Chapter 1670: Five Regions All Spread My Way, Xiaozhu from Xingjie Sets a Big Trap

He’s here!

This familiar feeling!

This feeling of being the center of attention, with the world revolving around me, where everyone is speechless and can only passively contribute to my value!

“Glorious!”

Holding Beibei’s face with one hand, Xu Xiaoshou’s burning gaze swept across the square on the Sacred Mountain, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Received suspicion, Passive Value: 468.”

High in the air, his gaze lowered, falling upon the Spirit Cultivators positioned at the spirit formation nodes on the mountainside and at the base.

“Received attention, Passive Value: 6445.”

Unleashing a world-engulfing aura that swept in all directions, his perception extended, then further probed the dumbfounded Spirit Cultivators below the Sacred Mountain.

“Received awe, Passive Value: 9999.”

This is the number!

Gaze, suspicion, fear, silent criticism, adoration, curses… anything! Bombard me all you want!

Divine relics and the like, their rule levels are too high; too few people can survive inside them.

It has to be the Sacred Divine Continent; it has to be returning home, this feeling of the world cheering for me.

Returning home in glory demands a grand display; without it, it’s almost as if you never returned!

Gazing at the wildly rising numbers in the passive value pool below the information bar.

Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he’d been injected with shot after shot of adrenaline, his entire mood soaring, soaring, and soaring higher!

He abruptly raised both hands high.

Beibei was almost thrown off, her neck nearly snapped, her lower body flailing.

Before she could recover, the man who held her fate by the throat behaved as if he had just returned from a shameful organ removal surgery performed off-continent.

In front of everyone on the mountain and below, he actually managed to shout excitedly:

“For a hundred generations, no genius like me has existed; for ten thousand years, no master will emerge again… World, please call my name!”

“Shout! My! Praises!”

“Shou, Master Shou?”

Feng Zhongzui, still in the barren mountains, carrying the master Mirror of Preaching, finally recalled the past of the mad human in the distant sky, a mere black speck like a star.

His image differed somewhat from what he remembered…

Master Shou became even more abnormal after his ‘studies’ at the God-Slayer Official’s Relic!

This ‘abnormality’ was by no means a ‘complimentary praise’ referring to extraordinary cultivation or combat abilities.

Nor was it praising Master Shou’s exceptional courage in daring to ascend the Sacred Mountain alone immediately upon his return.

It was simply literal!

Just abnormal!

Feng Zhongzui considered himself a very outgoing person.

On a regular day, he enjoyed making friends and could even grab a Mirror of Preaching and run to the Central Region, broadcasting whatever could be broadcast.

But at least he had a mirror in his hand, and the excuse that he was ‘executing a preaching mission’.

Master Shou had nothing!

He just grabbed a Beibei, and he could be this insane!

Was he trapped somewhere in the God-Slayer Official’s Relic, enduring ten thousand years without seeing another human?

Or was he corrupted by something evil, becoming so bizarre, so agitated upon his return that he no longer seemed like a normal person?

At one point, Feng Zhongzui felt that his strategy of ‘waiting for the rabbit by the stump,’ which he’d been employing here for over half a month, was a bit of a strategic misstep.

If he was already this deranged from the start, could the following events truly be broadcast?

The Battle of the Sword Immortals promoted ancient swordsmanship.

It wasn’t meant to invigorate the fanatics of the Southern Region’s Sinful Land, nor was there any intention of raising a banner for dark forces!

Buzz!

Just as he was pondering, a spatial profound diagram suddenly unfurled beneath that distant black speck in the sky, spreading for ten thousand miles and permeating the Dao principles.

“This…”

Not only Feng Zhongzui, but Spirit Cultivators on and below the mountain all gasped in surprise.

Among them were quite a few who had come from the Southern Region to watch the show.

They had previously witnessed Ye Xiaotian’s spatial profundity descend upon the Southern Region and had also heard the legend of Master Shou stepping on Jade City and successfully attaining enlightenment.

Now, seeing this…

“It truly is spatial profundity!”

“And according to legend, Master Shou’s spatial profundity was merely supplementary, not his primary path of cultivation!”

Then…

“I’ll risk it!”

Feng Zhongzui gritted his teeth. Faced with the dilemma of broadcasting a madman’s actions versus a genius’s battle techniques, he chose to broadcast both.

After all, genius and madness are but a thought apart.

I only care about transmitting the footage; what they learn from it is their business.

At least…

The regret of failing to capture the battle between the Eighth Sword Immortal and the Hua Sword Immortal back then absolutely cannot happen again!

Whoosh.

The Mirror of Preaching was flipped out, and activation was called for.

Feng Zhongzui suddenly felt that he was being watched!

Before he could react, in the blink of an eye, he felt the light and shadow before him shift, and the fragrance of osmanthus assailed his nostrils.

“What is this?”

Feng Zhongzui was never afraid of heights, but when he looked down, his calves trembled.

The Osmanthus Sacred Mountain Plaza, the Ancestral Tree’s Nine Sacrificial Osmanthus main body, the Emperor of All Beings in his wheelchair, the more than ten Half-Saints on the plaza, and the countless Spirit Cultivators on the mountainside and at its base…

All of them were fully visible!

All of them looked up at him!

How terrifying! With tens of thousands of gazes fixed directly on him, Feng Zhongzui was instantly intimidated into an introverted person.

He couldn’t imagine what a strong heart Master Shou must have had to let out such a shout in such a terrifying scene.

My neck feels squeezed…

Even breathing is hard…

Feng Zhongzui painstakingly turned his head, catching sight of Sword Immortal Beibei nearby, her face distorted from being grabbed.

And when he looked up again, he saw Master Shou, holding him!

Thump!

At that moment, only one thought remained in Feng Zhongzui’s mind:

Am I… flying too?

Buzz!

The moment the Mirror of Preaching lit up, what was broadcast to the outside world was a bird’s-eye view from the peak of the Sacred Mountain.

The Nine Sacrificial Osmanthus, the Divine Willow, the Sacred Sphere Hall, the Screen-Candle Grounds, the Front Mountain Plaza, the Rear Mountain Grotto-Heaven…

This perspective—even the mirror-holders of the Feng family from ten generations past wouldn’t have dared to dream of it.

Feng Zhongzui, holding the Mirror of Preaching, quickly shuddered in fright, almost cutting off the broadcast.

How many secrets of the Osmanthus Sacred Mountain would this expose?

If he really continued broadcasting, the moment Master Shou put him down would be the moment Osmanthus Sacred Mountain captured him and executed him on the spot, right?

But before he could act, a soft laugh came from above his head:

“Feng Zhongzui, from now on, you are my hostage. All your actions are compelled by the orders of the Saint Servant’s second-in-command.”

“The matter of today’s preaching will also be entirely the responsibility of the Saint Servants, with no connection to your Feng family.”

“Huh?”

Feng Zhongzui’s thoughts disconnected, unable to reconnect. With a tearful voice, he blurted out, “What, what do I need to do…”

“Broadcast me.”

“Broadcast you?”

“If I broadcast you, I’ll lose my life!”

“I can only broadcast secretly, from below the mountain; I absolutely cannot do it so openly…”

“Or, die.”

Summoning strength from who knows where, Feng Zhongzui, under duress, directly twisted his upper body, pointing the Mirror of Preaching at Master Shou, who only showed a side profile with a jawline so perfect it was almost unfair.

“Help!”

He frantically yelled into the wind, calling for help from the world.

Yes, for me, who must cooperate with Master Shou’s performance, the only path left is to try my best to act.

What a smart young man… Xu Xiaoshou praised the youth in his heart, then quickly released his grip and tossed him backward.

“Woah!”

The image in Feng Zhongzui’s hand shook violently.

When he recovered, he found himself confined within a transparent spatial sphere.

He took a step forward, and the sphere moved forward.

He retreated a step, and the sphere retreated.

He simply couldn’t walk out of this transparent spatial sphere.

And in front of the sphere, there seemed to be an invisible umbilical cord, with the other end connected to Master Shou.

When Master Shou moved, the sphere moved.

When Master Shou was still, the sphere slowly rotated around him.

“A perfect broadcasting perspective!”

Feng Zhongzui, as if a born Saint Body of Preaching, immediately realized that this could display Master Shou’s heroic posture and power from every angle without dead spots.

Even during the potentially imminent great battle…

“Wait, a great battle?”

If Master Shou was going to fight the Emperor of All Beings, could he protect himself? Spatial profundity couldn’t withstand the Sinful Evil Bow, could it?

Before he could feel any terror, Feng Zhongzui heard a cold reprimand from beside him:

“You’re finished.”

“Your Feng family is finished too.”

“Colluding with the Saint Servants, colluding with Xu Xiaoshou, what’s your name…”

Beibei’s voice!

How could Feng Zhongzui dare to accept such a grave accusation?

Before Beibei could finish speaking, he swiftly turned the Mirror of Preaching towards Sword Immortal Beibei, who was also on the other side, confined by Master Shou in a special spatial world, his face flushed with fanaticism:

“Sword Immortal Beibei, I’ve liked you for a long time! Many people in Feng Family City like you too!”

“After the battle ends, could you please sign my treasured sword with your Imperial Sword?”

Hearing this, a look of panic flashed across Beibei’s small face.

Her delicate body had been trembling and chilling with anger from Xu Xiaoshou, but she hadn’t expected this Feng family boy to be one of her admirers.

As the Mirror of Preaching turned, Beibei, seeing the bright light indicating ‘On,’ quickly patted her face, trying to erase the red marks pinched onto her cheeks.

Then she lightly smoothed her white skirt’s wrinkles with a small hand, gripped her Imperial Sword, and tilted it slightly backward to make the broadcast image more appealing.

Then she showed a side profile… a side profile could slightly hide the swollen flesh on her face from being pinched.

Finally, she slightly raised her chin and, in the profound and enigmatic tone she remembered the Seven Sword Immortals typically used, spoke sparingly and faintly:

“Oh? Is that so?”

Feng Zhongzui understood the Seven Sword Immortals perfectly!

When he used his mirror to forcefully control a Seven Sword Immortal, it was as easy as picking something up.

As the spatial sphere rotated, and the Mirror of Preaching simultaneously captured both Sword Immortal Beibei and Sword Immortal Shou, he had another flash of inspiration and said:

“Yes, I broadcast every single one of your Sword Immortal battles, except for the one with the Eldest Senior Brother in Canyue Immortal City.”

“Was that even something that could be broadcast…?” Hearing this, Beibei’s face turned ashen, and she nearly drew her sword to stab Feng Zhongzui.

Feng Zhongzui hastily held the Mirror of Preaching in front of him, hiding himself.

After Beibei bared her teeth and turned her head, seeing her ‘green-faced, fanged’ self in the mirror, she was startled back to her gentle self and nodded lightly:

“Good.”

Feng Zhongzui’s head popped out from behind the Mirror of Preaching with a grin, saying:

“But don’t be disappointed; my master Mirror of Preaching also re-broadcast that battle with the Eldest Senior Brother.”

“Now, the entire Southern Region… no, the entire continent has seen it.”

“I’ll chop you to pieces!”

The moment the Mirrors of Preaching lit up across the Five Regions.

No one had expected the ‘Return of Master Shou’ spectacle, awaited for over half a month, to appear so suddenly, without any prior announcement.

Even funnier was that Master Shou and the Emperor of All Beings hadn’t even begun fighting… Feng Zhongzui’s impromptu ‘Beibei’s mini-drama’ that he broadcast first served as an excellent warm-up.

And when the final shot froze on Beibei furiously chopping with her sword, but ridiculously zoomed in on her entire face, primarily highlighting the red handprint on it.

Everyone in front of the Mirrors of Preaching burst out laughing.

“What a Sword Immortal Beibei! Sword Immortal? Immortal aura? She can’t even maintain it!”

“That handprint was from Master Shou! My friend in the Central Region, who’s right there, just called me via communication bead to watch the Mirror of Preaching, saying Master Shou had returned—and indeed!”

“It has to be Feng Zhongzui; that familiar feeling is back! Everyone else’s Mirrors of Preaching broadcast rubbish; without commentary, who can understand ancient sword cultivators?”

“Precisely. Feng Zhongzui doesn’t even need commentary; just a zoomed-in shot and I know if he needs to relieve himself!”

“Chubby face, want to pinch…”

“By the way, when is Feng Zhongzui returning to the Southern Region? I still owe him a round of drinks at the Flower Moon House!”

“How can this Imperial Sword not cut through the spatial sphere? Is it that weak? What kind of spiritual technique is this from Master Shou? Beibei can’t even break through his blockade?”

Indeed, while her single sword strike was certainly meant only to vent anger.

But when the Imperial Sword cut through space, it felt like touching nothingness, and didn’t even cut through the spatial sphere confining her, Beibei hesitated.

“Space?”

“Swordless Art?”

Beibei’s eyes flickered with doubt and surprise.

From just this subtle sensation, she discerned many things about Xu Xiaoshou.

She even felt that for a fleeting moment, she had entered an illusion of a second world, as if she had also struck a sword with her mind, or touched a non-existent essence, her power displaced between reality and illusion… it also felt like it had been hidden!

“What’s going on?”

Beibei was somewhat frightened.

She carefully examined the spatial sphere that confined her…

This isn’t a spatial spiritual technique.

Is this a continuous offensive sword technique, with one strike containing nine great sword arts?

As long as Xu Xiaoshou lives, this sword art persists, and she, unable to escape?

“But that’s not right…”

Beibei, thinking deeper, felt a chilling dread. She stomped her small foot on the invisible space, which felt both ethereal and solid, making her heart pound even faster.

She was certain that while Xu Xiaoshou could have won their previous battle in Jade City, his mastery of the Eighteen Sword Streams of Ancient Swordsmanship was definitely not as refined as it was now.

Now, it seemed he had undergone special training at the God-Slayer Official’s Relic, perfectly integrating the nine great sword arts and eighteen sword streams.

Even his application of the second realm of various sword arts had become superb!

“That was the God-Slayer Official’s Relic, right?”

Beibei pressed her fingers against her forehead, lost in thought, and realized her memory shouldn’t have been tampered with.

Xu Xiaoshou definitely didn’t enter the Sword Tower, but rather Ran Ming’s inheritance ground.

“Hmm, Ran Ming, was he possessed by the Sword God?”

“Only after completing his studies did he gain the audacity to return and face the Emperor of All Beings alone?”

“Look!”

“Quick, look!”

Apricot Realm, Jade City.

In the sky, apricot branches suddenly outlined and intertwined, unfolding a massive scene of light and shadow.

The image projected onto it first revealed a long-unseen figure.

“Master Shou!”

“Master Shou isn’t dead?”

“Damn it, this little thief didn’t die in the God-Slayer Official’s Relic; the continent is in trouble.”

“Excellent, Master Shou is back! The Apricot Realm’s unification of the Sacred Divine Continent is just around the corner.”

Jade City erupted in clamor.

To this day, under the governance of Lord Li, nearly half the population of Jade City had changed their way of thinking.

They knew that even if Master Shou died, the Apricot Realm would only drift in various broken currents.

Therefore, they feared they would never be able to leave the Apricot Realm in this lifetime. Rather than stubbornly resist, it was better to surrender completely.

Becoming an external member of the First Tower in Heaven wasn’t bad either.

First, the Apricot Realm’s spiritual energy concentration was several times stronger than the outside world’s. Moreover, it was a newborn world, with extremely clear Dao principles, making enlightenment easy.

Upon surrender, one could also reside in Jade City’s newly planned inner city, enjoying many high-level benefits such as grotto-heavens, spiritual medicines, and weapons.

If one could pass the assessment and become a direct subordinate of Lord Li, there would even be opportunities to go outside the Apricot Realm to perform missions.

Although going out wasn’t necessarily a great thing…

Before Jade City was relocated, those who could reside within it were either wealthy or noble, all from large clans, each with sharp-sighted individuals.

Most of these people could see that the Apricot Realm was thriving, and Jade City was flourishing.

For the continuation of their families, they had to invest in this wave, whether they wanted to or not.

Because at this moment in the city, those loudly opposing Master Shou’s tyrannical rule were, conversely, some who were discontented with their lives but unwilling to strive, or former Red Guards and White Guards whose organizations had been disbanded.

The remaining major clans, seeing that Master Shou had moved Jade City and then neglected it, leaving only a very ‘down-to-earth’ Lord Li, had now mostly paid their respects and pledged allegiance.

“A superior who can allow us to live very well…”

This was the final conclusion reached by the various clans of Jade City regarding Master Shou.

And indeed, the true city lord, the master of the Apricot Realm, had only appeared once after relocating the city.

The rest of the time, he was like he was now, simply spreading a scroll in the sky, allowing others to look at him, praise him, and sing his praises loudly.

What’s wrong with looking at him once?

What’s wrong with praising him once?

Could it be that just by looking and praising him once, Xu Xiaoshou’s strength would somehow soar?

“Long live Master Shou!”

“Master Shou is brilliant!”

“Xu Xiaoshou, get lost!”

“Xu Xiaoshou must die! The Emperor of All Beings is invincible… Ugh, let me go, where are you taking me! Ah!”

The clamor in Jade City was split between two extremes.

In the Crystal Palace, Lord Li, who had just finished interacting with Xiao Wanfeng, put away the Void Sphere Box and the black windbreaker, his imposing aura receding, transforming him back into Li Fugui.

Li Fugui gazed at the scroll unfurling in the sky, watching Master Shou showcase his handsomeness from every angle without blind spots, and fell into thought.

He wasn’t pondering superficial matters…

What he immediately saw was that Master Shou’s plan, conveyed through Xiao Wanfeng, was far from as simple as it appeared on the surface.

He’s already out and making a spectacle; why would I still need to send people in?

So, could he then avoid executing the mission?

Not at all!

Not only did he need to send people in, but all actions, in every aspect, had to keep pace with Master Shou!

“Attendant!”

“Present!”

“Summon Xiao Qing to the Crystal Palace; Xiao Zi to the City of the Dying Pagoda; Xiao Lü to the First Observation Platform of Feng Family City; Xiao Huang to Canyue Immortal City; Xiao Lan to the Flower and Grass Pavilion… After landing, quickly enter the God-Slayer Official’s Relic. Those who defy this order shall be executed.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Summon Xiao Hong.”

“Present!”

“You, quickly go to the First Observation Platform in the Southern Region, find another Master Shou, and convey a message: ‘Little Li knows everyone on the Sacred Mountain; you can ask him. Please also instruct him on anything you need cooperation with. He has the Apricot Realm Jade Token ready at all times.’”

“Yes, sir!”

“Summon Xiao Hei.”

“Present!”

“You, quickly transmit orders to all major strongholds in the Five Regions to create chaos. I need every branch of the Sacred Divine Hall to be thrown into disarray, so that all the ‘Master Shous’ previously hidden can emerge simultaneously!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Summon Xiao Bai…”

“Summon Xiao Cheng…”

Li Fugui’s thoughts flowed continuously, as he systematically issued a series of commands.

He had a premonition that since Master Shou’s return was so assertive this time, he was undoubtedly planning something big.

For Master Shou, logistics might not be ‘sending charcoal in snowy weather,’ but if it could serve as ‘adding flowers to brocade,’ then Li Fugui’s position as the second-in-command of the First Tower in Heaven would truly be secure.

After instructing his subordinates, Li Fugui fell into deep thought once more.

Since Master Shou was planning something big, Ai Cangsheng would surely have a response. Their pulling and tugging might ultimately unleash something even greater…

Hiss!

Li Fugui suddenly drew a sharp breath.

A man who saw ten steps ahead for every one he took, he foresaw a great storm from Master Shou’s unhinged appearance.

“Is the world truly about to change?”

He murmured to himself, then, after a moment’s thought, pulled out a gleaming communication bead, pressed it, and held it to his ear.

He bowed at the waist, his neck recoiling.

Lord Li, dignified as he was, actually wore a fawning expression as he cautiously said:

“May I ask, is this Lord Bazun An?”

“Oh no, no, not Li Chengtian, nor Li Fugui; he’s dead… I’m Xiao Zhu, Zhu Sanli…”