603: Your Highnesses, don't even think about it!

"Hide until it's over?"

Lin Yang was stunned.

This...

"That's right. Although the basic reward is pretty average, it's better than being kicked out as soon as you enter." Xuan Xiao nodded.

He truly had no confidence in this entry into the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven, only wishing to be able to hide until the end.

"Your Highness, shouldn't we try to contend for something?" Lin Yang's expression was strange.

He was, after all, one of the Princes; just hiding until the end seemed a bit... too much.

"Alas, Lin Yang, it's not that I don't want to contend, but the situation simply doesn't allow it."

Xuan Xiao sighed:

"I've only just broken through to the Ten Thousand Laws Realm. With this strength, I basically can't help much."

"Or rather, entering the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven mainly relies on the strength of the guest retainers."

"But you've also just broken through. Even if you're stronger than an average new breakthrough, Xuan Lie and the others have Invincible Emperors."

"An Invincible Emperor, to put it without exaggeration, is enough to sweep aside everyone else."

"Under normal circumstances, a Prince with an Invincible Emperor in his lineage would always leave a small path for other Princes, not pushing them to utter destruction. But the situation is different now; Xuan Lie will definitely try to utterly destroy us."

"Contend?"

"The conditions don't allow it!"

Xuan Xiao also felt a bit bitter.

The Xuan Lie lineage was too lucky.

Saint Xuan Ruler Xuanming Wilderness had obtained a great opportunity. After his strength improved, he was already among the top three Saint Xuan Rulers in the Saint Xuan Ancient Country, and the opportunity was still being digested.

This attracted an Invincible Emperor to join him.

And coincidentally, their two lineages had the worst relationship with each other.

If it had been any other lineage, Xuan Xiao would not have been in such a predicament.

"Invincible Emperor..." Lin Yang murmured, "It is indeed very troublesome that Xuan Lie can bring an Invincible Emperor in."

His stealth was absolutely undetectable by an Invincible Emperor.

But he was also not a match for an Invincible Emperor at the moment.

If Xuan Lie was determined to utterly destroy them, hiding was indeed the best method.

At least, they could get a basic reward.

"Don't think about it anymore, let's decide this way. Once we enter, you'll take me and hide. This time, it's not just Xuan Lie; the other lineages will most likely want to curry favor with Xuan Lie and will unite to deal with us. We'll just take the basic reward. As long as we're not kicked out and we last until the Grotto Heaven closes, we'll still get some basic merit."

Xuan Xiao waved his hand, making the decision.

Although they could only get the basic reward, earning merit would only become increasingly difficult for their lineage in the future, so Xuan Xiao wanted to secure this basic merit reward as much as possible.

If it were before, he might not have tolerated such indignity, but the situation was different now.

"Alright, we'll act according to the situation then." Lin Yang said no more.

After all, this time he was mainly helping Xuan Xiao, and everything had to be based on Xuan Xiao's wishes.

"How much longer until the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven opens?" Lin Yang asked again.

"Soon, you stay here. Not many days left." Xuan Xiao said.

Lin Yang nodded... Three days later.

An ancient, solemn bell chime suddenly echoed throughout Sheng Xuan Mountain.

"The governance has rotated!"

Hearing the bell chime, Xuan Xiao sighed softly: "Let's go to the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven."

This bell chime not only signified the rotation of governance but also meant that their lineage would face extreme hardship in the coming days.

Lin Yang followed behind Xuan Xiao, still using a special teleportation array to travel.

This time, he did not conceal his identity.

At the entrance of the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven.

Quite a few Princes and guest retainers from other lineages were already there.

Upon seeing Xuan Xiao arrive with Lin Yang, everyone showed surprise.

"It's that Lin Yang!"

"He actually chose Xuan Xiao?"

"How interesting. A dazzling talent chose an ordinary Prince. I'm curious how Xuan Xiao managed to win him over?"

Some Princes whispered.

Xuan Lie, however, had an ugly expression. He looked at Lin Yang and spoke: "Indeed, you had already chosen Xuan Xiao. No wonder you rejected this Prince's invitation!"

Lin Yang looked back at Xuan Lie but did not speak.

Although he wanted to kill Xuan Lie, now was not the time.

"Hmph, you chose Xuan Xiao, so your talent, which astounded the Endless Spacetime, will stop right here!" Xuan Lie snorted coldly again upon seeing this, and the killing intent in his heart surged once more.

He had thought highly of Lin Yang, so his killing intent was even stronger now.

The Invincible Emperor beside him was accompanying him into the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven out of respect for Saint Xuan Ruler Xuanming Wilderness.

He himself was not qualified to have an Invincible Emperor as a guest retainer.

So Xuan Lie had always yearned to find a sufficiently remarkable individual to be his guest retainer.

Lin Yang was one of his targets.

However, Lin Yang had refused.

Therefore, in Xuan Lie's heart, if he couldn't have it, he had to destroy it!

Especially since Lin Yang had chosen Xuan Xiao, he had to die even more!

Lin Yang felt Xuan Lie's killing intent, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

The other Princes saw this but said nothing.

Until everyone had arrived, a solemn voice rang out.

"Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven, open!"

With the solemn voice, everyone's bodies were uncontrollably torn by a suction force, pulling them into the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven.

And before being torn into the Grotto Heaven, Xuan Lie looked at Xuan Xiao, baring his teeth in a sinister smile, and made a 'kill' gesture across his neck... Inside the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven.

"It's an independent space."

As soon as Lin Yang entered, he felt that the interior of this Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven was a completely independent spatial world.

"Lin Yang, quick, use your stealth to take me away from the entrance area." Xuan Xiao's voice rang out urgently.

Although the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven had random teleportation, they would be teleported to the entrance area.

This was also the first round of competition. If they were kicked out at the entrance, they would not be qualified for the subsequent trials.

Without a word, Lin Yang activated his Absolute Domain to cover Xuan Xiao, following Xuan Xiao's guidance to report to a certain area of the Grotto Heaven.

"We have to report first to qualify for the later trials. This is the first test." Xuan Xiao said.

"Okay." Lin Yang nodded, accelerating to his maximum speed.

Under the cover of the Absolute Domain, there was no need to worry about being exposed and attracting attacks from Xuan Lie and others.

Xuan Xiao watched Lin Yang rushing at extreme speed, showing a hint of envy, but he wisely did not ask how Lin Yang possessed such powerful stealth methods.

Soon, a towering stone tablet appeared in their line of sight.

"You just need to get close to the stone tablet, and your Prince's token will be sensed. That counts as a successful report."

Xuan Xiao said, making Lin Yang stop:

"Let's not rush to report. We'll report after everyone else has. That way, people won't notice that you might have unusual methods."

His goal this time was just to get the basic merit, and he didn't want Lin Yang to expose too much personal information.

Reporting last would not only prevent too much exposure but also make Xuan Lie and the others relax their guard.

Lin Yang naturally agreed.

He took Xuan Xiao and hid near the stone tablet, watching the various Princes report one by one.

Xuan Xiao also introduced the Princes and their guest retainers who had entered this time to Lin Yang.

"Besides the Xuan Lie lineage, the strongest lineage in our Saint Xuan Ancient Country is Saint Xuan Ruler Xuanzhao Wilderness. The Princes from their lineage entering this time are Xuan Huang, Xuan Zhu, and Xuan Yuan. The Emperor brought by Xuan Huang is also an Invincible Emperor named Tantai Ming."

"The next strongest lineage is Saint Xuan Ruler Xuanjun Wilderness. The Prince from their lineage entering this time is Xuan Ji. He has a protector named Cheng Xing. Although not an Invincible Emperor, he is almost on par and very powerful."

"The third strongest lineage now is Xuan Lie's. The Invincible Emperor accompanying Xuan Lie this time is named Butcher Owl."

"Besides these, the remaining few Saint Xuan Rulers have similar strength."

"Fourth is Saint Xuan Ruler Xuanhuo Wilderness. The Prince from their lineage entering is Xuan Feng, that guy in the red robe. The Emperor by his side is named Han Jia, similar to Cheng Xing, just a step away from being an Invincible Emperor."

"Fifth is Saint Xuan Ruler Xuanjin Wilderness. The Prince entering this time is Xuan Mie, the one in the pure black robe. His guest retainer is named Li Zhanqiu, very mysterious."

"You need to pay special attention. Xuan Mie is the most low-key among them, but his strength is the strongest among the Princes, excluding Xuan Huang and Xuan Ji. I even suspect that Xuan Huang and Xuan Ji might not be stronger than him. This guy's strength is like his demeanor: low-key and mysterious, rarely making a move. If there's a conflict later, you must be extra careful."

Xuan Xiao said, giving a special warning.

Lin Yang noted each one.

Finally, Xuan Xiao pointed to the only extremely beautiful female Prince in the field and said:

"That is Xuan Feng, the Prince from Saint Xuan Ruler Xuan Ning Wilderness's lineage. Don't let her extremely beautiful appearance make you think she's just a pretty face; her strength is ridiculously powerful!"

"She is the second person in our generation, besides Xuan Huang, to have stepped into the Ten Thousand Laws Realm. No one knows her exact strength now. I estimate that, like Xuan Mie, she's almost at the peak below Invincible. Her guest retainer, Duan Chao, also possesses top-tier strength below an Invincible Emperor."

Lin Yang couldn't help but take a couple more glances: "Such beauty, and she's a top-tier Ten Thousand Laws Realm expert almost at the peak below Invincible. Many Princes from other Ancient Countries or major powers must be desperately pursuing her, right?"

He thought of the situation in ancient dynasties on Blue Star.

This was clearly a proper Princess!

And one with both strength and beauty.

She would definitely inspire the desire for marriage among Princes from other Ancient Countries.

After all, if one could marry Princess Xuan Feng, it would be a strong alliance, beneficial to both sides.

Xuan Xiao nodded upon hearing this: "Many Princes from other Ancient Countries indeed want to marry her, but Xuan Feng is devoted to the Dao and doesn't consider such matters at all. She once threatened to die, so the Saint Xuan Ruler had no choice but to let her focus on cultivation. But even so, some guys are still waiting."

"Amazing." Lin Yang exclaimed.

Xuan Xiao nodded again: "Xuan Feng is an anomaly among us. She never actively antagonizes anyone, but whoever hinders her pursuit of the Dao is an enemy. Afterward, she won't deliberately target them. I admire her."

Lin Yang was astonished: "Her Dao Heart is so firm? And her inner strength is so powerful?"

"Yes, that's why she is highly valued by the Saint Xuan Rulers. They believe that with such a firm heart in pursuing the Dao, she might be the most hopeful among us to successfully achieve Transformation Dao Realm in the future, and thus they place great expectations on her."

Xuan Xiao said, with a hint of envy in his words:

"To be honest, her talent isn't particularly top-tier, but that heart for pursuing the Dao and cultivation is too stable and strong, so strong it's frightening!"

"If I had her kind of heart for the Dao, I would probably have become a Ten Thousand Laws Realm expert long ago."

Lin Yang immediately gave Xuan Xiao a strange look: "I didn't notice that your heart for the Dao wasn't strong."

"There's a difference between not strong and super strong and stable." Xuan Xiao sighed softly, "At least, I can't ignore and discard all external influences and objects, but she can."

"Sometimes, I even wonder if she has human emotions at all!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yang blurted out: "Could she be cultivating the Path of Ruthlessness?"

"Path of Ruthlessness? No, that's not it. That stuff seems grand but is actually very low-level."

Xuan Xiao shook his head:

"The biggest difference between humans and beasts is having emotions, the seven emotions and six desires. The Path of Ruthlessness requires discarding all emotions, which is somewhat inherently anti-human. It only sounds impressive."

"In reality, absolutely discarding emotions will only lead to becoming a puppet controlled by the Dao. Xuan Feng would not cultivate such a low-level thing as the Path of Ruthlessness. It's just that the core of her inner self is too stable and strong."

"Oh... that makes sense..." Lin Yang was thoughtful.

"The Path of Ruthlessness progresses quickly in the early stages, but without emotions, one is no different from a puppet. Moreover, becoming stronger is for a better life, not to become a puppet. This stuff is not cultivated by anyone in the Endless Spacetime." Xuan Xiao added.

Lin Yang nodded slightly.

"Alright, they've all reported. Next, it's our turn." Xuan Xiao watched as everyone else finished reporting, then had Lin Yang move a little closer to the stone tablet.

A light instantly illuminated the stone tablet.

"Hmm? That kid Xuan Xiao actually reported?"

Seeing the information on the stone tablet showing Xuan Xiao's report, Xuan Lie and the others were all surprised and couldn't help but look around.

However, they couldn't see Xuan Xiao's figure at all.

"He's hidden?"

Xuan Lie immediately guessed, then gave a look to the Invincible Emperor Butcher Owl beside him.

The latter instantly understood, spreading his senses to scan the entire area.

"Your Highness, no discovery."

A moment later, Butcher Owl shook his head.

"Even you can't detect his stealth?" Xuan Lie was very surprised.

Tantai Ming, the Invincible Emperor of the Xuan Huang lineage, also scanned the area and showed a hint of surprise.

And seeing that even the two Invincible Emperors couldn't detect him, the various Princes all reacted differently.

Xuan Huang and Xuan Ji's lineage and others frowned deeply.

If even an Invincible Emperor couldn't detect him, this was not good news for them.

Originally, an Invincible Emperor had absolute control within the Saint Xuan Grotto Heaven. Now, with such a variable appearing, they felt a bit uneasy.

Xuan Mie's eyes merely flickered once before returning to normal, as if this couldn't cause too much emotional change in him.

Xuan Feng was the same.

Xuan Feng's red robe rustled, and he laughed loudly: "Interesting. Xuan Xiao, did you spend all your wealth on a stealth item? Just to avoid being kicked out by Xuan Lie?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone's expressions became strange.

Within the Ancient Country, there were also very powerful stealth treasures.

But the price was very, very expensive!

If Xuan Xiao really bought it just to avoid being kicked out, it would be a pure waste.

Xuan Lie snorted coldly. Although he couldn't see Xuan Xiao's location, he still shouted:

"Xuan Xiao, no matter where you're hiding, you'd better pray you can stay hidden forever. Otherwise, I will definitely kick you out of the Grotto Heaven!"

Xuan Xiao wants to get the basic reward?

Don't even think about it!