Chapter 1107: I… Grow… A Bit…

"Is it really that strong?"

Under the silver moon, Xiao Kongtong watched the battle. He couldn't fully grasp the pressure Ghost Granny was under against Void General Hong at that moment, but from the spirit body in front of Xu Xiaoshou, he could discern power typically possessed only by a Half-Saint.

He looked at Mr. Bari beside him, puzzled, wondering how Xu Xiaoshou could have successfully contracted such a powerful spirit.

Normally, a Ghost Swordsman can only contract spirits whose power doesn't significantly exceed their own. But Xu Xiaoshou's case was clearly abnormal!

He had just started practicing Ghost Swordsmanship. Even if his soul body was powerful, it shouldn't be strong enough to contract a spirit that wields Half-Saint power.

"Mr. Siren, what exactly is going on?" Xiao Kongtong couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Even I don't know..." Mei Siren shook his head, fanning himself with a paper fan, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

Before Void General Hong made its sword-drawing move, Mei Siren also thought that even if Xu Xiaoshou successfully contracted the spirit, its power wouldn't surpass that of a Grandmaster. But now it seemed, with Half-Saint power at its command, Xu Xiaoshou, solely relying on this spirit, could already rank among "Grandmaster-level experts" in the future. And precisely because his own combat strength was low, it gave people an even stronger illusion of him feigning weakness to ambush a tiger... Well, perhaps it wasn't an illusion. This kid had been feigning weakness to ambush a tiger all along. What other secrets did he possess that no one had seen?

"Theoretically, such a situation exists where the spirit and the Ghost Swordsman are mutually willing..." Mei Siren pondered for a moment, then stared at Void General Hong and said, "It wouldn't actively retaliate against its master, and its master could also obtain the spirit's power through 'pleading.' It's just that Xu Xiaoshou's 'pleading'..."

Xiao Kongtong listened silently, finding it absurd. He knew the situation Mr. Siren described, but most often, it occurred between members of the same clan or lineage. Older generation powerhouses, nearing the end of their lives, would willingly become contract spirits for younger generations to better protect their clan, transforming into a "grandpa"-like existence. And for the younger generation to receive help from this "grandpa," it certainly wouldn't be through "commanding" or "ordering," as these methods would enrage a spirit. A powerful spirit, even from a simple stress reaction, could harm its master. Therefore, in such situations, "pleading" was born. A Ghost Swordsman and a spirit would coexist on equal terms, or even with the swordsman adopting a subservient role, to implore power from the spirit for battle.

However... Xu Xiaoshou's method was hardly "pleading"!

"Fight! To the last moment!"

"Blood! To the last drop!"

Xiao Kongtong's expression became strange as he thought of these two sentences. What was this? A special secret command to "plead" for Void General's power? An intimate communication method unique to Xu Xiaoshou and his spirit?

"I don't understand..." Xiao Kongtong admitted he couldn't comprehend it, but he was profoundly shocked.

"It's fine if you don't understand," Mei Siren smiled faintly. Whether it was Xu Xiaoshou's "Heart Swordsmanship" or "Ghost Swordsmanship," Mei Siren himself couldn't fully comprehend them after they were cultivated, but as long as they worked, that was sufficient. However... "Still a headache!" Mei Bari reached up and pinched the space between his eyebrows. Void General's power had undoubtedly disrupted his teaching plan.

Originally, after the "Soul Manipulation Art" was perfected, the most powerful aspects were actually the three unique combat styles of Ghost Swordsmen, which he intended to teach Xu Xiaoshou during battles: First, a Ghost Swordsman could use a "Red Letter Ghost Talisman" to apply the Nine Great Swordsmanship techniques to the spirit, unleashing them through the spirit's hands, converting all damage to soul damage. Second, through the conversion of the "Red Letter Ghost Talisman," the Ghost Swordsman could gain some of the spirit's power, enhancing themselves for combat. Third, both would perfectly merge, becoming indistinguishable, to maximize their combat power.

However, all three situations undoubtedly required the Ghost Swordsman's combat strength to be on par with the enemy's. If the Ghost Swordsman's spirit simply appeared and eliminated the enemy, what need would there be for the Ghost Swordsman's unique combat styles? Yet, it seemed this extreme situation had just occurred...

"Let's just watch for now!" Mei Siren dispelled the slight irritation between his eyebrows, trying to convince himself that this was actually a better situation. At least Xu Xiaoshou's spirit was powerful, and he would be safe in the future, wouldn't he?

"It's almost over..." Xiao Kongtong kept his eyes on the battlefield, keenly observing that under Void General's formidable aura, Ghost Granny probably couldn't even withstand a single move. As long as that greatsword could be drawn!

"Fight!" Xu Xiaoshou, who had been standing at the back like a pole with no combat involvement, now realized something was amiss. For instance, at this moment, as a Ghost Swordsman, he should have unleashed a flamboyant and eye-catching sword technique. This would both help Ah Hong draw her greatsword faster and earn passive points from the spectators. Alternatively, he could have used the power of the "Red Letter Ghost Talisman" with a special method to stimulate Ah Hong's combat power to skyrocket, instantly killing Ghost Granny without even needing to draw the sword.

But... Though Xu Xiaoshou thought this, and felt that "Ghost Swordsmanship" probably contained many such methods, he didn't know any of them! Frustrating... Utterly frustrating! So, he could only transform into a cheerleader captain, enthusiastically pumping his fists and shamelessly shouting repeatedly:

"Fight..."

"Fight?"

"Fight? Oh, fight! Auntie... *cough, cough*!"

His dramatically intoned battle chants, as if playing a game, not only made Mei Siren blush with shame at being associated with such a disciple but also made Ghost Granny's mentality explode, enraging her to the point where she wished she could charge directly at Xu Xiaoshou and rip his big mouth to shreds.

However, Xu Xiaoshou was playing, but Void General Hong was not.

"Fight!!!"

Accompanied by a hoarse, powerful roar, Void General Hong tightened its grip on the greatsword. As spiritual light surged, it was only half an inch away from drawing the sword from its chest.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Ghost Granny's eyes were bloodshot, but her soul body was so suppressed by the opposing spirit that she couldn't even retrieve her most basic Soul Banner, let alone other effective defensive measures. In the nick of time, Ghost Granny keenly observed that Void General Hong's sword-drawing motion abruptly halted at its climax, as if restrained by some unknown force or rule. The sword blade could not move another inch.

"It can't draw it!" Ghost Granny was ecstatic. She desperately squeezed the soul power that Void General had forced back into her body, preparing to fully ignite it and unleash a counterattack.

But at this moment, with the greatsword drawn to this point, Void General Hong seemed to have gained enough power. It no longer fixated on drawing the sword. Its hands, loosely gripping the sword hilt, slid and then sharply swept upward into the night sky.

"Roar—"

A dragon's roar suddenly erupted. Void General Hong couldn't fully draw its physical greatsword. However, in its upward sweep, the power gathered between its hands, composed of myriad spiritual lights and Half-Saint force, transformed into a colossal, illusory, transparent, dark greatsword. The sword light tore through the sky, cleaving the night apart.

"Impossible!" Ghost Granny's wail of despair finally ceased with this one sword strike.

With a "boom," space dislocated. Xu Xiaoshou, from the back, was awestruck by this space-splitting sword. Through the dislocated space, he could vaguely see Ghost Granny's distorted face and her expression of despair frozen in her final moment.

"Crack!"

Time, space... and even various rules were severed by this supreme and powerful sword. Ghost Granny, who remained frozen in front of Void General Hong, couldn't even unleash half a defensive spiritual skill. Her soul body was instantly split in two.

"Fight!"

Void General Hong sheathed its sword and stood upright. Myriad spiritual lights converged back into its body, and the greatsword on its chest receded inch by inch until the hilt and guard clicked into place against its crimson armor, emitting a "clack-clack" sound.

"It's over?"

"Dead?"

Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded, unable to believe it was already finished. Ah Hong was simply too strong! Ghost Granny, who also cultivated the path of the soul, couldn't even defend under its suppression, let alone counterattack.

"Whoosh!"

Just then, an incredibly fast spiritual light shot out from Ghost Granny's bisected soul body, piercing directly towards the sky.

"What a clever trick!" Mei Siren reacted swiftly, his gaze immediately following the light. He was surprised that after Ghost Granny had shed her physical body like a cicada, she still had another "cicada shedding" move, abandoning her soul body. However, what could this remaining speck of spiritual light do, other than flee for its life? Even given thirty to fifty years, Ghost Granny probably wouldn't recover half of her previous cultivation! Void General Hong's single sword strike had actually forced her to sever her own cultivation foundation, simply to preserve a sliver of conscious spiritual light, hoping for resurrection in the future. Truly terrifying!

"Should we stop her?" Xiao Kongtong also watched the spiritual light vanish into the horizon. He made a move to follow but stopped after observing Mei Siren's reaction. He had consistently maintained his Illusionary Swordsmanship domain, fearing that the battle's fluctuations would attract unwanted attention, especially since there were Half-Saints on Void Island. But Void General Hong's burst of power was too immense! Its absolute strength repeatedly shattered his illusory world. At this point, Ghost Granny escaping the area, using Void General Hong's sword strike as an opportunity, was undoubtedly an extremely wise and her only choice. To stop her was certainly possible. Because even as the illusory world shattered again, Xiao Kongtong had already anticipated Ghost Granny's only escape route. However, looking at Mei Siren and then glancing at Void General Hong in front of Xu Xiaoshou, he felt it might not be necessary to take further action.

"Let him decide," Mei Siren said no more, simply looking at Xu Xiaoshou.

"Chase!"

On the long street, Xu Xiaoshou grew anxious. He absolutely couldn't allow a gold-medal bounty killer, who coveted his head, to escape with her life. No one knew better than him how terrifying someone who survived such a situation could be! Either Ghost Granny would survive the ordeal, stumble upon an opportunity on Void Island, and achieve Half-Saint status; or she would possess a genius and rise again, coming to seek revenge in the future. In short, just as he himself had never cultivated step-by-step to his current realm, Xu Xiaoshou didn't believe that if a Grandmaster-level expert managed to escape, they would necessarily need a long time to recover their foundation, or even never fully recover in their lifetime. He was a pessimist. He believed that all geniuses in this world followed the growth template of a Son of Heavenly Dao. Even if Ghost Granny wasn't a world-renowned talent like Bazun An, Mr. Siren, or Yu Lingdi, what if her path to resurgence began after being humiliated by him today?

"Ah Hong, chase her! Don't let her get away!" At that moment, Xu Xiaoshou even wanted to activate the power of the "Red Letter Ghost Talisman" to give Void General Hong the most direct command. But before he could do so, as soon as his urgent mood was conveyed, Void General Hong lowered its head and nodded heavily.

"Roar!"

It roared, letting out a colossal bellow, spreading its hands wide in front of its body as if intending to transform into a true giant, its form rapidly expanding inch by inch.

"Indeed, a Void Servant... no, a Void General! A Void Giant!" Mei Siren revealed a look of understanding. Xiao Kongtong also watched the scene solemnly. It could be said that the peak combat power of the giant race wasn't when they suppressed their forms, but after fully unleashing their true physical size.

"Absorb... Come..."

On the long street, accompanied by another hoarse roar from Void General Hong, endless "spirits" transformed into specks of light, being absorbed into its soul body. In an instant, its height surged to dozens of meters, and it continued to climb.

"Crack!"

The bisected shell of Ghost Granny's soul body, which she had left behind, finally couldn't withstand the absorption force. It shattered into spiritual light, which was also absorbed into Void General Hong's soul body, becoming nourishment.

"Whoosh-whoosh—"

The "spirits" swirling in the sky formed a visible storm, containing more "spirits" than Mei Siren, Xiao Kongtong, and Xu Xiaoshou could see combined. And all of them, without exception, were absorbed into Void General Hong's body.

"Too strong!" Mei Siren's expression became incredibly solemn. It could be said that ever since Xu Xiaoshou successfully contracted Void General Hong, the battle between him and Ghost Granny had become unequal. This spirit could even put pressure on Mei Siren himself! Mei Siren pondered that with just this "Red Letter Ghost Talisman" contracted spirit, combined with his "Heart Swordsmanship," Xu Xiaoshou might already be able to contend with ordinary ancient swordsmen possessing the most basic Sword Immortal power. His growth was too fast! His foundation was too solid! Amassing strength for a sudden burst, igniting instantly, a volcanic eruption of growth!

Not long after, while Void General Hong's soul body was still devouring spiritual light and rapidly growing in size, it hadn't even used any additional techniques, yet a scream already drifted from the distant sky.

"Ugh—"

Xu Xiaoshou focused his gaze and realized it was Ghost Granny's distorted "spirit," being drawn back.

"Gulp."

His Adam's apple bobbed. Xu Xiaoshou didn't know how to describe the shock he felt. Ah Hong hadn't even started to attack. It merely absorbed the "spirits" of all things to restore its giant form, and Ghost Granny's "spirit" couldn't withstand it, being directly pulled back from the distant sky! Just now, at its speed, it must have fled hundreds of miles! This was definitely Ghost Granny's last life-saving trump card, but in Ah Hong's eyes, it was just child's play!

"Xu Xiaoshou, please spare me, I beg you!"

"I haven't even attacked you yet. You should be able to see that I have no intention of killing you. We can make a deal..."

Desperate and breaking thoughts emanated from Ghost Granny's "spirit."

"Received plea, passive points, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou stood with his hands behind his back, unmoved, like a heavenly deity indifferent to mortals. "It's because you couldn't, not because you didn't want to, right? In your mind, there must have already been a thousand ways for me to die..." he thought.

In the void, various soul defensive weapons flew out. There was the Soul Banner, the Soul Resistance Pearl, and most of Ghost Granny's precious hidden treasures that she had stored in her soul space and wanted to take with her... But without exception, facing Void General Hong's absorption power, facing the spiritual light storm's eye that could even devour Half-Saint power, they couldn't last even ten breaths before—shattering.

"Give me one chance!" Ghost Granny shrieked, in pain and madness. She, a Grandmaster, was so humiliated by Xu Xiaoshou, who had just begun practicing "Ghost Swordsmanship," that she couldn't even make a move. Her initial preemptive strike at the beginning of the battle had truly been the last attack of her life...

"Received craving, passive points, 1."

Xu Xiaoshou remained steadfast, his gaze cold. "Putting myself in your shoes, if you were in my position, would you have given me a chance?" he thought again, while also gaining a deeper understanding of what Water Ghost had said about "the struggle for the Grand Dao will be stained with blood."

"Xu Xiaoshou, I curse you to die a terrible death!"

"Ah—"

Void General Hong didn't wait for its master's command to stop, but it eventually ceased growing in size. Because at that moment, Ghost Granny's "spirit," along with the "spirits" of all things, was completely devoured by it. Even her final scream abruptly stopped amidst the agony.

"Received curse, passive points, 1."

"Burp."

Void General Hong seemed to burp, having consumed so many "spirits." Its soul body radiated even more brilliance. Turning its head, its cold, ghostly eyes fixed on Xu Xiaoshou, as if fulfilling the conversation they had before signing the contract.

"I... grew... some..."

"You... must... also..."

Fragmented and drawn-out thoughts came through. Xu Xiaoshou silently watched the direction where Ghost Granny had vanished into nothingness, then his gaze returned to Ah Hong, finally understanding why it was so easy for him to summon it. Ah Hong was serious! Its obsession still lingered; it truly wanted to go to the very end with him, to defeat its nemesis—the nemesis it couldn't defeat in the past—in the most perfect form!

"Don't worry, I certainly will." Xu Xiaoshou's lips curved into a smile as he spoke. Without a moment's hesitation, the "Red Letter Ghost Talisman" on his brow lit up, summoning Ah Hong into his soul space to rest.

By now, the night was gone. Void Island's perpetual light had returned, and the person within it seemed to have finally grown out of the darkness, welcoming his own dawn, no longer fearing most of his past terrors.

"Teacher, Senior Brother..." Xu Xiaoshou turned his head, looked at the two figures high in the sky, and chuckled, "I'm finished."