausing, Cen Qiaofu put down his teacup and tapped the table with his finger. "These explicit instructions, which sound a bit like commands, I originally didn't intend to state directly, hoping you would grasp them implicitly. But it doesn't really matter whether I say them or not; I believe you understand everything, as you're not foolish."

Xu Xiaoshou was speechless again. Why didn't you just *not* say them!

He had said both good and bad, just to prevent anyone from biting back later and claiming he hadn't given clear instructions, right? What a shrewd person!

How could I, Xu Xiaoshou, be the kind of person to turn around and bite back?

Having conveyed the instructions, Cen Qiaofu no longer cared about Xu Xiaoshou's reaction. He simply stood up and headed for the exit.

Xu Xiaoshou followed, starting to move, and finally asked, "So, what about everyone else in the Yunlun Mountains?"

"Don't worry, everything is going according to plan."

Cen Qiaofu paused and looked back. "This time, the Holy Divine Palace should suffer their greatest loss yet. Not only was it a thankless effort, but they didn't even catch many ghost beasts. Rao Yaoyao will be worse off than Gou Wuyue this time."

Xu Xiaoshou remained silent.

He thought about the Holy Divine Palace's operation this time, led by Rao Yaoyao. Yet, he and Eight Venerables had truly made a mess of it, forcing them to run back and forth with no gains. Who would have to bear the Sword Immortal's wrath next?

At least Gou Wuyue had managed to capture the ostensible second-in-command of the Holy Servants back then, right?

"I'm leaving!"

Seeing Xu Xiaoshou lost in thought and showing no intention of asking further questions, Cen Qiaofu waved his hand and vanished. The First Heaven Building was "Young Master Xu's" territory. As a Holy Servant, staying too long risked complications. After all, the "Semi-Saint successor" faction's own affairs weren't exactly clean.

"And that's it..." Xu Xiaoshou watched the old woodcutter vanish after his verbal persuasion and couldn't help but fall back into his previous state of contemplation. Undoubtedly, during or after the King City Trial, the Holy Servants would make another major move.

The Void Island! This entity had been summoned. While Rao Yaoyao could delay its descent, its landing point was definitely the Yunlun Mountains. Perhaps with additional assistance, appearing midway through the King City Trial, the Void Island could descend even earlier. This would be a headache for the Holy Divine Palace headquarters. Outsiders knew too little about the Void Island's true nature. Instead, the name "City in the Sky," associated with the legend of the "Saint-Sealing Dao Foundation," was far more widely known. So, with this "City in the Sky" floating above East Heaven King City, the vague rumors of a "Saint-Sealing Dao Foundation" that had circulated for months would be directly confirmed.

At that time, those truly attempting to seize the "Saint-Sealing Dao Foundation" could only be the Grand Voids closest to becoming Semi-Saints, the peak powerhouses of the continent. Among them, leaders of major factions—or rather, leaders of major dark forces and ghost beast hosts—would be the most numerous. This was because those who could achieve sainthood through orthodox means had mostly received education from the Holy Palace and were considered "righteous."

Only those who failed to achieve sainthood through orthodox paths would need to leverage the opportunity of the Void Island to perfect their cultivation and reach the Saint Path. So, how would the Holy Divine Palace continue its plans, and how would it prevent or intercept them?

Or perhaps, there was no need to prevent or intercept... As Xu Xiaoshou pondered, he looked up and used his "perception" to remotely observe the Void Island slowly extracting itself from the spatial fragments. He found this scene quite terrifying. It was as if the Void Island was cheerfully beckoning to the long-hidden leaders of the dark forces on the continent, saying: "Come quickly, esteemed guests, come quickly! Pies are about to start falling from the sky above East Heaven King City! As long as you withstand the Holy Divine Palace's defensive attacks, you can all become Saints."

It was a bizarre sense of a "public conspiracy" deja vu! Yet, Xu Xiaoshou knew that Eight Venerables was behind this scheme. The Holy Divine Palace would not have originally wanted to reveal the Void Island to the public.

So, was everything truly a coincidence? The Holy Servants and other dark forces were delighted, while the Holy Divine Palace and other righteous factions didn't seem particularly distressed by the Void Island's summoning. Because, from another perspective, they merely needed to prepare everything and then wait to catch the turtle in the jar, right?

"Heh!" Thinking of this, Xu Xiaoshou shivered. He decided it was best to stick to his path of participating in the King City Trial! Even after the King City Night Battle, the King City Trial still felt like a storm brewing, with signs that the conflict was about to escalate.

But those concerns were for the true powerhouses who genuinely sought the "Saint-Sealing Dao Foundation." As for himself, merely a Sovereign—no, an Innate—he only needed to follow the path set for the younger generation.

"King City Trial!" Thinking of the King City Trial, Xu Xiaoshou also considered the trial quotas. His true cultivation was now at the Sovereign realm. If he were to pretend to be Innate to enter the King City Trial, the first hurdle would be passing the Holy Divine Palace's detection.

Could his concealment hold up? Xu Xiaoshou was somewhat worried but quickly relaxed. A mere King City Trial wouldn't logically provoke a Semi-Saint... Just then, as he was deep in thought, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Xu Xiaoshou momentarily set aside his urge to return to his room and quickly upgrade his passive skills, looking up.

Xiao Wanfeng pushed the door open, sporting two large dark circles under his eyes, his entire being visibly weak. He was just an ordinary person.

Yet, ever since he entered the First Heaven Building, it was as if he had been drained by a succubus. His job was merely to serve tea and water, but he, an ordinary person, somehow always found himself involved in major events like the Heavenly Net Battle and the King City Night Battle. Following Young Master Xu everywhere, Xiao Wanfeng's routine became completely chaotic, now giving the impression that he might collapse from exhaustion at any second.

"Young Master Xu, Miss Xiaolian from the Golden Merchant Guild wishes to see you," Xiao Wanfeng said, forcing himself to appear energetic at the door.

Xu Xiaoshou looked at the young man, hesitated for a while, then spoke tentatively: "Do you want to rest first? Or should I give you a raise? Or... perhaps you could try cultivating again? Work hard and become a Spirit Cultivator who doesn't need sleep?"