Chapter 936: Identity Exposed The Terrifying Intuition of Night Watch

"A secret..." Murong Ying softly repeated. He paused for a long time, seemingly hesitant about how to speak.

He hadn't noticed his teammate Wang Chao's subtle movements. For Murong Ying, bringing this "throne" wasn't about aid; it was merely to offer some warnings.

"Wang Chao," Murong Ying began, "I have a few heartfelt words I want to share with you..." Although Murong Ying was in the darkness, his voice was hesitant and lacked confidence.

Xu Xiaoshou frowned inwardly, discerning a different tone. Judging by Murong Ying's demeanor, perhaps this person didn't have the murderous intentions Xu Xiaoshou had initially suspected. However, Xu Xiaoshou didn't dare lower his guard, fearing that the other party was feigning weakness. So, adopting Wang Chao's voice, he said with a hint of pain:

"Brother Murong, it's just the two of us now. Please speak freely. It's just... your hesitation makes me very uneasy. Did I, Wang Chao, ever do anything to offend you?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" Murong Ying rubbed his hands, chuckled, and then did something that completely astonished Xu Xiaoshou. He leaned closer and said, "Remember what happened earlier? Weren't we both watching the battle from under that big rock?"

"Uh-huh?" Xu Xiaoshou nodded. "What about it?"

"Of course there's something!" Murong Ying's voice grew louder, and he scoffed, "You're not a captain yet, so you don't know how high Sword Immortal Rao's demands are for all squad leaders, big or small. If..."

He paused, glanced around, and seeing that there truly was no one else, he lowered his voice and continued:

"If Sword Immortal Rao finds out we stayed under that big rock for so long and only notified the higher-ups when the battle situation changed, there'll be trouble! That's already considered delaying a critical opportunity!"

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned by these words. He looked at Murong Ying with a shocked expression. *What time is it? Captain, how can you talk to me about this? Aren't we in pursuit of the enemy? Shouldn't the top priority be to capture as many enemies as possible? How can we waste time on such trivial matters? So, this is the kind of captain you are...* Xu Xiaoshou's perception was instantly shattered. He immediately relaxed his guard, feeling that his Four Swords would have no chance to be drawn.

"Say something!" Murong Ying urged anxiously, seeing that Wang Chao hadn't spoken for a long time.

Xu Xiaoshou's lips twitched. He knew it was time to play along, so he spoke with righteous indignation:

"Captain, what are you talking about? The reason we waited there was because we were confident that a single squad could handle them! The subsequent appearance of the Eighth Sword Immortal and Hades' Yellow Springs were unexpected circumstances. Even if..."

Xu Xiaoshou paused, then continued, "Even if you hesitated a bit before issuing the highest alert, Captain, it's understandable. After all, at that moment, my thoughts had completely frozen. It's truly impressive that you were still able to issue an alert!"

Murong Ying heard what he wanted to hear and finally let out a sigh of relief. His expression quickly turned serious. "Brother, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What?" Xu Xiaoshou was bewildered. *What did I just say? There wasn't anything important, just flattery...*

"Delayed communication!" Murong Ying said heavily, "You saw it too. The two of us delayed our communication, which resulted in Sword Immortal Rao not being able to arrive immediately, allowing Hades and the Eighth Sword Immortal to escape. This was a mistake, and a serious one. If it's discovered afterwards..."

He stopped speaking, a look of trepidation on his face. *It was clearly you who delayed communication, not both of us, and mine was just a one-way combat channel...* Xu Xiaoshou silently grumbled in his mind, then said aloud, "How could they possibly find out?"

He looked nonchalant. Murong Ying was indeed disoriented at the time, but the delay wasn't long, and the critical situation had passed. How could Rao Yaoyao possibly dwell on such minor details?

"You underestimate Sword Immortal Rao's abilities. Time-reversal or anything similar is possible!" Murong Ying, however, was deeply worried.

*Time-reversal? Does Rao Yaoyao even have that ability...?* Xu Xiaoshou looked doubtful. He didn't believe Rao Yaoyao possessed such a power, as her primary cultivation was in Emotion Sword Art.

Murong Ying saw Wang Chao's disbelief and chuckled coldly. "This concerns the Sacred Slaves and Hades. It will definitely lead to major problems in the end. So even if Sword Immortal Rao doesn't have time manipulation abilities, headquarters will eventually send someone to review the scene."

*So that's how it is...* Xu Xiaoshou immediately understood.

At this point, Murong Ying lowered his head again, rubbing his hands. "It's about this, brother, I wanted to talk to you about..." His voice trailed off once more, his face full of embarrassment.

Knowing Murong Ying's intentions, Xu Xiaoshou inwardly scoffed, already realizing that the fellow in front of him wanted to synchronize their stories. So, he continued:

"Brother Murong, when the Eighth Sword Immortal and Yellow Springs appeared, I was immediately controlled by an unknown mental force. It wasn't that I didn't want to warn you, but I genuinely couldn't move an inch! Presumably, you were in the same state at the time, brother?"

Murong Ying's eyes lit up. He exclaimed, "Ah, yes, yes, yes! That's exactly how I felt at the time, so..."

"So that's why we missed the opportunity!" Xu Xiaoshou interjected again, chuckling.

Murong Ying took a breath, looking Wang Chao up and down as if seeing him for the first time. "You're quite something, kid! You've hidden it well. How did I never notice how cunning you are before?"

"Heh heh..." Xu Xiaoshou chuckled dryly. "And haven't you, brother, also hidden many abilities I've never witnessed?"

The two looked at each other, paused, and then burst into laughter amidst the spatial turbulence.

"Scorned, Passive Points +1.""Despised, Passive Points +1."*Well, well...* Xu Xiaoshou glanced at the info bar without changing his expression, but inwardly he looked down on Murong Ying.

What kind of people are these? Among the Red Coats, there are actually those with such petty concerns? Fearing Sword Immortal Rao's blame, he specifically dragged his teammate along just to "align their stories," and only started speaking when they were in the spatial turbulence, where they couldn't be traced. With a major crisis at hand, he was still concerned with such trivial details... Xu Xiaoshou felt he had previously overestimated Murong Ying. He was ashamed of his earlier thorough preparations, almost drawing his Four Swords, just to guard against Murong Ying discovering his true identity and attempting to silence him.

So, not every Enforcer was like Rao Yaoyao. Not every Red Coat could exude the same overwhelming presence as Ye Xiaotian, even without reaching the Supreme Void Realm. In the vast Red Coat organization, he had previously encountered elites. Perhaps those like Murong Ying were the majority?

"Let's go!" Having finished their "important" discussion, Murong Ying finally remembered their mission, taking out a formation disc.

"Let's go." Xu Xiaoshou responded with a smile, allowing Murong Ying's spiritual energy to envelop him. Together with the teleportation disc, they left the spatial turbulence.

Area 42.

Enforcers launched a full-scale search, attempting to find more traces left by Hades and the Sacred Slaves. Nearby, in a dense forest, Lei Xier held Greedy God, observing everything from a distance.

Suddenly, a black-clad figure descended from the sky. Lei Xier's pupils contracted. She waited solemnly; this was clearly the attire of an Enforcer.

"It's me, Xu Xiaoshou." The Night Guardian's image clone, descending from the sky, immediately spoke, revealing its identity, and then got straight to the point: "My main body was taken by Murong Ying, Wang Chao's squad captain. There's no danger. He's currently planning to cross the spatial turbulence to search for traces of the Dean."

*The Dean... Ye Xiaotian?* Lei Xier understood. She had also been observing the battle from a distance, witnessing everything Xu Xiaoshou had done while disguised as Wang Chao. She immediately had no doubts and asked, "Do you need me to come over?"

"Meow." Greedy God also looked up and let out a meow, seemingly asking as well. Without waiting for a response, it leaped onto the Night Guardian's body and affectionately licked the image clone's cheek. This completely reassured Lei Xier. Only Xu Xiaoshou's spiritual presence would make Greedy God so affectionate, indicating that this "Night Guardian" was not an imposter from the Enforcers.

"Mmm." The Night Guardian's image clone nodded, picked up Greedy God, and handed it to Lei Xier, saying:

"Even though Murong Ying isn't much of a threat, he's still a Dao Slasher. I need your help. Of course, there's no need to reveal your identity yet; just observe the situation. I already know his destination. Follow me, and we'll find an opportunity to rendezvous later."

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Dean won't be foolish enough to wait for him at the exit of the spatial passage. As long as his search yields nothing, I'll appear as the Night Guardian's image clone, divert Murong Ying, and then I can make a complete escape."

Lei Xier took Greedy God, pondered for a moment, and then nodded. "Lead the way." With that, she followed behind the Night Guardian's image clone, swiftly departing the area.

Shortly after Xu Xiaoshou departed with Murong Ying, Area 42 finally welcomed the aura of Dao Slashers. One, two, three... In just under half a quarter of an hour, more than a dozen Dao Slashers landed. All the squad leaders, big and small, had finally arrived.

Rao Yaoyao attached great importance to the matters of Yunlun Mountain Range and Void Island. Essentially, she had already mobilized all available personnel from the Eastern Heavenly Realm, and even the Eastern Region's Sword God Heaven, as long as it didn't disrupt the Red Coats' core operations.

Ye Xiaotian, standing among the Dao Slashers, listened to the incident report from Zhu Mi'er, a member of Murong Ying's squad, and personally surveyed the scene.

*"Yellow Springs, the Eighth Sword Immortal, and another spatial attribute expert, possibly possessing spatial profoundness..."* Ye Xiaotian pondered, feeling a sense of disbelief.

*How could so many terrifying infiltrators gather here for no apparent reason? The others aside. Based on his understanding of the Sacred Slaves and the Eighth Sword Immortal these past few days, Ye Xiaotian felt that Sacred Slave Chief Ba Zun'an, who had secretly manipulated the Saint War above Yunlun Mountain Range and then left without a trace, had no reason to re-enter the fray so quickly. His style wasn't one to personally get involved just to save one person, was it? Could it be that the spatial attribute expert was also one of the nine chiefs of the Sacred Slaves, or a key member of the Sacred Slaves?*

"No..." "No!" No matter how much Ye Xiaotian thought, he couldn't believe the Eighth Sword Immortal would need to personally intervene to save one person. It was known that the Eighth Sword Immortal's physical condition was not good, and he rarely ventured into dangerous situations alone. If he wanted to save someone, it was far more likely he would arrange for the Storyteller to appear, holding the Eight-Character Command, and go to persuade. In that case, among the dark forces, who wouldn't give face? Why would he need to personally intervene?

"Spatial attribute..." Ye Xiaotian mused. He felt that the only person among the Sacred Slaves whom Ba Zun'an would need to personally rescue was Sang Qiye from the White Cave, and perhaps after that, only Sang Qiye's disciple, Xu Xiaoshou.

"Are you certain that spatial attribute expert was real?" Ye Xiaotian suddenly asked. He directly suspected that the spatial attribute expert was Xu Xiaoshou in disguise. As for the reason... There was no reason! If he had to stretch for one, whenever a major incident occurred now without an obvious explanation, Ye Xiaotian's first thought, "Xu Xiaoshou," became the reason. Didn't the chief of the Variant Department die in the Yunlun Mountain Range, with Sacred Slave Xu Xiaoshou allegedly involved and playing a crucial role? While this information was sealed off to the lower ranks of the Red Coats, among the higher-ups, the intelligent ones could figure it out without even asking. Ye Xiaotian not only thought of it but had his idea confirmed by Sword Immortal Rao. After all, he was the person within the Red Coats most familiar with Sacred Slave Xu Xiaoshou. Rao Yaoyao didn't evade his question but only made him promise that any information he gained should absolutely not be leaked.

Facing the senior, Zhu Mi'er appeared timid and replied earnestly: "I'm certain! At that time, Hades' leader, Yellow Springs, was about to capture that spatial attribute infiltrator, but the Eighth Sword Immortal intervened, breaking the situation and rescuing that person. After the barrier was broken, I personally witnessed the spatial attribute infiltrator flicker, leaving behind 362 spatial passage exits before vanishing without a trace."

*This indeed doesn't sound like something a "disguiser" could achieve...* Ye Xiaotian's thoughts paused. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him, and he realized something.

Near the Void Island rift, he had personally heard Sword Immortal Rao say: Ba Zun'an, outside the Yunlun Mountain Range, had split the void with two fingers, causing sacred artifacts to rain down like meteors. At that time, Ba Zun'an should have already emerged from the City of Sky. If he had set up the trap outside the Yunlun Mountain Range, why would he come in alone to save someone? Could it be that the spatial attribute expert was real, but Ba Zun'an was actually a fake? *Things are starting to sound a bit like Xu Xiaoshou's style...*

"Have any of you ever seen the Eighth Sword Immortal take action?" Ye Xiaotian asked.

Zhu Mi'er was startled, turned her head to recall, then shook her head and replied, "No, but Hades' leader, Yellow Springs, beat that spatial attribute infiltrator half to death, which shows how powerful he is. For such a powerful person to still show respect to the Eighth Sword Immortal, it suggests that while *we* might have mistaken someone, Yellow Springs... he probably wouldn't, right?"

Zhu Mi'er probed cautiously. She vaguely understood what Senior Ye Xiaotian was implying: *Could they have mistaken someone?*

Ye Xiaotian didn't respond, but in his heart, he absolutely disagreed with Zhu Mi'er's statement. If it was Xu Xiaoshou, the person this fellow wanted to impersonate could even fool the Varied Capital. Those who hadn't personally suffered from his tricks wouldn't be able to guard against a cunning fox like Xu Xiaoshou in advance. Hades' leader, Yellow Springs? The same applied! Ye Xiaotian had suffered greatly at Xu Xiaoshou's hands. He knew Xu Xiaoshou's talent for deception was almost at the Half-Saint realm. So, after a brief ponder, he said, "Give me a description of that spatial attribute infiltrator."

Zhu Mi'er immediately agreed, pulled out a jade slip, and used her spiritual sense to record what she had just seen. "White hair, short, spatial attribute..." Ye Xiaotian took the jade slip, swept it with his spiritual sense, and instantly analyzed the key information. As for "youthful" or anything similar, what infiltrator entering Yunlun Mountain Range would dare to manifest an old and decrepit appearance?

Someone saved by the Eighth Sword Immortal would undoubtedly have a connection to the Sacred Slaves, no matter how weak the connection, and even if the Eighth Sword Immortal's identity was uncertain... From this perspective, combined with the image of the spatial attribute infiltrator in the jade slip... Most importantly, very few people in the current era possessed spatial attributes, making the suspect's identity very easy to confirm...

Ye Xiaotian, originating from the Red Coat garrison squad in the White Cave, was different from Red Coats from other regions. He was more familiar with Xu Xiaoshou's background and his past connections. In less than three breaths, a figure surfaced in Ye Xiaotian's mind. This person had a startling, nearly 99% match with the information he had just deduced without solid evidence.

"Ye Xiaotian!"