Chapter 1093: Youta, Take My Sword

“The situation is slightly improving…”

“Perhaps he truly can emerge from qi deviation on his own!”

In the Giant Kingdom, on an ancient street, Mei Siren still guarded Xu Xiaoshou, anxious but refraining from intervening. He waited, quietly hoping Xu Xiaoshou would give him a surprise and validate his genius.

Qi deviation, which for others was insurmountable, might simply be a larger stepping stone for a true genius. If it were Ba Zun'an in this state today, Mei Siren would trust him to resolve it independently due to his exceptional talent. Thus, having already regarded Xu Xiaoshou as a genius on par with Ba Zun'an and placed immense hope in him, why not grant him more time to see what he could ultimately achieve? After all, the "stories" in the Miracle Forest, which were meant to be "accidents" but ended up astounding Mei Siren, were all orchestrated by Xu Xiaoshou.

“The only one…” Mei Siren muttered, his gaze fixed intently on the young man before him, his stone sword clutched tightly.

Suddenly, at a certain moment, a new anomaly occurred in Xu Xiaoshou! This time, he didn't merely approach full demonization countless times, only for his self-purification ability to dispel the effect at the last moment. Xu Xiaoshou's current fluctuation was much grander, greater than all previous ones combined!

*Crack.*

*Crackle, crackle, crackle—*

The long street suddenly fractured. Nearby city towers were affected by an invisible force; countless cracks spread across their moss-covered walls. It was as if an invisible divine hand had pressed down from the heavens, sinking the ground by three feet and making it difficult for people to breathe.

“This is…” Mei Siren’s Sword Avatar stood firm, resisting the sudden pressure, his heart subtly stirring. “The manifestation of ‘Intent’!”

This pressure was nothing to Mei Siren, but it was emanating from Xu Xiaoshou, who was in a state of qi deviation. Mei Siren instantly confirmed his thought, his face lighting up with joy. Xu Xiaoshou might have succeeded!

Looking again, in just a blink of an eye, the young man floating in the air was already emanating a surging aura. That immense, visibly palpable aura was the manifestation of "Intent"! It was the very essence cultivated by the Heart Sword Technique! At this moment, it transformed into a wave of energy, pushing outwards from around Xu Xiaoshou and covering hundreds of miles.

*Boom, boom, boom—*

The surrounding area, which had been merely cracked, now collapsed completely amidst roaring sounds, an irresistible force. Even the very ground was forcefully pressed down by a full *zhang* (approx. 10 feet) by the aura Xu Xiaoshou exhibited!

*Thud!*

Caught off guard, Mei Siren was slammed into a deep pit in the ground by the sudden surge of pressure. He dusted himself off and climbed out, yet his face showed no anger, only pure delight!

“He did it!”

“He definitely did it!”

Floating up, Mei Siren suppressed his Sword Avatar’s urge to protect its master, fearing it might in any way disrupt Xu Xiaoshou’s current state. Even when flying, he used spiritual energy and not a shred of his own Sword Intent, seemingly terrified it might "taint" and negatively influence Xu Xiaoshou’s Sword Intent.

*Whoosh!*

Returning swiftly to Xu Xiaoshou’s side, Mei Siren looked him over, intending to carefully examine his current condition. What he perceived, however, was that the "feeling" of the person before him had subtly changed. The demonic energy that had previously swirled around him due to qi deviation was now gone, completely absorbed into Xu Xiaoshou’s body. Whether this was good or bad was uncertain.

Xu Xiaoshou’s demeanor had also shifted, becoming very cold, no longer exhibiting the "sunny" side he showed before he closed his eyes in meditation. On the contrary, he now exuded a chilling, somber aura, undoubtedly influenced by the absorption of demonic energy. Mei Siren’s eyes darted about, hesitating. He suddenly doubted his own judgment. Perhaps there was only one Ba Zun'an, and Xu Xiaoshou could not yet reach his height. Allowing this boy to cultivate further while in a state of qi deviation might harm his cultivation foundation, leading to a net loss.

“I should intervene,” Mei Siren sighed softly, raising his stone sword. Behind him, his Sword Avatar also began to stir.

Just then…

*Boom!*

Xu Xiaoshou’s aura in front of him surged once more, and the "Intent" he displayed grew so powerful that it transformed into a sky-piercing energy pillar, tearing through the clouds above!

“This…” Mei Siren’s eyelids twitched violently, his mind filled with disbelief. Xu Xiaoshou’s "Intent," his "True Self," could actually grow strong enough to affect *him*? Was this the result of a junior’s first attempt at the Heart Sword Technique? Was it due to the rebound from all the past pressures he had endured? Absolutely not! Perhaps, deep within Xu Xiaoshou’s heart, beneath his history of being manipulated, a seed of grand ambition had long been planted due to various helpless circumstances. And now, this seed, ignited by the Heart Sword Technique, had been fully unleashed!

Before he could ponder further, a sudden intuition guided his spiritual will—danger was imminent! Without hesitation, Mei Siren swiftly pulled back, retreating a full ten *zhang* (approx. 100 feet). He could perceive that this danger did not come from an outsider, but from… Xu Xiaoshou!

Composing his emotions, Mei Siren looked towards Xu Xiaoshou again, wanting to see what kind of surprise this young man would bring him. But to his astonishment, what he saw… Xu Xiaoshou was gone! In his place, there was only a colossal silver moon hanging high in the heavens!

“This is…” Mei Siren’s eyes widened, as if he realized something, and his spiritual sense swept behind him.

His Sword Avatar was gone! This meant he had entered Xu Xiaoshou’s inner world, his spiritual realm. But Xu Xiaoshou was cultivating "God-Buddha in My Eyes," wasn't he? A normal person's "God-Buddha in My Eyes" merely released their inner "True Self" and manifested a "monster," right? How could Xu Xiaoshou have constructed an entire world? Was he insane? How could a person's limited spiritual energy sustain the construction of a complete world using the Heart Sword Technique? Illusion Sword Techniques were more suited for that, as "illusions" were fake! What he was doing would shatter his spiritual body!

These thoughts flashed through his mind just as his spiritual sense, unable to find his Sword Avatar, clearly revealed this chaotic, broken world. Heavenly thunder calamities, volcanic eruptions, floods, tsunamis… This was the apocalypse of a spiritual world!

“Indeed, Xu Xiaoshou has damaged himself. I should have intervened sooner,” Mei Siren’s heart was filled with regret at that moment.

But before such emotions could fully spread, a long, fearless voice drifted into his ears.

“This tower should only exist in heaven…”

“This person may only be cultivated by me…”

What did that mean? Before he could react, Mei Siren was startled to see, within that dilapidated spiritual world, beneath the silver moon, a ninety-nine-story ancient tower rising high. A familiar ancient tower… The First Tower in Heaven? Xu Xiaoshou’s inner world? What he truly wanted to condense as his "God-Buddha in My Eyes"? But why a tower?

Not just a tower! Mei Siren’s gaze sharpened, clearly discerning a blurry but arrogant and solitary figure on top of that tall building.

“That figure…”

Moon, tower, figure. With just these three images, as an ancient sword cultivator, Mei Siren instantly realized how blasphemous the "God-Buddha in My Eyes" Xu Xiaoshou was truly constructing was! This was the image of the "Sword God Lonely Tower Shadow"!

*Old man, I told you to surpass, to explore the unknown, but not to act so recklessly…* Mei Siren’s mouth was filled with bitterness. He could almost imagine the immense spiritual damage Xu Xiaoshou would inflict upon himself by constructing this image. This was almost irreparable damage!

Now, recalling that defiant declaration from earlier… "This tower should only exist in heaven; this person may only be cultivated by me." Mei Siren knew Xu Xiaoshou was about to fail. No one had ever surpassed the image of the Sword God Lonely Tower Shadow, though it was the eternal dream of ancient sword cultivators. But one must act within one's capabilities!

Yet, before he could stop him, before he could even utter a sound, Mei Siren was startled to find that the blurry figure on the lonely tower instantly solidified!

“How is this possible…”

At this instant, Mei Siren’s thoughts were overwhelmed by endless doubts. In the midst of the chaotic, dilapidated, apocalypse-ridden scene, the figure far on the ancient tower, before the silver moon, materialized with a black robe, black hair, and a black sword… It was too specific! So specific that even without turning, Mei Siren knew it was Xu Xiaoshou who had replaced that figure.

“This is impossible!” Mei Siren simply could not believe this could succeed. A person who hadn't mastered the Nine Great Sword Techniques—what kind of mental state could allow him to replace the image of the Sword God Lonely Tower Shadow? How many spiritual recovery pills would he have to consume to recover from the damage incurred by constructing this layer of image? In fact, one couldn't even speak of success, because no amount of pills would suffice, let alone the fact that Xu Xiaoshou hadn't consumed any pills while cultivating the Heart Sword Technique!

However, the very next second, reality struck Mei Siren truly and deeply. The black figure on the lonely tower seemed to be infused with a soul, making a slight movement, just a subtle turn of the head, a gentle lift of the gaze…

*Boom!*

The moment their gazes met, Mei Siren felt his inner beliefs collapse, all thoughts scattering in his mind. His spiritual body plummeted from the heavens, falling into that chaotic world filled with disaster.

“It’s impossible… to succeed…”

As an ancient sword cultivator, Mei Siren naturally knew what the greatest "God-Buddha" in the world was for them. One could say that the Sword God Lonely Tower Shadow was the greatest inner demon of ancient sword cultivators, one that no one had ever surpassed. But this inner demon usually didn't need to be concerned with, as it belonged to figures from ages ago. Yet Xu Xiaoshou’s "Heart Sword Technique," with its most formidable posture, revived the image of the Sword God Lonely Tower Shadow, bringing it into his spiritual world.

And his Heart Sword Technique was designed to lure people into his spiritual world—this world, created by the appearance of the Sword God Lonely Tower Shadow's intent, was filled with disaster, which itself could cause spiritual damage. But that wasn't all; Xu Xiaoshou also utilized the power of the world’s master to forcefully restore the Sword God Lonely Tower Shadow’s aura, delivering the most substantial spiritual blow to uninvited guests who entered his spiritual world.

“A crazy idea, an unpredictable success…” Trapped, Mei Siren could only marvel at Xu Xiaoshou’s actions.

But the very next second, he suddenly realized something was wrong. After making eye contact with the figure on the lonely tower, his spiritual body seemed to have been "contaminated"; some unclean things were emerging!

*Hiss!*

He suddenly clutched his head, staring in disbelief at the faint demonic energy beginning to emanate from his spiritual body. He then realized that the booming sound in his mind just now was not only due to his disbelief at Xu Xiaoshou’s success but also an absolute spiritual attack from the other party!

“Arghh—!”

Pain, madness, and chaos violently invaded Mei Siren’s spiritual body within the black chaotic world, and screams immediately erupted. Mei Siren finally realized the terrifying nature of Xu Xiaoshou’s "sword"! He had perfectly mastered the power of qi deviation and brought it to his "God-Buddha in My Eyes," enabling him to deliver the most merciless blow to the recipient of the sword.

“No, my current state is very wrong, something bad is going to happen…” Mei Siren, who also had experience in cultivating the Heart Sword Technique, was alarmed. Qi deviation was no small matter; even a Half-Saint could die from it if not careful! This was no longer about the cultivator’s realm. No matter how simple, ludicrous, or low-energy an attack seemed, once a person was hit and entered a state of qi deviation, they were no longer facing the attacker, but themselves, their inner demons!

In his current situation, Mei Siren could no longer care about Xu Xiaoshou’s Heart Sword Technique cultivation results. Because with a slight error, he truly might be killed in Xu Xiaoshou’s spiritual world by that single gaze, and the real killer would not be an enemy, but his own "inner demons"!

“Wait, I mustn’t think that…” As this thought crossed his mind, Mei Siren was already filled with regret. But there was no turning back. In just an instant, the emotion named "fear," directly influenced by the surrounding demonic energy, was forcefully amplified in Mei Siren’s mind.

Mei Siren’s pupils constricted, wanting to resist. The next second, he clutched his head with both hands, letting out a pained shriek.

*Roar—!*

Within the black chaotic world filled with demonic energy, a "Sword Avatar" monster, stepping on ten hell kings, immediately rose to its full height. This time, the Sword Avatar's eyes were blood-red, clearly having entered a state of qi deviation!

He looked up… In the hazy blood light, the solitary figure beneath the silver moon had completely turned around. However, this time, he was no longer in Xu Xiaoshou's form, but Mei Siren's self-proclaimed lifelong enemy! He stood with hands clasped behind his back, letting the storm of disaster whip at his robes. He held no sword, yet he was calm and composed, letting out a clear laugh amidst this apocalyptic scene.

“I didn’t expect that after so many years, you, Mei Siren, could also cultivate such a Sword Avatar. Quite impressive…”

“So, come, fight me.”

*Don't go up, absolutely don't go up, this is all fake, this is a demonic thought…* A shred of clarity remaining in his spiritual platform wanted to stop him, but the Sword Avatar had already let out a fierce "howl" and lunged forward. Similarly, Mei Siren felt utterly absurd as his own consciousness roared out an incomprehensible cry:

“Youcha, take this sword!”