Chapter 1036: Devastating Kill The Most Tragic Void Below the Half-Saint Level

“What a joke?”

“You think *you* can kill *me*?!”

As black sword energy slashed forth, Shuang Dai was enraged. He, a dignified Void, had fallen so low that even a mere Grandmaster dared to disrespect him, even wanting to kick him while he was down. Do you, a measly Grandmaster, really think you can defeat a Void at his weakest?

“Transform!”

Clasping his palms together, Shuang Dai reacted with incredibly high speed. As the sword energy from You Si Sword descended, his body split into two, crossing paths and dodging from both ends of the incoming attacks. Setting aside other things, could a Grandmaster’s combat awareness possibly compare to that of a Void? It was true that Xu Xiaoshou’s You Si Sword was powerful, capable of dealing damage that ignored cultivation realm differences. However, in Shuang Dai’s eyes, his movements were as slow as a baby holding a sword. Shuang Dai thought to himself, if he were to be struck even once by You Si Sword, he would admit defeat, even if it meant death!

“Die!”

Transforming into streaks of light, Shuang Dai and his newly split second clone lunged forward simultaneously. As they charged, their hands suddenly glowed with golden light, transforming into four golden triangular daggers.

“Spirit-Severing Stab!”

This stab contained a high concentration of metallic Dao power. If it landed, it could instantly destroy the target’s spiritual sea, causing minor spiritual energy disruption or, in severe cases, instant death. As expected, if Xu Xiaoshou, a mere Grandmaster junior, were hit by this technique, it would be anything but a minor injury!

“So fast…”

As two golden streaks of light flew towards him, Xu Xiaoshou’s pupils constricted. It was fortunate he possessed “Agility” at the sovereign level; otherwise, even a Grandmaster with superior combat power wouldn’t have been able to track Shuang Dai’s Void-level speed. Xu Xiaoshou admitted he had somewhat underestimated his opponent. When he killed Yi, he had the Unspoken Elder to restrain him; when he killed Jinzu and Xiao Ren, he had the forbidden spell barrier of the Deep Sea World to assist him. While those Voids had indeed died in the end, the process couldn’t be ignored; it always involved favorable timing, geographical advantage, and human cooperation. Xu Xiaoshou had initially believed the same would apply to Shuang Dai. After all, this guy had been battered by the Void Servant, and even needed the Void Servant to actively lift its foot for him to appear. But reality proved otherwise! Even at his wits’ end, Shuang Dai could unleash terrifying combat power with just a trace of spiritual energy in his spiritual sea. Furthermore, there was no forbidden spell barrier here, nor the deterrent of the Unspoken Elder, which put him at a disadvantage everywhere. By squeezing out his last shred of spiritual energy and stimulating some potential, Shuang Dai could still display sixty to seventy percent of his peak combat power.

However…

“And that’s all you’ve got!”

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t retreat at all. He also thought that if Shuang Dai’s attack could break through his defenses, then his sovereign-level body, enhanced by so many passive points, and his various passive abilities, would have been for nothing! Moreover, facing this spiritual technique, he didn’t only have the option of resisting it with his physical body.

“Boundless Domain!”

With a flourish of You Si Sword, Xu Xiaoshou immediately unleashed his awakened ability, an all-encompassing offensive and defensive force field. Since it was possible he couldn’t dodge Shuang Dai’s attack, and considering this guy was an assassin who would surely have a fallback plan if his first strike failed, he decided to completely cut off his escape routes. “Fight with Boundless Domain active,” he thought, “if you can get close to me, I lose!”

“Clang, clang, clang, clang—”

As Shuang Dai approached, the invisible Boundless Domain instantly erupted with countless sword lights, repelling the “Spirit-Severing Stab.” In a flash, the triangular daggers clashed with the sword energy countless times.

“What kind of technique is this?”

Shuang Dai was startled by this strange spiritual technique, but in battle, there was no time to ponder. “If you defend, then I’ll force my way through!”

“Golden Buddha Body!”

The moment they were repelled by the Boundless Domain, both Shuang Dais simultaneously roared into the air, their entire bodies then covered in indestructible golden scales.

“Om…”

Like a tolling bell, the mental attack accompanying the Golden Buddha Body resounded in Xu Xiaoshou’s mind.

“Dizzy! Let’s see how you defend now?”

Shuang Dai’s lips curled into a smirk. He had long known about the strange suppression of spiritual energy on Void Island, so he had already prepared his spiritual energy during the previous move, waiting for this second combo attack. At this point, how could a mere Grandmaster junior recover within three or four breaths under the Golden Buddha Body’s mental attack, which was strong enough to affect even a Void? And for a battle to be decided, why would it need such a long time? An instant was enough!

“Your head is mine!”

Shuang Dai sneered, intending to forcibly breach the Boundless Domain with the Golden Buddha Body’s defensive power. No one knew better than he, a gold-medal hunter, how valuable Xu Xiaoshou’s head was.

“Stunned, Passive Point +1.”

His mind briefly wavered. Spiritual Awakening triggered. Xu Xiaoshou recovered instantly, and in his pupils, the two golden, Buddha-like Shuang Dais seemed to expand.

“God-Devil Eyes, activate!”

Behind him, a delicate shout sounded at the right moment. At the same time, a white nirvana flower bloomed beneath Xu Xiaoshou and Shuang Dai’s feet. Lei Xier had never let down her guard. With a Void as her opponent this time, how could she not give it her all? Shuang Dai’s mental stun was a joke under the God-Devil Eyes’ autonomous defense mechanism. Upon realizing Xu Xiaoshou might be controlled, she immediately chose to dispel the control. While her left eye’s divine power blessed Xu Xiaoshou, her right eye’s demonic power targeted both Shuang Dais from a distance… If she couldn’t tell which was the true body, she would just target both!

“Purified, Passive Point +1.”

Bathed in sacred divine light, Xu Xiaoshou felt his mind become clear, and his reaction speed more than doubled. As far as his eyes could see, the two Buddha-like Shuang Dais, who had been relentlessly forcing their way through moments ago, were now tainted with demonic energy, confusion appeared in their eyes, and even their movements showed a slight delay.

“Dummy, mental attacks have no effect on me. Just forcefully control this guy.”

Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself that this lack of tacit understanding in their teamwork had caused Lei Xier to waste some extra power. However, in the midst of battle, there was no time for lengthy explanations… or so Shuang Dai understood. Xu Xiaoshou directly transmitted his voice to Lei Xier: “From now on, in battle, don’t worry about mental attacks on me. Your senior brother is invincible.”

Lei Xier: ???

Are you really fighting? Don’t get carried away!

“You want my head?”

After transmitting his message, Xu Xiaoshou looked at Shuang Dai, a sneer gracing his lips. With a flick of You Si Sword and a step forward, his body seemed to appear behind the two Golden Buddha Body Shuang Dais.

“West Wind, Withered Snow.”

Clink.

You Si Sword returned to its sheath, and frost fell from the sky. Behind him, the two Golden Buddha Bodies each erupted with a circle of black sword energy around their necks.

“Splat, splat!”

There was no explosion, nor any delay. The Void’s spiritual technique, the Golden Buddha Body, had strong defense, but Xu Xiaoshou had no intention of forcibly breaking through it with other means. One sword was enough. The Ferocious Sword You Si Sword could cut through iron like mud, and slice Buddhas like slaughtering dogs!

“Aargh—”

Screams erupted. The battle was decided in the mere instant they were controlled by Lei Xier’s God-Devil power. Both Shuang Dais simultaneously clutched their throats in pain, infinite demonic energy suddenly erupting from their bodies; non-sword cultivators struck by You Si Sword were bound to suffer qi deviation.

“Wait, this guy can’t die yet…”

After sheathing his sword, Xu Xiaoshou even ran a hand through his hair, intending to finish his finishing move. But the next second, he realized: Shuang Dai couldn’t die yet; this guy still held too many secrets in his mind. If he didn’t perform a soul read, how would he know the location of the Divine Farmer’s Medicine Garden?

“Feast!”

Ah Jie was no longer around, unable to help devour the demonic energy. But Xu Xiaoshou didn’t panic; he had a backup plan. The gluttonous beast head behind him opened wide and suddenly swallowed the two Golden Buddha Body Shuang Dais who were clutching their throats and wailing in pain.

“Thump, thump.”

Two crisp sounds, and spiritual energy surged over. Xu Xiaoshou’s body went numb, and he couldn’t help but groan, “Aargh!” This pure Void spiritual energy added to his already abundant spiritual energy reserves in his spiritual sea. However, he had thought “Feast” would only devour all energy forms from Shuang Dai’s body. Unexpectedly, what his “Perception” showed was that the two Shuang Dais behind him, who had already suffered qi deviation, vanished completely after being swallowed by the gluttonous beast head…

“They’re all dead?”

Xu Xiaoshou was stunned; this was impossible! “Feast” couldn’t devour people; it only devoured energy matter. This meant… these two Shuang Dais were entirely made of energy?

“Divine power? Demonic power?!”

In the distance, from the direction where the Void Servant had previously lifted its foot, a startled voice rang out. Shuang Dai looked at Lei Xier in disbelief. “How do you possess such power?”

Xu Xiaoshou looked sideways, and his mind suddenly cleared. As expected, these sly assassins would never allow themselves to be completely approached, would they? In other words, the two Shuang Dais who had just launched the surprise attack were both clones?

“Impossible, this is impossible…”

Outside the battlefield, Shuang Dai, who had previously left only a wisp of split energy and now solidified back into his true form, was utterly terrified. He had only tested them briefly. Xu Xiaoshou indeed lived up to the black-gold bounty’s reputation; his Dao-Slaying combat power was even greater than rumored. Coupled with his strange spiritual techniques and the Ferocious You Si Sword, he was impossible to defeat in a short time. But what surprised Shuang Dai the most wasn’t Xu Xiaoshou, but the silver-haired woman who had been controlling the flow of the battle.

“Mysterious eyes, mysterious abilities…”

“Lei Clan Eyes?”

Shuang Dai panicked at this thought. This duo, let alone his current weakened state, even at his peak, a moment of carelessness could lead to complete defeat. And now, if he couldn’t instantly kill these two, the longer the battle dragged on, the more his spiritual energy reserves would fail.

“Damn it…”

Shuang Dai wanted to run. This was an assassin’s instinct and intuition. In his current state, there was a high probability he couldn’t defeat these two young individuals. But the Void Servant was standing behind him with crossed arms, watching mockingly; it was impossible for anyone to escape!

In that case…

“Can’t drag this out!”

“Saint Power!”

“Activate!”

Shuang Dai raised his hands, and the Saint Power in his spiritual sea—born from a Saint Vestige Fruit, consumed during his battle with the Void Servant, and now recovered by stalling for time—suddenly erupted.

“Boom!”

Instantly, the ground collapsed, and a heavy semi-saintly aura descended. Xu Xiaoshou’s knees bent, feeling the same pressure he had faced against Jiang Buyi, but it wasn’t as unshakeable as before. On the contrary, while this Saint Power pressure appeared great, its actual power was very small. So small, it was like the stage where an ordinary Spirit Refiner had just consumed Saint Blood and begun to unleash their power. Of course, it was still terrifying. However, for Xu Xiaoshou, who frequently fought Voids like the Six Department Heads and had experience consuming Saint Blood, it was commonplace.

“Is this the effect of the Saint Vestige Fruit?”

Despite this, Xu Xiaoshou still looked on with envy. He had a lot of Saint Blood, from different semi-saints. But to master Saint Power without consuming Saint Blood, and to even have it grow over time—how many people dreamed of that?

“Ah Bing!”

He didn’t advance directly. Xu Xiaoshou actually didn’t want to waste his Saint Power on this desperate Shuang Dai, so he summoned Ah Bing. The strange rule suppression of Void Island further prolonged Ah Bing’s already long casting time for skills. However, Ah Bing had been chanting since the beginning of the battle. By this time, its “Forbidden Curse” had clearly taken form.

“Three Days of Frozen Calamity!”

With a flick of his hand, to cooperate with Ah Bing, Xu Xiaoshou even summoned the main body of the Three Days of Frozen Calamity. At this moment, the sky frost turned into falling snow, and the ground crackled as it froze. Inside and outside the battlefield, the ancient forest turned into ice sculptures, and even the Void Servant was startled and retreated, then began devouring the encroaching ice energy in huge gulps. Delicious, delicious.

“Roar…”

Beneath Lei Xier, the ice-blue and white skeleton, Ah Bing, finally let out a low growl. As energy overflowed, ice-elemental profound mystery arrays spread out beneath its feet. As far as the eye could see… from Ah Bing to Shuang Dai, even under the suppression of Saint Power, dozens of ice-elemental profound mystery arrays suddenly lit up along the path, as if profound mysteries were paving the way to sainthood!

“Holy crap!”

Shuang Dai was dumbfounded. Profound Mystery Arrays? Xu Xiaoshou hadn’t mastered profound mysteries, nor had the silver-haired girl. But their mounts had???

“Are they all freaks?!”

Shuang Dai was going crazy. But his madness hadn’t yet manifested as a tangible attack. Under the enhancement of the Three Days of Frozen Calamity, the energy of those brightly glowing ice-elemental profound mystery arrays swelled to their limit.

“Ice Age!”

Ah Bing couldn’t speak, so Xu Xiaoshou stood with his sword, speaking indifferently… He liked these moments, where he didn’t need to act, just speak.

No sooner had he spoken than…

“Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!”

Terrifying ice explosions thundered for dozens of miles around; the ancient forest within the battlefield was completely covered in frost. Even the observing Void Servant, unable to devour the massive amount of ice energy in time, turned into an ice crystal giant at this moment.

“Crack!”

The world froze. Shattered trees hung suspended in mid-air, and scattered dust solidified in the nine heavens. And at the center of the frost storm, Shuang Dai, permeated with semi-saintly pressure, was completely frozen before he could unleash the power he had just gained.

“Fwooosh…”

The unique sound exclusive to Blazing White Flame rang out.

“Hohoho!”

The next second, the Blazing White Skeleton Ah Huo excitedly thumped its chest and stamped its feet. It was completely unaffected by the ice power. Having been watching for so long without being able to join, Ah Huo had been hungry for action. Now that the enemy wasn’t next to its master, it finally didn’t have to worry about shattering everyone with one punch.

“Roar!”

With a sudden bend of its knee, Ah Huo, like a giant cannonball, exploded with Blazing White Flame beneath its feet and unleashed a punch towards the ice-sculpted Shuang Dai.

“Break!”

The freezing power of the ice profound mystery was extremely strong, but Saint Power was not to be underestimated either. In just half a breath, Shuang Dai broke free from the ice’s grip, completely shattering the ice sculpture. But as soon as his vision recovered from darkness, a colossal fist, blazing with bright fire, completely dyed the world before him white.

“What the heck…”

Shuang Dai was dumbfounded. At one point, he even recalled the fear of being dominated by the Void Servant. Because the fist before him, from a human perspective, was no different from the Void Servant’s foot! Huge! Super huge!

“Bang—”

As the punch was thrown, time itself seemed to slow before this absolute power. Shuang Dai felt the world before him distorting… His eyeballs were impacted, nearly flying out of their sockets; his teeth fell out, scattering with blood in the blurry world; his body was blasted into fragments, his elbows detached, embedding themselves between his heart and lungs…

“Oh, god, oh, god, oh, god!”

In his quiet conscious world, Shuang Dai became confused and bewildered. He didn’t understand. Was Xu Xiaoshou really a Grandmaster? Was the Dao-Slaying combat power written on the black-gold bounty really measured accurately? It was one thing for him to be so strong, but his young girlfriend even possessed the Lei Clan Eyes. And the Lei Clan Eyes were one thing, but both of their mounts were giants. And the giants were one thing, but one commanded ice profound mysteries, and the other possessed physical strength more terrifying than anything he had ever seen in his life… completely on par with the Void Servant!

“Plop!”

His semi-saintly power had only just appeared and hadn’t even had a chance to display its might. After Ah Huo’s punch, Shuang Dai was launched from the ground, transforming into a spray of minced flesh across the sky.

“Hoo-hoo-hoo!”

With the battle over, Ah Huo was excited like a monkey, turning its head to bounce around and gesticulate wildly at Xu Xiaoshou.

“Look at me, look at me! I crushed the opponent with one punch, wasn’t that strong? Praise me, praise me!”