Chapter 874: You Recognize Me?

Mist enveloped Yunlun, and darkness did not enter the homes. In the deep mountains, every animal cry struck terror.

When Mu Zixi ran out from where the Xu Gang had set up camp, her anger had actually subsided. She had only been joking about wanting the leader position of the Xu Gang; she wouldn't genuinely get angry with her senior brother over it. But she certainly had to feign some displeasure for a certain someone's benefit.

As she walked out of the tent, muttering to herself, Mu Zixi noticed something was amiss. Her Divine Demonic Eyes, with the passage of time and the growth of her cultivation, especially after breaking through to the Grandmaster realm, no longer required her to open them to use their power. Rather, when inactive, the Divine Demonic Eyes remained in a disguised and hidden state. However, all their functions were still active! Therefore, as soon as she sensed something was wrong, Mu Zixi became vigilant.

Her spiritual sense swept over most of the Xu Gang's camp, finding no abnormalities, but two new faces nearby caught her attention.

"A familiar feeling..."

Although Mu Zixi did not turn her gaze, the two newcomers she was observing were indeed the Saint Slaves, Lei Shuangxing and Luo Leilei. Before she had devoured the White Cave World's Origin Point, her Divine Demonic Eyes needed to be activated for use, and at that time, she didn't even know how to activate them independently. Thus, Mu Zixi could only faintly sense that these two people seemed familiar, but she couldn't recall where she had seen them before. After all, her eyes had not yet memorized their auras. Yet, that psychological unease made Mu Zixi pay a little more attention to these two strangers.

"Perhaps, Xu Xiaoshou might be in danger..."

Thinking this, Mu Zixi slowed her pace. However, during the entire time she ran from the Xu Gang's tent to get some air outside, those two individuals made no movements. Even Liu Changqing had been called out by Xu Xiaoshou to secretly protect her. Mu Zixi naturally noticed this situation. She wasn't truly foolish; she knew her senior brother's combat power very well. At that moment, she dismissed the matter, wondering if it was just her imagination... After all, her sixth sense was always being disproven by a certain Xu.

As she walked, Mu Zixi saw a figure standing on a distant mountaintop. That slightly slender back, obscured by mist and clouds, appeared indistinct. Based solely on such a back, in such a hazy environment, a normal person couldn't possibly identify them.

Mu Zixi stared, dumbfounded.

"Xu..."

With just one word, she stopped herself in time, her scalp tingling instantly. Xu Xiaoshou? Wasn't this figure exactly how Xu Xiaoshou looked when disguised as Young Master Xu? Although it had been a long time since she had seen Xu Xiaoshou's true appearance — the last time was a distant glance during the night battle in the Royal City. But even in this environment, Mu Zixi still recognized at a glance who the figure standing on the mountaintop was.

But something was wrong! A fool could tell there was something slightly amiss, right? Xu Xiaoshou was Young Master Xu. Young Master Xu was currently still in the Xu Gang camp, receiving those two familiar strangers, wasn't he? How could he possibly appear in his true form, standing so openly in the Yunlun Mountains... did he have a death wish?

"Who are you?" Mu Zixi immediately questioned him. She finally understood where her strange feeling earlier had come from; it must have originated from this person on the mountaintop.

The figure on the mountain slowly turned around. His expression showed no fluctuations, but every subtle movement in his eyebrows was identical to the familiar Xu Xiaoshou from Heavenly Sang Spiritual Palace. Mischievously charming, with a touch of handsomeness...

"What did you see?" the person on the mountain also asked, his voice and tone identical to Xu Xiaoshou's.

"I..." Mu Zixi felt a dizzy spell, and uncontrollably, she wanted to follow the other person's tone and speak the truest answer in her heart. But at that moment, her eyes felt warm, and a wave of heat surged through her mind. Mu Zixi instantly sobered up. That was the power of the "Divine Demonic Eyes"!

The Divine Demonic Eyes were divided into "Divine" and "Demonic" natures. The Divine power could allow the host to break free from all mental and spiritual shackles in the world. Furthermore, when cultivated to its peak, it could, in turn, trap the opponent with spiritual power, though Mu Zixi had not yet reached this level. The Demonic power... Mu Zixi understood less about this part. She only knew that the Demonic power was for offense, but every time she used it, it was either a borrowed power from "that she" in her mind. Or, if she was forced, "that she" had to act even if she didn't want to. Mu Zixi's understanding of the "Divine Demonic Eyes" was very simple: the Divine nature represented herself, and the Demonic nature represented "that she." She called herself the Divine Maiden and "that she" the Demonic Maiden.

Due to the mental control, the power of the Divine Demonic Eyes was passively activated at that moment. Mu Zixi knew that in the next second, her eyes would undergo a transformation. However, the identity of the person before her was unknown, and she absolutely could not expose her greatest secret to such a dangerous individual. Immediately, Mu Zixi forcefully suppressed the urge to activate the Divine Demonic Eyes for attack, holding back the black and white energy that was about to overflow from her eye sockets. Two streams of clear tears were thus held back, trickling down her cheeks...

This scene seemed to stun the person on the mountaintop. Mu Zixi pursed her lips, knowing the situation was unfavorable. Seizing the opportunity, she began to wail with a crying voice: "Oh, Young Master Xu, you actually came out to look for me! You won't even give me the leader's position of the Xu Gang; do you still care about me at all?!"

The "Xu Xiaoshou" on the mountain frowned. This was Yi! Yi, the Head of the Irregularity Department! The secret art he employed was called "Phantom Metamorphosis," a method of mental manipulation. It was completely different from the "Three Thousand Changes" technique used in Eastern Heaven Royal City against Xu Xiaoshou, which manifested as real human forms. "Phantom Metamorphosis" would only make people see the image of the person they most wanted to see in their hearts. Some of these images had never even been seen by the wielder of the secret art themselves, so Yi didn't know what the other party was seeing. Therefore, he could only assist through mental manipulation, making them voice their inner answers themselves.

For Yi, "Phantom Metamorphosis," combined with other mental secret arts, could sometimes make even Dao Slayers and Voidwalkers unable to escape the fate of having their secrets pried open. This was the fundamental reason why the Irregularity Department, among the Six Departments, had been able to survive to this day through unconventional methods. Because in this vast world, conventional interrogation methods were sometimes utterly ineffective against certain peculiar individuals. Only by fighting fire with fire could one truly succeed!

Yi naturally felt that using such a method to deal with a little girl at the Grandmaster realm was child's play. But at a certain moment, he still sensed something was wrong. The little girl down the mountain only felt controlled the very first moment she activated "Phantom Metamorphosis." Based on his extensive past interrogation experience, Yi could tell at a glance that from the moment the little girl paused after her first "I," she had actually used some secret technique to break free from his mental control. Because a person under mental control, even in the most abnormal circumstances, would not pause in their speech. At most, they would be frightened by what they saw or remembered, and their speech would become shaky. That was all.

"Amazing!" Yi smiled. He clapped his hands, leaned forward curiously, and asked, "I am truly amazed. How did you, a mere Grandmaster realm girl, manage to break free from this mental guidance of mine?"

With a whoosh, with just one step, Yi appeared beside Mu Zixi. He began pacing around the girl, murmuring to himself as he walked. "You are neither a disciple of a Half-Saint nor merely a subordinate of Young Master Xu. Even with extraordinary talent, you shouldn't be able to achieve this."

"Even the Saint Slave Xu Xiaoshou, when subjected to my mental control, couldn't break free instantly. He used Saint Force and Saint Images, secretly building momentum, and then caught me off guard to finally break through the shackles. You, however, managed to instantly break free!"

Yi stared intently at Mu Zixi as if looking at a treasure, marveling, "Among the younger generation, in terms of mental release, you are undoubtedly the strongest."

Mu Zixi felt her feet turn cold upon hearing this. "This Seat..." This self-address was synonymous with a powerful figure to her. What's more, this person in front of her claimed to have crossed paths with Xu Xiaoshou! Who was he? What was his cultivation realm? Why had he come to find her?

In an instant, Mu Zixi thought of her senior brother's scolding in the tent. She hadn't taken it seriously before, but now... *Xu Xiaoshou, I was wrong, where are you?*

"Not speaking?" Yi saw that the little girl in front of him was completely terrified but wasn't surprised. He stopped with a smile, patted Mu Zixi's shoulder, and gently said, "I'll ask some questions. I won't use mental control. Just answer honestly. I won't kill you or scare you, okay?"

That familiar voice of Xu Xiaoshou whispered in her ear, making Mu Zixi's hair stand on end. She didn't dare resist, only muttering a low "Mm." Faced with this situation, the little girl had no idea how to break free. She didn't possess any unparalleled intelligence. On the contrary, she was merely ordinarily intelligent, and even that was self-proclaimed. But ordinarily intelligent people just don't know what to do when faced with such strange individuals!

Mu Zixi thought of her senior brother. She began to try "empathy," wondering how Xu Xiaoshou would resolve such a situation if he were in her shoes. Soon, she gave up. She wasn't Xu Xiaoshou. She didn't have that kind of brain. But if she just persevered, and stalled for time... *I'm stupid! Xu Xiaoshou isn't stupid!* Liu Changqing was still protecting her. As soon as Liu Changqing sensed something was wrong, he would definitely send a signal to Xu Xiaoshou immediately. Then, with Xu Xiaoshou's intelligence, he would surely notice the abnormality at once and find his way here. *And then, and then...*

"Are you trying to stall for time?" Yi's gentle voice reappeared, completely disrupting the girl's entire plan.

"No, no..." Mu Zixi waved her hands frantically.

Yi smiled, "Then let's begin. I'll ask, you answer."

"Mm..." The little girl was almost in tears.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Mu Xiaogong, I was born in the Northern Region, my family was poor when I was little, wuwuwu, since I was young my mother always told me that poor families..."

"Get to the point," Yi interrupted.

Mu Zixi choked a little, wiped her tears, and said tearfully, "Okay, okay, because of my special constitution, Young Master Xu took a liking to me when I was very young, and then I became his maid, serving him until now... I admit, I was a little disrespectful to Young Master Xu, but you wouldn't go as far as to take on his appearance just to scare me here, would you?!"

Yi subtly raised an eyebrow, realizing that this little girl's mental fortitude was not simple. Even in this situation, she could still find ways to beat around the bush and stall for time. But he had seen countless such tricks.

"I said, we're not stalling for time. Tell me what's important, and I promise I won't lay a hand on you. Of course, if you try such petty tricks again..." Yi's gaze sharpened, and he said menacingly, "Who are you!"

Mu Zixi's head buzzed and spun again, and she instinctively wanted to reveal everything. But as her eye sockets warmed again, she immediately sobered up, squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and cried, "I told you not to control me, not to control me! How can you be so dishonest? Can't we just talk properly, wuwuwu..."

Yi was startled. This time, even being so close, he couldn't detect how the little girl in front of him broke free from his control. There wasn't even a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation... But! Instant release! Was she naturally immune to mental control?

"Well, I'll be. You are indeed not simple!"

Mu Zixi, like spilling beans, covered her face and squatted down, crying, "Don't mess with me! I haven't done anything wrong. You should go find our Young Master Xu; he can answer your questions too. Why did you come after me? I'm still just a baby..."

Yi's mouth twitched, thinking, *Is this girl a chatterbox?* He said sternly, "Precisely because you haven't done anything wrong, I haven't truly interrogated you; I'm merely asking questions... Stand up!" He pointed at the squatting Mu Zixi in front of him, and with a pull of his spiritual energy, the little girl involuntarily stood up.

Yi slowed his speech, returning to a gentle tone, and said, "So, let's talk normally... I ask, you answer, okay?"

Mu Zixi blinked her big eyes and suddenly asked, "Are you a trespasser? Did you sneak in disguised? What's your cultivation realm?"

"Guess?" Yi's eyes narrowed, and his expression turned slightly unpleasant.

The little girl, as if oblivious to his displeasure, said carelessly, "Then how about we fight? If I can't beat you, you can ask whatever you want; if I can beat you, will you let me leave? ...Hey, if I beat you, I guess it's my turn to ask questions?"

Yi's eyebrows twitched wildly. He finally confirmed that this girl wasn't stalling for time; her mind was genuinely a little abnormal, and her thought process was very problematic! He stood straight, and said in a solemn voice, "I am an examiner, at the Voidwalker realm."

"Ugh!" Mu Zixi's heart sank, her last sliver of hope vanishing. She obediently stood at attention and cleverly asked, "Excuse me, what would you like to ask?" A moment ago, she had genuinely considered fighting to test the other party's cultivation... After all, Xu Xiaoshou had once used similar methods to the person before her to scare many powerful figures!

Yi took a deep breath, abandoning his intention to strike. He wasn't actually afraid of the other party stalling for time. If the little girl in front of him truly had a problem, and was indeed stalling for time, and then revealed a crucial piece of information, that wouldn't be misfortune, but a stroke of luck. True experts were never afraid of schemes or tricks.

After exhaling, just as Yi was about to speak, Mu Zixi raised her hand first, "Um, can I make a request?"

Yi choked, "Speak!"

"Can you please change back to your own appearance and not use Young Master Xu's voice to speak to me? I'm scared..." Mu Zixi timidly poked her finger.

Yi smiled, then naturally conjured a straw hat, transformed into the appearance of Elder Sang, and put it on, saying, "I don't have a true appearance, I'm sorry..."

He did it without thought, but it meant something to her. Yi's words came to an abrupt halt. Because he saw that the form of Sang Qiye he had casually adopted, merely out of habit from dealing with the Saint Slave Xu Xiaoshou last time, the little girl in front of him, upon seeing his second disguise, actually had her pupils constrict, and her face filled with shock!

Yi only froze for half a breath, as if he had understood something. His eyelids drooped, and murderous intent glinted in his eyes. His withered hands shot out at light speed, directly gripping the girl's shoulders, and a voice, like something crawling out of the Nine Nether Hells, whispered in her ear.

"You... know me?!"