Chapter 1553: Self-Deception

"???"

At this moment, Little Light Bulb widened his eyes, watching those few women embracing Xu Que in the distance, leaving him completely stunned on the spot.

He secretly thought, This actually works?

How did that guy manage it!

After a moment, Little Light Bulb finally reached out to scratch his bald head and strode toward Xu Que.

Meanwhile, Xu Que was already surrounded face-to-face by the crowd of women, packed so tightly there was no gap, leaving him somewhat breathless; it was too big, making breathing difficult.

"You stinky fellow, why did it take you so long to come find us?"

"Speak, how many more women have you provoked in other places?"

"Eh, haven't seen you for so long, seems like they've gotten bigger again."

The women chattered all sorts of things.

Xu Que wasn't idle either; one moment he was brushing dust off this one, the next handing melon to that one, while also asking about their lives during this period.

However, very quickly, Xu Que noticed the headcount was slightly off; it seemed two were missing.

After some questioning, he learned that Situ Haitang and Su Ling'er's younger sister, Su Xiaoqi, had disappeared without a trace during the Second Stage.

Only afterward did they encounter Duan Jiude and Er Gouzi; once someone broke through the Second Stage, they were able to come together to this Third Stage.

Upon hearing this, Xu Que couldn't help but frown.

This is not good.

The Second Stage was one thing, as that stage relied somewhat on luck.

But for this Third Stage, if Situ Haitang and Su Xiaoqi were sent to another location, they would likely be in danger.

"You need not worry." Su Ling'er seemed to see through Xu Que's thoughts and comforted him: "Haitang's strength is extraordinary now; as long as Xiaoqi is with her, there will be no danger."

"This stage... is no longer a matter of whether they are strong enough," Xu Que said, shaking his head, his gaze sweeping toward those members of the Asura Horde.

The women also followed his gaze, becoming increasingly alarmed the more they looked.

Those Cultivators' Dharma Decisions seemed completely unable to inflict harm on the Asura Horde!

Putting it that way, Su Xiaoqi and Situ Haitang probably couldn't handle it.

"Forget it; let's wait a while to see if they will also be sent here. If not, we can only pray to meet them at the Fourth Stage," Xu Que said somewhat helplessly.

Under these circumstances, he truly had no solution.

"Xu Disciple!"

At this time, Little Light Bulb slowly approached, drawing near the Dharma Idol area.

"Eh, who is this..." All the women looked toward Little Light Bulb.

"Oh, let me introduce, this is Little Light Bulb..." Xu Que said instinctively, then suddenly remembered that Little Light Bulb hadn't paid his protection fee yet, so his eyes immediately widened.

"Little Light Bulb, don't play dumb! I don't want the monk robes, but at least you must hand over this string of Buddha Beads to this Saint Xu? Otherwise, if this matter spreads, it will greatly affect the efficiency of our Explosive Heaven Gang collecting protection fees!" Xu Que directly reached out to demand it.

The corner of Little Light Bulb's mouth twitched slightly, and he was just about to say something.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, two more figures arrived swiftly, landing beside the several people.

"This Divine Venerable has already cleared the nearby monsters with little brother Jiu De and specifically returned to protect several Gang Leader's Wives!"

"These monsters are truly terrifying; this old man's Immortal Yuan Power was nearly exhausted!"

The one man and one dog acted extremely pretentiously, putting on very tired expressions.

Only afterward did these two fellows turn their heads to look at Xu Que, as if they had just discovered him.

"Holy crap! Brother Que! When did you arrive?"

"Brother Que, I missed you to death."

Duan Jiude and Er Gouzi's acting was extremely exaggerated.

"..." Xu Que, with a blackened face, looked at the System Interface.

Then, silently, he took out a large pot and placed it on the ground.

"Holy crap! Brother Que! Are you preparing to cook Stinky Tofu to reward this Divine Venerable? There's no need to be so polite!"

Er Gouzi said excitedly.

"Teacher Er Gou, this meal will likely be Dog Meat," Duan Jiude said with a cheeky grin.

Only then did Er Gouzi react, his anus tightening as he slowly stepped back two paces, smiling awkwardly: "Brother Que! Let's talk things over calmly; in this current situation, let's skip the Stinky Tofu for now and hurry to think of a way to break through the stage!"

Xu Que shook his head and said, "No rush! First, let's have a meal of Dog Meat Hot Pot to warm our stomachs, and also warm the hearts of my several wives."

"Several Gang Leader's Wives, save this Divine Venerable!" Er Gouzi shrank behind Su Cloud Sect Master and the others, seeking protection.

All the women couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.

Er Gouzi indeed deserved a beating, but Xu Que threatening to cook him wasn't something that happened just once or twice, yet no one had ever seen him actually do it.

If someone didn't know the truth, they would probably misunderstand that the two of them were flirting.

On Xu Que's side, the reunion was joyful and harmonious.

But outside, the Cultivators had long been chased by the Asura Horde, running wildly all over the mountain.

The few from the Heavenly Gate were the most miserable!

There were only seven Asura Horde members at the Immortal Venerable Realm, and five of them were currently chasing and hammering them!

Initially, they could still toy with them using their agile movements, but once the Asura Horde gradually became familiar with their patterns, the Immortal Venerable experts of the Heavenly Gate fell completely into a disadvantage.

If not for their bodies being tough enough, they would have lost their old lives by now.

"Xu Que! Are you truly not going to lend a hand? If we die, do you think you'll have a good outcome?" Zhou Mingsi shouted loudly.

"Your Mother's Paralysis, my foot!" Duan Jiude cursed outright.

"Exactly, if Brother Que makes a move, how can he protect us?" Er Gouzi also shouted loudly.

But he quickly realized something was wrong with that statement, so Er Gouzi immediately corrected himself: "Mainly, we need to protect the several Gang Leader's Wives together; you all should rely on yourselves."

"Right! With this old man and Teacher Er Gou joining forces, plus Brother Que, we will definitely be able to ensure the safety of the several Gang Leader's Wives!" Duan Jiude emphasized.

"Mm, this poor monk can also contribute a few points of strength!" Suddenly, Little Light Bulb, who had been silent all along, quietly added a phrase.

"Eh?" Only then did Er Gouzi and Duan Jiude startle, looking at Little Light Bulb together.

"Brother Que, who is this guy?"

"The head is so bright; may this Divine Venerable touch it?"

"..."

Xu Que couldn't be bothered to pay attention to these two fellows; he looked directly at Su Cloud Sect Master and the others, saying, "Ignore them; let's go find the exit first."

"Okay!"

The several people responded with one voice.

Subsequently, the group headed toward the mountain.

The Dharma Idol behind Xu Que also shrank to a height of thirty feet.

Anyway, as long as the Dharma Idol existed, those Asura Horde would not come to cause them trouble, so there was no need to waste extra Immortal Yuan Power.

"Xu Que is going up the mountain? What is he trying to do?" Seeing this scene, the Cultivators fleeing in all directions around them all froze in shock.

"Who cares what he wants to do; hurry up and follow!" someone shouted.

Subsequently, the crowd immediately reacted and one after another followed after him.

Seeing this, Zhou Mingsi and the others instantly became anxious.

They wanted to follow, but those five Immortal Venerable-level Asura Horde were too powerful, completely entangling them to death.

At this moment, Xu Que was already ascending the mountain; Zhou Mingsi and the others all assumed Xu Que had found a way to leave, and if they failed to follow, they would likely meet their demise here.

"Xu Que, do not mistake kindness for weakness!"

Zhou Mingsi roared with a shocking voice.

Boom!

The next moment, a surge of momentum erupted from his body, sweeping across the entire region!

Quite a few Immortal King Realm Asura Horde instantly froze, as if sensing danger, and simultaneously shifted their gazes onto Zhou Mingsi.

And the Immortal Venerable Asura Horde currently entangled in battle with Zhou Mingsi also halted their movements!

At this time, Zhou Mingsi, whose black hair had turned silver, saw his strength and momentum skyrocket, already comparable to a High-Grade Immortal Venerable!

"Eh!"

"Yo!"

"Ho!"

The Virtue-Lacking Dog also simultaneously noticed Zhou Mingsi's change, all revealing strange smiles on their faces.

"Xu Que, if you still do not act to assist, do not blame this old man for being ruthless!" At this moment, Zhou Mingsi also looked at Xu Que and the others, drinking in a deep voice.

Everyone couldn't help but freeze; could it be that the old man did not know the rules of this world?

If he made a move, this Heaven and Earth would not tolerate him!

Xu Que held back his suppressed laughter, feigning a look of astonishment: "Do you... do you intend to perish together with me?"

"Hahaha!"

Zhou Mingsi immediately burst into loud laughter: "Xu Que, I am not that stupid!"

"???"

Xu Que, Er Gouzi, and Duan Jiude instantly exchanged glances.

Not that stupid?

Ah!

Could this be the very personification of self-deception?