Chapter 794: Enemy Attack, Quickly Go and Invite Mr. Si Ren

“Xu Shao! You’re out of seclusion!”

As Xu Xiaoshou pushed open the door of the Heavenly Loft, Xin Gugu downstairs immediately noticed, instantly appearing with a look of pleasant surprise.

For the past two days, with Xu Xiaoshou in seclusion and nothing happening, everyone felt a bit unaccustomed to the quiet.

Xiao Wanfeng, on the other hand, had a rare two nights of good sleep, feeling that the word "quiet" had finally appeared in Xu Shao’s dictionary.

Xin Gugu and the others, however, knew the full story.

As one of the main protagonists of the Royal City battle, Xu Xiaoshou had consumed holy blood and activated the Saint Image, and the extent of the after-effects was unknown.

After entering seclusion for recovery, it was initially thought he might even miss the Royal City Trial.

Who would have thought that in just two days, he would be back to his peak condition, full of vitality and vigor.

“Why do I feel like your power has advanced again?” Xin Gugu scrutinized him, a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

It was just a hunch.

Because Xu Xiaoshou possessed the Aura Concealment Art, he now appeared even more like an ordinary person, having returned to a state of simplicity.

But seeing through the surface, Xin Gugu believed Xu Xiaoshou must have made a significant breakthrough.

However, it was quite normal for one's cultivation to advance after battles against Dao Truncation, Taixu, or even Sword Immortals.

“It’s better than nothing,” Xu Xiaoshou said with a chuckle.

When his "Strong" ability upgraded, his physique and appearance transformed. However, the "Xu Shao Xu Deyi" persona was based on his "changed" face, so the difference wasn't obvious.

“You seem to have grown taller?” Xin Gugu gestured, unsure if it was an illusion or if he simply hadn't paid attention to Xu Xiaoshou's height before.

“Xu Xiao... Shao!” Mu Zixi bounced into view as well, her large eyes gleaming and wide with surprise.

The moment she appeared, her small, delicate nose twitched, and she immediately pressed herself against him.

“So fragrant, so fragrant...” Mu Zixi looked suspicious. “Did you break through again?”

You’re after my life force again, aren’t you? Xu Xiaoshou watched his junior sister continuously gulping, and immediately rolled his eyes.

It really wasn't a misconception... Xin Gugu’s heart tensed. He felt certain that Xu Xiaoshou had made a significant breakthrough; otherwise, Mu Zixi wouldn't have noticed it either.

“I’ve been in seclusion for a few days. Has anything happened outside?” Taking advantage of Xiao Wanfeng's absence, Xu Xiaoshou asked about matters of concern.

“Quite a lot.” Xin Gugu nodded, picking out the important points. “First, you still haven't gotten your trial jade pendant. I also inquired about the Heavenly Net Battle for you; the ban can't be lifted. So, either you can participate in tomorrow's alchemy trial, or... I’ve been keeping an eye on several people these past few days who possess jade pendants.”

Xu Xiaoshou patted Xin Gugu’s head and reprimanded him, “Am I the kind of person who would resort to any means?”

Xin Gugu looked blank, thinking, *Aren't you?*

“The alchemy trial is tomorrow?” Xu Xiaoshou was surprised, though he realized the timing seemed about right.

“Yes.” Xin Gugu nodded again and continued, “Also, Miss Xiaolian from the Duojin Firm has looked for you several times. She said the market feedback for the crimson gold liquid you provided was excellent and she wanted to meet you, but I sent her away each time. She asked you to refine more liquid, prepare well, and ideally provide even more later.”

“Refine liquid...” Xu Xiaoshou’s mouth twitched. “Of course.” The Greedy God in his Origin Mansion hadn't been lazy; his current inventory had only increased.

“What about other matters? Has anyone from the Holy Divine Palace arrived?” Xu Xiaoshou asked again. With the Lingque Trade Fair over, he assumed that the major forces not screened then would continue to be investigated.

“Someone came.” At that moment, Mo Mo appeared from the staircase, walking gracefully, her voice calm. “But they were all insignificant people. After the trade fair, I handled them, and there were basically no issues.”

Xu Xiaoshou immediately felt relieved. Mo Mo, Xin Gugu — these were seasoned veterans of the jianghu. The fact that they had been hosts to ghost beasts for so many years without being caught clearly meant they had their own unique methods for "prevarication."

He suddenly thought of something and asked, “What about the Red Coats?”

Xin Gugu shook his head. “No Red Coats.”

“None?” Xu Xiaoshou was slightly surprised. The Night Watch had been so intently focused on him, yet this time they hadn't come personally. Something felt off. Could they be preparing some major move?

Seeing his expression, Xin Gugu chuckled. “These past two days, Rao Yaoyao has been leading the Red Coats and White Coats in searching the Yunlun Mountains and redeploying their defenses. They haven't even finished their own affairs, so how could they have time to bother others?”

*But I'm different, aren't I?* Xu Xiaoshou thought, still suspicious.

He believed the Night Watch wasn't someone who would give up easily. Even if they were busy, if they had information about him, they would definitely make time to come.

The only plausible explanation, he figured, was that Mr. Si Ren's appearance that day had directly shattered their psychological defenses.

*That's right...* Thinking this, Xu Xiaoshou felt a sense of relief.

What kind of person was Mr. Si Ren? Even he came out to vouch for Xu Xiaoshou. This was akin to Rao Yaoyao herself saying: "Xu Shao of the Heavenly Loft is not Xu Xiaoshou; you don't need to waste your energy investigating. Get back to proper business."

With a Seventh Sword Immortal, who had no connection to the Holy Slaves, personally vouching for him, the Night Watch, no matter how suspicious, would have to let go of their last shred of doubt.

“What about Bazun An?” Thinking of the Yunlun Mountains, Xu Xiaoshou immediately thought of Bazun An. With Rao Yaoyao leading the search, surely this masked man hadn't been caught?

“Bazun An who?” At that moment, Xin Gugu and the others were simultaneously taken aback.

Xu Xiaoshou froze, then immediately realized he had been presumptuous. He knew why Void Island had appeared. Xin Gugu and the others, however, had no idea that the commotion in the Yunlun Mountains could only have been Bazun An's doing.

Perhaps even Rao Yaoyao didn't know that Bazun An was behind this whole affair! *That old schemer...*

Xu Xiaoshou muttered inwardly, then asked, “Did Rao Yaoyao's search of the Yunlun Mountains yield any results?”

As soon as he spoke, Xin Gugu was startled, and Mo Mo's heart tensed. Judging by this, was the Void Island incident related to Bazun An? Did the Eighth Sword Immortal truly make a move?

“No results...” After a long moment of contemplation, Xin Gugu finally shook his head, tutting, “Sword Immortal Rao truly lost both the wife and the soldiers on this expedition.”

“Originally, at the end of the Throne's affairs, if they were concluding here, the Red Coats and White Coats would have split up, clearly having grasped the final clues and gone to track down the dark forces.”

“But with the appearance of the Sky City, all their leads were cut off.” Xin Gugu pointed upwards, smiling as he said, “They eventually had to return to defend Void Island, without even catching a shadow. It was a thankless, massive loss!”

Mo Mo turned around. “You should just be glad. If they hadn't lost, you would have.”

Xin Gugu’s smile froze, and he muttered inwardly. *Even you’ve been influenced? Can't I just enjoy this for a moment? Are you really backstabbing me?*

Xu Xiaoshou listened, his mind completely at ease. This truly was one good news after another.

But then again, it made sense. With even Bazun An personally making a move, it was already good that Rao Yaoyao hadn't lost another seven hundred Red Coats. Want to catch a glimpse of that old schemer's coattails? Gou Wuyue could tell you, it's highly unrealistic!

However, recalling how after the Royal City battle that night, he had fled with his people, while the Red and White Coats above the Royal City also split up, each pursuing something.

Clearly, Rao Yaoyao truly had a backup plan. She really could pinpoint the whereabouts of those she suspected. How did she do it?

Xu Xiaoshou had always suspected that there was another person monitoring the entire battle, but Mr. Mei Siren told him that Yu had no issues. Others also couldn't figure it out...

But if there wasn't, how did Rao Yaoyao, being caught in the thick of it, manage to pinpoint the people she eventually wanted to track? Are Sword Immortals really that powerful? Engaging in trouble in the central district, getting bogged down herself, yet still able to lock onto targets in other districts, or even outside the city?

Thinking of spiritual sense, Xu Xiaoshou then thought of his "Perception" which had reached the Sovereign level. Perhaps, it really was possible!

“Xu Shao, why do you smell so good?” At that moment, Mu Zixi stealthily crept over. As she compared their heights, she immediately noticed Xu Xiaoshou had grown taller. After all, ordinary people wouldn't notice such a change, but she was extremely conscious of height.

And... The fragrance was intoxicating! Tempting and delicious!

Back at the Spirit Palace, it took Mu Zixi a long time to adapt and resist the urge to bite her senior brother. This time, she couldn't hold back. Reaching out, Mu Zixi touched Xu Xiaoshou's arm, wanting to pinch it.

The moment she touched him, her finger was actually cut. "!!!" Mu Zixi was shocked.

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't been on guard! It made sense for him to be wary during battle, but in the Heavenly Loft, he wouldn't possibly still have his Hedgehog Armor activated, intending to harm someone, would he?

“Did you do that on purpose?” Mu Zixi’s face fell. She sucked on her finger, intending to heal the wound, but then discovered... her own blood, from just that touch, also became fragrant!

The young girl froze on the spot.

“Suspected, Passive Points, +1.” “Surprised, Passive Points, +2.” Mo Mo and Xin Gugu were also astonished. Mu Zixi had just touched him as usual; how did she get cut and bleed? Xu Xiaoshou wasn't a sword, so how...?

Xin Gugu suddenly stepped forward and touched him as well. *Sshh!* He had intentionally reinforced his spiritual essence, but his fingertip still split open, as if pierced by a spiritual sword, and blood immediately seeped out.

Xin Gugu: ??? “Questioned, Passive Points, +1.”

Seeing this, Mo Mo silently withdrew her hand... “Cursed, Passive Points, +3.”

Xu Xiaoshou had a pained expression. He had originally wanted to hide it. But it seemed his biggest fear after upgrading "Sharpness" had come true. He had become a "sword-man"!

“It’s over, my lifelong happiness! Now I really might have to find a Holy Body girlfriend...” Xu Xiaoshou held his forehead.

He used to think that once passive skills reached the Sovereign level, they should have an "on/off" option. But it turned out that even with the system's evolution, this feature hadn't appeared, and he didn't know when it would.

Yet, in games, some passive skills indeed have "on" or "off" options. Without this feature, how would he dare to upgrade "Shockwave" in the future? Wouldn't a simple bump send people flying, not to mention collapse the bed?

*A Holy Body girlfriend, I need to find one quickly...* Xu Xiaoshou muttered inwardly, while outwardly maintaining a calm demeanor. He said casually, “Roses, after all, have thorns. They're meant to be admired from afar, not touched. Just don’t touch me, and you’ll be fine.”

The three: “...” “Cursed, Passive Points, +3.”

Xin Gugu’s hand twitched, his wound healed, and he asked in astonishment, “You really broke through? What level are you now?”

Xu Xiaoshou smiled confidently, “The kind of level where I can crush you with ease.”

Xin Gugu’s eyebrows shot up. He felt provoked. The last time he trained Xu Xiaoshou in the Origin Mansion, even when the guy turned into a golden giant, he could still kick him around one by one.

How long has it been? A mere month or so, and you're fantasizing about taking on a Sovereign? *I'm not just any ordinary Sovereign!*

Mu Zixi also looked thoughtful. Xu Xiaoshou had grown stronger again... Two days apart felt like six years. He had changed again! And he was more than just a little bit stronger!

Then she looked at herself... Her senior brother was already a Grandmaster, and she was still only Xiantian. *You're pretty useless!* Mu Zixi thought to herself.

A seductive female voice timely appeared in her mind, with a hint of playfulness: “As long as you wish, you can break through to Grandmaster right now... Have you decided? No longer resisting me?”

Mu Zixi shook her head, her twin ponytails swaying, dismissing the voice and refusing to reply.

At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou’s interest was piqued. He said to Xin Gugu, “Prepare yourself. Take one punch from me. You'd better use your full strength, or you might actually die.”

Xin Gugu’s eyes narrowed. The provocation came so suddenly that he almost couldn't suppress the murderous power within him. “Come on!” “Come.”

Xu Xiaoshou raised his right hand. Xin Gugu settled into a horse stance. The two others stepped back a little, knowing Xu Xiaoshou was about to test his strength, which he often did in the past but hadn't for a long time.

The aura of blood in the area began to surge. Xin Gugu used his full power and shouted, “Bring it on!”

So Xu Xiaoshou, without emitting spiritual essence, controlled his strength, using only a third of his power, and threw a punch with casual ease.

Xin Gugu saw that Xu Xiaoshou wasn't using his full strength. Based on past judgments, he slightly relaxed his own vital energy, lest he accidentally kill this fantastical fellow.

The result... "Boom!" A wave of air suddenly exploded in the pavilion. The shockwave first blasted backward, behind Xu Xiaoshou.

Yet Xu Xiaoshou remained completely unmoving.

Then, another, even stronger shockwave swept directly behind Xin Gugu. “Whoosh!” In an instant, only the sound of wind was heard; Xin Gugu was gone!

The Pilgrim Tower's protective barrier had always been active, but it wasn't the Eight Trigram Pilgrim Array, and clearly couldn't withstand such power. Furthermore, this attack was from the inside out, and the ancient tower's barrier was designed to resist external forces. This time, being breached from within, even the partitions between the floors couldn't resist Xin Gugu’s momentum.

And so... Mo Mo and Mu Zixi could even see Xin Gugu's astonished expression, still lingering in place after the punch, along with his completely twisted right arm.

The next second, this lingering afterimage dissipated. *—It was an afterimage!* Before their horrified thoughts concluded, their ears were filled with a continuous roar.

“Bang, bang, bang!” Almost a straight line was torn open, several floors of cultivation room partitions were blasted through, and it wasn't until the night outside poured through the holes in the building that the fading afterimage of Xin Gugu finally vanished from their sight.

And then. “Aaaah—” A scream, clearly of extreme pain, twisted and shrill, impossible to suppress, burst forth into the night.

Mo Mo and Mu Zixi turned back, startled. Xu Xiaoshou lightly blew away the bloodstains not belonging to him from his fist, feeling very satisfied with his first strike using his Sovereign Body, which had sent a Sovereign-level ghost beast host flying.

Facing the two stunned gazes beside him, his expression remained calm and indifferent as he spoke: “One-third of my strength.”

Mo Mo: “...” Mu Zixi: “...” “Feared, Passive Points, +1.” “Questioned, Passive Points, +1.”

“Enemy attack!!!” A sharp cry suddenly came from the main door downstairs, followed by the booming sound of a wooden bell, and then Xiao Wanfeng's thumping footsteps as he climbed the stairs.

“Sister Mo, Auntie Mu, it's bad, enemy attack!” “I don't know what happened, but the enemy has already entered the building, and I didn't even notice... Little Brother Xin was directly blasted, and he was sent flying from the inside, oh my goodness!” Xiao Wanfeng rattled off like a cannon: “Quick, go invite Mr. Si Ren... uh, Xu Shao?”

Mo Mo: “...” Mu Zixi: “...” Xu Xiaoshou: “...”

Mr. Si Ren? Why don't you just say, "Quick, go to the Western Heaven and invite the Buddha?"