Chapter 79: Xu Xiaoshou's Value

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes were finally opened. So this was what a true battle among gods looked like.

With a casual swing of his sword, he severely wounded Xiao Qixiu, his sword intent suspending the nine elders. Even Ye Xiaotian, standing right in front of him, was forced into submission.

Ye Xiaotian glanced at the nine elders suspended in mid-air and couldn't help but curse under his breath, "They're utterly useless and only cause trouble!" Elder Sang and he had originally planned for these old men to stay out of it, but they just had to make their presence known. Did they really think "Holy Slave" was so easy to capture?

"Crack!" As Ye Xiaotian's anger flared, the spatial fragments instantly widened. Before the masked man could speak, Xu Xiaoshou quickly interjected, "Don't be rash! Impulsiveness is the devil!"

Ye Xiaotian was speechless. The masked man was speechless.

The nine suspended elders seemed utterly humiliated, but their powers weren't formidable enough to resist. Being rather ordinary, they couldn't escape the masked man's remote control.

"Don't worry about us!" one elder shouted. "'Holy Slave' is an enemy of all; capture him and send him to the Sacred Hall. It will be a blessing for all mankind!"

The masked man's eyes immediately grew cold upon hearing this. "'Enemy of all'? Are we close? Did I murder your family?" With a wave of his hand, countless raindrops transformed into sword energy, instantly piercing through the old man who had spoken, staining him crimson with blood.

Ye Xiaotian's eyelids twitched.

"You..." Another elder nearby couldn't bear it and angrily interjected, "If you're so powerful..."

"Silence!" The masked man turned his head to face him. In an instant, raindrops became swords, piercing the elder and creating a second bleeding figure in the void.

Now, no one dared to utter a word. Not only were the remaining seven elders suspended in the air silenced, but even the chattering law enforcement officers on the ground fell silent.

A flicker of mockery crossed the masked man's murky eyes. He slowly said, "I can't protect everyone at once." He waved his hand once more. Rain-swords swished through the air, staining the remaining seven elders with blood.

Xu Xiaoshou watched, stunned. This masked man truly dared to do anything... This was the very definition of recklessness!

"You..." Ye Xiaotian could no longer restrain himself; he was about to erupt.

The masked man immediately turned back and took a step backward. "Don't be impulsive! Impulsiveness is the devil!" He added, "Besides, I still have ten hostages."

Ye Xiaotian was speechless. He shot a fierce glare at Xu Xiaoshou.

Xu Xiaoshou was taken aback. Why glare at him? He hadn't been the one to act. Moreover, this was indeed no time to be impulsive. Those old men's lives weren't worth saving, but he had only just come back to life and couldn't afford to die again. He wanted to complain again, but remembering the masked man's "Silence!" he immediately decided to keep quiet.

The masked man glanced at him and chuckled. "You're quite interesting. You may speak."

"..." Xu Xiaoshou grumbled in response, "I don't want to talk. Just let me go; pretend I'm nothing." "My presence holds no value in a battle between you powerful figures."

The masked man patted his head. "Don't be so modest," he said. "You are very valuable."

[Received praise. Passive Value +1.]

Xu Xiaoshou felt like he was going insane. He didn't want to be dragged into this, nor did he understand what value he supposedly had. He just wanted to go back to sleep! No, even if he couldn't sleep, returning to build a house would be better than this!

Here... He looked down at Goose Lake, now just a tiny speck below... So high, so cold, so terrifying!

"What exactly do you want?" Ye Xiaotian asked the masked man, visibly struggling to suppress his rage, fearing he might lose control and shatter the very sky.

"I merely wish to retrieve something. Once I have it, I'll depart."

"Nothing within the Spirit Palace belongs to you!"

The masked man chuckled. "What I want, is mine."

Ye Xiaotian took a deep breath. The masked man, persistent as ever, then lifted the young man he was holding. "This person is also quite interesting. Is he a gift?"

Xu Xiaoshou felt utterly dreadful. What "gift"? He was a person, not an object to be given away! Besides, he didn't want to leave the Spirit Palace! He had only won one championship; he hadn't yet left more of his legends here!

Ye Xiaotian glanced at the young man. "You can have him," he said. "But you must release the other nine and promise never to return to Tiansang Spirit Palace."

Xu Xiaoshou: ???

To Xu Xiaoshou's surprise, a thoughtful expression appeared in the masked man's eyes, as if he were genuinely considering the proposal's feasibility. Before the masked man could reply, a furious roar, echoing through the heavens and earth, instantly reverberated through the void.

"Ye Xiaotian, shut your damn mouth!"

As the words fell, the air scorched like a blazing sun. The rain vanished, and the void twisted. The accumulated water on the ground instantly evaporated, leaving the forest path dry and cracked. A terrifying, scorching energy surged, causing the law enforcement officers surrounding Goose Lake to break out in cold and hot sweats, utterly stunned.

An ancient figure, adjusting his straw hat, appeared before the trio in the void. His large dark circles instantly fixed on Xu Xiaoshou.

"Elder Sang?" Only Xu Xiaoshou seemed surprised; the other two wore expressions of expectation.

Ye Xiaotian subtly rolled his eyes. This old man always needed a push before he'd show up.

"I won't waste words." Elder Sang pointed at the young man in the masked man's grasp. "Give me this boy. As for the other nine, kill them if you wish. Once you're done, we can begin the next round of negotiations."

The Nine Elders: ???

Xu Xiaoshou was so touched that tears almost welled up in his eyes. He used to think this old geezer was eccentric and reclusive, but now he found the man with the dark circles absolutely adorable. Listen to that! Now, that's what a human being sounds like! Unlike a certain inner court dean, who'd casually give away even an outer court champion!

As he pondered, he noticed the masked man holding him even tighter, and a chilling voice whispered in his ear, "You are indeed valuable."

Xu Xiaoshou's heart trembled. He looked at Elder Sang, his eyes silently screaming for help.

Elder Sang looked at Xu Xiaoshou and gave a familiar, knowing chuckle. "Don't worry," he said. "As long as there's still a breath in your body, this old man can bring you back."

Xu Xiaoshou instinctively panicked at the sight of that smile. What was this old geezer planning now? *Don't mess with me!*

Upon hearing this, the masked man clutched the young boy and explosively retreated.

"Think you can escape?" Elder Sang's lips curved into a smirk. With a grab of his hand, the masked man's explosive retreat abruptly halted, and he began to tremble violently.

"Heaven Incinerating Inferno?" Xu Xiaoshou's pupils abruptly constricted. He felt a scorching energy surge from the masked man's body into his own.

*Boom!* A searing heat exploded within him, then frantically incinerated him. This excruciating pain was hundreds of times worse than when he had refined the "Inferno Flame Seed."

"Cough, cough!" Smoke billowed from his throat. Before Xu Xiaoshou could even spit it out, the blood in his mouth evaporated. His skin cracked, and all moisture was drawn from his body. Xu Xiaoshou felt his life force rapidly draining away as darkness instantly enveloped everything before his eyes.

So this was the true "Heaven Incinerating Inferno"? His previous "burning living people" was truly just child's play...

His consciousness faded bit by bit. In his final moments, he seemed to hear the masked man's voice, tinged with a hint of panic: "He's yours! Just take back your flame!"