Chapter 1106: Piercing Sword, Sword That Startles the Saint, Sword That Cannot Be Drawn

“Then prepare yourself!”

Xu Xiaoshou turned to face the Ghost Granny. “My preliminary work is done,” he said calmly. “The rest is up to you. Just tell me when you’re ready to fight.”

While he was certain that the first realm of “Ghost Sword Art,” “Spirit Manipulation Technique,” wasn’t solely about successfully contracting a Void General, it surely involved methods for commanding spirits, or unique techniques for soul attacks and defense.

But with Ah Hong, Xu Xiaoshou felt he had enough for now. Mr. Mei had already confirmed that he had entered the “Spirit Manipulation Technique” realm. The finer details could be learned over time; there was no rush.

“This old one doesn’t need to prepare anything…” Ghost Granny hesitated before speaking. She actually wanted to prepare something, but after much thought, she realized there was nothing she could prepare except for her own death.

She had sealed away most of the power of “Soul Devour and Escape” after realizing a battle was imminent, saving it for later. She was now, effectively, at her peak fighting state. If she delayed further, she might not be able to prepare anything special, but given Xu Xiaoshou’s comprehension… If she prepared for fifteen minutes, he could advance a whole major realm!

“Shall we begin then?” Xu Xiaoshou turned his gaze to Mr. Mei, silently asking the old sword immortal if he had any final instructions before the battle.

He wasn’t about to put aside his hatred for Ghost Granny just because he had briefly studied “Ghost Sword Art.” Even though they hadn’t directly clashed before, she had come for his head, making it a feud of life and death. The sooner it was settled, the sooner he could rest easy.

From the very beginning of his “Ghost Sword Art” training, Xu Xiaoshou had made up his mind: even if his comprehension was poor and he couldn’t defeat Ghost Granny with just “Ghost Sword Art,” his teacher Mei Siyang and Senior Brother Xiao Kongtong from Sanshan Immortal City would be forced to abide by the noble character of ancient sword cultivators and release her as per their promise. But Xu Xiaoshou was no gentleman. Thus, from start to finish, he had been contemplating how to break the rules and secretly kill Ghost Granny using techniques other than “Ghost Sword Art.” Now, it seemed, that might not be necessary. Was Ah Hong enough?

“Go easy…” It was unclear whom this instruction was for. After speaking, Mei Siyang merely glanced at Xu Xiaoshou without another word, then flew straight into the night sky, standing alongside Xiao Kongtong beneath the silver moon.

Without any special ceremony, Mei Siyang tapped his paper fan, and his voice rang out: “Begin!”

On the long street, the originally peaceful and serene sword practice atmosphere was instantly imbued with a chilling aura. The wind howled desolately, and the moon shone bright and cold.

Almost instantly, Ghost Granny’s observer mindset shifted to the tense anxiety of a participant. She had witnessed Xu Xiaoshou’s entire “Ghost Sword Art” training!

Even though it had only been half an hour, she knew this young man had just contracted a terrifying Void General. Since it was a battle to the death, there were no rules about elders going easy on juniors. As an assassin, Ghost Granny would certainly not miss the excellent opportunity to strike first.

“Soul Devour and Escape, activate!” The power previously sealed within her soul body—originally intended for a life-or-death struggle with Xiao Kongtong, but more realistically for escape—ignited in an instant.

With a bang, dark, blood-blue soul energy expanded and burst forth, enveloping Ghost Granny’s soul body into a massive, formless ghostly entity. It possessed a grotesque face, sharp fangs, and chilling blood-red eyes. A normal person seeing it would likely suffer a mental shock and soul influence, falling into temporary paralysis.

But Ghost Granny treated Xu Xiaoshou as an opponent of equal standing. She knew this wasn’t enough. Only by instantly—no, *severely*—wounding him just before he could unleash the Void General could she turn the tide, win this round, and escape freely! The Void General… Ghost Granny believed she couldn’t defeat it!

“Owlsoul!” The grotesque ghostly entity transformed into a faint light, instantly charging to Xu Xiaoshou’s face.

Before the young man could react, Ghost Granny, enveloped in soul energy, had already unleashed a dagger-shaped soul holy artifact and, using a finishing move, tried to sever Xu Xiaoshou’s soul body.

An assassin, an assassin… if the assassination fails, withdraw immediately. Ghost Granny never believed Xu Xiaoshou could withstand such an overwhelming attack from her, an older, more powerful practitioner.

Her constant thought was whether the Seven Sword Immortal Mei Siyang would intervene to block this certain-kill move—her only ultimate move. If he intervened, the outcome would be decided!

“Under surprise attack, Passive Points, 1.” It was a sure-kill move right from the start! Even though Xu Xiaoshou, the target, was well-prepared, Ghost Granny’s speed was so great that the information bar still classified it as a “surprise attack.”

“Old hag, as sinister as expected…” Although he hadn’t expected her to let him have the first move, Xu Xiaoshou was still infuriated by Ghost Granny’s shamelessness. Fighting a Grandmaster, did she really need to go all out like this? “You’re even more cautious than me! This doesn’t fit the style of our ‘Careless and Uncautious Strike’ assassin group!”

With the stone sword in hand, Xu Xiaoshou didn’t even have time to make any effective counter. Yet, he showed no fear, refusing to use even the rule-breaking “Disappearing Art” combined with “One Step to Heaven.” Instead, he bravely met Ghost Granny’s attack, forced his head up, and opened his eyes wide.

“Scram!” A furious roar erupted from his mouth. With that shout, air waves churned before him, and the sudden surge of rage materialized, causing the space within Xiao Kongtong’s illusionary world to ripple and twist.

Aura! What Xu Xiaoshou relied on was the latest application of “Swallowing Mountains and Rivers,” which he had comprehended while practicing “Heart Sword Art.” It allowed him to instantly reach the peak of his aura and reverse the psychological positions of himself and his opponent.

At this moment, in the eyes of the charging Ghost Granny, the diminutive Grandmaster Xu Xiaoshou seemed like a colossal sleeping dragon, suddenly raising its head and opening its eyes to awaken!

Not only that! A giant was even riding atop the colossal dragon! The terrifying aura, echoing the rolling sound waves, delivered a psychological shock no less impactful than the first time one witnessed the “Sword Manifestation” of the Seven Sword Immortal Mei Siyang.

“Little scoundrel…” Ghost Granny’s mind couldn’t even form a complete thought before her brain went blank, and her movements stiffened for a moment as if she were facing royalty.

“This aura!” Beneath the silver moon, Xiao Kongtong raised an eyebrow, turning to glance at Mr. Mei. “Isn’t that a foul? Xu Xiaoshou used something not belonging to ‘Ghost Sword Art.’”

“It is indeed a foul, but aura is something people can’t inherently control,” Mei Siyang said nonchalantly, fanning himself. If his own disciple committed a foul, what kind of foul was it? Rules were meant for others to hear; one should listen but never take them too seriously.

Xiao Kongtong chuckled, then asked, “Mr. Mei, are you really planning to let her go if Xu Xiaoshou loses…?”

“What do you think?” Mei Siyang countered.

Xiao Kongtong was choked up, his expression turning strange: “I originally thought you would be the kind of… well, how should I put it…”

“A pedantic person?” Mei Siyang’s lips curled into a smile.

Xiao Kongtong’s face stiffened: “I wouldn’t dare…” He paused, then said with a sigh of relief, “Anyway, I certainly don’t think that way anymore.”

Turning his gaze back to the battlefield, this Senior Brother from Sanshan Immortal City, who had fought in the Sword God Realm of the Eastern Domain, finally let go of that trace of resentment in his heart. He had never intended to let Ghost Granny leave! He had learned the principle of “cutting weeds, but not removing the roots” when he was young.

He had initially thought Mr. Mei wouldn’t approve, as the elder valued trustworthiness, so he, Xiao Kongtong—who was no gentleman—would have to step in. But hearing Mr. Mei speak now… It turned out they were all cut from the same cloth.

“Aura…” Murmuring, Xiao Kongtong once again felt the majestic aura that had suddenly surged from Xu Xiaoshou, instantly reaching a level comparable to his own. He couldn’t help but sigh with admiration again.

One could say that he was the one who truly witnessed Xu Xiaoshou’s growth along the way. Back in Tiansang City, a mere “Three Incense Sticks” assassin, Red Dog, had almost taken Xu Xiaoshou’s life. Who would have thought that in such a short span of time, Xu Xiaoshou’s mere displayed aura could now probably render the Red Dog who tried to kill him utterly motionless!

“Here it comes!” Before he could ponder further, Mr. Mei’s solemn voice came from beside him, clearly indicating that the main event both of them wanted to see was about to unfold. Xiao Kongtong’s gaze sharpened, focusing on the battle.

On the long street. Xu Xiaoshou, having controlled Ghost Granny’s soul body with just his aura, now had countless ways to kill her.

After his recent comprehension, the power of “Swallowing Mountains and Rivers” had more than quadrupled. He could simply use “Phantom Finger” to shatter Ghost Granny’s soul body, then tell Mr. Mei, “Sorry, I broke the rules this time, but it definitely won’t happen again.”

However, Ghost Granny was clearly not worth wasting nearly “50” charge points of “Phantom Finger.” He still had some soul artifacts plundered from various enemies. Sacrificing any one of them would likely be enough to tear off chunks of Ghost Granny’s flesh and strip away layers of her soul energy.

But ultimately, Xu Xiaoshou also wanted to test his newly acquired ability… “Hong, it’s your turn to appear!”

Seizing the moment of Ghost Granny’s brief stun, the “Ghost Sign” in Xu Xiaoshou’s pupils vanished, and the “Red-letter Ghost Sign” on his forehead glowed faintly. The next second, the air above the long street turned abruptly frigid, chilling to the bone.

It was as if the gates of the Nine Nether Purgatory had opened in the mortal world. As everyone’s eyes narrowed, a faint light descended under the silver moon. Within the light, from a minuscule speck, it gradually expanded, finally revealing the figure of Void General Hong, a full several meters tall, kneeling on the ground, abruptly appearing in the world.

It wore blood-red armor, a colossal greatsword that required two hands to wield pierced through its chest, its head was raised, gazing at the sky, and ghostly flames glowed eerily in its eye sockets… a sign of dying with unfulfilled desires!

Hong, appearing like a lord of spirits, immediately seized everyone’s attention upon its arrival, including that of Ghost Granny, who was just recovering from her paralysis. Then, positioned between Ghost Granny and the retreating Xu Xiaoshou, Void General Hong nodded its head, and the eerie ghostly flames in its eyes fixed upon the massive soul-entity monster before it—Ghost Granny!

“Fight!” From behind, Xu Xiaoshou vigorously pumped his fist. This scene immediately caused black lines to appear on Mei Siyang and Xiao Kongtong’s faces. They felt Xu Xiaoshou’s fighting style was too childish and easily broke immersion.

But then they saw Void General Hong, whose true form was now visible to outsiders thanks to the “Red-letter Ghost Sign” power, suddenly stand upright, its entire body erupting with battle intent as it roared furiously: “FIGHT!!!”

The roar seemed to come from ancient times, hoarse and weathered. Yet, the battle intent contained within it was almost unparalleled in the current age! As that single word settled, the illusionary world created by Xiao Kongtong abruptly twisted and crumbled. Even the “spirits” visible to the four on the long street were scattered and sent flying by the roar.

Finally, these countless “spirits,” as if answering a summons, frantically rushed into Void General Hong’s soul body like moths to a flame.

“W-what…” Ghost Granny’s soul body was almost ripped apart by the roar that assailed her. She stared in disbelief at the figure before her. This was simply terrifying, a thousand times—ten thousand times—more terrifying than what Xu Xiaoshou had drawn!

The aura… The aura of a Half-Saint… This spirit must have been a Half-Saint in life, or perhaps even more! Even in death, it could instantly use its soul power to mobilize such potent… Half-Saint power!

“How am I supposed to fight this?!” “Someone tell me, how do I fight this?!” Ghost Granny was losing her mind. She wanted to look past the Void General to see Xu Xiaoshou behind it, but ever since the Void General appeared, it felt as if an insurmountable wall had risen between her and Xu Xiaoshou.

She was completely locked on by Void General Hong! Unless she broke through this wall, let alone glancing at Xu Xiaoshou, even turning to look at Mei Siyang and asking him to intervene for fairness would be an impossible task!

“It actually… came…” Behind, Xu Xiaoshou looked at Ah Hong’s back, somewhat in disbelief. He hadn’t expected to summon Ah Hong successfully on the first try, nor had he thought that Ah Hong, once appearing, would truly obey his will and directly confront Ghost Granny.

It was important to remember that before the contract was complete, this Void General’s obsession focused solely on the devil-god-like entity, and not even a single sword strike from Mr. Mei could stir its thoughts in the slightest!

“So, what I said, it actually did listen, it just didn’t give much feedback?” Xu Xiaoshou was overjoyed. He had even decided to use a bit of the “Red-letter Ghost Sign” power to influence Ah Hong’s will to fight Ghost Granny. Who would have thought it wasn’t needed at all! He shouted, and Ah Hong shouted back. The battle could begin!

“Fight! Until the last moment!” “Blood! Until the last drop!” Clenching his fists, Xu Xiaoshou roared these two phrases, which sounded like secret commands to control the Void General, filled with tension and anticipation.

The next second, he saw the prominent wound on Void General Hong’s chest, formed by the convergence of countless “spirits,” begin to writhe and grow. “Clang, clang—” As the blood-red armor clanged, Void General Hong moved.

It slowly reached out, gripped the greatsword piercing its chest, and gradually pulled it out. “Boom!” The Nine Heavens instantly trembled with this action.

Immense holy power surged from Hong’s spirit body and the sword itself, almost comparable to that of Half-Saint Jiang Buyi at his peak.

“This!” Mei Siyang and Xiao Kongtong struggled to turn their heads, exchanging shocked glances. Even they, far removed from the battle, were affected. What about Ghost Granny…?

A quick glance revealed Ghost Granny’s soul body standing before Void General Hong. The soul power that had previously expanded and erupted was now being forced back into her body by the unknown opposing force, leaving only her terrified, deathly pale face exposed!

She couldn’t even move. Even shifting her eyeballs became difficult due to Void General Hong’s motion of gripping and preparing to draw its sword!

“No…” Ghost Granny exploded; her mental state completely shattered.

“How can it be so strong?” “Just a sword-drawing motion, how can it be so powerful that it renders me utterly immobile?!” “Is this sword… its seal?!”

“No!” “Stop it!” “It absolutely cannot be drawn out!” Ghost Granny screamed inwardly; she could already foresee the consequences of that sword being drawn…

“I’ll die!” But what was even more despairing was… “I can’t move!!!”