The Terrifying Power of the Big Dipper Shift

As soon as Xu Bai finished speaking, he walked out of the window.

Yun Zihai thought for a moment, picked up his brush and book, and followed behind Xu Bai.

Outside the window, the moonlight was bright and the night was as dark as ink; a few cool breezes were blowing at that moment.

Outside in the open space, five men in black stood, each carrying a different weapon.

"Looks like the person you offended is really stubborn. They sent someone to assassinate you a while ago, and now they're back again." Xu Bai turned to look at Yun Zihai, his eyes filled with a mocking tone.

Yun Zihai helplessly spread his hands and said, "There's nothing we can do; they're just too stubborn to see the truth."

The men in black exchanged glances, and seeing that the two were still able to chat and laugh, they all showed a hint of strangeness.

"Let's do it!"

The man in black who was in the lead spoke first, and the other four followed suit.

The first man in black to speak raised his hand and threw several more throwing knives.

The angle of the throwing knife was extremely tricky, completely blocking all escape routes.

The other four also came closer, standing in their respective positions in a very strange manner, but their attacks did not slow down at all.

Each person's attack triggers different changes, and the other three seem to be coordinating their attacks on that person.

"Be careful, it's a formation." Yun Zihai noticed the sign, raised his hand and wrote the character "kill" to remind Xu Bai.

After the word "kill" appeared, it fell into the book, and a page emerged, heading towards the black-clad man who threw the knife. It moved with incredible speed, hovering above the black-clad man's head.

The man in black who was throwing knives watched the page fall, then suddenly raised his hand, and more than a dozen throwing knives appeared on his body, surrounding him and resisting the falling page.

At this moment, the four men's attack finally arrived, but their target was not Yun Zihai; instead, they prioritized attacking Xu Bai.

The offensive was relentless and interconnected, which indeed matched Yun Zihai's earlier warning, resembling the power of an array.

"Your enemies have quite a few tricks up their sleeves." A burst of dark light rose from Xu Bai's body as he unleashed his Vajra Heart Demon Body.

At the same time, the effect of Inverted Yin and Yang Chaos in All Directions came into play.

The weapons seemed to be bewitched, moving slightly slower, but eventually landed on the dark light.

"My mental cultivation level is still a bit too low," Xu Bai thought to himself.

But it's not a big problem; it's enough to deal with just a few of them.

Unable to break the Vajra Heart Demon Body, he didn't even want to draw his sword.

With their hands outstretched, they drew a circle in the air. As their True Yuan Power surged, the swords and blades of the four men all tilted and turned to stab their own men.

Cosmic Shift.

"Hiss~"

These four men in black were clearly encountering this for the first time, and they never expected such a strange move. As a result, they didn't even have time to stop their force before their bodies were pierced by their companion's weapon.

"Go in peace."

A flash of light, and four heads fell to the ground, rolling around.

Meanwhile, Yun Zihai lightly swung his brush, and the page seemed to weigh a ton, splitting the man in black in two from beginning to end.

In the blink of an eye, the five people became five corpses, and their deaths were quite gruesome.

Their fight naturally made noise, which quickly attracted the attention of the guards left behind at the yamen. Xu Bai heard the commotion not far away, gave Yun Zihai a look, and then returned to Yun Zihai's room.

A moment later, the yamen runners rushed out and saw five more corpses on the ground, and they all showed surprise.

"Clean this place up, don't panic." Yun Zihai seemed to be used to it, and waved his sleeve.

The constables quickly realized that the magistrate had been assassinated again, which was truly rare.

They had never heard of a county magistrate being assassinated multiple times after taking office; this was the first time they had ever seen such a thing.

Of course, since the county magistrate had spoken, they dared not say anything more. Several yamen runners stepped forward and quickly disposed of the corpse in the courtyard.

After disposing of the body, Yun Zihai returned to his room and closed the door behind him. He saw Xu Bai sitting inside waiting for him and couldn't help but give a bitter smile.

"That's good tea. I brought it from the Academy. It would be a waste not to drink it."

On the table, the pot of tea that Xu Bai had poured at the beginning had already gone cold.

"This group of assassins is mediocre at best; they seem to be just here for fun," Xu Bai said with a smile, as if he hadn't heard Yun Zihai's words at all.

Yun Zihai said helplessly, "That's because they didn't consider that you were here. The assassins who came this time are all at the seventh rank, but they are extremely effective against me. They use flying knives to harass me from a distance and their formations are continuous. If I were to be ambushed by them, I would definitely be caught off guard and wouldn't have time to pick up my pen and write."

Xu Bai simply smiled and pretended not to hear.

Throughout, Yun Zihai remained remarkably calm. Aside from the initial panic when the first few throwing knives flew in, he showed no sign of panic at all.

This guy is hiding his strength, or rather, he's feigning weakness.

Xu Bai initially received information that Yun Zihai had been assassinated and was injured, but the calm demeanor of Yun Zihai he saw now did not seem like that of someone who was injured. He guessed that it was a false rumor to attract more people.

This guy is really good at fishing.

"Actually, what I hoped for more was that the Luo Xi Five Bandits would come after me, but for some reason, they didn't." Yun Zihai said with regret, "After all, when I first entered the martial world, those five guys injured me."

"The Luo Xi Five Bandits?" Xu Bai was slightly interested.

Yun Zihai nodded and said, "Of the five ruthless killers, one of them is good at avoiding danger, which is the basis of their survival. Another is good at using poison before taking action. Two others are skilled with a knife and a sword, and their coordination is quite exquisite. The last one is good at bewitching techniques."

Xu Bai: "..."

This feels so familiar. Aren't these the same people he killed at Shadow Courier Station before? It actually seems to fit.

Of course, now is not the time to discuss this; he was just asking casually earlier.

"You should tell me what your true identity is," Xu Bai said. "Are you loyal to the Sixth Prince? Or someone else?"

When it came to serious matters, he stopped beating around the bush, his eyes fixed intently on Yun Zihai, waiting for Yun Zihai to provide the relevant information.

"The Sixth Prince wants the financial resources in the Ninth Princess's hands, and he won't give up on dealing with him, but he really can't command me," Yun Zihai said slowly.

When he spoke of the Sixth Prince, his tone was disdainful, as if he looked down on him.

"As for whom I pledge allegiance, in this world, I pledge allegiance to only that one," Yun Zihai said, cupping his hands in a gesture towards the direction of the Capital City.

Xu Bai narrowed his eyes slightly and gently tapped the table with his hand.

Who was that person from Yun Zihai just now? He already had a clue.

Even the Sixth Prince Yun Zihai, doesn't think much of it; the answer is already clear.

"So it was His Majesty the Emperor who sent you. It seems that killing the prince not only didn't anger His Majesty the Emperor, but also earned you a secret assignment." Xu Bai leaned back slightly in his chair.

"No, no, no, the Eighth Prince I killed truly deserved to die, not only because he harmed my family, but also because he did things he shouldn't have done." Yun Zihai shook his head repeatedly.

Xu Bai stood up, preparing to leave.

This action, however, made Yun Zihai look puzzled. He couldn't understand why Xu Bai wanted to leave at this time.

"You..." Yun Zihai was full of doubt.

"Knowing your identity is enough; I don't want to hear anything else." Xu Bai reached the door, ready to leave.

It's best not to listen to such royal secrets; it's safest to just focus on your own progress.

He was only there to find out Yun Zihai's identity; as long as Yun Zihai wasn't the one who framed him, he would let it go.

As for the rest, I'm not interested.

"Brother Xu, wait a moment." Yun Zihai hurriedly stopped him, saying, "I've heard Liu Xu say that Brother Xu is a particularly courageous man at times. There's another problem: we're all fish in the Jianghu, and once we're in it, it's very difficult to get out."

Xu Bai stopped and stared at Yun Zihai without saying a word.

"If you can help me, I can speak to the Emperor about whatever Brother Xu wants. Even the precious books in the Imperial Treasury can be obtained for you, such as the Buddhist scriptures that Brother Xu likes the most," Yun Zihai said again.

Xu Bai fell into deep thought.

Yun Zihai remained silent, waiting for Xu Bai's reply, but his eyes held a great sense of anticipation.

"How much?" Xu Bai asked.

Yun Zihai was taken aback.

He didn't understand what it meant.

Xu Bai's lips curled up. "What I mean is, how much can you give?"

Yun Zihai finally realized what was happening, raised a finger, and said, "There's absolutely no problem with one copy."

"I still have water boiling at home, let me go back," Xu Bai said without hesitation.

Are you kidding me? One book can solve the problem? No way, there aren't that many.

You'll have to pay more.

"No, no, no, two books, two fifth-tier manuals." Yun Zihai stretched out his hand, making a "two" gesture.

"Only fifth-tier stuff..." Xu Bai said with disgust, "Even the prince died, and all you got was this little bit? You probably pocketed it yourself."

"Brother Xu, do I look like that kind of person?" Yun Zihai said helplessly, "The reason why the Eighth Prince died was because he exposed himself, and what he had behind him was indeed only worth this much. He asked me to choose a fifth-rank official, and to become a prefectural governor. If you can't become a prefectural governor, I'll give you all the books. I've already been very sincere."

When he said this, he had lost the air of a scholar and instead acted like a businessman, patiently haggling with Xu Bai.

Xu Bai stroked his chin and said, "You go first, but I'll make it clear beforehand: if it's difficult, I won't do it."

I didn't agree before because there was no benefit to it, but now that there is, I might consider it.

If he could obtain two fifth-tier books and two fifth-tier cultivation techniques, not to mention anything else, just by reading one of them, his strength would reach the fifth rank.

Moreover, with two books, who can say for sure what level they will reach by then?

When you calculate it, this thing represents a qualitative improvement.

When the potential gains are substantial enough, taking a small risk is worthwhile.

Xu Bai really wanted to say, "It smells so good!"

Of course, if things are particularly dangerous, he can come up with other solutions along the way.

"Well... let me tell you why I'm here," Yun Zihai.

Before tonight, he had never thought of asking Xu Bai for help, but after tonight, he completely changed his mind.

"It seems that Junior Sister Liu still lacks experience and isn't very good at judging people," Yun Zihai thought to himself.

He remembered Liu Xu telling him that although Xu Bai was an eighth-rank official, his strength was far beyond that, at least around the seventh rank. He was like a dragon trapped in shallow water, but once he encountered water, he could soar through the clouds.

Now it seems that he is not only at the seventh rank, but he could easily kill those seventh rank assassins.

Of course, Liu Xu praised Xu Bai highly, her words filled with admiration, a point that Yun Zihai agreed with.

This young man is even more outstanding than some seasoned veterans, both in terms of personality and ability.

We must be on good terms with them.

Not only for this mission, but also for the future.

Thinking of this, Yun Zihai explained the whole story.

"This is what happened..."

Suddenly, Yun Zihai's voice rang out in the room.

After Yun Zihai finished speaking, Xu Bai leaned back in his chair, propped his chin up with his hand, and frowned deeply.

That's impressive.

According to Yun Zihai, the Eighth Prince died not because he killed Yun Zihai's family, but because he colluded with evil forces.

In the Great Chu Kingdom, evil spirits and heretics are the targets of suppression, which is the same as those strange and monstrous creatures.

The so-called evil forces and heretics are those martial arts practitioners who stir up trouble and cause chaos.

For example, the first Nether Blacksmith couple we encountered, although they were bandits, were also classified as a kind of evil and heretical sect.

The evil sects that the Eighth Prince colluded with even included some demonic creatures, making it even more dangerous.

It's like a superposition state: when evil spirits and demons combine, there's no other way out but death.

Just then, Yun Zihai's family was also kidnapped and even killed by the Eighth Prince. Then, Yun Zihai revealed that he had killed the Eighth Prince and pretended to be punished, and came to Sheng County.

"Before he died, the Eighth Prince burned a letter," Yun Zihai. "Actually, I knew nothing, let alone the contents of the letter. But His Majesty spread the word, making many people believe that I knew the contents. So you know why I was assassinated."

Xu Bai nodded and said, "If a person makes few moves, he will reveal fewer flaws, but the more moves he makes, the more flaws he will reveal. You want to dig out what's behind this."

Yun Zihai made no attempt to hide it; in fact, there was nothing to hide. Since they were already planning to cooperate, this was the natural course of action.

"You've used yourself as bait, all for two books and an official position. Is it worth it?" Xu Bai asked with interest.

Who is the bait? It is Yun Zihai, of course. And who is the angler? It is His Majesty the Emperor, who is high and mighty in the Capital City.

If the destroyed letter contains a secret that absolutely cannot be known to anyone, then we will definitely be able to catch a fish.

"I'm here to become an official, but that's not all I'm doing it for. Brother Xu, do you know that although the Great Chu Kingdom is relatively stable now, there are undercurrents of unrest inside, and most of the people live in poverty, just like in Sheng County?" Yun Zihai came to the window and pointed to the darkness outside.

"On the surface, the streets are bustling, but I know better than anyone what kind of lives most people lead. Even in the bustling county town where I live, it is impossible for every household to have enough to eat."

"If I can serve as an official in a county, I can protect the peace of that county; if I can serve as an official in a prefecture, I can protect the peace of that prefecture. Studying, studying, that's what studying is all about."

"It's ridiculous that the current royal family is scheming against each other. Who cares about the lives of the common people? I am weak and feeble, and I will do my best as best I can."

At this point, Yun Zihai turned around, his tone becoming excited.

"Before I agreed, His Majesty told me that my article at the time had the potential to be groundbreaking. If I could complete this task, he would grant me the authority to govern what is under my jurisdiction. No one, not even the royal family, has the right to interfere with me except His Majesty."

The room fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

After listening to Yun Zihai's words, Xu Bai felt that Yun Zihai and Liu Xu were quite different.

Liu Xu has a strong sense of justice, but she will resort to violence when she encounters injustice, such as in Xiao Yue's case.

Yun Zihai, however, was different. What Yun Zihai sought was a peaceful and prosperous world where everyone had enough to eat and wear. But he knew very well that with his own abilities, he was far from meeting that standard.

Human strength has its limits, let alone in the world we live in now.

So I set a small goal in my mind, which I had to achieve at least within his jurisdiction.

In this plan, the emperor was actually the smartest.

This way, Yun Zihai was used as bait, and a talented person was also gained.

As for the power mentioned, to be honest, granting or taking it back is just a matter of the emperor's word; there is no need for any procedures at all.

He delegated power to Yun Zihai, but if Yun Zihai had any ideas, he could take it back at any time. It was as simple as eating and drinking.

Did Yun Zihai know about this? Of course he did.

However, he lacked just such an opportunity. Even though he knew the emperor could take it back at any time, he still wanted to gamble on this chance.

"Tell me, how do you want me to help you?" Xu Bai said.

He already understands the general outline of what happened, and now he just needs to know how to proceed. It would be better to ask for clarification first.

Yun Zihai scratched his head, looking troubled. "Brother Xu, to be honest, I don't know how to help either, because this is just an idea I came up with on the spur of the moment."

He was telling the truth. He only had this idea after witnessing Xu Bai's strength tonight. Originally, he didn't intend to drag Xu Bai down.

So there really aren't any plans for the short term.

Xu Bai said, "If you have a plan, come find me anytime. If I'm not in the county town, I'll be in Shadow Courier Station."

Yun Zihai quickly nodded to indicate that he understood.

The two had finished their conversation, and it was getting late. Xu Bai didn't linger and went straight out the door, heading towards the escort agency.

He had no intention of returning to Shadow Courier Station. He had already finished working on the trees there, and he just wanted to find a quiet place to finish working on the book in his hand before thinking about anything else.

This book, which he obtained from the bookstore, will take time to arrive, and Xu Bai is well aware that his current situation is quite complicated.

Who could have imagined that such a small, remote county town would attract the involvement of multiple forces?

Qing Xue, sent down by the Ninth Princess, is one of them; the Yun Family from the Sixth Prince's side is another; there is also Yun Zihai, who represents the Emperor; and a group of evil heretics specifically to deal with Yun Zihai.

There are pits all around.

Let's focus on improving our strength first.

Thinking of this, he quickened his pace.

It was already quite late, and there were few people on the road. Apart from the distant sound of the night watchman's drum, the surroundings were quiet.

The road from the yamen back to the escort agency will pass by the Spring Rain Pavilion.

Since the last incident, the door of the Spring Rain Pavilion has been sealed off, and no one dares to come over, let alone take over this land.

After all, there are too many murders that have occurred here. If an ordinary person stayed inside, they would probably be so frightened that they would fall ill.

When passing by the Spring Rain Pavilion, Xu Bai only glanced at it from afar before preparing to continue on his way.

Unexpectedly, before he could take two steps, a voice suddenly rang out from the Spring Rain Pavilion.

The sound was faint, but you could tell it was the sound of fighting.

"Wasn't everyone gone? Why are there sounds of fighting?" Xu Bai pondered to himself.

Although the sounds of fighting were very soft, he could hear them clearly.

Normally, he probably wouldn't even glance at it, but things are different now. There's been so much going on lately, and he's worried that some kind of trap is waiting for him.

After all, that Sixth Prince is capable of framing others, so who knows what kind of trouble he might cause.

Xu Bai thought for a moment, then walked towards the Spring Rain Pavilion.

As they got closer, the sounds of fighting grew louder. Even though these sounds were as faint as the chirping of insects or birds to an ordinary person, Xu Bai was no ordinary person and heard them clearly.

When he arrived at the entrance of the Spring Rain Pavilion, he found that the seal on it had been torn off.

He gently pushed the door open a crack, and through the crack, he saw the scene inside the Spring Rain Pavilion.

Figures moved about inside, dressed in all sorts of revealing clothes, and a faint fragrance wafted out.

But don't be fooled by the revealing clothing and the fragrance; this place isn't erotic at all, because these figures bear scars.

The marks on the neck, the bloodstains on the face, the bulging eyes, the elongated tongue—horrific images of death echoed throughout the Spring Rain Pavilion.

After a person dies, there is a chance that they will turn into a strange entity.

There were dozens of girls in the Spring Rain Pavilion, all of whom were killed by Yang Chang. They died with resentment in their hearts, and the torture they suffered was simply unbearable for ordinary people.

The probability of it becoming bizarre is also gradually increasing.

In the very center, a beautiful young woman dressed in ordinary clothes is wielding Silver Thorn to eliminate the strange creature in front of her.

"She's here?" Xu Bai frowned.

He never expected to meet Qing Xue at the Spring Rain Pavilion, especially since Qing Xue was in a very bad state.

If it were just an ordinary person who had turned into a monster, killing them wouldn't be difficult, given Qing Xue's seventh-rank strength. But the situation is different.

On the second floor of this building, there was a person dressed in black, whose face was not clearly visible.

The monsters are attacking without any awareness, and they are all besieging Qing Xue, probably because she was the first one to enter.

The second floor is relatively safe; that man in black is causing trouble.

The man in black held a handful of copper coins and, one by one, flew them toward Qing Xue at a tricky angle.

The man in black was quite strong, after all, he was able to severely injure Qing Xue. In addition, there were strange things happening around her, so Qing Xue's situation was becoming increasingly dire.

Already injured, and with tonight's battle, fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his strength was waning. He was on the verge of collapse.

Qing Xue never expected that her visit to investigate would lead to this man in black being so persistent and even trying to kill her.

The situation is very dangerous, and we are in imminent danger.

But she had no idea what to do, because she was already in a desperate situation with no way out.

Normally, she could escape, but now, there are strange things around her blocking her way.

If they try to escape, they will inevitably create obstacles.

If we get dragged down even slightly, we'll be doomed.

What should I do? Qing Xue was anxious and gave herself away. She was hit by a copper coin and took two steps back.

Outside the door, Xu Bai watched the black-clad man use hidden weapons, and his expression gradually darkened.

He was very familiar with this technique.

— Maple Leaves Like Rain.

The current situation can be guessed with a little speculation.

This man in black is definitely the one who framed him.

"You choose the path to heaven but not the path to hell." Xu Bai reached into the copper coins and grabbed a handful.

The man in black probably didn't dare to use a lot of copper coins for fear of alerting the supernatural, but he wasn't worried about that.

You dare to frame me? I'll show you why flowers are so red.

Xu Bai pushed the door open a little wider, and then threw all the copper coins in his right hand at the man in black.

The copper coin was covered in a dark luster and made a whistling sound; it was extremely powerful.

The man in black had originally planned to slowly wear Qing Xue down, but now his mindset had changed.

A sense of danger coursed through his body, and when the man in black looked up, all he saw was a dark, menacing light.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xu Bai. Although his face was covered and her expression was unclear, she could see surprise in his eyes.

After throwing the hidden weapon, Xu Bai drew the Ghost-Head Saber from his waist.

With the Four Xun Movement Technique activated, the person rushed out like a ghost.

With Severing Armor One Style Blade, the Ghost-Head Saber flashed with streaks of light in the darkness.

Wherever it passed, the eerie atmosphere turned into a sky full of smoke.

Qing Xue froze, but quickly recovered and swung her Silver Thorn repeatedly, trying to reunite with Xu Bai.

Sometimes, reality is cruel.

Xu Bai ignored Qing Xue and fought his way to the second floor, then jumped and rushed towards the man in black.

The whole process may seem slow, but it actually takes less than a breath.

Seeing Xu Bai rushing forward, the man in black also drew his long sword and clashed with Xu Bai's Ghost-Head Saber.

This strike was quite exquisite, concealing various variations within.

Although he drew his sword later, he arrived before Xu Bai.

However, the next moment, the man in black withdrew his long sword and switched to defense, blocking Xu Bai's sword.

The reason was simple: the dark light emanating from Xu Bai's body did not block the attack at all.

The man in black's strike was indeed launched later but arrived first. However, if it had struck the dark light without causing any ripples, he would have been decapitated the next moment.

Wu Guang looked very strange, and he didn't want to provoke him.

"Clang!"

The crisp sound echoed throughout the Spring Rain Pavilion. The man in black felt a force travel along the long sword, through his arm, and into his body, causing him to stumble back two steps.

"Armor-piercing!"

This was the first time the man in black had spoken, and he looked shocked.

"Is it fun to pretend to be me?" Xu Bai sneered and swung his knife at him again.

The man in black raised his knife again.

But the next moment, he realized that the knife was not aimed at him, but was stuck straight into the wooden plank on the ground.

"Laugh!"

The long sword slashed straight into the wooden board and became embedded inside. Because of this strike, Xu Bai had already revealed a weakness.

The man in black was taken aback.

He looked at Xu Bai, who had revealed a flaw, and felt that something was wrong.

Before he came, he had been repeatedly warned not to underestimate this martial arts master, especially during a fight.

But what's going on now? Why did the attack suddenly miss, leaving him vulnerable? Something's very wrong.

However, sometimes, during a battle, unexpected events can occur at any time, and a single flaw can determine life or death.

Unable to resist the temptation, the man in black decided to test the waters first, so he used eight-tenths of his strength to strike Xu Bai on the head.

Although this strike only had 80% of its force, it was still powerful and heavy. Combined with the sharpness of the longsword, it struck Xu Bai with a loud thud.

The man in black froze.

He felt a tremendous force moving along his longsword, then directing his arm to slash at him with the same technique.

What was going on? He didn't have time to think, he could only do his best to steady his arm, and finally stopped when it was close to his neck.

"Huff..." The man in black's heart was pounding. That last moment almost made him gasp for breath.

If he were to end his life because of this, people would still think he killed himself if word got out.

The man in black felt fortunate, but the next moment, that fortunate feeling turned into fear.

As the blade flashed, the man in black felt a sharp pain in his right hand, and then, along with the knife he was holding, he flew into the air.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Before the man in black could even scream, pain shot through his legs. Starting from his calves, his legs were severed, leaving him half a head shorter.

"You have another hand. Is this the hand you used to unleash the Maple Leaves Like Rain' technique?"

The sound coming from beside my ear was like an eerie whisper.

The man in black looked up in terror and saw Xu Bai raise his Ghost-Head Saber and slice off his remaining left arm.

"That feels good." Xu Bai sheathed his sword and shouted with great satisfaction.

I told you not to try imitating me again. Let's see if you have any chance to imitate me now. Try imitating me and see what happens.

"Trying to frame me? Try framing me!" Xu Bai stomped his foot on the man in black's chest.

At this moment, without the interference of the men in black, Qing Xue resolved all the strange occurrences below and jumped up to the second floor.

Then, she witnessed this horrifying scene.

Having seen the world, she was only slightly surprised and quickly recovered.

In the martial arts world, Xu Bai's methods, while cruel, are considered extremely kind compared to many other unusual methods.

She thought it was over, but Xu Bai's next words completely overturned her understanding.

Xu Bai extended his hand to her and said, "You should have Shadow Courier Station's external injury medicine, right?"

Qing Xue's face paled; she already knew what Xu Bai was about to do.