Chapter 1075: On Void Island, the Saint-Sealing Old Man Will Kill You, Even at the Ends of the Earth

"Ugh!"

In the void, blood bloomed. Allured by the Demigod Edict's character "Return" to reveal himself, Xu Xiaoshou was utterly powerless against Jiang Buyi's will avatar. Even with a King's physique, a body full of passive skills, and the first trace of his own holy power having emerged in his Qi Sea, facing a demigod's absolute power, Jiang Buyi's hand pierced through his chest as if tearing fragile paper. Through the right hand that had passed through his body, everyone could still see the shocking large chunk of flesh that had been torn out, expanding and contracting, beating rhythmically.

—His heart!

"Die!" Jiang Buyi's voice was shrill, as if venting anger, completely ignoring Mei Jiren's approaching sword from behind and Ye Xiaotian's spatial confinement. With a forceful grip, "Thump!" The torn-out heart exploded in mid-air, shattering into a spray of blood. With his satisfaction and urge for revenge perfectly unleashed, Jiang Buyi's lips twisted into a sneer, then a triumphant grin, before he burst into wild laughter high in the sky.

"Hahahaha..."

No one could know how frustrated he, a venerable demigod, had been in this place! Not only had he been used as a pawn by a junior, not only had he formed an enmity with Teng Shanhai and the Holy Divine Palace, but in the end, even a minor Sword Immortal could destroy one of his demigod avatars... And in the very end, he couldn't even take away Xu Xiaoshou, the instigator, and had to leave in disgrace. What a humiliation!

Jiang Buyi had never intended to leave so ignominiously! From the moment "Eight Thrones" appeared and he feigned submission, he had already been planning to take Xu Xiaoshou's life. Without this, his hatred would be unquenchable. What if it was the Eighth Sword Immortal? What if it was the Saint Slave Leader? What if it was the Venerable of the Black and White lineages? Jiang Buyi didn't care! He didn't care at all! Void Island was Eight Thrones' territory, but if the other party truly sought revenge, they would have to go to the Northern Region, and then... it would be uncertain who would prevail.

Jiang Buyi was not one of those reclusive demigods with unclear stances. He was part of the Holy Divine Palace lineage. After the Lei Family incident, everyone was in the same boat, fighting for the same cause, with no distinction between "you" and "I." Jiang Buyi firmly believed that all the blame heaped upon him could be cleared up by personally explaining to Dao Qiongcang on Holy Mountain afterward. What misunderstanding couldn't be resolved? At that time, if Eight Thrones truly sought revenge, he could even unite with the Holy Divine Palace to set up a trap in the Northern Region and capture that person, sending them to prison.

But plans are always subject to change... Jiang Buyi never imagined, even at his death, that even the "Eight Thrones" who came as a last-minute reinforcement was fake! Fake... They really dared to play such games! They dared to deceive a demigod? But the problem was... Jiang Buyi had already intended to offend the *real* Eight Thrones, and yet the one who appeared was still fake. What else in this world could be called "fear"? Jiang Buyi was now simply glad. He was glad he hadn't been intimidated and retreated; otherwise, in the future, recalling this matter, wouldn't he regret it immensely?

Looking back... Regardless of how the battle here ended, Jiang Buyi had already left behind the Demigod Edict. Was it worth sacrificing this Demigod Edict, which was even more precious than a demigod avatar, just to kill Xu Xiaoshou? Jiang Buyi believed it was worth it! Life is nothing more than seeking pleasure and avenging wrongs. If one becomes a demigod, and even killing a person requires hesitation, second-guessing, and calculating gains and losses... wouldn't that be the same behavior as a petty person? Killing Xu Xiaoshou wouldn't yield any material gains. Yet Jiang Buyi felt immensely satisfied; how else could one describe the feeling of "pure exhilaration"? Ultimately, everything that had happened to him was because of this junior! Xu Xiaoshou was the culprit! As long as he lived, Jiang Buyi would never feel truly at ease!

"Go reincarnate, ignorant junior..."

"In your next life, remember not to offend those you shouldn't!"

Without any pause, after crushing Xu Xiaoshou's heart, the remaining holy power from the demigod's will surged into Xu Xiaoshou's body, transforming into the "Demigod Slaying Cloud Light" technique, capable of dissolving all of Teng Shanhai's existence. Under the holy light, halos of light spread across the heavens and earth. And within the halo, Xu Xiaoshou's face was left with only traces of regretful tears and an expression of terror that seemed to have been eternally fixed. "Sizzle." There was no suspense. His physical body vanished, his soul was erased, and even his will... all dissipated into nothingness under the power of the demigod!

"Roar!" The Void Attendants outside the battlefield cried out in anguish at this moment, seemingly unable to accept this scene, just like Ye Xiaotian and the others. A fine human boy, quite spirited in appearance, perfectly matching the Void Attendants' aesthetic taste, yet at this moment, all traces of his existence in the mortal world were erased; he died a violent death. If even the Void Attendants reacted this way, how much more so for Ye Xiaotian and the others, who had deeper connections with Xu Xiaoshou?

Mei Jiren's sword was ultimately too slow. Perhaps it was because of Jiang Buyi's taunting words before he left, which successfully distracted him. Or perhaps it was because no one could have imagined that Jiang Buyi would leave behind a Demigod Edict, something even demigods treasured, merely to take Xu Xiaoshou's life. People are accustomed to thinking from a perspective of gain and loss, sometimes forgetting that some individuals do things completely disregarding outcomes, simply for the sake of emotional clarity or satisfaction. This sounds quite absurd, yet it has some truth to it. Don't cultivators cultivate their minds? And which cultivator of the mind can accept even the slightest mental shackles? Xu Xiaoshou had obstructed Jiang Buyi's path, so Jiang Buyi proceeded to eliminate him. Even if the cost was immense, it was understandable.

Despite this, Mei Jiren appeared outwardly calm and unmoving, but the hand holding his sword was trembling slightly. "Three Thousand Sword Dao..." A soft murmur echoed in the air. Mei Jiren knew that Jiang Buyi's main body had long since departed. What had remained in the Demigod Edict to ambush Xu Xiaoshou was merely an avatar of Jiang Buyi's will. Now, all the power of this avatar had been unleashed upon Xu Xiaoshou, focused on one fact: Xu Xiaoshou must not be allowed to resurrect! Thus, there was very little power left to resist his single sword strike. Mei Jiren fully understood Jiang Buyi's intention—the other party didn't even want to reclaim this will avatar; once Xu Xiaoshou was killed, the avatar's mission would be complete, and it could simply dissipate on its own.

Yet at this moment... Mei Jiren, despite knowing all this, still could not suppress the killing intent within him. This! This was his student, whom he hadn't even officially taken in yet! How could a venerable demigod stoop to brutally killing a junior? —It was utterly shameless!

"Shattering Dao..." A blue Mo Sword formed beneath the stone sword. Mei Jiren didn't use much power, not even the Eighteen Sword Streams, because it simply wasn't worth it for just a demigod's will avatar. But when the Mo Sword, carrying the stone sword, pierced into Jiang Buyi's will avatar, which had turned around with a calm smile, Mei Jiren could no longer suppress his impulse. "Azure River Sword Domain!" "Shattering Dao: Lingchi!" "Die by my hand!"

With a boom, sword intent erupted, and countless Mo Swords manifested in the sky, frantically tearing through Jiang Buyi's will avatar, dismembering it into countless pieces, torturing it to shreds. Yet, until it dissipated, not a single muscle twitched on Jiang Buyi's face; only an unceasing, gleeful smile remained. "How truly painful..." He chuckled softly, lowering his head to gaze at the will avatar shattered into crystal fragments, but before it completely dissipated, he met Mei Jiren's eyes. "To use such devastating power against a demigod's will avatar that has no power to resist."

"It's too painful! Truly too painful! With our wills connected, my true body can already feel the pain of your sword flaying me."

"But..." Jiang Buyi still smiled as the will avatar finally shattered, but it left one last sentence echoing in the sky. "The very pain this Venerable needs to experience is this kind of pain!" "Because this Venerable can imagine that the pain in your heart right now... is a hundred times greater than this!"

The lingering echoes in the void eventually condensed into a few words. "Mei Jiren, you lost!" "You lost..." "Lost..." "..." Endless echoes reverberated in his mind. That detestable face, though vanished, magnified infinitely in his pupils. "Ugh." Mei Jiren felt his heart clench, letting out a muffled groan, as blood oozed from the corner of his lips. This was partly the backlash from suppressing the power of the sword strike he had just unleashed, and partly a manifestation of anger and blood rushing to his heart, truly provoked by Jiang Buyi. Yes, Mei Jiren knew he had lost. Even if he had slain one of Jiang Buyi's demigod avatars, the target he sought to protect had not survived, and Jiang Buyi had ultimately succeeded, so he had lost forever. Never before had Mei Jiren felt such a furious impulse to immediately kill someone. He had cultivated his mind and temperament for a long time, and should not have been so violent, but at this moment, a fierce rage ignited within him, like the youthful passion he once possessed, repeatedly surging and impacting his spirit. Silence brewed in mid-air. For a long, long time, Mei Jiren's body remained completely still, as if petrified. The world magnified in his eyes... Wherever his gaze fell, everything—people, things, events—became sluggish.

Ye Xiaotian rushed into empty air; even with the "Spatial Grand Dao," the fastest speed in the current world, he was still half a step too slow, due to Jiang Buyi's sudden attack and the damage inflicted by the Demigod Edict. It seemed "space" was Ye Xiaotian's destiny. Even if he threw himself forward desperately, at the last moment, all he embraced was the illusory foam-like shadow of Xu Xiaoshou, who had been obliterated by the holy light. Only air remained. Only nothingness. Only space, eternally accompanying him in solitude. The small white-haired boy remained frozen in mid-air, maintaining the embrace, as scenes related to Old Man Sang and Xu Xiaoshou flashed through his mind: drinking roasted goose wine in the thatched cottage... Tianxuan Sect's collapse, building a spatial passage for his disciple, cleaning up his messes... losing an arm during the night battle at Spirit Palace... Spirit Treasure Pavilion burning down, yet he had to lie for his disciple, chasing non-existent attackers... watching Old Man Sang get shot by an arrow and fall into madness in the Eight Palaces... Xu Xiaoshou exposing the four world-stabilizing treasures he had stolen right before his eyes in the Spirit Palace, even bending down, reaching out, and shamelessly nudging his ring back with his foot...

His memories were scattered. Ye Xiaotian no longer knew what was what. He only knew that he had failed to fulfill Old Man Sang's final entrustment—Xu Xiaoshou was gone. "I couldn't do anything..." The white-haired boy heavily closed his eyes in mid-air, the anguish in his heart transforming into two streams of clear tears that flowed down.

Behind him, Xiao Kongtong was struggling on the ground. Most affected by the Demigod Edict, he couldn't even move at this moment, watching Xu Xiaoshou die without being able to offer even a single sword strike in support. Xiao Kongtong was utterly stunned. He had promised "ten breaths," and indeed, he had endured ten breaths longer than Ye Xiaotian in front of the Demigod Edict, but when it was time to save someone, he couldn't contribute even an iota of strength. "What have I done?" Xiao Kongtong felt as if his soul had left his body, his eyes filled with boundless confusion.

In his memory, at their first encounter in Tiansang City, it was the first time in many years that he had formally received an order from his teacher. He met Xu Xiaoshou. He used Ten-Stage Sword Finger to kill the killer Red Dog, who lasted three incense sticks, and formally gifted "The Sword Contemplation Classic"—a gift from his teacher during his youth. Xu Xiaoshou learned Sword Will... Xu Xiaoshou began to stir up trouble... Xu Xiaoshou erupted in Dongtian Royal City, and Xiao Kongtong went to support him... But in the end, here on Void Island, Xu Xiaoshou was utterly annihilated by Demigod Jiang Buyi, right before his eyes!

"Powerless..." Xiao Kongtong couldn't describe this feeling of powerlessness. He believed that it would be difficult to find an opponent of his caliber anywhere in the world, and this was true. But when facing a demigod, what good was being invincible among his peers if he couldn't even protect a junior? "Teacher, I'm sorry, I messed up, I messed everything up..." Xiao Kongtong lay half-paralyzed on the ground, banging his head on the earth, muttering weakly, his eyes filled only with deep hatred for his own inadequacy. Every scene was a vivid picture.

Mei Jiren took in the suffering of those around him. He was the calmest, showing no abnormal fluctuations whatsoever. Yet, as the oldest and strongest person present, he couldn't even protect a student who hadn't formally entered his tutelage. The pain Mei Jiren was enduring in his heart at this moment was, as Jiang Buyi had said earlier—a pain like Lingchi, a hundred times worse!

One breath... Three breaths... Ten breaths... After a silent pause for about half an incense stick's time, Mei Jiren finally couldn't remain still. The calmer his body appeared, the more frenzied his mind became, as Jiang Buyi's final soul-piercing words echoed in his thoughts incessantly. At a certain moment, Mei Jiren suddenly lifted his gaze. "Boom!" Holy tribulation clouds churned in the sky, gathering out of thin air. Mei Jiren's gaze was like lightning; with just one look, his sword intent spread, instantly surging across the entire Void Island. "Rumble, rumble, rumble—" Large sections of the Forest of Miracles collapsed. The holy tribulation, having been summoned, almost solidified, with purple lightning flashing within, seemingly ready to strike at any moment.

"Mr. Jiren!" Xiao Kongtong was still struggling behind to recover from the damage inflicted by the Demigod Edict, and was still immersed in the pain of Xu Xiaoshou's death. Seeing this now, he was startled and had to temporarily restrain his emotions, crying out loudly. "That old scoundrel Jiang Buyi is provoking you, Mr. Jiren, you absolutely must not fall into his trap; this is his final ploy!" Mei Jiren's body trembled in mid-air; he wanted to stop. How could he not know this was Jiang Buyi's final move?

But... How could he quell the hatred in his heart without killing this person? And without entering the Saint realm, how could he slay Demigod Jiang Buyi? "Entering the game, becoming a saint, sensing, self-imprisonment, desolation, confinement..." "And, the loss of freedom..." Mei Jiren had understood everything, but he couldn't stop his actions. Because of the direction of his sword dao and the current situation, he could no longer suppress his cultivation realm; he could only follow its natural progression and break through. The demigod position flew out from his body, and under the horrified gazes of Ye Xiaotian and Xiao Kongtong, Mei Jiren floated high into the air.

"He..." Ye Xiaotian recovered from his shock, touched his chest, and found the crystal gem still there. This meant that Mei Jiren had already prepared a demigod position for himself, just as he had said. "Becoming a saint is but a single thought." But at that very moment, Ye Xiaotian and Xiao Kongtong simultaneously recalled another of Mei Jiren's sayings. "Freedom, however, is this old man's lifelong pursuit." And now, for Xu Xiaoshou, was Mr. Jiren planning to abandon his neutral stance, abandon his freedom, become a saint on Void Island, and completely enter the fray?

"Boom!" The demigod position howled in the sky, causing winds to change and clouds to shift, and everything in heaven and earth began to tremble. Mei Jiren's eyes had lost sight of everything; he knew he might also be influenced by the demigod's will, but... so be it. "Jiang Buyi, you certainly made a move against this old man!" "Therefore... this old man will definitely kill you, even if it means searching to the ends of the earth!"

Mei Jiren no longer paid attention to what was below, even as Xiao Kongtong desperately tried to dissuade him, even as Ye Xiaotian also sensed something was wrong and spoke up to persuade him, even as one of the two enormous Void Attendants opposite, who had originally cowered in fear, suddenly stood up for some unknown reason and stumbled towards him...

"Roar!" The Void Attendant roared. Mei Jiren didn't care at all; others feared Void Attendants, but he did not. Moreover, during a holy tribulation, anyone who dared to enter the tribulation zone would undoubtedly die. "Roar!" The Void Attendant continued to cry out, its expression becoming frantic. Mei Jiren didn't want to make a move; it was just a Void Attendant seeking its own death. He was determined to undergo his tribulation, and this giant approaching would ultimately bring trouble upon itself.

"Stupid..." The Void Attendant was so frantic that it actually spoke human words! But it seemed to realize something, quickly restraining its impulse to curse. Its two enormous eyes, like suns, rolled within their sockets, and a flash of "inspiration" mixed with cunning, almost human, glinted within them. Afterward, the Void Attendant bent down, one hand on its knee, freeing the other hand to specifically tap Ye Xiaotian's and Xiao Kongtong's heads, then stammered out human words.

"Humans... sad... shameful..."

Ye Xiaotian: ???

Xiao Kongtong: ???

Is this big guy crazy? Do you dare provoke us? Don't you know what "rage and exasperation" are, what "emotional transference" is, what "killing giants to vent anger" is? The other Void Attendant behind it lifted its eyes, also dumbfounded. Bro! Are you crazy? You saved my life, but you came late; didn't you see that old man just now slay a demigod with one sword? Why did you rush out like that! Are you looking for death?! But thankfully, you provoked those two small humans, not the old human. He actually dares to undergo a holy tribulation on Void Island... The Void Attendant shivered just watching him, what kind of person is this!

But the next second, it was stunned again. It saw the Void Attendant, who had appeared from who knew where, after tapping the two human boys' heads, still unsatisfied, turn its massive head and then reach out to tap the old human. He's undergoing tribulation! And you're tapping his head?! The Void Attendant was frantic, almost rushing over to grab its comrade and drag him back. But before it could move, its Void Attendant comrade truly demonstrated what "ignorance is bliss," not only daring to tap the tribulation-undergoer but also taunting him.

"Sword Immortal... fell for it... shameful..."