Chapter 1098: This Is the End?

"This was the result of Xu Xiaoshou's mere forty-five minutes of practice with the Heart Sword Technique."

Under the silver moon, another silver moon abruptly overlapped and ascended, intensely stimulating Xiao Kongtong's senses and making his scalp tingle. As an ancient sword cultivator who had also practiced the Heart Sword Technique, just like Mr. Mei Si, Xiao Kongtong had intervened with his own Heart Sword Technique the moment he sensed something was wrong with Xu Xiaoshou, and Xu Xiaoshou's spirit body was drawn into Elder Xie's spiritual world. His only purpose was to keep a constant watch on Xu Xiaoshou and prevent any mishaps.

Who would have thought that just moments before, when Elder Xie's attack, empowered by the "aura of the Evil God's power," made everyone believe that Xu Xiaoshou was utterly helpless and needed immediate assistance—the very next second, before Xiao Kongtong could even act, Xu Xiaoshou unleashed such a terrifying mental image!

"Sword God, Lone Tower Shadow!" Xiao Kongtong's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, feeling as if he were the one who had fallen victim to an illusionary sword technique. He instinctively turned his head to glance at Mr. Mei Si.

Mei Si did not offer any explanation, stating calmly, "Keep watching."

He had no intention whatsoever of intervening to help! *Even I was unnerved by the "aura of the Evil God's power," yet Mr. Mei Si believes Xu Xiaoshou can resist it alone.* Many thoughts flashed through Xiao Kongtong's mind. Amidst his shock, he once again carefully observed the scene: after the "Sword God, Lone Tower Shadow" image materialized, and Xu Xiaoshou's "Gaze of God and Devil" was unleashed, the endless, eerie black-purple sea within Elder Xie's spiritual world was completely tainted pure black, enveloped in a demonic aura.

"Xu Xiaoshou practices the 'Heart Sword Technique,' but perhaps it would be more fitting to call it the 'Demonic Sword Technique'..." Mr. Mei Si's past words echoed in his mind again, and Xiao Kongtong felt his understanding of Xu Xiaoshou deepen. Perhaps he truly could achieve what even Xiao Kongtong himself couldn't: "corrupting" the aura of the Evil God's power.

Within the spiritual world, Elder Xie, with the Eye of Chongyin on his forehead, felt a terrifying wave of oppressive force and impact sweep over him the moment he saw the sword tower rising from the waves before him. It was so overwhelming that he nearly prostrated himself in his own spiritual domain.

"I am the master of this spiritual world!" Elder Xie's obsession roared and shrieked madly; he utterly refused to believe what he was seeing. But when he looked up again and inadvertently glimpsed the black figure atop the sword tower—the moment that figure subtly turned its head, slightly opened its eyes, and their gazes met—

"Boom!"

All the madness and chaos in his mind, like a compressed energy mass, could no longer be contained and exploded with a deafening roar. Elder Xie's entire being erupted with endless demonic energy. His spirit body, already severely ravaged by the Evil God's aura, was instantly engulfed by the demonic energy, transforming into a monstrous form.

Through his blurring vision, the figure atop the sword tower was not merely one; it overlapped countless other images! There were things Elder Xie himself had feared most throughout his life, terrifying inner demons he never wished to confront; there were also horrifying monsters completely outside his previous comprehension: a golden Buddha capable of suppressing all human thoughts and will, a ferocious colossus trampling the ten kings of hell, with ten thousand swords bowing before its head; and there were figures imbued with high-level auras, with whom he could never have had any past or future connection—they were Half-Saints, perhaps even Saint Emperors. Finally, as his spirit body watched, the black figure transformed into a berserk giant, a black devil with two wings. It stood towering, seemingly awakened from primeval chaos. Though it did not move, Elder Xie heard footsteps.

"Boom!"

An invisible foot heavily stomped into his spiritual world. Instantly, the distorted, illusory black-purple ocean shattered, collapsing into fragments.

"Splat!"

On the long street, from the sea of black-purple that had been polluted into pure black and emanated demonic energy, crimson blood began to spread. Then, these black fluids, imbued with an eerie aura, rapidly converged back into the human-sized Eye of Chongyin, the "anomalous entity" that served as Elder Xie's transformed physical body.

The next second.

"Bang!"

This giant eye, which had originally emanated a black-purple aura and now became pure demonic energy, instantly exploded, as if a person had self-destructed from falling into a berserk state.

Xu Xiaoshou's spiritual consciousness returned to his body on the long street. His eyes, now sparkling with renewed clarity, first registered a look of bewilderment.

"It's over?""Suppressed so easily?""But that was an anomalous hybrid containing the 'aura of Ancestor Source power,' and it was completely insane, in a berserk state."

Xu Xiaoshou found it hard to believe, but then, with a shift in thought, he felt relieved. Firstly, Mr. Mei Si had mentioned that Elder Xie didn't wield true "Ancestor Source power," but merely borrowed a faint "aura" of the "Evil God's power." While this aura felt incredibly intimidating, it wasn't truly invincible. At the very least, it wasn't like Teng Shanhai's tangible "Demonic God power," which was so formidable it could strike fear into Jiang Buyi. Secondly, after borrowing the "aura," Elder Xie's spirit body had completely succumbed to madness, retaining only a lingering obsession with the name "Xu Xiaoshou." He couldn't, like Xu Xiaoshou himself, maintain rationality amidst madness and perfectly control berserk power. With even a slight influence, Elder Xie's mind would collapse due to the Heart Sword Technique's suppression. Finally, the "Gaze of God and Devil" conjured by his Heart Sword Technique was an image powerful enough to affect even seasoned ancient sword cultivators like Mr. Mei Si, who had also practiced the Heart Sword Technique.

Not to mention Elder Xie's spirit body was already in a berserk state. Even if he had retained his sanity, he wasn't proficient in spiritual or soul arts, not even comparable to Yi, so how could he possibly endure such an image for long? What's more, the single glance from his "Gaze of God and Devil" instantly channeled the highest level of oppressive aura from "Engulfing Mountains and Rivers."

"Perhaps, even if Yi were revived, it would be difficult for him to contend with my peculiar 'Gaze of God and Devil'..." Through this, Xu Xiaoshou recognized the unique nature of his Heart Sword Technique's first realm. Not everyone could withstand the power of a berserk state. Once a person's spirit body went mad, they wouldn't just face the "Gaze of God and Devil"; they would also confront their own inner demons and the infinitely magnified "fear" within their minds.

Returning to the present, the strange eyeball before him, shattered by a single glance from his Heart Sword Technique, originally signified the destruction of Elder Xie's physical body and the collapse of his spiritual will. Aside from Elder Xie's soul, which hadn't completely withered but wasn't proficient in such arts, he was undoubtedly not far from true death. From beginning to end, all Elder Xie could do was merely howl a simple phrase within the spiritual world. The Heart Sword Technique was incredibly effective against such mad individuals!

"What a pity." Xu Xiaoshou was both shocked by the Heart Sword Technique's power and felt a twinge of regret. He had originally intended to "Soul Read" Elder Xie to discover the origin of this unique "Ancestor Source power." Elder Xie couldn't perfectly control this power, but Xu Xiaoshou possessed the "immune to berserk state" constitution, so perhaps he could.

But now that the enemy was utterly shattered, what could he possibly read?

"No!""It seems... he's not entirely dead yet."

With a soft sigh, Xu Xiaoshou's gaze fell upon the tiny fragments of Elder Xie's exploded eye, remaining on the long street. His eyes suddenly narrowed. Those minuscule fragments of flesh and blood, though still emitting demonic aura, possessed the tenacious vitality unique to a Taixu cultivator. At this moment, they were imperceptibly twitching, attempting to gather and piece themselves back together.

"Activity?" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes darted as he realized something. The collapse of Elder Xie's spirit body had caused his physical body to self-destruct. However, this also brought him back from the insane state he was in due to wielding such a bizarre evil art. In other words, Xu Xiaoshou's Heart Sword Technique, using the most extreme "fight fire with fire" approach, had purged the influence of the "Evil God's power aura" from Elder Xie. Elder Xie ultimately "collapsed" into a simple berserk state from that single glance from Xu Xiaoshou's "Gaze of God and Devil," the "Sword God, Lone Tower Shadow" image. But this "collapse" couldn't equate to "death." Even those in the Throne Dao realm were hard to kill; how could a mere spirit body collapse and physical body explosion equate to the instant death of a Taixu? "At least, he still has some time to live, judging by the slight activity in these flesh and blood remnants..."

Xu Xiaoshou was certain that Elder Xie, who wasn't highly skilled in spiritual and soul arts, couldn't possess the extremely tenacious vitality of someone like Yi. Thus, Elder Xie would eventually die as time passed. He couldn't truly revive, because a person who collapsed from a berserk state couldn't possibly retain enough rationality to resurrect themselves in a fully conscious state. But for now, Elder Xie was still not completely dead.

"Let's try." The thought flashed through Xu Xiaoshou's mind. Immediately, he guided his spiritual essence, helping Elder Xie's remaining flesh and blood quickly piece themselves together.

"A bit disgusting." Suppressing a feeling of nausea, Xu Xiaoshou frowned, watching the flesh and blood rapidly twitch and grow after piecing together, subtly tending towards reforming Elder Xie's physical body.

"The vitality of a Taixu cultivator is truly tenacious!" Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded; even after all that, there were still signs of revival? However, he knew that even if Elder Xie's physical body recovered, he wouldn't truly return. Because Elder Xie's rapidly twitching and growing body was also accompanied by rising demonic energy. Even if he returned, he would only be a berserk monster, devoid of his past self.

"What is Xu Xiaoshou doing?" In the night sky, Xiao Kongtong and Mr. Mei Si watched Xu Xiaoshou's experiment simultaneously, unable to help but feel a chill down their spines. They had thought the battle was over! Unexpectedly, it was still ongoing. Elder Xie had only been able to transform into an anomalous representative by borrowing the aura of the Evil God's power. Yet, after Xu Xiaoshou's "Gaze of God and Devil" was unleashed, his current actions seemed precisely like those of a true devil! He was "whipping a corpse."

"Mr. Mei Si, Xu Xiaoshou's 'Heart Sword Technique' is so strange, do you think he himself might inherently be affected by a similar contamination?" Xiao Kongtong pondered deeply before asking aloud. Undeniably, after he used his Heart Sword Technique to intervene in Elder Xie's spiritual world, he was also shaken by the power of Xu Xiaoshou's "Gaze of God and Devil." But deep down, he was even more concerned that Xu Xiaoshou's temperament might also become twisted due to the appearance of "demonic" power. Even if only slightly!

Mei Si, surprisingly, did not refute him but instead considered a deeper possibility. Xu Xiaoshou's Heart Sword Technique had been successfully cultivated under his witness, and Mei Si had personally experienced the power of its images firsthand. Why could such a young man conjure such powerful images? Why would he desire such terrifying power when first learning the Heart Sword Technique? The immense pressure from past experiences rebounding... the pursuit of his own goals... Mei Si believed all of these factors played a part. Humans are complex beings, yet also pure beings. Mei Si would not overly interfere with the paths his students chose. Gazing at the young man's distant figure in the night, he softly said:

"He is very intelligent. Though young, he has his own judgment.""Our role is merely to guide, to guide towards good, not to interfere or excessively intervene."

"Heart Sword Technique, Gaze of God and Devil."

Gazing at Elder Xie's body, which had reformed and was filled with sinister demonic energy, Xu Xiaoshou raised his emotionless eyelids and successfully drew Elder Xie's shattered will into his own spiritual world. Just like Elder Xie's physical body, his will-body was a patched-together, dilapidated monster, emanating demonic energy, capable only of unconscious, grotesque roars, utterly devoid of reason. It was incomparably weaker than what he had seen before! Last time, Xu Xiaoshou had been pulled into Elder Xie's spiritual world. This time, he was on his home ground, actively casting the Heart Sword Technique's "Gaze of God and Devil" upon the enemy.

In his own spiritual world, filled with apocalyptic disasters and endless black chaos, the figure atop the solitary sword tower gently flickered, descending before the monster that was Elder Xie's will-body. He did not release oppressive power, nor did he completely destroy this will-body. All Xu Xiaoshou did was extend his hand. Just as he had done when practicing the Heart Sword Technique not long ago, he calmly and easily drew out the demonic energy from Elder Xie's body.

"Uh."

The strange spiritual entity before him grunted, and astonishingly, a degree of clarity returned to its eyes.

"It really works?" Xu Xiaoshou watched silently, his mind deeply shaken. He thought to himself that his Heart Sword Technique was probably the nightmare of all alchemists and ancient sword cultivators who feared inner demons, and the best "therapist" for those trying to recover from a berserk state. However, the "therapy" effect was poor, both unexpected and yet reasonable. Elder Xie only regained a little clarity, failing to completely recover his original will.

"Acceptable," Xu Xiaoshou nodded to himself. He was already quite satisfied with this outcome. Without further hesitation, on the long street, his consciousness returned to his body. His eyes met Elder Xie's form, which was no longer enveloped in demonic aura.

"Soul Read!"

The collapse of Elder Xie's spiritual will might affect his soul's state, but it wasn't enough to completely dissipate his soul. As expected, the Soul Read was successful again. However, this time, Xu Xiaoshou wasn't able to immerse himself in Elder Xie's entire life experience as he usually did when Soul Reading. What Xu Xiaoshou saw were only fragmented, patched-together memories, very incomplete, but the techniques Elder Xie had used just before his demise were remarkably clear.

"Southern Domain's Anomalous Gate Evil Art: Eye of Chongyin.""Aura of the Evil God's power... the Evil God, one of the Ten Ancestors... Ancestor Source Power... so that's it."

Xu Xiaoshou found what he sought and quickly withdrew from these chaotic soul memory fragments, wary of affecting his own state. He then deactivated "Soul Read." No unexpected events occurred during the reading process. Elder Xie had not faced a Saint for a very long time prior to this. The "Anomalous Gate Evil Art" he acquired came from a ruin and was an incomplete technique. There hadn't even been any Saint-level energy fluctuations there. Any assassin who feared death wouldn't have gone if there had been even a hint of Saint-level fluctuations!

Back in reality, standing before him was an unconscious, dazed Taixu cultivator, no longer posing any threat. Xu Xiaoshou knew that Elder Xie hadn't actually died by his Heart Sword Technique; rather, it was when he unleashed the "Eye of Chongyin" and there was no one to help him suppress the subsequent developments. At that point, this person was already destined to die.

"Goodbye."

He made no further moves, merely lowered his gaze, and a "fluttering" sound appeared in his ears. Ashlight White Flame sent Elder Xie on his final journey. The long street returned to silence. Xu Xiaoshou turned around, looking towards the two solemn figures in the night sky, their backs to the moon.

"It's over." He smiled faintly, offering no explanation. However, he knew in his heart that his recent actions, akin to "whipping a corpse," likely made him resemble a great evil demon king or villain from a storybook! "It's just that kindness can't defeat evil, after all." Xu Xiaoshou sighed silently.

This time, a Taixu master wielding the "aura of the Evil God's power" appeared, intending to deal with him. Fortunately, he had just mastered the "Heart Sword Technique" which countered him, and Xiao Kongtong, acting as a bodyguard, had already restrained him and incapacitated him. Fighting like this was naturally very easy; Xu Xiaoshou couldn't deny it. But what about next time? If he didn't fully understand this strange power, what if another similar enemy appeared next time, wielding not just the "aura of the Evil God's power," but true "Evil God power"? Xu Xiaoshou knew that external help was only temporary; no one could protect him forever. If he couldn't rapidly grow stronger with the help of various forces, then the next time he found himself in dire straits, it would be difficult to resist his inevitably difficult fate.

The Water Ghoul was annoying, but some of its words were very true: In the struggle for the Great Dao, a single general's success is built upon ten thousand withered bones!