Chapter 612: Can the Old Man Make It?
As Xu Xiaoshou spoke, he noted changes in Elder Sang's expression. Seeing that Elder Sang raised his hand high, Xu Xiaoshou immediately retreated.
By now, he kept several miles away from that old man.
Both of them looked at each other from afar.
Being master and disciple, they were acting as if they were enemies who remained highly vigilant at all times.
"Stinky brat!"
Elder Sang turned from being angry to be amused. Noticing that Xu Xiaoshou was freaked out, Elder Sang put down his hand.
Certainly, Xu Xiaoshou's deduction shocked him again.
It was like what happened in the Spirit Palace last time.
His deduction was exactly accurate!
"How did he get this smart?"
Elder Sang was a little depressed.
He was trying his best to control this guy's growth.
After all, this guy was only in the Innate stage although he had the ability to fight beyond his level.
However, things were different when he had to face the Sovereign or Cutting Path masters. In fact, the current situation was very dangerous with the presence of Higher Void and the Seven Sword Deity.
It was impossible to fight beyond levels!
The right way that Xu Xiaoshou should do was to grow slowly.
However, for a troublemaker like Xu Xiaoshou, a controlled and gradual growth was obviously not suitable for him.
Perhaps he should try the other way round... Elder Sang thought to himself, but he remained expressionless. He said, "You sounded so awkward. What are you trying to imply?"
"I'm right here. Why don't you be frank to me?"
Elder Sang sounded as if he wanted to punch Xu Xiaoshou.
Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Elder Sang's lowered hand. Then, he rolled his eyes.
He obviously couldn't be frank to Elder Sang who was standing in a stiffened body, right?
He was afraid of being beaten up!
Xu Xiaoshou might be able to withstand others' attacks with his Master realm. But, that wouldn't be enough to mess with Elder Sang!
But Elder Sang's reaction was very clear to Xu Xiaoshou.
The old man covered up everything else except for the initial conversation. He didn't deny it but changed the topic.
With that, he had explained everything.
Perhaps, Xu Xiaoshou brought up the key point just now.
Elder Sang couldn't admit it directly, therefore he showed such a reaction.
"So, are you still hiding everything from me now?" Xu Xiaoshou asked carefully.
Elder Sang closed his eyes with a heavy heart. He stuttered and paused. After a long time, he finally continued, "What else do you know?"
Seeing there's progress, Xu Xiaoshou's eyes sparkled.
He took a few steps back and decided to throw out the chief question. He said in a serious voice, "Aje, you know him, right?"
"Yes," Elder Sang nodded.
Xu Xiaoshou heaved a sigh of relief.
"Aje, I don't know where you got it from, but it's sealed with two layers in Tianxuan Gate. Even in the face of a great enemy, you still refused to release it."
"This is the first-generation Divine Puppet created by Hallmaster Dao. It is obvious that you are not hiding anything."
Elder Sang's eyebrows twitched, blue veins popped up on his forehead.
Xu Xiaoshou's heart hardened, and he threw caution to the wind.
"Bazhun'an! It's the same."
"He's said to be dead for decades, but now he suddenly appears, that is indeed stunning."
"These so-called scams can fool ordinary Spiritual Cultivators. It has been a few decades, yet, even the Cutting Path and Higher Void have not doubted these."
"I got very confused. How is that possible? How did the Holy Divine Palace manage to fool the Cutting Path and the Higher Void?"
"I don't think so!"
"Maybe, Bazhun'an was once down, and everyone indeed gave up on this myth."
"But his downfall must be different from the real 'death'... Well, it could be the same too!"
Xu Xiaoshou paused for a moment and carefully chose his words to avoid provoking the old man in front of him.
The wretched saint crossed his mind. Xu Xiaoshou continued, "There are places that can lock up ordinary people... No, ordinary geniuses."
"But the Bazhun'an can dominate a generation. Could anyone be certain that he won't do something extraordinary?"
"For example..."
Xu Xiaoshou glanced at Elder Sang's frozen face and swallowed his saliva before he rephrased, "For example, he didn't die on the Abyss Island. He was locked up in a small place that could only seal the Innate stage warriors. He got the key and made an easy escape."
Elder Sang's mouth twitched.
He was shocked by Xu Xiaoshou's deduction. At the same time, he couldn't help but curse angrily, "Can you mind your words?!"
"Oh."
Xu Xiaoshou immediately changed the topic.
He didn't plan to get a positive feedback from Elder Sang. It would be unrealistic.
"Oh right, there's one more thing."
"I think the wretched saint hiding in extradimensional space crack of the White Cave must have been wandering around in his spare time. It's impossible to relate with the aimless mission you gave."
"Meanwhile, Bazhun'an and the saint must have met by chance in the White Cave. The two of them probably don't know each other. They probably haven't met each other before, right?"
"After all, they did not 'die' in the same place..."
"And there's more!"
Xu Xiaoshou gave up and closed his eyes. He didn't look at Elder Sang's expression and threw out all his doubts.
"As for the Saint Servant's ultimate goal, if one doesn't become a saint, he will become a slave."
"This definitely doesn't mean that he will become a slave of the Holy Divine Palace. Instead, he will become...the so-called 'Ghost Beast' of Abyss Island?"
He stopped talking after that.
The scene was dead silent.
"Gulp."
His Adam's apple rolled. Xu Xiaoshou kept quiet.
He heard nothing from the person beside. He could not help but open his eyes and sneak a glance.
That was a horrified old face!
"F*ck!"
Xu Xiaoshou was so scared that he covered his head and scurried away.
He completely blocked his "Perception" and dared not to look in front.
He stared into that old face as soon as he took a glance, who would be able to take that?
"Bang!"
As expected, he got kicked in the back despite trying to make a quick escape. Xu Xiaoshou stumbled and fell to the ground.
"I'm done talking. I'm really done!"
"What you want is nothing but justice."
"Everyone admires peace. This is a very loving world. There's no conspiracy or plan over hundreds of years, and there is no darkness other than what I said. That's all."
"Who doesn't look forward to a bright future?"
Xu Xiaoshou raised his hand to surrender, but he was still arguing.
He condensed all his strength to his back, in order to withstand the old man's terrifying powerful kick once more. However, he waited for a long time but there was no news.
"Hmm?"
Xu Xiaoshou raised his head in confusion and did not dare to turn around.
He unblocked his "Perception" and saw Elder Sang who was sitting with his legs crossed. He held the straw hat in one hand and rubbed his balding head with another hand. He kept sighing.
Xu Xiaoshou turned around and said timidly, "What's wrong?"
Elder Sang's expression was complicated. He ran out of words.
"Your hair is falling out. Stop rubbing!"
Xu Xiaoshou gave him a sudden tease. Only then, the old man turned around to look at him with a stiff expression.
"Do you want to die?"
"Threatened, Passive Points, +1."
"No, no..."
Xu Xiaoshou waved his hands and stepped back hastily.
Elder Sang sighed, "How did you find out?"
"I deduced it."
"How did you deduce it?"
"Use my brain."
"..."
Elder Sang's facial muscles began to twitch.
"Cursed, Passive Points,+1."
Xu Xiaoshou panicked. and said, "I used my brain indeed, I won't be able to deduce it with my hands..."
"What kind of crap are you talking about?"
Elder Sang roared, "I'm asking you, when did you come to realize and know so much?"
"Oh."
Xu Xiaoshou was so scared that he covered his head. Countless images appeared in his mind.
There was the Night Guardian, Lu Ke...
There was Caramel, Bazhun'an, the wretched saint...
There was also a series of miscellaneous information.
All these seemed trivial and not related to each other.
However, to think about it closely, there was a vague connection between all of them.
Perhaps there was more than one.
Xu Xiaoshou's heart sank to the bottom. Every time he thought of these, he felt heavy-hearted. It was so heavy that ordinary people could not bear it.
It was as heavy as a mountain that was on top of one's head.
When one was below the par, it wouldn't be that burdensome as if there were giants holding the mountain up.
However, when one achieved beyond a certain level, he would see a brand new world. He would have to cope with the new world and completely overwrite the old concept of the world in the past.
A new continent would have a completely new face.
The Spiritual Gods and ordinary people were clearly separated.
One would not be able to know the Spiritual Gods' world. The ordinary world was nothing to them.
The ones who truly know how things rule in the world were the Holy Divine Palace and the Saint Servant.
Xu Xiaoshou felt that he was trying to take a peek at it. At the same time, he was terrified of it and felt eager to welcome it.
"My brain!"
He sighed and said, "It's a long story, but it's better not to say it. In short, I used my brain. Sometimes, it's bad to be smart."
Elder Sang nodded unexpectedly. Neither did he get angry nor refute. He just agreed to it silently.
His disciple was indeed smart.
Xu Xiaoshou had an extraordinary way of doing things too.
Ordinary people's training methods would be restrictions to him.
It was obviously shown in his trip to the White Cave.
"Xiaoshou."
Elder Sang exhaled deeply, "I won't interfere with your decision. It must be God's arrangement that you've joined the Saint Servant. Your future path may be very difficult, but this is your own choice. As long as you won't regret it..."
"I regret it!"
Xu Xiaoshou interrupted, "To tell you the truth, I was forced to join the Saint Servant. At that time, I couldn't say no."
Elder Sang kept quiet.
He gritted his teeth. He was so angry that he nearly gave Xu Xiaoshou another kick.
"Erm, is it pointless to regret?"
Xu Xiaoshou was shocked and mumbled, "I thought you could do whatever you want and kick me out."
"Shut up!"
"Oh."
"Listen to me!"
"I'm listening."
Crack!
Elder Sang clenched his fists. Xu Xiaoshou's heart pounded. He said anxiously, "I'm really listening. I'm all ears. Well, there's nothing else I could do to prove it. If there's, I'll..."
As he spoke, Xu Xiaoshou came to an immediate stop.
Elder Sang suppressed his anger and continued on the topic.
"The matter of the Saint Servant is already a foregone situation."
"Yu Lingdi and Gou Wuyue were able to notice you. This shows that you've caught their attention."
"It's impossible for you to escape unscathed. Furthermore, it's impossible for you to get out of this being related to me."
"What I want to tell you now..."
Elder Sang paused. Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up. Was he going to reveal a secret?
"What?" He asked hurriedly.
Elder Sang said, "Being a Saint Servant, there will be a mission assigned to you. However, remember what I've told you."
"In this world, you can't trust anyone."
"Bazhun'an has his own path, and I have my own path."
"But anyone can be wrong. You can't trust anyone. The only one you can trust is yourself."
"Understand?"
Xu Xiaoshou was stunned.
He thought Elder Sang was going to clear his doubts. He did not expect such a simple statement. He was disappointed at once.
"What about you?"
Xu Xiaoshou looked up and said seriously, "I can't trust you either?"
Elder Sang's lips curled and his smile was a little scary.
"Try and see?"
"Eww!" Xu Xiaoshou shivered and didn't dare to answer.
Elder Sang said happily, "I thought you were smart. Then you should figure it out yourself!"
"You managed to see through things well, I can't be bothered to beat around the bush with you."
"Whatever you said is basically correct."
"But there is one thing that is limited by your current realm, vision, and experience..."
Elder Sang raised his head and pointed to the sky as he spoke.
"As the saying goes, the sky is the limit. You missed something out."
Missed out?
Xu Xiaoshou immediately raised his eyebrows.
Elder Sang told him about the prison cage theory while pointing at the Goose Lake during the night he became a disciple. He had never expected the reality would be so bloody and cruel.
It was exactly so!
Yet, he missed something out?
"What have I missed?"
Xu Xiaoshou asked, "Something apart from the Holy Divine Palace and the Saint Servant... Ghost Beast, Xu Yue Grey Palace?"
Elder Sang smiled but kept silent.
Xu Xiaoshou doubted himself instantly, "No, this is essentially the same thing. You mean, there is something else beyond the Holy Divine Palace?"
His heart palpitated.
Inexplicably, the joke that Caramel used to say flashed through his mind.
"Holy Emperor's punishment, Way of the Heavens' suppression?"
Elder Sang didn't reply. Instead, he stood up abruptly. Then, he put on his straw hat and looked into the distance with a solemn expression.
"He's here!"
Xu Xiaoshou was speechless.
Damn old man, you kept me in suspense at such a critical moment!
He had gathered most of the puzzle pieces up to this point in time.
Was Elder Sang fooling with him?
Wait, something's wrong!
Xu Xiaoshou was suddenly stunned.
Even Demi-Saint Dao Qiongcang couldn't speak his name directly. He could only be called Hallmaster Dao.
Then if there was a level like that, one that belonged to the Holy Emperor!
How could a mere Innate expert like Xu Xiaoshou comment about it?
Looking at Elder Sang's dark figure, Xu Xiaoshou fell silent.
The old man didn't deny it...
Wasn't it a good explanation?
"Who is it?"
Xu Xiaoshou glanced in the same direction as Elder Sang. His pupils constricted.
In his "Perception", a pale blue figure suddenly appeared. In the blink of an eye, it paused and stood in the void with a sword.
Gou Wuyue!
Xu Xiaoshou's heart was in a mess.
Shouldn't this Moonless Sword Deity be chasing after Bazhun'an?
How could he be here?
Did he change his target?
He glanced at Elder Sang, then at Gou Wuyue. Then, he looked at the extra-large scale Dragon Melting Realm coming out from the mountains.
Xu Xiaoshou suddenly understood something.
It turned out that this old man didn't come here to catch up with him.
The idle talk was just to pass time.
This old man probably helped him run away from Yu Lingdi by coincidence.
His real goal was to divert the attention of the White-Clothed and attract Gou Wuyue here?
At this moment, Xu Xiaoshou had mixed feelings that were beyond descriptions.
The image of the Bazhun'an covered in blood appeared in his mind.
Xu Xiaoshou knew that there must be a reason why the Saint Servant never allowed the Bazhun'an to make a move.
In this situation, Cen Qiaofu was held back, while the Storyteller and Haitang'er were not strong enough.
Then, the remaining one would be...
"At the end of the day, he is still the second-in-command of the Saint Servant. Even if they have different aspirations, they are on the same page."
"Sometimes, when one is unable to shoulder everything alone, he would have to face it by doing something he was reluctant to."
Xu Xiaoshou thought as he clenched his fists and followed.
Staring at the dark figure wearing a straw hat, he looked somewhat skinny and malnourished. His expression was solemn.
"Old man, can you make it?"