Chapter 1103: The Strongest Soul Spirit? Void General

“What nonsense are you spouting?!”

The other three present felt their hearts pound.

Xu Xiaoshou's actions, expression, and words gave them the distinct impression that he wasn't lying; he truly saw something that shouldn't be visible.

However, who among them wasn't a master of the soul path? Grandma Ghost, of course. Even if she didn't dare claim to be at the pinnacle of soul cultivation, the power of "Body Devouring Soul Escape" was still accumulating within her soul. In a short time, she could unleash a soul attack almost comparable to that of Yi, the Head of the Alien Department.

This naturally came with heightened spiritual perception, yet when Grandma Ghost looked back, she still saw nothing.

Mei Yiren and Xiao Kongtong were no different.

As powerful cultivators who had both studied "Ghost Sword Art" and mastered its first realm, "Soul Manipulation Deception Art", through the "Ghost Scroll" technique, what ghostly entity in the world could escape their sight?

Yet, what Xu Xiaoshou was pointing at and talking about was, in their eyes, nothing but empty air!

“Stop messing around,” Mei Yiren said, his brows furrowing. He believed Xu Xiaoshou was trying to scare Grandma Ghost. “Now is not the time for jokes.”

“Startled, Passive Value, +1.”

Xu Xiaoshou, ironically, was startled himself.

He had assumed that what he saw was also visible to the other three present, but it seemed he was the only one with this unique ability.

“I… I wasn’t joking…” Xu Xiaoshou instinctively recoiled a few steps, retreating behind Mr. Yiren. “You really didn’t see anything?”

Mei Yiren’s expression turned serious. “What did you see?”

Xu Xiaoshou swallowed hard. Instead of answering directly, he countered, “Don’t tell me, Master, that the only spirits you can summon are weak ones like sand, moss, or dust?”

“…” Mei Yiren was momentarily speechless, but quickly tightened his grip on his paper fan, suppressing the urge to strike Xu Xiaoshou on the head. “What do you mean by that?!”

Xiao Kongtong suddenly glanced around, feeling the night breeze turn chilly as the moon above his head instantly switched to the sun.

Only then did Grandma Ghost feel a bit better, a warm sensation spreading through her as if the obscure, unseen presence had vanished.

“It’s gone…” Xu Xiaoshou was also stunned. He stared behind Grandma Ghost, then scanned around, looking thoughtfully at Xiao Kongtong. “Senior Brother, try switching it back to the moon.”

Don't mess with me... Xiao Kongtong felt a chill run down his spine at the suggestion, but after a glance at Mr. Yiren, he could only grit his teeth in resignation and switch the illusionary world’s environment to night.

The moon rose.

Xu Xiaoshou’s hand immediately trembled. Pointing behind Grandma Ghost, he exclaimed in alarm, “There it is! Are you kidding me, you still can’t see it? They’re back out again!”

It... them...

At this, Mei Yiren’s body also shivered. He finally couldn't hold back and smacked Xu Xiaoshou with his paper fan with a *thump*. “Stop talking nonsense!”

Grandma Ghost’s heart sank, feeling the sense of dread she hadn't experienced in years since cultivating the soul path return to her in that instant.

Xiao Kongtong’s gaze darted around, his pupils moving erratically up, down, left, and right within their sockets. Even the “Red-Letter Ghost Scroll” mark on his brow appeared, yet he still found nothing.

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath.

He really wasn't joking; there was no reason to!

He also finally confirmed that he was the only one who could see these ghostly entities!

“Arms, legs, and chunks of flesh, they’re this big…” Xu Xiaoshou circled his arms widely in the air, speaking in a voice that sent shivers down their spines:

“These are clearly the fragmented bodies of giants…”

“There are also the spirits of ruined weapons, but I can’t summon them; they seem to have been weathered by time, leaving only faint traces… but they are also enormous; these are clearly their weapons…”

“And this one…”

As he spoke, his gaze fixed, and amidst Grandma Ghost’s pale expression, Xu Xiaoshou’s eyes settled on something behind her, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“This one… how should I describe it…”

With a *whoosh*.

Before he could even begin to describe it, Grandma Ghost abruptly vanished from her original spot, reappearing and settling in a different location.

Xu Xiaoshou’s lips twitched. His gaze followed her, and he mumbled, “You… you stepped on its head…”

Grandma Ghost:

She truly believed Xu Xiaoshou was trying to scare her!

But at that moment, she genuinely couldn’t suppress her inner fear, and she subtly shifted a small step to the side.

Xu Xiaoshou’s face instantly turned green. “I told you, it’s a giant! Now you’ve stepped on its eyeball! You’re really impolite, aren’t you?!”

Grandma Ghost’s expression instantly spiraled out of control. With a strange shriek of “Ah!”, she shot into the air, landing not far from Xiao Kongtong.

With all the vastness of heaven and earth, she actually felt as though she had no place to hide!

This was truly terrifying!

What exactly had Xu Xiaoshou seen?

“Speak!” Mei Yiren hissed, taking a sharp breath, and spoke gravely.

“I can’t explain it clearly; I’ll just draw it for you…” Xu Xiaoshou blinked hard.

After regaining his composure, he moved his hand, and his ‘Mastery of Painting’ skill began to illustrate all the scenes he had witnessed on the long street since activating ‘Ghost Scroll’.

Mei Yiren, Xiao Kongtong, and Grandma Ghost watched with a mix of tension and bewilderment as a scroll painting, imbued with a desolate aura, began to materialize from the far end of the long street, moving closer, constructed by spiritual energy.

Dried black bloodstains splattered the street, setting a grim tone.

As the painting advanced, a half-giant’s head, several *zhang* tall, suddenly appeared on the long street. A broken greatsword was plunged in front of it, equally immense in height.

Further in, various severed giant limbs and organs lay strewn about, some displayed in the middle of the street, others hanging on the remnants of ancient city walls, a sight both horrifying and unsettling.

When the painting was halfway through, passing beneath their feet, Grandma Ghost saw the giant’s head she had just stepped on, and its eyeball…

As it extended further, everyone’s gaze grew heavy, because that spot was precisely where Xu Xiaoshou had pointed out the “special one”…

The painting paused there, taking a considerable amount of time to vividly depict a giant, a *zhang* in height.

It wore massive, blood-red armor, intricately carved with complex, ancient patterns and bearing numerous marks from sword and blade strikes.

This giant was not standing; it was half-kneeling on the long street, its blood-helmeted head tilted skyward, seemingly defiant even in death. Yet, in its eye sockets, only two faint, eerie ghost flames remained.

A massive two-handed greatsword was plunged into its chest, almost as tall as the giant itself. It was ancient and mottled, one of the few unbroken weapons present, though its blade was pitted and scarred from battle.

The painting concluded, vanishing at the other end of the long street.

Everyone was awestruck by this giant general, impaled by a greatsword and half-kneeling with head held high. Even as a mere painting, Xu Xiaoshou had perfectly recreated its ‘essence’.

“A Half-Saint’s aura!”

Mei Yiren’s eyes narrowed slightly. He simply couldn't believe that such a terrifying and bloody scene was hidden within the very environment they were in.

To suggest this was merely Xu Xiaoshou’s imagination…

In such a short time, could his imagination truly be rich enough to conjure such a magnificent and powerful scroll painting of the long street?

“It’s real?!” Xiao Kongtong couldn’t believe any of this. This was his illusionary world, after all!

“It genuinely exists.” Xu Xiaoshou nodded with utmost certainty. This was what he had seen; there was no mistake. Based on Xiao Kongtong’s reaction, it couldn’t be an illusion he had conjured.

“…” The three were collectively speechless.

After a long silence, Xiao Kongtong finally couldn't help but curse aloud, “Xu Xiaoshou, are you insane?! There are so many corpses here, and you saw them, yet you’re not panicking?!”

Xu Xiaoshou’s shoulders stiffened, and he instinctively clutched his head, his voice rising in volume. “I thought you could all see them! If none of you are panicking, why should I?!”

Xiao Kongtong: “…”

You make a very good point!

At this moment, a thought he’d had earlier, when he acquired the “Half-Saint’s Divine Position” and the “Demonic God’s Great Spear” in the Valley of Slumber, resurfaced in his mind.

Legend has it that a war between the Giant race and the Demonic Gods once took place on Void Island…

Now, it seems these might not just be legends.

“What is it?” Xu Xiaoshou ignored the other giant remnants, pointing only at the giant spirit body clad in blood-red armor as he asked.

No one offered a reply. Even Xiao Kongtong only had a partial understanding of these hidden secrets.

Grandma Ghost, naturally, was even more terrified. The mere existence of the giant remnants filled her with dread, and she felt that something beyond her current cultivation rank must have occurred here long ago.

The scroll painting of the long street that Xu Xiaoshou had drawn was, in her eyes, almost as shocking as her encounter in the Blood Realm!

After a moment of heavy silence, Mei Yiren seemed to recall something and spoke slowly, “Void General!”

“What is a ‘Void General’?” Xu Xiaoshou asked curiously. As he spoke, he suddenly noticed the distant ‘Void General’ seemed to move.

Holy crap!

That wasn’t an illusion just now, was it?

It… it moved! It’s still alive?!

“Startled, Passive Value, +1.”

However, what Xu Xiaoshou saw was still invisible to the other three.

Mei Yiren continued, “There are reportedly only three Void Generals. In ancient times, they were the generals who commanded the Giant race on Void Island. After that battle, the remaining giants became today’s Void Guards.”

Entities even stronger than Void Guards?

Xiao Kongtong and Grandma Ghost were dumbfounded almost simultaneously.

To them, the Void Guards were already formidable foes.

Perhaps a Half-Saint could easily defeat them, but below that level, there was almost no way to deal with those massive monsters that could even devour Saint Force.

The ‘Void General’ Xu Xiaoshou had depicted was even stronger than that!

*Gulp*~

Before the others could even inquire about the “battle,” Xu Xiaoshou was already swallowing repeatedly, interjecting, “It, it moved…”

“!” The other three bristled, like startled cats.

“Draw it!” Mei Yiren exclaimed, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Although they didn’t know where Xu Xiaoshou had learned such a painting technique, at this moment, it was the best means of communication between the visible and the invisible.

Everyone’s gaze swept over with urgency, and then they saw Xu Xiaoshou controlling his masterpiece, the ‘Void General’, which subtly trembled.

“Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump…”

At that moment, the sound of their heartbeats in the area was almost heavy enough to be mutually audible.

However, after waiting for a long time, with Xiao Kongtong practically straining his eyes, Xu Xiaoshou still made no further moves.

“Draw!” he urged.

Xu Xiaoshou pulled his neck back and meekly pointed forward, “I want to draw it too, but it only moved that one time just now, and I’ve already drawn that…”

“Cursed, Passive Value, +3.”

It must be said that in such a terrifying and eerie atmosphere, Xu Xia Xiaoshou was truly the best antidote. At least Xiao Kongtong’s fear had been significantly diluted, though he still wished he could tie the boy up and give him a good beating.

“Let’s leave here first.” Mei Yiren no longer cared about lecturing Xu Xiaoshou; he had thought of something.

The strength of one’s soul power is indeed linked to innate qualities.

Some people are born with strong spiritual perception, enabling them to see what ordinary people cannot. Xu Xiaoshou was, without a doubt, one such person.

But sometimes, seeing is not necessarily better than not seeing.

Because with certain entities, once you perceive them, a karmic link is established, much like facing a Saint.

“Facing the unknown” is akin to “facing a Saint.” Most of the time, you won’t achieve a good outcome, and the result will only be tragic, because “Saints cannot be desecrated”… and neither can the unknown!

And according to Xu Xiaoshou’s painting, it was undeniable that the ‘Void General’ possessed a Half-Saint’s Divine Position.

Mei Yiren also pondered: an existence so powerful, even after decaying to such an extent and rotting for countless ages, still retained a Half-Saint’s aura that Xu Xiaoshou could depict.

How terrifying must it have been in life?

It must not be provoked!

“Let’s go,” Mei Yiren said, glancing at Xiao Kongtong, who gave him an affirming nod. He was about to take Xu Xiaoshou with them.

To his surprise, Xu Xiaoshou couldn’t move his feet, and there was even a hint of “reluctance” in his eyes.

With a jolt, Mei Yiren instantly understood the boy’s audacious idea—his thinking had never aligned with the word “normal”!

“Don’t act recklessly!”

“Even if its spirit still exists at this level, it’s not something you can form a contract with right now.”

Mei Yiren immediately brought his paper fan down.

But Xu Xiaoshou dodged it. He turned back and stated solemnly, “Master, trust me, I value my life more than you do.”

“How can this old man trust you?!” Mei Yiren’s face was etched with fury.

You’re playing with your life!

He couldn’t see what Xu Xiaoshou saw, so how could he ensure his student’s safety?

And to let a novice of ‘Ghost Sword Art’ attempt to form a contract with the spirit of such a terrifying entity… let alone success, Mei Yiren could only think of a hundred ways Xu Xiaoshou could die.

“Master…” Xu Xiaoshou took Mr. Yiren’s hand in his, his eyes clear and pure, meeting his gaze earnestly without saying another word.

This boy… Mei Yiren’s eyes chilled, almost cursing aloud, but meeting Xu Xiaoshou’s gaze, he was ultimately left with only helplessness.

Xu Xiaoshou was indeed an impulsive person; he even dared to trick a Half-Saint.

Yet, he also possessed great self-awareness, and his methods were strong enough to fool a Half-Saint, despite only being at the Grandmaster level.

“Are you confident?” Mei Yiren asked in a low voice, glancing at the distant ‘Void General’.

“At the very least, I’ll know when my death is coming…” Xu Xiaoshou didn’t answer directly. “But it’s definitely not now!”

He no longer looked at Mr. Yiren but instead clutched the Holy Emperor’s Dragon Scale.

“Risk, risk, risk…”

“How great is the risk of me forming a contract with this thing? Will I die? Will I die? Answer quickly!”

Xu Xiaoshou frantically repeated these thoughts in his mind, wanting the Holy Emperor’s Dragon Scale to perceive his inner turmoil and provide a premonition of danger.

“Thump!”

The Holy Emperor’s Dragon Scale pulsed.

There was a heartbeat sound, and it was heavy.

But it wasn’t as heavy as the overwhelming impact he felt when facing a Saint, nor as fast as the exceptional frequency back then.

This meant…

“Opportunity coexists with danger!”

Leaving that remark, Xu Xiaoshou ignored Mei Yiren and Xiao Kongtong. Under Grandma Ghost’s trembling gaze, he walked up to the depicted Void General.

He didn’t squat, as even standing, he was shorter than the half-kneeling Void General.

Yet, against such a terrifying and eerie long street backdrop, Xu Xiaoshou fearlessly extended his hand, reaching it out toward the general clad in blood-red armor, with a two-handed greatsword plunged into his chest, and cold, ghostly flames burning in his eyes.

“Hey, Void General, stop kneeling. Come with me.”