Chapter 873: Peeling Back the Layers, The Strongest Scheme

"Thank goodness, thank goodness..."

Upon closer inspection, the roots of the two ancestral trees were still there. A new leaf had even sprouted from the Bodhi Tree roots, and Xu Xiaoshou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Xiaoji, standing by, tried to claim credit: "Lord Shou, it's these two things. The fat cat has been eyeing them for too long. I couldn't get into the Broken Tower, but I guarded this place very tightly, so it didn't succeed."

"You did well." Xu Xiaoshou offered a word of encouragement, then turned and ferociously picked up Greedy God, scolding it: "Look at the mess you've made! My own affairs are already a burning emergency, and you're still trying to light a fire in my backyard?"

"Meow wuwu..." Greedy God was terrified, wriggling in Xu Xiaoshou's hand, too scared to move.

Xu Xiaoshou raised the rattan stick, about to give it another beating, when Xu Xiaoji spoke up: "Lord Shou, don't you have more important matters to attend to? Why don't we deal with the external affairs first, then come back to discipline this fat cat?"

"Besides..." He pondered for a moment, then added: "Greedy God is growing too fast. Even though it's eaten some treasures, it doesn't seem to need to stay in the Yuan Mansion all day anymore. Perhaps it could even become an asset to you, Lord Shou?"

Xu Xiaoshou thought seriously for a moment, then cursed under his breath: "This wretched ghost beast, if I take it outside and people see it, won't that just be asking for death?"

Xu Xiaoji immediately recoiled, not daring to say more. But seeing that Lord Shou seemed to be calming down, even dropping the rattan stick, he subtly shot Greedy God a look: "I did my best. You owe me one."

"Meow!" Greedy God let out a whimper, its single eye glaring over: "I'll remember this."

Xu Xiaoji clearly understood it as "I remember you" and was overjoyed.

In the Yuan Mansion world, he had no friends at all. If there had been anyone else, he wouldn't have stooped to allying with this mischievous, food-stealing fat cat. However, to be able to leave the Yuan Mansion more often, Xu Xiaoji was now pulling out all the stops. Even allying with a ghost beast, he felt that as long as the cat could metaphorically 'whisper sweet nothings' to the Great Devil Xu and remind him of certain things, his chances of getting out would greatly increase.

Despite his scolding, Xu Xiaoshou had genuinely considered Xu Xiaoji's suggestion. Indeed, he hadn't thought in that direction at all before.

Firstly, Greedy God's strength was still insufficient. Secondly, Xu Xiaoshou had maintained his 'Young Master Xu' identity for too long, which had somewhat misled him.

The identity of Young Master Xu was clean. However, the Saint Servant Xu Xiaoshou was currently notorious across the five regions of the continent. After the explosion during the night battle in the Royal City, even though the blast hadn't fully detonated, Xu Xiaoshou heard that his bounty in the Killer Saint Hall's 'Three Incense Sticks' had been raised from 'Death Disciple' to 'Villain' level. For a young person to achieve a 'Villain' level bounty was extremely rare.

For such a person with a notorious record, what difference would one more ghost beast possession make?

Previously, Xu Xiaoshou had, to some extent, held a slight human aversion to ghost beast parasitism. But with the emergence of Void Island and the gradual unveiling of various continental secrets before his eyes, coupled with the increasing number of ghost beasts and their hosts he encountered, Xu Xiaoshou had now completely let go of his last reservations about ghost beasts.

His only remaining thought was that as long as there was still a ghost beast like Xin Gu Gu on the continent, then this race should not face extinction. Even if, in the process of fighting for this, it required him and Greedy God to form a contract!

"Toffee had already given me the contract, and Greedy God has grown. If something truly unexpected happens, as a last resort..." Xu Xiaoshou promptly cut off his line of thought.

He dared to think this way, but he still couldn't be certain what his choice would be if that moment truly arrived. Unable to predict, he decided not to overthink it.

Xu Xiaoshou simply picked up Greedy God again and said: "This time when I go out, if necessary, I might take you out to play. You have only two tasks!"

Greedy God meowed, indicating it was listening attentively.

Xu Xiaoshou said seriously: "First, absorb as much as you want. As long as I point to an enemy, draining their life force completely is fine; Second, when I tell you to open your eye, you must open it immediately and firmly control the enemy. Remember, I won't hold what you've eaten against you, but if you screw up at a crucial moment, then it's truly over. Do you understand?"

Xu Xiaoji, listening beside them, felt his hair stand on end. He didn't know what was happening outside, but having known Lord Shou for so long, he had never heard him speak with such resolve. The murderous intent embedded in those words was chilling and piercing!

"Meow!" After a moment of dazedness, Greedy God also raised a paw, indicating it understood.

"Alright, pack up. Time for the switch!" Xu Xiaoshou didn't waste any more time with them; he didn't have much time to spare in the Yuan Mansion.

After the secondary preparations on Xu Gang's side were complete, all that remained was to pray they wouldn't encounter any unexpected situations. Just get through tonight! One night was the limit Xu Xiaoshou set for himself. If he couldn't find his junior sister by tonight... Xu Gang, Young Master Xu, none of it would need to exist anymore. In this world, only the Saint Servant Xu Xiaoshou would remain!

Xu Gang's camp.

Inside the main tent.

In this secluded area, no one noticed Xu Xiaoshou's figure disappear for a moment, hidden by the overlapping paintings. Then, the 'Lord Shou' version of Xu Xiaoji settled firmly into the seat, his face solemn as he surveyed the tent, secretly praying for Lord Shou's journey to be smooth. Then he stood up and pulled back the tent flap, wanting to get some fresh air...

"Come on, drink up!""Damn it, since Young Master Xu said no action tonight, then damn it, it's not over until half of us are passed out!""Drink, you bastards! Only because Young Master Xu isn't out here, otherwise tonight I'd even take down Young Master Xu for you all to see!""Hahaha, I, Zhao Xiu, proclaim you the craziest!"

The drunken shouts, fighting noises, and clamor of the rough men assaulted him. Xu Xiaoji shivered, quickly pulled his hand back, and dropped the tent flap.

"Goodness, what kind of place is this? Lord Shou couldn't have been kidnapped and then tricked me into coming out, could he?""Forget it, to hell with freedom!""Tonight, I'd rather stay quietly in this haunted place and self-imprison myself for a night. If I go out, I feel like my soul will be stripped away..."

Xu Xiaoji was scared half to death by the situation outside. He touched the ring Lord Shou had left him and suddenly began to miss the free life in the Yuan Mansion world. Perhaps, looking at it differently... settling down in the Yuan Mansion, getting married, and having children, might also be a good option?

Beneath the night sky.

Xu Xiaoshou, no longer in his vanished state, revealed his true form: his handsome face and the sacred light of his treasure body were no longer concealed. With a single step, he left Xu Gang's camp.

"Where could she have gone?" Xu Xiaoshou forced himself to calm down and ponder deeply. This was a habit cultivated at the Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace; even when facing an assassination attempt, Xu Xiaoshou could deduce countless ways to escape the predicament in a tiny amount of time. Ultimately, he would seize the opportunity, choose the most perfect path, and help himself out of the dilemma.

But now... the predicament wasn't his own; it concerned his junior sister.

"Calm down!""Calm down!!!"

Xu Xiaoshou murmured, his expression incredibly solemn, his mind racing as he began to meticulously unravel the mystery. The big picture unfolded. He started by considering his junior sister's disappearance.

"Xu Gang's leader?""No, it's not because I didn't make her Xu Gang's leader that she ran away from home.""Though the little girl is immature, she's not that stupid. Her disappearance can only mean she was targeted."

Xu Xiaoshou remained calm and collected, his eyes narrowed as his 'perception' fully expanded, not missing a single detail. At the same time, his thoughts branched out wildly, like a spider web.

"Targeted?""Why would she be targeted?""Right, during the day, she displayed the ability to absorb life force, which is unusual for a spiritual body. Even though I also demonstrated 'Great Devour,' if the trial officials wanted to investigate her, it's possible they'd separate her for individual inquiry. That's one possibility.""Second, the Divine Demon Eye!""Third, Old Sang's disciple identity being exposed!"

Xu Xiaoshou stroked his fingers, his thoughts becoming clearer as he reasoned. He thought of three major possibilities. Besides these, there might be a fourth, but it was irrelevant. He directly tackled each of these three major possibilities.

"The third one can be dismissed first. Old Sang's disciple identity being exposed means the First Heavenly Building is also exposed, and then my identity as Saint Servant Xu Xiaoshou is exposed. If someone wanted to act, they would target me, not an insignificant young girl."

"The second possibility... the Divine Demon Eye. Currently, only the Jiang family and Yama care about this Lei family's eye. Jiang Xian was beaten away during the day and wouldn't dare to come back for a counter-attack. Yama... if that organization had detected an anomaly, they would have acted long ago. It's impossible for them to risk exposing themselves by targeting junior sister in such a dangerous place as the Cloud-Lun Mountain Range."

"Second possibility, dismissed!"

"So, only the first possibility remains: the trial officials made a move..." Xu Xiaoshou felt a headache coming on. When he saw his junior sister act during the day, he had a feeling something might happen. But he hadn't expected the trial officials' attention to be so sharp, so cautious that they wouldn't even let go of such minor details. —That very night, they directly made their move!

"Assuming the first possibility, it's highly likely to be correct.""Then the problem arises: the Cloud-Lun Mountain Range has cultivation restrictions, and I was so cautious that I even sent Liu Changqing away at the slightest twitch of my eyelid.""Yet, both of them still vanished without a trace."

Xu Xiaoshou clenched his fists. He felt he had grasped a certain clue, so he continued to expand on it.

"Liu Changqing has Dao-Cutting cultivation. Old Ancestor Wuji is on the same level as Mo Mo... no, as the Gray Fog Man. And the Gray Fog Man's alias is the Heaven-Sealing Saint Emperor, he is... a Saint Emperor? Holy crap, he's a Saint Emperor!""No, no, this isn't the time to think about such things.""Old Ancestor Wuji said he's on the same standing as the Gray Fog Man, so he's also a Void Island Saint Emperor... Holy crap, a Saint Emperor? He's a Saint Emperor?"

Xu Xiaoshou was inexplicably startled again. He felt his train of thought for deduction had been interrupted by something, but for a moment, he couldn't figure out why.

"Saint Emperor...""Did I just think of the words 'Saint Emperor'?"

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't recall what he had just thought of at all. He frowned, realizing he might have just touched upon something untouchable again. So, he picked up his earlier line of reasoning and continued to deduce.

"Logically, Liu Changqing's Dao-Cutting strength should have been enough to protect someone in the Cloud-Lun Mountain Range, even if he didn't reveal his identity or cultivation.""But both of them still vanished without a trace. This can only mean that the person who attacked has a cultivation even higher than Liu Changqing's!""A Dao-Cutting cultivator who has survived the Nine Deaths Lightning Tribulation, or rather, one who is in the Nine Deaths Lightning Realm...""Or even, the Grand Void!"

A chill ran down Xu Xiaoshou's spine at this thought. This was terrifying! How could powerhouses of the Dao-Cutting or Grand Void level suddenly enter the fray, and not even target him, but his junior sister?

"Is it related to the Life-Swallowing Wood Physique, or did they discover the anomaly of the Divine Demon Eye?" This forced Xu Xiaoshou to think of the worst-case scenarios. However, the more tense he became, the calmer his mind grew. He knew thinking about these things wouldn't help the current situation, so he forcibly cut off those thoughts and continued to deduce Mu Zixi's possible whereabouts.

"A Half-Saint couldn't have entered.""So, even if it were a Grand Void making a move, which is the worst-case scenario, they couldn't instantly eradicate Liu Changqing with brute force, preventing him from sending even a single signal.""After all, if that were the case, Old Ancestor Wuji would probably possess him directly, creating a much bigger commotion!""Therefore, the only remaining possible methods of attack for the enemy are illusions, trapping formations, mental guidance, or soul-targeting techniques... This way, it's possible that Liu Changqing would also fall victim and be unable to send a signal."

As Xu Xiaoshou reasoned this way, his eyes suddenly lit up. He had finally stumbled upon a conjecture favorable to his side.

"First, using such methods to set up a scheme only proves that the enemy isn't completely certain of their suspicions; it's merely a test... In that case, it's highly probable that my junior sister won't be in serious trouble within such a short time.""Second, from the arrival of Lei Shuangxing until I went to the Yuan Mansion world to make preparations, not much time passed at all. A Grand Void using guidance to trap someone would likely take a long time, and the location of the scheme couldn't be too far away; it must be nearby!""Third, why lead her away? Instead of directly appearing before me, like Yu Lingdi, to interrogate, judge, threaten, and entice?"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly let out a cold laugh. He understood.

"Yu Lingdi must have reported his confrontation with me. These guys know that if they want to investigate my junior sister, they have to bypass me...""They know me!""In fact, they fear me!"

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath. He knew his mind was, in fact, a terrifying thing to these Red and White-Clothed Trial Officials. After all, from the White Cave until now... he didn't even need to look at those examples. Just considering the First Heavenly Building alone, since its establishment, the Red-Clothed had yet to find concrete evidence to fill the gaps. From this, one could see how meticulous Xu Xiaoshou's mind was.

"They want to bypass me?""Impossible!"

Xu Xiaoshou was initially anxious, simultaneously thinking and 'leaping to the sky.' By this point in his deduction, he had already almost teleported and 'perceived' from the inner reaches of the Cloud-Lun Mountain Range to its outer regions, yet still couldn't find any anomalies. Now that his thoughts were clear, he immediately turned around and rushed back above Xu Gang's camp without stopping. Then, his mind settled completely.

"At least Dao-Cutting, at most Grand Void, and very familiar with my... ah, my escape techniques." Xu Xiaoshou immediately thought of Yu Lingdi. The second one he recalled was Yi, who had once trapped him with mental illusions. After all, while Rao Yaoyao had many capable individuals around her, those with such strange abilities were few and far between. And apart from powerhouses like the Six Division Chiefs, Xu Xiaoshou didn't believe anyone could even trap Liu Changqing.

"Still setting up schemes nearby..." Xu Xiaoshou murmured to himself, then swept his 'perception' again. He scrutinized every inch of space, above and below. But to no avail! He grew anxious again. But he immediately forced himself to calm down.

"Think, think! What good is just being anxious?!""Think, if a Grand Void is making a move, what's the best thing to trap someone with?""...A Domain!"

"That's it, he must have opened a domain, just like Yi trapped me that time...""And with a domain open, a Grandmaster would be helpless. But I'm different; I've just comprehended the rules of space. Though unfamiliar, what a coincidence!"

Thinking this, Xu Xiaoshou pulled out his Spatial Origin Stone with a backhand motion. His spirit-type, all-attribute body was instantly pulled by the origin stone, entering a state of enlightenment. All the myriad great daos vanished at this moment, leaving only dense spatial nodes and countless spatial elements between the nine heavens and eight desolate regions.

"There it is!"

Not far away, a cluster of spatial nodes seemed to have been gathered, forming a massive sphere, encompassing hundreds of meters. —A Domain!

Xu Xiaoshou hadn't known before how the spatial node configuration of a domain would appear. But in his state of enlightenment, amidst the rules of the Great Dao, this place, clearly tampered with, was obviously his intended target. With the Spatial Origin Stone retracted, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes narrowed, and the murderous intent in them surged instantly, becoming uncontrollable.

Inside Xu Gang's camp, where a bonfire party was clearly underway, everyone suddenly felt a chill run through their bodies and became vigilant. However, the next second, this illusion vanished. Everyone discussed it briefly, sent more people to watch the night's guard, and finding nothing amiss, returned to their long-lasting banquet.

Xu Xiaoshou's entire deduction process took less than a few minutes. And just a few minutes later, no one was aware. Amidst the dark blue night, above Xu Gang's camp, there was now a completely invisible young man. Beneath the firmament, he slowly drew the sword at his side. The sword was black. It wasn't Hidden Bitter, but the Four Swords!

"I don't care what damned Dao-Cutting or Grand Void you are, if you dare to touch my junior sister, even Yama himself will leave your life with me!"