Saber Art Fused with a Chessboard

Looking at the progress bar in front of him, Xu Bai's lips curled up slightly as the last bit of progress was completed.

The progress bar on the chessboard was slower than he had imagined, but he finally succeeded, making all his hard work worthwhile.

When the last bit of progress bar successfully reached its maximum, pale blue smoke appeared in mid-air, coalescing into a line of text.

You have deciphered the Nameless Chessboard and grasped the Chess Skill.

The text appeared and then disappeared quickly, but then a new change occurred.

Xu Bai was very familiar with the new changes; this was the beginning of the integration.

Sure enough, as soon as he thought that, the new words came together again.

[Mergeable options found, currently in process.]

[Severing Break Four Styles + The Chess Skill = Chess Saber Four Styles]

[Merger successful!]

Xu Bai: "..."

What's with this strange sense of déjà vu?

He had seen a TV series before that seemed to combine chess and swordsmanship. Now his swordsmanship and chess have become a unified whole, and he feels like he's really made a profit.

With that thought in mind, the latest attribute panel reappeared.

[Name: Xu Bai]

[Realm Level: Fourth Rank Loose Cultivator.]

[Chess Saber Four Styles (Tier 6): Max Level.]

[Inverted Purple Firmament Gale Wind Yin Yang Break (Tier 6): Max Level.]

[Returning Wind Flowing Snow (Tier 5): Max Level.]

[Movement-Armor Break Second Revolution (Tier 4): Max Level.]

[Cosmic Shift (Tier 4): Max Level]

[Vajra Heart Demon Body (Tier 4); Max Level.]

[Strengthening Kidney Gathering Art (Tier 5): Max Level.]

[Hundred Poisons True Explanation (Tier 3): Max Level.]

[Paper Art Essence (Tier 5): Max Level]

[Undying Body (Fragment) (Tier 5): Max Level.]

[Machinery Secret Technique (Tier 5): Max Level.]

[Comprehension: Max level.]

A flood of information overwhelmed Xu Bai, who gripped the Black Saber Hundred Rends in his hand, savoring the information in his mind.

First of all, this is a sixth-tier skill, which corresponds to a fourth-rank level.

Compared to fifth-tier skills, this is a qualitative improvement, whether in terms of power or other aspects, it is incomparable.

Secondly, it still retains the armor-piercing and serious injury effects of the Severing Break Four Styles. Not only that, but it also has an additional characteristic: Xu Bai draws the Black Saber Hundred Rends from his waist and swings it at the air next to him.

With the continuous surge of True Yuan Power, the Black Saber Hundred Rends shattered into fragments that filled the room the next moment.

The fragments, like a sky full of stars, surrounded Xu Bai and protected him.

If anyone were here, they would notice that Xu Bai is quite different from before.

When Xu Bai used this move before, all the fragments were scattered. Even when he used the Breaking Blade Technique, the fragments he brought up were still scattered.

Even the Returning Wind Flowing Snow technique is just a hidden weapon technique.

Although the two can be cleverly combined, they are ultimately different things.

But things are different now.

After being upgraded to the Four Forms of Yi Dao, each of these fragments travels along a wondrous trajectory when used, as if each fragment were a sword in itself.

This is no longer a concealed weapon, but has become a sword technique.

The Returning Wind Flowing Snow" technique has become merely a method for controlling these fragments.

Compared to the Severing Break Four Styles, the Four Forms of Yi Dao are on a completely different level.

Xu Bai swung his sword again, and all the fragments came together, then scattered again.

All the fragments seemed to possess a spirit, displaying all the wonders of the four styles of Yi Dao in mid-air.

These are hundreds of fragments, each containing the moves of the four styles of Yi Dao. If used against an enemy, it would be an absolutely hellish experience.

"Clang!"

Xu Bai sheathed his sword, leaned back in his recliner, and began to work on an Nameless Saber Scripture.

Now, there are still eighteen volumes of the Nameless Saber Scripture left. Xu Bai doesn't know if he can finish them before Upper Capital, but he'll finish one volume at a time.

Time slowly passed, and Xu Bai watched the progress bar grow, getting stuck in a tedious loop.

The next day.

Xu Bai got up early, stretched, packed his bag, and after making sure nothing was left behind, he leaned on the hilt of the Black Saber Hundred Rends and went outside.

Two pretty maids were standing outside the door.

They were arranged by the Prefect Zhou. If Xu Bai needed anything, he could just have them inform him, saving Xu Bai time.

"Lord Xu." The maid bowed when she saw Xu Bai come out, revealing a youthful curve from his waist down.

Xu Bai was already used to this.

Except for a few maids, most of the maids did not mind showing these things in front of Xu Bai.

In the maid's mind, this young man was on par with the prefect, and since he was also single, many people had designs on him.

If we could catch the eye of this esteemed person, we would truly rise to the top and become a phoenix.

In other words, the Great Chu Kingdom were simple and honest, and these maids would at most show themselves off through their clothes.

If it were in my previous life, I'm afraid all sorts of exaggerated styles would have appeared.

Xu Bai remained unmoved and said, "Please inform Lord Zhou that I am leaving today."

What a joke! How could Xu Bai possibly make a move?

Liu Xu, Chu Yu, Qing Xue —each of them possessed unparalleled beauty. He said he would beat them to tears, and he did.

Without any hesitation.

Oh, no, I haven't seen what Liu Xu look like yet; they've always been veiled in mystery.

But judging by her figure, she can't be ugly.

Now that I have the Black Saber Hundred Rends, one strike will definitely make them cry.

Xu Bai thought to himself with pride, and couldn't help but touch the hilt of the Black Saber Hundred Rends, which made him even more fond of it.

What a fine knife! Women are nothing compared to the fun of a knife.

When the maid heard Xu Bai say this, a look of regret appeared in her eyes, but she didn't dare to say anything more and quickly took her leave.

Xu Bai didn't linger and walked straight towards the main gate.

Upon arriving at the main gate, Prefect Zhou was already waiting there.

"Lord Xu, as you said, I did not tell the Prefect of the Pottery Earth Prefecture that you were coming," Prefect Zhou said to Xu Bai.

Xu Bai did not want to get involved in other matters on this trip.

The Prefect Zhou alright; there was nothing about him that he disliked, especially since he had a relationship with Yun Zihai, and they actually got along quite well.

There's no guarantee that the other prefect will do the same, so it's better to work independently.

"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Zhou." Xu Bai smiled and said, "If this trip to the Upper Capital is successful, His Majesty will surely know about the battle at Purple Wood Prefecture. When Lord Zhou gets promoted and made a fortune, don't forget me."

The Prefect Zhou quickly said, "Lord Xu, you flatter me. You are the talent His Majesty hopes for. By the way, these changes of clothes were bought by someone I had over the past few days. I have a tailor in my household who can tell at a glance what Lord Xu are made of. Lord Xu can change into them."

A bundle was handed over.

Xu Bai opened it and found it contained a lot of clothes.

The materials looked expensive, and both the style and color suited Xu Bai's taste perfectly.

This is what it means for a rich kid to become an official.

In comparison, Yun Zihai was rather shabby.

Of course, in terms of future prospects, Yun Zihai is far superior to Prefect Zhou.

After all, it was the first autonomous prefecture, and in terms of power, it was already beyond the reach of the Prefect Zhou.

"You've gone to so much trouble, Lord Zhou," Xu Bai said with a smile. "In that case, I'll take my leave."

"The manor is busy, so I won't see you off," Prefect Zhou. "Someone, bring the horse."

A servant led Xu Bai's fast horse and respectfully handed it to Xu Bai.

Xu Bai took it, mounted his horse, and bowed, saying, "Farewell."

"Have a safe journey!" Prefect Zhou also bowed.

The swift horse galloped away, disappearing quickly into the corner of the street.

Prefect Zhou watched Xu Bai's figure disappear, he thought to himself, "Brother Yun's judgment is impeccable. Lord Xu's Upper Capital this time may change quite a bit..."

Xu Bai had no idea what Prefect Zhou was thinking. He had already left the Purple Wood Prefecture and was traveling at high speed along the route of the Shadow Courier Station.

Having just left the Purple Wood Prefecture, there was no need to rest along the way. He made the most of the time, taking advantage of the good daylight to cross as many Shadow Courier Station as possible so that he could reach the next place sooner.

The journey was much safer than before; he didn't see anything unusual around him, and no one came to stop him.

Without any obstacles or abnormalities, Xu Bai was able to proceed without hindrance.

As night approached, he would find a place to rest, and then continue his journey during the day. After several days of this, he had almost run out of supplies, so he took a fast horse and headed to Shadow Courier Station.

When Xu Bai arrived, he found that the Shadow Courier Station was much smaller than before. It did not belong to the Prefecture Shadow Courier Station, but to the Dao Shadow Courier Station.

Within the Jing Prefecture, Prefecture, Province, and Circuit, the Circuit is the smallest unit, followed by the County. However, the County is not included in the Circuit, although it is also considered a Circuit, albeit with a smaller scope.

The Shadow Courier Station was much smaller, and there weren't many Courier Folk coming and going. Xu Bai found a spot, bought some supplies from Courier Folk, and prepared fodder for his fast horse. He fed the horse first and then ate inside the Shadow Courier Station.

The postmaster would provide food, but the taste wasn't very good.

Having money but not needing to cut back on certain things, Xu Bai naturally wanted to eat better.

While they ate, the Courier Folk around them chatted idly, since there was nothing else to do. Apart from Xu Bai, there were no other travelers passing by.

Xu Bai treated it as entertainment, listening and eating slowly at the same time.

"Have you heard? There have been many murders on those roads ahead."

"I've not only heard of it, I've seen it too. You know, right? It's along this road that leads all the way to the Pottery Earth Prefecture. I saw a young man cleaning up a corpse."

"That's right, it's said that those corpses were riddled with holes and died in extremely gruesome ways."

Xu Bai had originally intended to just listen to this for fun, but when he heard these words, he couldn't help but frown.

According to what this group of people said, there were many corpses all the way from here to the Pottery Earth Prefecture, and they were all murdered.

Most importantly, these corpses died in a gruesome manner, their bodies riddled with holes.

Under what circumstances can something be pierced through a thousand holes?

Xu Bai unconsciously thought of the Twelve Sword Formation corpses he had seen at the Purple Wood Prefecture.

The corpses were all pierced by Iron Beads, their bodies covered in countless wounds, making them look extremely horrifying.

Without realizing it, he superimposed the two scenarios.

Thinking of this, Xu Bai finished the rest of his food in a few bites and went to the Courier Folk he had been chatting with earlier.

"Here, take it."

A piece of silver flew across the path and landed in the hand of one of the Courier Folk.

The man looked blank, but when he looked down at the loose silver in his hand, he quickly pocketed it.

"Hero, is there anything I can do for you?" the Courier Folk asked obsequiously.

Money makes things easier; that principle applies in any era.

"You said you've seen him before, describe to me what he looked like," Xu Bai said calmly.

The Courier Folk was slightly taken aback, but quickly realized what he meant and hurriedly asked, "You mean... the person who committed the murder?"

Xu Bai nodded.

The Courier Folk mentally processed the scene and said, "It was a man, not tall, and the most obvious thing about him was a scar on his face, which ran from his brow bone to his chin. It looked terrifying. When I saw him, he didn't lay a hand on me, and he didn't even look at me before leaving."

"Oh?" Xu Bai stroked his chin and asked again, "Was it done with Iron Beads to kill them?"

The Courier Folk nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, it was Iron Beads that were used. He was cleaning up the scene at the time and had wiped away all the traces."

"Good."

Having clarified what he wanted, Xu Bai stopped wasting words, turned around, mounted his horse, and left Shadow Courier Station.

They came in a hurry and left in a hurry, leaving behind a group of bewildered Courier Folk.

After questioning, Xu Bai finally understood that the other party was indeed the one who killed the Twelve Sword Formation.

"No wonder, I was wondering why we had such a smooth journey."

Along the way, there wasn't even a single person who tried to probe them; now it seems they were all killed by that person.

"He's actually helping me. What does that mean?" Xu Bai wondered to himself.

The clues we have so far are too few to make sense, but Xu Bai knows that he needs to change his current way of traveling.

In the past, I would grind the progress bar while traveling and then grind it again while resting at night, but now it seems that this order needs to be changed.

Since the other party is helping him get rid of the people blocking his way, he might as well disrupt the time difference and maybe run into them.

"Let's see what happens after we meet," Xu Bai decided in his heart, and continued riding at full speed.

Time passed slowly, and before we knew it, it was night.

That night, Xu Bai didn't stop, but continued on his way, wanting to see who was secretly helping him.

Riding swiftly, they covered a considerable distance in the blink of an eye. Then, Xu Bai noticed something unusual.

The night should be peaceful, with only the chirping of insects and birds, and the boundless darkness.

But at this moment, apart from the tranquil night, Xu Bai heard extra sounds.

"Clang!"

"Boom!"

The sounds of fighting and booming echoed through the night, faint yet exceptionally clear in the otherwise tranquil environment.

"The main event is finally here."

Xu Bai's lips curled into a strange smile as he spurred his horse and galloped toward the source of the sound...

At this moment, a fierce battle was taking place in a forest not far from Xu Bai.

A dozen or so Masked Man were gathered together, surrounding a young man.

The young man was of average appearance and wore tattered clothes.

The only unusual thing about him is the scar on his face.

The scar started at the brow bone and extended all the way to the chin, looking extremely gruesome.

The young man carried a Wooden Box on his back, with two small holes cut around the corners of the Wooden Box.

As the young man placed his hand on the small hole, it automatically dispensed a large number of beads, just enough for a handful.

This Wooden Box was clearly made using a clever mechanism.

The young man remained silent, and with each move he made, a burst of iron beads rose up, blotting out the sky.

The group of Masked Man dodged and weaved through the Iron Beads, while the ground was littered with corpses, numbering more than thirty.

At this moment, the young man was also injured, with a huge wound on his shoulder that was still bleeding profusely.

"Boy, your hidden weapons are extremely skillful, but they are still just hidden weapons. Putting them out in the open is just courting death, isn't it?" A Masked Man spoke up. "We have no grudges against you in the past or present, yet you come to obstruct us. Could you be Xu Bai's lackey?"

After saying this, the young man did not reply, but instead raised a handful of Iron Beads and threw them at the Masked Man who had spoken.

But at this moment, the young man seemed to be getting weaker, exhausted after a series of fierce battles.

Although the thrown Iron Beads covered the sky, their force was not as great as before, and they were easily knocked down.

The Masked Man exchanged glances and then charged at the young man.

"He's done for, everyone. Let's take care of this guy blocking our way before dealing with Xu Bai!"

"He killed so many of our brothers, we'll give him a cruel death later."

"Attack with all your might! Judging by Xu Bai's pace, he'll arrive tomorrow. Let's not leave any trouble behind!"

The group shouted and attacked the young man.

The young man kept his mouth tightly shut, his face pale, but he remained silent, mechanically reaching his hand into the Wooden Box behind him.

The people sent to attack Xu Bai were all highly skilled.

If they're not experts, sending them over would just be sending them to their deaths.

The young man's hidden weapons were adept at surprise attacks, just like the Twelve Sword Formation that killed him that day, leaving him unable to retaliate.

Just as Song De said before, if things were brought out into the open, the outcome would be uncertain.

This young man is extremely capable, having killed over thirty people.

But now, he is exhausted.

Seeing the people rushing towards him, the young man decided to make one last desperate attempt.

Just as they were about to get close, a voice rang out from the surroundings.

"Oh, so you're here to kill me."

When that voice rang out, everyone present stopped.

The young man looked on in astonishment and turned his head in surprise. He saw Xu Bai carrying the Black Saber Hundred Rends, crossing over from a distance and arriving in front of him in the blink of an eye.

The Black Saber Hundred Rends was already drawn, its surface gleaming with a dark light, appearing exceptionally chilling under the moonlight.

"It's Xu Bai, run!"

This group of people were intelligent enough to know that they were no match for each other under these circumstances, so after shouting, they prepared to turn around and leave.

But before they could speak, Xu Bai spoke again.

"If you guys get away, how am I supposed to survive in the underworld after this?"

As the voice faded, Xu Bai's True Yuan Power began to surge, flowing along the Black Saber Hundred Rends.

The next moment, the Black Saber Hundred Rends into countless fragments, shrouded in dark light and fierce winds.

Xu Bai swung his right hand horizontally, unleashing the four moves of the Yi Dao technique.

Having reached the sixth rank, the power of the Yi Dao Four Forms is naturally incomparable to what it was before.

All the fragments flew out together, each fragment having its own independent operating mode, which is the so-called operating mode, the four styles of Yi Dao.

What would it be like if over a hundred fragments were used simultaneously to unleash the four forms of the Yi Dao technique? Xu Bai remained standing in place, a gentle breeze lifting his clothes in an arc.

Although he didn't move, the Black Saber Hundred Rends surged into the crowd like a raging flood.

Knowing they could no longer run, the Masked Man turned around to prepare to defend themselves.

But the next moment, they realized something was wrong.

Shouts rose and fell.

"Damn it, why are these fragments so strange!"

"It doesn't look like a hidden weapon, it looks more like a knife!"

"Each fragment can perform sword techniques on its own. What kind of weapon is this?!"

These sounds lasted only a moment; the next instant, everyone present was pierced by the fragments, and no one survived.

There's no point in keeping them around. Since they're here to assassinate me, they must all be deadly assassins. I won't get anything out of them anyway, and it's just a waste of time.

Xu Bai sheathed his sword, and the countless fragments reassembled into the Black Saber Hundred Rends.

From beginning to end, Xu Bai didn't even move an inch, and everyone present was gone.

He turned his gaze to the young man and said calmly, "Name, background."

The person who killed the Twelve Sword Formation was found at the Purple Wood Prefecture that day.

If it weren't for the fact that this man didn't seem to be an enemy, Xu Bai would have already sent him down.

Then, as soon as Xu Bai uttered those words, the young man made a move.

The young man knelt down and kowtowed three times to Xu Bai. When he raised his head again, his face was covered in tears. "Thank you, Lord Xu, for saving my life."

His voice was hoarse, but it was still audible.

"Why are you crying?" Xu Bai asked, frowning.

At first, the person who persisted despite being attacked by so many people was now inexplicably crying, which Xu Bai found very strange.

Even when facing so many people and in a life-or-death situation, this young man didn't even flinch, but now he's shedding tears? This extreme contrast naturally evokes a very contradictory feeling.

No matter how you look at it, something just doesn't seem right.

"I cry because my great revenge has been fulfilled, and I cry because of my benefactor." The young man wiped away his tears and said slowly when he heard Xu Bai's question.

His voice was still hoarse, as if his throat was injured, and he was struggling to say those words.

"I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, you can explain it to me in a moment." Xu Bai glanced at the sky; it was already too late, and not suitable for traveling, so he decided to listen to what the young man had to say first.

This is a good opportunity to take a look and see if there are any clues.

With that in mind, Xu Bai found a tree, leaned against it lazily, and waited for the young man's explanation.

However, his hand never left the Black Saber Hundred Rends. Clearly, he had not let his guard down and would draw his blade immediately if the young man made any unusual move.

The young man was slightly taken aback, then remembered that Xu Bai had said he would only give him one incense stick's time, so he quickly began to explain.

"My name is Shen He. I come from the Flying Crane Pavilion and am the last descendant of the Flying Crane Pavilion. Flying Crane Pavilion is skilled in the art of hidden weapons. I am a master of hidden weapons, but in the end, the whole family was wiped out."

"Flying Crane Pavilion comes from the Great Feng Kingdom. Since Great Feng Kingdom, it has been one of the top powers. However, with the rise of the Great Chu Kingdom, Great Feng Kingdom is in danger. The trades and traditions within the Great Feng Kingdom were temporarily conscripted to fight against the Great Chu Kingdom."

"But the Great Chu Kingdom was simply too strong. Soon, these armies composed of Jianghu people collapsed."

"Later, when the Great Chu Kingdom dealt with the Frontier Barbarians and the Great Yue Kingdom, it once again followed the approach of the Great Feng Kingdom and used Jianghu people."

At this point, the young man paused briefly, his emotions highly unstable.

Seemingly recalling some unpleasant moments, he clenched his fists and breathed heavily.

After he finally calmed down and composed himself, he recounted what happened next.

"Later, the Great Chu Kingdom put aside past grievances and allowed those martial artists to return home peacefully. We thought everything was fine, but what followed became the dead end for my Flying Crane Pavilion."

"At that time, Flying Crane Pavilion was the first to stand up and advocate surrendering to Great Chu. Because of this, they were retaliated against by those remnants. They joined forces and wiped out Flying Crane Pavilion."

"Coiled Sword Mountain, where the Twelve Sword Formation are located, is one of them. There are many others, and I know them all."

Upon hearing this, Xu Bai frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

"Why not write to His Majesty and let him decide?"

It's rather illogical that such a major event would occur without following official procedures.

If the emperor really encounters this matter, he must deal with it no matter what, otherwise those Jianghu people may not dare to serve the court in the future.

"I submitted a memorial to His Majesty, but what these people did was so airtight that there was no evidence at all." Shen He looked bitter. "At that time, His Majesty's foundation was just solid, so it was not good to take action without evidence. Later, as time went on, it became even more difficult to take action. I was still young at that time, so His Majesty arranged for me to stay in the palace and learn from Eunuch Wei, which was actually to protect me."

"His Majesty said he would give me an explanation, but when I heard that Lord Xu Upper Capital, I couldn't contain myself and ran away from the palace."

"When I arrived, I saw the Twelve Sword Formation. I was eager for revenge, but I was also worried that Lord Xu would make these people atone for their crimes like he did with the others, so I took action."

"After that, I stayed by Lord Xu's side, secretly dealing with those assassins, which was also my way of getting revenge."

Having said all that, Shen He seemed relieved, and his whole demeanor relaxed.

He looked directly at Xu Bai without flinching, indicating that what he said was true.

"I see."

After Xu Bai understood the whole story, he pondered the emperor's thoughts, stroked his chin, and said, "So, you know who those people are?"

He came to this conclusion.

Since Shen He has a specific purpose in seeking revenge, he must know the identities of these people.

Knowing their identity makes things much easier.

This would result in the enemy and our side being switched.

"I know, but only a part of it," Shen He explained. "I was young then and could only recognize a portion of the people."

At this point, Shen He took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Xu Bai with extreme respect.

"This is recorded by me, and I will never forget it in my lifetime."

He spoke through gritted teeth, as if he hated someone to the core.

Xu Bai took it, opened it and glanced at it. It contained all sorts of names, and next to each name was a note indicating the trade or profession they belonged to.

"Hmm... very good."

Among the letters were several from the Pottery Earth Prefecture.

"My lord, I wish to accompany you to the Pottery Earth Prefecture and serve you faithfully," Shen He said earnestly.

Xu Bai didn't speak, but turned his gaze to look directly at Shen He.

Just now, he suddenly thought of a possibility and realized that something was wrong with Shen He's words.

When Shen He was looked at by that gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were being stared at by a terrifying and eerie creature.

"My lord, why are you looking at me like that?" Shen He raised his head with difficulty and asked.

There was a hint of amusement in his gaze.

"Hmm... First, you killed the Twelve Sword Formation, then you helped me kill those assassins. Very good, you gained my trust and then stayed by my side." Xu Bai said with a smile, "And then you gave me this intelligence. If I really follow the intelligence, wouldn't I become a murderer?"

This statement came so abruptly that it silenced the surrounding environment.

Shen He was slightly taken aback, and after a while, he realized what was happening and said, "Sir, you have misunderstood me."

He wanted to explain, but Xu Bai interrupted him before he could finish.

"Didn't you consider that since His Majesty values you so much and the Imperial Palace is so heavily guarded, why would he let you escape?" Xu Bai raised a finger and slowly said, "Do you think His Majesty is a fool, or that you are smarter than His Majesty?"

Shen He stared blankly, not uttering a word.

"You did a great job in every part, but this is the only thing you couldn't do." Xu Bai continued, "I don't believe His Majesty would release you to disrupt my Upper Capital, so this must all be intentional."

Shen He's face gradually stiffened, and his expression became increasingly strange. He stubbornly insisted, "But sir, this is not evidence. What I said is all true."

His tone conveyed not only helplessness but also anxiety, as if he were afraid that Xu Bai would misunderstand.

When it comes to acting, Xu Bai is an expert, and he noticed something unusual.

"You are too young since the founding of the Great Chu Kingdom," Xu Bai suddenly said.

"You said you remembered most people when you were young, so you must have been sensible. But what happened? From that time until now, you are too young. In my opinion, you should be middle-aged."

When those words were spoken, Shen He finally couldn't hold back anymore.

It's leaked, it's completely leaked! He quickly retreated, trying to escape, but before he could take two steps, a sudden pain shot through his body, followed by intense pain all over his body. He couldn't help but bend over, his face covered in sweat, and his breathing became difficult.

This wasn't the reason Xu Bai made a move; Xu Bai hadn't even made a move when he saw Shen He act this way.

"Poison? Or something else?"

He possessed the Hundred Poisons True Explanation, but Xu Bai didn't realize it.

"I understand. I'm just a pawn. Is this what happens if I can't infiltrate the enemy's ranks?" Shen He raised his head, his face pale.

The next moment, his body suddenly swelled up, like a balloon stretched to its limit, expanding to three times its original size, giving the impression that it was about to explode at any moment.