XIAO SHUXIANG'S

368 - Hou Du's

"Aaaah! Why..?! Why do you always avoid my attacks..!!"

!!

The shout from the huge monster with a height of almost 2 meters made Xiao Shuxiang frown. His body position was in a state of alertness, while his eyes continued to point forward.

The huge monster with a full body of fat clawed at his own body and face. He was so upset that the humans he was fighting against continued to dodge.

"Damn it..! God damnit..! Damn it..!! You are just food..!! Act like food, insolent..!!"

Xiao Shuxiang could see the monster's blood flowing and falling to the floor. The look on his face changed when he learned that the blood contained flames.

The huge monster was named Huo Du, he was one of the guards occupying the first floor of the Death Pagoda. Being emotionally unstable, Hou Du was very irritable.

"Khh.. I'm gonna kill you.. You must die..! You must die right now..!"

The scratches on Hou Du's body and face began to stop, this made Xiao Shuxiang able to see his large, red eyes.

Hou Du did not have fanged teeth, but his teeth were large and could crush anyone's skull. He often swiped his teeth until a loud noise disturbed the ears.

Xiao Shuxiang only realized that in this place, he could not bring out anything - neither inside his Spatial Ring nor inside his Universal Bracelet. This situation certainly makes him surprised, but he is still trying to look calm.

"Candidate Sister-in-law didn't explain this to me, was she on purpose? If it was on purpose, he really missed it."

It was fortunate that Xiao Shuxiang had first taken out his White Jade Flute before entering the pagoda, so that he could use the navel as a weapon.

Yet still he was annoyed at Ling Lang Tian. His White Cat brother only gave a brief explanation and said nothing about the conditions inside the pagoda that could not allow him to use the Spatial Ring or such a weapon.

!!

Xiao Shuxiang flinched and reflexively jumped back when Hou Du's eight large and long hands attacked him.

In the air, he twisted his body and several times dodged the lunge of the hands. Xiao Shuxiang's agility made the monster he was fighting cry out in frustration.

"Little Insect..!! You Must Die Right Now..!!"

"There's no need to shout like that, I'm not deaf. If you want to kill me, then attack me as much as you can. That's also if you can do it."

Xiao Shuxiang darted with a flute that swung like a sword. His eyes flashed red, containing calmness, yet cold at the same time.

Hou Du's eight long hands sped up and tried to catch Xiao Shuxiang. The speed of his hands was still overcome by the young man and this made Hou Du angry.

Xiao Shuxiang ran over the hands of the huge monster, his swift and agile movements making it difficult for opponents to catch him.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity by continuing to dodge, he started slashing at Hou Du's hand wearing his White Jade Flute. Xiao Shuxiang used the Water Breathing Technique which apparently managed to slash the opponent's hand.

CRAASH..!

Hou Du's two hands were slashed and instantly spurted blood mixed with fire. Xiao Shuxiang initially thought this was a good thing and would bring it closer to victory, but when he noticed again - Hou Du's blood can be a deadly weapon.

Just look, Xiao Shuxiang's left cheek that was hit by a slight splash of Hou Du's blood suddenly blistered and slowly spat out blood. It hurts and he can find out that his skin affected by the blood melted.

The part of Hou Du's body that lost his hand grew back. While both of his hands that had been slashed could still attack Xiao Shuxiang.

"Keep away and you'll die..!!"

Hou Du had never reduced his attack speed even though his body had never been moved at all.

She was indeed like this, her oversized body made it quite difficult to move. But until now, not a single opponent had been able to kill him.

Hou Du smiled broadly when the person he attacked dodged by jumping up. In his heart, he chuckled small and regretted his opponent's foolish behavior.

"My previous opponents were the same as you. They'll jump up to dodge my attack. What a wrong action. With this you won't be able to dodge anywhere else. Die..!!"

!!

Xiao Shuxiang was startled as countless sharp thorns shot out from the monster body he was fighting. His own position was in the air and clearly could not avoid the attack.

!!

Not to mention, Hou Du's twelve hands came attacking him. If he was reckless to fend off the attack that came with his Water Breathing Technique - then what happened would only expose him to a burst of monster blood that could melt the skin.

In that split second, Xiao Shuxiang tried to take out his Moving Mirror which turned out to be a success. He disappeared suddenly and appeared right before Hou Du's eyes with the White Jade Flute swinging strongly.

!!

Hou Du's red eyes moved quickly and were apparently able to spout acidic liquids. The shocked Xiao Shuxiang was instantly hit by the attack and made his body instantly melt.

Hou Du saw his opponent's White Jade Flute fall to the ground. The heirloom was still intact, but the hand holding it had already fused with its acidic liquid. Slowly, his hands again scratched his body and face.

"Damn it..! Damn it..!! Why did you have to die like that..?! I should have eaten you..! You should be my food..!! Why did you die like this, damn it..!!"

Compared to being happy, Hou Du was more angry because his opponent just died. He continued to shout and grit his teeth, his ten hands continuously clawing at his own face and body until it bled.

Hou Du had long wanted human flesh, he was so hungry to eat human brains and internal organs. Hence seeing his opponent not being able to dodge his acid spurt made him extremely frustrated and furious.

"No..! Can't..!! This can't..!! I can't accept you dying like this..!! No..!!"

Hou Du smacked the floor with his big hands, his body and face full of scratches. This was further aggravated by the blood pouring out on his body, as if he was unable to control all ten of his hands.

?!

Hou Du's hearing caught something, this was something vague and made him have to be very focused.

"Hm?! What's.. That's..?"

!!

Hou Du was surprised, but on the other hand also felt astonishment. The voice he heard was a song, a melodious song that was so soothing.

!!

Hou Du's eye gaze pointed at the White Jade Flute that was still lying on the floor, right between its acidic liquid. The only thing in this place was the flute, an heirloom previously owned by his opponent.

The melodious voice came back and this time it was very clear. It was the song 'Silence' that Patriarch Lan had taught Xiao Shuxiang in the Sky Sword Sect long ago.

The White Jade flute seemed to ring itself. The longer, the tone it produced the more clear. Hou Du somehow since when he had stopped scratching his body and face, his attention continued to be on that flute.

Slowly, one hand of Hou Du moved to touch the flute. He began to pick up the small object using only two fingers.

The soothing sound still flowed so melodious, even though the heirloom was in his palm.

"…"

No one could decipher the look on Hou Du's face at the moment. One thing is for sure, he doesn't look angry anymore.

There was someone watching him without him noticing, that person was seen hovering in one corner of the room in style. From the uniform of black butterfly wings.. It was certain that the person was Xiao Shuxiang.

The Alchemist Chef hid his presence, he repeatedly fiddled with his hair bangs while occasionally blowing them.

"So it was terrible. I can't believe the acid can melt my body without waste. Absolutely crazy..!"

It was not because of the fire Phoenix Spirit on his back that saved Xiao Shuxiang from death, but because of his identity that was now part of the World Pillar. It could be said, his current self would be hard to kill.

Xiao Shuxiang could only die when he had an heir to all the knowledge he could. This one thing alone, had already made him look like an immortal.

He himself did not know how this situation could happen, the Crazy Beggar Boy had never given him a more detailed explanation.

For now, Xiao Shuxiang was unwilling to take the risk. He would assume that the incident just now was just a fortune that could not be repeated.

"I want to kill the monster.." Xiao Shuxiang's eyes kept on Hou Du, his countenance looked so serious. He didn't even smile at all.

All this time, Xiao Shuxiang had never hesitated to chop off the opponent's body. But as he watched Hou Du, there was something inside him that felt sad. This sort of thing he had never felt when he saw a monster before.

Xiao Shuxiang even shivered at the thought of it. He immediately shook his head and tried to brush off the image of him being a good-natured swordsman.

A person who never hesitates to help others. A warrior who has the greatness of heart to forgive the lives of opponents.

A person who never hesitates to sacrifice his own life to protect others. Xiao Shuxiang was weak and could be so easily fooled.

"Hmph, it's impossible. Shouxing did ask me to live this life well. I'll certainly do it. But there is no way this Xiao Shuxiang will turn into a generous figure, let alone with a monster like you.."

Xiao Shuxiang's eye color turned red, along with the color on his fingernails that turned black. Slowly, his body began to be enveloped in thin black smoke and then disappeared.

Hou Du who was still listening to the voice on the White Jade Flute in his palm involuntarily let down his vigilance. Seen up close, his face and eyes did look sad. It was as if he was sad at the moment.

Hou Du used to be a human, he wanted to become a cultivator but he chose the wrong path.

The training and hermitage that he had been doing even made Hou Du become a bloodthirsty figure and finally eliminate humanity in him. He also turned into a creature that was so terrible.

Hearing the song 'Silence' produced by the White Jade Flute made Hou Du recall the times before he became a monster. A time when he was a human being who had a father, mother, and an older brother.

The moment where he became a passionate child and grew up with his brother.

A time when his life was fine. Until the day full of darkness arrived.

The grown Hou Du faced his own brother and killed him without blinking, he was even so willing to sacrifice his parents for power.

"Mother.."

"So now you're sorry?"

!!

Hou Du was startled, his eyes immediately pointed forward, right where a thin blackish smoke appeared and slowly turned into the figure of a young man in a black uniform with the complexion of butterfly wings.

"How could you still be alive?! This isimpossible..! You should be dead..!"

"Why so angry? I've never hit you this far, and didn't you feel so unreasonable that I died? Now your food is in front of you, so come here.." Xiao Shuxiang walked so calmly, his eyes never getting sidetracked from the huge monster in front of him.

While walking, Xiao Shuxiang started clawing at the back of his right hand until it bled. He did not suppress the tantalizing scent of his blood at all, this made Hou Du's eyes round because for the first time.. He smelled the delicious smell of blood.

"You're a man with good blood.." Hou Du had difficulty controlling himself, he was seen smiling widely and scratching his face and body again. The melodious voice of the White Jade Flute was no longer himself to listen to.

Xiao Shuxiang's fresh blood fell to the floor, he could see the monster before him drooling. Instantly, a smile that contained an indescribable mockery on his dazzling face.

"You seem to have forgotten your regrets. Real nice.. I just wanted to pity you.."

Xiao Shuxiang's blood condensed and turned into a sword. This was none other than his own Soul Sword.

His gaze momentarily turned towards his flute that had fallen to the floor, the next second he darted and avoided the twelfth lunge of Hou Du's hand.

!!

Not only were the attacks from those big hands, Xiao Shuxiang also repelled the many thorns that shot out from the direction of Hou Du's body. Getting closer, he was buffeted by an acidic liquid.

!!

Hou Du's skin was thick and could harden as he wished. Xiao Shuxiang's Soul Sword clashed against his skin, and he immediately retraced countless sharp thorns.

"Didn't you mention your mother..? Does your regret no longer exist?" Xiao Shuxiang tried to speak, unfortunately Hou Du was unwilling to listen to him.

"You'll be my food. You must have some really good meat. I want..! You are a human with the best quality of meat, I will definitely get you..!" Hou Du grinned, he carried out an attack without pause.

!!

Xiao Shuxiang avoided it and this time he was able to dodge the blood of fire-containing monsters and was able to melt the skin.

His Soul Sword glowed faintly and the next second he shot out at a speed that Hou Du could not follow.

!!

Xiao Shuxiang appeared above Hou Du. But when the head of the monster looked up, he disappeared again and this time appeared from below, right in the chin of the big monster.

Xiao Shuxiang's Soul Sword instantly swung and slashed at Hou Du's chin. The monster screamed bitterly and began to muddle.

Xiao Shuxiang slashed back, this time his Soul Sword was enveloped with a thin red smoke that slowly splashed out a small lightning bolt. He used Fire Breathing and instantly slashed the large hands that attacked him.

Not wanting to let Hou Du's body parts grow back - Xiao Shuxiang focused the attack on the monster's abdomen and slid into his left hand to pull out the creature's internal organs.

At the same time, the Fire Phoenix Spirit that was on Xiao Shuxiang's back appeared and protected its owner's body from Hou Du's blood spurts.

The roar from the monster made Xiao Shuxiang increasingly fiercely attack. He slashed at the part of Hou Du's body that he was currently pulling out. Without hesitation he threw into a spray where the internal organs that turned out to be the intestine.

"I thought your weakness was this part of your stomach.."

"YOU..!!"

!!

Hou Du was surprised, he could not move his hands, nor throw thorns and spurt acid. His body was stiff without him knowing why.

"What"

!!

Even for the sound of Hou Du was unable to anymore. Only his eyes continued to glare and search for the existence of an opponent who was so aggressively attacking him.

Inwardly, he shouted and continued to groan in pain. The man who he initially thought was weak and merely food was now pulling out his other internal organs.

"You have a bad heart, it's not even edible."

Xiao Shuxiang threw a large enough lump of meat into any place. The more he was exposed to the fire-containing blood that Hou Du-Semain accustomed to his body with the blood.

"You said you wanted to eat me, didn't you? Now how does it feel? When the person you want to eat is tearing up your stomach and spitting out the contents in your body, it must be fun. Aye, right?" Xiao Shuxiang smiled, he has not done this for a long time.

".. You can't talk? I'm sorry, but I don't like hearing your voice. You just enjoy it.. This very unbearable taste.."

Xiao Shuxiang's smile slowly turned into a smirk. The chin that he had previously slashed was apparently also cutting off the tongue of Hou Du, his Soul Sword could be extremely sharp depending on how great his will was in killing. This made the chains wrapped around his body start to react.

On the other hand, Ling Jian Tou had been on the second floor of the Death Pagoda. He was the first young man to successfully kill his opponent on the first floor in fifteen moves.

Previously, Ling Jian Tou fought against a human-bodied scorpion. He was not a young man who liked to chop up the body, let alone remove the opponent's organs while enjoying how his opponent breathed out his last breath. He's not that cruel.

Ling Jian Tou preferred to finish off his opponent quickly, but was extremely deadly. However, that does not mean that the opponent is easily defeated. He himself was injured and exposed to poison from the scorpion.

The poison that was inside Ling Jian Tou's body was so powerful. Luckily, he had a normal storage bag in which was a poison pill. With this he had nothing to worry about.

There was no prohibition on taking pills, Xiao Shuxiang could also take them if he wanted to. Unfortunately, the pills stored within the Spatial Ring could not be taken out.

Ling Jian Tou also had a Spatial Ring and there were many heirlooms as well as nutritious pills inside. Only, he could not take anything out of his ring.

The only thing he could use was an ordinary storage pouch that had no special space inside.

Far beyond the Nine-Tiered Lan Pagoda Guan Zhi, Hu Li, Lan Xiao, and O Zhan were already no longer standing with Jing Mi and the others.

Lan Guan Zhi went for the sake of his good friend who asked him to investigate about the Scarlet Shadow.

Actually this was not an easy job, but because getting help from Hu Li and Lan Xiao-himself was quite helpful. Not to mention with the presence of the Mad Beggar Boy who was obviously very knowledgeable about the intricacies of the Central Continent.

Xiao Shuxiang's request was not something Lan Guan Zhi had to hide. But in his opinion, it was much better that people like Jing Mi, Hou Hong, and Yi Wen did not know about it.

At the moment when Lan Guan Zhi was gathering information, news of the destruction of the Sect and the Small Party in the Middle Continent started to sound. Unfortunately, the name of the group behind the perpetrators of the destruction was still very vague.

***