Chapter 980: When the Fake Eight Respect Encounters the Fake Water Ghost...

Inside the water orb.

The scruffy uncle, leaning against a large sack, stared blankly at the scene before him.

A golden deep-sea giant dragon, hundreds of feet long, was charging towards him with lightning speed.

Yet, from the mouth of this terrifying giant dragon, words like "Save me, save me" strangely emerged...

The uncle fell into deep thought.

"Are there dragons in the Trial Official team? A Grand Void Realm dragon?

"Something's not right. If my intelligence isn't mistaken, there shouldn't be any dragons, right?

"It's being hunted? Yama's Water Ghost, what does that mean?

"Water Ghost...

"Why does that sound a little familiar?"

After falling into the water, the uncle maintained a calm, 'adapt to change by not changing' mindset, so he didn't break out of the water orb. Instead, he simply waited quietly. However, it seemed time was no longer on his side. If he didn't stop this dragon soon, even he wouldn't be able to withstand the force of its collision.

"Stop!"

The uncle stood up inside the water orb, hoisted the sack onto his shoulder, and calmly asked, "What kind of dragon are you?"

Joy instantly burst forth in the eyes of the Gold Devouring Dragon, which was Xiao Ren's transformed body. Without answering, he immediately turned his head and shouted, "He responded to me! He responded to me! You need to give me ten more breaths of time!"

The uncle: ???

What's going on?

Following the Gold Devouring Dragon's gaze, a faint figure could be vaguely seen far behind. However, being deep underwater, his spiritual sense was ineffective, so the uncle couldn't clearly see the figure. But this didn't prevent him from feeling a surge of anger.

How many years had it been?

Which powerful figure in the cultivation world would dare to ignore his face?

This was utter disrespect!

"Stop," the uncle said again, leaving no room for argument.

How could Xiao Ren stop? How would he dare to stop? He had finally gotten a response from a water orb, but this only bought him ten more breaths of desperate time. If he actually stopped to argue with that water orb, wouldn't it be tantamount to courting death?

So, the Gold Devouring Dragon turned its head without hesitation and was about to speed off in another direction.

"Ignoring me?"

The uncle's eyes narrowed.

The next second, his body shimmered, turning transparent and ethereal. He then grandly walked out of the water orb! Standing in the deep sea, the water pressure that even warped the Gold Devouring Dragon's body had absolutely no effect on him!

"I said... Stop!" the uncle stated coldly.

Within the deep-sea currents, a terrifying murderous aura, capable of freezing one's soul, instantly raged. Xiao Ren's dragon body trembled. He realized that the figure who had responded to him, whom he couldn't see clearly due to his spiritual sense being ineffective... Seemed to be a tyrannical master as well?

Yama's Water Ghost in the distance had already stopped, seemingly halted by that person's single command? This fellow was so startled he even forgot to count.

Xiao Ren's dragon body trembled slightly.

"Why am I so unlucky!" he thought to himself. At this point, he had no choice but to waste some time, turning his dragon head to look at the person behind him.

The sight shocked him: Xiao Ren saw that the man carrying the sack had already walked out of the water orb!

He walked out of the water orb???

"How is that possible!

"Aren't Yama's Water Ghosts the only ones who can ignore water pressure?"

Xiao Ren's dragon eyes widened, and he even had an absurd thought: "Is he also a master of Water-elemental profound mysteries?"

The uncle was naturally not a master of Water-elemental profound mysteries. Ignoring water pressure was merely a basic application of the No-Sword Art. Many things in the Spirit Refining World could be countered by the ancient sword cultivation path, as the ancient sword cultivation path encompassed countless Grand Dao principles. However, true mastery was exceptionally difficult.

"Come closer."

His underwater vision was too blurry, and the uncle had never seen a dragon in his life. He waved his hand and said.

"I don't have time to waste with you..." Xiao Ren was cursing inwardly, but the fact that the man could walk out of the water orb meant his strength was likely superior to his own. Xiao Ren couldn't resist. He could only urge his dragon body to quickly approach, not daring to waste a single breath of time.

The closer he got, Xiao Ren finally noticed the various small details he had previously overlooked due to rushing and panic. The man before him carried a sack on his shoulder, had a scraggly beard, eight fingers, and a sword scar on his neck... All these signs easily led to wild conjectures.

"The Eighth Sword Immortal?" Xiao Ren exclaimed, hardly believing his eyes.

How did this person also fall into the water?

Oh, right, he was on Solitary Sound Cliff earlier too...

But that's wrong! How could Yama's Water Ghost be stronger than the Eighth Sword Immortal and drag him into the deep sea?

Xiao Ren's mind was filled with incredibly contradictory speculations.

The uncle quietly examined the dragon before him. To be honest, his impression of dragons was still based on the phantom of the Demonic Emperor Black Dragon that had previously hovered over the 108 Realms of the Eastern Domain in the Yunlun Mountain Range. Other than that, regarding the concept of "dragons," the uncle only knew of their existence in "Dragon's Den," one of the Seven Severed Forbidden Zones; he knew nothing else.

"What kind of dragon are you? Where are you from? Why are you here? And who is the one chasing you from behind?" The uncle fired off all his questions in one breath.

"What sins have I committed! As if running into Yama's Water Ghost wasn't enough, I've now directly encountered the Saint Servant First Seat..." Xiao Ren listened to the barrage of questions and heavily closed his dragon eyes. Even with time running out, Xiao Ren still had a clear idea of the relative importance of the Yama member, Water Ghost, and the Saint Servant First Seat, Ba Zun'an.

"My name is Xiao Ren, and this is my dragon body, the 'Gold Devouring Dragon,' which I acquired through possession. I came here solely for the secret treasures of the Yunlun Mountain Range and the Saint Sealing Dao Foundation. The person chasing me from behind is a member of the Yama organization, codenamed Water Ghost," Xiao Ren stated, mixing truth with falsehood, revealing "everything."

Of course, he couldn't possibly say that he was here for Xu Xiaoshou's head. In the Five Regions of the Continent today, who didn't know that the Saint Servants had a talented young man named Xu Xiaoshou? To declare in front of the Saint Servant First Seat that he intended to kill the Saint Servants' most outstanding younger generation—wouldn't that be courting death?

"Xiao Ren..." the uncle mused.

Just then, a voice echoed from the far distance:

"Assassin Xiao Ren of the Three Incense Sticks, didn't you just tell this Venerable that you came for the head of Saint Servant Xu Xiaoshou?

"What's this, speaking human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ren's dragon face clearly froze in the deep sea. The uncle glanced into the distant blur, saw nothing, and had to retract his gaze. His expression also sank.

"Xu Xiaoshou?

"You came for Xu Xiaoshou?"

This clearly murderous inquiry truly scared Xiao Ren, making his legs feel weak.

"Senior, I didn't come for Xu Xiaoshou. It's this Yama organization member who wants to kill me; he's framing me!" Xiao Ren suddenly realized that accusing Water Ghost would only bring his death closer, but he had no other option than to fabricate such a tale.

"You said, who's framing whom?" As expected, Water Ghost's faint voice drifted over. His figure, like a ghost, abruptly appeared atop Xiao Ren's dragon head, directly seizing one of his dragon horns.

Xiao Ren: "#¥..."

The uncle finally looked up and saw the figure atop the dragon's head.

"It's you..."

The one who rode the waves and wielded the halberd in the Yunlun Mountain Range, the culprit who dragged him into these deep waters—how could the uncle not recognize him?

"Yama, Water Ghost?" the uncle asked, raising an eyebrow.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes, hidden beneath the golden mask, surveyed the familiar figure in front of the dragon, and amusement flickered within him. He knew this person all too well! However, Xu Xiaoshou truly hadn't expected Xiao Ren's luck to be so "good." He had originally intended to use Xiao Ren to spread the ill repute of Yama's Water Ghost, both to annoy Water Ghost and to slander Yama. Unexpectedly, Xiao Ren's first attempt at finding help directly brought him a great ally.

"Are you Ba Zun'an?" Xu Xiaoshou didn't answer, instead asking playfully with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

The uncle slightly lowered his gaze. Normally, he wouldn't tolerate someone not answering him and questioning him instead. But at this moment, they were deep in the sea, which was this person's territory, so he was willing to show some deference.

"Naturally."

Xu Xiaoshou's mind immediately recalled the real Water Ghost's self-introduction, and he could no longer suppress the smile at the corner of his lips. He asked, "If you're Ba Zun'an, how could you not know me?"

"I should know you?" The uncle was taken aback, his brows furrowed. He suddenly felt that the codename "Water Ghost" sounded familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before.

Xu Xiaoshou burst out laughing on the spot. From the time he was ambushed by Red Dog in Tiansang City and then saved by the uncle, he had firmly believed this was the Eighth Sword Immortal. It was only later, when the true Ba Zun'an appeared, and his actual appearance, demeanor, and objectives completely failed to match the uncle's, that Xu Xiaoshou suspected the uncle was merely an fervent imitator of Ba Zun'an, not the man himself.

However, all this time, he had remained unclear about the true identity of this sack-carrying uncle. Now, it seemed he could use the identity of Water Ghost to properly inquire?

"If I remember correctly, the name Ba Zun'an is rarely duplicated. Are you the Ba Zun'an who is the Saint Servant First Seat, the Eighth Sword Immortal, the Venerable of the Black and White Veins?" Xu Xiaoshou confirmed with a smile in his eyes.

At this point, Xiao Ren didn't even dare to move. He faintly sensed that some strange interaction was about to occur between the two individuals before him, but he couldn't predict what would happen.

The uncle's brows furrowed even tighter, but he nodded and said, "Indeed, I am Ba Zun'an! Are you from Yama? If I'm not mistaken, Yama seems to only target the Lei Family's Pupils, and has never had troublemakers like you?"

His implication, of course, referred to Water Ghost's blatant provocation of the Holy Divine Palace in the Yunlun Mountain Range.

Xu Xiaoshou, however, laughed even louder. He still didn't respond directly, shaking his head to himself, "Ba Zun'an, oh Ba Zun'an, if you were the real Ba Zun'an, how could you not know me? You're truly too 'smart,' forgetting even your own people. Do you have amnesia?"

Amnesia was something the uncle didn't understand at all.

But...

"His own people?"

Upon hearing this, the uncle was clearly stunned. The Gold Devouring Dragon, Xiao Ren, beneath Xu Xiaoshou's feet, felt his heart sink even further, realizing that things were developing in a bizarre and ominous direction.

Xu Xiaoshou finally stopped smiling, and with a serious expression, he said, "Hello, Saint Servant First Seat Ba Zun'an. Allow me to introduce myself. My true identity is the Saint Servant Fifth Seat, codenamed 'Water Ghost.'"

As his words fell, the deep sea instantly fell into dead silence. It was as if the deep sea was so cold it froze everything, creating two ice sculptures: one human-shaped, one dragon-shaped.

"Saint Servant Fifth Seat, Water Ghost?"

A clear question mark appeared on the uncle's face. At that moment, if they weren't in the deep sea, any discerning person would likely have seen fine beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

After comprehending, Xiao Ren's dragon body shivered violently, and he gasped out, "Impossible! Didn't you say you were Yama's Water Ghost? How could you become the Saint Servants' Water Ghost?"

"Is it only permissible for officials to set fires, but not for common people to light lamps?" Xu Xiaoshou said with a smile, looking down. "Did I tell you to speak?"

He twirled the Divine Sea Halberd in his hand, and the power of water was channeled through the imitator. Xiao Ren's Gold Devouring Dragon body suddenly felt an even more terrifying water pressure squeezing him, making his bones creak and his dragon scales begin to crack.

"Received Curse, Passive points, 1."

"Received Resentment, Passive points, 1."

Saint Servant Water Ghost... The uncle remained frozen for a long time before vitality returned to his eyes.

That's right!

The Saint Servants did indeed have a Water Ghost!

There was such a codename on the list he was given, but this person was too mysterious. The other nine Seats of the Saint Servants had made various moves in the Five Regions of the Continent over the decades, yet Water Ghost had only acted this one time, in the Yunlun Mountain Range!

The uncle finally remembered something. Because Water Ghost was so mysterious, and because Xiao Ren had immediately prefixed Water Ghost with "Yama," he hadn't been able to recall these details earlier. But now that the other party had revealed his identity, everything made sense.

Only the Saint Servants' Water Ghost would dare to act so brazenly against the Holy Divine Palace in the Yunlun Mountain Range. And only Water Ghost would be entrusted with such an important mission, pursuing the Gold Devouring Dragon Xiao Ren, who sought to kill Xu Xiaoshou, deep within the sea, right?

"I..."

The uncle was speechless for a moment. He could instantly confirm that the other party's identity was beyond doubt. But the most embarrassing thing was this...

As the Saint Servant First Seat, Ba Zun'an, he actually failed to recognize one of his own, the Saint Servant Water Ghost. Wouldn't this seem extremely unusual in the other party's eyes?

"Heh, ahem... So it's you... Long time no see, you look a bit unfamiliar..." The uncle's gaze darted around, glancing elsewhere. "How have you been, lately?"

Xu Xiaoshou nearly burst out laughing internally.

Still pretending!

With that reaction, if he had encountered the real Water Ghost, they would probably be fighting by now!

But the person opposite was a fake Ba Zun'an, and Xu Xiaoshou was hardly the original, true Water Ghost. His lips twitched as he struggled to hide his amusement, forcing out, "Long time no see? Didn't we just meet seven days ago? You were the one who asked me to carry out the plan to flood Yunlun!"

"Uh..."

The uncle was choked.

What was he to do? He didn't know this person; when had he ever offered him a plan? His gaze became even more evasive. He hadn't considered that if the other person were the real Water Ghost, he wouldn't be reacting with such teasing. So, he could only go along with it:

"Indeed, indeed...

"A day apart feels like three autumns. These seven days apart feel like twenty years, Brother Water Ghost... You seem to be in good spirits, haha..."

"Brother Water Ghost?"

"A day feels like three autumns, and twenty years pass in the blink of an eye?"

Xu Xiaoshou nearly died laughing at the uncle. He had completely underestimated how the uncle would react when his identity was exposed by "his own people." This was truly cringeworthy!

No longer teasing, Xu Xiaoshou's expression changed, and he sneered, "Confess now. This Venerable already saw through you; you are not a member of the Saint Servants. Since you still show some respect for the First Seat, state your name... If you refuse, this deep sea will be your burial ground!"

The uncle's subconscious reaction was that it was uncertain who would be buried.

But then he reconsidered: this was his friend...

Damn it, how did things turn out this way? "Flooding the Dragon King Temple" didn't even begin to describe it!

If they truly fought, neither side could afford to get hurt!

The uncle's lips parted, then closed. He wanted to speak but hesitated, glancing towards the Gold Devouring Dragon.

"Please, I beg you, don't say any more..." Xiao Ren's dragon body had been trembling continuously in the deep sea since the beginning, and now he even wished he were deaf.

But having heard so many secrets, would he still have a chance to emerge from the sea alive and fly into the sky?

Just then, he saw the sack-carrying man, who was a fake Ba Zun'an but whose true cultivation was still terrifying, suddenly look at him with a cold gaze, as if looking at a dead dragon.

Then, the man removed his disguise, transforming into a graceful and refined gentleman. He slightly bowed his head respectfully towards Xiao Ren's dragon head.

"This junior, Xiao Kongtong, the hidden Tenth Seat of the Saint Servants, greets Senior Water Ghost!"